"Think of me what you will...

...I've got a little space to fill" ---Tom Petty
I have that song stuck in my head, for some reason.

Today was productive and satisfying. I sprayed, trimmed, packaged and billed the 20 8x10's, met with a guy trying to sell me some advertising in a phone book, set up the studio (aka my living room) and had a Headshot session(went splendidly), straightened the house, met Melissa and Savannah for coffee at the bookstore, dropped off the 20 8x10's and stayed to watch Austin's martial arts lessons. Made a couple of decent potential business connections, too.

For some reason (purely chemical, I'm sure), I was feeling a bit down after martial arts and headed on home--via Sonic. I downloaded, cropped and retouched the 43 images I shot at today's session and felt a lot better for getting it done. I find image retouching to be very therapeutic. That's good considering the line of work that I'm in ;0).

I was so proud of my dog today. When the ad guy was at my house, Elvis continually but unobtrusively (the ad guy never even noticed, but I did) interposed himself between "phone book man" and myself every time the guy leaned towards me to point out something in the paperwork. He is so wonderfully protective of his "momma". Good dog :0).

I've had a response from my sports marketing!!!! I have to send the guy a full-fledged marketing package tomorrow. "Something tells me I'm into something good"--Herman's Hermits.
No, I don't know why I have all of these songs in my head tonight.

Spoke to my friend "Nellie" today (you like that, J?) It was good talking to her. We are trying to schedule a time to get together over tea (wine?) with Melissa and re-live our fabulous journey to England.
I can't believe it's been 4 years, now, since J, M and T's Big British adventure. Where HAS the time gone??

Tomorrow is a marketing day. I shall hit the streets and get the word out about my products and services. Gotta get the word out.
There're also bills to pay, clothes to wash, proofs to be delivered, etc., etc.

I hope I sleep tonight. Last night found me tossing and turning. Probably a chemical thing. As Kim from the Upward Call blog so aptly put it " I wish my physiology would leave my psychology alone!". That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

Alright, I'm headed off to Sleepytown. Nighty-night, all!

A good, full day (boring blog alert!!)

This blog is from yesterday night.

A good, full day.

20 8x10's printed (quite beautifully, I might add), sports team marketing letter composed and ready to be sent, arranged to hang some framed enlargements in the Bistro (EXCELLENT marketing opportunity!), purchased a few necessary items at the Dollar store (business stuff,actually), 30 minute run w/Elvis, weight workout and swimming at the Y, a handful of phone calls (personal and business), miscellaneous errands run and the usual housework. Also, I recieved something today, for free, that I was expecting to pay about $90. to obtain. Thank you, Lord!

Elvis is chewing contentedly on an enornmous rawhide. I have been sorting through images, trying to decide what to enlarge and frame for the Bistro display.
There are so many things that I'm working on right now, I sometimes feel overwhelmed. I'm marketing in so many directions: sports, martial arts, model portfolios, schools, headshots, weddings, seniors, fine art portraits...the list goes on. I suppose this is my refining period.
I have to go in any direction in which money might be made. Eventually, I would love to be able to narrow things down and specialize in just 2 or 3 areas.

I haven't heard back from the BBBS organization, yet. I'm kind of excited to get things rolling there.

As I was walking into my office earlier, with a plate of food in one hand, a drink in the other and my .45 tucked under my arm (yes, I carry it from room to room with me), I tripped over the leg of a tripod and landed quite ungracefully in a heap. It was one of those slow-mo falls when you keep thinking "I've got it.. no, I'm not going to fall all the way down, I've got it, I can still catch myself..". And then you're on the floor all bruised. I did manage to hang on to everything in my hands, though. Unfortunately my drink spilled onto one of my gorgeous example 20x24 bridal portraits. The bride now has a big drip mark on her gown. Oh well. That'll teach me not ot leave things in the walkway. I'm sure this nasty bruise on my abdomen isin't serious! LOL!

I'm heading off to bed now. I have many things to accomplish on the 'morrow.

Chow!

Art lesson,snake hunting and other fun kid stuff

It was 74, sunny and breezy today. Has Spring finally sprung?

I composed and sent a number of business emails today and cropped and retouched a handful of images. I also did some business related research and made a few calls. Cleaned house and hung some more pictures in the gallery (living room). It was a fairly productive day.

Savannah came over for her art lesson in the afternoon. We worked on a sketch of a dragon's head almost the entire time. It was enjoyable for both of us and she did a very nice job. Later, we went out for a long walk with Elvis. I took her home and enjoyed pizza with Melissa.

When Mel took Austin to baseball practice (after his two hours of martial arts training--that kid is amazing!), I stayed with the other two. We drew pictures and watched cartoons. I spent about an hour with Jack in the basement searching for his escaped brown snake. No success there, but we made a good effort. I was able to staunch the flow of his tears by convincing him that his little buddy was probably safely back out in the yard OR could live quite happily off of ladybugs if he was still hiding somewhere in the basement. That seemed to do the trick. He's such a sweet kid.
We also shined flashlights in our mouths while poofing out our cheeks (if you've never tried this you just don't know what you're missing, folks) and tried to feed ladybugs to Austin's pet lizard (Gandalf). Fun stuff.
Anyhoo, that was pretty much the day.

By the way, my Red Clam sauce was a smashing success. Turns out, it's a very simple recipe.
I am planning to recreate and bottle it for a belated b-day present for Race. If I can remember to write it down, I shall share it here.

Goodnight, folks.

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Spring is Here at last!!! Flowers and short sleeves:



Elvis' Easter Outfit



The field across from my house where I take runs with Elvis:

Another couple of pics

W Peeking: I love this shot!


The Easter Dog: Elvis Cottontail

"I could SO easily bite you , right now."
That's what he looks like he's thinking, anyway. Poor fella. It's bunny ears at Easter and reindeer antlers at Christmas. He puts up with alot!LOL!

Easter Day

Easter was fantastic!

I was up early baking bundt cakes and picking daffodils and preparing camera equipment and ironing clothes. And still managed to arrive at Melissa's about 15 minutes late.*sigh*

The whole fam was already there and the kids were all bounding around, full of sugar-induced Easter Spirit. It was so good to see all the little cousins together. And W was just walking everywhere with his big, brave wobbly steps!!

Melissa's table was spread with excellent roast beef and horseradish sauce, mac-n-cheese, fried cabbage, biscuits, potato salad, pea salad,glazed carrots,mashed potatoes and gravy and various other tasty dishes. The dessert buffet contained boston creme pie, Easter cupcakes, pineapple upside down cake and lemon bundt cakes.mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Em's in-laws dropped in shortly after the meal. Lots of conversation and laughter ensued. It was really lovely. The kids enjoyed an egg hunt, courtesy of Aunt Emily (she is the family's resident Easter egg hunt maven and master hider of eggs).

After dessert and coffee, I did a mini-portrait session of all the young'uns in their Easter best.
I have posted the highlights below.




Got a good one of Dad, too, at Mom's request:


And here's a few snapshots:

W's 1st deviled egg


Q's got the whole posing thing down pat


The whole fam damily :0)



As always, Melissa made her house feel like home. And as always, it was wonderful for all of the family to be together. If it hadn't been quite so cold and rainy, I would have done a shot of the entire lot of us.
What did I ever do to deserve to be born into such a great family? Nothing, of course. That's what God's grace is all about--getting things you don't deserve because He loves you THAT much.

