Hi all. I'm here. It's Sunday about noon - and we are enjoying a lazy, lazy day. Before we head out to sit pool side though, I thought I'd share some extra pictures from our last trip to the beach - back on Mother's Day weekend. I just remembered last night that I still hadn't posted photos of our friends who were here with us. Somehow those last couple of shots got mixed up on my laptop and I failed to post them. Therefore, I thought I'd share them real quick. This is Joe and Tamara. They are the friends of ours that came down with us during the last trip. Their son is good friends with Brennen. They were in class together at Brennen's old school.
Unfortunately, we found out the night before we left that Joe's mother passed away. She had been ill and in the hospital but the family hoped for a recovery. She lost her battle and the visitation and showing are scheduled for today and tomorrow. We are so saddened that we are away and not able to go by and give their family a big hug today. Please keep Joe and his brothers and sisters in your prayers as they prepare to get through one of the toughest moments of their life. Joe, Tamara, and Derek, we are thinking and praying for each of you today. Please know that we are there with you in spirit and we are only a phone call away if you should need anything at all.
The above shot was Tamara with my kiddo's...Brennen and Kenidi. They were not wanting to be cooperative for my picture but she helped by jumping in there and keeping them corralled. Luckily, I got a good one of them with her. It turned out cute even though Kenidi is looking straight at me.
For now, we are out to the pool for an afternoon of sunshine. I'm working on new pictures and will blog them once I get them uploaded to the lap top. In the meantime, I just wanted you to at least get a blog post with images today - even if they were of our trip a couple of weeks ago. Better late than never, right? :) Stay tuned for current images to come. I won't let you down. I promise!
What a beautiful sight - even though this photo was taken via my iphone - which takes horrific images. I wish I could've had big papa out at this moment and taken the shot with him but he was gently stowed away in the above overhead compartment above me at the time. Either way, I thought I'd share. The clouds were incredible today when flying in. We made it and touched down around 5:20pm. Some of you already saw this picture because you are friends of mine on facebook and got the sneak preview before anywhere else. Ha ha! Yes, the cool news is that AIRTRAN airlines has inflight wifi now. Therefore, I was facebooking amongst friends at 34,000 feet. Technology today is just incredible! I'm now vegging out on the couch and about to chow down on some Carrabba's Italian carry out in a few minutes. We thought we'd eat in tonight beings that everyone is so wiped out after the flight, last day of school, cardiology appts. today, etc. (more on the medical appointments later)
So...I'm going to rest up tonight and will start sharing photos soon. In the meantime, I hope all of you have a phenomenal weekend. Talk again soon...
PS...Will you please keep my step-mom in your prayers? She and my Dad were supposed to fly down with us today and stay here for a few days with us but they had to cancel their trip. She was dianosed with diverticulitis earlier in the week and was actually admitted into the hospital today for it. We are praying that she has a quick recovery and heals up like new. I hate not being home to help out while all of this is going on. It's hard to be away when she is in there. Thanks in advance for the prayers! Blessings, Angie
Look closely...does anything look odd about this image above?
Focus in on the cloud in the sky. What do you see? We saw a fish! Does it look like a fish to all of you as well? Too funny, eh?
Above is a close up for you. See it now? Tamara noticed this cloud formation when we were on the boat - enjoying our sunset cruise in the back bay of Bonita Springs one week ago last Friday. It was too perfect to NOT take a picture of. If that doesn't look like a fish, I don't know what does. :) And below, you can see where it begin to break apart as the clouds lost their shape.
While on the crusie, we even got to get right up on some adorable dolphin pairs swimming along together in the back bay. They were so incredible. There were actually two here in this photo but the other went under again before I could snap him/her with its buddy.
