Saturday, October 30, 2010

~ Graduation Photos ~

I am so not a professional, but I sure do love playing with my camera. My brother's stepdaughter, well, my niece, Jessica, let me take her "casual" graduation photos. It was a fun day. Here are a few of my favs ....








And afterwards, I lost my keys, thought I had locked them in my trunk with my camera bag, had a great lunch with my sis and just when I was getting in her car to go home - some 2 1/2 hours later, I found my keys under her seat! YAY!

~ Lunch ~

Went to lunch at Sonic Friday. Sitting there reading my book and munching my lunch, Frito Chili Pie, what else .... when a movement caught my eye... I looked up just in time to see a homeless man, well, at least he had all of the looks of a homeless man, he could have been otherwise, but I digress .... I looked up just in time to see him lean up against the building and relieve himself. Ugh! I tried to feel sorry for him, but the door the a public bathroom was just around the corner. Ugh again.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

~ Thinking about Painting a Cow ~

I am thinking about painting a cow .... well to be more specific, painting a portrait or a cow - that sounds weird, preparing a painting of a cow ??? ... anyway - so I went around my neighborhood and took photos of my neighbors cows ... I love the top middle one ... hmmm what do you think? I kind of like the tag in the ear cow on the bottom too ....





Then I came across this ... actually I pass this everyday ... have always loved it, now I know why, this would make a very cool painting, or screensaver, or in one of those funky calendars about cows or old cars ...





Then, I saw this little beauty, isn't it adorable! I'm just not sure I could paint it. I'll have to see if I can sketch it first. The photo looks pretty good without transforming it into a painting though ... why stress my mind when I can just look at the photo instead.



And then, here is Mr. Crab, actually I have decided to name him the "Blue Collar Crab" because of how hard working he was when he was digging his hole, he is my first next project, for a friend for Christmas, I did a preliminary sketch this weekend, then painted it with water colors, I hated it. I hope it looks better with acrylics or maybe oils ....



I am looking forward to dipping my paintbrush into some colorful paints and brushing it onto a fresh clean canvas and see what happens ...

Wish I had my own art room, but I will settle for my corner of the kitchen ... for now .. maybe forever.

Friday, October 08, 2010

~ Has it been one year already ~


Memories of Dad










... absent from the body and present with the Lord



They say times flies when you are having fun, but truly time flies regardless of your enjoyment level. It doesn't seem like 12 months ago that I got a call from a nurse at Vanderbilt Medical Center to tell me that my father had passed away; at the end of the phone call - my mind had not processed that he had actually passed away. It had processed that I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible and that Dad was not doing well. I hung up, and in a tizzy of nerves and stress, I grabbed my purse and ran out of my office, calling my husband, my sister and my brother telling them that Dad was in trouble and we needed to get up there now. I was crying and upset, and then, at least 15 minutes later, as if the words from the nurse had been chasing me from my office, they slammed into my brain and I had to pull over, call the hospital back and have the nurse tell me again what she told me before and she confirmed that yes, my father had passed away and that a nurse was with my mom now. I didn't know I could cry as loud and long as I did.

One year ago today I lost my father, he was awesome. I remember his imperfections too, but they were all a part of what made him awesome. He was someone we (his family) all turned to for advice, for help, for his wisdom, which sometimes we took and sometimes we didn't, for his companionship, his love. "They say" you never know how much you will miss someone until they are gone - how true are those words! How often you called them, how much you took them for granted or how much you took what they did for granted. Their companionship, their laughter, their sense of humor, how much he did for mother - in and around the house and more, how much he meant to all of us. We just miss him - we loved him. I thank God for His Love and the knowledge and comfort that we all have to know that Dad is enjoying his "divine retirement" and that someday we will see him again.