Happy Halloween!

Keeping Me Busy!

I have spent most of the month taking and editing pictures for families. I really do enjoy doing this however I still have so much to learn, I am always trying out something new. I really need to take a photography class, I have never had one and it honestly would help me immensely. I am sure I do EVERYTHING the hard way. But for now I just appreciate the fact that people actually pay me to do something that I love, I honestly feel guilty charging anyone because I love doing it, however, I have to justify spending countless hours on the computer away from my family, Myah is begging for attention right now! I have been trying really hard to get caught up so I can spend some good quaility time with her. Besides, my eyes need a rest! I have so many photographers that I envy, I hope someday to be that good, baby steps right! That would mean I need more time and more money, neither of which is abundant these days! So for now I will just stick to my little way of doing things, which is just enough to keep me busy.
Here are a few pictures from my latest sessions. I know Debbie has been waiting patiently for a few weeks, good news sweetie, I am done and they are now able to view online! ( I know she follows this faithfully!) She has the most incredible family and I really enjoyed spending time with her and her 5 kids! And little Baby Claire and I spent some time together last week, she was so precious! She has the prettiest momma so I had to sneak her in for a few too! And little Evan, well, lets just say that he is on my short list of future husbands for my little princess!
Aren't I lucky, I have the most beautiful customers?!

If I Could Save Time In a Bottle

Monica will always be remembered as this beautiful young lady.


This photo was taken when we were little girls, l-r Penny, Monica, Leslie and Melanie


This is a special picture to me because it is the last photo I have with Monica and I in it, even a very young Mark was at this anniversary party for my grandparents taken in 1987, a year before she died.



Our Sweet Monica Jean



This is a picture of their car, it was a Trans Am, the photo shows the car flipped upside down.



This was the headline in our local paper.


