I'd love to kiss whomever invented the "flip flop." The fact that I get to wear flip flops year round now is just fabulous. It was an 83 degree beach day here in sunny Florida today. I slipped on my old, trusty, so cheap it should be criminal, rubber, flip flops and headed down the street to the beach. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and after four straight hours in untouched Florida sun, my face and body are paying for it. I seriously look like I fell asleep under a sun lamp or something. Yes, I'm that over done. Very crispy. Totally lobster like and that is a rare occurrence for me. Normally I just tan. Today was a different story. No pain no gain I guess, right? I know dermatologists across America are cringing with disgust right now. LOL!
Anywho, I took about 16 magazines with me to the beach today. Kenidi always devours my magazines that I get before I get to. I finally took the time to flip thru each one today while sugaring the sand between my toes them. The pages were a bit crinkled and disheveled due to my little KG having them first but I managed. The people around me on the beach probably thought I was nuts because of the huge stack I was reading thru. Here was my "read" pile as I began finishing them. Some of my favs...(mainly photography magazines)...
I always get asked what kind of tanning lotion I use. As many of you know, a fellow blog reader turned my girlfriends and I on to "afro-sheen" while we were all down here about two summers ago. It is a running joke amongst all of us now because we all F-R-I-E-D ourselves with it when we tried it. Normally though, I use this...
I use it along with a mixture of Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil as well. I use the solar dust (above) and then I put the tanning oil over the top of it. Yes, another concoction of mine. I know. However, it works for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the solar dust because if you look closely you will see that it has specks of gold shimmery crystals in it. When you apply it to your skin, it leaves the flecks of shimmer on your skin and I swear that the little shimmers are what attracts the sun so much. It also looks pretty on your tan brown skin. Did I mention that I love it? Like really love it? ;) Again, dermatologists...just pretend like you aren't reading any of this. Hide your eyes. HA HA!
All in all, it was a beautiful day. Gorgeous was more like it. I spent four uninterrupted hours by the sea - destressing - catching up on my reading - attempting to whittle down my inbox and return some emails as well as made much needed phone calls that were on my to-do list. I enjoyed the sounds of the seagulls, the lapping of the waves, and the sand crystalizing on my toes. I took today to go to the beach because they are calling for rain over the next two days here. I had to get my weekly fix in. In the meantime, I'm preparing for a house guest from Indy next week. That's right...one of my dear friends and my sewing employee, Karen, is coming in to stay with us from Tuesday thru Saturday. You guys have heard me talk about Karen here on the blog before I believe. I'm so very excited. I can't wait to show her around town and soak up some more rays together on the beach. Good times!
For now, I'm off to hunker down and get ready for the Orange County housewives reunion show. Oh yeah...bring out the claws and let the cat fights begin. Until the next post, have a great night. XOXO, Angie
Hi friends. Long time no blog, eh? Sorry about that. You can always tell when my new photography classes start up because I get M.I.A over here on the blog. I apologize. I definitely haven't forgotten about you. I'm just devoting my spare time to my newest students and hoping to provide the best instruction to them possible.
With that said, thought I'd jump in and say hello really quickly. I spent the morning on the beach. Shelling over on Sanibel Island as well as over in Captiva. I took my camera along so I'll be sure to post photos later this week. It's a beautiful 75 degree day here today. I'm vegging out by the pool now with my Mom while waiting for Kenidi and Brennen to get off their bus in a few minutes. It was nice to take today for a relaxation day as my heart and my sanity needed it in a bad way. That heart of mine loves to pump out of my chest when I'm stressed out. Therefore, the smell of sunscreen and suntan oil is a sure fire fix for that when I go to the beach. If even for that moment only, it makes everything in life all better. Ya know?
On another fun note, I got to meet some wonderful new friends this weekend. I hooked up with the Naples Photography club here in Florida and have begun attending events, classes, and workshops with them. They are a great group of people and I had a ball shooting with them this weekend. It's awesome to have others that share your same passion whom you can get out and shoot this incredibly beautiful environment with. I loved it. I was a bit nervous going into at first. I felt like the new kid on the block. Because I was. However, they were all extremely welcoming and made me feel right at home. I can't wait until our next outing together. It's great to have something to focus on and look forward to that is just for me. And me only. Rarely do we Moms or women get that in life. We are always so busy with kids and husbands and daily day to day life that we forget who we are and what we love. Photography has helped me remember who I am. And I am so thankful for that.
