Week 36 - My Summer In Review

My Summer in Review. Wow what a summer we had filled with grandkids parties, Fourth of July celebration fun in the sun and a trip out to Texas to see the family. Here are a few photos of our very busy summer.



My grandaughter at her basketball game. Cutest thing ever!!!


My grandkids and me on a weekend getaway for the Parents I went down to babysit all four (by Myself LOLOL)...it was me and the kids...great weekend was had...and I survived!!! hehehe



We drove up to North Carolina to see our grandaughter's ballet recital. They were so adorable and she did really good! So proud.


Here we have my grandson enjoying a hotdog at his 2nd Birthday party....Yummmmmm



Big sister helping baby brother blow out his candles.....Just love them.



Our teenage grandson having fun in the kids bounce house.....LOLOL



This is my beautiful teenage grandaughter when they came up on the 4th of July to visit........what a fun time we had.


My grandaughter being nosey, at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse.


The two munchkins enjoying backyard fun during the 4th of July weekend.


Desi turned 13 this year and had some friends for a ice skating party...yes, ice skating in the middle of the summer in South Florida....LOLOL


This is the end of an era. Big event this summer.....we sold our vintage car...our 1965 GTO. It was hard to see it go, but it was time to move on to bigger and better things.


We drove out to Houston TX to see my brothers and be there to celebrate our great nephews 1st Birthday....


Then off to Amarillo to visit Palo Duro Canyon and while there we visited Cadillac Ranch and had dinner at the Big Texan restaurant.


Oh...and picked me up a Cowboy!!! (my husband of course!!!)


Labor Day weekend drove down to South Florida to visit the Family and photograph my great niece for her First Birthday....


And also, my Dad who turns 80 years old at the end of September!!


So many other mini trips .... but would have been way more photos. Hope you enjoyed my little trip through My Summer In Review!!!




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Macro Monday - August 30, 2010

My husband and I went out to Amarillo TX just a couple of weeks ago and visited the Palo Duro Canyon. There I had a vast amount of opportunities to capture lots of unique photos. This flower was no bigger than an inch in diameter and these little creatures were all feasting on its nectar.



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Fix-It Friday #68

Original


My Edit


Love this photo for the Fix it Friday challenge. I applied Sunday Dreaming by Photo Flavors; cropped; little burning; little color on her cheeks; some vignette. Beautiful photo, beautiful girl.




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Week 35 – August 30th – “Photojournalism”

"First Place"
"Photojournalism"

I normally don’t like posting anything sad on my blog (and challenges), but when I learned that this week’s challenge at I Heart Faces was “Photojournalism” (which is using an image[s] to tell a story) there was only one photo that came to mind.

To explain my photo I have to start by saying that my husband’s son was sadly taken from him three years ago by an accident, he was 27.

Jason loved trains, and as my husband remembers his son, was fascinated by them. Jason used to travel north into Georgia every chance he could to a little town called Folkston. There they have “The Folkston Funnel” which is a double track which serves as the main artery for railroad traffic into and out of Florida. They have a platform where you can go sit and wait for the trains to pass and they provide a radio frequency that announces which train is coming, etc. On occasion we would take the trip up to Folkston with Jason to sit and just pass the time watching the trains with him.

At the first anniversary of his passing, my husband and I decided to take a trip up to Folkston in memory of Jason and have done so (and will continue to do) every year as life permits.

The photo I am featuring (mainly the top photo) is of my husband that I took this last May on the day of our anniversary visit. It was taken just as the first train passed by us at approximately 1:27 PM, which was the time of Jason’s passing (look at his watch). We never planned it that way we didn’t even notice the time that we had arrived. Call it coincidence, call it a sign, call it fate, call it whatever, but the emotion that was going through my husband at that moment, when I turned around and looked at him, was monumental. It saddens me when I look at this photo, but also can’t help be captivated by the volumes that it speaks.

Jason was a genuinely kind soul, whom was taken entirely too soon and is missed by us and his entire family every day.

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Week 34 - Beach Fun Photo Challenge

Beach Fun Photo Challenge....what a great way of ending the summer with this challenge. This photograph was taken just a month ago when I photographed this beautiful woman and her handsome husband when they renewed their vows on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. We had such an amazing time and they looked so in love. So refreshing to see young couples wanting to renew their commitment to each other.





