R&R

Another blog that I started and never posted! Haha!!!!

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Oh...but Wait! That's not the best part of the summer even! End of August rolled around and it was time for something BIG! It was time for R&R! John told us he was coming home sometime at the end of August, but we didn't really know when. I had a round' about date...but with the Army, things can change at the last minute. So I didn't want to get too excited just to be let down. When he called me on a Friday, I was like "OK...see you in a few days". Hmm...maybe see you Tuesday since I'd heard it could take almost 5 days for travel. That Sunday morning we got a call from him saying he was arriving in 2 hours! For Realz?? Holy Cow...we need to get our butts in gear and get ready to go to the airport! It was actually nice to get a phone call a couple hours in advance. You see, the year before, he did not have a layover and I ended up being late to the airport. But this time, I had plenty of time to get there, go to the check in and get our little blank gate passes so that we could meet him immediately after he walked off the plane.

We made it through security and waited at the gate. There was another lady there with a small child. I could tell they were waiting for a soldier too because she was pumping the little girl up. Telling her where her daddy was going to come out from and that she could run up and hug him. They had a video recorder and camera ready to go. The doors opened and people started coming out. I wondered why they didn't let the military people off first. That would be nice dontcha think? I don't think anyone on that plane would oppose to allowing a soldier coming from overseas the privilege of leaving the plane first in order to hug his family he hasn't seen in who knows how many months. But we waited patiently by a Jack Daniels Barrel. Hahaha! I saw a few soldiers come out. Some that didn't have family to great them (which I felt bad for, but then remembered my situation last year). A tall soldier came out...the woman and her friend/whatever squealed in excitement. The small girl ran to him and hugged him. He picked her up and swung her over his shoulder. It brought tears to my eyes. Then I remembered that I was waiting for my soldier too. My focus drew back to the doorway and finally I saw that tall, dark and handsome man of mine. He came over and hugged me. Aidan was not enjoying me being the center of attention so he jumped on his back. What a goob. We walked hand in hand through the airport and back to the Durango (which he thoroughly looked over before we headed out). You know...since I made that purchase on my own.

I thought we'd keep Monday as a resting day, but he wanted to head out to our vacation destination immediately. So Monday afternoon we were headed to Disney World!






Oh what fun we had! We celebrated my 32'nd Birthday with friends who live there. They cooked us dinner and even made homemade cupcakes. It was nice to see them after so many years (4 I think).

We even made a little pit stop at Universal Studios.



The new Harry Potter attraction was amazing! Aidan really loved the butter beer!

After Florida, we just kind of vegged for another week until it was time for him to go back. Seriously...15 days is not enough time. It goes by way too fast. I think they should get 30. Especially since they deploy so often. But I guess I'll have to make do with my 15 days and be happy that I had it. But then again...saying goodbye twice is pure torture! I am one of those people that starts getting upset about a week before. So I really only get a week of happiness before I turn myself into a wreck. It's not something that I can control...it just is. I constantly tell myself...enjoy it while it lasts. But all I can think about is that he is leaving me, yet again for who knows how long because we don't get dates to look forward to.

And that was r&r in a glance :). More disney photos can be viewed over on my facebook page. The countdown is on for our next homecoming!!!

Summer Fun!

I started this blog post back in Sept...but never got around to adding the photos. So now that I'm back...here it is!

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It's been a while since my last update. So to those of you that do like to check in with us every now and then, I apologize. Let's see...where did I leave off? I think it was somewhere around when Aidan was at his big summer campout. I did promise a photo from his trip so here are a couple.

This is a portion of his troop.



And here we have the little thing I like to call my spawn. The guy who can cheer me up in an instant or break me down in one too.


Anyways, he had a great time. But I have to tell you about his very first night there. I had already arrived in Gatlinburg for my girls trip with Reisa and was snuggled into my bed. It wasn't too long before I drifted off and then I hear the phone ring. I looked at the clock and it was 1 in the am. I thought, "who in the world would be calling me at this hour". Several things jumped into mind. Aidan with a severe burn from falling into the campfire? Or hmm...something broken. I answer and say "Aidan"? No answer. "Aidan...are you there"? Finally I hear this tiny little voice on the other end. "This place sucks" (insert sad little boy voice). I asked him where everyone was and he said they were all sleeping. He said it was too hot to sleep and he didn't want to sleep outside of his bag because a spider might get him. Haha! That was enough to worry me for the rest of my week. I tried calling him several times to see if that spider ever got him, but he never answered his phone after that. Come to find out, he had a great time and didn't want to come home!

