Holidays Throughout Life

I cannot make up my mind about how I feel during the holidays.  When I say holidays I'm mainly talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Those are the two most important holidays that my family celebrates and those are the two holidays that I feel like society puts the most emphasis on.  The banks are closed longer during those holidays, small places of business close longer, more people travel during those two holidays than any others throughout the year, and those two holidays commemorate things that are extremely significant in our history.  Other holidays do too, but it just seems that the month of November and December people sort of stay in this haze of a different way of life and then the other 10 months out of the year things are a little more normal.  Perhaps it's because the work places close down and take time off... people just get so excited about their time off work... or who knows!!? 

Anyway, I almost feel the opposite about the time off and the change in my daily schedule.  My office closes almost exactly like the public schools do.  This last week, my office was closed all 5 days with a weekend on either side.  I've been a little bored, so, what do I do?  I pick up extra shifts at the restaurant the days my Lil Man was with his father just so I would have something to do.  I also spent one day taking pictures of a family and I enjoyed that, but overall, deep down, I think I would have just rathered worked the same days and hours instead of everything being different for a week. 

Once I go back to work tomorrow, we will only work for 3 weeks and then my office will close down for the last 2 weeks in December.  So, for 2 full weeks the same thing is going to happen!!!! I'm trying to psych myself up for it because I am actually going to attempt to take my vacation time during those 2 weeks that way I will actually be paid for my time off, but I'm just too much of an organized, scheduled person to cope with all this time off.  I do my best and seriously try to enjoy it with my Lil Man because I think that's important, but let's just say that I will welcome the New Year and going back to work full-time until spring break in March! :)

Despite my "Scrooge" like attitude my Lil Man is the most important thing and so the day after Thanksgiving him and I turned on Pandora radio to the Christmas station and we accomplished this!  I must say I'm pretty proud of our first tree in our apartment.  I ordered it online and then got most of my decorations from Walmart and Kmart. 

The Coolest Plant in My Life

I have never before owned a Christmas Cactus.  An elderly couple, who comes to my office regularly, gave me a piece of their Christmas Cactus and I brought it home and potted it.  I wasn't even sure if it was going to survive but apparently it has because over the last week buds have appeared and now one of them is opening up into one of the most unique flowers I have ever seen!

I'm sure it has a lot more opening up to do but I'm almost speechless!!  It looks like some sort of origami bird.  I love it!

Watching Everything Fade in Life

This is my favorite time of year, but like evereything else, it comes to an end.  I get a little sad watching everything fade into the quiet, dormant stage.  I love the winter too, but all these bright beautiful colors are by far my favorite.  I will miss them when they are gone.

Down in the swamps of Hurricane Lake.

Up on a mountain in Fairfeild Bay.

In the distance, Sugarloaf Mountain in Greers Ferry Lake. 

Pumpkin Farm in Quitman. 

Some of the last flowers from my secretary's garden for this year.  I will miss her morning boquets until the spring.

This tree sits at the edge of the parking lot to my office and over these past weeks I've watched the red everyday starting at the top and working its way down.  In a few days it will all be red and then bare.   

A beautiful bench in my favorite park. 

Dirt raod winding through the Hurricane bottoms. 

Until next year, I will enjoy these last few weeks of beautiful color.  Hopefully we will be blessed with some snow this winter, like last year, and I can show off what Arkansas looks like with a little snow on the ground. 

Picniking in Life

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!
~Author Unknown

A son is a son till he gets a wife; a daughter is a daughter for the rest of her life.
~ Author Unknown

Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.  ~Ann Geddes~

My newest addiction is www.picnik.com!  I'm in love with this really cool picture editing website and I think for a very low yearly member fee it is totally worth everything that you get to use.  It's extremely user friendly and overall just a lot of fun to play around with.  Check it out!

To my two new friends, and my models for this particular day, thank you so much for weathering this cold, windy day and allowing me the privilege of taking your picture.  

~Magan~ 

Congratulations to the Dearest Person in My Life

Congratulations to my younger sister and her fiance!  I have been so excited about this post for the past week that it's been hard not to post as I was finishing with her pictures.  This is much more meaningful to me then simply showing off the beautiful pictures that I was able to take; this is the first big milestone in my sister's life and I am truly honored to be the one to document it with these pictures.  As you all already know, she is the second most important person, after my son, in my life.  Without her, I would not have been able to survive this past year.  Younger sister - I love you more than I'll ever be able to express in words and I truly wish both of you all the happiness in the world!

