Jam Sesh

My entire family was in DC this weekend. That's insane. There's 8 of us. We live in different states. Enough said. It was every kind of wonderful. But more on that later. 

The point of this story is that, growing up, as much as I used to cringe at the sound of Dylan coming out of our stereo EVERY SINGLE DAY, this video pretty much solidifies the fact that it stuck...it stuck real good.

Forever a daddy's girl, I guess.

Birthday!

Today I am wishing my baby brother, Jack, a wonderful 8th birthday!

To one of the most intelligent, hyperactive, and entertaining kids around, Happy Birthday buddy!

Even though you tend to run away from me screaming, I know that you secretly love me too.

Oh yeah, and Happy Superbowl?

Bring It On.

I'd like to send out a quick thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. I truly do think that your wishes worked for me as I woke up this morning feeling fresh and rejuvenated with a burning desire to be productive. However, since I am still carless at the moment, there is only so much that I can do around the house; hence, my tiny blog makeover. Nothing has changed except for the name, of course, which was inspired by my latest reading selection (Feel free to grab my new button and do a little exchanging).

Currently, I find myself lost in the pages of J. Randy Taraborrelli's biography on Marilyn Monroe, and when I came across the line "She so loved being in love," well...I fell in love too. While this is not the point of this post, if you harbor any interest at all in the former model/actress (even the most minuscule amount of interest) or if you simply like to read biographies as I do then please, please read this book. It is absolutely fantastic and very well researched. If you didn't have much respect for Ms. Norma Jeane prior to the read, you certainly will when you finish.

Anyhow, since I have introduced a new blog persona I will continue with the theme of introduction and proceed to introduce to all of my faithful readers the newest addition to our family- little baby Camille.

She is my cousin's daughter, and I was extremely honored when my Aunt asked me to photograph her last week during our family gathering.

The lighting was escaping us so our time for the shoot was quite brief, but I think that I was still able to capture some great shots. Then again, how could I not have? Babies are the easiest and most naturally photogenic subjects to shoot!

There aren't many things cuter than a wide-eyed, red headed baby girl.

White Christmas.

I am consistently being reminded of the Reason for the Season on this very rare Tennessee White Christmas...well, a white powdered Christmas if anything.

I am so very thankful for the time I have with my family and loved ones that I don't think that I could ever portray it through words, at least with justice; it is simply an inexplicable feeling.

Happy Birthday, SARA.

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY 
TO MY WONDERFUL LITTLE SISTER!

9-years-old! WOW.

It seems like only yesterday I was babysitting you on a regular basis, changing your diapers, and begrudgingly sitting through hours and hours of Baby Einstein tapes.
And now you are one year away from double digits and a pop culture queen.

I wish that you remembered a time when I lived with you; because it seems that I am always coming and going, coming and going. Thirteen year age differences do not make it easy, but we make sure to utilize the time that we are given to its fullest, and I am thankful for that.

I love you so much and am forever grateful that you are in my life!

Always be the sweet girl that you are, and you will go far. You have so much going for you!

Daisy.

I woke to the news that our family dog of nearly 14 years passed away last night. Her name was Daisy, and she came to our family as a ray of hope during some really trying times.

I wish I had been there to say goodbye.

I feel so silly for being so sad, but I am really going to miss her. The house is going to seem so empty next time I go home.

My mom wrote a poem.

My sweet baby Daisy

My diamond in the rough

You came into our lives

When the going was tough

You barked and you played

And on your tippie toes stood

You gave us your love

And all that was good

We miss you, we love you

And please always know

You will  be in our hearts

Wherever we go!

Rest in peace, love.

We miss you!

I was fortunate enough as a kid to never have a best friend move away. Yes, I've had classmates and acquaintances move to another state and it was sad and everything; usually though, if a close friend moved, he or she moved down the street or to a different neighborhood that was only minutes farther from where he or she lived initially.

Lindsey (my best friend in the whole wide world) and I lived one house away from each other for eight years. I remember how sad we both were when I had to move and when we realized that we had to actually drive to the other person's house when we wanted to "play." Mind you, this drive probably took no longer than seven minutes; still, this was heartbreaking. Then I turned 16 and got my driver's license. And then she turned 16 and got her driver's license, and everything was as it should be.

