you can call me a pawn star....

{sneak peek from monday's photo shoot}

did you think i forgot about the red tutu. i didn't. it's actually in a box right now on its way to the meri. she won the drawing. i narrowed the names down to a small group of women who all have birthdays coming up soon and next month, meri is going to be doing whatever she wants to do on her birthday,

in a red tutu. i can't wait.

~

the prayers from yesterday were amazing and i'll be passing them on to my friends. actually, all of you visiting me here as often as you do are amazing. so if you didn't already know that. 

well hear this. YOU ARE.

~

i was in the camera shop yesterday. that's a dangerous place to be. i walked out of there as fast as i could, but the new camera i was looking at continued to stare at me. i glanced back in the window once i made it safely outside, and i think i saw it shed a tear. i'm pretty sure it wanted to go home with me. 

~

i have a 14kt gold necklace that i haven't worn for years that has been living in our safe in the basement. today i'm going to see about trading it in. you know. the whole "cash for gold" thing.

have any of you done this.

~

is it just me. or are there smidgens of fall quietly tiptoeing their way into what i'm still calling summer.

winter boots at the shoe stores. holiday decorations at michaels. 

the leaves just starting to turn. the cooler nights {no complaints on that one}

oh mother nature. please take it slowly. 

pleeeaaaaasssse 

{sorry about the whiney voice}

*

can i ask for more prayers.....

this weekend, we watched in horror, just like everyone else did, the stage collapse at the indiana state fair. indiana was our home for 8 years and no matter where we live now, pieces of our hearts will forever remain there.

~

i am terribly saddened today to find out that our indiana friends {who now live in ohio} were seriously injured in the collapse.

my friend jill and her daughter jaymie are now in stable condition, but it looks like a long recovery will be ahead of them. from what i have heard, jill has a collapsed lung and a crushed pelvis. jaymie, two broken legs and a skull fracture.

~

i have been blessed by all of you when i personally needed your prayers. do you think today you can send some more. this time for jill and jaymie.

~

thank you so much

*

{for many of you outside of the midwest, you might not have heard about this terrible accident. i hesitated at first to share the video, but then decided i needed you to see how horrible it was}

the video is here

and

this is one of the many articles i found along with this one

*

part of my weekend in photos...

check out the his socks and shoes

all of these men were waiting for the beer festival shuttle

{obviously you bring your own pretzels}

willy street is a must 

if you ever visit madison

and

if you make it to willy street

lazy janes is a fantastic spot to eat and people watch

*

just something i heard....

"it's not your job to like me"

"it's mine"

.

.

.

a field of love...

there's a field by us. a sunflower field. close enough that we can walk to it.

it's the only place i've actually seen bees bathe in pollen. 

they don't mind if you watch.

the baby sunflowers are my favorite. they seem so brave.

i wish you could walk there with me. 

i know you'd love it. my parents did when i took them last week.

hundreds and hundreds of sunflowers. all of them watching us while we watched them.

a mutual love affair.

*

senior sneak peek....

  

i know his momma is anxious to see these

so i'm teasing her with  just a few shots

~

normally when i'm shooting senior photos

i don't want other people in the pictures

but

the walkers on the beach

well

i think the timing was perfect

with just a quick "run through"

this one might be my favorite

~

i love the hood and the serious look

 but

you have to admit

his smile is contagious

thank you early evening sun

for coming along and being cooperative

*

i'll stand by you....

i'll stand by you

through the good that we always expect and the uninvited ugly

~

through the simple colors of life we paint all on our own 

and 

the thick murky brown when they all get mixed together

~

through the poorly shaped words that are foreign on our tongues 

and

the silence we retreat to that makes us grasp for air

~

through

the quiet nights doused in grey thoughts 

and

 the morning sun whose warmth gives us the strength to start all over again

~

i'll stand by you

*

{there are more of my black and whites at simply exposed}