I’m Not Doing It

Those were my words yesterday when I came face to face with the job I planned to do.

And that in and of itself is quite shocking. Is it old age that changed me? What is it that caused me to dump my job? I really don’t know. Even the hubs was shocked. I can’t begin to put a finger on it. But I do know this about me. It’s hard to press forward with anything when something else takes up residence on my plate. While I’m shocked I put my foot down, I’m happy I took the day to just breathe in peace and paradise.

So on a whim, I asked my nephew his thoughts on going to the beach. And within seconds, we were in the car with our noses pointed in the direction of the deep blue sea.

Upon arriving, we walked out to the end of this pier. And the only camera I had in tow was my trusty cell phone. In fact, my cell was the only thing I had on hand, as my nephew offered to drive. So I had no purse, car keys or anything to tie me down.

Right after I took this shot, he asked if we could walk all the way out there to the cliffs. Sure thing, was my reply.

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It was a beautiful day to let go and reflect.

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A portion of the pier at low-tide.

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Nephew under the pier.

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Under the pier

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Looking back on how far we had already walked. In fact, this shot does not include where we started.

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See the large building in this shot to the far right? Our start line was even further out than that.

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Looking ahead, we really climbed over these rocks and made it past that curve (up ahead) and nearly to the end. We wanted to reach the tip, but the rock and hike proved to be a bit overwhelming the closer we got to the end. My nephew suggested we turn around, as I had a couple of close calls (slipping and nearly falling) so we did. He kept saying “step on the big rocks, they don’t move so much.” I must be a slow learner.

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 From large rock to smaller rock, we made our way back.

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I’m happy he was just as eager to get out of the house as me.

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Soaking in the beauty

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A journey begins with the first step, I’m glad we took that step.

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Ah, finally back to a nice beach where he could slip off his shoes and socks.

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From here, we walked another mile or two without having to deal with walking on rock.

He is really good at skipping rocks and I am really good at pulling out the cell phone to capture the moments.

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The nephew mentioned staying until sunset or even having dinner at one of the restaurants dotted along the beach. But I could not find it in me to hang at the beach with him, when I wanted to spend the evening with the hubs. So we headed back home.

Surprisingly, the hubs called to see if I would be up for a dinner date last evening and could I be ready to meet up with him in 15 min. 15 min? Not a problem, I’ll be ready!

While sitting over dinner, the hubs asked “how was your day?” It was a fly by the seat of my pants kind of day, all the way down to my last min date with the hubs, and I loved every min of it. And then after dinner, he treated me to Cold Stone for our sweet tooth.

There are times when flying by the seat of our pants is freeing. The liberty to let ourselves go with the flow can be rewarding when we put our foot down and say I’m not doing it, not today.

Blessings – Debbie

My Happy Place

It’s the place where I find peace.

One of my happy places is when I’m alone with my camera. There is something about being behind the lens, viewing the world in the direction I want to see it.

There is no other way to describe it other than my Happy Place.

It’s autumn for our sweetgum tree.

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While pine needles fall year-round, I was in the mood to snap an unusual shot. Pine needles atop the fire pit.

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These leaves, while vibrant and beautiful, don’t have much time to hold on.

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After our huge windstorm the other night, it created such a mess. But I like this unexpected shot of beautiful fallen leaves as the colorful backdrop for this rose.

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And just for today. I’m thankful I got to spend it with the hubs. And for the nice extra special date we had. And I’m thankful that the special moments I get to spend with him each day are the moments I’m in my Peaceful Happy Place.

Until next time, keep smiling and be Happy!

Blessings – Debbie

It’s Not All Coffee And Sunshine

Before the day gets away from me, I thought I would hop over here for a little morning shout-out!

Good Day!

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It’s not all coffee and sunshine but just for today, let it be.

It’s Friday!

The hubs is taking off 1/2 day to spend with me!

True, he has a dentist appointment this afternoon but after that, we are smooth sailing thru the weekend together.

So I’ve been busy with getting caught up on laundry and the changing of the sheets is underway. Ironing will begin momentarily and I should have this place whipped into shape by the time he gets home.

There is much to be thankful for. I’m thankful the hubs finds his time extra special to hang out with me.