Twenty years ago today our family lost one of our own way before her time. My cousin Monica had just turned 19 years old a week before she was killed in a horrible car accident that killed her and 3 of her friends. It was 1988, Monica and I were the same age, we were in the same grade and were both just starting our freshman year of college. We had both just graduated from high school and had the world at our feet. We did have a major difference, she was the life of the party girl and I was the homebody. Ironically the last time I saw Monica was exactly a week prior to her accident at her brothers wedding. We were not able to make the wedding but at the last minute my mom asked if we wanted to head way up north for the reception. So my mom, sister, Mark and I drove those curvy icy roads just in time to meet our family back at my aunt and uncle's house. Monica was full of energy and that evening had us cracking up, she kept asking Mark, Melanie and I if we wanted a beer, we laughed and said no thanks. What I remember most about that night was wathching her walk around the house in her blue taffeta bridesmaid dress, playing the record "Time in A Bottle" over and over and over again. My great grandpa was sitting in front of the record player and everytime the record would get to the end she would come running over to it and would start it all over again, Grandpa would roll his eyes and say "here she comes again" as it was blaring in his ear, boy did we laugh!
On October 29th around 8 am the phone in my bedroom rang and I was the first one in the house to answer it, it was my Grandma asking to speak to my mom. It was very unusual for her to call so early so I stayed on the line and heard her tell my mom that Monica had been killed in a car accident the night before, her and her boyfriend, her best friend and her best friends boyfriend. They had been drag racing another car, they were driving a Trans Am, they lost control and hit a tree, all of them were ejected from the car and were prounounced dead on the scene. It was undetermined if they were wearing seatbelts but alcohol was a factor in the accident. Four young promising lives were lost that night. I remember being at the funeral and seeing the devastation on the faces of our family, her friends and community members. Their small community had lowered all of the flags at half staff. I remember sitting in the church staring at her closed white casket and seeing the pain on the eyes of my family members, the people who I loved most and I vowed that day that I would never drink and drive. And I never have, I have hardly ever drank in my whole life. A few sips here and there, but honestly I don't even like the taste of alcohol. I swore I would never put my family through this kind of pain again. I know Monica would not have wanted everyone to hurt so badly.
Monica was loved by everyone, she was so funny, full of life, beautiful,popular and very outgoing. I remember one time she stopped by with her mom on the way back up north, she had been school shopping and she was showing me all of the cool clothes that she had bought, she smelled them and said " I just love the way new clothes smell". I still smell my new clothes just because of her.
The accident was in all of the state headlines, it even made our local newspaper. I have all of the articles saved in my scrapbook. I think of her often, I especially think of her during the milestones in my life, like my wedding and the birth/adoption of our children. I remember my Aunt Carol crying as I walked down the aisle, I have to believe I know what she was thinking. We were the same age and she probably would be experiencing alot of the same things I am if she were still alive today. My aunt and uncle don't talk about it much, but their lives have been deeply affected by the loss of Monica. Our family is very close and when one of us hurts, we all hurt. It was so sad, they had just celebrated their only son's marriage the week before and then the tragedy struck just a few days later.
I have had a few incidents in my life where I have lost people I care about in accidents involving alcohol. I am a strong advocate against drinking and driving. I understand that even though I might not drink,people do enjoy it, I do not criticize that, I do however criticize when that person gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. In Mark's line of work I have heard the worst stories, nothing good ever comes out of getting behind the wheel when you have been drinking. I always try to be the designated driver if I need to be. I have even driven my cousin and her husband to their honeymoon suite on their wedding night just to be safe. It is one cause of death that can be eliminated if people just stay put or call for a ride. I also do not believe in supplying underaged children with alcohol. So many deaths could be avoided by simply being the parent and not the best friend to your child. There is a time to be best friend, but it is most certainly not the time where alcohol is concerned. Trust me, if you need a wake up call, just ask me about how my aunt and uncle had to identify Monica and I know you would never supply a child with alcohol, ever! I am sorry to be on a soap box today, I am not usually a person who speaks out but this is one area where I have experienced first hand the tragic effects of drinking and driving and I pray I can stop just one person from getting behind the wheel or even riding in a car with someone who has been drinking. You need to have these discussions with your children, there is so much more pressure on kids to drink than even when I was in school, and at such a younger age.
I ask that today, 20 years to the day that our sweet Monica passed away, you talk to your child about the dangers of drinking and driving, the laws are so strict these days, even if your underage children are caught with alcohol their lives could be drastically changed. It is NOT worth it! And give them options in case they do find themselves in a situation that makes them uncomfortable. I grew up in a household where my parents were very open with us, they always said if there is something you want to try let us know and we will all try it at home where you are safe. Well, it must have been the right thing to say because I never felt the need to sneak around, and gosh, if they were willing to join me then what fun would that be, so I just stayed away from all of it. And guess what? I was the popular one in school, (not to brag), I was on Homecoming Court, Prom Queen, Student Coucil, voted most friendly, athletic, cheerleader, and I started dating one of the popular guys in school ( and eventually married him)! All without attending the parties on the weekends, without ever tasting alcohol, without needing to feel "cool" because I hung out at the pary spots. You can be cool without getting drunk. Trust me.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on, even though Monica is gone, she will never be forgotten.

Fairy Tales

I had to post a few sneak peaks of these photos I took the other day of my niece Annabelle. My sister made her girls fairy costumes for Halloween and I begged her to make one for Myah too and she did, yippee! We tried to get some pictures of Chloe too but she was not very cooperative. I know Mel is dying to see a few so here you go sis! I have been busy taking pictures this season and I am trying to edit them in the order that I took them but I could not wait any longer, this was so much fun!