One afternoon while on the beach, a scenic tour guided helicopter flew over and I was able to catch a glimpse of them with my telephoto lens. Gotta' love that 70-300mm lens. It has a tendency to make you feel like the CIA in a way. You can watch but people have no clue that you can see them that close. I've managed to capture some pretty fun shots from unsuspecting individuals. HA! This shot below was as the helicopter passed by on the beach and everyone watched in a sort of "amazement" as if it were an alien space ship about to land. Me included. Heck, I even took their photo for evidence. hee hee!
I'm ready for some more sunsets like the one below. This shot was also taken while aboard the sunset cruise that Friday evening.
Although it is sunny here today in Indy, it's cold. I'm tired of the cold. Really tired of it, the rain, the snow we finally got rid of last month, etc. We have 11 more days until we get back to this sunset seen above. Next Friday the 29th, the kids will go to school for half the morning. They get out at 10:50am that day. It is their last day of school for the summer. Freedom reigns come the 29th. Mama is a happy girl! So are the kids! They'll come home from an early dismissal day that morning, I'll get them off the bus, then we'll throw our suitcases in the car and head back to the Indianapolis Airport where we will fly out from that afternoon as we head back to FL for the summer. My Dad and Cathy will be joining us for about 4 days during the start of the trip. They'll then fly back home Monday and come join us again at the end of the month of June for a week. I'm feverishly working hard to get all the laundry done here at home, suitcases re-packed, get painters finished up in our home as they check off things on our walk thru list today and tomorrow, travel to dr. appointments, and meet up with friends one last time before heading out for the summer. It's pretty much chaos here right now. The next 11 days are cloudy for me. Very busy - actually beyond busy! I can't even keep track of my to do list because I'm running so fast. Trying to slllloowwwww downnnnnnn...just a bit at least. So much to do and so little time to do it in.
No matter what, I just cannot even begin to express how excited I am to get down there and take pictures all day long - all summer long. I'm beaming with excitement actually. As a photographer in Indiana, the backdrop just isn't the same. Photographers in the South, or NY, or CA, etc. have no idea how good they have it. Their backdrops are amazing and so effortless. Here in Indiana, we have to look and look far and wide to find a good backdrop. In those tropical states or states with nostalgia such as Chicago, IL or New York, they just fall into your lap and jump in front of your feet. To be a photographer full time in one of those areas would be pure pliss. Instead, I'll keep shooting the yellow fire hydrants while a hoosier. HA HA!
Hope you are all enjoying your Monday. I know I am - even though I'm cold with a zip up hoodie on today. Never fear though...I AM WEARING FLIP FLOPS! It's never too cold for flip flops my friends! NEVAH! And how bout' the finale starting tonight on Dancing with the stars? I'm rooting for Melissa all the way. I'd love to see her win that whole thing. And as for American Idol tomorrow night...GO KRIS ALLEN! I'm faithful that you can shock the world and win! :)
I love how this shot turned out of Brennen and Kenidi on the beach last weekend. It was just a candid moment between a brother and sister and I managed to capture it. Have I told you how much I love photography lately? If I haven't...then let me tell you how much I love photography. Ha ha! With the post processing, this looks like something out of an old Ernest Hemingway novel when he spent his time on the beaches of Key West. It's aged looking - love that part. It also has a bit of blown out highlights (in the hair area mainly) which is a 'no no' in photography. However, I still liked it. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that they are my kids. Hee hee! The fact that photography allows you to capture a moment in time like this just swells my heart beyond huge.
These are just Brennen's boards. They get put to good use each and every time we are there. I just loved the bright coloring on them against the white sand and shells.
