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Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Bugg Family


 I did this family shoot a week ago...

They're a great group of people...
 The smallest family member, their dog "Riley" 
was always right there strategically placing 
himself in the photos, it was so funny. 
They're a happy bunch,  good  looking too!
It was really a "FUN" shoot, 
topped off with a yummerific meal, 
laughs and great conversation! 

I'm just gonna go ahead and admit 
that I have a crush on the whole family...

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Butterfly Whisperer!

This is my oldest son...he's the "Butterfly Whisperer." 
He and his lovely wife (the sweetest girl I know) and his four kids (the babies)
went on a hunt for monarch caterpillars and  found seven of them. 
The "BW" (butterfly whisperer) made this house for them to live 
and hang in (literally) while they made the metamorphosis  
from caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly. 
Here's one of the butterfly's...it emerged earlier that day.
After they come out of the cocoon they hang like that while their wings dry. 
We had just released one butterfly that was ready to fly. 

This one's wings had dried, which means their wings
open up and they sit around for awhile looking all pretty and butterflish.

It's a great time for the kids to hold them because they really
can't go anywhere just yet, but I'm sure they're thinking about it. 
Thinking about it, but not talking about it, butterflies are very quiet...
quiet and pretty, I love that about them. 
I guess you can tell if they're boys or girls,
 I forget how though , you'd have to ask the "BW" he knows all the facts.
After all he is the "Butterfly Whisperer!"
The "Babies" named each of the seven butterflies...
Here's their names: Pancake, Popsicle, Popcorn  (I'm sure this one was named on my behalf, every Friday I watch a movie and make popcorn with them),
Waffle, Ice Cream, Jerry and Leafy!   
This guy, I think it's Popsicle, is still drying off...
I can't believe that this one didn't get named Pokey...
He kept saying he's pokey, he's pokey.
The last butterfly to make it's appearance had some kind of deformity
on one of it's wings.  The "Butterfly Whisperer" read up on how to fix him up
so he could take off like his brothers and sisters.  He carefully clipped
the deformed part off the one wing and then trimmed up the other wing so they
were the same size. The surgery was successful, when he was ready
"Leafy" was off and  flying and away he went.
Bye, bye butterflies, have fun wintering in Mexico.
When you come back next Spring stop by and say "Hello!"

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

SMILES ALL AROUND...

I think we should all smile more...
Even if you have only two teeth...
                                    
Even if you're missing your two front teeth...
Even if you happen to be wearing rubber gloves for who knows what reason. I asked her what she had gloves on for, she just looked at me like "Why wouldn't I?"

And smile especially if you happen to  be a goof ball...
She makes me smile!

Baby cousins gotta smile because they're both so cute 
and happen to be wearing the same outfit.

We can be a blessing to others just by smiling at them!
Smile you'll like it :)

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Surrounded by Nuts...

I am literally surrounded by nuts...
Not people who are nuts, but these nuts, Acorns!
All around  my house there are huge Oak Trees, like this one...
It's a constant barrage of nuts falling.
There's a loud ping, ping, ping all around my house 

as they drop and hit stuff, grills, roofs, balconies.
The squirrels run for cover or try to catch them...jokes!
I've got quite a mess on my balcony because of them.
I leave the mess, I like looking at it, makes me feel all woodsey! 
Last Thursday I was surrounded by some people 
that may or may not be a little nuts!
Just kidding!  Some of my kids came for dinner, with hang time after, good times! 

 Baby Ruby was one of them.  This is the toy box she always heads for.  
Toys end up all over the floor, creating  a mess.
 After everyone leaves I like to leave the mess "as is" on the floor for awhile,
much like the acorn mess on my balcony.  Only the toy mess is a reminder that there's some nuts I love more than they'll ever know!
I hope you're surrounded by nuts that you love! 

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Theodore Converse Jr Everybody!



Meet Ted.   I randomly call him Ted, Teddy, Teddifur, Tedtastic, Tedley, Teddo, and more often than not "Theordore Converse Jr," which I think is one great name.   Recently we went to G-Rap for a photo shoot for a creative project he's currently working on.  Here's a few of my personal favorites...

