Stormy Weather

My friend The Virginia Queen Bee has been posting pictures of Sky Watch Friday for awhile now and been encouraging me to do so, since I obviously love to photograph God's Creation! :o) In the past I have also been drawn to the Saturday Sky posts, but have not joined that either. Right now the Friday would conflict with my Faith on Friday, but I still haven't ruled it out.

Anyway, today was HARD. There are just some days as moms where the battle seems to rage and all forces are aiming their attack at you! We all survived, but I am exhausted. I sent out a cry for prayer help to my friends on the Christian Artisans list and had a good cry on the phone with my Mom during her lunch break (thanks Mom!). When Hubby was taking out the trash he said, "Hey! There's a rainbow!" By the time I hobbled out it was gone, but I felt comforted knowing it was there. God has a pattern of putting rainbows in my life to remind me that just like He promised Noah that He would never again destroy the word by flood, He will NEVER give me more than I can bear. It feels pretty close at times. Boy howdy! But it is never too much!

Here is what it looks like when I stand in front of our trailer and face the neighbor catty corner to us. This is not photoshopped! Isn't it gorgeous. The air was warm and charged and alive with the storm passing through. Before I went in, slow, heavy raindrops began to fall. The kind that are huge and go plop! plop! No wonder I have had a sinus migraine. Now that it has rained a little this morning and this evening, it seems the pressure is breaking up.

As I was watching the storm roll in I thought of a poem/song, that I wrote when I was in high school. It's corny - the kind of sappy, romantic thing a petulant and moody teenager would write. It started out:

Stormy weather,

Tossed by the seas of life,

Only Jesus,

Can comfort in strife.

Corny! Yes, but so true! I need to "practice what I preach" and when I am overwhelmed I know that no matter what comfort I seek elsewhere, ultimately I need to go to the source. Isn't it nice how God encourages us through these gentle nudges? (Even when we sometimes deserve to be "zapped" by the storm!)

Where My Toes Came From

Here are some more pictures from my vacation in Washington, mainly posting for my family to see. This is my Auntie Irma, who is the older sister of my Grandpa Johnson. By the end of this post, I will show you where my toes came from! :o)

During my growing up years, my family didn't spend a lot of time with Auntie Irma, but when my Grandpa died, we grew close. And today when I see her, I run for a big hug! She is the living reminder of the only Grandpa I ever knew. This year, Auntie Irma was in a new senior apartment complex that was really nice. Look at the twinkle in her eye - she's in her mid 80s and she still wears purple nail polish, lipstick and fashionable clothing and jewelry.

D, J and A are petting Heidi, Auntie Irma's Pomeranian (who has a "teddy bear" cut). Heidi was a little bit scared of the kids as you can see here. This was our 4th day in a different place and the kids were just giving out. They behaved so horribly that day, I was embarrassed! Fortunately, Auntie Irma has lots of great grandchildren and was very understanding. Her apartment was small, so we went out to lunch at her favorite Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a good time together.

Okay, you know my weight. You know my BMI. Why am I embarassed to show my toes? LOL Probably because California's dry air makes my skin, especially on my feet, dry and icky. My foot's in the brown sandals and Irma's is in the white.

Irma's Husband, Uncle Vern, died not long after my Grandpa. I came and spent a weekend with her at that time and while we were watching TV at night, I looked down and GASPED! I have peculiar toes - the 2nd and 3rd are like conjoined twins and they stick out past my big toe. Because they won't stay together, but spread out in a V, they cause me lots of issues in finding shoes wide enough for my toes! I always wondered where my feet came from, not seeing them elsewhere in my family, but there they were - the same toes at the end of Auntie Irma's feet! We're not sure if that is a Smith or a Johnson trait, but at least I know now, I didn't fall off the turnip truck! LOL

So, aren't you excited? You know where my toes came from! Since having children, I am increasingly interested in seeing how the genes display themselves. Do you look like someone in your family?

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

Make new friends,but keep the old.

One is silver,the other is gold.

(A and J)

If you were ever a Girl Scout, you undoubtedly recognize those lyrics. I remember the beauty of that song sung a capella and in round by young girls at camp, many moons ago. And really they have been a theme for my life. Every year I attended a different school until I reached middle school. There have been many other good byes and "start overs" in my life and sometimes making friends has been hard. Generally I have been on the fringe in life, hanging on the edge, not quite in the inner circle - too quiet, too smart/nerdy, too conservative, too intense - fill in the blank. My Mom had many a wet shoulder consoling me through the years. But those experiences taught me to choose genuine people to develop friendships with.

One of the hardest parts of moving to California, was leaving behind the sisterhood of friends I had developed at Northwest Pediatrics/Madrona Medical Group. Nurses and medical staff work together through a lot of stress to get the job done and the bonds created in camaraderie are strong. I don't regret coming here with Hubby, because he is my home, but I do miss those friends. And when I go back to visit, it is hard. You can't just drop by in the middle of a busy medical schedule to say hi - well, you can but you get in the way. So, it has been 5 years or more since I have seen many of the people dear to me, but each visit home I try to visit my friend J. J is a "golden" friend.

