Flamingos, Flowers and Fire Ants....

We had a very busy weekend this past week. Friday, Owen and I drove to the Atlanta Zoo to meet up with my friend Kristin. It was super packed with field trip kids and some bigger families! Owen was much more involved this trip and surprisingly enough Kristin had never been to the zoo before in her life! Owen particularly liked the elephants, giraffes, and panda bears. I think his most favorite part of the day was playing on the playground.




He loved being able to get up close!


Owen and his playground buddy driving the school bus!

Playing the drums!

Saturday was filled with waiting rooms and frustrating pharmacy experiences. Owen has had what I thought were bug bites for a few days. I noticed on Friday they looked a little redder and irritated by Saturday morning it was much worse. His entire left hand and right foot were swollen and a large radius of the skin around the bites was bright red! He was also having a great deal of trouble walking on his right foot due to the swelling. I was stuck at home without a car seat and freaking out a little bit. I finally got him to the doctor at 2pm. Apparently Owen had a reaction to the histamine in what the doctor thinks were fire ant bites. We had a whole experience at Rite Aid that I won't get into so in the end I didn't get home until almost 6pm!

These photos were taken after 2 full days of antibiotics....



Once I did finally get home my husband surprised me with a date in Atlanta, we left Owen with reliable people :), I was happy but felt a bit rushed. We had hoped to get by to Jessica's graduation dinner before heading to Atlanta but weren't able to make it (see above story), sorry Jess :(. We had a great time at a very nice restaurant and bar which was well needed for us. We were going to see John Stewart Live but never made it, we opted out for a relaxing environment and martinis. Dustin and I have only been out of the house together without a baby twice in the last 5 months!!! How did that happen?


Dustin and Owen gave me two beautiful cards, flowers and a gift certificate to go shopping...what else does a girl need?

Anybody Out There????

Today for some strange reason I don't feel particularly like blogging but here it goes.....


My life is extremely busy right now with work!!!! I have my own photography business, for those of you that didn't know that, and I am shooting 8 weddings in the months of May and June!! WHAT WAS I THINKING? I also teach art at a small college near my home two days a week. Any of you out there that have ever taught know that the work is always more than your scheduled time, planning, preparing, buying supplies, figuring out how the heck your going to explain the material so that it is understandable and at least a little interesting to your students.

So that is my life right now! Mothering, Homing, Shooting, Teaching.....BUSY!



I feel so overwhelmed I think that it isn't worth taking the time to blog...does anybody really even read this? So, just out of curiosity I want to do what many have done on these blogs before......ROLL CALL! Who is out there?

My artist hard at work....and play!

Here is Owen working on his painting skills today! I think it is so cute how he has to have two paintbrushes, one for each hand. He really loves to paint and that makes his artist mama very happy!


You can see how messy he gets! We go straight to the bath after painting!


He likes to use my professional paintbrushes...no kiddie brushes for him...he means business!

Mountain Memories!

Last week was insane! School started for me which is a whole other story and we also left for a mountain vacation. It was Owen's first really big trip! We went with our friends Heather and Jessica and their families to the North Georgia Mountains.


Dustin and Me!


The Ladies!!! Heather, Me and Jessica!

It rained most of the weekend but that didn't stop us....oh no!!! We arrived late Thursday afternoon and on Friday we all went fishing and caught 9 rainbow trout. We then cooked them for dinner that night. It was the first time I had ever eaten anything I had caught. The food was good all the same! On Saturday we went for a 1 mile hike! YES! In the rain!!! With a baby, ok 14 month old, strapped to my chest!!! YIKES! The view was beautiful though but I was glad when we got back to the cars! Finally on Sunday we took the scenic route to Helen, Ga for some beer and bratwursts! Yummy!


She wasn't upset when we were eating them later that night!


Getting ready for our hike!


The reason for the hike! A beautiful waterfall!


Helen, Georgia

It has been a busy week back home as well. I still have felt all week like I am not in a routine for school yet, and my sister came to town so we spent most of the week at my Mother's house. Thus my home is still in disarray and there is mucho laundry yet to be done! Here's to getting back to normal life: teaching, mothering, photographing every bride known to man, editing every photo know to man, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, housework....wait...can I go back to the mountains!!???!!! :)

Busy day...Tired Mama!

Easter was great!

I spent most of last night boiling and coloring eggs, which I completely forgot to take to the egg hunt today! I also sat at the kitchen table and filled 96 plastic eggs with juicy fruits, bottle caps and sweet tarts!

At 7:30am this morning the Easter Bunny had come.....Owen...not impressed! haha! Completely bypassed it for his breakfast!



We then spent much of the morning at church followed by an Easter Egg hunt. We ran home, ate lunch. took naps and then out the door again! This afternoon we trucked over to our friends' house for another Easter Egg hunt with all our friends and their children! Owen really was excited at the hunt this morning but by the afternoon it had lost it's sparkle and he spent most of his time running and playing (not picking up eggs)! We then came back home, scurrying to clean the house because Owen's Papa (Dustin's father) came by to visit! He came with gifts which Owen loved!

I am now truly exhausted! What a day!

Randomness.....

Ok so Heather tagged me.

So here it goes 10 random things you may or may not know about me:

1. I was an Oyama full contact karate fighter in my early to mid twenties. I fought with competitors from all over the globe and even have a couple of division trophies stuffed in my closet. I would go to Japan fest every year in Atlanta and do board breaking demonstrations. It was really cool when the little girl's would ask for my autograph! hehe

2. I have posed nude for fine art photographs and my body has been cast into a sculpture.

3. I have never flown on a plane. I have however ridden in a hot air balloon and on many boats.

4. I have a real fear of growing older. I think it is more about the fragility of life itself rather than the prospect of not being young.

5. I have sung on stage in front of thousands of people at the Omni in Atlanta (when I was a kid).

6. I began acting in plays with my father when I was just 5 years old.

7. I wish I was as successful and adventurous as I am in my head.

8. I was married before (yep I am now on my second marriage) to a musician and traveled on tour buses and met many interesting people. Mostly band members and artists. I once ticked off Lisa Loeb and Adam Ant. hehe

9. I have a real impulse to touch artworks that I see in galleries and museums. I have set off a few alarms in my day. :) I like to touch them because I feel that I am somehow connecting with the artist who used their own hands to create the work. It is indescribable.

10. My secret Hollywood crush....drum roll please......Tim Curry!

Tag your it:
Jennifer
Tracy
Julie out in LA
Laura
Julie
Erin
Chevella
Patrick
Lindsey
Carrie

Babes and Balls!

Last night we had another girl's night out! My girlfriend's and I leave the husbands, babies and boyfriends at home one night a month to have our much needed girl time! We do something different each month but we always have a blast. The best thing about it for me isn't so much the activity but being able to hang with my ladies!

We went for high class this time and ate at the American Pie in the Walmart shopping center and then ventured across the street to the fabulous Magnolia Lanes Bowling! Hilarious! We all had a wonderful time and some outrageous photos! Please enjoy!


I wasn't doing to well and was willing to try anything at this point!


Me and Jessica! We are planning to spend much or our summer this way! :)


Go Laurie!


Kristin was super excited about her game!


Fight for it ladies!


Heather enjoying her own pitcher....just kidding! She didn't really drink it!!!!


Sisterly love!


Jessica's Heather imitation.....or maybe secret desire??? hmmmmm.