Unsuspecting ....

As he lay soaking up a little patch of sunlight on the steps, I snuck up very quietly to snap a picture or two.



Look how peaceful he looks ... to him there's nothing better than a nice little square of sun.




Uh-Oh! Caught!

L ♥ O ♥ V ♥ E

un♥cond♥i♥tional, true♥blue, un♥dying ... puppy ♥ love

Gidget, happy to have her beloved human home from college for the weekend. I think the feeling's mutual. ♥

Portrait of Gidget

Meet Gidget. She's my daughter's 4-something-ish baby. She becomes my 4-something-ish baby while Stephanie is away at college. She's (Gidget, that is) a handful. Part Jack Russell. I actually captured her here in a rare quiet moment. Pretty cute. ♥

Remembering 9-11

Eight years ago, today. Do you remember where you were? Do you remember where your kids were? I do. I remember it like it was yesterday. It's a day I will never forget.

My prayers go out to all those who lost their lives and to all those who lost someone they loved on that day eight years ago.

My heartfelt thank you goes out to all those you fought and contine to fight to keep my America safe and secure. Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed in our home.

I will take a moment today to remember 9-11, say a prayer, and be grateful for all that I have.

May God Bless America.

Back to School! ~ Catawba County Portrait Photographer

... and we're off! Both kids were up early and eager to start the first day of school. I wish they were like this every day! This year we've got a college junior, a high school senior and an 8th grader. My, my they are growing up fast.

The big news for me is I am NO LONGER a taxi mom!!! I can't tell you how excited I am not to have to leave my house every day at 7:20 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. It's awesome!

I have now replaced those feelings of "having to watch the clock" with feelings of deep anxiety as we now have another teenager driver to worry about. But I'm thrilled that Ryan finally got his license and is on his way to more independence.

Here they are full of smiles and ready to hit the road. :)

Happy first day to everyone who starts school today!

Saying Goodbye

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to our beloved dog Elliott. He became very ill on Wednesday and was not able to recover. Yesterday afternoon we had to have him put to sleep. It was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.



Elliott came to live with us 16 1/2 years ago when Stephanie was only 4, Ryan about 18 months and Kelly wasn't even a twinkle. I just HAD to have a dog. So we went to the Atlanta Humane Society and saw this precious 4 month old puppy hovering in the back of the cage. The place had other dogs that were bright and fun vieing for our attention. But we were drawn to the shy little puppy who was too scared to come to the front, preferring to just hang out in the shadows. We learned that he and his siblings had been dumped along a busy Atlanta highway.

We adopted this little guy, named him Elliott, and took him home where he lived as a member of our family for the past 16 1/2 years. He was a constant companion for our kids, a bed warmer, a crumb picker-upper, a package opener at Christmas and birthdays, a protector.... He was much loved.

We will miss him dearly.

Bad Blogger

Wow, has it really been 10 days since I've been here? What have I been doing? Well, let's see ... it's been terribly hot outside which makes me feel like a slug. Like a big pile of goo, actually. But, despite the heat, my hubby and I have been productive. Two weekends ago we started cleaning the garage, which had been taken over by clutter. We don't actually park in our garage as it is the home to a full size pool table. A full size pool table which we never actually played on ... well because the clutter monster moved in. But I'm proud to say that after two exhausting weekends, we have reclaimed the garage! We booted the clutter monster out and now we play pool. The kids love it! Who knew that's all it would take to entice them away from their computers and XBox. Pool. It's a wonderful thing. :)

Then, this past weekend I tackled the shed. The clutter monster's cousin moved in there. But, now it too is clean and organized. I feel so much better when my world is organized. It just makes me happy.