And with that, I need to finish tying up my end so I don’t have housework this weekend.

Blessings – Debbie

Raindrops

A day of rain is in order. Much of the year we see blue skies laced with sunshine. And rain happens to be a rare event for us.

So when it rains, my soul rejoices.

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And catching drops mid splat was one of the things I enjoyed this morning.

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So while the skies are grey, I’ll carry on.

But it sort of feels like a mixed up day in a good way.

Plans have been changed for this day time and time again.

There were plans to hike (3 miles) with my friends to Starbucks this morning.

Those plans changed yesterday as I was going to take my nephew to the airport.

And then the girls who were hiking decided to have a nice little coffee/movie fest at my neighbors this morning, due to rain in the forecast.

And then my nephew decided to drive himself to the airport.

And then my hubs asked me to meet him for an early lunch.

And so my plans changed this morning to ready myself for an early lunch with the hubs.

As it stands, I’m still in my pj’s, working on my second cup of coffee, my neighbors are probably into their second cup of coffee while watching a movie during our rain, while I’m enjoying the rain and thinking about throwing another load of clothes in the wash.

But soon and very soon, I’ll be getting ready for my date with the hubs.

I love this day, I need this day!

Blessings – Debbie

Family

Family pictures are some of the most treasured things we hold near and dear to our hearts. Mine included. My parents and the memories we made over Christmas are priceless.

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Wise Guy – there is always a wise guy in the family. I don’t recall who placed pop’s hat on like so, but it struck a funny bone. During my photo shoot, of all things.

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And during a photo shoot, one must be ready to continue capturing those moments. Mom currently uses the photo below as her profile pic. And I kinda like that.

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Now my baby brother, it was his birthday. And we were discussing different angles and laughed at which was his best side. He’s a funny guy.

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Mom, in mom fashion made his favorite cake, the German Chocolate Cake. This shot looks legit, but look at that right hand reaching for his fork.

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It didn’t occur to us that he would actually eat the whole cake.

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It even got a little dicy when he took matters into his own hands. I can’t say that I blame him.

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But I can confirm, it was the best German Chocolate Cake ever!

I’m thankful to have him for a brother. I’m glad we’re friends and I’m thankful he has a wonderful loving family to come home to each day. It’s these blessings that puts happiness into the everyday. And the older I get, the more I realize how blessed we are.

P.S. I still have more family pictures to post, but I’m just trying to keep up on the blog by chewing on this bit by bit.

Blessings – Debbie

Now This Is A Strange List

It’s been said “if only” I didn’t… But truth be told, I’d like to think that there is a time and place for all things.

What about going off the deep end? I could say the same for that. Dive in, but know what you’re getting into first.

Too much is too much…Perhaps it’s good to know when the party is over. But while the party lasts, enjoy it!

And the point? Well in the end of all the hoopla, festivities, Christmas and partying, my body reached rotten bottom.

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Would I do it all over again? Of course I would.

I had the idea of posting all of the sweet things I consumed during the nearly two weeks we were away. Just for kicks.

  • Biscoff – those yummy cookies on Delta – I will not disclose the amount eaten
  • Candy bars from the hotel vending machines – too many to count – but wonderful memories with the hubs as we had our sweet treats while playing the backgammon game we brought for late night tournaments.
  • Pumpkin Muffin – from Panera Bread – Enjoyed a nice date with the hubs and sweet treats to end our meal. The hubs had the pecan braid, his favorite PB treat.
  • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookie – from Panera Bread
  • Sweet treats at the wedding
  • Cold Stone Ice Cream – No way of knowing how many trips – Special memories – Especially after dinner with my bro and sis-in-law one evening.
  • Starbucks – a few times – Especially the night we visited with my bro and sis-in-law – after dinner AND Cold Stone, we visited Starbucks until closing.
  • Homemade Banana Bread – At mom’s house Christmas morning with coffee. The BEST!
  • And the sweet goodies consumed at mom’s during Christmas week.
  • Peanut Butter Fudge, mom makes the Best! It’s the #1 sweet thing I remember most during the holidays. Oh, she makes it with the crunchy peanut butter, my fav!
  • Little mini cherry tarts – From mom’s kitchen
  • German Chocolate Cake – Again this came from mom’s kitchen to my little bro for his Birthday. I consumed two (big) pieces alone.

