The sun is shining, the temperature boiling, and the sound of the ice cream truck fills the air. Summer is in full swing. Since summer vacation is out for me, I’ve been reminicing of years gone by…
Like the summer of 1980, when my parents and aunt decided to take a trip to visit my grandfather in South Dakota. We loaded up my aunt’s 1975 Pontiac Bonneville –three adults, five kids, luggage, cooler, a high chair– and hit the open road. Looking back, I could swear the car was red; looking at photos, I realize it was white. Apparently I recall only the interior …
{cousins--Heid, Mags, and me}
Which, I might add, was a tad stifling with an air conditioner that continually blew hot air and refused to be shut down. It was, however, the perfect excuse to cool off with the best of summer…
{Mmm...ice cream!}
{kickin' back with those you love}
Parking lots became our diners and Point of Interest markers our excitement…
{learning and having fun--who knew?}
Old Faithful was kinda cool, staring at faces carved in rock took ENTIRELY too much time, and the “wild Indians” running amuck in Cody, Wyoming totally FREAKED ME OUT. Museums, on the other hand, were a highlight … especially if they had gift stores and sweet shops.
After many an adventure, we did finally make it to our destination…
{who are those people?!}
Where we spent some time with my grandfather and his new family … my brother split his chin open … and we experienced life “on the farm”…
{my brother moves on whilst us girls contemplate the turkey}
Three adults, five children, one car, some 935 miles, and we made it there and back with little incident. My dad didn’t even throttled the two “backseat” drivers sitting alongside him.
Guess it just goes to prove, adventures don’t have to be grand to be great. Sometimes the least perfect holidays are the ones that hold memories that float to the top…
A few weeks ago, I found that my sweet nephew was drawing me a picture. My sister-in-law asked him if it was for me, he nodded. Then she asked what he was drawing. Love, he signed.
I received my work of art last week; it sits in a place of honor above my desk. Now, should I ever wonder what love looks like, I have only to look up…
{LOVE, by Micah Brueggemann}
Posted in Faith on 19. Jul, 2010
For Christmas, my mom bought me the most divine throw {or Thrō, as the case may be}. Not only is it vintage pink, luxuriously soft, and goes perfectly with my chocolate-colored bedding, now, when I open the windows in the mornings, the sun reflects off the sequins and casts confetti all about the walls. It makes me smile every time.
And that, my friends, is my wish for you … days filled with a little bit of sparkle and endless delight.
Happy weekend!
{finding a match in unexpected places is part of the fun}
For all you other chicken-livers out there, a few words on the photo walk …
As most of you know, I am no professional photographer. No sir, I am not. I simply love stories … and sometimes, the greatest stories of all are told through photographs. I also love the ability to capture fleeting moments. So I grab my trusty Canon PowerShot, point, and shoot.
Obviously I would never, in my right mind, sign up to participate in a photo walk. Yet sign up I did. More than likely, I was focusing on an excuse to take pictures — not showcasing said pictures to others. Then I clicked “Save.” Eek!
To alieve anxiety, I planned. There was a whole list of options–none of which panned out. And some, I might add, were fail-proof. The meerkats for instance–that’s the WHOLE reason I went to the zoo last week. They’re always there. Always posing. But not last week … last week there was nary a kat in sight.
Then it happened … I was walking along, minding my own business, when out of the corner of my eye I saw the letter “M.” Unfortunately, I gasped and then exclaimed, “Ah-ha-ha! An M-word!” BEFORE noticing my party had left without me. That’s right, I was surrounded by strangers–many of whom were probably wondering why my caretaker and gone off and left me to my own devices. Nonetheless, I snapped the photo.
And that’s when it hit me–happening upon your photos quite by accident is part of the fun! So Monday morning, I started out on Main street and began wandering aimlessly about. The sun was shining… but not too much. The flowers were in bloom. And other than the chirping birds, the sidewalks were silent. It was a glorious way to greet the day.
Were my pictures perfect? Nope. Were they creative? Not so much. But I had a grand time–taking photos and seeing the photos of others.
So if you ever get a chance to participate in a photo walk, and you’d like to, but just aren’t sure–go for it. Then grab your camera, head out and see what you find {or what finds you}. After all, if love of taking photos, you just can’t go wrong …
