Baby Avery Kate meets Baby Mason

So what do you do when you find out that your good friend is having a baby 3 weeks after your granddaughter is expected to arrive, you buy a coordinating sweater outfit.  So even though it is March and hers is still a little big and his is almost too small, you must a mini portrait session of the two babies that are opposite as can be.   But as you can see as sweet as can be!

AVERY KATE AND MASON MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME:

"Hi, Baby!"

[Don't you wonder what babies are thinking?"]

Mason's mommy is also blogging:  https://southerngirlwrites.com/

Check her out!

"Some Bunny Loves Me"

When you have bunnies at your house to do a few Bunny Portraits for your dear friend before the actual sessions and your granddaughter comes to your house wearing a cute little bunny outfit that you bought her before she was born, you must try to capture a few images of her with a bunny.

However, the only smile images that were captured were directed toward the bunnies rather than the Mimi/photographer.

As you can see this little sweet pea doesn't have to smile to make a timeless, priceless image:

 "Some Bunny Loves Me"

I do believe this little one loved her first encounter with bunny.  She would giggle at them and oh yeah,  she wanted poke him in the eye which was one of the reasons this Mimi decided she could only do a few of these without help.

MUST SHARE: SWEETEST MIMI MOMENT EVER!

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Sweetest Mimi moment this morning as I was getting Avery Kate out of the car.

Last week, Monday and Friday, and this past Monday, I have been trying to teach her to wink.  I continually wink at her with my left eye and then my right and sometimes with both eyes.  Monday I thought she was making a curled up facial expression when I showed her and asked her to wink…with that I realized I am probably doing something along that line as I teach her. LOL

This morning when we get back to the house after our nice little drive from Ferriday to Frogmore, after singing little fun songs while trying to keep her engaged on the drive in, she finally WINKS!  As I open the back door and begin to talk to her and  she reaches to me as she often does, I wink my little Mimi-Wink, I ask her to wink.  She does it!  She deliberately (2 times in a row) when being prompted after I wink at her, she squeezes both her eyes together while crinkling her little nose.  So no photo!  So you will have to picture the sweetest little 9-month old wink ever based on my description.  Hopefully over the next few weeks, I can capture one! 

 ;-)  ;-)

P.S.  She did this a few more times this morning when prompted, but never when I had a witness!  Even if don't have proof, she really did do this! 

Adding a photo from last week...anyway!   Not for sure, but I was probably showing her "wink" while I was the floor with her last Friday (a week ago from today).  It was St. Patrick's Day and it has been cool all that week and Friday morning it was still cool so I put this little cute jacket on over her cute little St. Patrick's Day Onsie until it warmed up a bit.  I so enjoy these moments on the floor with her!

UPDATE (03.27.17):  TODAY SHE FINALLY SHARED HER ADORABLE WINK WITH HER MOMMY AND POPPA.  SEVERAL TIMES TODAY I ASKED HER TO SHOW ME HER WINK.  SHE IGNORED ME!  WHEN HER MOMMY WAS PICKING HER UP AND HER HER IN ARMS AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HER SONGS THAT SHE CAN SING (PAT-A-CAKE AND ITSY BITSY SPIDER), THEN OUT THE BLUE.  SHE DID HER HEART-MELTING WINK!  I CALLED POPPA IN HERE AND SHE DID IT FOR HIM TOO!  NO VIDEO FOOTAGE!  MAYBE SOON! ;-0  ;-0
 

A LONG TIME COMING: A BLOG POST

Right off the bat, I remember a real frustration that I had with blogging and Mac computers.  I had this blog post completely typed out and about ready to post.  I was just proofreading it and I slid my hand across the mouse and it went back AND I LOST IT ALL.
 

So I will try again.  After 16 months since I made a post, I think it is about time.  The truth of the matter is if I had not become Facebook junkie about 7 years ago, I think I would have continued to blog my thoughts, my photos and definitely my memories.  The nice thing about Facebook is you receive more immediate feedback and validation comes within that.  I don’t know about you, but I crave affirmation.  I think most of us do.

I have made a new decision this week.  I am going to start a new blog and maybe start posting on this one again on a regular basis. This was my 3^rd blog.  My first was a business blog that I see I haven’t posted since 2012…again Facebook was more effective.  I started a business page and used it as means to advertise, connect with others and share images from recent sessions, which often led to new bookings.  My 2^nd blog was inspired by my first granddaughter where I shared photos, memories and special events in her life as viewed by Mimi, me.  My 3^rd was started after she moved to Baton Rouge to blog about our lives or in other words journal about life in my family that may not necessarily include her.

