Bring on the 'lent'...

We celebrated our ash Wednesday services last night at church. Lent is the preparation of Easter, and we will spend the next 46 days (40 days not counting Sundays) celebrating the life and death of Christ. Basically the next 6 Sunday's will be celebrated as 'little Easter' Sundays.

Last night we started with Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday gets it's name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentence using ashes made from the previous year's Palm Sunday palm leaves.

Lauren wasn't sure about my ashes.

Lent is marked by fasting and other acts of penance. Today, most people give up their 'vice'. Like our pastor told us about a 15 year old girl who gave up dr. pepper for the 40 days. It's a way to get closer to God. You spend the 40 days renewing your faith through prayer.


I also wanted to share pictures from our recent trip to the World's Largest Cross... This thing is massive!!! The trip was very short because it was cold and super windy! But we pass by it every month, so I am looking forward to visiting again.








Can anyone guess who the person is in the next picture?

She looks like me huh? Yep, that's my baby sister. We are sisters again!!!




Lauren just loves her Bubba... he's her buddy! I love that she is tugging on his arm in this picture.

Aside from that, we will be tripping to OKC on Sunday after church to stay overnight for Lauren to have tubes on Monday.


See my 'brush-fire'? They were watching cartoons.

They are two wonderful blessings!

I could never give them up!

Legal 'shooting' from the road...

I can't imagine how Mother Nature feels right now... I know how I feel. And others. This stupid weather, not making it's mind up, is making everyone sick or confused. My poor tree is already budding!

Last night was not a good night. Very long and tiring. Lauren was not feeling good. Finally around three-something this morning, Levi told me to just bring her to bed. Finally she slept from about 4-6 or so. I took her to the dr. this morning thinking it was her ears, but the dr. said they weren't red. So your guess is as good as ours. I haven't managed much today, I never napped, but I did rest while she slept.

On our way home from the dr. I took the back roads, hoping to help her fall asleep. As you can see a bit further down, it worked. Levi and I used to drive around A LOT, pre-Lauren, and he would stop and let me take pictures. It was our 'together' time. Riding dates are what we called them.

I do a lot of shooting from my car, and even what some call 'from the hip'. Sometimes I'm not sure how my picture is framed, and it's a lot of fun to see what I have captured.... the mule shots from the other night was 'shooting from the hip'.

For example this shot was taken on the way home today. While I was driving. But don't worry (GRANDMA), I was fully looking at the road. I just set my camera on the steering wheel and snapped. I will share that despite coming from TREE-country, I love western Oklahoma. It has a certain beauty that can't be seen in East Texas. I commonly refer to it as God's Country. The Gold, The Blue, and The Green. It's awesome!






My partner in crime...


She likes to say 'mooooooo' now.





This blue heron reminded me of a trip home several years ago... I took Levi and Hunter home to see my family in East Texas. My mother and I decided to run to town for some reason (can't remember why). Just about a quarter of a mile from my parents house, one of these guys laid flapping on the side of the road. I stopped and backed up while my mother and Hunter were asking 'why? why?' looking around... She had a towel in the back of her explorer, so I wrapped him up in it and took him back to their house. We made a few phone calls and found a lady that rehabilitated animals. I'll never forget how bony and odd he felt. He did try to bite me. Hunter thought it was so much fun! We never took a picture, and we never knew what happened to him. But any time I see one, I can't help but think of him.

I've been tagged!!! My 25 things

First off I have to apologize to Stephanie, she tagged me a while back knowing that I would enjoy what she tagged me in... I started a post and never posted it:

1/30/09- My blogging friend Stephanie tagged me the other day in my comment box on one of the previous posts. She said:

"If you have been tagged, you must go to your pictures file, open the sixth folder, post the sixth picture and tell its story. Then you must tag 6 other people! So much fun!"

So, I had to be a bit creative... I use lightroom and all of my pictures are put into folders by date under the year. Technically I had to go to the sixth picture folder by year, then to the sixth picture folder by date... I didn't like what it picked. Just a stupid picture I took of a frame construction a friend was doing in 2007. Can you say boring???

So I just picked the sixth folder in 2009, and I got this pic... Taken on my very boring birthday, January 19.

Then, my other friend Monica got me to join facebook... and this was posted:

"Okay, so Monica tagged me and now I have to try and not bore you with 25 wonderful things about me... I think she's a little addicted to FB. *hugs* Monica!"

1. I dream... a lot... and very vividly. They seem very real and I can recall details.
2. I play solitaire on the laptop every night before bed. It's my unwind time.
3. I can't do a cart wheel. I can barely touch my toes.
4. I LOVE to sing, but can't. I sound like a sick dog. hahaha. If I could sing, I'd be in Nashville.
5. I have lived in 5 states. Texas, California, Tennessee, Nebraska, Oklahoma.
6. I have attended 8 schools. Count them:

• Levertt's Chapel- Texas
• Sabine- Texas
• Beckville- Texas
• Livingston-Texas
• Sevierville- Tennessee
• New London- Texas
• Davenport- Nebraska
• Cordell- Oklahoma