On Friday, the Fed-X man brought me a brand new computer! I desperately needed one. My poor old HP had slowed to a crawl. I spent more time waiting than actually working. Now, I can fly! My new Dell XPS 430 just sings. After a couple of days of getting aquainted with Windows Vista Home Premium, I can finally get some work done. I can't tell you how nice it is to push a button and have my computer respond immediately! It's like Heaven. :)

School is just around the corner. My oldest heads back to college this week and the other two start back to school just two weeks later. Summer is almost over and the busy fall season will be kicking in. I can't wait! I've got several photo sessions already lined up for the fall and I'm eager to get started!


And because I've been such a lame blogger here recently, I thought I'd leave you with a couple pictures. This adorable little guy comes to visit me everyday. Well not me really, but his lady who built her tiny little nest in the flower box right outside my kitchen window.

He's so darn cute. He brings her all sorts of yummy things, like moths, worms and slugs. He flies up, lands on the deck rail, checks me out through the window for a few minutes ....

... then he hops along through the flowers (you can see them wiggling)...

... then he pops his little head up and down a few times to see if I'm still there. He delivers his little gift into the nest for his wife, then flies off for more. He comes and go countless times in a day. I counted at least 3 tiny eggs, which have now turned into three tiny babies. I will try to photograh them, but the nest is positioned in such a way, I just don't know if it's possible. It will be my mission today. I'll see what I can do.

I will sure miss him when his babies all fly away and he doesn't come to visit me anymore. He makes washing dishes downright pleasant. :)

10 Minutes, Tops (Portrait Photographer, Catawba Cnty, NC)

"Mom" she said, "I need some new pics for my Facebook page." I said, "Okay lets go take some." "RIGHT NOW?!" she said. "Sure" said I, "It will only take a minute." So we went out to the back deck with the heat and mosquitoes and snapped a few. My little fair-skinned child...



Then he appeared. At the dining room windows (on the inside) making fun of the fair-skinned one outside. So we hauled his butt outside as well.



Even got a couple of them together actually looking like {gasp} they might like eachother!!!


My work here is done.

The Magic of the Internet - Portrait Photographer, Catawba County, NC

Saturday we went to Fayetteville to attend my son's gradutation from JROTC Cadet Officer Leadership School. It was a 3.5 drive, one way. Fayetteville State University is located, literally, right next to Ft. Bragg. Friday night my daughter just happened to mention that a friend of ours was stationed at Ft. Bragg. This "friend" happens to be a 20 year old young man that I used to babysit when he was 3 and 4 years old!!! I haven't seen him (except for pics in the annual Christmas card) for 15 years!

So on a whim, I decided to look him up on Facebook and tell him we were coming to town and see if he might be available. Honestly, I thought the chances of him responding were probably slim to none. I mean how many 20 year old men do you know who would respond to someone who they hadn't seen since they were 5! But, not only did he respond almost immediately, he was excited to hear from me and arranged to meet us the next morning!! I was so excited!!!

When I saw him walk up wearing fatigues and the jaunty maroon beret which signifies Airborne, my first thought was "Oh My Gosh, he looks exactly the same, only bigger!"
He hugged us and fell in like he saw us just yesterday. He sat through graduation with us and we all enjoyed lunch together. It was just so wonderful to see him and spend some time with him! I'm very proud of the man he's turned out to be. I know his mom and dad are so proud of him.

He and my oldest daughter, Stephanie are the same age. And although they don't have real memories of the days they spent playing together; the Halloween they dressed up as a lion and a princess and held hands while they went trick-or-treating; riding their big wheels together on the tennis courts at the apartment complex, etc. ; they have relived these memories through pictures over the years. So when they met again 15 years later, they didn't feel like complete strangers. Ryan was 18 months old when he saw "A" last. Boy was he surprised when he looked up to see his family at graduation and there was a uniformed soldier sitting amoung them!!

It was a great day.



then and now ....

15 years later... LOVE IT!!!