So who makes a list of the sweet things they consumed? It’s a crazy list if you were to ask me. Anyone reading this probably thinks I’ve gone off the deep end. Allow me to confirm, I did!

And my system feels rotten. But I say all of that to say, these are a few of the sweet things I remember. The things that make a wedding, a wedding and Christmas, Christmas and special visits with family blended with coffee complete.

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And for those things, I’m thankful.

And I’m thankful for new beginnings, new starts and a fresh new me that is beginning to feel back to normal.

And I kinda like that too.

Blessings – Debbie

Christmas Eve

There is a certain element of joy when I know we’re going to be at mom and dad’s on Christmas Eve.

It’s the annual tradition of family, food and visiting that joined together makes for the perfect way to spend the holiday.

But before we could get to my parents house, we had to get on a plane and fly from St Louis *Shiver* – down to Sunny South Florida *Ahhh*

It was and early flight, but worth it! As we arrived at the parents house at around 3pm. YAY! My little brother and his family were right behind us.

We all arrived two hours before mom expected us, which was good all the way around. It took some of the work off of her and we all pitched in to help.

And let me tell you, the food that comes out of her kitchen is amazing!

My nephew jumping to give a helping hand.

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My little brother was on duty texting his baby girl (out doing her calling) who is out of the country. We missed her so much.

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The hubs and nephew on stand-by waiting on their next assignment.

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My pop starting a fire. My wish was to roast a marshmallow that evening, but my tummy was too full by the end of the night. P.S. My family does not burn/catch our marshmallows on fire. No, we slowly turn it until its  reached golden brown status and soft on the inside. Mmmm…I could go for one now!

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My sis-in-law preparing the annual goodie table.

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My niece cooking up some sausage for our homemade egg rolls.

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Her brother, my nephew – supervising…

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And that’s when I went off camera duty and on over to my post aka the kitchen sink. I was trying to keep up with all the dirty dishes flying into my sink…And things had started to pile up.

Then we all enjoyed the fruits of our labor by dining outdoors and visiting into the evening hours by candle light and the nice little fire…Did I mention how yummy everything was? And how good it was to spend time around the table once again with family? It was such a joyous occasion and once again, my mother outdid herself.

Blessings – Debbie

My Cup Runneth Over

I interrupt the holiday posting because I can hardly contain myself. I mean, I put the camera away the day we left Florida (December 31) and have yet to pick it up since we’ve been home.

Today is when it hit me and the urge to get it out was more than I could handle. It didn’t take much when it came to a subject as I had my new favorite coffee cup in the world, in hand.

So that is how this post all came about.

I discovered these cups years ago back home, but for whatever reason, I needed “the one”. The one that fit perfect my hand.

I think they have since worked on their technique and this cup was love at first grip.

It fits ergonomically to your hand as there is a place on the top for your thumb to rest. And the handle, down the side has a place where each finger finds its own little groove. That’s pretty groovy, if you were to ask me.

Of course they make different size handles as not all hands are alike, thus the uniqueness of these guys.

Meet my very favorite cup in the whole wide world!

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What more can I say?

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My cup runneth over!

Blessings – Debbie

Two Photo-Shoots In One Day – Happy, Happy Joy

December 23rd

On our last full day in St Louis, I had two appointments for photo-shoots. The biggest day in my history of photography thus far. The first session started in St Louis with my nephews. I felt honored that they asked.

Twas the night of the rehearsal dinner (December 21) while dining with my bro-in-law and sis-in-law, that I heard behind me “Aunt Debbie”.

When I turn around, to see the commotion, my nephew was there asking if I would have time to shoot he and his little brother while there.

Did I have time? I’ll make time! Those were my thoughts and so we set up a time early for the day after the wedding (December 23) to meet over at the park such that we could shoot not only them but their cars too!

This aunt heart enjoyed the next hour and a half directing and shooting until our hearts were content.

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Younger brother, my how they love baseball, especially the St Louis Cardinals.

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Big brother and his pretty ride.

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 I plan on getting back to these pix in about a week or so. I may post more of them at that time.

After playing around in the park…oh, did I mention the po-po came and scolded us? Of all things, seems too many tires were on the grass? I just smiled and told him we would move.

