PHOTO SAFARI WITH APPA!

Click on the photos to see an enlarged version of my awesome photography! LOL

This is NOT a real picture-taking session. These are models who volunteered their time to help the photographers with posing, taking pictures from different angels, with different lighting techniques, etc. to help us learn.

Photographers gather at Trapnall Hall.

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Lance, the president of APPA, hands out name tags.



The model bride doing what a bride does the day of her wedding. This is when the photo sessions usually start these days.



Curling her hair.



The photographers are gathered in the dressing room with the bride to capture those priceless moments. This is my precious friend, Barb, who is a photographer and invited a "wannabe" like me to participate in this fun day!



I love this picture. The model was truly checking something on the back of her dress. It was only a instant but I caught it!



She dons her veil.



The beautiful back of her dress.



I love this picture with the groom looking on in the background.


The models steal a moment when the phtographers are discussing a question. Cute!





The happy couple!



Barb takes a moment to make a phone call.





The bride anticipates the arrival of her bridegroom.


He arrives!


The photographers!


The bride strikes a beautiful pose.

Lunch at The Flying Fish with Barb, Larry, Kristen, and Heather!

The seniors take the stage!

Some of the "graffiti" under the I-30 downtown bridge.

Supermodel wind was blowing!

What a cool black and white shot but I wish I had not centered the pole.

Walking back to Trapnall Hall we spotted several interesting shots.

The artist in me did a double take when I saw this painted on the side of a delivery truck.

COX CREATIVE CENTER

A COLORFUL NEWSSTAND DISPLAY

CLINTON LIBRARY SIGN

The following pictures were taken at the Foster Robinson House in Little Rock. It is the former home of Senator Joe T. Robinson.

http://www.fosterrobinson.com/

This is the one of our models but I have to say this is the way we were all feeling at the end of a very productive day.

What an awesome time I had today with the Arkansas Professional Photographers Association. I learned so much and am so proud of some of the pictures I was able to get with my little Canon XT Rebel. My camera looked like a little baby camera compared to these incredibly huge cameras the professional photographers were carryingl. I just tried to act nonchalant LOL--like I was supposed to be there--

All of the pictures above are pictures I took today as we learned from one another. These were not real picture-taking sessions but models who volunteered to help us out. I would like to say that the bride and groom truly are newlyweds. They just got married in September. We had seniors in high school volunteer for us to take "mock" senior pictures.

We met at Trapnall Hall first thing this morning--talked, learned, shot pictures of the bride and groom. From there we went downtown and ate together at The Flying Fish, then shot the pictures of the seniors in the RiverMarket area, then walked back to Trapnall Hall, drove to the Foster Robinson House on Broadway and took pictures of the family there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOELLE--4 YEARS OLD TODAY!

These are my precious Tulsa babies (well they are not really babies--Ashton is 8 and Noelle is 4 TODAY) at the Bixby Punkin' Patch!

Noelle, Happy Birthday. I love you!

MEMORIES, PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES OF MY MIND!

This was written several years ago.

Today I came across an old, minute flower pressed between the pages of my Bible. It reminded me of another day many years ago when the storms of life were seemingly raging at every turn.

I remember strolling through my backyard--heart consumed with grief; unending tears, not splashing but constant rivulets urging recollections of happier times. I tried to encourage my soul to think on good things as the Bible tells us to do but couldn't seem to tear my mind away from the negative thoughts.

Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

The end of verse 9 goes on to say "and the God of peace will be with you."

I knew as a Christian I was not supposed to be in such turmoil in my mind and heart but could not seem to find anything lovely or good to think upon. About that time, my foot grazed a tiny, delicate creation. Upon further investigation, I noticed that this minute lavender design of God had not one flaw. I was overwhelmed at that moment with the sovereignty and majesty of God. That He would take the time to design and create and place at my feet at that particular moment in time so perfect a flower, was more than my heart and soul could imagine.

For what seemed like a very long time I gazed upon the pastel translucence of God's handiwork. My soul settled down, my heart took on an attitude of gratefulness and my mind was renewed. The problems didn't change at the moment but I did. Only God and the power of His Word can make a change in us that stands the test of time.

Maybe you are not in the middle of any serious storms in your life today. However, it is always good to think on the good things in life with which God has blessed us. If you haven't yet today, won't you take a moment and reflect upon His blessings and let your heart, soul and mind be renewed by the power of God's Word?

LUNCH AT RICARDO'S!

While in Tulsa, Chris, Dree, the girls and I had lunch at Ricardo's. It has been in operation since 1972 and I have frequented it quite frequently for the past 34 years barring the last 4 since we don't live in Tulsa anymore.

A cute story about Chris goes like this: Since our two other sons were already in school, Chris always accompanied my friends and me when we went to Ricardos for lunch. And many of these outings were on very cold, blustery days. That is when we loved to go the most. A year or so before Chris started to school full time, the main friends that I had gone with moved away and that left Chris and me to go to Ricardos, just the two of us, which I have to say was so, so special.

BUT after being at home for 12 years with little children, as special as it was, I was ready for them all to head off to school and have some time to clean house, cook, grocery shop, sew, and take a few painting lessons.

A few days before time for Chris to enter 1st grade and a full day at school, I went into his room and found him crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said he was crying because I wouldn't have anyone to go to lunch with me at Ricardo's any more. I think I laughed and cried at the same time. What a sweetheart! So, naturally, since they just moved back to Tulsa, I had to take him to Ricardo's--30 years later and this time we were accompanied by his precious family, Dree, Ashton, and Noelle. Thank you Lord for precious memories.

ASHTON'S BALLET CLASS!

This is Ashton's homeschooling ballet class. The teacher was incredible. Thank you, Missy, for allowing me to take so many pictures. The first couple of pictures are of Ashton, then some of the class and and then a couple of the older girls.