A Scribbler & A Shutterbug

I will have been married to my darlin’ husband for EIGHTEEN YEARS. 

Good heavens, I love that man.

it is so applicable in so many situations.  We tend to “talk” things to death:

A 
member of a certain church, who previously had 
been attending services regularly, stopped 
going.  After a few weeks, the pastor 
decided to visit him.

It was a chilly 
evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, 
sitting before a blazing fire.  Guessing 
the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man 
welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair 
near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor 
made himself at home but said nothing.  In 
the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of 
the flames around the burning logs.  After 
some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, 
carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and 
placed it to one side of the hearth all alone 
then he sat back in his chair, still 
silent..

The host watched all this in 
quiet contemplation.  As the one lone 
ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there 
was a momentary glow and then its fire was no 
more.  Soon it was cold and 
dead.

Not a word had been spoken since 
the initial greeting.  The pastor glanced 
at his watch and realized it was time to 
leave.  He slowly stood up, picked up the 
cold, dead ember and placed it back in the 
middle of the fire.  Immediately it began 
to glow, once more with the light and warmth of 
the burning coals around it.

As the 
pastor reached the door to leave, his host said 
with a tear running down his cheek,  ‘Thank 
you so much for your visit and especially for 
the firey sermon. I will be back in church next 
Sunday’.

We live in a world today, which 
tries to say too much 
with too little.  Consequently, 
few listen.  Sometimes the best sermons are 
the ones left unspoken.


Still feeling like poo … took the advice of a couple of friends and swallowed a crushed garlic clove whole … that was a new and different experience!  We’ll see if it helps.  Supposedly garlic has antibiotic properties.  I vaguely remember hearing that somewhere, and I figure it’s only garlic, so what could it hurt, even if it doesn’t make a lot of difference?

The daughter is spending the night with her cousins and we are watching House on DVD.  Before my guy returns home, he’s going to call from my sister’s and I’ll place an online order for pizza for him to pick up on the way home.  Lazy, lazy Friday night.  Just right for a day when I feel like poo.

Sunday I shot a wedding for a friend’s daughter … it was a gift, as I’m not a pro, and I don’t have all the professional equipment to do the “fancy” stuff.  But the pictures turned out nicely and I think they will be happy.  I’ve shared some of them on Facebook so they could get a glimpse of what I did.  When I finish editing the photos, I’ll be burning them to discs for the bride and her mother and then they can print out whatever they would like. 

As a photographer, you have to talk a LOT during the posed shots – directing people, trying to get their attention, etc.  Yesterday when I woke up and my throat was a bit on the raspy side, I thought it was from all the talking I’d been doing on Sunday afternoon.

Not.

This morning, it’s killing me.  And I have some chest congestion.  Argh … (she says with a soft whisper, rather than the full-blown aggravation she really feels …)

Canceled the six-month dental hygiene appointments we had at 11:00 a.m.  Doubt the hygienist would want me breathing/coughing in her face.  Going to continue working on the Yearbook that never ends.  Do laundry.  Take my girl to piano at 3:00 p.m. 

And maybe see if I can squeeze a nap in there somewhere.

It doesn’t help that I ache all over … Monday morning I went to the gym with my guy and worked out.  Planned on going today, but I don’t think so.  Not with the way my chest is feeling.

See ya’ later.

The wedding was held at a nice hotel in our community.  In the center of the venue is a large stone fountain/waterfall – the ceremony took place on one side, with the reception taking place on the other side.  The gal that decorated for the ceremony put these mirrors with pillar candles at different levels of the fountain and I happened to get this shot during the ceremony.  I really like it.  🙂

The wedding party … I know why wedding photographers charge so much.  This is HARD WORK.  A lot of guests were standing behind me, taking pictures with their little cameras and so several of my shots have different subjects looking in different directions – because they didn’t know which camera to look at.  I didn’t realize this until I got home and pulled the photos up on my computer.  Fortunately, I took several shots and was able to find some where they all were looking in roughly the right direction. 

I LOVE this shot.  The little girl who was the flower girl has spina bifida — it was a lot of work for her to get through this ceremony without using her wheelchair, but she was determined.  We tried to do the photos in an order that allowed her to rest some between shots. 

The bridesmaids were so cute!  We pulled a chair over to help them get up on this brick wall that ran around the perimeter of the room.  The shoes were Ninas, with four inch heels and the mother of the bride was terrified that one of them was going to stumble, so we had to make sure the shoes were included in the picture story!