A Sweet Gift

Yesterday my hubby and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary! I can remember my wedding day like it was just yesterday, and yet here we are 22 years and 3 kids later. Wow. If I just sit back and let my mind wander through the years, through the memories, I realize just how much we've done in those 22 years, how far we've come. Sometimes when you've been married this long, you start to take things for granted and not put the work into the marriage that you did way back when. My hubby and I have been guilty of this from time to time as well. But the thing with us is we're solid. We love each other through thick and thin and we're in it for the long haul. So today we begin year 23 and I think it's going to be a good one.

We didn't do anything special for our anniversary this year. No "out to dinner", no gift exchange ... after just getting back from our vacation we're really happy to just be at home and chill. We threw some steaks on the grill and just enjoyed propping our feet up in front of the tv. That's what 22 years will do for ya! lol

But my daughter Stephanie had to work yesterday and when she came home she surprised me with this sweet little bouquet of flowers. Let me just say it's really awesome when your kids grow up and start to do things on their own. I am so honored to be their mom. All 3 of my kids are wonderful, wonderful people. They each have their own personalities and strengths. I can't wait to see them all grown with families of their own some day. That will really be something. :)

Thanks Steph for the beautiful flowers. I love them! xoxo M

Forty-Seven - 47

Do you ever wonder about what fun facts you can come up with about a given number?
Let's look at the number 47.

Did you know that American's eat an average of 47 pounds of chicken each year???

Or that there are 47 species of gulls?? Wow!

Bet you didn't know the average temperature of Troy, NY is 47.8 degrees. Brrrrr!

The first space shuttle flight after the Challenger disaster was STS-47.

For you TV buffs... did you know there are 47 voting members for the Academy Awards??

This is a no-brainer. Of the books sold in the U.S., 47% are romance novels. lol

For you sports fans ... Babe Ruth's career home run record of 714 home runs stood for 47 years until Hank Aron broke it. The last day Ruth's record stood was 4/7/74! How cool is that???

I liked this one cause I come from Ireland (way, way, way back when). The Great Potato Famine in Ireland occured in 1847. There is a commerative beer named Black 47Stout.

Sorta gross ... A cubic foot of human flesh weighs approximately 47 pounds. Okay, really gross!!!
South Carolina has 47 state parks.

For you history buffs ... When Lord Carnavon tragically opened Tut's tomb, 47 people died from the curse.

This one makes my say "WHAAAAT!!" According to "The Book of Facts" by Isaac Asimov, a mosquito has 47 teeth!!!! I didn't even know these little beasts HAD teeth!!! Maybe that's why I had 15 bites behind my knee last week!!!

My personal favorite. 47 years ago today, I entered the world. :) Wow, that was a loong time ago!!!


My kids greeted me this morning with Happy Birthday greetings, hugs, kisses and gifts. Stephanie bought me the cutest wine glass! I am not much of a drinker. But I do like the occasional glass of Sangria. My favorite comes right from the grocery store. If you've been to Hallmark lately, you've probably seen their adorable collection of hand-painted glasses. We always stop and admire them. Stephanie got me the one appropriately called "Sangria". :) So I had to run out to the grocery today to be some so I could try out my new glass!!!

Kelly made me an adorable picture of my name. I LOVE it! She is my crafty kid. She's just like her mom. Always making things, painting things, rearranging things, etc. She'll have an awesome house someday, I just know it.

Ryan, being the boy of the bunch ... he greeted me with a hug, a kiss and a Happy Birthday. What more could a Mom ask for. :) Love them all. xoxo

(I found all the fun facts about the number 47 at http://www.orbitals.com/psiu/47.html)

Home Sweet Home

Hi Everyone! We're back from vacation. And after a couple days of regrouping, I'm fully back to work.

Our trip to Florida was great! Just the break we all needed. Although, I have to say, we're just NOT Florida people. Way too hot, humid and sticky for us. We're more moderate temp people.