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.   ~Aristotle~

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.   ~Helen Keller~

I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.    ~Roy Croft~

My sister and her fiance are absolutely two of the most fun people to be around.  We had so much fun walking around downtown and in these beautiful gardens to shoot these pictures.  They are by nature extremely playful with one another, but also very much in love.  This made our variety of pictures plentiful!

These two grassy platforms are where the ceremony is actually going to take place.  Its located in the middle of these gardens and at this time of year everything is still in bloom and still looks very plush.  I'm very excited about planning a wedding here. 

Love: The irresistable desire to be irresistibly desired.    ~Mark Twain~

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

Came but for friendship, and took away love.    ~Thomas Moore~

If I am pressed to say why I loved him, I feel it can only be explained by replying: "Because it was he; because it was me."    ~Montaigne~

All of you have heard me say, more than once, that my views on marriage these days are just a little tainted.  From my experience, I just don't have much faith in the institution FOR ME.  I do however have an incredible amount of faith in my sister and her fiance.  They have been together so long and have had their ups and downs and their love prevailed over it all.  They were meant for each other and I know, all the way to my core, that they will be the couple who survives.  One day, I know I will be planning their 50th wedding anniversary celebration and who knows..... probably taking some pictures too!

What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
~ by Ralph Waldo Emerson ~               

Love reminds you that nothing else matters.   ~Amy Bushell~

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.     ~Helen Keller~

I hope all of you enjoyed the pictures.  Whether you know my sister and her fiance or not, it is a great joy to celebrate and share this decision with all of you. 

~Magan~

Hitting the Ditch in Life

The journey of life is so full of twists and turns that it is so hard for me to always stay balanced.  Throughout this past year I have slowly managed to get my life to a point where I’m thoroughly enjoying every day.  I don’t really remember feeling this way in the last 5-6 years.  That makes me sad because the last 5-6 years have contained some of the biggest and most important moments of my life so far, but I don’t really look at those years as being the best or the happiest in my adult life.  I believe that those are yet to come.  But if there’s one thing I can say about this past year, it’s that I have found a place, even if it’s temporary, to be happy in and content. 

Of course, just when I think it couldn’t get any smoother life rears up and shows me that beyond the current curve in my road lies the biggest pot hole!  Instead of straddling it and just being able to go right over the top, I have to veer off the road for a moment and hit the ditch.  I got some news last week that has devastated me to my core.  It’s also confused me because I’m a little baffled that my reaction was so strong.  Beyond my control, I am feeling very angry, very worried, and very unsettled.  I feel like this problem is undeserved in mine and my son’s world and I wish I could erase it.  I’m almost at a loss for words.  I’ve thought on this for several days now and with neither and answer nor peace I am just going to continue thinking. 

In all reality I guess the problem really doesn’t affect me; it affects my son.  That alone is enough justification for my feelings, but on the flip side,  I care about the person who has done this to us.  I wish it would have never happened, but now that it has I need a little help dealing with it.  Everyone’s thoughts and prayers are more than appreciated right now… they are needed.   

P.S.
As promised, a very long post with LOTS of pictures will be up one day this week announcing my sister's engagement.  This past weekend, with my sister and her fiance, was a wonderful one... Only slightly tainted by the personal turmoil I am dealing with.  I can hardly wait to share everything!!

Pumpkin Patch on a Tuesday Life

I'm still playing around, at every available moment, with my new camera.  At the pumpkin patch with my son on Tuesday they had all of their large pumpkins lined up along hay and a fence with little pumpkins and gourds in front of them.  It looked so pretty and so I took some shots of them.   

A little different look due to my editing skills. :)

Out of the entire field of pumpkins my Lil Man walks up to the first one in the row and grabs it.  He didn't even want to look at any others. 

After our picnic lunch the sun came out and I got some really good shots of him playing in a water trough. 

Of course... dirty hands were hilarious to him.

Absolutely the most handsome Lil Man in the entire world!!!!



Our day at the pumpkin patch was a good one.  The morning started a little rough with Lil Man not being in the best of moods, but as the morning went on he cheered up and began playing and enjoying where we were.  I'll even admit that the farm where we went was pretty cool.  They had a hay ride, farm animals to look at, games set up to play, and a picnic area.  My favorite time of year + a place just for this time of year + a day off work with Lil Man = a great Tuesday!!