It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and while I wouldn’t mind doing it occasionally, I don’t think I would want to do this for a living.  Too much stress!

I had seen a few people doing this around the net, but didn’t really think about doing it myself until I read Anna’s the other day.  It’s a great tool, both for reflection and for encouraging regular blogging, so I’m going to give it a try.    Click on “The Simple Woman’s Daybook” button if you’d like to read other daybook entries or do one yourself!

·  FOR TODAY February 6, 2010…

·  Outside My Window… the sun is shining and I’m grateful to see it after so much rain.

·  I am thinking… I need to get back to cleaning house.

·  I am thankful for… good friends who tell me what I need to hear, even when I’d rather they didn’t.

·  From the kitchen… I need to thaw a couple of chicken breasts to make some soup this evening.

·  I am wearing… a grey sweatshirt, blue yoga pants, and flip-flops.

·  I am creating… my very first Daybook entry!

·  I am going… to run to the bank and the grocery store in a bit.

·  I am reading… “A Bride in the Bargain” by Deeanne Gist.

·  I am hoping… to become a more faithful blogger and to use writing as a tool for both personal growth and enjoyment.

·  I am hearing… the sound of the capiz shell mobile in my daughter’s bedroom as the ceiling fan gently causes it to flutter in the breeze.

·  Around the house… the dogs are sleeping on the kitchen floor, the dryer is tumbling, the washer is humming, and all is peaceful.

·  One of my favorite things… to scrapbook my memories.  I have not scrapbooked in a long time, and this needs to change and to change soon.

·  A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:  Celebrate my daughter’s 14th birthday by having one of her best friends over to spend the night, get my hair cut and colored, go to the eye doctor, install some blinds for a client, and grade papers for homeschool.

·  A photo of me, without glasses!

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Just stopping by to post a little “hi-ya!” …. things are getting better in the yearbook class I teach.  Still not great and I won’t be teaching it again, but they are better. 

My guy and baby girl are at our church workday right now.  Our church meets in one of those strip shopping centers.  We recently got additional space in the center, and so work needs to be done to make the space usable for our purposes.  Some walls in the old space are being torn down to make the sanctuary larger, and some walls will need to be built in the new space to accommodate classrooms.  Our pastor has asked my guy if he would be interested in teaching some classes when the space is finished and classes begin.  He said he would pray about it — I think Pastor is wanting him to specifically work with teens.  If God gives him the go-ahead, I think this would be great, as he is REALLY good with teens.  But he won’t do it unless he really feels God giving him the a-okay.

In other news, my “baby” girl will be fourteen years old on Monday.  I am really struggling with this!  Turning 46 a couple of weeks ago was a bit bumpy (I never think in terms of how old I am right this minute, but how far away other ages are …. only six years ago I turned 40 … that time has flown … in in six years I’ll be 52 … and the time will fly … it’s just going too fast).  Same with my girl.  It just seems months since she was small enough for me to pick up and now we look each other in the eye (although I do still have about an inch on her height-wise).  She is really turning into a beautiful young woman, but I want her to still be my girl.  LOL  She has always called me “Mommy” and suddenly she is calling me “Mom” … I made a deal with her.  She can call me “Mom” out in public, but at home I would still like her to call me by my REAL name.  Ha!  It’s all about compromise, eh?

Well, I’d better get on with the day – much to do around here and the time just seems to be flying faster and faster …

Have a good one.

teaching another homeschool co-op class, would you send me the internet equivalent of a big whack upside the head?

I’ve grown to dread this class and as we go into the spring semester, it’s all I can do to make myself prepare for and go teach the class.  I’m working on stuff right now, and it’s 2:20 a.m. ……… and it’s my fault.  I kept putting it off because I despise it so.  Sadly, as much as I’d like to brag on homeschoolers right now, the crew that signed up for my class are some of the most unimaginative, uninspired, unmotivated high school students I think I’ve ever seen.  There are three kids in there that are AWESOME, but the other five … sweet as they are, they do not belong in this class.

dropped off the application yesterday.  When I went up to the cashier to ask where I should deliver the application, she said, “Oh, I can take that” … so I handed it to her and said, “thank you.”   She opened the drawer on her register and put my application in it.  I assume that when they close out the bins each evening, the “big cheese” will find my app and determine what to do with it.  I hope.