Time to Catch up THURSDAY (Part 1)

Istarted my first blog the fall of 2007 that was all about Natalie. After all, our lives seem to involve her. So I started this blog about 3 years ago when Natalie moved to Baton Rouge after her mommy and daddy moved down there. I wanted to do a blog that was for venting my loss of my time with her and for sharing the rest of my family via blogging, but also for digital type scrapbook of our lives...a new style of keeping a family album of images that also included a little story behind the images. After all, I was doing this type of thing before scrap booking become a hobby, but I took on my hobby and made a business is out of it. The one thing that I learned from that is once you take your hobby to the next level by creating a business, you never have time for other hobbies again. So to put it mildly, one of the reasons that I quit (or took a break) is that I have been in a somewhat burnout from feeling overwhelmed trying to combine my business life and personal life for the past...hmm...5 or 6 years (probably since making the digital transformation along with becoming a grandmother). I haven't even wanted to take snapshots unless it was my iphone. Yes, I confess! Photography, my love/my passion, turned to work. And sometimes we get so tired that work is work and we just need a mental as well as physical break. Have got all of that, not sure, but I my priorities are coming back in focus once again as I can see the summer coming to an end very soon as well along with many changes. So I plan to list a few things as I remember them that has happened the last 16 months since I made my last blog post (not counting yesterday: LOL).

(one of the fun shots)

I will try to list in order, but first I will give the background on these photos. Most of you have already seen them on facebook. They were captured in Key West, Florida. Randy and I have always wanted to go to Key West and I've always wanted to have a family beach portrait. November 29th was our 25th wedding anniversary. My husband booked our family a 7 day cruise out of New Orleans that included three stops: two in the Bahamas and the other, Key West. So decided it was more important to celebrate our family more than our marriage. After all, we officially became a family when we married, not when our first child was born.

ABOVE: (one of my favorites: us walking hand-in-hand looking toward my sweetheart)
BELOW: The first image again...one of my faves, but not my wall portrait.

Spring of 2010:

• 
  
  I started Weight Watcher's (a wonderful journey that from
  time to time was one step forward and two steps back) [made Lifetime
  Membership in February of this year] I believe everyone has an addiction
  or two. It is a matter of whether they can find the balance in their
  lives with things they are tend to be addicted to. Mine is food!


• 
  
  I hosted a BUNNIES & BABIES PORTRAIT EVENT. I had not done bunnies in a few years. Bunnies are always one of the most successful portrait events of the year.


• 
  
  Cari had her JUNIOR PROM. [She broke up with her boyfriend about 2 weeks before prom.] To view images of her and her friends, click HERE!


• 
  
  I attended a week long photography school. I had not done that in years. I was hoping it would jump start my juices to flowing and it did for while. I must admit as mentioned previously they are flowing as quickly or as freely as I desire.


• 
  
  Cari also came with me and photography friend and modeled for many different world renown photographers. Okay, maybe they're only well-known to other photographers, but trust me...it was an honor and very fun to Cari. She received many compliment from the photographer instructors and students.


• 
  
  The day after we got back to town we left again to go to NATALIE'S FIRST DANCE RECITAL. She had completed her first year of dance at Machita & Co. in Port Allen. Her recital was held at the River Center at downtown Baton Rouge. It was very long. But so precious to see her dance on stage.


• 
  
  Cari also completed her junior year and "officially" became a SENIOR!


• 
  
  Natalie completed her 2nd year of pre-school at KinderCare.


• 
  
  Brittany and Cameron celebrate 2 years of marriage.

SUMMER 2010

• Natalie spends lots of time at Mimi's pool swimming and showing off her cute swimsuits that Mimi is addicted to buy for her.


• Cari got a job working sales/customer sevice for Verizon Wireless in Vidalia.


• Brittany was Conner & Abby Branton's baby sitter for the summer.


• Cari wrecked her first car, her green, 2005 Nissan Altima. She loved that car.


• Cari attended her last high school cheer camp at LSU where she made ALL-AMERICAN!


• Natalie went to Tea Party Classes with Mignon. Her first beginning classes of social etiquette.


