I just had a conversation with myself. It went something like this...
"Self...I would just like to know what normal, healthy, soul would choose to live in a climate such as this one - shown above and below? By choice?"
What on earth possesses me to put up with this torturous Indiana environment? I have a husband that would move south - to Florida in an instant - the second I said the word. However, I choose to continue basking in the gray, dark, dreary, cold, skies of an Indiana winter/early Spring. What possesses me to keep enduring this? Who possesses me to keep enduring this is more like it. Yes, you all know who...! It's my lovely parents that keep my soul grounded here in Indiana. It is they who beacon my heart and to whom which I could never bare the thought of trading this...
For this...
or even this...
Yes, it is my parents whom I give up this...
and this...
and him...
and her...
for.
I willingly give all of it and all of "them" up for my parents. Why? Because I'd be like a light house without a light, a beach without waves, like sand without sea shells, or like a palm tree without leaves. Simply put...I'd be 'a life without life' if my parents weren't within driving range of me. Not just any driving range either but no more than a 45 minute driving range at that. Even a span of 45 minutes is technically too far. Too distant for my health. Too gapped for my comfort level. Therefore, I know that unless they pack up and ever come with us, I'll always be giving up this...
and them...
and beach access #5 with the lost glasses...
for this...
Thankfully though...in less than 36 hours...we'll once again be back in our home away from home. The place that makes Indiana "doable." The place where doing this...
makes "Hoosier Life" livable.
The place where I hope to find and shoot many more new and interesting beach shots for all of you - my treasured AGD blog readers - in the coming week. The place that makes the word "vacation" cause heart palpitations. Especially for me.
Thanks for always putting up with my count downs as we approach our family beach get-a-ways. I know it must get old, boring, and monotonous for most of my readers. However, it is a part of me that cannot be tamed. My love for the beach always overflows within me to the point where it's uncontainable. I truly appreciate how each of you allow me to share my love for the sea here - on the blog - no matter how many times you must see me write/post/photograph it. In a nutshell, thanks for allowing me to "rub it in" so to speak and yet have you still love me. :) Bottom line, just want to give ya'll a big, HUGE, thanks for letting me share my obsession with each of you so very often.
Until the 24 hour countdown begins tomorrow, thank you. Thank you. Thank you! xoxo, Angie
PS...And just in case you were wondering...my parents are wayyyyyyyy worth the trade off. :)
Mother Nature is really playing a very sick joke on all of us Hoosiers this winter. We had record degree temps for February this past week. Some days in the 60 degree mark. And yes, as mentioned earlier, warm enough for me to break out the flip flops on a couple of occasions. Same with some other 'flop obsessed souls' too. I looked to the left of me when paying in line at a store the other day and sure enough...another gal was standing there sporting her 'flops' too. We laughed together and rejoiced in it.
Today however, I woke up to yet another dusting of snow on our grass that had just been cleared and melted free of the white junk following our great weather week. You wouldn't have wanted to be around me or within a 14 mile radius of me when I woke up and witnessed more snow this morning. I didn't make very pretty sounds.
So, what does one do when they feel the need to vomit at the sight of more snow? One goes to her calendar, pops it open, and begins counting down the days to Spring Break. Our Spring Break for the kids new school is a week later than normal this year. There are some pros and some cons to that. The con is that all of my friends I know from CG will be on vacation a different week from us. Therefore, eliminating any possible sightings of each other while in the same vacation local. One positive pro to it all though...just as they are returning home from Spring Break, we will just be leaving for Spring Break. Hee hee! :)
So...how many days did I find that we have left until our departure for Spring Break? 46 to be exact. 46 days. The exciting part about Spring Break this year is that my brother and sister in law (and their kids) will be joining us. My Mother in law (Debbie) will also be flying in for a couple of days too. We can't wait. I'm also really excited because I hope to get some great shots of my sister in law (Aubree) on the beach while preggo. I'm praying that I can sucker her into letting me practice with her beautimous belly while there. I'd also like to do some updated family shots of them all while on the beach one evening. Speaking of maternity shots, I can't remember if I had announced here on the ol' blog yet that Aubree and Brad (Brent's brother) are expecting. How awesome is that? Aubree is due July 28th. This will be Brad's first so we are eager to see how he handles the day of child birth. Ha ha! We know you will ROCK it Brad. We have total faith in you. :)
So...fun days ahead. Lots of fun days! Now...can someone get me a palm tree?