J, A and D on the swings.

J is one of the nurses I worked with for about 9 years at Northwest Peds. At first we knew each other in passing and then circumstances brought us closer. One year J had a heart attack and since, at that time, I was working part time for Dr. K and part time on the desk, I was chosen to fill in for her doctor. Not an easy job working for a perfectionist doctor. Not an easy job filling J's shoes! Praise God, J survived and healed and returned.

Somewhere along the line, I began photographing her children's weddings. I have enjoyed and been challenged by photographing 4 of her 6 children's' weddings and twice I have done family pictures with the whole big group. In spite of one of her sons being grumpy :o) about smiling in the pictures, it has been fun. Through the years I saw her family grow and change. One of the things I found satisfying about my years in pediatrics (as opposed to my other experiences in ob/gyn, family practice and various specialties), was the relationship you develop with your patients, seeing them change and grow and getting to know some of them personally due to the nature of frequent pediatric visits. I experienced that same joy photographing her family and then remaining friends. Now one of the children from the first marriage I photographed is a teenager! And two of the girls from that marriage are identical twins born during the blizzard, the same night I met Hubby online! None of us will forget that night! :o)

August tenth unfolded the next chapter in our friendship. K and B, the two girls whose weddings I photographed were there with their children. J whose wedding I also photographed, was there with his children. All our children played together, just as if they always knew each other. Kids can be mean, it's true, but they also have an amazing capacity to expand their play realm to include others. It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't even know each others' names - they just get down to the important stuff - PLAYING! Discernment is a good thing, but maybe we adults should loosen up and learn a few things from our children!

This is L, the newest grand baby. He was a little sleepy and happy to be in Grandma's arms.

He wasn't quite sure what to think of me with the camera, but watched from his safe position.

L has a big sister named E who has all kinds of adventures that her Mommy shares with us via email. When I took this picture she hadn't decided yet what to think about me.

E is the best kind of princess - beautiful and lady like and able to hold her own! :o) Do you see that look she is giving me?

After a few shots, L began to warm up and gave me a smile! How could you resist that face?!

This picture cracks me up. L looks a lot like his Grandma's side of the family and I thought it was funny to get them both in profile, but looking opposite directions.

Sharing a special moment with Grandma.

L is admiring his Papa! Here J is with her Hubby M. They have been married almost as long as I have been alive! Together they have a wonderful family and homestead.

M and J have quite a romantic story, having met as children. Both of their families, at separate times, lived in the big farmhouse they have been lovingly restoring. They met as children and the rest is history!

L is still keeping an eye on Papa - what's he getting ready to do?

L and E are the children of M and J's youngest daughter B and her great Hubby T. E was still not real sure - can you see that the tears are not too far away.




Apparently L just wanted to see Grandma's face. I kept shooting. There were giggles and it was cute.

My girls had fun playing with E. They're in a blur because they are running circles around one of the vehicles. Hey, whatever gets the energy out! LOL Remember I have city kids. They were so happy to get out on the farm and play.

Here E and my J are rounding the corner. J is overflowing with delight.

J's youngest son R has a lot of birds. Here is J and one of the emus.

There are several peacocks and pea hens with beautiful colors. They had just molted but their colors were spectacular. I'd love to have some silk to knit in that color of blue!

E,J,D and A watching the birds.

Baby peacocks, running from me!

I went to the other side to capture the kids' faces as they watched and fed the birds. Unbeknownst to me, there was a peacock roosted above me and when he jumped down noisily in front of me, I must have jumped ten feet! J got a good laugh at my expense! LOL

Several of my online friends have Farmall tractors, so I had to take a picture of this sign.

Playing in the barn with all the cousins and their excitable dog!


Some of the boys, "just hangin'".

We all decided to walk down the road a block to the entrance of R's land which adjoins his parents.

One of the boys rode a dirt bike. D's eyes were as big as saucers!

J,D and A - the city mice in the country.

E, J and A played harmoniously at the piano.

The kids were playing some sort of Indiana Jones adventure on this boat. The beauty of a zoom lens is "spying" on the kids without them knowing.

Oops! They caught me. Now we became the villains in their play drama. A was right in the midst of all the boys, happy as a clam. J is a bit overwhelmed when we are with a lot of people so she watched with me.

Oh no! The villains draw near!

E was told she could take a couple cookies home with her, so she snuck down the porch with this handful.

A is checking out K as she says good bye.

K with J

K and D

We sure had a lovely time with lots of play, walking, a good lunch and great fellowship! Whenever I visit with J, I feel so comfortable and relaxed, it's hard to say goodbye. The nicest kinds of friends, silver or gold, are the ones you can pick right up with, wherever you left off.

Thanks J and Family for a great day!