Some of the men "folk"

What's that old saying about the nut not falling far from the tree?
Or was it something about "from the mighty oak......"?
Nah, I think we'll stick with the first one.
Sorry Tommy and Zach.
Love you guys!

Still coming....

Deb's family, Jess and John.
She is my cousin and good friend.
She kept us grounded growing up and
is still the one with the level head,
always there,
always ready to help when needed.
Jess and John are lucky to have her.
I think they know it.

More Murphys

On video one we have the lovely Jordon.
Can't wait to see her video she made.
Will it be at Blockbuster sometime this summer?
Next we have the tailgaters.......
Maggie, Danny, Connie, Rhonda and Steve.
They look like they are up to no good here.
I'd say otherwise, but I've known them far too long!
Look at Luke.
He's one of the most genuinely nice
18 year old boys that you could know.
Edit: Sorry Jordon!
I shouldn't do this so late at night......

Running a marathon

Young kids definetly need young grandmas.
Even then that grandma should be in marathon training to keep up.
............."I'll be right there".................
Maybe I should tell her to slow down.
There's plenty of time later to run and run and run.

Photo-less

No photo to share tonight.
I was actually participating in the memory.
Today was our 32nd wedding anniversary
and we spent it at home
with all the kids.
We had the most wonderful time
and I didn't want to miss even a
second of it getting my camera.
Sometimes
you just have to
LIVE the moment
and keep the memory
tucked away in your heart.

Here comes the bride

If you've wondered about my absence, now you know why. We are planning a wedding for this girl, my youngest daughter, to take place in six weeks. I'm so happy and excited for her, but at the same time..............SIX WEEKS isn't much time to plan a wedding and for those of you who don't know this kid she is v e r y particular. Knows what she wants. So we've had some challenges to overcome, but things are falling into place nicely.
Wedding gown bought.
Minister and wedding spot (outdoors) reserved.
Large party tent with dance floor reserved.
INDOOR AIR CONDITIONED sit down dinner reserved.
Photographer (no question, my pick) reserved.
Working on the invitations right now.
I'm thinking that this is turning out to be a good thing. How can people go through all of this planning and decision making for a year or more?
No wonder there is material for the show "Bridezilla".
Back to the invites...........

The things we do for love

It was a hot day.
I mean H O T - as in ice is melting in the freezer hot.
So what did I do?
I went to a bridal shower - outside - at a winery
on top of a hill
without trees
without a breeze
with one fan to cool off
all the guests under a large
canopy tent.
It was miserable.
I had to take off my funky big-bead necklace
to help bring down my body temperature.
Why did I go?
I went because this beautiful young girl
is engaged to be married to a boy that
is like a son to me.
His mom & I have been friends for over
twenty years.
They are like family.
I wouldn't have missed sharing in
this part of the celebration,
even to sacrifice comfort.
Best wishes to you both, Emily and Steve.
I'll see you at the wedding.
(which I hope is air conditioned!)

Quarter Century

Happy Birthday Lin-z.
25 years ago I remember the nurse laying you on my chest and you stared so intensely into my eyes that I knew our bond was formed right at that moment.
Today I saw that bond between you and your son.
How powerful that love can be.
Then I had to smile.
I couldn't help but look at the big red heart ring that Peyton so proudly bought (with his own money) and gave you for your birthday.
I'm proud of you for wearing such a gawdy thing.
I'm tickled because it's payback time!
LOL!

How many?

How many are family?
ALL of them!
Okay, so we may have had a few
reunion crashers,
but I'm sure they wanted
to belong to us by the time they left.

Steve and Danny - I'm waiting for those
shots you took from the roof.
You did have film, didn't you?

She deserves her own

This one had to stand alone.
This is my Lizzie,
the niece who made me an aunt for the first time.
On the day of the reunion she came with her husband,
young Tim,
and this first photo of............................


BABY GRACE
Yep, it's a girl!
I knew it would be.

I really wish she'd reconsider
and name this baby Isobel or Isodora
so I can call them Lizzie and Izzie.
The mommy and daddy-to-be aren't going along with it.

What the heck rhymes with Grace?
I'll just have to call her
Baby Grace with the pretty face.
And when she's learning to eat,
Baby Grace with a messy face.
Okay.
I feel better now.

More of my folks

I don't know where it came from, but Chloe has started using the term "folks". She always wants to know if I am having "our folks" over. After this last weekend she got to meet a LOT of my "folks". I'm still sharing here. Over four hundred shots to go through and so little time.
I purchased the IttyBitty Actions proofing set two days ago. I love the ease of it and am so pleased with the results.
Anyway, I digress.
Here are some of the younger folks tonight.
Threw in one old guy just to mix it up.
He was the chief grillmaster.

Has anyone found that tomato fork yet?

Pieces of family

More mug shots from the reunion (and still more to come). Deb, Kathleen & Bev always want to ham it up. Aren't they pretty?
Eric is showing off his pastry skills. He is working at the bakery this summer and he decorated this cake for us. I think he did a fabulous job! That's me on the top looking happy.
Becky & Jeff duplicate their pose (see the photo in the background?) from the early days of the fireworks business. Jeff had to crunch down here to get the angles just right. I think they've grown up quite nicely!

You can see clearly now......

Don't know what happened to that last photo of Crystal, so here's another.
Her soul is as beautiful as she is.