Although waking up to this sunrise this morning was way cool - albeit a bit scary as well beings that the sky almost looked as if it were opening up and on fire, I still had to eventually see this (image below) as I looked out off our master bedroom deck into part of our backyard. Once the beautiful and oh so strange sunrise cleared, the weather still is what it is. Cold, dark, and snowy. Yeap, this is Indiana at this moment folks.
So...as I sat dreaming again...I closed my eyes for a few minutes and pretended - and oh so "wished" I could propel myself backwards two weeks and still be here...
On Bonita Beach and in Naples, Florida. Sanibel Island as well. Oh to reverse time by just a few days...
I miss my "Beach B/F/F's." ...the birds...
I am missing my toes being sugared in the sand today...always.
I am missing the feel of the white bubbly ocean rushing up on my toes and the smell of the salt water - the Ocean - God's awesome creation.
I'm missing their (my beach B/F/F/'s) squawkin' and squealin'. Their fighting with one another over the next shell full of food or the next unknowing and innocent little fish that swims their way. I'm missing their sky high dives, their death defying stunts, and their fly by's.
Yeap, those flyby's for little ol' me, remember? Just me. We have an agreement. I told you guys about our story and how we are sticking to it. Remember...B/F/F's in exchange for their photo shoots? Yes...that agreement.
Just a little snippet or example of why I love photoshop so much. I spent some time playing with it this weekend after not having logged onto it since before leaving for Christmas vacation. I 'moseyed' around in there and found a new way to enhance an image and give it that "70's surfer feel" as I like to refer to it. Ha ha! It is a great look for all of the beach pictures that I intend to make into canvas wraps for the photo wall in our house.
But then...when you really want to get down and funky - maybe a bit "grungey" as I call it...you can also add this...
So fun. So so fun! Photography is a never ending learning process. There is a 1,000 more things to learn about and be creative with as each new day passes. It is that factor that never allows me to get bored with images or photography in general. Each day is different. Each image can look one million different ways or take on a thousand different looks. Photography...food for the brain. Seriously - it sooooooo is. I'm very ready for my next photography class tomorrow morning as well as more of my photoshop classes. The sponge in me is going crazy and misses the soaking up in the past three weeks. I think it's an addiction. Really, I do. :)
I'm off to run some much needed errands today as well as ship out a couple more orders that are done. We had a very busy weekend filled with basketball games, snow and ice, dinners with friends and family as well as with our builder and his wife, snow and ice, hunkered down veg out time at home, snow and ice. You get the picture at this point right? Snow and ice. Aside from the photos above giving me beach withdraw & sending me into convulsions right now...my sewing employee/great friend, Karen, gave me a 2009 beach desk calendar as part of my awesome gifts for Christmas this year. For every new day, there is a new beach shot. I LOVE IT! However, she WILL get her paybacks for the torture she has thrown at me as I sit here and have to look at that calendar day in and day out. :) Shame on you sista' - shame on you. Your right...next time you just need to go with us to Naples. Maybe then you'll understand the depth of your torturous fun. ;) Wink wink! Love ya 'gur-fren!'
We touched back down in Indy at 6:20pm last night.
I stepped off the plane in my flip flops. It was a mere 26 degrees.
I rebelled! Flip flops or bust. Let's also mention that Brennen came home in shorts.
He rebelled as well and I allowed it.
Go ahead...call CPS now. We don't care. We are just kind of crazy like that. Crazy kind of family. And gosh knows we love being crazy. (Hence, the song. A great one at that. Turn up your speaker volume and enjoy it while reading this) Craziness!
Back to point...who cared about who was staring and whispering. We were being rebels together. Mother and Son. Love that!
We woke up to snow this morning. Don't love that! Nope...not so much. In fact, I detest that part. I was almost disgusted when I saw it. In fact, not "almost"...I WAS disgusted! How do you go from 83 degrees with sun, sand, and palm trees to 26 degrees, with snow and sleet in a matter of 2 hours? What is wrong with this picture people?
