7 year olds

God, Please grant me patience and understanding.

GOD, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can,
and the Wisdom
to know the difference.

Weekend photo shoots.. Sunflowers and Seniors

Here are a few of my favorites from my most recent photo shoots. Still enjoying everyday as a photographer.

I need a tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' he replied 'I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.' 'Funny thing is,' he smiled,' when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before'."

Forgiveness

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Mahatma Gandhi

All my life I have struggled with forgiving. People that I should have forgiven years ago have passed, and I wish with all my heart I would have been able to tell them I forgave them. I struggle every day to realize that no one is perfect and people make mistakes. So this I vow to say every morning, this is my prayer.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

photographer?

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, 'Well, I'm off now. The man should be here soon.' Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale. 'Good morning, Ma'am', he said, 'I've come to...' 'Oh, no need to explain,' Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, 'I've been expecting you.' 'Have you really?' said the photographer. 'Well, that's good. Did you know babies are my specialty?' 'Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat !. After a moment she asked, blushing, 'Well, where do we start?' 'Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there.' 'Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!' 'Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.' 'My, that's a lot!', gasped Mrs. Smith. 'Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be In and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that.' 'Don't I know it,' said Mrs. Smith quietly. The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. 'This was done on the top of a bus,' he said. 'Oh, my God!' Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat. 'And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.' 'She was difficult?' asked Mrs. Smith. 'Yes, I'm afraid so. I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look' 'Four and five deep?' said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement. 'Yes', the photographer replied. 'And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.' Mrs. Smith leaned forward. 'Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?' 'It's true, Ma'am, yes.. Well, if you're ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.' 'Tripod?' 'Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long.' Mrs. Smith fainted

The most beautiful surprise...

It's been a little while since I've been able to sit down and write. Summer has begun and we are busy. I've been sold into coaching for Colby's machine pitch team, which is ok. Kids are kids and as long as they have fun, so will I. Meeting new people in town is always nice too. In a few weeks, I will also be helping with the vacation Bible school. Yeah, I guess this is the beginning of another 15 years of volunteering.
So, in the middle of all my busyness, I get the most wonderful surprise... My biological Dad, Jeff calls. Says him and his wife are in town and would like to see me! How exciting it was. I can't explain in words the anxiety that I felt as the moment neared. My hands were shaking, my heart beating a little faster. I'm not sure what I was thinking.. at first, that all was ok.. second.. hmm. I don't even know. When I saw him and Becky walking up, I know my whole body tensed up.. But, when I walked out that door and he was there with open arms.. it was like I was this little girl running into the arms of her Daddy. Of course I cried.
The hug. Oh, the hug. It was like the long awaited hug and I didn't want to let go. Anyone that knows me, knows that I struggle with hugs. I hug my husband and boys more than I can count on my fingers and toes everyday.. but friends, strangers, other family? I just struggle. My friend Tonya once told me that she could tell that I was very uncomfortable with the first hug we shared. I'm getting better- thank you Tonya :).. but back on the "daddy" hug. I will always remember that moment. It was the tightest hug, I felt like he didn't want to let go. Like all of those years that have passed.. all of those hugs missed.. ah. The hug. Again, when they parted, we hugged again. I felt as if, all the years missed, all the blame I've laid upon him, all the anxieties... gone in an instant. In a hug. Don't get me wrong, I'm trying to keep the "amy" guard up, but it almost seems impossible with him. As if my heart knows he's a good person. That it knows that he won't hurt me. I've prayed for years that we would once again find each other. It's now happened and I continue to pray that my heart will not again be broken.

Wordless Wednesday

Kids.. they make my heart smile

On my way home one day, I stopped to
watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a
park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-
base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was
'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered
With a smile.

'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you
don't look very discouraged.'

'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a
Puzzled look on his face...

'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't
Been up to bat yet.'

Wordless Wednesday

wordless wednesday

Oh, they grow so fast...

You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once. ~Polish Proverb

It seems like just yesterday he was born. He gets so embarrassed when I talk about him being my baby. He's such a big boy now. Looking at this photo, I remember when the Easter bunny brought that bike to him 2 years ago.. with training wheels.. and look at him go. Now time for a new bike, next thing ya know, we will be in highschool, then graduating, then college... boohoo.
I am blessed.

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
~Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again"

21

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.



TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.


THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.


FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.


SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.


SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.


EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.


NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.


TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.


ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.


TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.


THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'


FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.


FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.


SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.


SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.


EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.


NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.


TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.


TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

Deep breath... ahhhh

What is it about a deep deep breath that calms the nerves just a bit, slows the pulse, and ahhhh makes you attempt to see things in a different light? You ever notice, right before you finally fall asleep.. you take a big deep breath.. then off to wonderland.
When I am in a photo shoot, before I start.. deeeep breath... ahhhh. Now I am ready to shoot! I feel that I am a very good people reader and can tell when a model is feeling a little uncomfortable with the photo shoot. Usually at the beginning... so I say, take a deep breath, wiggle the shoulders and loooosen up!!! After that we get awesome shots!!
So as I write this, I am trying very hard for that deep breath tonite but for a reason unknown, I feel as if I am suffocating. I just can't take that deep breath I talk so much about. I can't quite explain it any better than that. Maybe I am in need of a personal vacation? I love my family. My husband and two boys.. more than anything in this world. As big as the sun and the moon and the sky is what Zane says. But somedays, it's just all too much. Maybe I expect too much from myself? I'm sure that's it. I bring all this on myself. To be the perfect wife and mother. To be the best I can be at my job. To please everyone, everyday I can. To have perfect children... one's that actually listen. To be the very best possible friend to the wonderful people I have in my life. To have the cleanest house. To do this, to do that. I expect a lot from myself and feel as if I fail everyday.
I once wrote this quote.. there is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one. Words to live by, but I just can't seem to take my own advice. Is it being a woman that makes me this way? My husband does not feel this way. He expects much of himself but the way he handles it amazes me. I admire the way he deals with things.. well, most of the time :) Me, the hormonal woman, just cries, or shuts down with the irritation scale on high.
I need to stop... to take a deep breath.... Ahhh... deep breath.. ahhhh.. deep breath...
I feel a little better, but still have so much on my mind tonite..