Pumpkin Patch

Last week we visited our favorite best ever pumpkin patch Three Cedars Farm. We discovered this little gem last year and it quickly became our favorite holiday tradition. They constructed a new childrens play area and oh my goodness, it is so cute! They have a barn with a silo slide, a "real" milking cow, a hen house that somehow looked like they were really laying eggs, and real animal sounds piped through the area. Just adorable! We took a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and Dayton decided that he would try to master the corn maze, so we didn't see him for about an hour! That explains why there are not many pictures of him! Afterwards, we enjoyed fresh donuts and cider slushes (oh my are they good!). Our visit to the farm is never complete without going inside the large barn/general store. The kids always love purchasing some old fashioned candy. This family has thought of everything, it is just amamzing! Every item that you purchased it wrapped in an adorable gift bag and tissue. We cannot wait until the day after Thanksgiving when we go there for the Christmas displays and pick out our Christmas tree!

300th Post and Mac Baby!

Happy 300th Post to me!

The other morning I decided to put my makeup on in Myah's room, Mark sleeps during the day because he is on midnights so I am always trying to find new places to get ready. I knew as soon as I set my makeup bag on her nightstand that I had to remind myself not to leave it there. Well, as I am sure you can all relate, I was rushing around to get out of the house on time in the morning and forgot all about leaving it on her nighstand. She fell asleep in the car on the ride home and I took her upstairs and layed her in her bed for a nap. Totally forgetting about my makeup! I did not hear her get up, she was being VERY quiet as you can imagine. I went upstairs to wake Mark up and I found her with my makeup all over her face, hands, bedding and carpet. I had just bought a new bottle of MAC foundation a few weeks ago and she pretty much emptied it. I lost eye shadows, eyeliner, mascara, powder, my make up bag and a few brushes in the incident. I was of course on my way out the door to do a photoshoot so I had to leave the mess to my sweet hubby. So I had to go out and purchase new stuff. I really don't wear much makeup and only have what I need. So without these essentials I am a scary woman! We took a trip to Ulta and replaced what could not be salvaged. I was not happy but it was hard to be angry when she looked so funny. I had to laugh at how light my makeup was for her skin, I don't usually notice how dark she is. I love how she put the black stuff above her eyes! And lucky me found a super cute new makeup bag on clearance at T*arget.

A Special Journey

This is sweet Rose, she is taking a wonderful journey back to her roots.


Myah kissed the package goodbye when we sent it! With Love To China!