My new blog won’t be about memories or my loved ones although I am sure they will creep into it too since they are so much of my life.   This one will be about my journey into Whole30 living and whole living (sharing how God is making me whole through recovery).  Food is my drug of choice.  I will share as I begin a new round of Whole30 and a brand new journey.  This past year I have dealt with some physical pain and emotional pain, which led me into regressing and slipping back into some (many) of my old food habits.  Food for me is often my friend, my comforter…my friend that leads me to destruction not my friend that leads into Christ’s will for me.  I know whole eating can be my friend too in a healthy way.  When I began my first round in October 2015, it began to change me in a most awesome way.  I began to feel better than I had in years!   Everything in my life seemed better except for my chronic back pain, which I hope to share more on later.  I should save the rest of my Whole30 inspiration to the new blog.  The new blog will be to inspire others, hold me accountable (I even plan to share my present weight and be real) and hopefully as I learn more about this type of blogging I will be able to monetize it too.    Prayerfully this is the direction that God has been leading me too.  I have been at crossroads for a while now kind of stuck, not sure which way to go next.  Have you ever been on that road?

 

For now I will share this photo that makes me smile.  It means there is a crawling little one in our family again.  Children are a gift from the Lord.  She has brought much joy into our lives.  I keep her on Mondays and Fridays.  When she is here, you will hear many ooohs and ahs from this Mimi and her Poppa too and lots of laughter from all three of us.  I will try to do some catching up from some of my last posts.  I will designate a post or two all about Avery Kate: her birth story as viewed by Mimi, some images from her newborn sessions, and some more images along the way up to the present.  So stay tuned if you want to see hear more about the new blog or my family.

THAT'S IT FOR NOW.  AS WE SAY IN SMALL GROUP, AS WE CONCLUDE OUR PERSONAL SHARE TIME AT CELEBRATE RECOVERY, "THANKS FOR LETTING ME SHARE". 

ps:  I couldn't leave you here without one recent image of our newest little one, our little Sweet Pea:  Avery Kate...

 This is from the mini session I took of her last Friday, St.Patrick's Day.  This image is actually coming off the background a bit...but it will just have to remain that way because no way and I cropping those little fingers which I have to do to crop it out. 

Gotcha Day Story

I guess I am going to add random images and then my Gotcha Day Story.  I am taking phrase "Gotcha" like I have seen people doing that have adopted children.  The official day that they become legal into their adopted family is being referred to as Gotcha Day.  Today was year ago that we had our Gotcha Day with our Izzy.

These images are random are images because I am having trouble getting to some of them especially those in between ages when she was so adorable...

 This was Izzy's First Christmas with our family.  It was Maggie's 2nd and she was only allowed in the house for this family photo since we did one last year when was a puppy.  And I have no idea how many times Pixie has been in this shot.  We also have another "human" in this one too!  Cari's BF from Monroe.  I will save that story for later if/when it comes to fruition.  It was good Christmas!  I love that I have this keepsakes to cherish our memories for every.

 Izzy in her Santa pajamas.  Everyone thought I was a little cruel for making her wear them.  I a few months earlier I had met someone who has a teacup Yorkie and she had all the cute pajamas for her and she told me she found them on Amazon.  I purchased Izzy several (but most ended up being to small--imagine that!), but I saved these for our Christmas.  I must admit she isn't thrilled about them.

 I did this mini photo session of Izzy and Ellie right before Christmas to give a little extra gift for Cari.  Ellie is such a poser.  She tilts her head! LOL

I did a few of both dogs alone also.

 Like I said earlier, random order.  This was captured Izzy's first week in our family.  I did a mini session with natural light in my bedroom in front of our french door at our balcony.  I didn't feel like cleaning/straightening my studio to do her first portrait session for her Birth Announcement/Valentine's Day cards.  She was stinking cute and sweet!

 And this how we commemorated, Izzy's First Birthday!  I made her take portraits.  So not her thing, but she obliged.  It would have been fun or cute to have a little doggie party or little family party, but like humans born on the 26th of December, she will just probably get jilted every year too.

The next 3 images are from my Easter Portrait Event.  I think she was about 12 weeks old at them and at one of her all time cutest phases. I wanted to add more photos of this age and maybe I will and maybe I won't--this may already be image overload!

 (above) Don't you want to know what she was thinking about the bunny and vice versa?
It was funny how she wasn't much bigger than them either.  She was so sweet!

 (above)  I think this is my favorite.  I need to print and frame it.  The only one I printed and frame so far has been from the recent Christmas Sessions.

This last one is her sporting this cute little Christmas Sweater that I found at the last minute at Walmart in Natchez.  I looked for them everywhere before I did our Christmas Portraits (first of December) and couldn't find one locally and I wasn't about to pay a fortune to order one online since she wouldn't wear it very long since the season would end soon.  I ended up getting her 3 or 4 by the middle of December.  Not sure if they got them late or what!

1 YEAR AGO

ONE-YEAR AND A DAY

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ONE YEAR AND A DAY (02.09.14) we picked up our new baby...