That was June! What's next? July... nothing wild and crazy for July really. Other than the normal Independence Day festivities. We met up with Reisa and another friend Amy and her son and went out to post to enjoy the fair and the annual fireworks show they put on. And boy do they put on one hell of a show. A small fortune is spent on those fireworks. We parked a spot on the lawn and let the boys run free around the fair. I figured Aidan is old enough that it is time I give him a little responsibility. And it was just too hot to stand around watching him ride that darn sky scraper looking thing over and over. I just told him to be back to our spot when he saw the fireworks starting. Needless to say...the boy was grounded for a week. Oh...and did I mention we all had to have our very own funnel cake!



In August, April and I tackled one more Wedding together. It went well and we got some great photos. But we decided that Weddings were not right for us anymore. They are soo very stressful, and take alot of patience. Maybe it's just me being hard on myself, but there is always that one moment that gets missed and it just makes me feel horrible. I have had the greatest brides though and have been soo lucky thus far. But I don't think I am ready for it quite yet. I still want to improve my skills before I can commit to another one.

Aidan's 11th Birthday was in August also. I didn't want to have a whole bunch of cleanup, so we had a bowling party the weekend before his actual birthday. It was awesome and he had a great turnout! The bowling alley provided food and drinks, and a whole room for his party. I think he had a wonderful time!




In the middle of August, I completed my first semester at Academy of Art University! It was only two classes, but they were compressed into 6 weeks. The regular sessions are almost 4 months. I got both A's! Yay Me!!! The next semester just started last week, and I have a full course load to include a couple of history classes (eek...if there is ever a class that I am horrible at, it's history!). Wish me luck! The writing itself is going to kill me!


Anyway...I think that is enough catching up for now :). But stay tuned for more!!!

What a Whirlwind of a Vacation!!!

I can't believe how quickly this month went by! Aidan and I have been soo busy I didn't even realize it was almost July! At the end of May, April and I shot our very first wedding as a Duo! Having her there by my side made things soo much easier to handle.


That same weekend, I sent Aidan off on another boy scout campout. This time they went up to the Smokey Mountains for a little white water rafting! He was soo excited that he was the only one that didn't fall out of the raft (besides the guide). It was probably because he was soo tiny and slipped to the center of the raft instead. I was a little jealous that he got to enjoy such a fun activity without me!!! Aidan is the little one with the yellow helmet ;)


We had a nice little visit from John's Grandparents...who we call MeeMaw and PeePaw. We explored the base, went bowling, enjoyed Jazz on the lawn, visited the Parthenon in Nashville and had ice cream on the strip! It was a very nice visit and we miss them dearly!


Next we took a 13 day trip to AZ to visit Mom and Dad. While there we visited their lake house at Lake Havasu and saw the London Bridge!


We had such a great time riding on Papa's Boat!


And it wouldn't be a trip to Sedona without visiting Slide Rock Park!


When we returned to Clarksville, the Jetta just stopped running! The mechanics said it was going to cost over $4500 to rebuild the engine. So I had to make a decision without John-o. We now own a gently used Dodge Durango!


We made a quick stop at the Fair! Aidan spent all of his money on the games and I am hoping he learned a little lesson from it...but I guess we will never know!


The Vacationing was not over! Aidan had one more boyscout campout for the summer. This time it was for a whole week! In fact he is still there now. I am headed out there for Parents day this afternoon and will be bringing him home with me. In the mean time, my friend Reisa and I decided to have a girls trip to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We checked out Dollywood, Splash Country and Cirque de Chine! The Chinese Acrobats were amazing!!!


And finally...My first classes at the Academy of Art University began! The summer semester is very fast paced and I wonder if I can keep up! I already had 4 assignments to work on in the first week! My first one was to take a photo that showed a day in the life of my city. Of course I chose to do something military related and here is what I came up with:


Phew...what a month!!!

Business and Feelings...

Sometimes I wonder if people understand that I AM a person...with problems much like their own. Yes...I am a business owner, but at the same time...it is a very personal business. And I do have bad days. Every photo session can't go perfectly as planned. When that happens, I try my best to be accommodating and make concessions to rearrange my schedule to fit them in at a later time. We all know babies and children can be very unpredictable. If nap time didn't go well, someone is hungry, or just plain cranky... why should that be a reflection on me? I am finding it hard not to let these things get to me or to hurt my feelings when someone is upset with the way it went. But with John gone...not here by my side to comfort me when I've had a bad day...it just seems to be so much more frustrating. It can be kind of discouraging. Don't get me wrong...I love what I do. I love babies, and I love children. But I am still learning how to handle these situations...and I may not always be as composed as I wish I could be. When you're stressed out...it's not always easy to hide. I am a pretty laid back and easy going person though. Most of my clients tell me that I am very patient. So I "thought" I was doing well giving that comforting...it's OK vibe. I have come a long way since I opened my business. And I am pleased with my progress. I just wish I could make everyone happy...and when I don't, I am sad.