This shot above is of Naples from Bonita Beach. It was hazy because of the fires over in what they call "Aligator Alley." As we took off on the plane Sunday, you could look down below and see all of the brush burning and it was just so heartbreaking. I could barely stand to look. If the flight attendant would've let me get to my big ol' camera bag overhead, I would've tried to take a picture of it all. However, I didn't dare. Tamara had already gotten in enough trouble for all of us after trying to stand up and hit the restrooms while in flight before the fasten seat belt sign had been turned off. Right Tamara? On the flight there, she got caught rolling her eyes at a flight attendant and I quickly questioned whether or not we might be bailing her out of airport jail at some point before the night was over. HA! It gave us all a good laugh later. Well...all of us with the exception of the flight attendant anyhow. :)
Again, here are a couple more over and under exposed shots of Kenidi while on the beach one day. I am bound and determined to learn the art of taking pictures underneath a beach umbrella. Grrrr! Talk about testing my patience with proper exposure. Maybe if my hair would look as good as Kenidi's once all wind blown on the beach, everything in life would be just a bit better - a bit easier - even under exposured images. Wink. wink. ;)
And lastly, how fun was American Idol last night? Two of my favorite three picks made it to the finale/finals for next week. Do I know how to pick em' or what? I initially thought that Adam would always win it all. However...now I'm beginning to wonder if Kris's fans will pull through again and give him the win. I think he has more fans than most people initially thought. I think it's his crooked smile. What do you think? Who knows what will happen at this point. I'd love to see Kris win but I'd be fine with Adam winning too. It should be an impeccable show down next week - that's fo' sho'! I can't wait to watch. Both of them are sooooo incredibly talented!
For now...I'm off to tackle the day. I hope your Thursday is amazing. Blessings, Angie
PS...On a "wordful Wednesday" note, see Crystal's blog for details regarding the donations that Noelle from Glam R Baby is doing in regards to baby Bentley's heart surgery. Bentley undergoes surgery in just a few short days and Noelle is donating a percentage of every hair bow sold to Bentley's family in lieu of the surgery itself. In the meantime, please keep their family in your prayers as we approach the next few days. I'll try to keep everyone updated once I hear from Crystal after Bentley's surgery. We are praying for you baby girl. God has you in his hands and all will be just fine! In his grip, Angie
This is where I should be sitting today. On the beach. The private access beach for the neighborhood. It's secluded, quiet, prestine, and favored. Instead, I'm back home behind my computer and in full swing of this thing we call life. La la land is over. Back to reality until school lets out in 2.5 weeks. Back to the daily grind. Back to filling out medical paperwork for Kenidi today. Back to a dermatologist appt. for her in a couple of hours due to a rash she broke out in while in Florida. (we think it was from a new sunscreen) Back to horse therapy tonight at the stables. Back to guitar lessons for Brennen at 7pm. Back to make up homework and tests. Back to life.
While I'm 'doing' life though, I'm going to enjoy these images from our trip and relish in the fact that God gave us this wonderful gift called the beach. It's where all of your troubles float away temporarily. Well, most times anyway. It's a place that cleanses your soul. A place that calls out to who you really are. The emerald colored sea last weekend with the umbrellas to boot in the backdrop was almost too much for my heart to handle. I fell deeply and madly in love with the sea - all over again - as I always do. And so for that...I'm going to continue to always share these trips, this journey to and fro. I had someone email me yesterday - a blog reader - who told me how much she loved the blog, the upbeat spirit, and the "virtual vacation" she gets to go on via the pictures I post here. I love her for her words and her kind heart. Many times I struggle whether or not to share the daily grind here on the blog. The negative. The bad. The ugly. Cuz' guess what...??? We all got it! What may look like a perfect life from afar to all of you readers is truly far from it. To keep it real...we have days where we yell at Brennen for his back talk. Many of them actually. Or days where I get totally ticked off at Brent and want to walk out and slam the door behind me - or maybe smother him in his sleep with my pillow. After 15 years of marriage, I've watched way tooooo many cold case files on the forensic channel. Ha ha! Just kidding friends! Or there are days where a distant family member rocks me to the core and hurts my feelings beyond recognition. One of those episodes where things will never be the same. Non-recoverable life moments as I call it. Or something so simple as days where a doctors office receptionist seems 'put out' by having to check us in and it in turn ticks me off. I can't stand un-friendly customer service. There is no sense in it. There are days where the hustle and bustle of life seems so stressful that it literally sucks every bit of life out of you at that moment. Truth is...life is far from perfect. And anyone who ever tries to act like it is, well...they are lying to ya'. So with that said...I pray that you all realize that life here in AGD land is NOT perfect. The photos, the talk of our children, our marriage, etc...that is just the cream of the crop. We still have our REAL episodes. Our REAL moments. However, if I chose to share every drama driven bit of detail we endure on a day to day basis on this blog...you'd never come back and read again. And I wouldn't blame you.