Typical Sunday:   church (wonderful worship and message as Randy and I viewed it from the sound booth—as I did power point and he did sound along one other),  lunch at local restaurant (visiting with church family and friends throughout that time) and then home for my Sunday nap and then me alone while Randy goes to a deacon meeting.  Almost the same as a year ago today (1 plus one day), except a year ago this empty nest family adopted our little 4-legged baby, Izzy.  Planning to do a full post of her tomorrow.  But today I am making sure I still know how to blog. LOL  [I actually remembered that he had a meeting a year ago too because Randy complained that I purposely planned it on the day he had a meeting so I could bond more/first with her. I know he was teasing, but I think it was one of those half-teasing-half-serious statements.  Of course, it just so happened to work out that it was this date.]

It has been so loooong since I blogged.

Okay, I am really out of practice and blogger has had many updates/changes since I did this regularly...even then I remember struggling to get photos the order I wanted them in.  If anyone reads this and would like to give me any hints, all are welcome.  This is a test post a little sneak peak...

 The above photo is before we actually met Izzy and her siblings.  This her and her first family.  I wished I knew wished one was her, but I can't even guess.  They really all looked alike to me.  All we knew was we wanted a small Yorkie.  I really don't know much about picking out puppies, but I did meet her parents too.  So I knew she would indeed be a small adult dog.

 I wanted this most recent photo to appear last, but like I stated I have forgot how to do that.  This was taken right after Christmas.  She was showing a two-year how to sit still a chair. LOL  Well, she tired!  The beautiful, two-year old was not that interested. ;-)

 This last image will forever be one of my favorites.  Natalie went to church with us a year ago (like she so often does) and then after lunch (before going home), we went to pick up our new baby.  I love this photo so much because it is my two babies:  my little sweetheart (Natalie) and my little Sweetie PIe (Izzy).  As look at it closer, I know Izzy was probably a little terrified about why she was leaving, but she adapted to her new family pretty easily.

Test

This a test.  I want to see if I can copy and past a Word Document or text from a Word document to a blog.

TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY

TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY

I found this yesterday (02.08.15) in my drafts as I was just reviewing blogging info as I was trying to see
if I still remember how to do this.
I had set this up for her birthday the same year that Precious passed away and like normal like got busy and I forgot to post it.  I still love it.
Top Left:
Natalie as a newborn, a few weeks old.
Top Right:
Natalie: 7 months old
Lower Left:
I think about 4, cotton field portrait that was captured when she was 4 or 5 (which I why I should have completed this--I would have remembered then.
This was the same dress that I made for Cari years earlier and she wore in cotton field portraits with her brother, Cameron, Natalie's daddy.
Lower Right:
8th Birthday Party Family Dinner at El Ranchero
(the same day we had family memorial for Precious)

PRECIOUS AND ME

I would love to create a digital scrapbook of memories either in blog format or one of the new digital book/albums that one can made these days because of digital technology in a fairy tale style and format.  But for several reason I won't:  #1 reason is because I just don't have the time or energy nor know where to locate all the images that I am picturing in my mind.  However, I wonder if my mind actually fails me from time to time as well.  Because as I think of all the many photographs that Precious made her appearances, I realize Christmas cards one of her biggest cameos.  So as I am thinking, I think of a certain image two children dressed in denim: one wearing a long sleeve denim shirt with jeans, a cute little boy,  and then the blonde-haired little girl wearing a denim dress and then my thoughts sort of come to a screeching halt.  NOPE!  That wasn't Precious!  That was two children and our two Shelties (aka Shetland Sheepdogs--sort of like miniature collies).  See our memories will trick us in a heartbeat if we let it.

So I come back to my title:  Precious and Me
Who saw the movie, Marley and Me?  Or who was even braver and read the book?  Well, I didn't read the book, but listened to the audio CD when coming back from San Antonio on a trip with my husband.  Much like Marley, our almost-15-year-old poodle, was far from a perfect dog and I admit especially toward the last few years of her life, I wasn't the greatest owner neither.  But like Marley, Precious was so forgiving and always loved us no matter what! 

I don't have a blog post full of memories of Precious all though if I scan my memory long enough or talk to my children who many of their own, I can come up with some.  Of course, John Grogron, the owner and writer of Marley and Me was also a writer for a local paper...which of course, wasn't like our local paper.  It was after all Miami.  So I don't remember what kind of column it was or the name of the paper, I do recall that John shared many misadventures and heart touching stories over the years, thus he pretty much had been documenting his life all  along.  So he had a head start and putting his story together.

I shed many tears and laughs to listening to John narrate his experience with "loopy" dog as he described, but also shed many because I knew that the life of our family pet, who have often been pushed aside honestly because at time she was quite annoying like:

• When she was right under my feet while cooking hoping I would drop a morsel or two for her.
• When she insisted on being in the studio with me while I photographed a session (but she was paid back for that!--she often used as the subject to get babies to smile!)  So many of them loved her.)
• Or when she woke me up in the middle of the night throwing up on my bed because someone left some Reese's on the end table.  She made a pig of herself.  Yes, we learned not to leave chocolate or any food out for that matter after that.
• The list could go on...espeically toward the end when she was just getting old she could help herself.

