This past weekend was a dream come true for me, I've always wanted to do underwater photography and I finally found a way to make it happen. It took a lot of time, planning and and $$, but I feel that it was worth it 100%. With the help of some beautiful and talented models, I made some amazing images and had a lot of fun. I also couldn't have done it without a location, I owe a huge thanks to Rick and Cheryl for loaning me their pool and backyard for this 2-day shoot.
Some of my favorite images from this weekend are posted on my photo page on Facebook, but here are a few that I especially love:
The boys earned a giant sucker for their bravery and valor. I bought a huge one a couple of weeks ago for the purpose of a photo shoot and they salivated at the very site of it, but did not defile it as it sat in my office. So that deserves a little reward.
Jared demonstrates how to thoroughly enjoy a sucker of this magnitude and tastiness......
First, smell and admire.....
Second, slowly glide across the sweet surface with your tongue and roll your eyes back into your head to show pure heavenly joy....
And third, giggle with glee and excitement because you've got the biggest, tastiest sucker you've ever had in your very hands and it's only taken 10 years to talk your mother into buying it.....
David's optional forth step: Take a gigantic bite out of the sucker and then continue licking with some of the candy stuck in your cheeks......
I was informed that I forgot to make my annual list of things I love about David for his birthday..... I'm only a month and a half late here :)
8 Things I love about David
*He still cuddles with me and give out the best hugs!
*His neck massages, they feel like tiny fingers pinching my neck and shoulders.
*His smile, his whole face smiles when he's happy.
*He genuinely cares when someone is hurting, even prays for them.
*When he has a goal to meet, he takes it seriously.
*He likes to learn about the world we live in, he loves it when I "google" things.
*His sense of humor and laugh, it's enough to brighten my day.
*His ability to make new friends so quickly, he is a social butterfly.
To my friends and family who actually check my blog from time to time and hoping for an update, I'm sorry I've fallen out of the habit. I can't promise I'll do better, but I will make an effort.
On June 11th, Larry and David shared a birthday. It was an extra special day for David, his eight year old birthday is a milestone where he gets to be baptized. No child was ever more excited than David. We noticed that he paid extra special attention to the music and the people who spoke. When his grandpa got up to talk, we noticed how focused he was.... his eyes were glued to the speaker. At some point, he leaned over to Larry and said, "Dad, I think I know which eye is fake." Grandpa has had a glass eye since his childhood and it's hard to tell which one is the fake one because they both look real. Anyway, we had a good laugh afterward.
It's finally summer! June felt like April, I was still wearing a sweater and there was a lot of rain and even a couple of torrential downpours that could easily have been labeled a monsoon. We also know it's summer because David wears these small fashionable things on his knees - all kids are wearing them these days and he certainly couldn't be left out...... bandaids!
Jared has a pocketknife (taking some deep breaths into a paper bag) and he loves talking about it! He learned how to handle one safely at cub scouts and now he carries one around on his belt loop all of the time. I think he even sleeps with it.
Three weeks ago, I met Layla and her family. She is my 12th angel (NILMDTS.org) and my heart goes out to her family who seemed so strong despite losing their baby. I hope they will find comfort and peace.
Last week I read a book called, 'The Last Lecture' by Randy Pausch and was extremely touched by his story and strength. Most of all, I was impressed at his positive and fun character.... even though he was only expected to live for 3-6 more months due to pancreatic cancer. I read a lot and will say that this one tops my list of favorites this year. Here is a very short version of his original lecture:
I recommend watching the full version, it's over an hour long, but very touching! If you read the book, surely you'll have time to take a peek at the lecture which inspired him to write the book. It was fantastic and has made me reflect on a lot of things.
Last night was the fulfillment of a childhood dream for Larry. He has always wanted to light off the big fireworks.... you know, the ones you see at the firework shows? They are legal to buy and light off in our hometown (they will be banned next year) so we bought some and crashed a neighborhood firework party to join in the festivities. The boys have never enjoyed the 4th of July so much and we are positive that they will remember it for many years. It sure beats fighting traffic to sit at a crowded park, watching a 20-30 minutes of fireworks, then finding the car in a sea of cars and fighting traffic to leave. The boys got to be involved, they got to light off some smaller fireworks and for some reason, the sparklers always steal the show. I loved them when I was little, they were magical!
Here are a couple of favorites, I would love to have captured a different angle, but they were literally exploding right on top of us and ashes were raining down on our heads.