So, as a sweet blog reader friend (Hi Stacia) from Texas likes to call me, I'll continue to be a "peppy pill" for ya'll. Yes, a peppy pill. Love that! And I'll continue to share my frustrations from time to time regarding life, raising a special needs child, etc. But in the end, I want my blog to be a retreat for each of you. I want it to be like a virtual vacation as the blog reader called it yesterday. I want this little place in your world to be a get-a-way with your morning cup of Joe/coffee (as I often hear it is amongst readers). I want this place in your world to be uplifting and positive. In a nut shell...I want to change your state! Your state of mind that is. If you are having a bad day, I pray that you can drop in here and find a new attitude that will change the course of your day. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer that discloses all my baggage which then in turn drags you down even more. But do know this...our lives are not perfect! What you see here is just a 10 minite snippet most days of what certain moments throughout our day looked like. Never for one second assume that life is grand over here and that yours is sooooo bad. We are all in the same boat. Maybe different sets of circumstances but either way - no one has life in grand form. Even if you are at the beach...watching the white caps come crashing in off the waves...
So when you see trip photos here or read stories of my love for my children and my husband, just know that I'm sharing the good parts with you as a therapeutic process for me and you. Not only does staying positive hopefully help you guys, it helps redirect my "off" days as well. Life is what we make of it and I choose to try and stay as positive as possible. I have a favorite quote that pertains to why I blog. I get asked about blogging a lot. I've always loved this quote because I feel it sums up why I write day in and day out. Or at least part of why anyhow. It reads:
"We write to taste life twice, once in the moment & once in retrospection."
~Anais Nin
I taste life twice to basically savor the moment at the actual moment and then in turn write to remember it later on down the road. This blog is my journal of good. Of great. Of grand. However, I have journals of the ugly and the not so fun as well. In the end though, I focus on the grand because it reminds me of what is possible should I choose to remain upbeat and positive. You know - like moments where you slip your flip flops off (actually Brent's) in the sand and let life begin sugaring your toes - seaside...
So a big thank you to my readers like Jill or like Stacia or like the hundreds of others out there who've written to me thanking me for the beach images, the positive conotations, and the upbeat atmosphere they are able to be a part of via this blog. It helps me to confirm that no one comes here to read about the dog pile of my day to day grind. Well, maybe some of our "haters" would like that. Ha ha! Hi haters! But according to the feedback I continue to receive, 99.9% of you come here to be refreshed and rejuvenated throughout your day. I just pray that the content here never gets old and that you always manage to find some value or worth to it. I pray that we can always help redirect our bad days "together." I pray that you always know my life is far from perfect - even though the images you see here might send out that vibe. Remember they are just a 10 minute snippet or snap shot within a 24 hour day.
