Statue in the Park

Jonathan and I went for a walk this last night in a local park. We found this lovely lady and I wanted to share a few pictures with you guys. Enjoy!

Amazing Photography

I found Draper Photography on line and wanted to share his amazing picutres with the rest of you. He does a lot of underwater photography and has a lot of amazing pictures. Check him out at.



http://www.draperphotography.com/#

Vintage Wedding Dresses

I came across this web site today that had vintage wedding dresses and I abosolutly loved them. They are so elegant. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Check them out at http://martinmccrea.com/?gclid=CMngic_8sJUCFQMIswodYSu_jQ

Tommy's Birthday Party

Okay.. first the good news... My father is home and is doing better. He still has to have some test ran, but at least he is at home and resting. Thanks to everyone for their prayers.

Now for the pictures above. This past weekend I lost my mind and agreed to let Tommy have a sleep over party for his 7th birthday. I had 5 seven year old BOYS in my house and my house has not looked the same since. Tommy as always was wonderful and we had this other adorable boy who loved our bird Fred. Kids are always so much fun.

Snap Shot at a Wedding

A friend of the family had a son that got married this past week and my mother and I attended. I was not the photographer, but you know I couldn't resist taking my camera to try and sneak a shot. I didn't use a flash or bring my mono pod because I didn't want to be a distraction at the ceremony and I didn't want to interfere with the photographer that was there so I very carefully took this shot and was quiet pleased with the result. I had to steady my lens on the set in front of me to limit the amount of camera shake due to the slow shutter speed.



My father is still in the hospital, but he is doing better each day that passes. They are planning on doing more test on his bladder to try and locate the source of infection. Thank you all for your continued prayers.



COMING SOON: Photos of the Sleep Over Party --- How Dawn survived 5 seven year old!

Tommy's Birthday and Daddy Update

Tommy Riding his new bike - No Training Wheels

What a couple of weeks it has been. Needless to say with everything going on I haven't had a lot of time to keep up with my blog. My father is still sick. He is still in the hospital - no word yet on when he will be leaving. We thought he would come home this week, but his fever has returned and they are still testing to find out why he still has infection in his body. On top of that I came down with TSS - Toxic Shock Syndrome and was very ill. I don't remember a time when I was so weak. I honestly thought my days were numbered and that this could be it. The antibiotics came through and I am happy to say that I'm getting back on my feet now.

Friday was Tommy's 7th birthday. Its unbelievable how fast children grow. It seems like yesterday he was born and I was holding him for the first time in my arms. I remember having an overwhelming need to protect him - I was so afraid he would get hurt or someone would take him away from me. Now, on his seventh birthday he is learning to ride his new red bike without training wheels. Believe me its hard to watch him fall, but what joy it is to see him get back on and try again. Tommy's smile always brightens my day without fail. He is my sunshine and many times he has been my reason to push forward in this life. God gave him to me in the perfect time - and I have learned so much from him.

Thanks again to everyone for their prayers. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Daddy Update

Its been a long weekend. I took a half day at work on Thursday because I've worked a lot of hours this week and with my father being sick, it being Tommy's first week back at school and dealing with some health issues of my own I was feeling very overwhelmed. I came home exhausted and I was hoping that I could take a nape. I laid there in bed, but the room was so bright sleep was not coming. I began to pray that God would allow me rest and then immediately in the distance I heard thunder and the room began to darken. Soon I was asleep and resting very well. Once I got up from my nap I went to the store and as soon as I walked inside I slipped and fell hard on the ground. My knee instantly began to swell and ache, but as the night went on my back began to stiffen. So Friday morning I hardly could lift my right leg so almost as if God was telling me to rest I was forced to stay home from work. This was a good thing since I got a call Friday night saying my father was going on a temporary respirator. Because I had the rest I was able to deal with the stress much better. The weekend was touch and go for him. On several occasions I talked to him and he did not sound like he was processing his thoughts very well at all. He was fading in and out. Since his blood oxygen level is up he is now doing better. The doctors tell me he is not out of the woods, but he is starting to take a step in the right direction. He only has one kidney and it has a horrible infection in it as well as a cyst and many stones. I feel God's hands on him and I know that many people are praying for him. Thank you all for those prayers and your support. I will try to continue to post through the week to keep you all up dated on his progress.

My Daddy

My Father is my angle. He is the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, he my inspiration, my friend, but above all else he is my Daddy. This giant of a man suffers from an immobilizing disease called multiple scerlorsis or better known as MS. My first memory in life is being under the car with him "helping" scrub some rust off of his new "toy". He stood 6 foot three and had broad shoulders - he was built as solid as a foot ball player. I didn't always understand why my Daddy got sick from time to time, why he some times fell and why he seemed to slowly deteriorate and quite frankly it never mattered to me. He was and still is the strongest man I have ever known. His hugs were always home and his voice always calmed me. He has more knowledge and life experience than I could ever imagine. He has fought daily - Despite loosing everything - his ability to see, to move, to use the bathroom, to hug, and to sometimes speak he still keeps a positive attitude and believes God has him here for a purpose. I love my Daddy - he is my inspiration, my hero, my angle. I found out today that he is very sick. He only has one kidney and it is very infected. His blood pressure dropped to 80/45 last night and he was near death. He is doing better now and seems to be on the other side of this battle but I am asking for every one's prayers. Please pray for his health - but also pray that if this is his time to go home that it can be without suffering and he can be at peace.

Below I have included a poem that he wrote when I was about 11 years old. I read this poem often and it gives me strength and reminds me that nothing is to great that it can not be overcome. I imagine my father sitting at his big wooden desk, tears running down his big cheeks and his hand shaking as the words that he must have held inside for years finally came pouring out of his pen. What a release it must have been for him to express himself this way. He loves his family. He is an honorable man. I wish everyone could know his heart. I wish I had half his heart. Thank you all for your prayers.

To The People I Love

I try harder everyday

But it seems to be harder that way

The steps I struggle to take,

Even though my legs begin to shake.

Sometimes I begin to fall,

But I continue to stand tall.

I feel useless and have no self worth,

When I can't do the simplest things I want on this earth,

Like walking and playing.

People have their saying,

"Don't give up without a fight"

Little do they know I do all day and night.

My family supports me in every way

Without them there wouldn't be another day.

I love them dearly they must know,

Because without them I would go.

So to the People I Love,

They know who they are.

Once day I'll fly like a dove,

With no limits how far.

By: Billy Frank Brumbles Jr.

My Father, My Hero

Uh oh.. I forgot the card..

So I went to the store today because I had to buy a baby shower gift and leave it to me - I forgot the card. So I'm sitting here tonight not wanting to go back to the store to make a rushed decision so I decided to whip out the scrap book tools and make my own card BUT I need a nice something to go on the front of the card. Since its been awhile since I've been scrap booking for baby there were not a lot of things laying around to make a baby shower card out of- and I'm not that great at drawing things out so it suddenly struck me --- I could take a picture from a maternity session I did about a month ago and "hallmark" the image. So with a little time and photo shop I changed the shoes to blue and removed some things from the image and came up with my baby boy hallmark card! Pretty good if I say so myself. Have a great weekend everyone!