Another Wedding

Not much going on right now with me. Things have been a little slow, which isn't really a bad thing. Well I say slow, but at work I've been busy.. my users seem to lose a lot of their reports and I have to go back into the system and rerun them. This sometimes can be a real problem, but hey what can I say.. it keeps me out of touble.

I'm going to shoot a wedding today for Christie and Bonnie's niece. With Bonnie and Christie being good friends of mine... well I'm sure you know where this is going.... I'm doing it for free. I keep telling everyone I can't have a business until I run out of friends... hahaha
Little weddings like this lets me try new things... don't get me wrong I'll do the same quality of work, but I'll just try some things I can't try when I work with Debbie on a paying job.

In 3 weeks it will be me that's getting ready for the wedding. My little girl, Lauren, will be getting married. That little girl is something... I love her to death. I'm lucky in the fact that I'll have 2 photographers there along with me. I may not be able to shoot any pictures oh.. haha

Melissa and Noah came by yesterday. i got to see Noah walk for the first time. The little fellow is still a little unsure on his feet, but he's up and going now.

Melissa saw one of the pictures I've done for the Prentiss Library and she told me it looked like something you would see for sale in an art shop. (The one shown in this Blog) That made my day. She also liked the other 2 prints did for them. I can't wait to give them to Mom so she can take them down to the library. It's kinda like this .... small town boy leaves and 32 years latter gives something back... haha ... It did make me feel good that the library did ask if I would give them a print. Guess that saids something about my work.

Well I'm going to get going for now.

Jeff... Happy Birthday Cuz

Today would have been Jeff's 49th birthday. Off and on all day I've had flash backs for the times we had. Jeff was more like a brother than a cousin. I was the oldest, then Jeff, and then my brother Gene.

As we got older and when we could we would be together. Jeff and Gene lived closer together so they would get togher and work together to keep the Old Place kept up. Then every now and again when I would go home to visit Mom and Dad all 3 of us would head out.

One thing about Jeff, he always had a way to make you laugh and forget your troubles and worries for awhile. Just as sure as I was having a bad day he would call and before I knew it I would be laughing so hard I would have tears in my eyes. He was always a lot of fun and seemed to never have a care in the world, but some of us we knew he carried a heavy load on his shoulders.

Since Jeff has passed away Gene doesn't keep the Old Place up like they did. He told me he just didn't like to go over there anymore. I know what he means... when I go over there and walk thru the old house I hear Grandpaw, Granny and now Jeff. I hear the past... the good times spending the night over with them and Jeff and me telling stories all night.

Jeff you weren't suppose to leave us like this... we were all going to grow old together and take our grandkids hunting like Grandpaw did with us.

Jeff, there no way I tell you how much I miss those silly phone calls and jokes you would e-mail to me. You've been gone for almost a year and a half now, but at times I see something or hear something that makes if feel like I'm just hearing you're gone and the sting is still there. I try to e-mail Aunt Pat every day or so just to say HI and to tell her I love her... Jeff her heart is so torn, she never get over the hurt. I don't think any partent could ever get over it.

Well Jeff I'm going to go for now...i sure miss you.... like you would always tell me...
LATER CUZ...

Photos Used Again

For the Singing River Hospital System calendar, that we print and give to all the employees, next year (2009) this will be the cover page. Last year they wanted to add something to the calendars so they wouldn't be so plain so they asked me if they could use some of my pictures. It really went over well last year.

This picure is one I shoot just before Christmas last year. There's times I can't remember anything, but when it comes to my pictures I can just about remember everything about the shoot...

I know it's not the cover of TIME or some other big magazine, but for me it's nice to be asked to summit pictures and about 1500 or so people will get a one..

I knew today was going to bring something special for me... this morning I found an 1897 Indian head penny in with my change.

Monday -- Monday

Another beautiful sunrise on the Mississippi Gulf Coast this morning. Early this morning we had a thunderstrom roll thru and for about an hour our power was off... and I was thinking about all the people in TX and LA without power and just how we depend on it so much.

Now that Ike has moved on from the coast, we are now confronted with another problem.. GAS. At on station the price went from $3.59 to $4.77 in one day. Other stations around town went up also but nothing lile this. I hope these stations will be looked at and if they are rasing the price just because they can I hope they will be fined so much it will take 3 life times for them to pay the fines off. Making a fair profit is one thing, but to take advantage of a bad time is another and I feel they should lose everything because of it.

On to a much happier note this morning. Melissa called me this morning and told me that Noah has started walking. That little boy is a mess and he and Gage are just something. Grandkids.. Gods gift for putting up with kids... hahaha

I haven't checked the Weather Underground this morning and I'm kinda afraind to even look... but I hope things will begin to settle down. Once I get to work Chip will fill me in on the weather outlook.

My Girls and How I Love them

It's less than a month now and I'll be walking my little Lauren down the alise. To me it was only yesterday I was holding her hand and walking her across the street.

My little Lauren... Just look at her now... all grown up. Last night she had a bridal shower and as I watched her and Lane open gifts at times I had to fight off the tears.

I know parents want their children to grow up... to be their own person and I want this more than anything for Laruen and Lane, but being the Dad I am , it's hard for me to let go. I don't mean this in a hard kind of way.. Lauren and her two sisters are a very special part of me... and like the song goes "I Loved her First" and will always love them.

You know on Oct 11, 2008 when I take my little girl by the arm and walk her down the alise and part of my heart will be breaking, yet a part will be rejoicing. You know the heart is a very amazing thing... it has the ability to love without question, it can break and then heal, sometimes not all the way oh, and then last it has the ability to grow. When Melissa got married my heart was torn just like I feel now for Lauren, but then came two little Grandsons... and what a joy they are. There's nothing like hearing 'Love you PawPaw' and the feel of a HUG from Gage that just makes your heart feel warm and then there's little Noah.. his big blue eyes and his little smile. He's only a year old, but yet he still knows the way to PawPaws heart is with that big smile he gives me when he sees me. What a feeling... This is TRUE Love... no questions, no conditions...

In closing, I want to post one more picture of what makes me happy in this life .. Melissa, Lauren, and Mary Kathryn.. Love you girls.. ;-)