And lastly, I pray that you always see the sunshine FIRST in everything you do, say, or are a part of. I pray that you find it - seek it - and relish in all it's golden glory throughout each minute of your life here on earth. In photography, sun flare used to be a bad thing (see photo above). But now days...the "in" thing to do is to seek 'sun flare' like in the picture above. Some photographers search high and low to capture an image with sun flare and sun spots now days. This shot from our sunset cruise screamed for my lens when I saw it approaching while in the distance on the boat. The sun was demanding and commanding to be seen. And it was. It was a beautiful night that stemmed from a beautiful day. Again, seek the sun in all that you do. The sun brings smiles. Smiles bring light at the end of the tunnel. Light brings rays of happiness. Praying your day is chalked full of sunshine today...xoxoxo, Angie
These were taken on the beach while away over vacation the past four days. Two of my favorite three men in the entire universe. (My Dad is missing, he is part of the three/trio.) Just thought I'd share these here as I head out the door for an eye doctor appointment this morning. The bottom one of Brennen is wayyyy under exposed due to him laying under a cabana umbrella and due to operator error. (a.k.a operator meaning me) I had to do some post processing/lightening to get the image of him even half way presentable. However, it is his grin here that makes me melt. It is very much "Brennen." I had to share it no matter how bad I failed at the exposure when snapping the shot. The top two of Brent are going to be framed and put in my office somewhere. It's been forever since I've gotten a photo of him just by himself. He cooperated and actually let me get some shots of him while we watched the sunset one evening. The kids and I got him the turquoise shirt for his birthday that he is wearing and boy did he wear that color well. He looked so good in it while on the beach. In fact, it was stunning on him - even with the flipped up 'Elvis' collar thanks to the ocean breeze coming in off the waves. He looks like a true beach go-er in these images. Love them both!
I will continue to keep posting more shots from our get-a-way. Stay tuned. I'm slowly but surely getting them all uploaded onto my computer.
PS...Sorry to all of you who inquired about whether I'd be participating in Kelly's "show us your home Friday" tour again featuring living rooms. I had high hopes of joining in on the fun again but have yet to find the time to get shots of our living rooms and post them. I apologize. Time has just gotten away from me. Bad Angie! Bad, bad, Angie!
Hi friends. We are home. It is 7:30pm on Sunday evening and we just got in from the airport. I have a ton of photos to share from the trip - over 300 taken in all - and need time to weed thru them before my post tomorrow. However, I wanted to jump on here and tell all of you that Kenidi finally lost her first tooth over the weekend while we were away. I snapped this shot (above) of her last night while we were all on the beach watching the sunset. It shows her new snaggle tooth smile. The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing, and the palm trees were swaying. I loved how her hair was all whispy and whipping across her cheeks. For a moment, she plopped down in the sand with Tamara and just so happened to shine a smile that I was able to capture which showed her new look. :) It's the cutest thing ever. She is just so beautiful in every way. We saved her tooth and plan to have tooth fairy visit tomorrow night now that we are home. You know...because you can schedule the tooth fairy like that. HA!
In the meantime, I just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's out there and to my own Moms. (Mom, Cathy, and Debbie - my mother in law) The three of you know what you mean to me and where you stand within my heart. I love each of you dearly for all of the shaping you have done in my life. So sorry we missed celebrating with each of you today while we were away. No matter what, you are the best three Moms E-V-A-H! So very thankful for the three of you. Until tomorrow, sleep tight and cherish the rest of your day. Check back tomorrow for images from our vacation. It was hard to come home. Very hard!
Well, in just a few short hours...we'll be taking flight again - just like my beach B/F/F above. I'm way behind on emails - with blogging - with my to do list - with pretty much everything. However, I'm getting there. I have had a ton of emails come in since posting our kitchen pictures in regards to decorating and such. I promise I am answering them. I'm making my way thru each one and you WILL here back from me. It's just taking me a bit longer than normal with all that is on my plate this week. I'm currently in the process of packing and can't talk long. I did want to update quickly though before we head out. We depart at 7am sharp tomorrow morning from Indianapolis International Airport. Where we headed? You guessed it! Back to Bonita Beach/Naples. We will only be gone from Thursday thru Sunday for a quick Mothers Day weekend get-a-way with our kiddo's and another couple friend of ours. Remember the family we went to Gatlinburg with last October? Yeap...this family (shown with Brent and Kenidi below)...
Joe, Tamara, and their son Derek are who we will be sugaring our toes with over the next 4 days and we couldn't be more excited about it.