Either way, I got this in my email inbox earlier and had to share. It's from Kenidi's teacher. You know, Alison? The one I speak about on this blog from time to time? Here is what part of her email read:
I’m including a picture from this morning’s SuperTarget field trip. Miss Kenidi has been super tired today and conked out on the way back. (on the bus) I snapped a quick picture to send you…it was too cute to pass up! Hope you’re having a good first day back home. :)
It appears as though our little Miss Kenidi experienced a bit too much R&R over the past 2.5 weeks while we were away. I'm sure she was dreaming of funyons, blues clues, dances with daddy on the beach, musical chairs on the lanai, etc. right at that very moment. Hysterical! Sleeping on the bus...Does it get any better than that? Well, maybe if you were sleeping on the beach. Thanks for taking the time to send this picture to me Alison. Brent and I cracked up. Too funny!
Either way, back to making orders, shipping them, doing a boat load of laundry, putting away suitcases, waiting for 2.5 weeks worth of "held" mail to show up from the mail lady(oh joy! - Not!), and simply missing the noise. The bickering amongst siblings. The mouth of a 9 year old. The scenes on the beach from a 5 year old with special needs. The ringing of my husbands cell phone(constantly). Yeap, just missing it all. Just when your brain tells you that you've had enough and your ready to kick your family to the curb after 2.5 weeks of being together 24/7, your heart kicks in and reminds you otherwise. Brent sent me an email this morning that read nothing but "I miss you already."
Made. me. cry.
Truth is...he has only been gone at the office for 7 hours but I miss him already too. I miss them. The kids. The monsters. The little hellions. I miss them and they've only been gone a few hours. Like I told Brent when I replied back to his email, "the silence without them here is now almost deafening." I find my heart extremely heavy today for the Travolta's as I sit in this silence. Just me, God, and the silence. Praying for their peace. Praying for their unexpected horrific silence. Just praying!
This is what our last day on the beach looked like yesterday. Blue skies, a hot 83 degrees, white sand, kids playing, etc. I took Brennen and we hung out and did some Mommy/son time alone. See little Miss Kenidi doesn't understand that the ocean is too cold to swim in this time of the year. On numerous occasions this trip, she has dove in the water, clothes, shoes, and all in an effort to swim with the fish. Ha ha! Brent has then had to go in after her in his clothes, shoes, and all. Thus, why Kenidi will be coming home without a brown bean tan this trip. She stayed home most afternoons with Daddy, having lunch with him, watching continual episodes of Blue Clues with him and playing musical chairs outside in the lanai around the pool with him. Brennen got in the ocean up to his knees a few times but for the most part, the water was just too cold. So yesterday, Brennen and Mommy spent 4 hours oceanside just playing in the sand, tanning it up, and closing our eyes as we embraced the last few hours of the waves crashing against the shore before we have to return home.
There was hardly anyone around. Just us and our Beach B/F/F's (the birds). Yeap, they made one last appearance in hopes of getting "Paparazzi'ed" before we go. And boy did they ever. Many of them did fly over stunts for us and everything this time. Too fun to watch. It's amazing to me how close they come to my hands and my lens. I think they are so used to people on the beach that they come right up to you like its nothing. We are sticking with the story that they just enjoy strutting their stuff in front of my cameras and that we are all B/F/F's because of the photo ops I give them in exchange. HA! I mean let's face it...they are celebrities here on this ol' blog. Right?
This shot above was a group of pelicans that continued to fly overhead and in formation all afternoon long. They were so beautiful! And below...I captured a seagull coming in for a landing all while almost taking out another one of his own pals.
The image below is of a single pelican flying right above my head, doing what they do best... Looking stunning!
Although this next shot below was caught on the fly and left me unprepared, I still love it. Look at those wings. You guys know how much I have a love affair with all things "wingy." Hee hee! :) He came in for a landing right at my feet and I snapped the shot right before his little legs hit the ground.
And this little dude below kept bringing around things in his mouth. He tried to eat everything in sight. I caught him with this something or another and thought I'd share it here too.
This seagull below isn't really as close as it looks to my head like some of the previous shots. Thank goodness for telephoto zoom lens. I love my glass. They are so good at capturing images like this one that are impossible in a normal situation.
