This that and the other thing......

Wow, the time has flown by hasn't it?! In April I was privileged to take photos of my Beautiful granddaughter Abby. her very 1st birthday photos! And we did a cake smash. She was so funny...she refused to put her hands in the cake, she preferred the spork to eat it with. So funny. Her expressions just make me smile and melt my heart.

We also hosted her birthday party here. The theme was Pinwheels. Fun, playful and happy. Lots of family and friends came to celebrate with us. It was a great afternoon. And yes I even made her cake.....

In May I had the fun and privilege of taking the Class of 2012 Senior prom photos! We took them at my new outdoor Studio, constructed by BNB Works. :) Eric did and amazing job, with the assistance of Andrew and I did all the plants. lol  It is so soothing to sit out there and just listen to the waterfalls and the frogs...yes lots of frogs, birds and I'm sure I saw an otter sneak thru! But I'm not for certain.

In June our son Graduated from Community College with his AA Degree and a 3.7 gpa for spring quarter, yep VP list! Winter it was Presidents list! So graduation day..... Hooray! Such a wonderful day! He is now on his way to the University of Oregon. Yes, my son is officially a UO Duck! He's been telling us since he was 10 years old he was going to attend the University of Oregon and be a Duck! He was right. :)

It will be hard with him gone....yes, empty nesters. Am I ready for this? Hmmmmmm I really don't know yet. I have quite a few sessions and two weddings scheduled so I'm going to be pretty busy and maybe it won't hit me quite as fast. Ok I can hope it won't ;)

The rest of this summer has been farming farming farming. Did you know that when it rains we get crabby farmers?! Yeppers...I can vouch for that. The rain has not been nice this year, likes to mess up the hay crops and baling. Its all good now, but that really rainy week was quite unbearable around the neighborhood.

I think I have pretty much covered the majority of the happenings here. There is always more to say, but I'll leave that for another day ;) Enjoy the photos....don't forget to snap some fun photos with your cameras this summer. Times flies by pretty quickly. Words from my favorite movie..... "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it!"  ~Ferris Bueller

Happy Snapping everyone! ~ Necee

When it Rains it Pours.....

Yes, you heard me right. And I am not just talking the wet stuff that is falling from the sky today either. ;) No, it has been a sad crazy insane..unbearable last two months here. My last post was a sad happy one. Sad for the passing of my Grandma Grace...happy for a wonderful vacation get a way to Hawaii.

Well since then we have lost 9 people in our lives. :( People from church, friends, farmer friends, my Auntie Lea February 23rd, and just last week my best friends sister in law Lisa....a wonderful wife and mother of 3 beautiful girls.

Ok let me bounce backwards just a tad. After we returned from Hawaii it was crazy busy here....a friend went into the hospital.....his cancer had returned full force. We continued to move forward and pray and we got a few weeks of crazy yet happy days. The week of February 20th we lost a dear sweet lady at our church. Dorothy. That same week, February 23rd we lost my Auntie Lea. This is the aunt (and uncle) I lived with for a bit of time when I was younger. So she was like a second mom to me. We lost her to Pancreatic cancer. :( Dorothy's services were the 24th at our church...Brian attended I just couldn't do it. My heart was broken and Brian thought it best I stay home. We made plans to go to Kansas and Aunties services the following Wednesday. We chose to fly...because of the snowy winter weather in the mountains. We drove to Spokane Monday afternoon catching an early flight out Tuesday morning.

It was great seeing my family back there again. My Uncle Doyle and my 'sister-cousin' Lisa and her family, and my cousins. Of course we were greeted with typical Kansas weather...a Tornado warning/watch! lol Yep...my husband experinced first hand what I've been trying to explain to him all these years. Poor guy. We were sideswiped in Emporia...the Tornado touched down 30 miles away in Harveyville. Not good for that town. It missed my family in Lebo as well...they were to the East also about 30 miles away from when the Twister touched down. Keeping track on NOAA.com and the weather channel was quite fun. As well as watching the sideways rain, 90+ MPH winds, hail, silence and start again.....

The day of Aunties services we found out our friend Ed had passed away on Monday afternoon. :( More sadness and his services would be Friday so we would miss them. He also passed away from cancer.

Auntie's services were beautiful. Auntie was an amazing, beautiful and loving lady that blessed everyone she came in contact with. Saw lots of people from when I was back there when I was younger...a few of the "grandparents type" did remember me. :) and I them. It was good to be there especially for Uncle Doyle and cousin Lisa. The ladies of the church put on a very nice meal for us all. So sweet and kind.