I had an interesting time last week. On the way down to Florida ... an hour and a half from our destination to be exact ... I got BIT BY A DOG!!! Yes! On the leg! By a little pip-squeak of a dog at that! The girls and I were walking into a fast food/convenience store/gas station to use the restroom. On the way up to the door this little dog (on a leash) came running up to me. I thought it was just sniffing my leg. Next thing I knew it was biting me!!! I jumped back and was so shocked I just stood there looking at the dang dog and it's lady, who did and said absolutely NOTHING I might add! I said "YOU'RE DOG JUST BIT ME!!!" No response. Although it was immediately a deep purpley red, I didn't think it had broken the skin so we went inside. However, in a few minutes it was bleeding. We bought a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and headed back out. Of course, the woman and her mutt were gone. Can you believe it??? I'm glad it bit me and not one of my kids. A week and half later it's still healing. The two puncture wounds are taking the longest. Thank goodness I didn't end up foaming at the mouth!!!

Then, as if that wasn't enough, I woke up the next day with FIFTEEN (15) mosquito bites behind one knee!!! Obviously, that little pest hung out with me under the covers. And to top it all off I broke out with a massive fever blister on my upper lip about mid week. It was just not my week.

Other than those minor incidents and the heat and humidity, we had a great time. We hit Busch Gardens which is a fun , fun place. We spent one afternoon at the beach, where the girls got some major back sunburn, from which they are now peeling. And we went to the Tampa Aquarium, which was alot of fun. I just love aquariums.

The best part was hangin with family. My Dad and Norma are always so much fun. My hubby and I are now in the process of dropping the extra pounds we gained from all of Norma's cooking!!!

I took tons and tons of pics, as you can imagine. Haven't even downloaded them all yet. But as soon as I do, I promise I'll have some to share. Here's one that the girls and I just couldn't wait to see. This little pair was from Busch Gardens. Aren't they the cutest things you've ever seen!
The girls both want this pic in poster size. lol

A Few More From the Wedding ~ Portrait Photographer, Catawba Cnty, NC

I wanted to post just a few more from the wedding I shot a couple of weeks ago. The bride was just beautiful, as was her groom. :O I'm so glad I talked them into a couple quick shots outside before they left. I just the love the look of these against the beautiful green. I couldn't possibly get a bad shot with these two.

Of course, I had to take a few of my own pretty girl! Stephanie looked just lovely and sooo grown up! It must be the very HIGH hair! She got the biggest "poof" award. That's what naturally curly hair will do for you! haha

This was my first and, probably my last wedding. At least for the time being. It was a real experience and a long day. But I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to capture some really special images for two wonderful young people.

AFJROTC ~ Portrait Photographer, Catawba Cnty, NC

Two of my kids have been proud members of their high school AFJROTC program. Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp. My eldest, Stephanie, was a member for four years and made it all the way to Cadet Colonel as well as Squadron Commander.

Now my son, who just finished his third year and is currently a Cadet Captain, has his eye set on Colonel as well! He'll have to work really hard next year, but I think he'll make it!

Saturday night we had the AFJROTC Awards Banquet. It's always a fun and exciting event. Each year there are several National Awards given out by various veteran organizations. They are beautiful ribbons and medals and each cadet hopes that they might receive one.

This year my son, Ryan, received the top National Award of the year. The Air Force Association Award. It's a beautiful medal and ribbon and he will wear it with pride. He was shocked and pleased that HE was the recipient of such a prestigious award.

AFJROTC has been such a big part of our lives for so long now, 6 years to be exact. My husband and I have always been very patriotic. Me having a Dad who served his country in the US Air Force for 20+ years. And my husband having brothers and nephews serving their country as well. JROTC has given my kids a sense of pride and patriotism that will stick with them their entire lives. They know things about the military and flag etiquette that too many American's nowadays know nothing about. We will never worry about them having a lack of respect for their country or our American troops. And believe me, they know that Freedom Isn't Free.




These two men have dedicated 15+ years to teaching kids at M.H.S. how to be good citizens, good leaders and to respect their flag and country. They are two of the best JROTC instructors I've ever met. We will be forever grateful to them for all that they have taught us and for helping to ensure that our kids are decent, upstanding citizens.