As a 20-something-year-old, I have learned to deal with close friends moving away and building lives elsewhere, but I couldn't begin to imagine what it would have been like as a youth to lose my best friend to a state that was across the country. This is why I feel so sad for my little sisters, Daiana and Sara, whom have both had to go through a monumental best friend move (the best friends of my sisters happen to be sisters themselves- Catha and Nicole).

For those who don't know, I am the proud big sister of two girls, Brenda and Daiana, who were adopted a little over three years ago from Colombia. After this outstanding transition occurred, our family was very fortunate to meet Catha and Nicole's family. The girls' family was also from Colombia and could relate and converse with my sisters during a time when I am sure that they felt very lost and alone. Over the years Catha and Daiana grew very close with one another, and Catha's little sister, Nicole, became "BFF" with my littlest sister, Sara. Our house became a second home to these girls, and vice-versa.

Unfortunately, some days before Thanksgiving Catha and Nicole's family moved to Florida, which is quite a trek from Tennessee. We were all so sad, and the tears were plenty.

(Catha and Daiana)

  

(Sara and Nicole)

Catha y Nicole: 

Te extrañamos muchisimo y gracias para todo. ¡Buena suerte en Florida!

Translation: We miss you so much and thank you for everything. Good luck in Florida!

Don't worry, the girls have kept in constant contact since the separation, and I do not predict it to slow down anytime soon. Thank goodness for social networking, right?
A visit is already in the making.

Consisting of...

My upcoming weekend consists of a whole lot of this little girl.

My baby cousin Meghann! 

And by "baby," I mean soon to be 9-year-old. Wow, how time flies.

As cute as she is and as much fun as it has been, I can't help but to think about how much I miss my own soon to be 9-year-old sister.

Oh baby girl, I miss you!

Nashville Zoo, Through the Lens.

Yesterday's zoo extravaganza was incredible- educational and fun.

Eliot and I drove about halfway there until we realized that it would be a lot more fun to bring one of my little siblings along. Thus, my little sister, Sara, and two of her friends joined. It in no way cramped our style as Eliot and Sara get along amazingly well.

The best part of the entire day, however, was that Eliot was able to see the giraffes and elephants in real life. Perhaps now he could produce a more accurate interpretation of said animals the next time we get our Pictionary on.

Moving on to a completely unrelated topic, tomorrow morning I board a plane to D.C. for an interview for an internship that if received would last until the Christmas holidays. I am led to believe that this particular company has many connections with important figures throughout the career realm of which I hope to encounter and succeed in someday. If I can attain the position and work my little butt off then just maybe I could eventually gain a good recommendation and a potential job to boot!

Wish me luck!

Shreveport, Through the Lens.

What a fun filled, fantastical weekend!
In case one isn't up to date, this weekend some of my family and I drove down to my birth town of Shreveport, Louisiana for a cousin's wedding.

This summer has been wedding fever; I've never been to so many in such a short span of time before.

And yes, I've loved them all.

Here, in brief, is what I and my family delved into these past few days!

1. My grandpa and I dug up some of my dad's old Rolling Stone magazines- you know, when it was in its prime. Such an amazing find! I'd like to frame some of these covers for my future home.

2. My grandma showed me one of her favorite handmade cards created by yours truly. She briskly walks up to me, hands me the piece of paper and says,
"Summa Cum Laude?"

Substitute "Grmol" with "Grandma" and "Viltin" with "Valentine" and it should read more clearly. Somehow though, I managed to catch the silent "k" in the word "know."

3. I got a chance to meet my new baby cousin- well, first cousin once removed I suppose would be  his technical title (in relation to myself). His name is Boston, and he is perfect!

4. Two of my uncles and my gal pal cousins, Leah and Ashley, went out on Friday night and had a bit too much fun.

5. Saturday night was the reception dinner- great food and great people along with beautiful, tear jerking wedding toasts. What more can I say?

My cousins and I sure have grown and matured since our last wedding together, huh?

6. Before the wedding on Saturday, I was introduced to the finest strawberry pie throughout the land (according to Southern Living) at Shreveport's original Strawn's Eatery.

7. Finally, the wedding ensued. And we all know what the best part of a wedding is, right?

The reception, of course!

During the reception I...

spent time with my beautiful sisters...(I say sisters because one of my brothers didn't come, and the other spent the entire trip, no exaggerations, on his Nintendo DSI.)

...caught a piece of the bouquet (to which I told Eliot this must mean 'I'm on the right track' ;))...

and danced, danced, danced!