But you know I have come to a conclusion that our beloved dogs love us unconditionally like God does.  We can be angry with them.  Yell at them for no reason and they'll bow their head and in few minutes be ready to love on you again.  They certainly didn't hold grudges and nor get angry at us.

Every dog has their idiosyncrasies just as their owners do.  So I won't go and on about her issues and I don't want to spend, tons of time or energy on this, but I do want to remember and document that her favorite thing to do was to just beside you...not in your lap but beside you.  So you see, she wasn't a lap dog, but a beside-you dog.

And I called this Precious and Me because she bonded with me.  She was Christmas gift for 6-year-old Cari in 1998.  Cari had asked for the Golden Retriever like in the Homeward Bound movies.  We already had two outside dogs, the Shelties, Christy and Pepper.  So we (or was it I) decided that she would possibly be pleased with a golden poodles instead.  She was born that November and she called an Apricot-colored Pooodle.  Her breed wasn't an official breed if I remember correctly from discussing with the owner over the phone.  She wasn't Toy Poodle and she wasn't a Tea Cup Poodle.  The owner called her a Miniature-Toy.  She was about 8 pounds when reached maturity and by the time she was one her peachy colored had begun getting more than apricot in color.  She was a year and a half when we moved here.  Still just a puppy!  She loved running around in the big yard and chasing a toy down the hallway, the hardwood slick floors not so much.

We knew her time was getting near.  She was struggle getting down the steps, her movements were much slower and she often had this distant look. Her hearing wasn't good at all, but at time it seemed okay.  Her vision was very poor especially in right eye, but she still had remarkable since of smell because she and the other dogs (Ellie and Pixie) never missed a chance to be under our feet when cooking in the kitchen.

PRECIOUS

11.04.98--07.22.13

She passed away on my birthday at the end of the day.  Of course, I was sad and I cried.  But it had been answer to a pray because I had prayed she would die in her sleep so that I would know it was really her time.

We were out of town and Cameron had to bury her for me.  So I decided to do a family memorial service for her the following Sunday because I knew Cari would be home to celebrate Natalie's Birthday, a birthday supper was planned for that evening.

I asked everyone to write down something to share, but even I didn't actually do it, only Natalie did:

"Precious I Love you with all heart.

I loved taking pictures with you

When I was two because were so fluffy

And looked so cute in a pink scarf.

You were a great dog.

I remember when you sat beside me and Mimi.

So I know you loved me,

So I loved you back 

Just like everyone else did."

(Natalie Ainsworth, 8 years old)

Randy shared how this was our first time to bury something as family.  Cameron shared how he remembered the first time he saw her.  Cameron and Randy went and picked her out.  Then Cari remembered her little broken or sprained paw that she had when she was puppy.  The vet made a splint out of a syringe by splitting it in half and then wrapped it with medical tape.  It didn't stop her little sweet self from running around and it was quite funny because she sounded like she had a little "peg-leg".  Brittany shared how she shared food with her when she first met her and started spending time here.  I thanked everyone for being here and Cameron and Brittany for arrangements they made while we were gone.

She was already buried while we were still out of town.  So we buried her favorite toy right beside her.  She only had one favorite toy!  She wasn't as "into" toys as Ellie and Pixie have been except for this one toy!  I should have photographed it before burying it and if I run across a photo of it, I will share it, but it was an off white lab with fluffy fur that reminded us of her.  We often thought she thought it was her "baby".  She would play fetch with it, but she also enjoyed sleeping beside it.  She had not played or slept with it lately because I had kept it put up because Ellie and Pixie would have destroyed it. Their mission is to demolish toys with stuffy whereas Precious was content to fetch it or sleep with it like a pillow.  I hate that she didn't get to use it in her last days, but I am grateful that we had something significant to bury as a family.

Yes, we all choked back tears, but those of who us really whaled were Natalie and I (the others may have too--but I didn't witness them) were trying to not get to that point again...maybe we all were.  On the way home last night from Natalie's birthday supper, Randy (who I thought probably thought this was all silly) told me that he thought it went well.  

We ended with a prayer thanking God for allowing such a loving pet into our family.  She truly loved us all and everyone who walked into our home/studio for whatever reason.

I end this post with a quote the writer of Marley and Me:

“. . . owning a dog always ended with this sadness because dogs just don't live as long as people do.” 

To view more quotes from Marlie and Me.

It is coming back to me!

Why I don't blog!

Some of it may be because of the slow internet issues that we are having out here and the rest is possibly computer issues...which I am hoping it is more of the 2nd.  I have started this post from my old computer.  You know--the one that has all my images, but I decided I would try to do this short one since I was planning to do it w/o images.  [If the 2nd, things will get better because hopefully sooner rather than later, I will move images to this computer too.]

I was wanting to do a journal type post of some memories of Precious and her some memories from her little family service that we held here yesterday to honor.  But then I thought I would post a quick one saying that I hope to still do so, but I remember one reason why I quit.  Because I am not very good at time managing or either I am just not that savvy with the computer, internet and the whole blog updating things...apparently I am not because if it takes others as long to blog as me, very few people would blog.