If you have followed the blog long enough, you'll know that Joe and Tamara's son (Derek) is Brennen's best friend from his old school. We've cruised with their family before thru the Caribbean and toured Gatlinburg with them last year. Now they'll be coming down and spending Mother's Day weekend with us in 'Angie and Brent territory' (Bonita Springs/Naples). We are thrilled to be vacationing with them again and the boys are beyond excited. I am NOT excited about the fact that I have to be up at 3:30am though in order to make it to the airport by 5:30am tomorrow morning. I'm also not thrilled that it will once again be raining as we fly. You guys know how much I detest crummy weather when I'm in the skies. Please pray for smooth travels for us, will ya?
We should touch down in Southwest Florida by 9:20am tomorrow morning and have all day to soak up the rays, stuff ourselves beyond recognition with surf and turf over the weekend, and embark on a sunset cruise Friday evening. The weather man is calling for 90 degree weather the entire time we are in town and I couldn't be more thrilled. The hotter the better. :)
We'll return from Bonita Sunday evening and will then be back home in Indy for two weeks before heading back to Bonita/Naples for the summer on May 29th. Needless to say, with only two weeks in between, those few days are going to be quite chaotic. We also have end of the year school festivities to tend to during that time with Brennen and Kenidi's school. I cannot believe that Brennen will be a big, bad, 5th grader in a couple of weeks and that our little baby girl will be in 1st grade. Where has this year gone, eh?
In the meantime, I'm off to soak up the Mothers Day weekend the best way I know how and that would be by the beach with great friends and with my beach B/F/F's (shown above) of course. How did our Moms react to us being away on Mothers Day weekend you ask? Well...they were very supportive! Brent planned this weekend without realizing it was Mothers Day initially. He didn't consult with his secretary (a.k.a me - his wife) about it ahead of time and therefore didn't realize the significance in the date. In the end though, it all worked out and we are very glad that we have understanding Mothers. (three of them actually...his mom, my mom, and my step-mom) If they weren't, his little goof up could've been a disaster. Ha ha!
I hope to blog while I'm away as normal. If not, I promise to have pictures come Monday once we return. Pinky swear! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU FANTASTIC MOMS!
We are home - safe and sound. We made it back last night around 7pm. It was good to walk into the house and smell "us." Isn't weird how after you've been gone on vacation and been away from your home, you can come in and "smell" your family within the walls of your house? Strange but yet oh so comforting. I love that about 'home.' Although we left sunny and 89 degree weather for 40 degree temps and pouring rain here in Indy today, I'm thankful we leave Bonita at some point. If we never left, we'd never learn to appreciate our comings and going there. When we come home and go back, we always take advantage of our time there to the fullest extent. If we lived there full time, I honestly believe the beach would become second nature to us and I'd NEVER want that to happen. I also love coming home back to our house here in Indy which for me is truly like our beach house away from the beach. Our vacation was grand. Just grand! Especially the last 5 days of it. I've included some close up shots of Kenidi that I took while there. This third one down from the very top ended up being a photographers faux paux- very blurry - but yet there was still something I loved about it. She is getting so big and so very beautiful. I felt like these shots - for the first time ever - showed that she really is almost 6 years old. Many times Brent and I still consider Kenidi like our baby mostly because of the developmental delays she has. Although she is 5, she functions more on a two or three year old level. However, these shots really prove that she is getting older, growing taller, and just becoming a young girl right before our very own eyes.