Ladybugs, Printing problems and Recipes

Alright, I just ALMOST ate a ladybug. It's time to get serious about cleaning out the infestation. Apparently, ladybugs are a real menace in these parts. I thought it was kinda neat, at first. You know, finding one on your keyboard or on the windows. I can admit it gets a little lonely out here, sometimes. And they're harmless and cute, right? NO. I have to check the sugar dish before I make my coffee in the morning. I have to check my drink (no matter where I set it) before I take a sip. I have to clean them out of Elvis' water dish daily(who knows how many he's consumed--apparently they're not toxic). And just now, I reach into a bag of tortillas and found one chip-surfing into my mouth. Almost. Yeah, it's time to borrow a dustbuster and suck them into kingdom come *sigh*. Hate to do it, but you can't say I haven't been fair. I mean they apparently used my house for their winter quarters.

I worked on my printer for HOURS again today. I learned a lot, but still haven't figured out exactly what I need to know. I even went so far as to break out the instructional DVD that came with the thing. That's right, when all else fails, read the instructions! I'm so close to the "perfect print" now, I can almost smell it. Tomorrow will be the day, I'm just sure of it!

I did a little marketing today(leaving displays around town) and went to the craft store for a few framing supplies. Melissa and I met for a quick coffee at the bookstore while Savannah was at ballet (Mel's looking really stunning these days and I really dislike her for it [kidding!LOL! you do look great, though}). Today also included another trip to the dollar store(different store than yesterday and I held on tightly to my keys!) to get Easter stuff for the young'uns.
I got some good stuff and I'm looking forward to making their baskets.

I'm cooking dinner for a friend either tomorrow or the next day--just depends on when I get finished with my printing. Red clam sauce over angel hair. It's one of his favorites, but this will be my first attempt at cooking it. I've done my usual research and pulled out what I feel are the best elements from several good recipes and created a "custom" recipe of my own. We'll see how it turns out. If it's really yummy, I'll blog it. Of course, if it's spectacularly yummy I will keep it as a secret and let folks beg for me to make it for them. Is that bad?

I'm kidding, of course. I am realizing, however, that it would be difficult for me to share a recipe. It's always just a dash of this or that. Very little measuring. It does make it a little difficult when something turns out really good and I go to make something for a 2nd time. I should really start writing these things down, eh?

I talked to Mom today, briefly. They were still en route to the farm and stopping for the night somewhere in N.C. It sounds like they had a pretty good trip (except for the big tornado scare!). They should be home tomorrow afternoon. It's always nice to get away, but it's also always nice to come back home.

Well, I didn' t workout today, at all. That's not good. I did try on a dress from a couple of years ago, though, and it s' ALMOST not too tight anymore! That IS good! Oh, who am I trying to kid. I'm a cow. But I'm a nice, witty cow, right?LOL!!!

I shall end this blog by sending out a heartfelt "happy birthday!" to Race, who is SO going to love the gift his fam got for him!

G'night, folks.

Same old, same old

Well, I don't have too much to write about because there just ain't too much goin on with me right now.

Yesterday:
I downloaded some software and set up an account to FTP my image files to my lab--no more mailing CD's. That's nice, although my dial-up connection makes it time consuming.
I did some research on other area photographers and found that my work is stacking up pretty good against theirs. Pricewise, I may have to do some more figuring to make sure they're not underselling me.
Ran out to the dollar store and somehow managed to lose my car key whilst shopping. After three trips in and out of the store(under the scathing glances of Dollar General's finest), I found it on the floor next to the aisle featuring fake bunny ears for pets. Which, incidentally, I purchased.
As the fields across from my place have been freshly fertilized (cow poo), I hiked with Elvis on "our" National Forest trail in the evening. The place was just teeming with wildlife. I unsuccessfully tried to stare down some doe. It ended with the whole herd crashing through the underbrush with Elvis in hot pursuit(Roscoe PEEE Coltrain).There was turkey sign everywhere,too. It was a nice walk.
I cleaned my kitchen, did the dishes and cooked some supper while watching a movie. That was pretty much the day

Today:
I accomplished quite a bit today. I made a couple of good business contacts, partially squared away an advertising bill which I'm currently contesting, sorted and organized an enormous pile of negs, worked on organizing and cleaning my office--actually made some real progress there, did miscellaneous housework, got my printer set up to utilize roll paper, printed a number of test proofs in prep for the 16x20's I have to print by tomorrow morning. I hiked again with Elvis on our favorite trail(pretty good workout today) and made wheat pasta with homemade marinara sauce for supper. Mel invited me over for pizza, but as I just had so much yet to do today, I declined and kept working. I'm still messing with this printer, trying to fine tune the color and size of the images. It's driving me a little nuts. That's why I stopped to blog :0)

Tomorrow's going to be busy, so I 'm going to hit the sack here pretty quick.

G'night!

Muffins, art, music, yesterday's dinosaurs

Today was a pretty good day.
The highlights being as follows:

*freshly baked blueberry wheat muffins and coffee for breakfast

*photo retouching completed

*wedding contract for April received and confirmed

*house halfway cleaned

*Savannah's art lesson went just wonderfully
--she is so focused and just naturally talented. She's just a pleasure to work with. I SO enjoy our time together!

*Supper at the Bistro with Mel and the kids on open mic night(got some good photos!)
--we enjoyed 2 good performers, but got the heck out of Dodge when the 3rd guy took the stage. A drum solo, followed by a "reading" from a "graphic novel" was just a little too much.We grabbed the kids and scurried on outta there.

***************************************************************************


While a friend and I were driving thru a little town in southern central VA yesterday I was stunned to see life sized statues of Dinosaurs sprinkled along the streets. I stopped to take a couple of photos and he told me the coolest story. These statues had come from an old theme park which burned down some years ago. I was amazed to realize that this park was apparently the same tourist attraction for which my Dad's old restaurant used to carry brochures. As a child I was infatuated with all things dinosaur and used to finger through these pamphlets with an intense, heartfelt yearning to someday see these amazing statues. AND HERE THEY WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!! It was SO cool!! What a neat coincidence that I would just happen upon them, while tooling around the mountains some 25 years later. Too much. Here's a few pics.

Catchin up

Man, I didn't realize it'd been so long since I last blogged.

Well, Friday morning I was awakened by the phone ringing. It was my friend T calling. She was upset because of a family problem and because she wasn't going to be able to come and stay the night with me. I felt very bad for her. We talked for almost 2 hours.
I didn't accomplish as much as I'd planned today because of PPW (pre-period weakness).

A quick word on PPW.
What the heck is it, why do so many women have it and why the heck am I the only person who has recognized and named it?

Anyway, I did manage to do some pretty serious scrubbing in my kitchen and bathroom and haul more trash and wash bedclothes. I also booked a wedding consultation for the next day and located my quote in the newspaper.

T called back later and said that she probably WOULD be coming, after all. I was glad I had cleaned the house :o)
Bill picked me up that evening and we went for a bite at the Bistro. Yum.
T called again and this time was SURE she wasn't going to be able to come. That was a bummer.

On Saturday, I got up fairly early, did a bit of preparation for my consultation and then laid back down fo a while (PPW). Before the folks arrived I made some coffee and made sure everything in the house was squared away. The consultation went well and I'm hopeful that I will book their wedding for May. That would be VERY good!