Sadness today...

Today I am feeling overwhelmed with sadness. There are so many little things....and also a few bigger things. I am sad for the people of TN who were affected by the flooding yesterday and today. I can't look at the news anymore. I feel extremely lucky to be looking at dry streets outside my window. But I also feel guilty that only a few streets away...there are businesses and homes overrun with river water. I've heard rumors that the water levels were only going to get higher but I can't even begin to imagine how that will affect them. I am counting my blessings for now and praying for those in need.

On a much smaller scale, I am sad for the little old man parked in front of me at Walmart today. After unloading my groceries, I noticed the man was standing at the front of his truck with the hood up. He looked confused. I approached him and asked him if he needed a jump. He graciously accepted. After several tries we decided that it just wasn't going to happen. I asked him if he wanted to use my cell phone to call someone. He said thank you but that his brother was inside making a call. I wished that there was more I could do for him. But he told me I should go. I left the parking lot thinking about that little man and hoping that his truck would start. And it made me sad to think he would be stranded there.

And finally...I am sad that there are people that don't care about others feelings. The ones that say mean things to people without stopping to think about what really is going on in that persons life. The ones that do things to openly exclude others and then make lame excuses as to why they did it. Excuses that don't even make sense. I refuse to let myself be affected by those people. This is why I try my best to distance myself from those that care only about themselves. I will continue to live my life "happily". Because the only thing that really is important is that I have 2 wonderful boys that love me. And soon we will be taking a trip back to the happiest place on earth. I can't wait! The photo below is from our last trip to Disney world and we are excited to go again!!!

My boy is a SPONGE!

Aidan has really been impressing me lately with his knowledge of interesting facts. A few weeks ago he went into detail about the highest award for animal bravery. He knew exactly how many were given to dogs, birds, and even a cat. From that moment on...I decided to actually "hear" him. I am not sure if I had been just disregarding his little thoughts in the past...and I hate to think that I was. But out of the blue he has become this interesting little person to me. Maybe it is because John is not here and he is now relaying his thoughts and opinions onto me instead.

The girls and I have decided to start going to Trivia down at the Front Page Deli (instead of Blackhorse). This will allow us to include him in on the fun. When we did it at the Blackhorse it was up in the bar, so he could not come. We went this last week and Aidan answered 3 of the questions all on his own! Seriously...I never know the answers to any of the questions. I just go to be social.

Anyways...my point is I like what he's becoming. And I am soo proud of this little boy and his sponge of a brain. Yes, there are days when he can get on my nerves and I want to just send him camping. But for the most part, he's a good kid and I am blessed that he is mine.

Flying by....

One month down!!! It has flown by soo quickly too. Now...if I'm lucky enough...the next ones will go just as fast. Aidan and I have been soo busy keeping up with our daily lives that we barely had a chance to think about it. Of course I miss him every night before I go to bed. But it is nice to have something to keep my mind off of it during the day.

Alot has happened since I last posted here. Easter was soo great! We spent the morning with some friends and took a nice little trip to this cool place called Rivermounds. See video here: Easter Video. It was soo much fun and the boys had a blast going down that slide! Then in the evening we were invited over to another friends house for Easter Dinner. She makes the best scalloped potatoes! Yummmm!

The following weekend, Aidan went on his very first campout without mom or dad! I was a little sad to see him off...but I got over it real quick! I had a nice weekend with Reisa! We stayed up till 5 in the morning and got new tattoos! Ha!!! We are soo bad! But it was soo much fun!

Since then...I've just been working like crazy. Photo sessions just about every day! I finally have a chance to sit and catch up on my processing this week (unless I get a last minute phone call).

Thats pretty much it. John called on Friday...and I need to make him a box while I have time this week. He has asked me a few times...but I just get soo caught up in work...that I lose track of time. Today it will be my number one priority. If I don't get it done this week...I will be the most horrible wife EVER! I'm sorry baby...I miss you alot and will have this package in the mail soon...I promise!