Grammy, Why Do You Scrapbook?

Gavin loves photos.
I'm sure it's in his genes.

“How did scrapbooking get it's name?
Grammy, tell me true
Do you just find scraps to stick to pages
With staples, tape and glue?"

The precious child's Grandmother
Gave him a warm and gentle smile
“I will tell you just what these are;
But it might take awhile.”

“They are cards and drawings you've given me
And pictures of you as you grow;
Class pictures, birthdays, Christmas time;
You playing in rain and mud and snow.”

“They're creative things you may have made
Or stuff that just reminds me so much of you;
Each one has a special memory of time or place,
And they include a wonderful story of how you grew.”

“It's a story of how I've watched your life
From the day you came into this world
And how that precious baby
Is now a bright and beautiful little boy.”

“One day when you are old enough,
I'll pass them on to you and your family
So you can see all the joy you've given
To everyone you knew.”

“My Darling, these aren't just books of scrap
They're the memories that fill my heart;
And when this volume is finished,
Another I will most assuredly have to start.”

“So when you are a grown man,
With grandchildren of your own;
Sitting down at some holiday gathering
With those precious children in your home,”

“You can say 'This was me,
When I was just about your age,
See, that's me in the 3rd grade play,
Right there on center stage'."

“And you can share the love I have
In my scrapbooked memories of you.
For that, my precious, precious Angel,
Is what scrapbookers do.”

Sniff.

This was written by a man who observed his girlfriend pouring so much of her time, energy & money into her scrapbooks.  It was originally posted in the San Antonio Scrappers Crop Circle.

Thank you John R. Anderson
(adapted & changed slightly to fit my family)

What Did YOU Get for Christmas?

We had a fabulous Christmas this year.

I had the best gift of all.  When my Grandson arrived for the festivities, he was all dressed up in his holiday best.  Everyone kept urging me to "take off his vest".  TAKE OFF HIS VEST!

I obliged.  I unzipped that little red flannel vest and found the absolute best gift written there on his Christmas Onesie.

 

Not gonna lie...it took me a minute to soak in the news.  I was flabbergasted, really.  I had thought they were going to wait a bit longer...seems the mom is the last to know...

We did have a little fun with the news.

We adore this little kid more than anything.  I sometimes wonder how big my heart can get...will there be room enough for another? Surely, my heart might explode.

I could not be more thrilled.  

Secretly hoping for a girl this time...

Reminder...Please vote!

In honor of Throwback Thursday (#tbt) and Gavin's run at winning a photo contest, thought I'd share a winning photo of my own!

TA DA!

Yours truly...1961

I'm told this photo won $50!

Yes, that was a lot of money...

Don't forget to vote for Gavin (you can vote once per day).

Voting ends Sunday, December 14.

click anywhere on the logo

We thank you very much!

My Dad

Ronald Day Thomas

12/2/34 - 4/19/87

Today would have been my dad's 80th birthday.  I can hardly fathom what that would be like, but boy do I wish I was lighting up 80 candles on a homemade chocolate cake...

I lost him when he was just 52.  Not fair.  Not fair at all.

I have very few pictures of my dad. I fear they are forever lost.  This makes me so very sad and is the number one reason why I take pictures.  Why I record memories.  Why I scrapbook.

1960
I'm guessing just before I was born.

He was so very handsome.  I can remember watching him craft that classic duck-tail hairdo and the smell of Brylcreem.  Carried the little black comb in his back pocket.

He was very strong. I used to hang from those tattooed biceps (aka guns).

He was a charmer.  He'd never met a stranger.

He was the life of the party. A  funny man.  He used to write down jokes and keep them in his wallet.

He was a wanderer.  A nomad.  He traveled the Continental US in an 18-wheeler.

He died in that truck.

He was my dad.

Man.  I loved this man.

This is one of my very favorite pictures...even though it's blurry. That picture on the table? My mom.

Yes.  He was a smoker in his early years, but would later quit.
Yes.  That's a real newspaper, pretty sure it was the comics.
Yes.  Loved a good cup of coffee.

Very "Leave-It-To-Beaver-esque" right?

He was 26 when I was born.

I was 26 when he died.

And today...I have lived exactly 1/2 of my life without him.

Gerber Photo Search

Hello there!

I'm popping in on my very neglected blog to ask for a shameful plug.
Your support.
Your votes!

My dear daughter asked for a fall photoshoot with her small family.  I obliged.  I did not know that photographing a 17-month-old was gonna be a bit like harnessing the wind!  We had a beautiful (albeit rather late) Sunday afternoon planned to capture this sweet family.

We did not get many posed shots.  He was simply having none of it.  So, we let him wander, and I began chasing him with my camera.

I was lucky enough to capture him mid-stride strolling down the path.

It has become one of my very favorite shots of him.

My daughter has entered the photo in the 2014 Gerber photo contest, in the Toddler category.

click anywhere on the logo

His entry id:  201128
State:  Colorado
Category:  Boy / Toddler

There is a $5,000 prize for each category. Boy, could they use the money, as any young couple I'm sure.

Won't you take a minute to vote for him?

