Weekly Winners 2 – Brandon’s got Skillz edition

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Yes, this is my second WW’s post this week. These are my son’s photos.  Mine can be found HERE. I know it’s double the work, but please check us both out 😀

All taken w/ Kodak EasyShare C190. For week 10/3-10/9/10

These are Brandon’s photo’s from the photo hike we went on yesterday. He got some amazing photos and all of these are SOOC!

Super Flare
Super Flare

End of flowering
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Reflections
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Spotlight
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Standout
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Brandon really kicks butt and takes names when it comes to taking photos.  Please leave him some comments to let him know I’m not the only one that thinks so!!!.

That’s all for this week. Head on over to Lotus‘ digs to see more!!

Weekly Winners – Photo-hike Edition

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I have two posts this week for WW’s.  This one is my photos…and then I also posted the wonderful photos my son took on the same walk with me.  Hopefully I can make this a weekly tradition for us. Anyway, don’t forget to check out his pictures HERE. Believe me, it’s worth the extra click.


All taken w/ Canon Rebel XTi.
For week 10/3-10/9/10

Brandon & I went on a photo-hike at the local nature park. Then on our way home we stopped by a cemetery. It’s very difficult to pick favorites this week!.

Aged
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A Rose for a Lady
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Shimmering Needles
*Using for the Aiming Low Challenge this week
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Solitary
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Reflections
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Summer Gone
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Tangled Webs
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Like I said, I had a tough time choosing favorites.  Check out the rest of my photos HERE at my Flickr account.

That’s all for this week. Head on over to Lotus‘ digs to see more!!

30 Days of Truth – Day 08

Day 08 – Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.

Middle School.

The bowels of Hell for me.

I was insanely skinny, big ugly pink plastic glasses, braces, and acne.

Perfect fodder for evil pre-teen/teenage girls.

I had 2 close friends.  Super close.  They both had the same name.  We had the “I’m Larry, this is my brother Darryl, this is my other brother Darryl”-type thing going on.  We passed notes, to the point where we had a 3-way notebook we would trade back and forth between classes.  Every school day someone took it home, every weekend.  Our deepest thoughts, our silliest dreams and crushes, our love for NKOTB kept us bound in one spiral notebook after another.  It was us against the tides of evil girls out there.

Our circle grew just a little bit.  A few other girls became our friends as well.  Not the best friends, but they were friends.

Then it happened.

One of my Darryl’s decided that I was the perfect target to bolster her esteem.  In a far away town on a class trip (w/ at least 1/4-1/3 of the entire class on it) she managed to break my heart, destroy what little bit of reputation I had, and totally leave our trio of friends in tatters.

Upon our return from the trip out of town my world was shattered.  I had one friend left, literally.  My other Darryl stuck by me, remained my friend all through the 9th grade when I moved away…and on occasion we’d see each other when I went home…and we’re now facebook friends again.

My middle school life was hell…but in one fell swoop she ripped away what little bit of happiness I had.  Some days I think I’m silly for still holding onto the pain…but every time I think about it, the pain is still fresh.  A scar that will never heal.

“Darryl” was my friend. One of my best friends. It’s not something I will ever forget.

Lingering for a while…

Over the past few (difficult) days, my mind has been lingering in the past. Not the long ago past, but just a few months ago.  Before the sometimes-daily struggle for calm that exists now.

Back when there was a balance and a quiet routine to the day.

Not structured…by any means (something I need to start soon)…but routine.

Sibling rivalry existed, but not in the extreme sense we have now.

Fits were had, pouting and hiding in our room fits, but not so often.

Craziness occurred, but in fits and spurts not constant.

Nothing was ‘perfect’, but we were content in our days, in our everyday world.  The group of kids in our neighborhood, while older, were known to the girls, and so Riley felt comfortable playing, laughing, cheering and screaming with them.  She felt safe.  We felt safe.

Now in the world of unknowns, constant change, and fighting to keep our heads above water I linger in the past.  If only to get me through the current haze of extreme behaviors erupting.  New and sometimes unnerving behaviors.  We’ll deal with them all as they come…but sometimes it’s easier to disappear into the ‘then’ than it is to live in the ‘now’.

***

Update: In the efforts being made to move Riley to all-day Kindergarten the Special Services director said the word we’ve been needing (and dreading) to hear: Autism.  In order to facilitate her move they are taking many steps, including consulting the ‘Autism Specialist’.  We haven’t had our IEP meeting, but this confirms that they are heading in the direction we’d expected, and down the line steps will be made.  It’s both good and bad…Good because having a psych say it will help us get the state assistance  we need…bad because even though we’ve “known” for a long time…confirmation is always hard.

In the week since we’ve made the decision and tried to start prepping Riley for the change to all-day kindergarten we’ve been dealing with some extra chaos and thus this post.  The switch, no matter how fast we rip off that bandaid, is not promising to be smooth.

Comfort Zones (Flip Side W3)

Trying to stick with a theme each week…we’ll see how it goes. This week it’s all about the comfort.

ZEN
*I cannot attest to the owner of the duck
Bliss

Wrapped in his love
Wrapped up in his love

****  Head on over to check out who else is flipping out:

30 Days of Truth – Day 7

Day 07 – Someone Who Has Made Your Life Worth Living For

I don’t say it often enough, I get too wrapped up in the terrible teens (the 2’s and 3’s have nothing on the ages from 10 and up).  I see too much negative…the lack of common sense in every day activity…..the attitude….the know-it-all-ness…

But in my heart I’ll never forget the days when all I lived for was his smile.  Before the days of doctor’s appointments and therapies and struggling to get IEP’s and help our girls needs.

When it was just the two of us.

When his trusting blue eyes and tiny life gave me the backbone I needed. To stand up for him.  To make sure he was cared for, and to make sure that he had a good life.

It was because of him that I found my husband (and his dad).

When life took an unexpected turn, I found joy in a set of stunningly blue eyes, a little boy that was quick to smile and laugh.  The boy that drove me insane watching Mary Poppins over and over and OVER again (seriously, I want to strangle the uptight, snobby witch).

I need to remember to say it more often.