I said I loved you..

but I lied. Actually I didn't lie about loving anyone I lied about shoes. I said I was going to post 3 ugly pair today, but I'm not. I have something much more important to share.

The end of one year and the beginning of a new always seems to bring reflection to most of us.. especially what we did in that last year. What I did in that last year was live through the entire year with a 14 year old daughter. I know to most that does not should like a huge achievement however to me it is GINORMOUS! When I was 14 due to some kind of arrangement that was made that I was not privy to until just a couple of years ago, I spent weekends in one home and weekdays in another. I wasn't alone in this adventure and in looking back it probably was one of the most meaningful times of my life. I can look back at that time and think of many lessons I learned. I can also say that at 14 I was a horror as a kid. Not sure how the parents lived through it, all 4 of them, but they did and alas I did too, however I have to say.. my kid... she is still an angel, me at 14 I was pure as the driven snow.. as long as it was driven by say.. Satan and a team of fire breathing black stallions. So you get the point I reflected back 23 years ago to a time when I wasn't so good, and compared that to the same time of my daughters life, no comparison I tell ya.. none.

Crap I am babbling.. there is a point. I promise. I wanted to share with you a lesson I learned that year, 23 years ago.



If you are drunk and have climbed the tree in your front yard and there are people wandering around all over the place looking for you... don't giggle. Yea that one was a HUGE lesson.

Ringing out the New Year...

Yesterday evening the husband and I were watching a little boob tube and something caught our eye and we had to run out and get it for New Years Eve.. (ok ok it was Ben and Jerry's ice cream .. don't ask) Anyway when I walked out the door my I glanced up and the sky and exclaimed.. SCREW THE ICE CREAM.. I got to have that shot! So with as much speed a humanly possibly on that windy little road to Harpers Creek we dashed.. me with camera in hand and pa in his kercheif.. (oh wait wrong story)

It is times like these I wish I could have been a Cullen. On the other hand I am not 100% sure they appreciate sun sets. I could not think of a better way to ring out the old year and bring in the new than a shot of the sun setting in 2008 and rising in 2009 (if anyone has a shot of that sun rising thing let me know.. K?)

I am wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy and Prosperous 2009!

Yesterday I spent a girls day with my girls (..and no I don't mean the boobs as one of my friends thought I meant when I sent her a text stating I was hanging out with the girls today.) So I will explain, I have one daughter so most would think I would say I was "hanging on with my girl" um no.. cause regardless of the fact that I have only one daughter I do in fact have a niece hence girlS. We had a blast. We did the following:

A. Took the oldest girl to CHKD to have her ankle rechecked. Still must wear air cast but does not need crutches and has exercises she has to do or next thing will be supervised PT. (there are no pictures of that)

B. We went to the book store and both girls got books, even though one girl apparently calls the other girl weird cause she reads too much when we got to the book store she decided she liked to read too. (there are no pictures of this either)

C. We went to the mall in search of a Beatles calendar which we found.. unfortunately we also found a iCarly and a Funny Bunny calendar too, I am still not sure how the hunt for ONE calendar turned into the purchase of three but it did. (there are no pictures of this)

D. We played in the mall and got yelled at in Spencers.. THERE ARE PICTURES OF THIS...







E. We went to lunch at one of our favorite spots in Newport News I think it is called Atzeca or something like that.. but it is where the old Chi Chis was. (again no pictures I had chips in my hands)

F. MANIS!!! Only one shot of that.. the chick yelled at me in a very firm Asian kinda way and believe me having a cuticle clipper poked at you with every word is intimidating so I put the camera away. I actually got the most important shot cause this was her FIRST mani.



G. Then there was another unfortunate incident that included a Pumba and a galloping horse.. I think my child now hates me but it is really her fault .. shortly before arriving at this particular destination we were singing "I just can't wait to be King" .. you know from the Lion King.. oh come on YOU KNOW.. Everybody Look Left.. Everybody Look Right.. Everywhere you Look I'm standing spot light.. oh well you don't know.. ok. Hakuna Matata.. know that one? Oh.. K.. Good. Well as we are singing the daughter screams I am PUMBA!! So what you are about to see is HER fault!




Tomorrow.. the girls day from Tuesday, including different girls and at least 3 pair of ugly shoes.

Happy .....

Birthday Baby Boy! You thought I was going to say New Year didn't you.

17 years ago today I had my oldest son.. exactly 7 hours and 17 minutes ago. He was born at 0:00:00 between December 30 and 31.. 24 hours later and he would have been the first baby for 98 in the world. I actually was given the opportunity to pick which day he was born on because when the nurses entered it in the computer it would not give a date for that time and the Dr swore it was not a second before or after it was dead on. So.. given that little gem I picked the 31st because no matter how old he is or where he is.. there will ALWAYS be a party on his birthday. I am such a cool mom.

Days go by...

(that song is so stuck in my head but that is the only piece I remember so hang tight a second)

And days go by...
I can feel 'em flyin'
Like a hand out the window in the wind.
The cars go by...
Yeah it's all we've been given,
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by...
Oh and a woo-hoo...

Ok that is better.. I like that little woo-hoo at the end. In case some of you don't know I happen to dabble in photography a bit. I doubt I will ever have the eye that these wonderful ladies do...

Chesapeake Bay Woman

or

The Pioneer Woman

but I still enjoy it so bare with me .. k?

I took on a task a couple of months ago of turning my cousins slides into digital images, you know updating technology from the 60's to well... now. Fun stuff. I will never ever turn down a job like this because of the teasures that one might happen across .. such as a photo of ones grandfather actually working his boat.. or photos of ones great grandfather doing the same.. (I use too many ... )

But while CBW and I have a love for just pieces of scenery around the county I have found a love of "days gone by.." that does not even being to touch this county today. It makes me long for those days and family members who have passed many years ago. It makes me long for a turn around of the fishing industry of the days of yester year.

I did a bit of retouching (not nearly enough due to the damage to the original but it was good enough for a 5 minutes job if you are looking at a 4x6) on some of these slides and plan on making a display in my home and sharing them here. The picture for today brings tears to my eyes not only for color of the day but the sight of this particular day on the bay that I fear will never been seen again by my generation and quite possibly ever...

Enjoy...