Brian and I drove around Lebo and I showed him the old Red house, the old Lebo Garages.....and the stores we use to walk to. lol Yes...an old town of 900 people. Awesomeness and now much change. Lisa, Fallon (Lisa's daughter) and I even jumped in the car to go measure exactly how wide Lebo actually was. 1.1x1.1 miles :) The things we do to entertain and prove a point. lol

I spent most of my time with Lisa....felt good to act like a teenager lol. Spent time with Uncle Doyle and he even made me breakfast! yummo! Love his breakfasts. Brian and I drove to Bobo's in Topeka for dinner with Lisa, John & Fal one night. Yummo! then to Heston Kansas to tour the AGCO Massey Fergeson/Heston factory on Thursday. Took lots of photos.....had lots of fun! We did come home on Saturday...I so hated to leave! But I am going back! Soon. ;)

After we got home...I don't think it was a week and we heard another friend had passed away. :( This a long time family Friend. Then again about a week.....another neighbor friend. :( The tears just keep going. Brian received a phone call one morning our ditch rider and good friends daughter had passed away in her sleep. Oh my.....another. Then another friend...he had been ill from cancer....passed away. This last week...my best friends sister in law passed away from Cancer.

So last Saturday was my grandma Grace's Celebration of Life services on the coast (they held them then due to weather in January) and tomorrow is Lisa's (best friends sister in law). I took her daughters senior photos a couple years ago. Lisa was such an amazing strong God fearing lady. She was such a blessing to everyone. So sad to be taken at such a young age. :(

So...I am ready for the rain of sadness to be done. I don't think my heart can take much more. Last count there were 9 people we had lost...all I know we will see again. :) For they are all at Jesus' side waiting for the day when we join them. Tho I want to see them now....I am not ready to go home just yet. God knows when my time is...and when its time, I will go. Until then I hold my memories dear.

Next post I'll post pictures! a more happy post :) Necee

Grace

Yesterday was a whirlwind for me. We lost a dear sweet lady in our family. One that I have cherished and taught me so much. My Grandma Grace passed away. I won't go into details, they aren't necessary here....she is at peace and not in pain. She is in Heaven, which I must say has one amazing Grandma now! So all you Angels up there...you are so blessed!

On my breaks from school when I was little I would go over to Grandma and Grumpo's house on the coast and spend a good week at a time with them. Of course Grandma always took me shopping. I would get a whole new wardrobe it seems. Pants, shirts, even a nice winter coat. lol She bought me a Lucy white watch, my first ever watch. I still have that thing packed away. It doesn't work anymore...over wound. lol But it was a gift my grandparents gave me so I couldn't get rid of it. That and I LOVE the Peanuts gang! I got to ride the bus for the first time by myself to go see my grandparents. Also my first ever plan ride. :) When you are under 11 years old doing these things its major! You know I actually still have a couple of the outfits and dresses grandma bought me. All packed away....I couldn't part with them either.

Grumpo would always take us out to a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant to show off a new dress and shoes Grandma bought me and of course one for herself. They introduced me to sauteed mushrooms (which I love love love!), fried eggplant (mmm), stuffed porkchops, brussel sprouts and Grumpo's bbq'd Salmon on the grill.

Grumpo would take me for ice cream in his little car. Grandma and I would go for lunch. We'd do puzzles on their big dining room table. Grandma taught me important things..how to set the table "properly" for which I will never forget. and how to eat at a fancy restaurant. *giggles. We'd go to the Golf course and hit some golf balls...it was grumpo that taught me how to play golf. :) I may not have been the best at it but to me...both him and grandma were.

Grumpo made me the first doll house of the family. I have a photo of it. Cute little white house. Simple and plain, nothing fancy but I loved it! My daughter I believe got the last one he built. a bit more fancy than mine but still just as precious and just as beautiful. He also made me a stained glass Smurf to hang in the window. He knew my love for Smurfs when I was a teen ...I still have that glass window piece. :)

Yes, there really wasn't anything super special about them....they worked most of their lives..starting at Ma Bell and moving up to the new At&t building in Seattle...the cool black glass building with the slanted roofs downtown (not sure if its still the same building or not). They retired from there. They owned a Yacht, (or yachet) as Grumpo use to say lol, lived near golf courses. And Grumpo even built their last house. An amazing house it is.

I have some photos...not many of us thru the years. I just found a layout I did a few years ago from when I was little at Christmas time at Grandma's. I don't have many photos of my grandma or my grandparents for that matter. But the photos in my mind are the ones that I can hold onto forever. I have their voices ingrained on my heart...and I can hear them giving me little bits of advice. For that I am truly blessed.

Thank you Grandma Grace and Grumpo Ken for just being my grandparents. :) Love you much.
Necee