If you have children entering high school and that high school has a JROTC program, I encourage you to highly suggest that they take the class. You will not be sorry.
I wish every high school student in America would take the class. It's a wonderful program.

One Proud Mom ~ Portrait Photographer, Catawba Cnty, NC

When I look at these three beautiful young people, I can't believe they're all mine! Just look at them. One grown (barely) and the other two not far behind. Where did my babies go?? Stephanie (center) was a bridesmaid in the wedding I photographed yesterday. She looked so beautiful. My other two attended the wedding to see our dear friends, Krystal & Jesse, say I Do.

We are so proud of all three of them. You can just look at them and see what fine young people they are. I know they will all go far in life. And, if I'm lucky, I'll get to photograph their weddings someday!!! I can't wait ... well, maybe for a little while. But, someday .....

One of Life's Little Adventures ~ (Teenage Portrait Photographer, Catawba, Cnty, NC)

Imagine how boring life would be if we didn't have little moments of sheer excitement, jaw dropping awe or moments of utter embarrassment. Think how dull it would be if our lives were always on perfect course with no deviations. What stories would we have to tell our children and our grandchildren?

Well, we (my 17 year old son) and I had one of those little adventures yesterday afternoon. I asked him a couple of days ago if we could take some photos of him and his new car one day this week after school. He said sure. So yesterday I pick him up and tell him we're going to take pics. He was not to keen on the idea. He said he was dirty and sweaty due to a "nature hike" that his JROTC class had taken that day. It's true, he was pretty dirty. But I said "That's okay! It will add to the texture of the photos!!" Spoken like a true photographer, eh?

So we picked our spot ... an off-the-beaten path road that leads absolutely nowhere! My intent was to pull the car into the field and be surrounded by the tall grasses, trees, etc. Cool, right??? Well, on the way down the road we passed a HUGE snake slithering across! That ended the "pull into the field" part! So we settled for just parking on the side of the road and I was on "snake lookout duty".

He really wasn't into it at all. It was a little hot (83 degrees) and humid out. But, dang it, I wanted some pictures! So I took a few. None of the creative, interesting angled photos I had envisioned in my mind. My subject just wasn't willing. But I got a couple nonetheless. Here they are.....

You can see how excited he was about the whole thing .... LOL ..... so I gave in and told him we were done. Then it happened .... he realized he locked the keys in the car. We've had the car for about 10 days ... haven't gotten around to having spare keys made yet .... my purse and cell phone .... in the car ..... out in the middle of nowhere ..... hot and humid ..... very large snake just up the road ..... you get the picture.

What could we do, but walk. Back towards the high school, a couple of miles up the road. So off we go. Thank goodness the snake was nowhere to be seen! We walked about a mile when we finally came to the main road leading to the high school. By this time I thought I was going to die. I don't walk if I can help it!!! hah! Cars went by and we just kept walking, then I saw it.... A police car in the distance coming our way!!! I tell my son "START WAVING YOUR HANDS!!!!! WAAAAAAAAVE YOUR HANDS!!!!!" A sheriff, the high school resource officer to be exact, pulls over and asks us "what's up?" We begged him to help us, which he very kindly did. He gave us a ride back to the car. I graciously rode in the back, so as to save my son further embarrassment. What a good mom I am. :) After several devices and about 10minutes or so, the wonderful officer was able to unlock the door for us! We'll love him forever!

The only possession I had outside the car was my camera and my light meter. Haha! Now you know I wanted to take all kinds of pics of the officer "breaking into the car", my son's face as he watched from afar .... etc., etc., But I refrained. I only took this one photo to document the moment. Afterall, how much embarrassment can one 17 year old boy endure, right???

