Pascagoula feels IKE

Most people would look at this and say 'It's just a wave breaking'... well that's right, but the thing is here in Pascagoula we don't have waves... The islands just off shore protect us from most wave action. This was shoot late yesterday afternoon. The Beach front road was closed so we had to come in the back way and park at the Beach Park and walk down the beach line.

Melissa and the boys came down and we walked out on the peir... the wind gust out there was something.. Gage and Noah just loved it.

Little Noah didn't know what to think about all the wind.. but he loved it blowing his hair.

I guess we all kinda enjoyed seeing the waves and wind. I sure feel for Texas. I've heard they could have a strom surge of 30 feet. The wind you can kinda prepair for, but the water there's nothing we can do.

Another Great Day

Thursday morning sunrise...

Another week has almost gone by. Last weekend I was worried that Ike was going to hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but it's looking like he may be going into Texas... I just feel for them over there.

It's been 7 years now since the 9/11 attack... but I can remember it as if it was yesterday. We were all standing around the TV in the conference room watching the news about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center when we saw the second plane crash into the building and then we watched as the building fell. 7 years... my times goes by so fast.

Well if nothing happens I plan on doing some bridle pictures for Lauren tomorrow. I'm kinda afraid that Ike is going to bring a lot of rain in here oh and we may not get to do it... We'll just have to wait and see..

Oh yeah... i got my pictures in I ordered for the Prentiss Library... Mom works there part time and the lady that runs the library has been after Mom to get me to give them some pictures to hang... I guess it's the small town boy makes big kind of thing... (yeah right)

Well I guess I better get a move on and get to work... I need a studio and a lot of business so I want have to work at the hospital any more... hahaha

Jane

Dear Jane,
I stopped by for a short visit Saturday. My brother Gene was with me so I couldn't stay long. I know you being the younger sister wouldn't know about little brothers would ya... hahaha... I can't have him thinking I'm to crazy just yet, but I just had to come by to see ya.

Just to let you know, each time I visit you I always see the same picture... a beautiful young girl so full of life with eyes that could melt any heart. Jane, that’s the way I’ll always remember you. That short summer, I’ll always treasure and hold your picture in my heart.

Jane, I’m so sorry you never had a chance to really enjoy life… I’m sorry I never had a chance to know you past that one short summer, but then again you may not have wanted anything to do with me after you had grown up… for with your beauty you could have had any guy. Sundra did tell me once that when she would talk to you, you would ask about me from time to time.

Life is so short and so fragile, but who knows that better than you. What for twenty years or better you were confined to the mercy of others to wait on you. How I wished you had had a chance to raise a family… My brother told Mom one time that my baby girl looks so much like you. She has long black hair, brown eyes and she also has a dimple just like you had.

Well pretty lady, I just hope someday that you will remember me and that short, short summer and when I walk thru the gates you will be close by to greet me…

Oh yes, one other thing… your stone reads “Plain Jane” … Dear Jane… there was nothing plain about you… if you had been just plain Jane I don’t think I would have saved your image in my heart for so many years…

The Old Home Town

For twenty years of my life this little town was what we call our 'home town'. Small as it was it, it was always a busy little place. I can remember the Dime store where I used to spend what seemed like hours looking at the toys the Western Auto store where Mom and Dad got my first bike, the barber shop where I got my first hair cut. The car dealer ship where I got my first car...

I went back this weekend to visit my Mom, Dad, and brother. We went over to our little 'home town' to see the street fair. It's so sad to see the thing I grow up with slowly fading away. The drug store where we used to stop on Sunday afternoons to get a Coke along with everything else has now closed.

I regret my kids never had the chance to know the little town the way I did.

Doing something Right

Last night I did my first maternity shoot. All I've really ever done has been weddings, but I've always wanted to use my studio lights. I've played with them on a few shoots, but I've never really been totaly happy with the outcome.

Well, last night things came together for me like they never have before. I really was sure just what or how I was going to shoot this, but I had looked at some other works on the internet and kinda had an indea.

My little couple last night was so much fun to work with, it was so easy. I gave them ideas and then let them tell me what they wanted... it was just fun and an hour or so was gone in no time.