• Cari went to church camp. While she was away at church camp, we bought her 2nd vehicle, a white, 2006 Ford 500 (we got a really deal on this one!)


• Natalie turned 5 years old and had a Luau Birthday Party at the Country Club to celebrate with friends and family. Some of our extended family stayed the rest of the weekend and we continued to celebrate at the lake house.

END OF SUMMER 2010

• Cari found a new job that she loved. She has hired to work at AFTER GLOW, a tanning salon with two locations, one in Vidalia and one in Natchez.


• Cari starts her senior year. She had her last first day of school.


• Natalie started her new school thanks to some special recommendation letters from two special friends: Tanya Mallory and Nicki Glenn. Natalie become a Kindergarten student at Baton Rouge Visual and Performing Arts Center (a wonderful magnet school that we were blessed to get Natalie into). We have been very impressed with this school and looking forward to another school year there.


• Cameron starts his Senior Year at LSU and Brittany starts her junior year. I am very proud of growup kids.


• I did a Mini Cheerleader Portrait Session of Cari in her CHEER ATTIRE for the football program book ad.


• We spend several weekends at the lake after having fun after Natalie' party. Natalie could even get-up...rather stay up on the knee board.


• Natalie started her 2nd year of dance at Machita & Co again and Cari started her senior year of ballet at NATCHEZ BALLET ACADEMY with Mignon again.


• Cari tried out for Nutcracker. Even though this was only her 2nd year to do the Nutcracker since she had only started back taking ballet her sophomore year, she was hoping for a lead role. She was tickled to learn the had the role of SNOW QUEEN.


• Randy booked the cruise for our family. We begun then to look forward to celebrating 25 years as a family and I knew then I would book a photographer in Key West to do our beach portraits.

Okay, I know I still have a lot of catching up to do. But this is a start. I have, in a nutshell, covered a large portion of events up to last fall. Maybe I will even go back and do many posts and add photos. But I doubt it...since one of the reason I stopped (or took a blogging break) is because I really don't have lots of extra time to do things like this. Maybe I will have more while living the empty nest life that will start very soon, but I really don't expect that I will. However, I do want to take time to blog about little things, big things and the things that really matter to me...in other words...the moments that I want to remember!

NOTE: As in my post on NATALIE'S WORLD today, if I remember additional things that I forgot to include in the Spring, Summer or Late Summer 2010. I will add them. This is my little digital scrapbook to remember the little things that mean so much to me and maybe to some others too.

~~ja~~

Way Back WHENSday

I found this image while doing a random search for something older, but not blogged or facebooked.. It shouldn't have been hard to find an image that has NOT been blogged with since it has been over a year since I've blogged on a regular basis. The image date file read: 4.16.08 So that means this photo is over 3 years old. Natalie will be 6 the end of this week. WOW! HARD TO BELIEVE MY BEAUTIFUL LITTLE SWEETHEART WILL SOON BE SIX YEARS (in 2 days)!!!!

Without going into a lot of detail on this first post after so long, I am hoping (planning) to start blogging a little more regular again. I want to be "real", vent, savor the memories and document my family affairs! You're welcome to follow along, but I realize that this is something that I really want to do for me and my memories! HAVE A GREAT WEDNESDAY!

~~jami~~

Then and Now THURSDAY

It was THEN: February 18, 1984

...that I met the love of my life, my future husband and the future father of my two children and future grandfather of our grandchildren...I mean at this point, grandchild.

[This photo was actually taken a few months later before my high school graduation, May 1984.]

This is NOW: February 7, 2010.

Yes, today is our Meetaversary. It was 26 years ago today, February 18, 1984 that Randy and I met for the first time. Twenty-one months and 11 days later we were married in a small church right down the road from my home. The end of this year we will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I am hoping and praying that we have a better financial year so that we can celebrate it some grand fashion, but if not, I still love him more than I did on that day, November 29, 1985. Last year, Feb. 18, 2009, I blogged about our Meetaversary Day and did a tribute post to him. Click HERE if you missed it. I listed 25 (because it had been 25 years) reasons why I love him. So I think this I am going to add #26.