The remainder of the afternoon was spent working on various photo matters. Around 5:30 I picked up Bill and we went to Austin's Baseball practice. A did spledidly! He has a good coach this year. It was also good to see Race. He looked well.
I did get some really crummy news, though. The baseball league photography job I've been gunning hard for has been handed to someone else. That was very disappointing. The good ole boy system really sucks if you're NOT a good ole boy.

A friend and I grabbed some supper and rented a movie and watched it (well, he only watched part of it--he was snoring on my futon after 10 minutes). I haven't watched a scary movie since I don't know when, but this one (The Grudge) had been recommended to me as not gory and very suspenseful and just spooky. It was VERY creepy. I'll admit, I had a hard time falling asleep after watching it. I was particularly glad to have Elvis to snuggle up with that night!! :o)

I got up early Sunday and headed out to breakfast with Race, Mel and the young'uns (that sounds like a really weird name for a band: "and now, ladies and germs, I'm proud to present for your listening pleasure the musical sensation that is 'Race, Mel and the Young'uns'! Give 'em a hand, folks" ) It was good to see everybody. I had barely seen the kids in a week!

There was a digital seminar at my photo lab that I was planning to attend on Sunday afternoon. I ended up not going for a number of reasons:

*I couldn't get in touch with the guy to confirm the driving directions
*they hold the seminar once EVERY month
*my wedding photo assistant will be in town next month and I would like for him to attend with me
*it was an INCREDIBLY beautiful day outside
*poor Elvis hadn't been out for a run in a couple of days

As you can see, the choice was clear (as you can also see, I'm still trying to justify the decision not to go!).

I grabbed a bite and headed into the mountains with Elvis. It was a great afternoon! We hiked on the Parkway trails for hours (I'm very pleased with the fact that I'm NOT sore today--the Y workouts are paying off!) and drove around on winding gravel roads with breathtaking scenery. Sometimes it's just awesome to take my camera and shoot for the sheer joy of capturing images--no pay involved. It's very refreshing.

Elvis and I were both just plain worn out by the time we made it home. It was just lovely.

Serious Stuff

This woman's story just absolutely amazed me.The courage and faith and compassion that she demonstrated that night was just incredible. I really believe that God used her in an enormous way, because she was willing to be used. It was also remarkable to me that one of my E. Elliot devotionals this week covered that very same subject. Coincidence? I think not.



The amazing story of how Ashley Smith stopped Brian Nichols's killing spree.

Thursday, March 17, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST

Ashley Smith and Brian Nichols were together for seven hours. This is Nichols's mug shot. This is Nichols's face after he gave himself up to police Saturday.

Something changed.

Something happened.

This is from the transcript of Ashley Smith's testimony when she met with reporters in her lawyer's office on Sunday, March 13:

It was about 2 o'clock in the morning. I was at--I was leaving my apartment to go to the store. I noticed a blue truck in the parking lot with a man in it pulling up. And he parked in the parking space. And I really didn't think too much about it because I just moved into that apartment, you know, two days prior. So I thought maybe he was a neighbor coming home or something.

So I left and went to the store. And I came back to my apartment about five minutes later. And the truck was still there. And he was still in it. . . . And I kind of got a little worried then. I thought there's somebody still in that truck. So I got my key to my house ready. And I opened up my car door, and I got out and shut it. And I heard his shut right behind me. I started walking to my door, and I felt really, you know, scared. . . .

I started to scream, and he put a gun to my side and he said, "Don't scream. If you don't scream I won't hurt you." He told me to go into the bathroom, so I went to the bathroom. And he followed into the bathroom and he said, "Do you know who I am?" and I said no because he had a hat on. And then he took his hat off, and he said, "Now do you know who I am?" And I said, "Yeah, I know who you are. Please don't hurt, just please don't hurt me. I have a 5-year-old little girl. Please don't hurt me."

He said, "I'm not going hurt you if you just do what I say." I said, "All right." So I got--he told me to get into the bathtub, so I got in the bathtub. And he said, "I really don't feel comfortable around here. I'm going to walk around your house for a few minutes just so I get the feel of it."

I said, "OK."

He said, "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anybody else, so please don't do anything that's going to hurt you." He said, "You know, somebody could have heard your scream already. And if they did, the police are on the way. And I'm going to have to hold you hostage. And I'm going to have to kill you and probably myself and lots of other people. And I don't want that."

And I said, "OK. I will do what you say."

He looked around my house for a few minutes. I heard him opening up drawers and just going through my stuff. And he came back in. And he said, "I want to relax. And I don't feel comfortable with you right now. So I'm going to have to tie you up."

He brought some masking tape and an extension cord and a curtain in there. And I kind of thought he was going to strangle me. I was--I was really kind of scared. But he told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. And he wrapped my hands in a prayer--in a praying position, so I did that. And he wrapped masking tape around my hands. And then he told me to go into my bedroom. And I sat down on the bed like he asked. And he wrapped my legs with masking tape and an extension cord. . . .

He said, "Can you walk?"

And I said, "No."

And so he picked me up and took me to the bathroom. And he put me on a stool that I have in my bathroom. He said he wanted to take a shower.

So I said, "OK. You take a shower."

He said, "Well, I'm going to put a towel over your head so you don't have to watch me take a shower."

So I said, "OK. All right."

He got in the shower. Took a shower. And then he got out of the shower. And he had the guns laying on the counter. But--I guess he really wasn't worried about me grabbing them because I was tied up.

He asked me if I had a T-shirt. I told him where to find one.

So he got dressed. He put on some clothes that I had in my house that were men's clothes. And then he came back in the bathroom.

He said, "Can you get up?"

So I got up.

He said, "Can you walk now?"

I said, "No, but I can hop."

So I hopped to my bedroom and sat on the bed. And he cut the tape off of me, unwrapped the extension cord and curtain. I guess, at that point, he kind of made me feel like he was comfortable enough with me that he untied me. So--we went back in the bathroom. That's where he felt more comfortable--in the bathroom away from the front of the house, I guess. And we just talked.

I asked him if--I told him that I was supposed to go see my little girl the next morning. And I asked him if I could go see her. And he told me no.

My husband died four years ago. And I told him that if he hurt me, my little girl wouldn't have a mommy or a daddy. And she was expecting to see me the next morning. That if he didn't let me go, she would be really upset.

He still told me no. But I could kind of feel that he started to--to know who I was. He said maybe. Maybe I'll let you go--just maybe. We'll see how things go.

We went to my room. And I asked him if I could read.

He said, "What do you want to read?"

Well, I have a book in my room." So I went and got it. I got my Bible. And I got a book called "The Purpose-Driven Life." I turned it to the chapter that I was on that day. It was Chapter 33. And I started to read the first paragraph of it. After I read it, he said, "Stop, will you read it again?

I said, "Yeah. I'll read it again." So I read it again to him.

It mentioned something about what you thought your purpose in life was. What were you--what talents were you given? What gifts were you given to use?

And I asked him what he thought. And he said, "I think it was to talk to people and tell them about you."

I basically just talked to him and tried to gain his trust. I wanted to leave to go see my daughter. That was really important. I didn't want him to hurt anybody else.

He came into my apartment telling me that he was a soldier. And that people--that his people needed him for a job to do. And he was doing it.

And--I didn't want him to hurt anybody else. He didn't want to hurt anybody else. He just told me that he wanted a place to stay to relax, to sit down and watch TV, to eat some real food.

I talked to him about my family. I told him about things that had happened in my life. I asked him about his family. I asked him why he did what he did.