Oh yes...and this little girl up above and below...??? She was my beautiful subject during a candid photo session at a local park here the other day. I'm not one that typically cares for any kind of fencing or background clutter in images but her cuteness helped me forget that we were on a playground instead of at a location where I would have rather been. These are just a couple of sneak peek shots from our session. And her hair...oh the hair...
It goes without saying that she was an absolute doll!
For now, I'm headed out to take Brennen to football practice. I'm looking forward to hanging out on the bleachers in the sunshine this evening. It's a great night for football. :) PS...Thanks for your patience last Friday when someone hacked into my AGD blog and AGD website. Thankfully my web gals (Amy & Crystal) got the problem fixed within an hour or so of me discovering it. And actually I didn't discover it, my dear sweet facebook friend and blog reader, Amy Dana did. Thanks again Amy. I appreciate the heads up girl. And for Amy & Crystal...huge kudo's to you two for being such ROCKSTARS in the web design field. You girls are my life savers. I don't know what I would do without you. Thanks again for all of your hard work - on a whim - and on the fly like that - regarding the hacking. You two are no match for those crazies. Soooooo appreciate you both.
His stance couldn't look anymore like a 16 year old here than it does.
His aggravated look on his face because of my cameras presence couldn't scream teenager anymore than it does. His style couldn't be anymore handsome than it is. Quite a good lookin' kid if you ask me. I know you didn't but I'm just sayin'...!
When he wears his under armour sunglasses he reminds me of the movie TOP GUN. GQ'ish and stealth like. Which character is he..."Goose" of course. Cocky and good lookin'! The hair is almost an exact resemblance.
I love that I convinced him many many years ago that real men wear pink. To this day, he'll throw on a pink polo and not even think twice about it. Oh yes...one day he is going to make that wife of his a very lucky girl.
In 10 days he will be 11 years old. It feels like just yesterday that the doctor looked at me and said..."He's breech. We'll need to do a C-section." That was my first clue that nothing about Brennen would ever be of the norm. He is a special kid. One who is madly in love with the idea of protecting his baby sister. (except when she comes into his room and dumps all of his cars) I'm so blessed and thankful for his caring and loving spirit. He has an overflowing heart filled with compassion which is just out of this world.
I love how he shares my same love of music. We share Itunes songs back and forth all of the time. He loves everything from Christian music to hip hop - just like his Mama. Yes, this child knows a good tune when he hears it. He makes me smile when he cranks the computer in his room and listens to my playlist on this here ol' blog. I hear him belting out tunes and think..."yeap, that's my boy."
In 10 days, he will be eleven. In 3 months, he will graduate from being a 5th grader in elementary school to a big 6th grader in junior high. I basically have three months before our world gets turned upside down. Let's face it...middle school was the starting point for all of us. The start of the distance which ensues between parents and their children. It makes me cringe at the thought. I want him to be 2 all over again. I want the chili bowl haircut back. I want the blues clues videos back that he would dance to, and the sound of his little voice when he would say "Close the gate Papa, close the gate!" (old joke amongst him and my Dad) Geez...one minute he still looks so very small, playing like a child would when I gaze out at him...
and the next minute he stands so very big, straight, and tall - looking like he is 10 going on 25.
I'm clinging to each day - hour by hour.
Yes, he is growing up right before my eyes. They always do. Today I'm feeling it a little more than the usual. Because of that, I came here to journal those feelings and embrace them. Embrace the growth and the power of life. I love this boy. Love him to the sun and back ten gazillion times over.
Oh what a day. It was gorgeous for the most part. I began my day listening to the warm Florida rains pour down like a raging waterfall. That type of rain is rare here. While taking in the sounds of quiet other than the rain, I cranked up Ray Lamontagne in the house and rocked out to his mellow tunes while listening to the rain outside my windows and while finishing some final edits on a few images. It was a blissful morning. Relaxing, peaceful, and slow going. Loved that. There is something to be said for warm Florida rains, having my laptop in my hands doing what I love (editing photography) and jammin out to good ol' Ray. I found myself saying "Thank you God for warm Florida rains, for my camera, and for Ray...of course." LOL!
The rain quit after about 30 minutes and then the sun came out full force. Typical Florida weather. When that happened, I grabbed "Big Pappa" and headed to the beach with Ray now jamming on my stereo in the car on the way. It was a stunning day at the shores edge. I went scouting out some new photography locations. Found some good ones too. A perfect day.
