one of those days...

For all of my adult life my mom has always given me one piece of advice that I have never seemed to follow and that is "take time to stop and smell the roses." I have no idea why I am a workaholic, why I have to stay busy 24/7, why I like to find new projects--but recently I think it has got the best of me.

I have neglected my family, my friends, my cats, and myself. I need life to slow down! But it never fails, I always find something else to put on my plate. Why?

Last month I started working out with a personal trainer. My goal was to loose five pounds by Thanksgiving. I have only lost 2.5 pounds! Why--I LOVE chocolate. I love candy bars! And when I am stressed I want a candy bar! Anyways--I must say that I enjoy my time at the gym. I like the thirty minute drive. It gives me time to unwind. I love knowing there is someone at the gym waiting on me--it makes me go! However, Friday I got so busy that I forgot about my session! Forgot.

So over Thanksgiving break I am going to "take time to stop and smell the roses." I am going to enjoy time with my family and friends. AND I hope to catch up.

P.S. I would love to hear from my blog visitors. I have visitors from around the world--and I would love to get to know you. Dont be afraid to say hello--I love meeting new people.

Kylie

Happy Birthday Kylie. I had the pleasure of photographing Kylie for her "Four Year" birthday pictures. What a beautiful little girl.

Robyn--you did an excellent job picking out the best outfits!

A Great Feeling ~ Thankful

I had several "warm, cozy, heartfelt" moments this week that I wanted to share...

Most who know me, know that I LOVE animals! Love, love, love animals. Last week I had a student come up to me and ask if I wanted a cat. She found the kitten cold, hungry and all alone. She decided to keep the cat.

Then on Friday, I received a call from a student who was on his way home and he found a baby kitten sitting on the side of the road. He called his mom and she said "no--we cannot keep it" call Mrs. Key. The kitten was so hungry, cold and looked like she was sick. We fed her, gave her a warm t-shirt and found her a home.

TWO wonderful stories of young adults helping care for stray animals. That just warms my heart!

Last week I had rented a lens to try out at Jessica & Derek's wedding. Renting a lens is a great way to see if you want to "try" before purchasing--especially if it is a $2000 lens. Anyways--through the crazy, hectic week time slipped by me and I was hurrying to get the lens back. I was going to have to drive an hour to the nearest FedEx locations to make the return. As I was headed to a family shoot, I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed a FedEx truck and I followed him. He was super nice! He was patient, kind and giving! Actions like his make you realize that there is still good in the world. That people will still go out of their way to help others.

I am thankful that there are people who take time out of their busy day to stop and help others.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Kade & Cameron

I have the cutest niece and nephew in the world. This session was long overdue. We have been working to do "summer white" pictures since this summer. Of course a cold front came in and made the "outside summer" shots unrealistic.

Derek & Jessica

What a wonderful ending to the 2008 wedding season!

Last night Derek & Jessica tied the knot at Ashton Gardens in Houston. What a beautiful ceremony.

Hope you two have a wonderful time on the honeymoon. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of your special day.

Jessica

I have been anxiously waiting to post Jessica's bridal portraits.

She was stunning! From her elegant up-do accented with a trendy flower/feather, her amazing figure in her gorgeous dress. And the simple pearl jewelry added the finishing touch.

Jessica--you are beautiful!

Yucky Mood

Today has been a LONG day!

Mom called to say she broke her ankle in three places and will have to have surgery. She has such bad luck. Maybe this was God's way of saying she needed to not be so busy during the Holiday Season.

I have been sick for three weeks! Yahoo News had a story over the germist jobs----"Leading the list of germy jobs were, not surprisingly, teachers. The average bacteria per square inch of their workplace surfaces were 17,800, versus 900 for a job at the lower end of the list, lawyers."

The guy who sold us our piece of land has decided he did not want to sell us the other piece of land--behind the piece of land we purchased in May. So if we do not get the purchase "the other" piece of land--then I want to sell and take my home building elsewhere. However, I think he has invited me to sign the contract tomorrow. We shall see.

I am a planner! I am organized! I do not like the "un-known" and well this Presidential Inauguration ticket stuff is stressing me out! I sent request for tours and tickets back in April. However, everyone I talked to last March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October--did not have a clue about the inauguration. And then comes November--and well--"we do not know if we can get you 50 tickets!" WHAT! Did I hear you correctly? Oh--and we cannot tell you if you get tickets until January! So tomorrow--I guess I will email Mr. President Elect myself to try to find out why they cannot find tickets for my students! Really?

The bright side of things--my Photography 2 students surprised me by taking me to lunch!

Christmas Portraits

It is that time of year, Christmas! It is time to start thinking about Christmas cards and Christmas gifts.

Christmas Special $95
45 minute session in the Humble area
Digital Negatives

All session times are for Saturday, December 6th and are first come, first serve.

-All payments are due upon booking and are non-refundable upon cancellation.
-This is for individuals, children and families only (extended family sessions will incur an extended charge, contact the studio for details)
-You must select a time slot when booking this session.
-Each session is 45 minutes long.
-Please do not be late for your session.
-We recommend bringing treats and snacks for younger children.
-Each session will be edited and you will be provided a disc with a copyright release.

Call 936.334.4403 or 936.336.9976 to book today!

Historic Election

This is a historic election for a variety of reasons...