I mentioned last week that I was busy preparing a special gift, well hopefully in the next few weeks that gift will arrive safe and sound at its destination, Myah's orphanage.
Some of you who followed along our journey to Myah will remember the story but for those of you who are new I will give you a little background. Long story short, our video camera broke in China, on the bus ride to get our little Myah. By the grace of God it began working right before we walked into the building and died as soon as we walked out with Myah. There was no way we could spent the rest of our trip in China without a video camera, so we purchased one while we were there. Other families offered to tape for us but there are so many little moments in those first few days together that we wanted to make sure we captured. We taped and taped and when we came home we went to play our videos for our family and we were unable to view them. We took the tapes to a pro video guy who informed us that the camera was PAL compatible and that no tv/vcr in the US would work with that format. It has something to do with the language package. He said it is basically garbage here in the US. Bummer! So we spent $20 a piece to have each tape converted and boxed up the camera. We tried to contact our guide in China and she was willing to return it for us, unfortunately, we did not have the original packaging that it came in, I had to have room in my suitcase for squeaky shoes, not a camera box! So they would not return it for us. I wondered what we should do with it, sell it on ebay? I had a thought that it would be nice to send it over to Myah's orphanage but I was worried that it might never make it. So I packed it in the closet and that is where it has stayed for 2 years.
A few weeks ago I was checking my yahoo group emails from the group of families who adopted babies from Tuanfeng SWI (Myah's orphanage) and I came across a post from a family who had gone back to Tuanfeng this past spring with their daughter and I was disappointed to find out that the photo albums that we have sent over have never made it. I thought the information was reaching the orphanage and that they would know how our babies were doing. My heart sank. I was glad I had not tried to send the video camera.
Then I read down a few more posts and learned that another family was going over there in a few weeks and she was willing to take pictures along if we wanted to. My heart actually skipped beats, I was so excited. A few days later I was cleaning out my closet and came across that camera again, no accident I am sure! I frantically emailed Susan and asked if she would be interested in delivering this camera to the SWI for us. She emailed her trip coordinator and she was able to contact Tuanfeng and they said they would love to have the camera. I was filled with excitement! So last week, I prepared a short video of Myah and our surroundings and then I had Shannon translate a letter for us explaining who we were and that we were donating the camera to them. We also let them know how much we love Myah and appreciate all that they have done for her. Everything just fell into place. The camera arrived at Susan's yesterday and I actually talked to her on the phone tonight, I could have talked for hours. Her daughter Rose is 10 and she is taking her back for a visit. I can hardly wait to follow along her journey, (she has a blog but I am not sure if she wants me to publish the site). She is staying in the same hotel that we did while in Wuhan and then is going to Tuanfeng and spending a few days there. Can you imagine getting to spend a few days in your daughters home town? Priceless. She is so excited and I am excited for them and will keep them in my prayers during her journey back. It was so facinating talking to her tonight, she leaves tomorrow, but needed to know how to use the camera, remember the instructions are in Chinese! They never received photo albums or able to vist the orphanage like we did. So I am sure she will be so grateful to finally have some answers for Rose.
I am so grateful to Susan for delivering our very special gift. I can never thank her enough! We are so glad that it is going directly to its destination and will be in the very hands of those precious ones who took care of our daughter before we could. Thank you Susan and Rose, have a magnificent trip! ( They are going to be over there for about a month)
I had to put this song on here, I pray that Tuanfeng will remember little Myah and Rose and that the visit brings many happy memories for everyone involved.
****I just checked their site this morning (Thurs.) and they arrived safely in Beijing*******

Cedar Point!

We took the kids to Cedar Point on Saturday. They are only open on the weekends now and they call it their Halloweekends. They have many spooky themed rides and activities for all ages. Myah and I hung out together most of the day while Mark and Dayton opted to wait in the long lines for the big roller coasters. We have not been there since Dayton was 5 years old. Mark and I used to go every year when we were dating and first married, I actually rode the huge coasters when I was pregnant for Dayton and didn't know it, ( I wondered why I almost got sick!) Dayton rode on his first big coaster, the Millenium, oh my, Mark said that he started to get nervous going up the huge hill and even grabbed onto Mark's arm. He had a great time and didn't want to leave. Even in the car on the way out he kept looking out the rear window saying "I can still see it". I remember those days as a kid, never wanting to leave! The first ride I took Myah on was the carosel that used to be in a park where my parents grew up, Myah's grand and great granparents grew up riding on it so it was appropriate that it was the first one that she rode on. The only ride that we went on together as a family was the tilt a whirl, Myah hated it! She did ride on the Jr. Gemini though! Cedar Point has become home of some of the worlds largest/fastest roller coasters and was named best amuzement park in the world for the 12th year in a row. Some of those hills are so high they have airport lights on them. When we were driving down the causeway when we first got there, Myah got her first glimpse of the park and said "oh my good-ness!" and kept giggling. I was amazed at how much there was to do with the "little ones". We didn't even have to stand in any lines, she just walked right up and got on. Perfect way to spend the day with a toddler! I have to say the park was busier than I had ever seen it, someone had warned us that the Halloweekends are pretty crazy and they were, even as big as the parking lot is, there were people parked in the grass. It was a gorgeous fall day and I even wore a light sweater, usually we are sweating like crazy standing in long lines, it was so pleasant. Years ago Mark and I were there and it was so hot the generators were catching on fire and shutting down the rides. Yikes! I loved taking Myah on the huge ferris wheel that over looks Lake Erie, beautiful views of the lake and the park. We have been promising Dayton this trip all summer and we just now were able to squeeze the time in our lives, it was a wonderful and much needed family day!