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Week 33 • Got To Wear Shades Photo Challenge

This week the challenge is all about SHADES!! It sure has been a hot summer and wearing sunglasses (at least for me) seems to be a requirement.

But, as in the case of my daughter it takes a certain type of coolness to wear a pair of mirrored aviators. I certainly think she pulled it off. This photo was taken this past July when they came up to Daytona Beach to visit us for the weekend. If you look closely you can see most of us in the reflection.




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Week 32 • Surprise--Photo Challenge

This weeks challenge at I Heart Faces is the emotion of "Surprise."

These are two of my siblings, my sister Annette and my brother Juan. This was taken the first year my brother and his family had moved up to Ohio. My sister Annette and her son and my husband and I drove up to Ohio that year to spend Thanksgiving with them.

The day after Thanksgiving my brother Juan decided that he wanted to go chop down their very first Christmas Tree in Ohio. Oh what an experience it was going to be. I mean, as Floridians this was quite the event.

So we all piled into our cars and drove out what seemed for a 100 miles to a Christmas Tree Farm. Now what you have to keep in mind is that we are from Sunny Florida. Oh at first the cold was neat and fun and oh look its SNOW!! But after a while? Well, let me continue. We get to the farm and my brother, his wife and his children all take off to find their perfect tree. There was singing and laughing and just plain joy in the air. All the native Floridians ventured out into the cold, snowy weather in search of "The Tree." Note: My husband, who was born and raised in New Jersey stayed behind in the warm Country Store where they served hot cider and cocoa.

So, after being out in the weather and going up one isle and down the other of what seemed to be identical trees, well lets just say there was little singing at that point. So my brother gathers the family and goes back to the store and picks out THE TALLEST Christmas tree (that had already been cut down). He was so proud of his tree....so here I have a photo of my unsuspecting sister Annette and my very surprised brother with his tree!!!

And we all joined my husband in the store and sat around the big pot belly stove and drank cocoa and hot cider!! True story. Fun Day!!!




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Week 31 • Random Act of Kindness

I Heart Faces is featuring a wonderful charity called Inspiration Through Art (Littlest Heroes Project) this week. This charity centers around Professional Photographers taking photos for families with children who are suffering from any type of serious illness.

Our post this week is supposed to be about how we give back thru photography.

www.littlestheroesproject.org


When I learned that I Heart Faces this week was focusing on Random Acts of Kindness, I immediately thought of one particular incident that I witnessed. This was an amazing act that was done by one of my younger brothers, this last Thanksgiving (2009) and I JUST have to share.

My brother Juan is married to an amazing woman and they have three beautiful children. They have always shown their children how to give back to the community.

My husband and I have traveled to Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with my brother and his family for the last two years since they have been there. Being so far from family has been hard for them.

It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we needed a couple of items from the grocery store. So we piled into the car and headed over to Krogers. The store was buzzing with people rushing to get last minute items. We gathered what we needed and stood in the checkout line.

In front of us in line was a young woman with a baby in tow. The cashier was ringing her up and she kept looking at the register, almost watching to make sure she had enough money. The cashier finishes and as expected, the young woman appeared not to have enough money to get all that she needed (and there was nothing in her bags that was not necessary).

She looked up at the cashier and almost in a whisper said, “I’m going to have to remove some items, I don’t have enough money.” We could see the distress in the young woman’s face. All of a sudden without hesitation my brother pulled out his card and slid it through the machine and paid for her groceries. I can’t remember now how much it was, but the look on the young woman’s face was that of total gratitude and amazement. We all stood there in total awe. The young woman told my brother she couldn’t let him do that, and my brother just told her “Happy Thanksgiving”. Everyone had tears in their eyes (including the cashier).

The woman went to leave and turned around and thanked my brother yet again. Afterwards the cashier told us that the young woman “really struggles” every week to get what she needs and that she had never seen anyone do such a kind act.

We said an extra prayer that Thanksgiving Day for that young woman and her family. I have always been proud of my brother, but witnessing that Random Act of Kindness was more than I could ask for on a day of giving thanks and it made me prouder than I could say.

So, as my way of giving back and thanking him for doing such an amazing Random Act of Kindness, I offered to take some “family” photos that day after Thanksgiving, which they used for their Christmas cards. Here are some of those photos.












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