Wordless Wednesday

Her sweet little heart.

Every night, before bed, we pray with Charlotte... she clasps her little hands, squeezes her little eyes shut, says "Dear Jesus" - then we pray, and at the end she says "aaaaaaaa-men."

Tonight, I turned off the lights, said "ok, time to pray sweet pea!"

She clasped her little hands, squeezed her little eyes shut, and the proceeded to say the following - with absolutely ZERO leading or prompting by me.

"Dear sheeesus, tank you momma tank you daddy tank you kitty aaaaa-men."

I got so excited and gave her a huge hug and told her she was so sweet...

... at which point she pushed me away.

She clasped her little hands again, squeezed her little eyes shut, and then said - once again, zero leading or prompting...

"Dear sheeesus, tank you Keees tank you Mir tank you Pessley. aaaaaaaaa-men."

We'd spent the day at the zoo with Chris, Miranda & Prestley.

It was all I could do to put her to bed after that, without crawling into her crib with her and never letting her go. (BTW, I've crawled in with her before... it's not all that comfy). I ran out to tell Jason about it, then I had to call up Miranda and tell her about it, and now - as I type it out, I'm getting misty eyed again.

I don't know exactly what "it" is that she "gets" now... but she "gets" something.

Gratitude? Love of friends?

All I know is she's 20 months old and I swear, I love her more and more everyday.

Motherhood is the strangest phenomenon. And better than any drug out there.

My sweet friend, Amber... her son passed away this morning.

In his final weeks, when asked what he wanted for his birthday - he asked for money. His mom asked what he wanted to do with it, and he said he wanted her to use it to pay bills - since she hadn't been working in order to be with him until the end. She instead gave it to his favorite charity for feeding hungry children. Is the average 16 year old so in tune with the needs of others? I don't believe that I was at that age.

Andrew was an amazing young man, who led a life that was an amazing testimony to God's goodness and was vocal about his faith. He was also incredibly funny... one of my favorite stories from Amber is when she tells you about Andrew locking her out of the car, and not letting her back in until she danced for him in the parking lot.

I can't even pretend to imagine the journey of grief that they're beginning, but I pray that Amber and her family will feel held by the prayers of her friends.

My Special Place
My special place can be described as paradise where there is always a gentle breeze. I picture myself on a beach of soft golden sand. Seated in a laid back chair, I listen to the waves crash on shore. I look up at the always purple,discolored sky, as the sun is frozen in mid-set. The occasional seagull flies by gracefully. I sip my tangy drink as I lay, eyes closed.

No one knows about my sanctum. My place of peace and tranquility. That way it is better kept the way I like like it: deserted. I feel at home here, with my worries left behind in the "other" world. The world I call reality. It feels great to be alone. To rest and recharge my mind and body to go back to the conflict inhabited world. To think, to come to a place of such elegance, all I have to do is close my eyes. All I have to do is dream. To think once more of the crystal blue waters and the occasional dolphin. Yet, it is all secret. All mine. A secret to be kept from those who pollute my thoughts in the real world. In reality.

This is my special place. My one spot. It's my dreams. To think such a perfect place exists, to think nothing is wrong with the world. For now, I must stick with the place I have created 'til one day, when all is well, and such a place is not required. A place where even that little sand crab walks by, but doesn't nip your toes. Where even the lowest of animals, including I, feel important and at home.

My special paradise home.

Andrew Kippley

Andrew Michael Kippley

9/14/1993-9/25/2009

Edited to add the link...

if you're so inclined, a donation can be made to Feed My Starving Children (fmsc.org) in Andrew's name.

FMSC is a a Christian 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. A single meal costs only 17 cents to produce, and 94 percent of total donations goes directly toward the food program.

8 years ago today....

First day of school! (Wordless Wednesday)

Holiday Mini-Session info

**disclaimer: the formatting in the text below is WHACK, yo. Blogger's givin' me an attitude lately. I did the best I could. :o)

I've had lots of people ask me about doing holiday mini-sessions, so here are the details.

Weekend Option:

Sat. October 24th 9a-12p.
St. Andrews UMC - Plano
30 mins, 10-15 digital images on a CD.

For photos only, $50 session fee. For photos + cards, $35 session fee.

Card Prices, sold in pkgs of 24.
5x7 flat (2 sided) - $35 first pkg, $25 each addn'l pkg
5x7 folded (front, back, inside spread) - $45 first pkg, $35 each addn'l pkg.

Previous clients may use images from previous sessions.

Weekday Option:

Wed. October 21st 9a-12p.

Dallas Arboretum

For photos only, $50 session fee. For photos + cards, $35 session fee.

Card Prices, sold in pkgs of 24.
5x7 flat (2 sided) - $35 first pkg, $25 each addn'l pkg
5x7 folded (front, back, inside spread) - $45 first pkg, $35 each addn'l pkg.

Previous clients may use images from previous sessions.

Cards are completely customizable. I have 8 different basic layouts to choose from, and 11 different "definitions" that you can use. We can also change colors, if desired.

Half of session fee required within 5 days of booking, to hold spot.

To book spot, please email me at allison4403 at verizon dot net.

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone....

I wish I had an eyeglass case like Charlotte's...