And his reason was because he was a soldier.

I asked him why he chose me and why he chose Bridgewater Apartments. And he said he didn't know, just randomly.

But after we began to talk, he said he thought that I was an angel sent from God. And that I was his sister and he was my brother in Christ. And that he was lost and God led him right to me to tell him that he had hurt a lot of people. And the families--the people--to let him know how they felt, because I had gone through it myself.

He told me that he didn't--he didn't want to hurt the agent that he hurt. He begged and pleaded with him to do things his way, and he didn't. So he had to kill him. He said that he didn't shoot the deputy, that he hit her. And that he hoped she lived. He showed me a picture of the--the agent that he did kill. And I tried to explain to him that he killed a 40-year-old man that was probably a father, a husband, a friend.

And he really began to trust me, to feel my feelings. He looked at pictures of my family. He asked me to--if he could look at them and hold them. . . .

I really didn't keep track of time too much because I was really worried about just living. I didn't want to die. I didn't want him to hurt anybody else. And I really didn't want him to hurt himself or anyone else to hurt him. He's done enough--he had done enough. And he really, honestly when I looked at him, he looked like he didn't want to do it anymore.

He asked me what I thought he should do.

And I said, "I think you should turn yourself in. If you don't turn yourself in," this is what I said, "If you don't turn yourself in, lots more people are going to get hurt. And you're probably going to die."

And he said, "I don't want that to happen."

He said, "Can I stay here for a few days? I just want to eat some real food and watch some TV and sleep and just do normal things that normal people do."

So, of course, I said, "Sure. You can stay here." I didn't want--I wanted to gain his trust.

Most of my time was spent talking to this man about my life and experiences in my life, things that had happened to me.

He needed hope for his life. He told me that he was already dead. He said, "Look at me, look at my eyes. I am already dead."

And I said, "You are not dead. You are standing right in front of me. If you want to die, you can. It's your choice."

But after I started to read to him, he saw--I guess he saw my faith and what I really believed in. And I told him I was a child of God and that I wanted to do God's will. I guess he began to want to. That's what I think.

He got to know me. I got to know him. He talked about his family. How--he was wondering what they were thinking. He said, "They're probably--don't know what to think."

We watched the news. He looked at the TV and he just said, "I cannot believe that's me on there."

About 5:30, 6--well, 6, 6:30--he said, "I need to make a move." And I said, "A move?" He said, "I need to get rid of this car before daylight, this truck [the agent's]." I said, "OK."

I knew that if I didn't agree to go with him, follow him to get the truck--he'd just take the truck, then one thing--or two--one of two things. He would kill me right then, and say, "All right, well, if you're not going to help me, then I won't need you anymore." Or the police would never find him, or it would take longer. And someone else would get hurt, and I was trying to avoid that.

So I went . . . I said, "Can I take my cell phone?" He said, "Do you want to?" I said, "Yeah." I'm thinking, well, I might call the police then, and I might not. So I took it anyway. He didn't take any guns with him. The guns were laying around the house. Pretty much after he untied [me], they were just laying around the house.

And at one point, he said, "You know, I'd rather you shoot--the guns are laying in there--I'd rather you shoot me than them." I said, "I don't want anyone else to die, not even you."

So we went to take the truck, and I was behind him, following him. And I thought about calling the police, you know, I thought, he's about to be in the car with me right now. So I can call the police, and when he gets in the car, then they can surround me and him together, and I could possibly get hurt, or we can go back to my house.

And I really felt deep down inside that he was going to let me see my little girl. And I said--or then when I leave, he can be there by himself, or he--he finally agreed to let me go see my daughter. I had to leave at 9, 9:30. And I really believed that he was going to.

From the time he walked into my house until we were taking that truck, he was a totally different person to me. I felt very threatened, scared. I felt he was going to kill me when--when I first--when he first put the gun to my side. But when I followed him to pick--to take the truck, I felt he was going to--he was really going to turn himself in. So he took the truck.

He got in the car and I said, "Are you ready now?" And he said, "Give me a few days, please." I said, "Come on, you've got to turn yourself in now." I didn't feel like he might--I felt like he might change his mind, that he might not want to turn himself in the next day, or a few days after that, and that if he did feel that way, then he would need money, and the only way he could get money was if he hurt somebody and took it from them.

So we went back to my house and got in the house. And he was hungry, so I cooked him breakfast. He was overwhelmed with--"Wow," he said, "real butter, pancakes?"

And I just talked with him a little more, just about--about--we pretty much talked about God . . . what his reason was, why he made it out of there.

I said, "Do you believe in miracles? Because if you don't believe in miracles--you are here for a reason. You're here in my apartment for some reason. You got out of that courthouse with police everywhere, and you don't think that's a miracle? You don't think you're supposed to be sitting here right in front of me listening to me tell you, you know, your reason here?"

I said, "You know, your miracle could be that you need to--you need to be caught for this. You need to go to prison and you need to share the word of God with them, with all the prisoners there."

Then 9 came. He said, "What time do you have to leave?" I said, "I need to be there at 10, so I need to leave about 9:30." And I sat down and talked to him a little bit more. And he put the guns under the bed, like . . . I'm not going to mess around with them anymore.

He gave me some money when I was about to leave. Just kind of like he knew. I said, "You might need this money." And he said, "No, I don't need it. I'm going to be here for the next few days."

I basically said, keep the money. And he said, "No, I don't need it." He asked me if there was anything I could do--or he could do for me before I left, or while I was going. He says, "Is there anything I can do while you're gone?"

I know he was probably hoping deep down that I was going to come back, but I think he knew that I was going to--what I had to do, and I had to turn him in, and I gave him--I asked him several times, you know, "Come on, just go with me." He said, "I'll go with you in a few days."

But when he asked me, "Is there anything I can do while you're gone, like hang your curtains or something?" And I said, "Yeah, if you want to."

He just wanted some normalness to his life right then. He--I think he realized all this--all this that I've been through, this is not me. I don't know, that's my opinion of what he . . .

Then I left my house at 9:30. And I got in the car. And I immediately called 911. I told them that he was there, and she asked me where I was. I said, "Oh, I'm on my way to see my daughter." I felt glad to just really be on my way to see my daughter. She said, "You've got to turn around and go to the leasing office." So that's what I did.

It is an idiot's errand to follow such testimony with commentary. It's too big. There is nothing newspaper-eloquent to say. We have entered Flannery O'Connor country, and only geniuses need apply.

Here are mere facts. They were together seven hours and each emerged transformed. He gave himself up without a fight and is now in prison. She reported to police all that had transpired, the police told the press, and now she is famous.

Tuesday evening on the news a "hostage rescue expert" explained that she "negotiated like a pro." Actually what she did is give Christian witness. It wasn't negotiation. It had to do with being human.

It is an amazing and beautiful story. And for all its unlikeliness you know it happened as Smith said. You know she told the truth. It's funny how we all know this.

On CNN on Monday afternoon Kyra Philips focused on the angle of the book, "The Purpose-Driven Life," that Ms. Smith had shown Nichols. She had a local preacher on to tell us more about the book, and more about Christianity. It was informative, loving, a beautiful moment of television.

The more the news played the testimony of Ashley Smith, the more each news show came to seem elevated, ennobled. The past few days the TV screen has been filled with some wonderful light.

Ashley Smith is a national hero--a brave, resourceful single mother who has suffered in her life, and who at a series of pivotal moments did the right thing and the kind thing and helped a killer end a killing spree.

