Day 241 - christmas postcard

when I saw this opportunity to take a photo of my sexy friend Amoris's legs and her red birthday shoes next to the tree wrapped with christmas lights, I was just bubbling over inside with visual creativity. the bicycle in the background is perfect for Portland, OR.

I absolutely love the simple romance of this photo~

Day 234 - Milton's great grandchildren

love family gatherings
summer, august 2010

Day 232 - multi class reunion

i was so excited about the response i received from friends, old classmates and extended high school classmates for a multi-class reunion. so i began to organize an event for August via facebook and the idea grew from there~
i took photos of most everyone that attended and plan to put together a dvd. others suggested we post all of our photos on a main website so that we could print into a mini-book.
this blog post represents some of my favorite moments that i was able to capture. but sometimes you have to put down the lens and just "enjoy living"~
so those are the moments i will just have to hold close to my heart ~♥~

my sister, Laurie and me

Pliny, my brother Brian, Notchko {Warrior Boy} and me
talking about my Warrior Pony and the ride we survived~
with a lot of help from above ♥

Pete & me
prom memories~

Trudy & me
upward bound hugs~ xo

Lele & me

~overflowing with love~

chef Dean

~ winecoolers ~

~ horse shoes ~

~ sunglasses ~~ lettermans, EPIC reunion moment ~

so this entry may take me several edits... organizing peektures :)

Day 220 - carousel

I had asked the carousel attendant, Tyler, if he was familiar with a story about 2 little ghost children haunting the Jantzen Beach Carousel?
Tyler proceeded to tell me a story about a time when it was closing time at the Jantzen Beach mall where the carousel is, that a small child was telling his mother that he wanted to go ride the carousel with the other little kids, but there were no children on the carousel.
This was the perfect adventure to experience after VooDoo Doughnuts :)

I was joking with my husband about the story before our adventure, telling him how I'd like to dress my girls up in circa 1920s clothing and have them holding hands singing the Freddy song.
We got a good belly laugh out of the thought.

In the van on the way to the carousel ride, I began to sing and teach the girls the song:
♪♫♪
One, Two, Freddy's coming for you.
Three, Four, better lock your doors.
♪♫♪

BaHahahaha :)
We all laughed! I called to tell my hubby and he laughed and said, "What a fun mom you are".

None of us saw any ghost children, but we will be on the look out~

Day 219 - voodoo doughnut

yummy selection of voodoo doughnuts
{my fav was the miami vice berry}

Day 212 - mirror, mirror who is the fairest?

Day 211 - paper folding

origami swans

i learned to make these swans when i was a little girl
and now i'm teaching the fine art of origami to my girls
paper folding

Day 206 - a day to remember

♥
~the red, white & blue~

What do the colors of the Flag mean?

Sentimental writers and orators sometimes ascribe meanings to the colors in the flag. The practice is erroneous, as are statements on this subject attributed to George Washington and other founders of the country.

From the book "Our Flag" published in 1989 by the House of Representatives...

"On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. Even colors have specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated:

"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."

Also this from a book about the flag published in 1977 by the House of Representatives...

"The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun."

The quote below concerning gold fringe on the Flag is from the book "So Proudly We Hail, The History of the United States Flag" Smithsonian Institute Press 1981, by Wiliam R. Furlong and Byron McCandless.

Alan is a "good hero"
He is a good husband

He is a good father
and he not only shares his faith with his family daily
but he openly speaks to others
♥

Alan read the following to the girls:
The following passage is from a sermon by John Hagee:
I want you to close your eyes and picture in your mind the soldier at Valley Forge, as he holds his musket in his bloody hands. He stands barefoot in the snow, starved from lack of food, wounded from months of battle and emotionally scarred from the eternity away from his family surrounded by nothing but death and carnage of war. He stands though, with fire in his eyes and victory on his breath. He looks at us now in anger and disgust and tells us this...
It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is The Soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us Freedom of the press.
It is The Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us Freedom of speech.
It is The Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us Freedom to demonstrate.
It is The Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is The Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag and
Whose coffin is draped by the flag
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

praying for our country

so thankful for our blessings and the sacrifice that was made for our freedoms

remembering family and loved ones~
remembering traditions

Day 204 - snickerdoodle "cookies"

{ok, so my trade secret for creating happy smiles in photographs of people}
{instead of saying "cheese", I smile really big and ask them to say "cookies"}
{creates the best smiles, every time}
{it has become a bit of an inside joke}
{i love it}
♥

note: the plate the cookies are being served on are special from 9/11
I use them for Memorial Day and 4th of July

my cousin Sunni and I
"cheers" to family that is the best ;)

Day 186 - "like pulling teeth" NOPE ;)

caitlyn lost her first tooth
i asked if i could wiggle it
i asked if i could push on it
i asked if i could pull it
and she just kept answering "yes"
and when it popped right out
she didn't even cry

and it was nothing "like pulling teeth"
she is my strong girl
♥~

Day 185 - PARR cool

Parr Lumber delivering material for the deck we are building
i so want me one of those red pieces of equipment ;)