I've determined in our trips back and forth to the beach...that if our flights were just 2 hours even...they might be perfection at its finest. However, because they are 2 hours and 35 minutes most times...those last 35-40 minutes with Kenidi on an airplane are like a ticking time bomb. It's truly a very stressful event for me as I pray with all my might and give her non stop attention as we color, play with play dough, do crafts, play toys, dolls, animals, etc. that she will make it thru the entire flight without one of her meltdowns. This trip - there and back - was no different. Thankfully, we didn't get kicked off the flight or have to make an emergency landing anywhere due to her screaming. We always sit in the back of the planes near the engines in an effort to drown out the sound should she get wild and crazy. Sometimes it helps - sometimes it doesn't. Either way, we made it thru this entire trip without having to go to jail over someone making a rude comment about Kenidi and her screams, outbursts, etc. Brent did have to stand up at a restaurant on one occasion as we were leaving dinner and remind two businessmen who sat behind us "to be glad God gave them words to speak." He told the both of them (after a full dinner of their eye rolling, head shaking, and blatant comments out loud) that God didn't bless Kenidi with very many words as of yet and that for the time being, she gets frustrated at certain moments in an effort to try and communicate with us when wanting something. He reiterated to them that we were leaving and that they could carry on. One gentleman replied with "What a shame!" My words to him were that he had obviously forgotten what it was like to raise children let alone a special needs child at that. He just shook his head at me and I walked off. Satan tests my patience a lot when it comes to the stares and comments we get regarding Kenidi. I'm not a shy character. Nor am I one to just sweep things under a rug and pretend they never happened. Some people can do that. Brent and I cannot. There are individuals in this world who can't stand conflict and will endure years of silence in an effort to keep the peace and avoid any type of conflict whatsoever. In the long run, I truly believe that one looses one self when choosing to remain quiet at times when you feel hurt or wronged. If you know Brent and I well enough, you know that we are outspoken and not afraid to let you know when you've upset us. To pretend otherwise and fake your way thru life would be a crime to your inner self and a lie within your core. Silence creates walls and barriers over time that mold you into someone different - someone other than the real you. The real me cries when I'm angry. The real me screams when I'm royally ticked off. And the real me has a hard time forgetting specific words and hurtful statements that in a nut shell can never be forgotten - no matter how much of a Christian someone is. I'm clearly a sinner. I'm no perfect Christian. Far from it actually. I'm God's worst student and am always carrying a failing grade when it comes to the option of turning the other cheek. Where Satan really tempts my tummy is during those moments when Kenidi is being shamed or I feel my family is being stepped on. I've said it before and I'll say it again...Life is too short! Call me rude - call me mean - call me what you want. In the end though, we don't have time for the pain. We are in this life to love unconditionally and treat people fairly. If someone can't reciprocate that, then we walk on - never looking back - praying for them while on our knees and praying for ourselves on how to soften our hearts and handle it/them best. I was raised as an 'Angie' that comes out swinging. If there is one thing my Christian mother always taught me, it was to never let anyone _ _ _ _ on me. Sometimes that can be good - sometimes it can be bad. In the end though, it's the REAL me. The real Angie! Brent calls it the Mafia mentality. I'm an extremely loyal person and will do anything for anyone when given the chance. However, when you attack my family - either with words, actions, demeaning innuendo's, etc., I'm not one to immediately look the other way and pray for peace. I'm actually the one praying I don't go to jail as I'm about ready to throw a punch. Yes, this is the REAL Angie. And when my life is said and done...I hope someone will stand up at my funeral and say that "you always knew where you stood with Angie. Angie was the REAL DEAL. No secrets. No shame. No fakeness. Just transparency at its finest. Rawness. Pure truth!" And in the meantime, I will continue to fight for that in which we believe in. That would be things like fairness, genuineness, realness, unconditional love, loyalty, friendships, relationships, kindness, generosity, and the right to be loud and be me when I need to.
We have two pictures that hang in our hearth room and depict our family to the fullest extent. I love these pictures because they are "us" summed up in a few sentences. They are realness - not fakeness. They are life. It's our life. And we love it! I took a photo of them for you shown below. I found these at Hallmark one day last year and got them for our house and also got one for a good set of friends we have. Friends whom we are never afraid to be REAL with. Friends who are just as real themselves and that is why we love them so much.