Americas First Black President. Barack Obama beats John McCain to become the 44th president.

CNN HEADLINES: Election on pace to shatter voter turnout records
-Officials in battleground state of Missouri report very high turnout
-Despite long lines, rain and cold, Americans make sure they have their say
-People wait to vote as long as 11 hours at a polling place near Philadelphia
-More than 24 million people had already cast ballots in early or absentee voting

Record spending.

The first presidential commercial.

Young people becoming active in politics.

Election Day 2008

Tomorrow is election day! Tomorrow is THE "Tuesday, following the first Monday of an even number year!

If you have not voted...GET OUT AND VOTE! (even if you skip voting for the president--at least vote for the other offices)

25 Random Facts About . . .The Presidential Election
The first official presidential election in the United States took place in 1789 with George Washington becoming the first president. However, only 10 of the 13 states participated in the election, as New York had chosen no electors, and North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution.

The Antimasonic Party was the first to hold an official party convention to nominate candidates for the president and vice-president in 1832. Such conventions are now part of the standard process for the Republican and Democratic parties.a
Prior to the 12th Amendment of the Constitution in 1804, the presidential candidate who received the second highest number of electoral votes was named the vice-president. The amendment mandated that electors vote for the offices of president and vice-president separately.

The oldest presidential candidate to be elected was Ronald Reagan at age 69, while the youngest candidate to be elected was John F. Kennedy at age 43. If elected in the 2008 election, John McCain will take over the title of oldest elected president at age 72.

In the 1984 presidential election, Ronald Reagan received both the highest number of popular votes (54,455,075) and the highest number of electoral votes (525) in the history of U.S. presidential elections. These numbers have yet to be surpassed by another presidential candidate.

Richard Nixon (in 1972) and Ronald Reagan (in 1984) are tied for carrying the highest number of states in an electoral vote at 49. Nixon failed to carry Massachusetts, and Reagan failed to carry Minnesota.

Grover Cleveland is the only candidate ever to be elected to one term, defeated for a second term, and then elected again four years later. Thus, he became both the 22nd president and the 24th president.

Norman Thomas of the Socialist Party goes down in history as the only candidate to run for president six times; he was never elected.

The 1960 presidential election holds the title of the closet presidential race. John F. Kennedy won just a tenth of a percent more popular votes than Richard Nixon, but he did carry a clear majority in the Electoral College with 303 votes, as opposed to Nixon’s 219 votes.

The first general election presidential debate was held on September 26, 1960, between John F. Kennedy, candidate for the Democratic Party, and Richard Nixon, nominee for the Republicans. Prior to this election, presidential candidates occasionally debated, but not in an official manner—and not on T.V.

Four times in the history of presidential elections, the candidate who won the most popular votes has not been elected president. This occurred in the 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000 elections.

There are currently a total of 538 electors in the Electoral College. Each state receives a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in Congress. Washington, D.C., is also given three electors, the number given to the least populous states.

Only two states, Nebraska and Maine, allocate their electoral college vote in proportion to the popular vote. The other 48 states and the District of Columbia declare all of their electoral votes to the winning popular candidate in the state, despite the margin of victory.

At least 270 electoral votes are required for a candidate to be declared president. If this number is not reached in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives elects the president.

While an elector in the Electoral College is supposed to vote in accordance with his state’s voters, he may not always do so. For example, a West Virginia elector in 1988chose to vote for Lloyd Bentsen instead of Michael Dukakis, the candidate who had carried the state.

In order to be elected president, a candidate must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born citizen of the United States, and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14years.

The presidential election is traditionally held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. November was chosen as the election month because it was a convenient time for farmers when the weather was still nice enough to travel to the county seat and the bulk of their harvest chores were finished. The Tuesday after the first Monday was chosen to prevent the election from ever falling on the first day of the month and to thwart travel on Sunday. It was preferred that the election not be held on the first day of the month, as many business owners completed their accounting for the previous month on that day, and a poor business month could affect the vote of these owners.

Voter participation in presidential elections has fallen in the last four decades from an average of nearly 62% of registered voters participating in 1960s elections to an average of just over 53% for the 2000s elections.c
The 2008 presidential election will be the first time since the 1928 election that neither the incumbent president nor the incumbent vice-president will be running for election.

While the popular vote may decide the president in early November, a candidate is not officially elected president until the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, when members of the Electoral College cast their votes.

The president officially enters office on January 20th during a formal inauguration ceremony. Prior to a Constitutional amendment in 1933, the inauguration ceremony was held on March 4th, to allow enough time for election results to be collected and the winning candidate to travel to Washington, D.C.

The 2008 presidential election will be the first time in U.S. election history that two sitting senators will run against each other for president. The winning candidate will be only the third sitting senator ever elected.

Barack Obama, presidential candidate for the Democratic Party in the 2008 election, is the first ever African American presidential candidate for a major party.c
Only two women have ever won the nomination of a major party in a U.S. presidential election: Geraldine Ferraro was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1984, and Sarah Palin is the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee.

The 2008 presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, are the only two presidential candidates to be born outside of the continental U.S. Obama was born in Hawaii, and McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, a U.S. naval base. A bi-partisan legal review agreed that McCain is a natural-born citizen and thus eligible to run for president.