You will have to enter your birthday, and your email address.  That's all.  You can vote once per day every day until December 14.

Thank you ever so much.

Holiday Weekend

Thursday, July 3

Couldn’t wait for our weekend to start. So excited to get packed and head out.  Twenty minutes later...we were stuck.

Mass exodus.

Where are all the people coming from?  Good heavens, driving I-70 before, during, or after a 3-day weekend is pure torture!  STOP MOVING HERE!  Denver is not the place for you!

Colorado Department of Transportation advised not to travel east between the hours of 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.  We obeyed.  It took us one hour to get from our home to the top of Floyd Hill.  Thank God we had hospitable friends in Evergreen.  A nice place to rest, refresh and use the bathroom.  We visited and caught up with them for two hours waiting for the traffic to subside.  It did not.  We got back in the fray and headed east.

Destination:  Glenwood Springs

With the unplanned stop, it took us 7 hours to reach our hotel.  God we were tired.  Good thing our tee time was @ 12:20 p.m.

Friday, July 4

We let it go.  It is heavenly to wake up in the Rocky Mountains.  We wonder where the crowds have gone.  Glenwood is not overly crowded.

 

We stumbled upon a beautiful, little, unknown jewel, the Ironbridge Golf Course which used to be a member-only course.  Not anymore.  We really enjoyed our day here.  Several holes are on the river and the back plays into the mountains.  We will most definitely be back.  Hopefully, upon my return, I will be a better golfer…

19th Hole.
Red, White & Blue.

We spent our Saturday at the “pool”.  Not just any pool.  It is the world’s largest,125-year-old, naturally-fed hot springs pool with therapeutic waters.  We love it here.  This has been a regular summer activity for us for the past 23 years. 

See that reddish "spa" building?  It is the original from 1888.

We were a little disappointed to find out that the city would not be having a fireworks display in honor of the 20^th anniversary of the Storm King Mountain fire and the fallen firefighters.  We Googled to find any other holiday celebration in the valley.  Really.  How did we manage before cell phones?  Siri?  MapQuest?  I digress.

We decided to go to a family-friendly-picnic-in-the-park in New Castle a very small, nearby mountain town.  What a gem!  The park was small and the BBQ dinner was hosted by the local school.  It was clean, friendly and quaint.  The fireworks started promptly at 9:30 p.m. accompanied by an amped-up stereo, playing every American anthem ever written.  Only problem?  A fairly big wait time in between the obviously choreographed timing of the rockets.  We noticed firemen with headlamps and flashlights scouting the hillside after every display to make sure there were no burning embers.  The fireworks exploded directly over our heads with an eerie echo in the canyon.  Bits of soot and artillery shell landed in our laps.  After a short while, we decided every city should lengthen their display.  These were some of the best fireworks we’ve ever seen!  The “show” lasted until 10:20 p.m. – 50 minutes! 

Pleasantly surprised. 

Happy and feeling patriotic.

We decided to hike on Sunday.  With the 20^th anniversary of the Storm King Mountain fire celebration going on; there was no better hiking trail than the 4.2 mile Storm King Memorial Trail. 

OMG.  About had a heart attack. 

It was straight up & hot.  Glenwood had really planned a special day here.  A helicopter was flying back/forth bringing in the fallen firefighters’ families, landing on the original helispot.  An airplane dropped 14 yellow banners, one for each firefighter.  And, there were firefighters stationed all over the trail.  Most of them lived in the valley, but some were from Bend, Oregon, where the fallen hotshots and storm jumpers had lived.  It was really something.  Man…it was steep.  I hiked with such a lump in my throat!

 

And my heart hurt.  And my lungs.  My head!  My legs!  My back!

 

 

These men & women are in shape!  They wore their packs.  We tried one -- 35 lbs!  OMG.  He also carries a 25 lb. chain saw, wears a hard hat and suit.  I can’t even imagine.  These people have a special calling – a “fire” in their gut.  They were born for this. 

Wildfires are somewhat of a common occurrence here, but now we understand a little more.  We appreciate what they do for Colorado.  The firefighters had to scramble up this mountain without the benefit of the trail, the manmade stairs, and they couldn’t see and the fire was racing up behind them.  What a tragedy.

It was an honor to hike on such hallowed ground.

We were not in a hurry to get back on I-70 and make the trek home.  We had many "what if” plans.  We hit the “ascent” at 4:26 p.m. – the long approach (a 9-mile climb) to the Eisenhower Tunnel, fully prepared for bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Surprise!  There wasn’t any, we didn’t even have to hit the brakes once.  This is the mountain escape I remember from my youth.

 

What a glorious, meaningful weekend in our great state, but please…don’t move here!

Goal Update

Quick.  Quick.

I am updating my progress for my goal to complete 100 layouts in 2014:

It's been kinda slow and go lately.  I am working on a themed Halloween (yes Halloween in the middle of July -- good thing I've got loads of supplies).  This is a mini album for my grandson -- one that he can just drop his yearly costume pics and Halloween activities in each year.   It has been time consuming, but will be so cute!

Only 26 more to go!