Anywho...
Hoping to still do a blog entry about this...not like the one I desired or intended to do because I can't seem to locate photos, but I want to do something while memory is fresh.

So if you're interested, stay tuned.  If not...not biggie, I am doing this for my memory and my family's because I do love to look back at posts and things that I have shared over the years.  If only I was a good at say someone like Nicki, but oh well, I am not, and I choose to be happy with the thoughts, memories and photos that I have documented rather than whine over what I don't have.

A little update from the last two years...

I know it has been a while.  I have so much I want to blog about and kinda mad/sad that I haven't before now.  I should have blogged and shared what God has done in my life since I have NOT been blogging...as I posted in the last post the "test", I am NOT that great at consistency in blogging.  I wished I were, but I am just being REAL.

As I view the last blog real blog post from a trip to Hot Springs, I quickly think "Wow, I lot has happened in my families lives since then!"  I will do a quick update and then share what I was wanting to blog about today and as stated in my Test blog post, I would really like to randomly start doing this again.  It is after all...my memories and it is amazing how quickly we forget when we don't journal or document them.

SINCE THE LAST REAL BLOG POST:

•  Cari is no longer dating the guy in the photos at Hot Springs.  She dated another guy last summer from our area and is now currently dating a guy she met at college who is from New Orleans.  We'll just leave that at that until things are more serious or change or whatever.  She has changed her majors a few times and is currently majoring in business with no definite plans of where she wants that degree to take her.  But that's totally okay!  She is still young and I totally get that.  She is working two jobs this summer at two different restaurants:  Fieldhouse, a local sport bar & grill, and Sage, an organic restaurant.  She is also actively involved in her sorority, Kappa Delta, and is a Greek recruiter.  She will soon be starting her junior year of college.  Times flies by quickly!  Wasn't she just a senior a few days ago preparing her Valedictorian speech?
• Cameron graduated LSU last spring, May 2012, with a degree in Business Finance.  He is currently working here in Frogmore managing Cotton Diversified, a company that Randy created that currently makes a feed (deer and cattle food) using by-products of cotton.  He and his wife, Brittany, and Natalie, their daughter, stayed much of the summer here and her parents home since May of last year--with him living here full time and the coming here and staying weekends and holidays and some with her parents too.  He has also been very active recently in running and biking.  
• Brittany graduated LSU about 2.5 months ago in Early Childhood Eduction, the Pre-K--3 program being certified to teach those grades.  She student taught several grades over the last two years (4 different grades--one per semester).  Her favorite was pre-K, however, she will be teaching Kindergarten this upcoming school year at the new school, Delta Charter School, where Huntington School used to be.  My kids went there for awhile and so did Brittany...so how interesting will it be that Brittany will be teaching there and Natalie will be going to school there.
• Natalie has had two birthdays and is now 8-years old...TODAY IS HER 8TH BIRTHDAY DAY!   She completed the 2nd grade at her school in Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Center for Visual & Performing Arts, the magnet school that she attended since Kindergarten.  She took gymnastics from LSU the last two school years and violin lessons at school last school year.  She loves to sing and is looking forward to singing in the children's musical at church this Sunday (the August 4th).
• Randy along with his employers went in business together to develop and sell the feed product mentioned above.  He continues to run the gin and contribute to this business as well while giving much of the responsibility to Cameron.  Randy is also now serving as ministry leader at Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step, Christ-centered recovery program for life's hurts, habits and hang-up and celebrates 2.5 years of sobriety.  He is also in the process of leading a men's step study as a part of Celebrate Recovery as well.
• Ellie joined our family as Cari's baby the fall of 2011.  She is a hyper little Yorkie.  That turns two next month.  She recently came to live with us because Cari felt like didn't have time for her working two jobs this summer--not that she ever really did being a college student and all.  After two-episodes of her "escaping" toward the horse pasture in front of the house, then once almost to the highway and once over and back, giving me--"dog-grandmother" a almost heart attack, I called Cari telling her if she did that again that she would have to take her back.  Not really thinking it would be necessary, but Cari took her back to Monroe last night. (Sniff, sniff...)
• Pixie...well, she's about the same.  She still gets excited easily and loves to announce her presence barking uncontrollably when comes or goes or over most anything.  She has spend much more time here the last year since her parents have and I guess you say, we've bonded with her finally. (smile)
• Buck is the newest member in legged-members of this family.  He is an apparently a chocolate-lab looking dog that just "showed-up" and adopted Cameron as his daddy.  He is chocolate lab that was very sick when he arrived.  He cried and whine a lot, but after two rounds of heart-worm treatments is a much happier and loves Cameron to pieces.  He is a has sweet disposition and not the typical hyper lab.
•  Me....(Jami)...well, where do I begin?  How do I describe/update my life in a few words?  First of all I can say my life has been quite an emotional roller coaster.  Apparently I was and have been codependent much of my life.  I have had a very difficult time over the loss of the same type of relationship that I had with my daughter as I have had to let go and trust God to be with her as I can't be as we were when she was living at home.  I found healing, self-discovery, and drawn closer to God through Celebrate Recovery.  I am now in the process of leading a women's study study group as well and am finding even more healing (from other issues that I am facing) and growing through working the steps again and being blessed through others that I am leading.  My business has taken a back seat and I've struggled with my direction in this area, but I do think now that I will eventually proceed forward with probably some major changes ahead...not sure, but that's what how I think things are going with that.  I spent some time in Baton Rouge this fall and spring helping Brittany out with Natalie.  My most precious memories with her are the times that we have for the two of us!
• Precious passed away last week on my birthday just a few months shy of 15 years old, which is what leads me to finally blog again.  I wanted to do a blog post, a memorial type blog post about her life and share a few memories...just a documentation or journal entry of her life.  I see this source as the best way for me to do this.
  