26. I love that he has lived up to all my expectations and then some. He has recently made a stronger committment to Christ than he has ever made in the past. I can honestly tell you that I am more in love with him than ever before. I keep thinking "what I have done to deserve such a man". Nothing...just one of my richest, sweetest blessings in my life.

I love you, Hunny! I look forward to the next 26 years and beyond. I have a feeling it will be even better than the first 26.

HAPPY MEETAVERSARY, BABE!

~ja~

DREW BREEEEEEZZZZZZ....

Yes, I tried to titled like I so often here this man's name, Drew Breeeeezzzzz. My family has been a Saints fans before they ever had their first attempt at the playoffs in 1987. Yes, they had one in 1987 the year before we had our first child. I even dug our the 1987 Saints Playoff sweatshirt that I bought my husband, Randy, for Christmas that year. It was a VERY BIG DEAL! So if that was a big deal, how much more so this year has been with the Saints winning season and at least it was for the first 13 or 14 games or so. As stated before, I am NOT a big sports fan. I am an LSU fan and a SAINTS fans by default and I am really loving being a Saints fan now because of a hero like this guy! How awesome was this: Win the Super Bowl, Make Sure you have Your Little Guy in your Arms and the FIRST WORDS out of your mouth were GOD IS GREAT! The State of Louisiana really needed a hero like this.
I just love his boyish grins and the sincerity that see written all his face and the love that he has for his family, our state and above all God.

A week ago yesterday, my family's beloved team, the New Orleans Saints, won the Super Bowl. Click HERE to read my blog post on Natalie's World as to how we celebrated in New Orleans. The next day on our way home we decided to go to the airport to welcome them home. Click HERE to view that post on this same blog. We were very disappointed to learn that we weren't going to see the leader of this great team, Drew Brees, MVP of the Super Bowl. We quickly heard through the discussion in the crowd the reason he was not coming home with the rest of the team was because he would begin making appearances immediately as MVP of the Super Bowl. So as soon as all the press conferences were over and the rest of the team, were getting ready to fly by home to New Orleans, Drew was headed to Disney World. Yes, I was bit jealous of my good friend, Nicki. She photographed these at the DISNEY WORLD the same day at the "Disney Parks: CELEBRATES SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS" parade at Disney World the next day, Feb. 8, 2010. Click HERE to view her complete post.

Thanks, Nicki, for these photos...

I thought it was quite neat that Drew is wearing the same Saints Fleur de Lis beads that Brittany had picked up for us to wear to the Super Bowl party. See I keep finding more reasons to like this guy.

The next appearance this day was at the David Letterman show. I almost fell asleep waiting for his appearance, but my eyes immediately popped open once he made his appearance.

When we were so tired from driving/riding home, we were thinking at least we'll get home in time to see him with Dave.

While I am not much into Mardis Gras, I really loved this article and I think it really put many of my thoughts and so many people from the state of Louisiana in perspective. Please read this Thank You to Drew post from nola.com. If you are even bit touched by the Saints pulling this win off, I think this will make you cry too.

THANKS, DREW!

Before I read the above article, I found this on facebook fan page (I think) called, "Saints QB Drew Brees talks about Jesus".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJR5ig26RTA&feature=player_embedded

EDITTED TO ADD THE MORE DETAILED VERSION OF THIS VIDEO (sent to me via email by Randy) This one is the same as the first link, but more...watch it instead:

[Okay, I am having problems getting it to link. Go to YouTube and just do a search to find it. It is called SVT Interview with Dree Brees. I am sure it will come up. Be sure to do this. I think you'll enjoy it.]

It is so refreshing to see a MAN OF GOD represent the state of Lousiana, NFL football team and the winning Super Bowl Quarter Back. Thank you, Drew, from the Ainsworth Family.

~~jami~~

SNOW COMPARISON...

Friday, aka SNOW DAY HERE (02.12.10), I posted this image on facebook. I had NOT blogged or posted images on facebook book about our snow in December just two months previously. So I quickly worked up this little photo comparison to show the difference.

