I SEE THE MOON.....

I See the Moon
Written by: Unknown, Copyright Unknown

I see the moon,
And the moon sees me.
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.

I remember being a little boy and Mom would say it this way:

I see the moon,
And the moon sees me.
Please Mr. Moon,
Don’t tell on me

What a day today has been. I was looking for things to get better... but after lunch things went down hill. I tried to update the next batch of info and it doesn't want to balance. I worked all afternoon trying to see what records weren't being updated. I may go back up there tomorrow and go over it again. With no one there I may be able to find the problem. It's got to be something simple.

I just couldn't help but to post this little poem about the moon.... and this picture was taken about 5pm this afternoon not at 8 or 9 pm.

Here's hoping for a good weekend...

TGIF

What week it has been... I just hope this fist full week of 2009 is no indication of how my year is going to go. I tell ya if it is I don't think I'll make it. haha

All week I've been working on a balancing problem. Yesterday I finally got all the invalid postings out and the file back in balance. Now today I hope to get the new posting in and to finally get on to some other work that needs to be done. I tell ya going in at 6:30AM and being there to 5PM isn't much fun... and what makes it worse is that I don't punch the clock....

I had Gage and Noah yesterday afternoon for a little while. Melissa got called back to work just before I left work. We went out in the back yard and we ran and played... I was hoping to run some of the energy out of them, but it didn't work. hahaha Gage isn't a problem and really Noah isn't either, he just likes to get into things and to keep me running. Gage was the same way not so long ago and now he's happy sitting with PawPaw and coloring in one of his coloring books.

When Jonathan was leaving last night I told him to enjoy them as they are now for it want be any time and they will be teenagers.

I think there must be something wrong with e-mail this week also. I've gotten very little mail.... hahaha... I guess everyone has been like me this past week. I hope that's what the problem has been.

Well I'm going to get moving and get on to work this morning. Just wanted to let it be know that I was STILL alive.

Picture for today is one taken on a spring morning... and I'm looking forward to spring again.

2009 Starts of Sad

It's the first weekend of the New Year and ready there's a lot of hurt in families this weekend. This weekend I know of two families that will lay love ones to rest. A member of all 3 families worked at the hospital and I knew them of at least knew of them.


One family lost their 3 year baby girl another is a friend that lost his Mother and one that lost her brother on Christmas Eve. My heart goes out to these families. All 3 of these families had one thing in common, they were working families like so many of us just trying to make. I guess we think about them more because we're with them more and they are one of us, but what about those like John Travolta's family, I think a lot of times we never think about how they hurt. All we see is them being a 'STAR' having more money than they could ever spend in a life time while we try to make it to payday to payday. I know the family is hurting this morning just as the families of my co-works.

What does one say at a time like this? I can't think of any words that in anyway that could possibly easy the pain of losing a child no matter how it happened.

Hurt knows nothing of how much money or the lack of money one has or how famous or how lonely one is.... it hurts and there's no way to easy the pain.

My heart goes out to all this morning that are feeling hurt and pain this morning....

Jan 1, 2009 - A New Beginning

First Light 2009

Good morning January 1, 2009. You're making a cool entrance at 35 here at my house this morning. I saw you roll in while this morning while watching TV. I was expecting all kind of fireworks to go off, but for once things were pretty quiet for once.

Mom told me once that her Mom told her that what ever you did on New Years Day is what you would be doing all year. Well as soon as the sun starts to rise I'm going to get the first sunrise of 2009 and then it's off to work. I hope this will bring me good luck on my photography this coming year. As for any resolutions, well maybe to try to be more out going and maybe to live a little happier life.

Last 2008 Sunset

This is the last sunset over the Pascagoula Beach for 2008. I wanted to end the year shooting pictures of the beach.


All and all 2008 was a good year. I got go the the PPMA Convention and meet Hanson Fong. Joined the Mobile Camera Club. Shot my first sunset beach wedding with Debbie. Lauren and Lane got married. Noah started walking.

This past spring I lost my little Maggie. Melissa had gotten her before she finished high school and when she and Jonathan got married little Maggie just stayed with Daddy. I guess she was 13 or 14 years old and bless her heart she had lost her eye sight, but she never let it stop her. Sometimes she would get excited and bump into things and if I were talking to her and move away she would still be looking at were I had been. The thing I loved about her most was that no matter what, she was always glad when I got home.


