sunday blue

barefoot in the grass

The afternoon light turns our backyard into a magical place. A place where a curly headed boy in a surfboard shirt treads barefoot through the wayward dandelions, gives a few shy smiles, and proclaims “That’s all, Mommy.”

a fish or two

I adore the lake. Just adore it. Especially on a calm and utterly peaceful day. I thrive on the soft lap of murky water, sun kissed toes, and fish scented fingers. Something about it is completely… uncluttered. I crave that. And also the ability it affords to put everything else aside, if only for a short time, to focus on a line and a bobber and the hope that a fish will bite.

 the many faces of Jon

testing

Photoshop and I have been on the outs lately. Or maybe not the program but the computer, in general. She’s always had a mind of her own, sometimes displaying behaviors that baffle even my tech-savvy husband. And I’ve been tolerant of the quirkiness in most areas. But when it comes to my pictures, my patience grows thin. I want them to look the way I want them to look, when I want them to look that way. The end. Nevermind she shows them one way in Photoshop, another way on the web, a completely different way when printed, the aggravation comes when I sit down every morning and find nothing looks like it did the day before. What sort of computer changes random settings in the middle of the night??

Mine.

in orange

Good thing I kept the winter clothes close by. Yesterday’s temperature was in the low 60s and likely the last sweater weather of the season. Perfect for afternoon pictures in the forest. Jackson loves the vines in our backyard, but needs a stool to reach them. I love his eyes. I love his attitude. I love that he loves these holey jeans. I love the way he purses his mouth when he’s trying his best to wait for two clicks.

and then my brother graduated

I’m so proud of my little brother, who graduated from Samford University on Saturday. Congratulations, Jon! Here’s my favorite Dr. Seuss quote, just for you:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…

So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed).”

–Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You’ll Go!)

If I could rewrite it for you, it would say “100% guaranteed”.

We took advantage of Aunt Cindy’s beautiful flowers while waiting for Jon to arrive at the party.

Caleb captured Jack and Jon’s reaction when Granddaddy arrived:

Sarah | Phenix City, AL Maternity Photography

I feel like I hit the luck jackpot when I married into this family and acquired such wonderful sisters-in-law. I love them so much, I usually drop the “in-laws” part. So this is Sarah, my lovely sister. She’s due at the end of May and she and Dan have decided to wait until birth day to find out if the baby is a boy or girl. We’ll all be surprised, which is unbelievably exciting.

my dinner

Caleb cooked dinner Sunday night; Grilled shrimp and salsa, baby-back ribs, and corn. This was his first major cooking endeavor since he up and decided he wanted to learn something “other than pancakes”.

coming home

Caleb is headed home. I talked to him earlier while they were stopped to gas up the trucks. He sounded tired, emotionally and physically. And very eager to get home. He even told me “We ain’t stopping for lunch or nothin’.” When his grammar slips that bad I know he is either a) beyond very tired, or b) influenced by the speech around him. Or a little of both.

And because this post needs a picture:

bottled water

edited to add: Power is back up so the guys are pushing North into a more directly affected area.

Thanks to all of you who called, texted, or Facebooked me asking about Caleb. Other than the inconvenience of eating MREs and having to scour for the elusive cup of coffee, he is well. The guys are currently in an area that was indirectly affected by the tornado. Meaning, while they didn’t have any major damage, the source of the cities’ power was hit hard and they have been without electricity for almost a week. But thanks to the Red Cross and the National Guard, the citizens need not go without a meal, ice, and drinking water. Caleb has seen some awesome acts of humanity, and also a few things that would really make you cringe. No word yet on when he will be home, but we know it won’t be until the city regains power.

photos taken with Caleb’s iPhone