Children

My husband and I have been trying unsuccessfully to have a child for several years. Since we don't have children of our own, I live vicariously through my sister's children. My sister Wendy has also had her more than her fair share of difficulties having children. She has had two miscarriages and she had a daughter, Alexis, who was born prematurely and passed away after 3 days. When my sister got pregnant for the fourth time, my entire family was on pins and needles. Thanks to many, many prayers answered by the Lord, my sister gave birth to her son, Connor, in March 1995. My whole family was overcome with joy at the birth of her healthy little boy. Connor has been one of the most joyous things in my life. I look forward to the times when my sister calls me for my babysitting services. I also enjoy taking Connor to the zoo whenever I can. I try to see him every weekend. In early winter last year, my sister called to inform me she was pregnant again. I was extremely excited and also scared out of my mind. She didn't have any complications with her pregnancy and on July 1st, my sister gave birth to her daughter, Raelee Alexis. Again, our cups are overflowing. The Lord's blessings are abundant. Here are some photos of the lovely blessings my family has received.

Connor's Sweet Smile

A Ride on the Train

Raelee Alexis

Precious Sleeping Princess

The Proud Big Brother

Echinacea

So, let me tell you how little I know about flowers. I'm familiar with things like roses, daisies, carnations, tulips, sunflowers, and lilies. I can usually pick those out and give you the correct name. However, once I get past those few flowers that I recognize, I'm lost. I've seen these flowers in gardens all over the place. I really enjoy photographing them. I wanted to post a couple of these photos on my blog, but I didn't want to post them without naming them. Here is where my problem lies. I didn't know what they were called. I spent 20 minutes trying to find the name of this particular flower. All I have to say is thank goodness for Google and Flowers.org.uk or this post would have just been titled "Unknown Pink Flowers." After doing a little research, I can now proudly post these photographs of Echinacea.

Echinacea Standing Out From The Crowd

Echinacea Party

Black & White

Some photos just look more beautiful in black & white. I took the first photograph shown below in Virginia Beach. I saw a mother and her two young sons at the beach. It just reminded me of days past when children weren't consumed with video games, iPods, and text messaging and they actually spent time outdoors enjoying nature. I wanted to capture the innocence of the children playing and I thought black & white would better convey the innocence. The photo of the cabin was very rustic looking in both color and black & white, but I enjoyed the black & white photo more.

Family Enjoying the Beach

Cabin in Ramsey Canyon

Wild Beauty

Animals are some of God's most amazing creations (humans being the most magnificent of all because we are created in his image). I have a membership to the zoo just so I can photograph the beauty of the animals (I also enjoy taking my nephew, Connor, to the zoo. He is a another reason why I have a zoo membership). One of my dreams for the future is to travel the world and photograph some of God's amazing creatures in their natural habitats.

Sleeping Lioness

Inquisitive Giraffe

Clouds

I started college one year after I graduated high school. I always hated high school, but I found that I truly loved going to college. When I started college I was certain that I wanted to be a disc jockey on the radio, so I started taking communications classes. When we are young it is often difficult to decipher what you enjoy versus what your passion is. After two years of communication classes I found that I wasn't truly interested in communications. During the course of my education, I had an elective class in meteorology. It was one of the most fascinating classes to me. I have always been fascinated by clouds and weather. Whenever there is a tornado warning, most people do the wise thing and go down to their basements. I, on the other hand, go outside with my camera to see if I can photograph the power of nature. I know it isn't the wisest choice, but I can't help myself. At the end of my 2nd year, I thought that perhaps I should switch majors to meteorology. Beginning my 3rd year at college I found that I was having trouble concentrating in class. I started failing my courses even though I had been on the Dean's List for my first two years. I just figured I was burned out so I quit school. It wasn't until later that year when I started experiencing other symptoms such as fatigue, dry skin, shaky hands, hair loss, and constantly being cold that I went to the doctor. It was at that time that I discovered that I had hypothyroidism. The loss of concentration had been part of the symptoms. After three days of taking synthetic thyroid hormones, I was no longer tired, cold, and found that I could concentrate again. I had just started a new day job and I didn't want to quit to go back to school, so I just kept working. I never went back to college. It wasn't until years later when I finally figured out that my true passion is photography. I still enjoy photographing the clouds. Here are a few for your enjoyment.

Sunset in Northern Arizona

Storm Clouds