 The parking meter ate all the coin I had which gave us 31 minutes to haul up to the top a parking structure and snap the photos we had in mind...I'm happy to report that we made it with time left on the meter. 
This is what we were doing on the top of the parking structure...
I am a HUGE fan of feet photos (just in case you didn't know or forgot).
I'm actually a bigger fan of jumping photos! I made Ted jump!  He didn't want to,  but he did and here's why


A. I was unrelenting
B. I was unrelenting
C. I relentlessly asked nicely
I must say that I think he did a great JUMP!!!  This was take 2...
News Caster Ted
I love this one, hands in focus face blurry...
Love this one too...
This one looks like he's nervous in a waiting room...I like it. 
Pensive Ted...
When we were shooting this a guy walked by and didn't see Ted and asked me why I was taking a photo of this little hall way?  It wasn't until he walked in front of me that he saw Ted and got it. 
Just hangin at the Amway...
Here's where we'll end...thanks Ted for a fun morning and jumping! Nice job! 

Sunday, September 5, 2010

27 years ago...



This Labor Day weekend marks an event that happened 27 years ago...it was at that time a "New Chapter" in my little families life.  Married with 2 small children and very pregnant with our third (it was two weeks before my due date) we moved from Farmington Hills Michigan to Gaylord in Northern Michigan.   I remember a few things about that move, it was unbearably hot and humid on the road (no air in the moving van) and even in Gaylord which is usually on the cooler side. I remember taking the wrong way right around Flint and heading in the wrong direction for an hour or so putting us two hours out of our way.   I remember arriving and moving into our little yellow house on Elm St, thinking I can live here for a year if I have to. 
It was such a tiny little house right in town, totally opposite of where we'd just moved from, a big house in the county (which I loved).  I ended up living in that little tiny house almost 15 years, solidifying the truth that we can do things we don't think possible or want to for that fact!

This "New Chapter" that began 27 years ago was full of living: the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, heart break, great joy's and everything in between. The absolutely most profound event that happened there in that little yellow house on Elm Street was that I became a Christian. It monumentally and irrevocably changed the course of my life!  Did that mean that  the bad, the ugly, the heartbreak suddenly disappeared?  No, certainly not, but through it all God has been my anchor in the storms and rough waters and I wouldn't change a thing because along this journey I've come to know Him personally and intimately and have come to trust His love for me.  His love is buoyant and can hold you up. His love is BIG, it's like a vast ocean!  You can trust Him, I encourage to jump on in! You won't regret it, ever, I promise!   



Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The If I had 5 day's off what would I do blog!



I am SUPER pumped!!!!! I have 5 days, count them..1...2...3...4...5... days off in a row!!!! What on earth will I do? I have my list and I'm excited about it (I am a list maker and list follower, or list crosser offer, you could call it). First and most important, I'm having "Family Date Night" at my house on Thursday night. Pizza will be happening and we will laugh, we always do when together. Oh, how I love the hub bub when we are together! Excuse the short intermission from this blog post to give a shout out to my family..."Hey O'Dell's I love you all, am so proud of you and love who you are, and that we're all in this family together!" There end of intermission!

Friday I'm going to start painting my dining room, entry way and table. On Friday night they're predicitng 10 FOOT WAVES on Lake Michigan (at least that's the forecast) I'm so in on that! I'm going to head to my Secret Beach for the sunset, camera in hand and take some photos (OH! my heart be still!). I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Lake Michigan coastline and feel drawn to it, literally like a magnet, drawn to it, so I'll go back for more soul filling goodness and drink in the smell, the sound, the beauty!

I have a photo shoot to edit of my friend Ted. We went downtown Grand Rapids last week for a photo shoot for a project he's doing. We had BIG fun doing some location shots!!!! I'll be posting more Ted photos from his shoot soon.

Happy Labor Day Weekend Everyone...have a BLAST!!!!!!
Meet Jason & Jenn, they've been married for four 1/2 years and are in love. Here's proof...
I made them write in permanent marker on their feet and on their hands...
They did so willingly happily and joyfully and had fun...
This was such a "FUN" shoot! I loved the way that "Super serious appearing Jason" made his bride of 4 1/2 years bust out laughing frequently and repeatedly! It was truly a joy to witness. Don't ever take the laughter and joy between you for granted, it's a gift. Thank you guys for allowing me to permanently mark your lives capturing your love!