And there he went...flying right past us. Up in the sky with the planes and all. How fun it must be to know that God blessed you with wings. What a view they must have every second of every day...
Then lastly, these are my favorite red long beaked birds. I don't know their technical name but I do love them. I call them "Red" when there.
Here are two of my favorite houses shoreside on Bonita Beach. You should see the front of these bad boys. They are stunning homes. The owner of the white house was out on her top balcony while we were there yesterday. She was yelling down and talking to an older couple that they obviously knew on the beach. I wondered if she knew how blessed she was to wake up to a view like that every morning. Gorgeous!
Here is Brennen doing what he does...hanging out with Mom in the sand.
I thought that I might order canvas wrapped prints done in color or possibly even black and white of these next few prints below. I have a large wall in our great room that is craving some large prints. I plan to make it a photo wall with all of my photography pictures captured of the kids, the beach, and so on during our vacation memories thru the years. Beings that our new home is decorated in a beachy/cottage feel, I thought these close ups of hands and feet in the sand will be great for the photo wall collection.
My toes won't be on the wall though. Of course not...no way jose'! I don't mind putting them here though - in small print. :)
For now, I'm off to finish packing. It's 9am and our flight leaves for home at 3:45pm today. I'm sad and heart sick to return back to Indy's winter weather. However, in the end, it is home. Normally I'm ready to come home by the end of each trip. This time however, I'm not. I really hate leaving this trip and bringing it to an end. I just wish I was a beach shell sometimes...able to stay on the beach 24/7, swim with the dolphins, sun bathe in the rays, etc. Beings that I'm not though, I guess the shells will have to remain there along with our Beach B/F/F's until we return again later this year. They are always lonely without us. I'm sure of it...
Thanks for sharing this vacation with us. I've enjoyed being able to share with you all. As always, please pray for safe travels tonight as we fly home. If all is on time, we will touch back down in Indy at 6:30pm on the dot tonight. I'll update tomorrow from the comforts of home.
Hi all. Just dropping in to say hello on this gorgeous Sunday morning. Before we head back to the beach today, I thought I'd post real quick. Here are a few images from several nights ago back when we walked the beach in Naples that evening. Brent happens to be in these with the kiddo's. He and Kenidi were dancing on the beach together part of that time and I managed to capture a couple of images from the moment. Girlie twirls & spins in the sunset with Daddy...
Maybe a little salsa dancin'...shakin' those hips with Daddy...
This shot below was taken on the beach several nights later over on Sanibel Island. She was showing Daddy her shell that she found. Love her stance and his body language in this one. The princess speaks and her prince (her Daddy) listens intently...
Brent was watching the kids play a few feet from me at one point and was allowing me a few minutes to snap some shots. I got this one of him. Loved it. Don't know why...just do.
And this one I got of Brennen with my telephoto lens. I was way far away and captured him looking for shells along the waters edge, carrying "Razzi" in tow.
Brennen and Daddy...(back in Naples again)
And this shot below is of Kenidi, just laying down in the sand. I caught her doing it and it reminded me of how relaxed I get when at the beach. She was just sugaring herself in the sand and truly in her element. I caught her enjoying life to the fullest at that second. When I snapped the legs of the teenage girls in the background too, I at first started to delete the picture and throw it out. However, the more I thought about and the more I looked at it once back at the house, the more I realized that their legs help to tell a story and describe a place. In the end, I felt that their presence, even though just their legs, added more character to the shot with Kenidi. Ultimately, the legs added "unique-ness" and I opted to keep the image rather than discard it.
And lastly, a facing forward shot of Kenidi chasing the birds. What great memories we have of another trip to South Florida. I don't know if we'll be back here before Summer again or not. Our Spring Break destination is undecided but in the works. No matter when we arrive back here, it'll never be soon enough. It's very hard to stomach the fact that we'll be flying back into Indy tomorrow night. (Monday) We'll be stepping off the plane to cold temps, a crazy busy week regarding the calendar and schedules, a Christmas tree that needs taken down and put away, laundry that will be demanding attention as it overflows out of the suitcases, and so on. I guess we call that "REALITY." Right? Life...praising God for it today and all that it breathes into us as well as takes from us.
Happy Sunday,
Angie
PS...To view the Angie Seaman Photography "photo of the day," click HERE.