After we were safely back in the car, I told him that someday he would look back on this and laugh. He scoffed at me. But he will. I know it. I still laugh at the time that I ran into the back of a huge road grader! Early 20's, little yellow volkswagon bug, early morning sun blinding me.... bammm! Right smack into the back of the huge beast! It's a memory I'll treasure forever. :)

So cherish Life's Little Adventures. They're precious memories in the making. And if you happen to have a camera in your hand, by all means, snap a pic or two. :)

Little Jewels

As you all know, photography is my passion. But what you may not know is that I also love to piddle in the garden. My "backyard" neighbor and I have merging gardens where we can often be found. We start gardening in early spring, raking, planning and planting. We go like gang busters. This usually lasts till about July when we start to get sick of the heat, and mosquitoes, and weeds, and overgrown plants, etc. We reemerge in the fall when the weather turns crisp and cool to rake and trim. We're passionate about it.

Alas, I don't have near the time I used to to to go outside and play. These days I'm pretty much limited to just keeping up with my flower beds, edging, pulling weeds, planting, etc. But in years past I used to take great pleasure in "lumberjacking" out in our woods! I worked very hard at trying to get them cleared of scrub and poison ivy ... all with my little flip-open 13" handsaw. I was making good progress till last year ... when S. Keys Photography took over my life. LOL Now my woods have pretty much reverted back to the wild.

Here's just a couple pics I took the other day from my yard and a couple from my neighbor's yard as well. There's just nothing like beautiful flowers to brighten up you day.

Mother Nature is helping out today, by "watering" my yard! A nice steady rain ... perfect. :)

This + That ...

This ...

Plus ....



This ...

... just might turn me completely gray. One teenager and one 20 year old in cars. It stretches my mommy nerves as far as they'll go. Add in the fact that teenager #2 will be driving teenager #3 to school next year - cardiac arrest in the making.

We purchased a 1996 Ford Thunderbird for our 17 year old son this week. He LOVES it! My husband LOVES it! It's a guy car. It needs a little bit of work, but otherwise is in very good shape. Will post more pics, with my son, after we get it spiffed up a bit more.

Pray for me. LOL

CONGRATS TO M.H.S. BLUE ACES !!

We spent a wild weekend in Raleigh at my son's AFJROTC Unit's drill meet. It was a long drive and the weather was less than ideal, but boy are we glad we went! This group of kids did such an awesome job at the meet! We are so proud of them!

They placed 1st - F I R S T !!!!! - in the Flight Innovative (otherwise known as Flight Fancy). Let me just say this is a tough event to win. And, not only did they win, I think they won hands down! The judges were even smiling during their routine! They spent many, many hours working on this routine and they ROCKED!! It actually brought a tear to many a parent's eye, including my own.

The color guard team took 3rd - T H I R D !!!! - I think it's been about 4 years or so since they've placed in color guard, so they were thrilled!

Why are they looking so, well sloppy and dirty, you ask? This drill meet had an athletic competition after the drill routines were complete. It was very exciting!! Many of our cadets competed and did great ... then the rain came and turned the competition into mud! I ran for cover before the rain hit so I missed the end.

I am working on a slide show of the day that I hope to have done and posted in a day or two. I took about 800+ pics, so be patient with me! :)

CONGRATS NC-938!!! WE COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF YOU!

A Dose Of My Own Medicine

Yep, this is me folks ... I needed a photo for a publication that I am going to be in. So, my 13 year old dear daughter, Miss "K" took these for me. She's an awesome little photographer. And, boy, is she picky! Always tweaking my hair, or telling me how to stand and tilt my head, etc.

Geeesh, I wonder where she gets that from!



Boy, it's tough getting in front of the camera. Why is it that we're always so critical of ourselves? All we see are the wrinkles, gray hairs, weight gain, etc. I'm no different. I did, however, tell Miss "K" to downplay the things that really bother me about myself and she did an excellent job! I actually kind of like these photos. And I'm glad that when I'm really old and downright decrepit, my kids will have these photos to remember me at this time in my life.

Perhaps I'll get on this side of the camera more often ... maybe ...

Thanks, K.K. Love You!!!