WANTED: A Wedding (But I'd Settle for a Good Camera)

It's June 21st, Summer Solstice! It's my favorite day of the year. The day of Greatest light.

It's also the day my backyard screams, begs, whines, and cries for a wedding. One of those celebration, of an impossibly beautiful romance fraught with drama and angst, weddings, a really big wedding, amidst the roses and clematis, the columbine and ferns (think the meadow where Edward and Bella shared their first kiss (Yeah I've read 'em all, don't hate!).

For years I've pleaded with couples planning marriage, or couples who had enjoyed a first date and may potentially marry one day or random strangers who would look good in white; but, yet again, the wedding begging wondrousness of my back yard is unused...sob! Is it because I don't have a water feature?? (I watch too many garden shows)

To make me feel a little better I wandered through my back yard in scrubs and a tank top soaking in the sights, sun and scent. I took a few thousand pictures for you to enjoy only to realize that my camera is on its last pixel and that I desperately need a new one. #1 son's camera broke, #8 needs a camera for his mission and #2 son needs a camera too. So if you're listening, God...Cannon...I'd really like a wedding; but, I'll settle for a camera.



Blue sky, roses, sunlight and solstice! Ahhhh!


Adam and Eve started the whole naughty gardening thing, I'm just keeping with tradition.


So delicate. I think these are my favorite roses.


Clematis and Columbine.



Can a garden ever have too many bird baths???



Or enough frogs??




Shhhh, he's my favorite!





These flowers come up every year, they get me tons of compliments, yet I have no clue what they are nor do starts grow for people I've given them to.



A cluster of flowers amongst the grape leaves.


I heart Hostas!



This is a picture from earlier this spring. Love the mix.




This picture is me trying to capture the pollen on the legs of the many bees that were buzzing madly in these flowers. Ummmm...ok, if you look closely you can see the bee.





Even if it is my camera giving each picture an Edenesque glow you should still be impressed.


I dare you to not smile!





I ask ya, where's a bride and a cake when you need one? Maybe I can find a sparkly skinned, bare chested vampire to lip lock with...;)



Wrought iron and flowers, sigh!


This picture is my favorite, love the bird house in the back corner. Thanks for walking through my backyard and sharing a bit of solstice with me. Feel free to send brides and or cameras my way.

This one, our foster son (#8),



got his mission call.



Spokane, Washington!

Woo Hoo!

We're all proud of him, Adorable Hubby and I, his Mom, and many friends and acquaintances.

He'll be serving a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints teaching about Jesus Christ, eternal families, the Bible, Book of Mormon and joyful living. He'll also serve in the local community and hopefully get to put his first language, American Sign Language, to good use.

Way to go #8!

The Future Is In Good Hands

When we began the Junior and Senior years of schooling with our sons we decided that we would purchase each of our boys a Ninth Grade Yearbook and a Senior Yearbook. A Yearbook, for future generations who communicate with technology installed at birth and have never heard of paper or books or for people living under a rock who venture out only to read my blog, is a book filled with pictures of all the students in the three or four grade levels at your particular school and pictures of teams, clubs, and activities shared by students during the school year.

When our Graduating Senior High School student brought home his year book last night his dad and I were eager to look through it. It's fun to see what his friends wrote in it and to look for pictures of him.

On the first page right next to where he had written his name, boldly, in marker, was a little note with a signature.


Good times in football.

Joshua Smith



"Uhhhhhmmmmmm??? Why did you sign your own year book?" I asked.

"I thought it was Bryant's".

"You signed right next to your own name?" I questioned gently.

"I know." He nodded at me reassuringly.



Should I be concerned?