Anyway, after playing in the park, the hubs and I moved on up the road to visit his sister and her family.

And I had another photo shoot with her son, our nephew and his wife! Yea!!! This so happens to be my very first couple photo shoot too, exciting!

So off to the park we strolled…

I immediately thought this train made for a great backdrop. So we went with it.

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Two love birds in the park.

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Words, there are no words for such sweetness.

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 Fun was had by all.

And I’m so happy I directed them to kiss! Love truly is the sweetest thing…

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Here we all are back at my sis-in-law and bro-in-laws home with their two boys and their families.

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After a nice meaningful visit and dinner with the family, we made our 2 hour trek back to St Louis such that we would be on time for our flight out (to Florida) the next morning, Christmas Eve.

Blessings – Debbie

 

Wedding Bells

I could criticize the pictures in this post to no end. As a young photographer not knowing what I’m doing “indoors”…”yet”. I find a lot of error, but I can’t but help want to share a few pictures from our nephew’s wedding.

I’m going to try to keep this post as short as possible as we would be here all day and then some, if I posted all 900 + shots from the wedding.

Let’s get started, shall we?

December 22nd

We arrived early such that we could get a good seat up front.

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We were the first to be seated, so I took a few shots.

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The music started right on que and the wedding was in full swing…right on schedule.

Here we have the maid of honor and best man.

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Too cute for words as they passed by.

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The bride and her daddy

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So beautiful and happy.

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Waiting for his bride…

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Such a beautiful couple.

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Those red shoes, my do they add a nice pop.

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I wasn’t able to get a full shot of the wedding party, but I was able to capture the girls from my seat.

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The kiss

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It’s so sweet that she made sure the lipstick didn’t stick to his lips.

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The happy and very much in love, Mr. and Mrs.

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That little couple captured my eye from the moment my eyes met them.

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The happy bride greeting her guests.

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I can’t tell you what happened when I saw this pic in the file. There is so much going on, people, expressions and well, I wanted to play with it. I couldn’t help myself.

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He may have stood just like this for one second and I happened to capture the moment.

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Something sweet is taking place here.

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It seems this little guy is wooing her.

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And perhaps he knew just what to do to get her attention.

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He DID it! Way to go little man, way to go!

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And they danced…

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First dance

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Daddy daughter dance

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Mother son dance

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Everybody Dance Now!

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Our oldest nephew in this family and his lovely bride since June of 2012.

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The second in line nephew and Groom with his beautiful family.

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The third in line nephew (freshmen in college) with his girlfriend.

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The fourth in line (Jr in high school) and the baby brother (he was pretty sick but was such a good sport) with his nephew/our great-nephew.

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The proud daddy (the hubs big brother) with all of his boys.

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Oh my word, look at the cameras taking shots of these two. Apparently I wasn’t the only one.

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Cutie patootie.

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The groom with his son in deep conversation with buddies.

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The music lasted long into the night and the bride and groom live happily ever after.

Blessings – Debbie

 

It Has To Be Done

Yes, I will be blogging all over the place on this post, but it must be done to move forward.

December 20 and 21 were days filled with family and friends.

We visited the hubs old friend Rick. They hadn’t seen each other since High School and it was cool for them to get to see each other after all these years. What a nice visit, hope the years are not so far apart the next time we meet.

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We also enjoyed a visit with the hubs 6th grade teacher. She was a fun teacher, from what the hubs tells me. And to this day she is still quite a character.

I didn’t take any shots as she was in bed with a couple of broken bones from a fall. But the visit was meaningful and she seemed to really enjoy the hours we spent by her bedside.

We moved along to visit with family and to even catch the bride and her daddy as they placed the final touches at the reception hall.

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It was exactly one year ago from that day that her dearest mother passed away. Her mom left her saying “honey, don’t ever let the holidays get you down because of me. Cherish the days and enjoy them. Celebrate and remember all of the good times!”

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And so the bride truly had a celebration. Surrounded by family and friends far and near, we came together to celebrate this day, the day they will always cherish together.

And her smile? Wow, did she ever sport a heart felt smile – All. Weekend. Long!

I love the beautiful finishing touches on each table.