I worked on the pictures this morning before going to work and one that really just stands out to me... I just had to send it to (of all places) Wal-Mart.. I just had to see the print as an 8x10... that's as big as I can go at the 1 hour processing...

When I went to pick it up they wouldn't give it to me... they even got the asst store manger back there.. I told them it was MY work and they asked.. 'Are you a professional?' and with a lot of pride I said YES I AM... (I still had to sign a copyright form stateing it was my work) .. So I guess my work is better than I think.. I'm always second guessing myself and my work...

Things are looking up...

The Birds

I had to take the birdfeeders down Sunday afternoon before Hurricane Gustav hit. Then I got back home yesterday the between rain storms the little birds would visit looking for something to eat.

When I got home today I put all the feeders back up and within 10 minutes there were birds everywhere.

I enjoy watching them go and come... I wish I could be more like the little birds... they just seem to know that all is going to be ok... ME all I do is worry about things I have no control over.

Dustin - Hero

As I do most morning I sit here in front of my computer and read the on-line home newspaper. Not my local paper, but the newspaper form Jackson, Ms... The Clarionledge. Being from a small town just south of Jackson I like to keep up with the news from up there also I read the obituaries.

Well this morning was somewhat a slow news day and the I was luckily not to see anyone I knew in the obituaries, so I did a search in the obituaries for Lee. Just wanted to see if someone had passed away from up home and I didn't hear about it. I came across a name that I didn't know, yet I had heard it before. It was Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee, USMC. Dustin was killed last year in Fallujah, Iraq and was coming home to be laid to rest in Stonewall, MS. This young man was only 20 years old that's only 2 years older than youngest daughter.

I did a Yahoo search to see what I could about this young solider and ran across this http://www.vspa.com/k9/iraq4.htm. Then I knew where I had heard of this young man and Lex.

I never knew this young man or his family, but like so many families my heart just broke when I read about him. Today so many people call sports players heroes... these people can't stand and never will stand with the likes of Dustin and all the ones before and the ones after. I don't like the idea of war, people being killed, but I'm glad there those that are willing to put their lives on the line so I can sit here and write and go and come as I please. These are the TRUE heroes.

I want to visit Dustin's grave and just sit and say THANK YOU son.

Not what you expected

When you were young, did you ever wish new pocket knife or fishing tackle for a birthday or Christmas and when you opened the box it was a shirt or something like that? I guess no matter how old we get we still have little wishes like this and even thro we're grown we still get disappointed when we open the package and it's something other than what we hoped for. This happened to me this passed weekend.. hahaha

I know things come and go for reasons and we must learn to sway with the wind that that brings the good as well as the bad. I can't complain about the bad, my "goods" out weighs them a 1,000,000 to 1.

Just needing to talk this morning....

Dream

I had a dream this morning that felt so real.... I dreamed I was dying. I could feel my very being slipping away. It was so weird my whole body was tingling and I felt like I was floating, but not the way people talk about it on TV. My body just felt very light ... I just remember praying asking God to take care of me... I'm not sure I was afraid or just what feelings I had. When I woke up it wasn't like dreams where I've been gasping for breath out of fear, I just woke up and was glad it was over.

I wonder why we dream things like this.... what triggers our minds to go places like this.

What I do and Why I do it

Today is Thursday... PAYDAY..
This weekend I'm going to shoot a small wedding... an outside wedding at that. If you're not from the South you really want understand where I'm going with that, but I'm sure most of you will. It's going to be HOT.... Over and over I've asked myself why go thru this... It's sure not for the money... My little weddings now are pretty much for the fun of it... Each wedding I have a chance to be a part of a happy time and to capture this for the couple. Oh I'm sure there's those out there that would say 'well you make nothing because your pictures are nothing" ... here's where you would be wrong... I'm by no way a Hanson Fong but yet I feel like my stuff can stand it's own. I feel like the key is to make people happy... go into the shoot with the idea that you're going to have a good time and that you're going to make others have a good time. Above all learn something from the shoot... On each shoot I try to learn something new. It's my goal to someday to have my very own little studio. A place where I can show off my work...whether it's my art pictures, my brides, babies, or even my bird shoots. I'm very blessed to have two studios that ask me to help shoot wedding with... and again it's my dream to ask them to help me some day.