  
  
  
  
  

BEEN A WHILE

THIS IS A TEST!  It has been so long since I blogged that I am I am trying to see if I remember how.  Actually, it has been so long that apparently blogger has updated it's blogging methods.  So....let's see if this is being saved and if I am doing it right.  Maybe I can start blogging again randomly and I say randomly because no matter how much I want to do this all the time, I just can't seem to pull it off.

HOT SPRINGS TRIP

Yes, I know I am behind on blogging again. The week before last I was on edge trying to figure out if Randy was going to get to go on this trip I has planned. Who knew ginning season would start this year before Labor Day when I planned it? Certainly not me, the person who booked this vacation. I knew Cari didn't have classes on Friday. So I knew she could join us toward the end of the week. We had the condo booked from August 28th (Sunday to Sunday) to September 4th. The plan was for Randy and me to go up there after church on Sunday and then the kids join us for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Well the best laid plans don't always go as planned. My Baton Rouge kids couldn't come. Randy had to gin cotton and I couldn't find anyone with a schedule flexible enough to permit them to join me.
So I decided God must want me to spend some quality time with Him. I took the challenge and that's what I did. I traveled the 6 hour trip alone. Totally stepped out of my box. I had never done anything like that. I did my morning walk and prayer time with God on Wednesday of that week. Then I came home and finished packing. Then set out for my journey alone. I got there a little before 5:00. I took some bible study with me, some Karen Kingbury novels and my swimsuit. The first day was spend walking, reading and relaxing by the pool.
The next day Cari and her boyfriend, John Mark, arrived by mid-morning. They were very tired when they got there from late night, little sleep and driving the 4 hour trip. So I showed them their rooms and I gave them a 2 hour nap time while I went to run a few errands. Then when I came back we went for a late lunch at a famous local place called, Whole Hog Cafe. I wasn't extremely impressed. Maybe because at that point I was still trying to eat healthy and my choice was a little dry. Still glad we tried the place. Next we headed to downtown Hot Springs. Poor BF...Cari's guy followed us patiently into each little dress shop as Cari and I shopped and browsed the merchandise. He quickly learned to find the "man chair" in each of the little shops.
After all the shopping, walking and sweating, we decided it was time to head back to the condo. We had worked up an appetite too by then, so we decided to go ahead and have dinner at a restaurant not too far from our condo on Lake Hamilton. It was called Fisherman's Wharf. It was actually on the lake. Cari had ate there this summer on a previous trip with her friends with some friends that she had met in Cancun. They drove a boat there that time. The heat of the day had finally begun to be cooled off with a breeze. So we ate on the porch. We didn't take any photos, but it was quite nice. And we all ate too much...especially me the WW person. John Mark convinced me to indulge since it was vacation. And I did!
The next day I let the kids sleep late. Maybe not late, but late for me. I fixed them a big breakfast, my Eggs & Bacon over Asparagus. Then we got ready and headed back downtown so we could go to the lookout tower. This was our view from the tower. John Mark had never been to Hot Springs so this was must do.
We stayed in this hotel back in 2006 when my family came to Hot Springs. The name of this historical hotel is the Arlington.

Cari and John Mark looking down at the city and the surrounding area of Hot Springs. It is so amazing how far you can see when are this high above everything.

Okay, posing for a photo for mom....
Yes, I had to ask JM to take one of me and Cari too.

Cari stopped looking at the historical info long enough to pose for me.

A candid image of these two...
This is an another area at the lookout tower that I wanted to take a few photos in before leaving. I remember doing so when I had been there 5 years earlier with the rest of my family.

They were patient with me on the "picture taking " thing.

Below: the view from this location...

So next we went to the little park by Arlington Hotel where the hot springs were flowing. I wanted JM to feel just hot this water really is.

This park is actually where I did Natalie's one-year portraits. I will do a short post and add a few those images soon.

Yes, I saw this yawn a lot. Cari has a hard time getting her sleep regulated lately.
These two were always so happy to take pics...which was very nice for this photographer/mom.

BELOW: It was nice that JM didn't mind taking a few of me and Cari too. I hate asking people, but I do it anyway and I am glad I did. Otherwise, I look back and hate it even more that I didn't have any of me with my family.