On another note...I visited a new cardiologist down here in Naples yesterday. I've been having some really strange episodes of palpitations in the middle of the night. They are three times as intense as my older ones and my blood pressure drops way down when it happens which sends my pulse racing - ultimately waking me up from a deep sleep each night. The cardiologist seems to think I might have a specific kind of palpitation that could ultimately result in needing surgery to be treated effectively. He says I am too young to be going thru this at my age. I agree. I am being sent to an electrophysiologist now. I don't see him for another three weeks which makes me nuts but apparently this doc specializes in only patients with severe palpitations. I'm nervous yet eager to hear what he thinks and what he has to say. Please pray for me, once again, regarding these heart matters. It was almost a year ago when I was diagnosed with the PFO issue to do with my heart. Now this. I'm trying to remain upbeat but it is scary at times. Scary at night a lot. I'm tired of being tired and tired of worrying. Just trying to have faith that God is in control and that hopefully this can be treated without a surgery - maybe with a different prescription or something. And lastly, I was skyping with my Dad the other night and he had a girl scout come to his door selling cookies. I told him that I hadn't seen any girl scouts here in Florida yet. I was craving my favorites...the thin mints. Low and behold...about 3 days later...look what showed up at my front door...
Wait for it...
Waaiitttt for it...
Yeap, not only did he get me some thin mints and shipped them to me but my StepMom made homemade chocolate chip cookies and homemade brownies for me too. Well...for the kids and I anyway. Ha ha! Guess it is good to share, right? LOL! Don't hate. You heard me...don't be a "hater." Do I need to get you guys some hater-ade? Hee hee! Yes, I am absolutely spoiled rotten. I have wonderful and amazing parents who definitely take good care of me. It was great to get a little taste of home. Thanks Dad and Cath...I love you guys so very much! Needless to say, the cookie and brownie stash was gone in two days. I had 1.5 brownies and one cookie out of it before the rest was depleted by little monsters. Gotta' love em'! They saved my hips for the week. Bwwwaahhhhhh!
Hope all of you are having a great week thus far. Enjoy hump day tomorrow. Hugs, Angie
One of the best things about living in Florida is basically having the beach at your back door. For example, whenever you have a free Friday or Saturday night (or any night of the week for that matter) and you want to pack everyone up & head to the sand & seashore to witness a gorgeous sunset and let the kids frolic in the sand, you can. Thankfully our home here is just down the street from the beach. The road our development sits off of leads right straight down into the gulf of Mexico. A 5 minute drive to the beach makes everything in life that much better.
There is nothing I love more than stepping down into that sand and feeling the grit of it all between my toes. The sugaring process...ya know? The sound of the waves lapping and the smell of the sea salt in the air is almost more than my heart can handle. There is also nothing I love more than seeing my kids enjoy the beach as much or more than I do. I managed to get Brennen to stand still a few times while there Friday evening. This is now one of my new favorite images...
There is something to be said for footprints in the sand. Not just because of the famous poem either. The rushing of the waves and their ability to wash away a footstep is a perfect word picture for how important life is. How short life is. One minute it is here. The next minute it's gone.
I just love photos of toes in the sand. Images of flip flops at the beach.
Brennen wasn't happy with me for posting this image of him below. He stuck his toes in the water and found that the gulf was freezing. However, I just had to share it. :) I focused my camera all on him this particular night. I just love this boy...
When I look at this shot below, it is hard to believe he is going to be 11 in just two more weeks. In some ways he looks so much older here - but in other ways he still resembles that little baby of mine who ran around with a chili bowl haircut for so long and who adored Blues Clues as a toddler. The years just fly by.
He is such a little stud-man now. Girls calling and texting. Females in his class leaving "I love you" verbage on his Valentines, etc. How quickly they grow up. It is nights spent watching the sunsets at the beach that make me so thankful for the time I do have with him. One day he'll be wanting to bring his "best girl" to the shoreline instead of his Mama. No fear...I'll be hiding out in the sea oats with my 70-300mm telephoto lens. Poor girl...she'll have no idea that his Mom mimics the Paparazzi until its too late. Ha ha! Poor Brennen...his life is forever doomed. LOL!
Hope you are all having a spectacular weekend. Even if you don't have a beach near by, go sugar your toes in the snow with your kiddo's. It will melt soon. Again, life is soooo short. Much love, Angie
PS...Thank you to all of you who've signed up for the Angie Seaman Photography class that begins this Monday. The class has once again sold out. There is now a wait list going for the next class being offered in May. I'll announce details on that one soon. For those still interested in the workshop I'm doing here in Naples in September, there are seats available. Click HERE for details. It is going to be an amazing weekend!