Country songs will be written about her. She's going to enter our folk lore.

Some people are unhappy to hear rumors she is going to write a book. This is understandable, but they are wrong. More is needed. I hope Ms. Smith reaches to a writer on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which was rocked by the story and did exceptional work covering it, and produces a book that answers these questions: How did she come to believe in Christ, who helped her know what she knows? How did this knowledge transform her? What did "The Purpose-Driven Life" tell her that she needed to know? Whose Bible was it she kept at home and read--one she bought or one she was given? Which book or part does she find herself going back to? What from the Bible did she read to Brian Nichols?

Is it a matter of happenstance, is it without meaning, that America was taken by this drama at Eastertide, in the days before Palm Sunday, when a wanted man rode by donkey to an appointment at Golgotha?

Is it an accident that a great but troubled country that yearns so to be good is given such instruction at this time?

Maybe we should be thinking: God loves all of us, every one of us most tenderly, even convicts, maybe especially convicts, who know what they are and hang their heads and one of whom, so long ago, looked up, and cried out to the man on the other cross, and received from him a promise of forgiveness and a promise that soon, very soon, they would stand together in a place without pain.

Maybe we should think: This is all quite a mystery, too big to be understood, too beautiful to be ignored.

I just feel like bowing to everyone, all the victims and all the survivors, the good judge, the good guards, the good woman, the reporters, all of whom became part of something big and without borders. The only lesson is love. I feel certain this is true.

******************************************************************************
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional from a few days ago

2 Corinthians 1:11-11

He Will if You Will

All through the Bible we see the interworking of the will of God and the will of man. It was God, Creator and Sovereign, who conceived freedom for man--the glorious likeness to Himself in "the dignity of causality," to use Pascal's phrase. All things are so arranged in God's universe that He may work his will through man's exercising his gift of a free will. It is a gift, and one which, while it confers staggering power on us humans, also limits the Almighty. Here lies the tremendous mystery--that God should be all-powerful, yet refuse to coerce. He summons us to cooperation. We are honored in being given the opportunity to participate in his good deeds. Remember how He asked for help in performing his miracles: Fill the waterpots, stretch out your hand, distribute the loaves.

This little word of Paul's to the Corinthian Christians contains the whole kernel of that truth: "He will deliver us if you will cooperate by praying" (2 Cor 1:11).

Is there something you are hoping for today? Perhaps there is a condition you must fulfill before the Lord can grant it. He will if you will.

Another one of my boring blogs :o)

I was awakened early this morning by the quiet. You know that curious way that snow has of muting all sounds? Well, strangely enough, it woke me up. I looked out the window to see snow covered branches and big fat flakes still falling. It was nice. It was all melted by noon, though, and that was nice, too. Hot natured, cold-loving creature that I am, I'm actually starting to yearn for Spring.

Well, I enjoyed freshly baked blueberry muffins and coffee this morning and it was GOOD.
The rest of the day consisted mainly of retouching, cropping, printing, framing, cooking, cleaning, hauling trash and washing clothes. I didn't get to the Y, but I went for a good run with Elvis. On a quick run to the dollar store, I stocked up on cool frames for my "gallery".

The newspaper article in which I was recieving a free plug for the business, didn't run today.
It was supposed to. I guess I'll just have to keep scouring the papers until it does. Hope the story didn't get tossed, all together.

Well, I forgot to wear green. Dang-it. Can you believe that? The ONE day of the year that I get to wear my most favorite color in the universe and I forget. Geez.

Alright here's a little something to toast to with your green beers (incidentally, I'm sipping at a glass of green wine as I type)

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Boy, I like the sound of that.
Happy St Patty's, folks!

Another coupla' days

Tuesday consisted mainly of website rejuvenation sprinkled with a bit of house cleaning. All day long I sat in front of the computer and scanned and retouched and cropped and uploaded images and added new info to my website. The only time I left the house was to meet Mel out to the Eckerd to return her notebook(computer, which she graciously allowed me to use for the bridal show). At the time, I was flying high on caffeine from a seemingly innocent cup of Green tea I'd consumed earlier. Who knew it was SO fully loaded?

Today I cleaned house, printed and framed pictures for my living room walls/studio gallery, researched and updated some of my package pricing, solved (another) printer problem, spilled my drink all over my desk(2nd time in a week--at least I missed the keyboard this time!) and did some further website work. I also am pretty confident that I have booked another wedding--direct result of Sunday's show. THAT is very good news. THAT is money.
I also made the batter for the blueberry wheat muffins which I will bake tomorrow morning for breakfast. I'm putting a lemon cream cheese filling into the center of each muffin.
That's what I'm talkin about(N.P.).

I talked with my friend T tonight. It's up in the air as to whether she will be coming to visit this weekend. She's got babysitter woes. We had a nice conversation, though.

Tomorrow, I have a bunch of printing to do and more house cleaning as well. If I get the printing all finished, I may go ahead and start painting my bathroom. I may go to A's baseball practice tomorrow evening and do some marketing. His coach is head of the Board, which will hire the league's photographer. I've got to start making nice and all.

I also need to get to the Y. I didn't go today and feel like a giant slug as a result. Bleh.

I have a request for anyone reading this blog. I would sure appreciate an opinion of my newly renovated website. What d'ya think, too Las Vegas billboardish? Too, tuh-DAH! Let me know if you have time to check it out. The link's over to the right and down a little. THANKS!

OH! Funny story from the bridal show I forgot to share:
The show was pretty upscale with lots of tasty goodies from caterers and chocolate shops and colorful, fresh floral arrangements scattered about the elegant ball room. Well dressed young brides-to-be and fluted glasses of sparkling cider made for a very charming atmosphere.
There was, however, one stand-out in the crowd. A large, loud, slovenly dressed young(ish) woman who, along with her entourage of sullen, slovenly groupies, was making multiple trips around the room, cleaning out all of the complimentary samples at the caterers booths. All of the vendors were, of course, extremely polite and courteous, but there was a barely perceptible cringe as the group approached each new target.

A moment, please, to better describe the woman in question:
6' 2", 250lbs. a truly disconcerting amount of facial hair and dressed in a way that can best be described as "I just don't give a crap, anymore" (as if the facial hair were not proclaiming that loudly enough already). Loud, proud and out to kick some ass at the bridal show, was her general demeanor. Maybe she has a heart of gold (under all that chest hair), I don't know, who am I to judge? I'm just relating what I saw, folks.

As a door prize, I provided a gift certificate for a free portrait session to be given away to some lucky bride. Well, guess which lucky bride won it? You guessed it. The I Don't Give a Crap lady. That's right, she's a blushing bride-to-be. What are the odds? GEEZ! I had to laugh at the pitying, sidelong glances I was receiving from my fellow vendors. They all felt my pain. Funny stuff! The lesson learned from that story might be that there truly is someone for everyone!

Anyhoo. I guess I oughta think about catching some z's.

Night,folks.

Backtrack-Monday

Between the mouse activity, Elvis' need to go outside in the wee hours and my own worried mind (fighting depression REALLY hard), I didn't get much sleep Sun night. I wasn't exactly bursting with energy all day long on Monday. However, I'm pleased with myself for getting some things accomplished, despite that.

