Bummed...

Sorry I haven't been around. The fact that our beach probably won't look like this for long, upsets me more than I can say. On this day 25 years ago, my parents packed up the station wagon and brought us all down here from Illinois. I'm embarrassed to say that it took me until last year to really start appreciating where I live. Now this. Lesson learned.
Praying for a miracle...

A lesson....it's there I promise

Before the lesson, here's the thank you card I made for Hubby's cousin and wife for letting us use their condo for our (botched, barfy) 10th anniversary weekend getaway. I think I laughed my bum off (because it's easier NOW) the whole time I was making this card...maybe I only crack myself up.



Ready for some rambling?...here we go*!*

On Friday, some folks from Hubby's work were getting together (along with spouses) for dinner. I was SO excited because we were going to a restaurant that Hubby had been RAVING LIKE A LUNATIC about for months...Seems that while I am at home cleaning pbj and applesauce off the walls, Hubby and his co-workers find themselves at this particular restaurant for "business" lunches all. the. time.

ANYWHOOO....

Now a little about me (I'm hoping you still have a pulse when I'm done) I have my camera with me 90% of the time. I'm not sure my brain works like most folks. Whenever I go somewhere, anywhere, I'm looking for photos. I break everything down into small, rectangular bits and parts...everything. I don't know how to explain it really. The right side of my brain kicks into overdrive and all I can see are the photographic possibilities everywhere. I just see images. It's even more complicated than I can explain...it's almost distracting. I've done it since middle school I guess...ok so I'm weird. I learned early on that regretting not having taken a photo really bites. It didn't take me long to realize that being embarrassed, getting dirty, or maybe even (myself) a little hurt was no excuse not to get a photo. Thirty seconds of embarrassment ("Is she really going to lay in the middle of the road?") leaves me with a photo that lasts a pretty long time...and that I might be extra proud of too. Mind you, I never invade other's space...no no no. I just could NEVER do that. I could never be a member of the paparazzi or the press. Nothing against them, I just could never do it. What I'm talking about is:

Dangling my arms over the glass at the fish market to stick my lens up against the glassy, smelly eyeball of a fish...with the employees and and customers STARING at me.

Busting out the camera in the middle of a VERY cool pizza joint where WE were the old folks, making the waitress wait to pass so I could snap a photo.

Sticking my kids' bums in a (recently cleaned) cigarette bucket in front a nice little crowd that formed because...well...ya know.














These are mild examples of course...I've climbed trees, laid in the dirt, and stood on top of tables while 8 months pregnant before to get a good shot. Pretty much, if I think it will be worth it, I'll (most of the time) do it for a memorable photo.

BACK to the restaurant...
We walk up and of course my mind is racing thinking about the camera in my purse...this place is awesome. It's a tiki hut-style thatched roof over a wooden deck, semi-outdoors. It's right on the bayou and surprisingly enough, it's not hot...just enough breeze coming off of the water to make it feel heavenly. There are boulders lining the deck, palms scattered around beyond that, and of course sand. There is a marina that surrounds the restaurant in the bayou so there are masts of all different heights bobbing up and down into the sunsetting sky. There is texture everywhere and the setting sun is casting A-MA-ZING shadows everywhere. My trigger finger was ITCHY! The photo I wanted to get THE MOST though was right over our heads where we ate. We walked under the thatched roof that was lit upward toward the peak as well as down on the customers and I told Hubby, "When it gets darker outside THAT is going to be the best shot." And it did look awesome. But I didn't take a single photo. Why? Because I I didn't want Hubby's co-workers to think I was strange. Don't have a clue what got into me. Now, my family is VERY used to me getting up from a table, or walking away from them to snap photos...I don't even think twice. Anyway, I would get the shots next time we came, because it was now my new favorite place. Honestly, I've never been so excited about going back to a darn restaurant before....that was Friday.
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This was Saturday. I was SO mad at myself.

And that's JUST a restaurant.

Have you ever regretted not taking a shot of a loved one, an event, or a moment because you thought twice?

I know I'm simplifying things here but I think you know what I'm trying to get across.

And there's my lesson for the day :)

You can wake up now...