Since there were so many posts that day on facebook with everyone posting images and all the status updates over everyone obvious enthusiasm for snow in the Miss-Lou Region, I thought someone may have easily overlooked this photo and felt it was worth blogging about it.

Just think, we just thought that was a snow day, but right at 10 weeks later, we really had a snow day! Who would have believed it...in one Winter we had two snow days! What a great memory!

~jami~

FIRST THE SAINTS WIN THE SUPER BOWL and the Snow in Central Louisiana...

...so what's going to happen next!

A really big Saints Fan, say Cari Ainsworth, write "WHO DAT?" in the snow.

I think soo...

Cari's car as seen from the front porch. Photographed yesterday a.m. around 7ish when I let Precious outside
No, she wasn't foud of this thick white stuff at all!
She seemed to strategically make way down the steps and back up...completely different paths.

Cari and Randy's Snowman. No, I didn't help at all. I was too busy photographing the scenery. And if you didn't see enough of snow on this blog post and if your are a facebook friend of mine, check it out because there were many, many more!

He seems to be saying "Go that way..." or with his other hand, "High Five!"

Looks like we needed a snow gauge rather a rain gauge. We did, however, estimate about 5 inches more or less. If the ground had been frozen when it started (like even 32 degrees), we probably would have had twice that much because much of it melted quickly. Most of the accumulation came during the night and then it continued to snow until early afternoon the next day (02.12.10).

One of my favorites images of Cari. It was actually a little over exposed and what do I often do with over exposed images...yes, play! I love, love this as a black and white.


Cari's car from another angle, photographed after I got out in the yard. Remember the first one was photographed when I was letting Precious out (while I was still in jammies) from the porch.

Randy's truck...

My vehicle did not get any snow photographs since it was safe under the garage/house.

Silly Cari catching snow with her tongue...

Cari and I...

Randy and Cari...

Randy and I....

It quite a fun SNOW DAY experience here at home in Frogmore. While I didn't make a snowman or do snow angels, I did thoroughly enjoy the scene and capturing some of it through photographs. I did, however, after taking the last posed photographs, have fun in snowball throwing fight!

~~jami~~

How many Saints fans does it take to WELCOME HOME THE SAINTS?

...apparently a lot. Reports estimated 10,000 to 30,000. I have no idea how they get this estimate, but either way that's a bunch!

Yes, that's Cari and Randy mixed in among the crowd. Randy is visiting with this older gentleman that we met who has lived in New Orleans for over 40 years, but is original for the Alexandria area. We enjoyed visiting with him over the next few hours. I don't know if we would have sought out this adventure if we would have realized just what we were getting ourselves into, but I am glad that we did.
Several games away from the Super Bowl, Cari asked her dad if they made it to final game, could she go welcome them back home at the airport. I assume that she has seen this on TV before and thought it would be neat to do that especially if they made it this far. I even asked her if she would still want to if they didn't win. She still did. So when they won the next day, Randy made some phone calls and we made the decision to go to NOLA. CLICK HERE to view SUPER BOWL DAY AT NATALIE'S WORLD as viewed through my eyes, (of course).

We had heard (even before we left for NOLA) that they would not be coming home that night, but didn't know anything for sure. Since they did win, they DID HAVE TO STAY for press conferences. And did not have any actually plans of going to the airport. However, we ate breakfast/lunch at IHOP and were in the car on our way home listening to more Saints radio, of course. It was about 12:15 as we were trying to get on Interstate to head home. We heard the radio annoucer say that the Saints were expected to arrive at 1:30. Since we were very near the aiport exit, we couldn't the opportunity to at least check it out.

By the time we found our way down Veteran's Blvd where so many were already lined up with their cars, we had to leave our by the overpass and walk over and find a place to wait. At this point, it should have only been another hour. If I had to guess, I would say about 1/3 of the crowd was there when we arrived. More and more people continued to accumlate. It mind boggling to believe this many people would show up for this.

This is what the crowd looked like to begin with. The tall building in the background is near the airport. We were still a good distance from it. People were lined all the way to the airport to the overpass and past.