Took care of a number of business related matters that had been kinda on the back burner for a while.Worked on some enlargements and uploaded a bunch of new images to my website. I then went for a quick run with Elvis and then to the Y for a short weight workout. From there it was to the bank and P.O. and into town to drop off some headshots(which it turns out were not needed--this fells instructor is becoming a bit of a pill, actually. I'm putting up with it though, because he might become a big movie star one day). I was expecting to get a check for the headshots, but didn't because he ordered more and wants to write one big check. I guess I shouldn't complain about that. Afterwards, it was off to the dollar store for cleaning supplies.

In the evening, I watched a movie, caught the noisy mouse and my friend called. He and I are square, now. That's good.

Oh, and I almost forgot! A reporter from the local newspaper called this morning, out of the blue, and interviewed me about prom-related photography. I'm pretty sure I'll get a quote and therefore a free plug for my business in her upcoming article. Yesss!

Anyhoo. I slept much better last night with no interruptions from mice or the Big E or my own stupid mind. So that's good.

Alright, I'd better get on with my day and try to get this house clean. It's a wreck right now, with all of my stuff from the bridal show still scattered about.

Thanks everyone, for the positive comments. Hope everyone's having a good day!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The GOOD:

*The bridal show went beautifully! It's the best display I've put on, to date. I had 3 brides interested in setting up consultations and several more who showed a lot of enthusiasm about my work.

*I think Race is back home now. Amen. :0)

The BAD:

*Me and a friend of mine are on "the outs", whatever that means.
*I'm scared to look at the balance in my bank account

The UGLY:

*I arrived home to an elephantine pile of dog poo on the living room carpet. Apparently Elvis is not completely over his bug, yet.


*******************************************************************

I'm now going to upload some images on my website, say my prayers and hit the sack.

short one

My interview with the BBBS organization went well, yesterday. They were very thorough and seem to be very serious about their programs. I'm looking forward to hearing back from them.
It was interesting to realize that negative past experiences in my life may be of benefit to me now, in helping a child to deal with their own tough situations.

Right now, I'm getting my junk together for the Lexington bridal show, tomorrow.
For some reason, I'm having a hard time getting motivated. I'm just sort of going through the motions. There's a ton I still need to accomplish. And I'm tired and irritable.

What a day

I am tired. But it's a good tired.

Last night was a late one. Between the whining (dog), snoring (dog and kids), and mice (a whole herd, from the sound of it) I didn't get much shut eye last night. At one point all 3 kids and Elvis were all piled on my little bed, all rolling around and snorting and laughing. It was fun, though!

About 6AM I was awakened by Elvis panting. This is always a bad sign, so I swung my bare feet out of bed and onto the floor and...SQUISH. Apparently the earplugs which I was wearing to block out the snoring had also blocked out Elvis' whining pleas to be let outside. Evidence of that was in various piles about the house.Yuck. Poor E'd had a bad night ,too.

I put Elvis on his chain and cleaned up the messes and tried unsuccessfully to get a bit more sleep. Eventually I got up and AT and SR followed soon after. JL was stirring around.

I fixed Mexican omelets (universal kid favorite) and venison sausage (mmm) for breakfast.
I knew there was trouble brewing when JL wasn't interested in breakfast. I let him stay in bed and watch a movie and he eventually drifted back off to sleep. When he woke back up and got dressed he definitely was not feeling well. I ran out and got some medicine and decided our hike in the National Forest would have to be postponed for another day. None of us were very happy about that.

SR and I did an art lesson and AT researched baseball cards online while poor JL lay prostrate on the futon. Mel arrived soon after(looking quite smashing, I might add, in her new pointy-toed shoes) and whisked them home.

After inadvertently locking my keys in my house (duh), I belatedly picked up SR and AT later that afternoon to take them to their ballet and karate lessons. After ballet SR and her friend and her friend's Mom and myself all headed to the Bistro for a bite. It was very enjoyable.

SR and I then picked up AT from karate and headed back to their house, by way of Taco Bell (AT is always famished after Ju-jitsu). I spent an hour or so chatting with Mel about this and that--just fun gal stuff. JL was feeling a bit better. Then I headed home for the night.
It was a good day. I love those kids so much.

Also accomplished today:
*returned a couple of business emails
*unclogged my toilet, after much toiling with the plunger and patience from the kids
*recieved pens engraved with my business name and info to hand out at the bridal show
*straightened out a little situation about headshots with AT's karate instructor
*took a long awaited reprint order from a customer
*House kind of half-way squared-away from the kids' visit

And now, with a nod of appreciation to all mothers who deal with sleepless nights, sick kids and divers extra-curricular lessons on a daily basis, I hit the long-awaited hay.

nighty-night, all.

KIDS!

This morning, after coffee and toast, I took a quick run with Elvis around the farm and saw all of the new little calves teetering about the fields. When I returned to the house, Em and the boys were there. It's so good to see the little critters (and Em,too, heh-heh).

Q had just experienced his first trip to the dentist and according to eyewitness accounts, had behaved like quite the big boy. We played for a while and then ordered some take-out subs for lunch. While waiting on lunch, I colored my hair and took a shower. I think I like the new hair. I think.

After lunch me and Q went outside and dug up worms and ran around. It was fun. He's so adorable. W wouldn't walk for me, but he came close! That little guy is really something else--he does things on his own schedule and is not about to be coaxed or pushed into anything. He definitely lets you know his opinion on matters. And is SO cute.

I packed up my vehicle(to the gills, actually) and hit the road. After a seemingly endless journey, I arrived at the house, off-loaded Elvis and emptied my car. Then it was off to the movie store to pick up Mel's kids( she was meeting me there). I stopped on the way and picked up sundae fixin's and sundry kid foods. At the movie store, we rented a DVD and then stopped at Bill's house on the way home to pick up my TV and DVD player.

When Jack opened up the back hatch of the car to get his stuff, the TV fell out onto the gravel in the driveway, glass-side-down. How it did not break is anyone's guess.

The rest of the evening consisted of ice cream, junk foods, full length animated features, and hilariously loud bodily functions. A good time had by all.

And now it's time to wind them down and tuck them in and try to get some sleep.
We've got a busy day of hiking and picnicking (how do you spell that?) tomorrow.

CHOW!

At the old homeplace

I sent a few business emails, researched some photo stuff, packed my junk and hit the road.
I listened to classical music and conservative talk radio most of the way. Elvis, as always, perked up as soon as we turned onto the road leading to the farm. I don't know how he always knows when we're almost there.

I enjoyed a cup of coffee, conversation and a few Girl Scout cookies with Mom when I arrived. It's cold and snowy and blustery here on the farm. Later I headed up to the studio and packed up a bunch of albums and frames and portfolios,etc. to haul back for the bridal show this weekend. Mom and I ran to the grocery store for dog food and creamer (just the necessities).
I sorted through a bunch of my stuff that I need to get out of Mom's way and got it ready to haul back home with me. Did a little political reading online(Ratherbiased.com). Dad fixed a delicious supper of thick, juicy steaks, buttery baked sweet potatoes, cheesy roasted tomatoes and thick bread. YUM. Dad is the ultimate cooker of all meats.

Watched a spot of FoxNews with the folks.

And now, as the icy wind is whipping around outside, I shall retire to the snug, newly carpeted guest quarters and read photo lab price sheets and Joseph Conrad until I fall asleep in a warm bed with Elvis curled up at my feet.
What did I ever do to deserve such a lovely day?

Looking forward to spending time with all of the kids tomorrow.

G'night and sleep tight, all.