My own little world

I've been away for a while
in my own little world.
My sides are still going in and out
(decidedly OUT in this photo).
Had the most remarkable weekend
with my Irish clan all gathered together
out in the country
eating good food
telling stories
catching up on old times
meeting new family members
missing the ones who weren't with us
watching the traditional fireworks display
post 4th of July.
I'm still basking in the love I felt of and for
my family.
So - I promised to send you all the photos I took and will work on them this weekend.
For now, here's one of my favorite shots of Crystal with her violin.
Had a great time........wish you all were still here.
love
pam
ps - again our apologies to the out of towners for the monsoon/tornado/power outages/cancelled flights/salads only/etc. that occured here this weekend.....glad you are all home where it's safe.

A "Cool" Idea

My sister is preparing her home for our family reunion next weekend. We are in an extreme heat wave here in the midwest and our northeastern relatives are coming. She had always heard that heat RISES so thought if she kept the tents LOW to the ground it would make for more comfortable conversation seating. I've gotta give her credit for this one.

Where do we go from here?

The St. Louis Zoo is one of the best places to spend a summer day.
What could be more fun than pulling one hundred pounds of kids in a wagon for six hours while they point out the areas you "missed"?

Taking place outdoors

The heat has finally broken a little bit.
Just enough for us to dine alfresco.
Table for two, please.

Celebrating the USA

Just a few of the highlights from our Fourth of July celebration here in the Midwest.
The mega float that you see above depicts our town's 150th year and took all the trophies. It was a sight to see. Kudos to Mick and all who labored for weeks putting it all together.
Lindsay was in good "spirits" for the fireworks display on the riverfront.
Chloe was happy to have a wagon ride on the 37 block trek her Grandpa took to get us free parking for the festival.
My little buddies made out like bandits with sacks full of candy from the parade. {I think this holiday might be surpassing Halloween for treats}.
Me? Well, I just sat back and enjoyed the events of the day with my clan. We are definetly a Fourth of July family!
Can't let this day pass without mentioning our troops who so bravely defend our freedom so that we can enjoy days like today. Thank you to all who are serving now and to our veterans who served in the past. God Bless America.

Backstage Pass

Today's postcard goes out to Joey.
He has been following this band for a couple of years, telling me how much I'd like them.
He was right! (did I really admit that?)
Today I had a backstage pass to shoot them at the SQ150 Celebration day.
JOE DIRT ROCKS!
Had a great time. Thanks Joey & the Joe Dirt Band.

Goddess Hera

The Greek goddess, Hera, is goddess of marriage and worldly power, often associated with women at midlife as they prepare for the passage into old age. I shot this little garden fairy and it made me think of Hera. Sitting there, holding her gazing ball on her lap trying to see into the future, while floating on a pond of her tears shed for the past days of her youth gone by.
She has been with me this week. Our most fretful day was spent at the gyno wishing we were there awaiting the sound of the baby's heartbeat rather than waiting for the treatment plan for menopause and the results of a bone density test.

Summer Solstice-the l o n g e s t day

June 21st, Summer Solstice, the day that the Earth's North pole is tilted closest to the sun, the longest day of the year. It also turned out to be the HOTTEST day of the year so far. What's a girl to do? Well, you see where I parked my caboose! Nothing better than spending the longest day of the year doing something fun with your best little buddies.

Birthday Day

Seven is my lucky number. Seven years ago today I became a grandma. It was, and still is, my very favorite gig so far. The past seven years have passed by so quickly, but they have been rich. I look forward to many more celebrations with this special little guy. Happy birthday, P. Your grandma Pam loves you very, very much.
ps - do you see how creative he was when I told him to hold up seven fingers? I tell you, he's a genius!

Sweet Summer

Yesterday as I was pulling the load of beach towels out of the dryer I noticed that some of them were getting thin and frayed along the edges. Note to self: buy some new towels. As I began folding them I remembered where they came from. The blue one with the surfer came from Clearwater Beach the year we took my mom & dad to Florida with us. That was a wonderful vacation. The orange one was purchased in the resort gift shop at Kentucky Lake the year we forgot to pack underwear for Joey. That was a wonderful vacation. The white Polo towel was purchased on one of our many trips to Osage Beach. Those were wonderful times. The orange and pink ones were in the girls Easter baskets one year for our upcoming trip to Sandestin. I got to sit back and watch my babies play in the sand with their own babies. Warm, fuzzy feeling overtaking me by now. The Toy Story was my little buddie's first beach towel, the year his swim trunks reached his chubby little ankles. The Barbie towel belongs to my little girlfriend. She needed a pink one to match her swim suit last year. And then there is the red towel. I've never had a red swim suit, but you know I just had to have that red towel the year we went to Myrtle Beach. I remember how easy it was to spot my family on the beach with that red towel spread out in the sand. That was a wonderful vacation.
I think I will cross "new beach towels" off my shopping list. We are just fine with the ones we've got. They are full of many sweet summers.

Eye-pod

"Grandma look! I got a free eye-pod with my new jammies!"

Kids in the country

Now what could be more fun than having your very own dirt bike with hundreds of acres to ride on? How about your cousin following you on the four wheeler?
Every kid should have a country spot to go to. It leaves them with lasting memories to talk about when they are too old to swim in the river or ride the dirt bikes.

New banner woes

I worked this new banner last night. I can't get it to fit the space in the header so I give up.
Have a nice weekend!

In training

P & C have always asked me if they could take pictures with the old cameras that I love to collect. You should have seen the look on their faces when the other day I said "Yes!" Down came one of the old Brownies and they had me laughing. They sounded just like me when I take their photos. "Turn a little to the left - just your eyes, not your head" "Let me see your best smile". They even came up with pose #1, #2, and #3. I think I have a couple of assistants in the making.