This is when the traffic was still flowing on both sides of the curb. We chose the right side in hopes that the players and coaches would be driving their vehicles.

Now the owner of this vehicle was a very serious fan.

See what I mean...

Cari and I liked this girl's sign: DAT'S DAT!

In sequence of event (the first image of Cari, Randy and many others)...

Traffic was beginning to slow down and only a few cars were coming through at this point.

I don't think this was the exact plane, but it looked just like it (that is if it was the one that we thought...of course when this was photographed we thought this was it).

I included this photo rather than the other one because I liked the flag/pennat that was flying in the bottom of the image.

This guy playing the drum visited with us too. He came from California to see the Super Bowl from NOLA. Howver, he was orginally from New Orleans. I don't know the other guys story, but I think they met the day before on Bourbon Street. They played When the Saints Go Marching In. They really boosted the morale of the crowd and made it more intersting.

Finally a few cars started coming. I am not sure if this was the "official" group yet, but you gotta admit, that looks like a New Orleans Saints car. It also reminded me of a car my dad had when I was a kid. My dad's car wasn't this cool!

See the people lined up on the overpass. The police ran them off several times, but they finally gave up on that.

Also notice this fence. They put up the wobbly-portable fence. The told us that this fence would be on our side and a cop car would go side by side on the other side. So as sad as I was that we were going to be viewing this through a chain-link fence, I knew that was better than not seeing at all because of the cop car.

Okay...it didn't go that way.

See I told you those people came back and then some.

They removed the fence and the cop cars did NOT go beside them. The players, coaches and even owners (in the next photo, Rita Benson Leblanc) could barely drive there cars through. The people were so thick the cars just had to ease through to avoid running over people. Cari turned paparazzi on us and fought other women with point and shoot cameras and camera phones the Saints members as they slowly drove through. Some of the were very friendly and still seemed very excited. A few didn't even put their dark tinted windows down. SNOBS! But most of them, were at least, very accommodating and gave high fives...okay maybe not HIGH FIVES, but had their hands out sort of like a cross between giving five and hand shaking...kind of the baseball teams at the end of the game with each other. Needless to say, it was nice gesture. I know they had to be getting tired of the attention and probably just wanted to go home to sleep or rest.

Many of the people we didn't recognize. After all, they didn't have their jerseys on with their names and numbers. But I was told that this was Rita Benson LeBlanc. I did look up the Saints roster that included players, coaches and mangers, which confirmed that information. I plan to post many more images on facebook. I would love to hear who recognizes them either because they really knew who it was or could identify them from their photo on the website. As I looked through it, I recognized many of the faces Cari photographed, but I do not have the time or desire to match all of them and list their names.

Most of the photos that Cari took were very close. She had to literally be on top of them. If she allowed any space someone would be in front of her in heartbeat. In fact, she did end up getting many camera phones and peoples' heads in her images too. I am sure many of them popped in just as she was snapping.

Again I was told this was the defensive coach, Greg Williams. The WEBSITE confirmed.

Even I recognized the Owner of the Saints, Mr. Benson.

Who recognizes this guy? I will give you hint. He made the winning 3 points in the game against the Minnesota Vikings on the 24th.

GARRETT HARTLEY

There it is, the LOMBARDI TROPHY, and the man himself, Sean Peyton, HEAD COACH OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS.

I think Cari was especially proud to have captured this one.

Now doesn't this player seem to be enjoying this as much as the crowd enjoyed seeing them?

Do you know who he is?

I think I do...according to the ROSTER, this is Thomas Morstead, #6.

This was quite an adventure and I am glad that Cari and Randy had to opportunity to do this. I know they both got a kick out of it. It was a little trouble, but I think it meant a lot to the Saints and everyone who made them who they are from coaches to staff. But what would they be without their fans.

Oh I almost forgot. I will have one more mini post about the Saints. We did not get to see MY FAVORITE PLAYER, Drew Brees. I will do another post on that and why we didn't.

For now, I think this is it. If you happen to be a Saints fan and would like to see some of the close-up photos that Cari captured at the airport as the Saints were going one, please look me up on facebook. I plan to post them in a day or so.

~~jami~~