Thanksgiving! 2009

Playing around on the dock



Cool cousin story: These two beauties are sisters, Ansley and Madison. They have a beautiful and inspiring story. They were born 6 months premature...yes that is not a typo. Ansley (left) was about 1 lb. at birth and Madison (right) was 1.5 lbs. They spent most of the first year of their lives in a hospital. They were called "Miracle babies."
Their growth was stunted, and their eyesight never developed; after several surgeries, it became clear that they would never be able to see.
NOW, they are 12 years old, making A's in school, prodigies on the piano which they started playing at 2 years old, and huge Harry Potter fans. They read braille faster than I can read words and they also type with braille typewriters. They have a little brother named Jack who is 5. They are truly remarkable, happy and light hearted with silly playful personalities and a very large vocabulary.
A few years ago they did a story on Fox News about their piano playing--here is the link:
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/Blind_Girls_Play_Piano_for_FOX_26
Be thankful!

Sweet Maggie!


Cousins were checking out a fish they caught earlier.


Clarkco State park was lovely.

Family, Food, Fun
We rented cabin on a a gorgeous lake at Clarkco State Park...everyone brought so much food...it was a blast. Here are some gorgeous pics to share of my family, the park and the food!

Old Homestead

We traveled back to the abandoned home where my Mom grew up in Philadelphia, MS. (And I thought I grew up in the country...)
Here are a few photos that I took around the homestead --including the shed, the yard, the house..whatever I could find that charmed the camera.

Basket collection


The old homestead...

Old shed: Cool lighting...
Ah, What the heck! Photo of the Day


Old cars


Everything is old..

13 going on 30

Natalie

She loves to chew gum, she cuts her own hair, she LOOOVES music, She has NO IDEA how beautiful she is...

13

she wears brightly colored skinny jeans and converses, her favorite drink is sprite, she's into the Twilight series and likes volleyball...

Cutie PIE

she is good at science, her favorite song is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUtxRHKlMLo, she is witty but shy, dangerous but precious, tries to act older than she is...

Going on 30...

she doesn't think before she speaks and therefore, I (being the older sister) have a rather long and quite hilarious list of 'Natalie-ISMS' ...I wouldn't think to embarrass her, so I'll bring those out in 15 years or so.
She is an artist, incredible photographer and awesome with a pen. She thinks she is emo and can't stand preps. By the way, She knows everything.
My gorgeous sister Natalie...this blog post will grow, as it is dedicated to her.
Long legs and layered hair, she is a hipster in the heart of the south...go figure.

I love this hipster.

Experience Panama

After traveling to Chumical, Panama and building a home for a family there who previously lived in a shack...After experiencing the happiness of the Kuna Indians and watching the kids run around barefoot, kicking cans for sport, and beaming with smiles...After falling in love with Michele and Esteban whose faces are burned into my memory forever...I am so grateful for what I have, try not to take small things for granted, and will always be humbled. It's amazing that in my American culture, so many of us have everything we could ever want and are totally unhappy...the Kuna in Panama have next to nothing but each other and are happier than we will ever be. A lesson learned.

Fall into winter

Cosmically Sanctioned VIIIish

At the aqueduct..then through space



Statesboro train tracks..we got a little crazy..then went through space.
COSMICALLY SANCTIONED!

Today's hike in sepia

Contrast!

Cool Contrast
Above are two stucco homes in Segovia, Spain.
Below are two entrances through Georgian doors in Dublin, Ireland.



Check out this contrast in London:

(This is 1 picture...old English architecture turns Hi-Def)

Oldies but goodies

Multomah Falls, Oregon
Quite an impressive waterfall, very tall with a bridge crossing towards the center...worth the hike. It allows great views of the amazing gorge in the distance.


My aunt has an incredible view of Mt. Ranier from just outside of the small town of Enumclaw, WA. I would kill for.this view from my kitchen window...unfortunately, due to the rainy season, she really only gets this view 30% of the year...still, worth it.


Bamboo ART in a Portuguese craft shop...those clever Europeans..what will they think of next? (That's me peeping behind all of the jewelry and dangly stuff in the little shop...a little lost, but having too much fun being whimsical.

It's amazing what you will find when walking the small cobblestones streets of an old Spanish city...You're walking along, turn a corner, then BAM! There's a sixteenth century Gothic Cathedral in your face...aaaah, I love Spain. I love Spain so much, I could just marry it.

The clock tower from the courthouse, Salt Lake City, UT. One of the first of many travels alone with a backpack, a map and a hostel destination. good times. On this strange trip...I somehow ended up taking a tour with Mormons, to the top of the Church of Latter Day Saints viewing a garden on the roof overlooking the city...after hitching a ride to the hostel, I refused to pay the $10 a night for sheets charge and froze my butt off.

This is one of the first 'good' pictures that I ever took..or took notice of. When I finally realized that I was truly and utterly in love with capturing the art and beauty around me...when I was captivated by not only the images I started creating, but the stirring in my heart, the alluring charm of photography overcame me..the art, colors, the intensity of space and what captures our attention. aaaaah, It is the eye...the artistic mind that binds me to freedom ;)

Laughter, it's contagious

Book!! Long overdue...

I was browsing through an assortment of books in my parents study and happened along this little treasure.
I was stunned that I've been to Savannah, GA about a million times, pointed out the very mansion discussed in this book to people, seen this statue and Bonaventure Cemetery BUT have never actually read the book. I thought it was time. Now I'm reading it again.
Intrigued...
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt

Open Skies

The sky, God's canvas, a vast space above our heads, a window to the great beyond.
Dublin Skyline


Adam on Stone Mtn
Under the canopy of the sky
our souls are sheltered
The sun shines bright
So very far away

Drivin down 85
The colors get together every night
as the sun sets
they mingle and shine
and want everyone's attention

Chasing the sunset


Flying
Our round earth,
flying over, it's simple
See the sun setting once over the horizon
climb a little higher in altitude
and watch it set again.

I WANT TO FLY! soon...soon...