Mother's Day

So it's Mother's Day......

I have had two "children" wish me "Happy Mother's Day" already...  please note, these were not my own children.  One was my niece whom I spent most of the day driving around in a car with yesterday.  And the other was my "tri-daughter".  She is a great kid!!! :)

Where you ask, are my own children? Why no breakfast in bed? Well, my son has moved out.... if he actually remembers in his joy of "freedom at last" that I was his Mother....  it will be a Miracle!!!

My daughter who worked until 2am.... is probably expecting "Breakfast in Bed".......

This is how things change, when your kids are no longer small and cute.....  no cards anymore...  no breakfast... a tea would have been nice but.... she.... is still asleep.

Sometimes a girl gets really lucky and her husband actually will do something nice for her even though she is not his Mother..... mine on the other hand has gone away for the week with his Brother no less....  golfing...  (he did call and ask if he should have flowers delivered to his Mom....)

I recall years of not really caring about Birthdays and Anniversaries.... years of Valentines Days without feeling the need to go out.  How did this all change? It must be an age thing?!?!?!?

 Yes, on my birthday it would be nice to have a cake and have someone sing "Happy Birthday" to me.....  even if it is just my Husband.  I was down in my basement yesterday looking for boxes.  (While my husband is away we sold our cottage and had 7 days to empty it... 5 of those he is away and so I am emptying out the cottage with my son, daughter, and my 68 yr old Mom)  back to my story...

I found a small white cake box.

On it was written,      To Francie:  "Happy Birthday"

This is NO ordinary Cake Box.

On my birthday 2 yrs ago my day started quite normally, everyone was out and I was cleaning the house.  As I was vacuuming I saw out of the corner of my eye a rather large figure outside my kitchen French Doors..... I was startled at first but then realized it was my Dad.

He was all decked out in his motorcycle gear.  He had ridden all the way from Acton to bring me a Birthday Cake in this little white cake box on the back of his motorcycle. Literally strapped on with bungies!!!  That visual, is something I WILL NEVER FORGET!

I guess the "moral of my story" is;  It isn't always important to do something BIG in order to make someone feel special.... sometimes it is the small things like... just remembering their birthday or saying "Happy Mother's Day" to them.

I certainly hope everyone reading this has a Wonderful Mother's Day....

on that note, I have a photo to share.  This week was my daughter's 3 Month Anniversary and she wanted pictures done with her boyfriend.  Here is my favourite photo:

Retro 1910 Wedding

What a cool idea! The guys were all in top hats and the women with Fascinators! A wedding at the very beautiful Queens Landing it was the perfect compliment to the old decor.  I felt I was thrown back in time.

Retro is in, a lot of young people love the look of old photos.  This is where photo editing, my favourite thing to do comes in very handy!  The job of a photographer to ensure they always have the "standard" wedding shots and then to have some fun and give their clients something unique. It is very easy to pose people and take photos, what will set your photographer apart is how they interact with you and if they make you feel at ease.  They should take the types of photos that you are looking for.  If you want posed photos or prefer candid shots. Most photographers are very "old school" and follow the wedding photo train of thought, they set up the wedding party in a nice place and rearrange them to get different shots. Some are slowly breaking out of this tradition and starting to think outside the box.

When looking for a Photographer make sure you find someone who knows what type of photos you are looking for.  They should plan the wedding photos based on what type of photos you would like in your album after the wedding is complete.  Everyone wants the photos of the Aunts/Uncles/Grandma's etc. But think of the shots you would like when you are putting your album together and make sure your photographer gets these shots! If you want a "collage" page, you will need shots of the assorted objects from your wedding.  Shoes, rings, flowers, place cards etc.

I loved the uniqueness of the wedding this past weekend. It showed that the couple thought through all of the details very carefully to ensure it was the day THEY wanted.

That being said, here is your photo of the week for my 52 week project. :) With a little bit of editing I think it really does look like it might have been taken in 1910!!

Lasers!

Almost every time I hear someone say "Lasers" I can't help but think of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil...  makes me giggle every time!! "Laser"

I have been going for laser treatments over the last 6 months. I am sure it began as my unconscious fear of one day becoming unable to shave my legs etc.  I wonder what it is like for those in nursing homes and hospitals... I for one KNOW that my kids will NOT come to shave me.  I will end up being the "Sasquatch" in room 208. Wonder if that's how all those sightings out on the west coast began.  Just some poor woman unable to find a razor!

I suppose I could always start a new trend!  Nursing Home of the Sasquatch. We don't care, so you don't have to!  Ok... maybe not the best motto for a nursing home ;)

That being said, back to the lasers.  Lasers hurt!  If anyone has ever tried to tell you they don't.... they are lying!  Not as bad on your legs... but in those tender areas they DO! I try to take Ibuprofen before I go which does help.

The things we women put ourselves through to look attractive!  Hopefully when I am in that nursing home and there is one male in 20 females I may have "a leg up" being "hairless" !  Ha! Ok, that made me laugh out loud!