Misc. Pics

A and Q


My Karate Instructor :0)

Typical Monday

Typical Monday--I overslept.

Things I accomplished today:

Kitchen Pots-n-pans shelf installed

Coffee mug holder thingy put up

Appointment for Interview to be a Big Buddy (like a Big Brother) made

Business Ad "unscrewed-up"

Appointment for Digital workshop at Photolab set up

Couple of business emails composed and sent

Miscellaneous digital images retouched and cropped

Online research for minor medical problem completed

25 minute run/fast walk with Elvis

Workout at Y

Possible business connection made with a Little League Mom I met at the Y

Shopping for workout clothes (which are too small and I'll have to return)

Drugstore run for minor medical problem completed

**************************************************************************

That's about it, really.

I'm heading to Stafford tomorrow to pick up some stuff for the Bridal show on Sunday. I'll stay the night and come back Wed in time to grab Mel's kids and haul them to my place to spend the night. That'll be fun. We're going to go hiking on Thursday. I'm looking forward to it.
As a side note, I may be coloring my hair brown tomorrow. I don't know, we'll see.

Goodnight, folks.

Saturday -LEAHY-and Sunday

Boy am I glad I let Bill drag me to that concert on Saturday night. What an amazing contrast from Friday night's entertainment.

On the way, we stopped in Lovingston for a bite. The Prime Rib was very mediocre, but the service was great. Very nice folks. After a couple of wrong turns(and some tense moments there in the cab of the Ranger), we made our way to the theatre.

Let me just say a bit about the theatre itself. The Paramount is an old, newly renovated theatre located on the downtown Historic Mall of Charlottesville. Apparently, many millions have been spent to restore the place to something above and beyond it's original glory. It just reopened in December with a fund raising gala featuring Tony Bennett (wish I could've seen THAT show!). The outside of the building features this old-timey-looking marquis lined with flashing lights and the name of the act currently showing. The inside is plush and elegant with rich material-lined panels on the walls, opulent chandeliers and some of the most beautiful crown moulding I've ever laid eyes on. Wine at intermission and a wide balcony with an ample view of the stage helped to make the place just that much more pleasant.

The group we came to see was called Leahy (LAY-hee). I had never even heard of them. By the end of the show, however, I knew I would never forget them. They are a group of 11 siblings, of Irish/Scottish descent from a remote, rural part of Ontario. This particular show consisted of 9 of the siblings who played various instruments and sang and danced. There were 3 fiddles, 2 keyboards, rhythm guitar, electric guitar, base guitar, mandolin, banjo and drums. They played everything from pop to waltzes to bluegrass to gospel to traditional Irish and more.They did some numbers of their own composition and some recognizable old favorites. The anchor of the show was the eldest brother, fiddler extraordinaire. I wish I could even come close to describing the ability that this man possesses with his instrument. Prior to intermission he brought the house down with a rendition of The Orange Blossom Special that was quite frankly, unbelievable. I don't know how any human being can do what he did as fast as he did it. It was absolutely breathtaking! (I seriously would have considered marrying that man if he had asked right after that performance). The energy and enthusiasm and talent of the whole group were just incomparable. I really felt like they were doing the thing that they were put on this earth to do and they were enjoying it immensely. They poured out their heart and soul on that stage and the audience responded in kind. How could they not? WOW.
If ever you have a chance to see this group perform, I BEG you not to deny yourself the experience. I will be keeping a close eye on their touring schedule, myself.

Sunday was pretty dull, in comparison. I stole a nap in the middle of the day to recover from the previous night's lack of sleep. I talked to Mom for a bit and shared the Leahy experience. In the evening, I did a 2 mile hike with Bill and Elvis in the National Forest. After supper (Chinese) I watched America's Funniest Home Videos with Bill and laughed til I couldn't breath. That show just kills me.

Friday's events and Dinner Review

Friday was a full day.
Breakfast was wheat toast and coffee and checking email (EE devotion) and prioritizing the day.

After printing the promo cards and writing and rewriting the into letter, I finally got all of my school packets done. Envelopes stuffed, addressed and ready to roll.
Made a few business calls and got a few things squared away.

Lunch was scrambled eggs and spinach salad and diet drink.

Dusted, cleaned glass, straightened bathroom, put up some new brackets, did dishes.
I talked to the company who screwed up my ad and I think I can get it straightened out via email. They at least seem willing to try. That's good.

Researched a couple of things online and reviewed some new photo lab info.

A friend came by to drop off my floor sweeper thingy he'd borrowed and left with my trash(thereby saving me a trip to the dump). Nice guy!

I took Elvis over to our favorite National Forest trail and had a pretty strenuous workout. I returned home to practice my martial arts stuff (I've GOT to get a kick-bag) and stretch thoroughly. I felt good(except for this headache I've had for the last 3 days-I don't know where that's coming from).

My friend B picked me up at 6:30 and we headed over to the Bistro. I enjoyed positively dreamy crabcakes (they make the best I have ever tasted) with sweet potato fries and a mixed green salad with excellent ranch dressing. This was accompanied by a most excellent Australian Shiraz. B partook of the Cajun Chicken Pasta. He enjoyed the Shiraz, as well.

My Review:

Crab Cakes: the inside consisted of tender lump crab meat of the highest quality barely held together by an almost non-existent sweet, creaminess which perfectly accentuated the natural sweetness and texture of the crab; slightly crisp on the outside with a bit of hot spiciness, but not too much...no, never too much.

Cajun Chicken Pasta: angel hair, cooked al dente, smothered in a sauce of pure cream, lightly salted butter and cajun spices, with baby spinach and chopped tomatoes to offset the heat of the red pepper. Perfect consistency, not too thick, and served in generous portions.

Absolutely delicious. It was just a lovely meal.
We got a piece of M's (the Bistro proprietor) excellent chocolate cake to take home as an accompaniment to the 10 yr old tawny port we sipped later in the evening.

The evening was made memorable, however, for reasons other than just the food. An older gentleman (whom I have since learned is a local leader in the banking industry), was setting up to entertain the patrons with live music--well sorta. He began by playing the sax tolerably well, but accompanied by only a recorded back up track-- karaoke style. O0hh-kay. Then he began to sing some old big band type numbers like "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Where or When"-----VERY BADLY. I mean the guy was trying to scat, for garsh sakes! That was really something to see. 60ish, white, bald, a little paunchy, no eye contact with the crowd whatsoever, just sort of rocking/bouncing side to side, mostly under his breath--SCATTING.
And to make things a little more interesting, the whole evening was being broadcast online by a couple of college age computer-geek-looking guys with all there techno gadgets spread around the place. Probably the funniest part was that our banker cum karaoke bar patron cum entertainment-for-the-evening, obviously had a bunch of friends and family (and probably some folks just trying to suck-up to the old guy for, like free checking or low interest loans or something, I don't know) who were just clapping and cheering for all they were worth after every embarrassing performance.
It was really quite surreal. B and I just kept looking at each other with disbelief and discreetly giggling (well, I giggled, but B's was more of a manly chuckle, ahem). Funny stuff.

You know, I give a lot of credit to anyone who practices and hones their skills as a performer to a point where they can entertain an audience. That's gotta take some guts, to get up in front of all of those folks and do your thing. I would just caution that you might want to be sure your "thing" is good enough to actually ENTERTAIN the folks BEFORE you get up there.