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But it was that beautiful smile of the bride that truly lit up the room.

From there I really enjoyed watching the rehearsal. But I did not take one single pic. Nope, I sat in the back with my new niece of six months. She married my nephew last June. So we had some fun catching up. And then on over to the rehearsal dinner, my oh my was that visit with family and the yummy dinner amazing! Again, no pix, but, the memories, oh the memories we made.

Blessings – Debbie

Happy New Year

I’m so excited about 2013! But I’m not going to get all wrapped up into the New Year on the Blog just yet. As you know, I have some catching up to do before I can move on.

We have been quite busy bodies the last couple of weeks. And the plan is to take that one blog post at a time too. Small bites, that’s how I plan to catch up.

For starters, on December 19th, the hubs and I took a trip to St Louis to visit with family and attend our nephew’s wedding.

Disclaimer – All shots (in this post) were taken with my iPad and the last shot (in St Louis) taken with my cell phone. I wasn’t ready for the “big guy” just yet.

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There is something about living on the West Coast and flying over the desert. Especially when snow begins to appear on mountain tops. I’m smitten.

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Oh my word! Utter splendor as we approach our first stop in Salt Lake City. I’m one happy gal that the hubs insists I have the window seat.

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You should have seen me at the airport in Salt Lake that evening. I was PUSHING for our flight to lift off before sunset. As we continued to taxi out, the pilot would announce “we are 5th in line for takeoff”… Each time he would announce something new and all the time in-between, I would freak out, look out the window, check to see that the sun was still up. It’s crazy the things that drive me nuts when I want to photograph a sunset with snow-covered peaks.

But alas, this is all the light I had to work with once our feet were off the ground.

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Soon, I reclined and relaxed for the remains of our flight.

We were prepared for St Louis to be freezing cold. Instead, it was cold and raining that evening. And we were both so thankful that it was not ice.

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That concludes day 1 of our trip.

Blessings – Debbie

Taking a Load Off

Of all the things we cross off the list this time of year, taking a load off is when our Christmas newsletter is finally checked off the list of things to do.

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Cheers to another year of getting the newsletter in the mail before Christmas.

And cheers for being all set and ready for Christmas!

You may or may not see me for a while as I’m getting ready to spend some much-needed time with the hubs and family. In fact, I think I’m giving myself an official blog break until next year. Luckily next year is right around the corner so it won’t be long.

Blessings to all and here’s sending out a very special Merry Christmas Wish to you and your loved ones.

Blessings – Debbie

A Moment Of Prayer

Heartbreaking news today – Taking time out to pray for families and many who have experienced great loss…

This heart ornament is extra special (given to me from the man I’m deeply in love with) as I want to keep the ones I love tucked ever close to my heart.

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Blessings – Debbie

I’m A Nikon Girl

Why yes. Santa came early in this house. He thought it was necessary for me to get familiar with this guy before Christmas.

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I’m so excited I can hardly contain my joy! These shots were taken with my Sony a55 with the 50mm 1.4 lens. Shot this morning on our kitchen table.

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Night and day, that’s how I compare this camera upside my Sony. And I can’t wait to jump right in as I have so much to learn before I feel comfortable taking shots.

Sure, I’ve already taken shots, but just not the artsy fartsy manual setting type shots that I prefer.

So this guy arrived in the mail yesterday (late morning) and the hubs was adamant that I open it. However, I promised him that I would wait until he got home.

So to take my mind away from the gift (I knew what I was getting), I ran a few errands.

I was just 10 min. out when my cell phone rang.

It was the hubs inquiring what I was up to.

Turns out he rushed home from work to surprise me. He really wanted me to have it right away.

I was downhearted that I had just missed him.

But he assured me that he opened the ups box and that the camera was waiting for me to unwrap as soon as I got home.

Once I got back to the house, I didn’t have it in me to open. I just couldn’t do it without him. I wanted him to be here so that I could experience that joy with him. So I waited for him to come home before madly opening the box.

I still haven’t figured it all out, but I have until Christmas to get lots of practice.

And with that, I’m out of here such that I can learn how to adjust the settings.

Soon, it will be set up in manual mode and I’ll be snapping my heart out, no doubt.

More pix to come.

Blessings – Debbie