On a separate note, again staying with my 52 week project here is your photo of the week.  We have a cherry tree in our yard that is over 100 yrs old, one day this week it was covered with butterflies taking a sip from the blossoms.

I love Weddings!!

I would like to say "I had the honor" of shooting a Wedding this past weekend. Wonderful people!  What a complete BLAST! I had the most amazing time.  I even admit as I go through all of the photos of the people whom I had just met, I get all teary eyed just looking at the joy on the Grandparents and Parents faces. The look of love from the Bride to the Groom and vice-versa.  It is such an amazing moment in one's life and hopefully one you will treasure the rest of your life.

It is so wonderful to be able to convey feelings through photos. Not an easy thing to do, but when it happens it is a beautiful thing.

Magical.

I can honestly say I have found something I absolutely LOVE to do. I have a passion for learning, finding new things, and bombarding my brain with ideas.  It's certainly taken long enough to finally get here.  But I am so very happy I am. :)

That being said, I'd like to set up a photo, it's the moment the Father "gives" his daughter to a new man.  Very symbolic but I believe that Fathers really do feel like they are "giving" their daughter into another man's care.  I love in this photo. The Father shakes the hand of the new "husband" to be as his daughter looks on, slight tears glistening in her eyes as she looks with faith and love at her partner for life.

What a beautiful thing, we are all so lucky to be able to be a part of such a wonderful moment in someones life.

(My advice to the Groom before the wedding). At some point during the ceremony take a moment and burn that image into your memory.  So you will always remember.

Here is one the picture I was describing followed by two of my favorites!!

one that is just "cool"

and one of my favorites!! I love the fun ones ;)

Harrison was dying to give "Bunny Ears" to someone in just ONE more photo I promised him he could ;)

Abraham Lincoln

I am once again in complete AWE of Abraham Lincoln.  (we just spent a day in Washington) His words which are so beautifully written, convey so much thought and depth. Something so very hard to find in any individual these days. Truly an amazing leader. In spite of adversity he forged ahead and followed his belief. Regardless of what half of the country he governed was saying.

To do what you believe is right and true in the face of such obstacles.  To send men to war and know THEY are making the ultimate sacrifice.YOU are the one who made "the call" and sent them there. Talk about guilt.

It really does make one step back and rethink a lot of things in ones lives.  Situations where your ego gets in the way. I read something recently that said, most arguments are the result of ego.  A person does not want to "feel" less a man. So instead of backing down in an argument or admitting they could be wrong they hold their ground.  If only they realized that you are a bigger man by realizing that your ego does not rule you. Do what is right in your heart. Very hard pill to swallow for some.

As well, this comes in to play in everyday life and the effort we put into our everyday tasks. Do what you do and do it well.  In the words of Lincoln:

 Every man is proud of what he does well; and no man is proud of what he does not do well. With the former, his heart is in his work; and he will do twice as much of it with less fatigue. The latter performs a little imperfectly, looks at it in disgust, turns from it, and imagines himself exceedingly tired. The little he has done, comes to nothing, for want of finishing.


If you love what you do, you will do it well, because your heart will be in it.  Why do we not incorporate that philosophy into our every day. Why don't we always try to do our best so that we can be proud of what we do.  Just try.


That being said, here is another line from a book I was reading while we were away this week.  


"What is more numerous than blades of grass in a lawn?" 


 "The thoughts in a man's mind" 


 Here is your photo of the week.... my men in deep thought!  :)

and one more of Lincoln of course!!!

What to wear for your engagement shoot?

I found a great link with some wonderful advice as to what you should wear for your engagement photos! Here is the link:  http://applebrides.com/2011/04/01/what-to-wear-for-an-engagement-shoot/

Sports

Sport.  For me, the only way to keep my butt in shape.  If I don't plan at least one Triathlon over the summer to race in I WON"T get out of bed in the middle of the winter to go to the gym! I recently went to see my niece play hockey.  She was in the "Championship" for her house league team.  Not Rep... House League.  The BEST part about this is the comment from the coach after the end of the game (they did win).  He said " they kept saying how much fun they were having, and I had to keep reminding them yes, it's fun but we do want to try to win the game too" :)  How awesome is that! True LOVE of the sport! It was a really nice "throw back" for me. Remembering the days of going to the rink for both of my kids. I think we lived there for many years! Made lots of great friends along the way!

Here is a great quote that I think can sometimes be lost in sports.... "My responsibility is getting all my players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back." Team sports develop such wonderful traits in our kids! They learn so much, the joy of winning and that you really can't "win them all". Teaching our kids to be "good losers" is just as important.


That being said, here is a really great Mickey Mantle quote "During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball."

~Mickey Mantle~

Funny, no one is perfect, but doing your best at every game you will always make yourself happy.

Here is my favourite photo of the week, the moment the game is won and the gloves are being thrown in the air!! :)