Well, anyway.
I'm going to see an Irish band in Charlottesville tonight at a newly renovated theatre downtown. I hope it's good. It's a long ways to drive an a chilly, damp night. And I'm not really feeling all that great. Kinda headachey, stomach achey.

I need to get Elvis out for a walk and then finish some photo stuff before I start to think about the concert. What the heck am I gonna wear?

Gotta run. Chow!

Work and Workouts

Elvis is sitting beside me munching and chewing on an old tupperware type container that was previously filled with chicken gumbo. I eat the gumbo and he licks (and then demolishes) the container. It's just a little something we do.

It's been a productive day. It didn't start out too fab, as I overslept by 2 hours! However, I tried to make it up by accomplishing a lot. The house is cleaner, the dishes are done and my school promo packs are almost ready to be mailed. I hit two florists and a hair place with my wedding photog. promo cards, too. I expect at least one of them will actively promote me. I'm going to head back out tomorrow and do some more promoting.

I had a run (run/fast walk/trudge through melting snow) with Elvis back through the fields and into the woods for my aerobic workout. I also hit the weight room and pool at the Y.

Quick question: When did it become okay for women to strut around completely nude in the locker room? Or to lounge in the whirlpool without a stitch? Modesty, people, MOD-ES-TY. Gosh!(Napoleon Dynamite).

I got a call back from the Big Brothers organization today. Yikes. I hope I'm up for this. Pray for me, please, folks. I'm going to talk to the lady tomorrow and get some more info.

I am so looking forward to a dinner out tomorrow night. I haven't been out to eat in almost 3 weeks, I think. Mmmm.

Perhaps I'll grace you all with a review of my meal. We'll see.

I hope everyone had a lovely day.
CHOW.

I am a sore girl

I am sore. Not immobilizingly so (I just made that word up), but I can definitely feel yesterday's upper body workout. I refrained from the Y today for that reason. I'll just settle for some thorough STRETCHING this evening.
There is a strong, cold wind blowing outside and my poor little house is having a hard time keeping it outside. Burr.

I spent the morning and early afternoon at Mel's with the kids. That was fun. We did a small art lesson and then just did some fun stuff with oil pastels. Legos and baseball cards were also involved in the days activities.

I came home and did some accounting and realized that I am, yet again, quite broke.
No kitchen curtains or whale watching anytime soon, I guess. I also discovered that a bit of advertising which I recently purchased is all screwed up---blurry images, incomplete information and a couple of other problems. I paid good money for it and it ticks me off that they've done such a shabby job. I'll have to deal with those folks tomorrow.
I spent a couple of hours researching ways to best sell a diamond ring. I don't feel much more learn-ed about the process than before I started researching. I tried Ebay a couple of months ago and it ended up costing me over $50.00 and I had no bidders. I'm not sure where to go from there. The newspaper, perhaps? Do people shop for diamonds in the newspaper?

I did manage to finish designing a promotional ad to mail out to local schools to try and drum up some business. Tomorrow, I'll be hitting the streets with promo cards for the same reason. The Lexington bridal show is coming up and I have the opportunity to get a booth at a larger, local show in April. I need to try and come up with the funds to book that last one. I guess I need to get on the ball with my sports league opportunities, as well. In this small town, I'm finding that face-to-face contact (and, I'll be honest, handing out free pics of people's kids) is the best way to get things done. The good ole' boy system is alive and running smoothly here in Central VA. :0)

Curried deer steak and spinach salad for supper, again. It's good, but I think I need to switch up tomorrow. I think I still have some gumbo(yum) in the freezer. That's kinda' healthy, right?
Oh and I found a good lookin recipe for blueberry wheat muffins,too. Doesn't that sound good? I am all about the power foods these days--spinach, blueberries, cauliflower(although I have my doubts about that last one).

Well, my house is still a mess. I'm lazy, I admit it.*sigh*
It's just hard to get motivated to clean when it's so cold your dog is shivering and shooting you accusatory looks ("I was warm in Stafford").

This was my devotion for today from Elizabeth Elliot. To say that her writings are inspirational is such an understatement:

He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed (Prv 11:25). "If you...satisfy the needs of the wretched...the Lord will satisfy your needs" (Is 58:10,11 NEB).

Do you often feel like parched ground, unable to produce anything worthwhile? I do. When I am in need of refreshment, it isn't easy to think of the needs of others. But I have found that if, instead of praying for my own comfort and satisfaction, I ask the Lord to enable me to give to others, an amazing thing often happens--I find my own needs wonderfully met. Refreshment comes in ways I would never have thought of, both for others, and then, incidentally, for myself.

Lord, be as the dew to me today, as You were to Israel, that I may "flower like the lily" (Hos 14:5 NEB).

I say, that is good stuff(read with British accent).

And with that, I bid you farewell.

'night

Snow, the Y and some Pics

Ed just returned my call and he's good-to-go! (Ed's my formerly MIA wedding photography assistant).Whewhoo! Life is good. God is good.

I had a beautiful workout this morning (walk/run/trudge thru the snow). The fields and woods are covered in a 6 inch blanket of snow.The sky was a crisp blue and the clouds were big and fluffy. It was cold, but I worked up a sweat, anyway. I went far enough away from civilization (such as it is here) that Elvis got to run free to do some of his favorite things--run-sniff-pee-run-sniff-pee...etc. A good time had by all.

I had an enjoyable phone conversation with Tonya and then we proceeded to email and IM back and forth for a few minutes. She's always a hoot. Things are not looking good for her coming to visit this weekend, though. Bummer.

I manipulated and then uploaded a number of new images onto my website and updated some of my info. I'm pretty pleased with how the site is coming along.

When Mel called and said that we wouldn't be doing SR's art lesson today, I decided to give my Y membership a test drive. After emptying out a photo-backdrop duffle bag (I didn't think my usual bag--Food Lion plastic sack-- appropriate for my first trip to the gym) and packing my stuff, I headed downtown. It was great! I hit the weight room and then the pool and then the dry sauna and then the shower. It all felt fabulous. I had forgotten what a good thing it is to belong to a gym.

Post Y, I hit the Walmart for a few necessities and then home. Venison steak with curry sauce and a spinach salad chased with a diet Dr Pepper. Pretty yummy. I then spent a pleasant half-hour talking to my landlord and his lady, whilst dropping off my rent check. Nice folks.

I looked into the Big brother,Big Sister organization today, with the thought of volunteering. Apparently a local church has a similar mentoring-type program, as well. They're both supposed to be sending me some info. I dig kids and kids dig me so I figured what the heck. Maybe I can be of some use. Apparently Meals On Wheels does not operate in this area. If anyone has had any experience with any of these organizations, good or bad, I'd love to hear about it!

I am trying to set up a time to go whale watching in VA beach. They have this great "Whale Watching Package" going on til March 13th. I just don't know if I can fit it into my schedule. I hope it will work out that I can go. It would be SO amazing to actually SEE wild whales. Awesome photo-op's, too.

I'm going to Mel's tomorrow morn to watch the kids while she keeps an appointment. I will do SR's art lesson while I'm there. Should be fun. Both of the boys have colds, though, so I hope they're feeling better.

The snow really is beautiful, here. I took a few pics today (the last one I took a few weeks ago).

My little corner of the world:



The view from my yard:



The view from my back deck on a pretty winter's eve:



I love where I live!

Well, it's late and I need to hit the sack. My house is a mess, but it can wait til tomorrow.

Chow, all.