It was that first moment… that first look and his heart was stolen away by a daughter. He will never be the same. His love for her will grow as he never thought it could. Carlie Grace…you are one lucky little girl.

I don’t know what to say about this photo other than how amazing it was to watch a couple become a family. She become a mother and it seemed effortless while he became a father and it seemed so right. How very lucky that this sweet little girl will have these two as her parents.

We remembered our father’s life by reconnecting with family. Family that have been separated by memories and miles. My brother and sisters along with our mom said our final goodbye to a father and a husband this past week. We procrastinated, not quite ready to bring finality to his life. It’s that final moment where you walk away and know that you have only one choice but to move forward.

We began with a simple gathering of family on a beautiful cloudless day. A short memorial service that was exactly what he would have wanted. We were surrounded by family. A wife, a brother, nephews, grandchildren, daughters and a son. Before the service started we reconnected to aunts and uncles and cousins. There was laughter about how we all have changed yet it all seemed so very familiar. Like it should have been just a follow up to a recent gathering instead of years.

Afterwards we celebrated his life with a wonderful lunch overlooking Lake Michigan. He loved the restaurant so it was fitting that we chose it for our final goodbye. He loved good food, good wine and a good time. I think we did him proud on this final day. So long Dad…..

He truly is my Father’s Grandson. Looking at the photos are all you need as evidence. The hair, hairlines, noses, chins - all similar and familiar. No words need to be said other than- He is his Grandpa’s Grandson.

As a little boy, he would share in my father’s joy of cooking. He wanted to cook “like Grandpa”. He would call his Grandpa on the phone and ask him for his crepe recipe. His little hands wrote as his Grandpa gave him the steps. I remember many a time helping him make the crepes for us. A special treat that to this day is a special memory for a grown man. Grandpa’s crepes…the effort of creating the batter the night before because that is what “Grandpa says we have to do to make it”. I can see us in our San Diego kitchen making that batter the night before so we could have that special breakfast the next morning.

Last year my mother passed that pan on to her grandson. She wanted him to have that pan knowing full well that it held a lot of heartfelt memories for her grandson. On a warm summer morning as we all sat around the kitchen, the grandson took us all back to that special memory as we watched him make those crepes. He is his Grandfather’s Grandson.

My father passed away almost 5 years ago. I think that he would be thrilled to know that his special crepe pan is in the hands of his grandson who to this day shares his love and the challenge of recreating his grandfather’s crepes. As his grandson gets ready to welcome his own child into this world, I cannot help but wonder if he will pass on this tradition and pan to his own children. Somehow, I think he will.

My Father as a young man

His Grandson

A Grandson and his Grandpa’s Crepe pan

Years ago, my siblings and I decided to forgo all the gift giving that comes with Christmas. We could only spend $20 and it had to be on an ornament. This meant each year, we would be adding three new ornaments to our Christmas tree. This simple tradition has brought wonderful memories to me as I decorate my tree each year. My oldest son has started the tradition with us as well. He has been married for three years and they want to have special ornaments that bring special memories as they decorate their tree together each year.

The past few years, we have all bought ornaments from the same place. While, as luck would have it, none of us have bought the same ornament. Each year, for me, the hunt for that special ornament begins the day after Christmas where my dollar goes a little bit further because many of these ornaments go on sale! Each year, Vicki and I, shop together via long distance and discuss what ones we like. It reminds me of the times, when we were younger. Who doesn’t remember that fall day when the big Sears  toy catalogue would arrive? Who didn’t spend hours going page by page looking at every item and making a list? Funny- my kids did the same thing when they were younger every time the Toys R Us catalogue would arrive. I can still hear them saying ” I want this and this and this…”

If my brother or sisters happen to be reading this- This year, I didn’t shop at the same as all of you! I went somewhere different!

But this morning, I found this ornament in the Sundance Catalog and I think it would be JUST PERFECT FOR ME!

5/5/10 - Update- The Brownie camera ornament went on sale and I snapped it right up with a few extras in case I decide to do a giveaway during the Christmas season! The photo below is MINE!