(photo courtesy of my Aunt Vicki). Yes, I truly dance like this. And it's awesome.

Needless to say, we were all terribly pooped by Sunday morning, but we still had a 9 hour drive to embark upon. My littlest sister and I shared the back seat of the vehicle. During the trip we slept, listened to lots and lots of music, and made friendship bracelets.

My family is just way too much fun for words. I couldn't ask for anything better!
Thanks so much for contributing to a fantastic weekend!

Thank You Thank You

I have a couple of routine things to start this post off with.

First of all, a great big thanks to everyone who gave me their opinions on future new reading material and album buys. My goal is to read every single book mentioned as they all sound fantastic in different ways. And don't worry April, Harry Potter has had my heart since the sixth grade, and I do not intend on ever abandoning him ;)

As for the music, there were several artists mentioned that I knew of and loved already, but there were also several that I hadn't known of prior to hearing them from you guys so I cannot wait to explore them further!

And if you didn't get a chance to voice your opinion here then by all means please still do so. I have yet to spend my iTunes card, and I am planning to do so later tonight.

Secondly, did you notice anything different about my space? New banner, new buttons, new photo, new text! Yay!
It would be a dire understatement to say that I've had a little bit of time on my hands so I finally did something that I feel was actually productive.
Let me know what you think. Yay, nay?

_____________
And finally to the good stuff.

Tomorrow begins the journey!

I am so excited to be driving down to Louisiana with my ENTIRE family minus potentially my brother! We're going to be sqished like sardines, but that is alright because the occasion is worth it. My cousin is getting married, and in consequence, I will be able to see a large portion of my extended relatives outside of our annual in-between-Christmas-and-New-Year-reunion that is held in Texas at the end of each December.

This particular wedding is that of my older cousin, Justin, and lots and lots of family members are due to attend. My little sister is going to be the flower girl (a dream come true for that child), and my dad is a groomsman (I think?!).

The best part of the entire shindig will be reuniting with my cousins, Leah and Ashley. What is important to understand first and foremost is that there are 20+ grandchildren total in our family, and Leah, Ashley, and I were all lucky enough to be born within the same year. Growing up we were a hoot and the cutest little girls ever to be around. Of course, this information is coming from a bias source (I suppose).

Some of my older cousins might use different adjectives to describe the three of us together: annoying, loud, mischievous... to name a few.

But, whatever. We're awesome, and I cannot WAIT to see them!

The last time the three of us were at a wedding together was quite some time ago. Take a look at these old photos that I just so happened to dig up. These were taken in New Orleans at, alas, another cousin's wedding.

(I'm the one rocking the yellow shirt with frizzy hair and braces.)

Gotta love those awkward years! I'm guessing this was either the summer before seventh grade or the summer before eighth.

Anyhow, I do not expect to be able to blog while there so this could potentially be farewell until Sunday evening.

Be looking forward to a "Through the Lens" post recapturing the trip in all of its glory!

Love to you all!

Horribly Ironic.

A couple of weeks ago my dad and stepmom took ownership of a mama dog and her puppies that were bred in a puppy mill with the intentions of demonstrating the idea of caring for new life to the children. If aware of what these so called "puppy mills" are capable of, one would understand the need of rescue for such animals. These sorts of operations tend to put profit as a forefront at all times and thus, the welfare of the puppies are subpar at best.

I was introduced to the mom, that was deemed the name Sweetie Pie, and her five puppies around two weeks ago. At this time, the number of puppies had already dwindled to only three. Two were still horribly tiny and malnourished for their age, and they too wouldn't live beyond the next few days.

The veterinarian told us that this precedence of events was commonly known as "Fading Puppy Syndrome." In this scenario some puppies, despite the proper care and feeding habits, grow poorly and do not survive due to a number of reasons that could be initiated simply by being born into an unsterile environment.

Fortunately, one puppy has managed to survive thus far, and his name is Rex. He was always a frontrunner as he has been quite larger than his kin from the get go. I sure hope that he makes it.

Look at how ADORABLE the little guy is!

 

It is unfortunate that the situation took the dire turn that it did. Instead of teaching the children about new life, my parents found themselves repeatedly being forced to teach the kids about death. For the time being, however, I am glad to say that Sweetie Pie and her son Rex are doing fabulously under the proper care. Rex is thriving more and more everyday, and I hope and pray that he has a future after all.