My trip didn't turn out like I had planned, but it was a great trip all in all. Cari and JM kept me laughing. They are so precious and obviously in love. How can you not smile and be happy for that. He is an answer to many prayers for my daughter (but I won't get into that on this post). We ate a famous pancake place before leaving downtown. We spent the evening resting, playing (put-put golf, badminton...they played horse shoes) and watching a movie back at the resort.

The next day we packed up and headed home different directions. Cari surprised JM with a detour home to an Auto Museum and a little more sight seeing. I will try to link some photos of that later once she posts them. [If you are her facebook friend, she has a nice album on her page of them.] She's a bit behind in blogging too. She got a little behind during RUSH week and then trip that she is trying to adjust to studying for college and just life in general. I am so glad that she and her guy joined me for two days of the trip. Before I left I had a very long lunch date with Randy's cousin, Karen, and her daughter, Clair. I had the best time telling her what all God has done in our lives the past 1/2 year and Celebrate Recovery. I've been planning to do a Celebrate Recovery post and I promise I will. I want it to be a good one so I stall on that for now.

HERE'S A WONDERFUL VIDEO THAT TELLS WHO it is for...CLICK HERE!

I finally left and my trip home wasn't quite as easy going and as it was coming. Tropical Storm remnants started getting in my path. The last 2 hours home were the hardest and I had never been more happy to see this muddy dirt road that leads to my house than that night!

FLASHBACK Friday...(one year ago)

(This was NOT the new uniform that they bought the year before...the one that I matching when I order NATALIE'S NEW CHEER SUIT.)

A year ago today, I found myself embracing all of Cari's lasts. This photo is an image of her and all the seniors at her last Jamboree of high school football. Weren't the girls all so beautiful? Now she's enrolled in college. This weekend will be filled with RUSH not high school football. WOW! Isn't it amazing how things change so fast and things are so different a year later. I am still proud of this beautiful child of mine and her beautiful friends too.

CARI IN COLLEGE...

I suggested to Cari to start a college blog since I started back to blogging just before she moved off to college. I had blogged for several years pretty consistently, but mostly about Natalie (NATALIE'S WORLD) and then when she moved to Baton Rouge. I started my own family blog (this one). Well, between running ones own photography business, weekends with family from BR and parenting a very busy high school student, I became a slacker. I am so worried that I will again. I am about a week behind posting the posts that I want to post and in between there I am still hoping to backtrack listing highlights of what I've missed blogging about from over the last 1.5 to 2 years. And just maybe I will eventually backtrack some of the photos that go with some of those highlights that are listed. As you may already know from the previous posts, I am NOT good at summarizing, editing quickly and reducing the number of the images to show in a particular well documented event...thus why I am behind and probably the reason, I got behind to start with. It all seemed to get overwhelming because of keeping up with daily activities that I did just let this outlet go. I really want to stay on top of it and try to learn to give very short accounts of events/activites once I get very busy again as the fall always brings busy days my way. This is important to me and also a great source of venting to you, to me---just good therapy for me and great source to look back at moments and see the milestones that my family has accomplished through God's saving power.


So let me move...the post was to be about me doing a little mommy bragging and explaining. I am so proud of Cari for blogging. If you haven't checked out her blog please do: CARI IN COLLEGE

Cari pretty much already has one semester behind her belt between the her Dual Enrollment and the classes she clept because of her A.C.T. So she had a difficult time scheduling her classes which we did when we went to PREP (her orientation) back in June. We were in the first group to start scheduling her classes the last day and the very last person to leave to finally have her schedule completed. Thus her classes are sort erradic thus complicated to make an easy work schedule. So as much I believe kids should work while in college/high school and be responsible for their personal expenses (spending money), we made the decision for her to NOT work her first semester. I also really want to make sure she can get her bearings and learn how to be a good college student. You see, she was good high school student in the sense she made all A's, had a great A.C.T. score, but some teacher's might say she wasn't a good student. She did all this while often sleeping in class. So as the worrisome mother that I am, I worry that she is really prepared for college. Does she really know how to study? So I told her that I would pay her about as much as she did at her part time job that she had her last year at home at After Glow as an allowance which included a few things she had to be responsible for...to do, one of which is blogging. So yes, I am paying her to keep this up. But I am not paying for the quality! Only that she maintains it. I so enjoy getting an inside glimpse of what's going in her life. Yes, I talk to her daily (so far), but I does she tell me everything, of course not. So I love seeing her photos of her memories and her 2 cents on the little things in her life that she forgets to tell me about. I am proud of her and think she is doing a good job. Hope you enjoy viewing it too.