I did it*!*/ No they didn't part 4/What I learned today

So, I'm sort of (WAY) behind on my *Deck of Me* cards. I decided to challenge myself in front of all the DAMES on our Flickr site to complete 5 cards in 7 days. And holy poo I finished 6 *!*

One talent you wish you had and one talent you feel you do have.

Who would you want to be for a day?

Biggest revelation so far.

Where is your *happy place* ?

Something I do every day that I love.

My theme song.

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So, this isn't an ad, it's an article...

that last section slays me*!*

(I hope you can click on it to make it bigger.)

Holy cripe...

The finale is coming soon*!*

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One last thing, David Cook sent these:

*THANK YOU*

I don't know how he knew we had friends down south to stay with, but well, now Delaney is getting an awesome birthday gift next month. I guess he's trying to be blase' by giving us nose bleed seats but we'll just be happy to be there. I have no idea how he's finding the time to e mail and call every day with practicing for the tour and all...I think he might have looked a little more bright eyed on Lenno last night had he not been trying to text me all night the night before. (Get some sleep David Cook...I'm NOT going to answer the phone or the emails ok? It's for your own good.)

What I Learned Today:

* Plugging in the toaster won't make the coffee pot work.
* It's hilarious when OTHER PEOPLE'S 2YR OLDS say "sh*t"
* On that same note...when a 2yr old says "sit" or "fork" in public, it never sounds like "sit" or "fork".
* I shave the same leg twice WAY too much.

What I learned today & some mid-week fun

I've decided to start a little somethin' somethin' I will call

"What I Learned Today."

...because even though I'm a grown up,

it doesn't mean I know diddly squat.

Here goes:

*a pot of water does not boil unless the d*mn burner is turned on.

*if someone ever attempts to abduct me, I will fall limp into a lump on the floor. This works very well for my 2 yr old~I can hardly handle her little self when she's a puddle of dead weight.

*it is hard to hide it when you accidentally shave the same leg twice (and forget the other leg all together...)

*when you realize later in the day that you've forgotten to shave said leg, don't go and dry shave it and apply OFF! bug spray 15 mins. later...ouch.

*no one really gives a flip or notices when you only shave one leg.

*it's hard to get white Kilz paint out of a black dog.

No doubt with all of the (*ahem*) interesting things that go on around here I'll be able to easily keep this up. yikes.

On to our fun afternoon...
PaPou took us strawberry picking today*!*

By us, I mean Sis and Bro-in-law's family and the girls and I. (Hubby and Yia Yia were still at work *sniff*) It was so nice doing something like that in the middle of a hum drum work week...AND we have a ton of these yummy little beauties to bring home*!*

PaPou trying to teach Mallory that you are only supposed to pick the red ones...PaPou has a BIG voice so wherever he was on the field with her, you could hear "NO NOT THAT ONE!" like she was choosing which finger to sever or something. He's so darn funny :)

We ate some....

and picked some....

and ate some more....

One of these guys was a very unlucky berry indeed...








...he didn't feel a thing and boy was he YUMMY*!*

It was nice to be able to let Mallory just walk around without having to worry about her wandering off or hurting herself. Unless you have a kid like mine, you have NO idea how wonderful that truly is.















Didn't get a shot of him picking...but isn't he handsome?


















As I was snapping pictures, I got very comfortable with the fact that Mallory was safely wandering around exploring. I started taking photos of these onion rows when I turned around to see this:

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Yep....that's my kid.

PaPou said, "How on earth did that child find the one muddy spot on all of these acres of dry ground?"

Because that's my kid...

Not a bad stash hu?

Three more things I learned today:



*no matter how many times you tell a kid to use the bathroom before you leave to pick strawberries in the middle of freaking nowhere, they will inevitably wait until you are in the middle of freaking nowhere to have to use the bathroom (or should I say ground?).



*although your 2yr old has never allowed all day ponytails before(much less with bows), she will let you on a day that you will be out in the middle of freaking nowhere where no one can see them.



*it is now 3:15am and if you are tired and stay up late to blog and watch "Memory Keeper's Daughter" you will bawl 10X more than you normally would otherwise.

The view on the way home...yep, it was a pretty neat (Wednes)day*!*