Today was the last day for Claudia. We wished her well on her retirement and we hope the best for her. After you've worked with someone for 32 years they become more like family not co-workers. It's not going to be the same anymore for us that worked with her for so long. I remember when I hired in she was out on leave with her new baby daughter April. Now in late Feb or early March, April will have a little girl.

Looking forward to 2009--- What will this New Year bring... Mary will finish high school in May and Gage will start kindergarten in Aug. What will my job bring about? Will I retire in 2009? I'll have 33 years in... I really would like to get 35 years before I retire. I wonder how my photography will go in 09? So for Debbie has about 3 or 4 weddings to shoot and I'm going to be shooting Erica's wedding in June. Wow.. all the kids are no longer kids...


Well with just over 6 hours left in 2008 I'll close out the year and wish all of you A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.

It's back to work today

Well here we are with less than 3 days left in 2008. I'm going back to work today after being off for 2 weeks. Oh God, I just know there's going to be e-mails and phone messages… oh well I'm going to take it one thing at a time.

I've really done well these past 2 weeks. I didn't do much and I didn't get to go the Mobile Cemetery as I had planned to shoot some. A lot of the days were just bad (weather wise) while I was off. For once I really just enjoyed being around here doing nothing. I think Lucy and I may gave gained a couple of pounds. Lucy isn't going to know what to do with out me here today.

Christmas has come and gone and even Christmas this year wasn't as bad as it has been in the past. Gage got a camera and I must say he is doing very well taking pictures. With him starting so early with a camera
there's no telling where it may take him. If it only takes him out on trips with me... well then the camera has done well.

I went up to see Mom and Dad Friday and Melissa's family and Mary came up Saturday to see them. Mom and Dad could not get over Noah. Aunt Pat and Traci came down and Gage and Brooklyn had the best time running and playing up there.

The picture for today was taken up at Moms. It's just a ragweed that has gone to seed. I tried some other shots, but they didn't turn out like I was hoping. I've got to get a better handle on my B/W pictures. They look dull... I've posted a message on the Canon Forum and I've gotten a few comments on what to do.

Well I'm about to get up and to get a move on here. The first couple of days back are always BAD... hahaha

Just a Memory Now

Christmas 2008 is now just a footnote in our life. I hope there's something about yesterday that will live on within us for the rest of our days. I got to be with the kids and play with Gage and Noah. I may not remember everything about yesterday but I will always remember the feeling of being with family.

Melissa said Gage was so excited over the camera Santa brought him. He, Gage, sat beside me and showed me all the pictures he had made yesterday morning. What a joy maybe, just maybe I can instill just a small piece of my love for photography in him and as he grows we can share the joys together.

Talking about photography, the picture today was shot yesterday about 3pm down on the Pascagoula Beach pier. The fog was so heavy as you can tell you can't see past the end of the pier. Made for some very unusual pictures, well I think so anyway.

I saved the WII for Mary to open yesterday morning over here. She was so excited. I think she had more fun watching me than playing it herself. Melissa, Jonathan, Gage, and Noah came over yesterday afternoon and played. Gage was good at it. Melissa tried to play, but the boys want let her do much. Every time she would try to play one of them would start up. No matter had hard Jonathan tires the worse they cry for Melissa. I know it's hard for her to think now, but in no time they will be grown.

I'm about to get ready to go see Mom and Dad for a couple of days. I enjoy being there but I hate the trip. I just got where I don't like to ride.. well this isn't totally true... I just hate the trip having to drive alone.

Well I think Christmas 2008 was great. We were all well... and this is the greatest gift we could wish for. I hope you can say 'I enjoyed Christmas 2008' also.

Christmas Morning 2008

This is how Christmas Morning 2008 looks out of my back door this morning. There's a heavy fog over the lake this morning and that only helps add to the to silence this morning. I couldn't sleep this morning for thinking back on Christmas pass... I can still hear Melissa easing into the bedroom to tell us Santa had come and wanting to wake up Lauren and Mary. Was it really so long ago? I sit here this morning about the same time they used to get up to check on Santa... The old walls still echo the sounds of Christmas past for me... I can hear the sounds of paper being torn, the little high voice of delight from that one special present Santa left. All just memories of another time a time that I will always hold dear.