Growing up they fought like cats and dogs. Chases that led to an emergency room visit for one and others that ended with a statement from their Mom with “Who started the fire?” Boys will be boys and brothers will always be brothers. No matter the distance, no matter the day, they remain brothers.

Their life paths are traveled in different states but their life’s passion is exactly the same. They still tease each other while they talk of plans for a vacation of adventure, whether it will be chasing storms or a trip to Alaska. They are each others best friends. When one needs the other, they are there. One is easy going and the other is trying to go easy. One is married while the other  is moving on from a troubled relationship. They help each other more than they know. They are all I have ever hoped for. I am so very proud of them.

There are times I forget my mom is more than a mother.  She is a sister, an aunt, a grandmother and even a great grandmother. She was part of a family before she became my mother. I forget that she shared her life with others before she had her own children. She has memories that her children don’t know about. This a photo is of her and her little brother, Ralph. He was the teaser in the family. He teased my mom and her sister, Deanne, as all good little brothers do everywhere. I love when they get together because we get to hear stories of their childhood that she never shared with her own children.

For the past three summers my mother has come to Chicago to spend her birthday with Vicki and I. We have our routines, places we must go and, of course, restaurants to visit. We have laughed and shared secrets sitting at my kitchen island. These times have allowed me to learn about my mom more than ever. I have learned that she is a woman who still, at 79, has dreams. I want to have dreams at my age but I am caught up in trying to figure out my life in that moment. I am a planner and she is a dreamer. What a thing to discover in a parent.

Several months ago, her high school sweetheart contacted her. It had been sixty years since their last contact. This summer she shared their phone conversations. She was curious what he was like after all their years apart. They made plans to meet again. He came to her town and stayed at her home. Before he arrived, she was nervous and questioned if she was doing the right thing. He arrived and some how they both figured their way through it. He told her she was beautiful and she smiled inside at the thought that, at her age, someone saw her as beautiful even if his memory of her was when she was a teenager. She showed him her life and when he left, she realized something. She realized that she was lonely. She found what she had been missing since my father passed away. She has been alone and just going through the motions of her daily life. She kept herself busy working and volunteering. Things that filled her life with moments not memories. She worked hard for most of her life taking care of others. From owning a resort to to taking care of a husband that was ill. She was up early each day as a resort owner. She was on the front lines of the business. It wasn’t her dream, it was someone else’s.

So as the story goes, she and her high school sweetheart have reconnected and have found that they are both lonely yet still have dreams to fulfill. Her house is on the market and they have are making plans together. A trip to Paris in the spring, a cruise to somewhere. I have heard my mother’s voice have a lilt of joy and laughter that hasn’t been there for a long time. She loves that someone finds her beautiful and tells her so. Someone who cares enough to open a door for her, to hold her hand, to simply love her for who she is. Someone to spend, what years they have left on this earth, together.

As her daughter, I love that she is going to live her dreams. It gives me hope.

I am loving my little Nikon Point and Shoot. My shoulder loves it as well. It was nice to have it on a recent visit out to see Mike. Just another scene from a small community on our way to Tanner’s. I was surprised to see that Rexall Drug stores are still in existence. (Not that I remember EVER going to one)

Lr Preset: Silvery Toned BW and Vignette: Dark

Spent the weekend out in middle America. I snapped this with my point & shoot Nikon. I am enjoying not lugging around my big ole D300 every where I go. Bring it into to Lightroom, add a preset or two with some creative cropping and you would never know I shot this through the truck window! We paid a visit to Tanner’s Orchard and picked up apple cider donuts, fresh cider and a few bags of apples. A great fall weekend and even better seeing with a great son!

You would think that I was Mrs. Greenjeans this summer by this photo. Not at all… Just pure luck. Lots of rain and a wonderfully cool summer. The tomatoes were happy in their containers and the basil loved hanging out with them. I gave them all little pep talks every day about growing big and strong. Did I have success with everything I planted? No- I killed the Rosemary twice….

I thought it might be good to see what presets I used in this photo. Surprisingly I didn’t over preset it for a change. Is “over preset” a post production term?