7. I hated school, but always did good.
8. I am a new believer... I am layleader of my church... I still cuss, and it makes me sad.
9. I sometimes drink 3-4 mountain dews a day.
10. I drink coffee and watch the news. Aggghhh! I am my parents. I'm old.
11. I attended 3 proms (two were attended single, and I enjoyed them more than the one with a date)
12. I've only had a couple of serious relationships.
13. I love the color Pink. Pink-Pink-Pink! Oh and diamonds.
14. I moved out and lived on my own my senior year and worked a full time job, and graduated.
15. I adore and love my children more than life itself, but I would love to also adopt a child one day.
16. I love HORSES, onions, black trucks, my red sharpe pen, Lightroom, my purse, and cold fried chicken.
17. I have seen the movie 'Pretty Woman' and 'Something to talk About' so many times I can recite lines.
18. I despise Billy Mays, the supposed infomercial King.
19. I think Robert Redford is hot! I tend to like older men and red headed guys.
20. I really wanted my daughter to be red headed.
21. I know my husband wishes I was a red head, he tells me all the time.
22. I am a little on the slow and dry side of humor. I blame it on my childhood. I'm too serious.
23. I love my husband to pieces. He's my 'Hunter', I'm his 'Huntress'.
24. I hunt, I fish, I camp. I've shot several deer, quail, rabbits, one cat, but not a single turkey.
25. I love to take pictures... of anything and everything. Digital= instant gratification.

Now you know some random facts about me. And it only took me 30 minutes to type this. Now I tag anyone who reads this and wants to share their 25. Just leave me a comment so I can read yours.

Just when I'm ready to quit...

Just when I think I am ready to quit blogging, I find myself pumped and ready to post.

Sorry I'm MIA (missing in action... I can't explain it. Some days I feel like getting on the computer... some days I don't. Sorry Grandma! Sorry Monica!

Most of you know I am a Pioneer Woman daily reader. Well almost daily... Ironically enough, her post this morning was about her kids and their horses... it made me think about my childhood with horses...

She was talking about how her daughter wrote an ode to her horse, you can read the cute passage here. Well, it made me think of the songs my Sister and I used to sing while riding in our younger days.

Remember the country song by Daryle Singletary, “too much fun”? Well, ours went something like this:

Too much horses? What’s that mean?
It’s like too many horses, there’s no such thing!
It’s like a horse too pretty, with too much class.
Being too lucky, a horse too fast
No matter what they say I’ve done
I ain’t never had too many HORSES!!!

We lived in Rural Nebraska where we had to ride three miles to go to town. Our Sunday’s were filled with horse races to town with a dollar in our pocket to buy a soda at the soda dispenser, just to ride back home with again. Those were the days when all we thought about was boys and horses...

Good times.

So speaking of my sister, and of horses. My sister called me last night to say the horse farrier was at her house and had time to do our mule before he left town.

Joe. Isn't that a good name for a horse farrier? So fitting.

He loved Festus. Even threatened to steal him. I love Festus, but Festus doesn't love me so much. He's Levi's mule. But what I love about Festus, is when he has't been ridden in a while, you can just saddle up and go. For example this past 4th of July. He hadn't been ridden in months, and Levi and Hunter climbed aboard and rode him in the downtown parade. No problem.

By the way, if you happen to have any of these laying around. And you have dogs. Share these with your dog. he'll love them!

And brown nanny goats like little Lauren fingers...

This is a little personal, but I just had to share...

Every morning Levi and say good bye and wish each other a 'good day'. We top it off with a kiss. Yesterday, I convinced him to let me take a picture...

I really need to start tanning...

Have a great day!

How about an update?

I know... I know... It's been a while.

Not a whole lot to update but here goes:

Life is a whirl wind right now (then again, when is it not?). Lauren is scheduled to have tubes placed in her ears on March the 2nd. So please being praying for her. Unfortunately, she will have an anesthesia, just the mask, but still scary!

I am busy being busy with
work-
and photography-
and Lauren-
and road trips-
and website-
and everything else in between, and oh yeah, not feeling very good. But that's not uncommon with me either.

I wanted to share some pictures from some of my recent shoots. And I have more to come.

This is the newest apple of my eye, Miss Malyssa!!! Isn't she precious?


Her mommy isn't so bad either!

I just LOVE this picture...

I just LOVE this picture too... and laugh so hard as well.

And then these two cuties:

Carsen and Cale

They are so precious and have evoked all sorts of baby feelings. I want a little boy sooooo bad!

Yes, Levi is scared! hahahaha!

Besides that, what else can I bore you with?


.... hmmmm

I can't think of much more. I'll be back, I promise.

Lots of love!
Drop us a line!

Shannon

A little camera fun...

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone!!! Yes, despite my dislike of sports, I am watching the Super Bowl... well, sort of. I am listening and cooking and posting to the blog. I made hot wings and oven baked fries with sweet tea. Life is good!!! I don't mind football, I even know quite a bit about it... But I most certainly don't want to watch it everyday.

The other morning, on the way to work I was able to capture this pretty boy in the cold icy morning:





And this is SOOC (straight out of camera), taken this afternoon on Lauren's room:





Yeah she was screaming at me because I wouldn't let her touch the lens of my camera... Oh the joys of a toddler.

I am enjoying my camera, like you wouldn't believe!!! And to top it off, my friend John sent me home today with a Quantaray 50mm Macro lens... So I played with it a little tonight:
















I couldn't believe the quality on this thing!!!

So I am thinking that this whole 2-blogs thing is too much to keep up with... so I am going to combine them. From now on all photography things and family things will be posted here. It will be much easier for me. I hope no one minds.

Also, I am still trying to figure out how to post my Project 340 without posting them here. Maybe in the sidebar somewhere... until then, here is 1/28 and 1/30. I skipped the 29th until I know it's okay to post the picture.




Well that's all for now!!! Sending out love!

PS... Let's GO Cardinal's!!! Let's GO!