Random Photos From My Phone

I've been totally neglectful of purposefully taking 

photos with my camera over the past year.

It is something that hit me yesterday

and I definitely want to resume.

The area we live in is simply too beautiful 

to ignore like that.

But I just took a little stroll through my phone

photos for the past two weeks and these 

were in there.  They each tell a little story.

Believe it or not.

You see our back yard is blessed with many tall trees.

They are tulip trees which smell amazing once a year.

Then they drop their flowers which have something sharp in them

making it hard or impossible for me to go barefoot which is my norm.

After a while that gets better and I am a happy camper again.

All through the year these trees shed.

Our windy weather lately has had some pretty big stuff 

falling from them.

Since Warren wanted to mow last night I picked up the latest

fallen branches yesterday morning.

Since he does three yards each time he mows it takes a lot of time

if he has to pick up branches first or as he goes so this made it go faster 

this time.

Lucky for him the weather cooperated in making me do it cheerily.

We had a one day break in the horrid humidity we have been 

suffering from.

With the sun gently falling between the leaves and the cheery red

wheelbarrow helper it was not a bad job.

I was just hoping no more of those big guys were going to come

down on my head. 

Mom and Bear came to visit the other day.

He is so photogenic.

But the real story here is how blessed we are to have our mothers

right here!

To see them as we all come and go.

To know that they have our backs in both advice and prayer.

Last evening both moms came by and we chatted in the kitchen for a while

before they headed out.

I walked along to see them out.

We made it as far as the driveway while still chatting

and pretty soon Chelsea and Chadd joined us there....

next came Warren.

We just really enjoy being a family.

A very good thing, I think!

This photo is one that I see differently today than I did the day after I took it.

Rachel is performing in her cello recital.

She just got her new instrument for her 16th birthday but has been playing

long enough to be good!

I taught music to another student of Yolanda, the teacher, and so I knew

that a recital of her students would be very good.

We were not disappointed.

But back to the photo.

The first time I used this photo I cropped that man's head out.

Today I leave it in for a very important reason.

That is Rachel's Grandpa, Bob.

He and I were friendly competitors back in the homeschool bowling days.

He is one of my very favorites!

Bob is in the hospital right now after taking a serious fall,

He has staples in his head and is needing tests to see what is 

going on with him that may have caused the fall in the first place.

For more on the story you can visit his daughter, Deanna's blog.

Prayers are definitely appreciated for this dear friend.

The final photo is one of just pure delight.

Warren is having a birthday this month.

We started celebrating early

in order to use a coupon,

Can I just say that it was delicious!??!

Longhorn Steakhouse.

They do it right!!

So, there you have it.

Four random photos.

Seemingly with nothing in common.

However, they are the bits and pieces that bring back

what is important to us around here.

I really need to use my camera more.

Capturing memories.