Yesterday I got to experience a little of that child wonder with Gage. I was showing him the Santa Tracking website and his little eyes were bright with excitement. Oh to have that feeling once again and for a moment I felt that child wonder and enthusiasm.

Now this morning with just Lucy sitting here with me it's kinda a let down. I want more than anything to feel something other than what I feel. I'm feeling what I hear... do you hear it... it's the sound of silence --- the absence of sound--- and how loud it it here this morning.

Christmas Eve 2008

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
John Lennon

Here it is Christmas Eve 2008, looking back all I can say 'is where did the year go?'. It's been a good year I would say. Lauren and Lane got married.. (I spent a lot of money), Mary was excited about turning 18 this year and Melissa finished her BSN at USM. Noah started walking and Gage starting spending the night with GeeGee on Friday nights. As for me, my photography work did ok. I didn't get rich, but I was able to pay for my gas to and from the few shoots I had. Over all I think I made a few families happy with my work. I was asked for some of my work to be given to 2 libraries to be put on display. I can't tell you how this made Mom feel and to me that was worth more to me than anything. Things at work this past year has been pretty good, Chip and Toni moved into our section. This was something I had been pushing for, for sometime. On another note there was also some sad moments at work this past year. Just weeks before Claudia and Jim were to take their family on an Alaskan cruise there daughter-in-law was dx with cancer. This put a whole other twist to the trip for the rest of the family, but they did go and for the most part had a good time. Now come December 31, 2008, Claudia is going to retire for good to go home and attend to her parents. I've worked with Claudia for the 32 1/2 years I've been with the hospital system. We've going to miss her.

Well I just checked the NORAD tracking site and sure enough Old Santa is out and about already. At 6:00am our time this morning the he is in Luganville, Vanuata.. in other words along way away from here yet.

I remember when I was small we would be watching TV on Christmas Eve and about 6pm the local channel would have what looked like a break into the show and give an update on where Santa was. I remember being so excited. To have that child like wonder once again. I guess in a way I can have it again, through the grandchildren and oh how much fun it is. Now that I think about it. it may be more fun being PawPaw and seeing Santa, because in a way I can help insure Santa is real and help teach them what Christmas is really about.

So this is Christmas And what have you done... well John Lennon... I've done a lot. I've laughed, I've cried, I've glimpsed world through the eyes of a 4 year old, I've felt the unconditional love of my grandsons... John Lennon what more could a person want?

Oh yes, the picture for today is my other little grandson... hahaha --- This is Brody, Lauren and Lane's baby. We did this shoot Monday night while I was over there. I for on know how Lauren and Lane feel about Brody because when Ginger and I got married we got a little dog and named her Shanna. Where ever we went Shanna went also. When Melissa was born Melissa and Shanna fought all the time.. Shanna just didn't like not being the baby.

Well I'm going to go for now. Later on today I may post notes to Gage and Noah about where Santa is... but just in case---

I WISH ALL OF YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS....

Christmas - I feel you

I feel you Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love

Faith Hill
Where are You Christmas
*****

It's something how God gets his message through to us. This morning I had a reality check. I was reading a message from a Grandmother talking about getting to bring her new Grandson home from the hospital. Having being born to early his little life was touch and go for a while and for months the only world he knew was that of Doctors and Nurses. It made me think of Noah's first Christmas last year and how happy I was to have him home and out of the hospital.

We all have our special Christmas past I know. I've got a couple that I hold close to my heart. One Christmas that was so special was when Melissa was very young. Times were hard and money for Christmas was something we really didn't have, but we were going to make sure Melissa had a Christmas. Here again God came through for us. The apartments we were living in needed some work done. We worked in an off and on rain to earn Christmas money. That is one Christmas that I'll always remember and as I look back that was one of the best Christmas' I remember.

Another Christmas that stands out was when the house we were renting burned. It was just a couple of weeks before Christmas. We lost pretty much everything, but people come from all over to help us. Our church just couldn't do enough for us. This wasn't the best Christmas for us, because of the fire, but yet it was good because of the people that showed us they carried... They didn't talk about Christmas they demonstrated Christmas.

So five days from Christmas let's not talk Christmas lets demonstrate Christmas. If it's nothing more than opening the door for someone or maybe just a warn smile and kind word. But let’s not stop six days from today... Let’s keep Christmas in our hearts all year.

I wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and I hope the New Year brings us new and bigger opportunities.