REFLECTIONS (Move in Day)

I guess I should have done this post this next day while it was all so fresh, but then again maybe I needed a little distance and some time to process it all. Yes, a week ago this past Monday my baby girl did it. She moved from her home of 11.5 years to a cute little apartment style dorm in Monroe. Her whole life has pretty much prepared her for this time in her life. I just pray that I've taught her all life's lessons that she really needs to embrace this next chapter. I think I am have. She seems so ready now and happy. A year ago this time I could see it. I couldn't see my smart, beautiful, but yet often gullible little girl all grown up and ready for this time in her life. We even had a few fights about it along the way. But she's here now and I think it is right where she should be. She and I have had a few disagreements along the way. Okay, maybe more than a few, but it is has been a time of growing and growing closer for both us and as a family as well. I am so proud of the young lady she has become.
On my 18th birthday, my mom wrote me a letter telling me how grown up I was and how she knew it was time for her to "cut the apron strings". Not sure if that is a phrase anyone uses any more, but I specifically remember that in my letter. I don't know exactly where it is at the moment, but it is a keepsake box that I run across from time to time. And I when I read it, I cry like it was yesterday that she gave it to me. You see, I've always been tender-hearted. My mom said that I got that from my daddy's mom. At wasn't always sure it was a compliment since she was often considered "over sensitive". I am sure if you ask my children about their mom. They would say the same thing. Sometimes emotional people, tender-hearted people, whatever you want to call us folks...tend to be overly sensitive too and sometimes have a hard time dealing with things. But overall, I am glad God made me this way. Sometimes it is hard to cope with, but I would rather be overly sensitive than cold hearted. It does make me the mommy-wife that I am!
So back to the letter. My 18th birthday was the summer after I graduated high school. Cari's was 1/2 way through her year and thought never occurred for me to write one to her then. She still had much maturing to do. It's like it all came together just weeks before she left for school. So I had the idea to do hers before she left and give it to her to read after I left her at her dorm for the first time. Being the procrastinator that I am I waited until the morning before she left to compose my letter. So by the time, I got Cari and Randy up, I had already poured my heart out as typed it on the computer (I certainly didn't hand write it) and of course, you might guess, I cried as I typed. It turned out to be one page (front & back) not bad for me! I am not including the letter to this blog post. It was a very personal one-side conversation to my daughter. I just re-read it. Found all of my grammar errors, typos and misspellings. I ran out of time that morning and had not time for proof reading. Oh well...she knows how to read between the lines.

We were running a little later than planned. Probably because I spent a little more time on my letter than I intended and thus got everyone up later. You have thought she would have been the first one up. She has been so ready to go for so long...so she says! But that was okay since we had no specific time to be there. We did choose to go in 3 vehicles so Randy could come back home work a half day and so that I could stay there and help her get settled. Before we left, Randy stopped us before walking out the door and wanted us to pray. He broke down crying as he started. My reaction was "I knew it would it you sooner or later". [He has been saying it wasn't going to cry. He was fine. He was ready...you know all that dad stuff.] He said he wasn't crying because of her leaving but because of the time he lost when he was a jerk. [I will share more of the background of this. Randy is recovering alcoholic. He quit drinking this past winter.] Of course, we were all crying before long. I love my family so much and I am so proud of the growth we've seen in our lives because of God's saving grace and power. On the way to eat before coming home. I asked Cari to ride with me rather than with the boyfriend because I knew from there I would be headed home. At this point she had not seen the letter I wrote, but I wanted to tell her how proud I was of her and I was fine because I knew she was ready. It was also the first chance we had time to mention what had happened during the prayer before leaving the house. I don't even remember who brought it up. But I do know I will remember it forever. She said that she had already forgiven him for the past and that she was just happy over the time that we had (like the last months). Our family life has been so much better. Often no one really knows what you go through. This was one of our family secrets. I am so glad that I God gave us freedom and rescued us from this demon. GOD IS SO AWESOME!
The day didn't go smooth by all means. I had car trouble before even left. Fortunately I have guy who is good at some many things who took care of this before leaving about 30 minutes later. After we got everything unpacked in the room and made a list of what we needed, we went to Johnny's Pizza right down the road for lunch. We had to take back her pink futon that we had picked up the day before at walmart. She really thought she was going to have more room. Actually, she thought she could put it under her bed. Oh well...live and learn. We bought some food and misc items for her at walmart when we took it back. Her meal ticket didn't start until the first day of school. After the 1st shopping trip to walmart, Randy dropped back off at the dorm and he headed back to work. Her roommate's boyfriend, help hand the curtain rod and then later John Mark helped with some wall hanging too, but other than that (and bring boxes in), Cari and I unpacked and organized her room. I ended up making another walmart trip leaving her there to work. Surprisingly enough, we finished before dark. We had a dinner at her Red Lobster, John Mark's fave restaurant, of course, Cari and I love Red Lobster too. I hugged them each and left. I love the peace that God provides for you when you needed it the most. I didn't even cry!

Okay, I have one more thing I want to leave with you on this post. Last week while looking through some of my quotes, I ran into a quote that was perfect for this week.
HERE IT IS:

"A MOTHER IS NOT A PERSON TO LEAN ON, BUT ONE WHO MAKES LEANING UNNECESSARY"

After reading this one again, I felt even more pride and peace as a mom. Looks like I've done my job!