With all this said, I must give a huge shout out to the Mom of four at the Bonita Springs Target store last week whom I will probably never see again in my life and whom will probably never read this because she has no idea who I am. As Kenidi was screaming in the aisles, I told Brent I was going to make my way to the car with her and that I'd catch up with him out there. I headed to the front door praying I made it out alive and without going to jail as people began to stare. As I dropped the cart back off and headed for the automatic doors, a woman came up to me with one child on her hip and three others in tow. She looked dead at me and said..."I just wanted to tell you that it is going to be OK." She began to tell me that she has been in my shoes and just wondered if I needed any help getting thru the line and paying for something. She offered to go take anything I had back and in thru the cashier line if I needed help. Luckily Brent was handling what we needed and I was just making a mad dash for the car. However, I told her what a pleasant surprise it was to get someone that was blessing us rather than cursing us when it came to Kenidi or our life. I fought back the tears as I told her that Kenidi had special needs and that 90% of the time we are getting stares and comments made about her behavior. She explained to me that she had a dear friend who had a child with autism and that she felt for me given what she knows her friend goes thru on a daily basis. She also told me that she has a normal healthy child (and pointed to the one on her hip) that screams and throws fits for no reason and he was completely healthy. She said "And he knows better!" We laughed and I told her thank you for her kindness and very simple gesture that had made my world. She looked at Brennen and asked him if he was a good big brother and I made sure I told her what an AWESOME child he was. Brennen gets the short end of the stick a lot when it comes to Kenidi and our life. This past week was no different. If there is one piece of advice I can pass on to people out there...it's be careful what YOU think YOU have under control. Just about the time you are smiling and thinking you've got life down pat, God throws you a curve ball that ends up being a really big rude awakening. In the meantime, lend a shoulder to cry on for those currently or already experiencing their curve balls in life. Don't condemn, judge, or criticize them during those moments when you think you could do it better. Fight fair!
(ABOVE: Horribly blurry shot but I just couldn't part with it. It makes me smile - everything about it.)
There is one thing in life that I believe to be a guarantee...that would be..."words will come back to haunt us!" No question about it...we reap what we sow.
For now, I'm climbing down off my soapbox and headed out in the rainy Indiana weather today to run some last minute errands since returning home. I have so many posts to update you with but no time to do it all in right this moment. First off being the three new AGD designs that I got photos of while on vacation. I'll be back with those soon. In the meantime, hug a fellow parent today and let them know that everything will be OK. Let them know that you've "been there." And if you haven't been there...pretend that you are and put yourself in their shoes for just a second. Walk a mile in them maybe. You'd be shocked at what a life changing event that one little gesture can be for somebody.
Hi all. Happy Friday! I thought I'd post some more images here this morning to hold you guys over. These are some flowers in the yard and then the others are of Brennen, his buddy from school, and Kenidi all skateboarding in the court. Funny how when I met Brent all those years ago, he was into skateboarding. Now, 20 plus years later, it has come full circle and the kids are into it again.
Brennen and his buddy ol' pal...
Sweating like crazy as they zip around doing tricks...
Then...Kenidi wanted to try...
When Brennen took his board away from her, this is what she did next...
We've all seen this position before, right???
Having a melt down in the court...just wanting to be like one of the guys. She apparently thinks she needs her own skateboard now. I don't think so! Cracks me up.
Today we are off to the pool and then to the beach this afternoon. We are savoring our last three days here before heading back home Sunday evening. Although we'll be back here in a month, it is hard to stomach the thought of leaving - like usual. So...I'll keep snapping away with the camera in hopes of sharing the last three days with you before we head out. If you hadn't noticed, I'm trying to give you different material this trip rather than the same stuff I've done in the past. (i.e., photos of me sugaring my toes in the sand, my pelican and bird shots, pictures of coconuts and shells on the beach, etc.) Thus far, I've just shared the more candid moments of the kids. I don't want to bore you already before we even get down here for the summer. I figure next month, you'll start seeing every Florida picture possible while we are here through August. Therefore, I'll hit you with Angie's "norm" once we come back down in May. Until then, thanks for even being interested in any of it. :)
