What? Why?

My sister sent this to me. The photos made me smile. I can post them here 'cause I want to and it's my blog.

http://www.kathyskids.org Ms. Kathy's Kids Blog: http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com/ --- On Sun, 5/17/09, CAROL wrote: See the dog wearing the wig. It's like the 5th picture down.

Annual Portraits

Hunnee (my pet name for my husband of 2 1/2 years) and I had our annual portraits made. Last year we wore white and this year we wore black. I actually found a dress I could wear!

He never really wants to take pictures but he knows how important they are to me. Once we get to the portrait studios we have such fun. The photographers get a kick out of us clowning around. Like: "Let's take a picture of me having her in a choke hold." "Get a shot of me slapping him silly!"

"What are you doing, your own version of Dorian Gray to show how I get more wrinkled up every year and you stay young? Do I have to go through this?" he whined when I originally suggested it. Hunnee is blonde with blue eyes and was a life guard in the Miami sun as a youngster so he has more wrinkles than I. I have oily caramel colored African American skin. That and my mother's genes sometimes makes people think there is a greater age difference than just six years.

"Yep, you got me," I said. "That's my whole purpose in life--making you go through things."

While I waited for the mechanic to call about my car, he went to the luncheon at the church for the Bible college seminar. One could call it another cool way to make sure he was dressed. My husband likes to dress nice and cares about clothes more than I do. He will plan an outfit days in advance while I will decide maybe the night before or the day of.

When we arrived at the studio he dropped out front while he went to park. Since we were walk-ins this time, he suggested I go on up fill out the forms and get us a place saved in line.

There was a nice girl in there who is shorter than I am! Imagine that! She said there was no line just then, only people picking up their photos. She gave me the forms to fill out and said I should call her when my husband arrived from parking the car. I thought. I certainly better 'cause she won't be able to tell he's my husband by looks!

A lady came in with two little girls to pick up her photos. One of the girls was about three or four years old while the other was about a year old to a year-and-a-half. The babies walked in to the play table. The older one had a charming mother hen attitude towards her baby sister.

"Oh, look what we have here, Susie! look at this! Don't you want to play with this? Come on! Let's sit down and play!" said big sister, obviously taking care of the baby while mom handled business at the front desk.

By the time Hunnee walked in the children were running in circles in the waiting area. He stopped to let them skitter past him, then walked over to me.

The mama looked up from her pictures for a second: "Allie! Girls! Stop running in here! Be still!"

"Okay, Mama!" the older one said as she attempted to corral the toddler.

The baby ran past Hunnee to get to the play table and said, "Gubboo bah!" to Hunnee.

"Aw! Hello to you, too!" he said aloud with a big friendly smile on his face. Then in a voice meant for only me to hear he said: "Now sit your little gubboo bah butt down and stop running through here, you little funny-looking--"

"Hunnee!" I interrupted. "Stop that!"

Then he started laughing which made me laugh.

I told him the girl at the desk wanted me to tell her when he came in but she was still busy with the mama who was perusing her proofs.

"I think you better tell her," he said. Then with that devilish smile: "I don't think she'll put the two of us together on her own.Heh, heh, heh."

Then he went to the mirror to check his hair. This is another one of his hobbies: his hair.

Photographers usually try to do and say things to make the subjects smile pretty for their pictures. But when we come along we usually crack up the photographer.

"Hey!" Hunnee said excitedly as he perused the props. "Can I take a picture with that football? I need a picture with a football."

"No!" I said. "You don't even play football." He's about five feet six inches tall and maybe a hundred thirty-five pounds with rocks in his pockets.

"But I like football."

"No football."

"She beats me on a regular basis," he said to the photographer. "I have scars to prove it."

"Somebody has to keep you in line," I said. "That's my job."

"Face each other. Closer, closer," said the photographer.

"There's just so close we can get with this big schnoze of a nose of mine between us," said Hunnee as he pulled on his nose.

"Aw, Hunnee, I like your nose," I said. "And it's not so big!"

The first picture was snapped.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Hunnee whined. "You need to warn a guy."

"Hunnee, she said, 'Smile.' That is a warning," I said.

"Not for me. I have to have more warning than that. Maybe you can say, WARNING! Like that."

Then the picture shows up on a little screen where we can see it.

"Aw! I don't like it!" he snarls. "I wasn't ready. Give me another chance--with a warning this time."

"Yes sir," the photographer replied, not sure if Hunnee's joking or not.

"Aw, now don't do that. Don't call me that!"

"Excuse me?" the photographer asked.

"Don't call me sir," said Hunnee. "I'm not an officer; I work for a living." He's probably used that line since he was in the Marines back in 1969.

Then the photographer got it. The Michael's are crazy. Laughing she said, "You guys are fun!"

"We live to serve," Said Hunnee. "And entertain."

"Never ending riot," I said.

"Warning! Smile!" said the photographer.

"Aw!"

"Hunnee, what's wrong now?" I asked.

"I had a fake smile. It's going to look fake. You can tell."

The photo popped up on the little screen that faced us.

"See? Fake looking smile," he said.

"Looks fine to me," I said. He gave me that You-always-think-I'm-cute-so -your vote-doesn't-count-and anyway-you're-bat-blind look.

"Looks fine to me, too," said the photographer. I gave him my see-there look

"Nah! I can tell it's fake. I need something to make me laugh. If I buy that picture I will always look at it and say, 'Yuck! That's a fake smile. I hate that picture'."

The photographer rearranged us. Hunnee stood behind me while I sat on a high stool. He put one hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, that's nice!" said the photographer.

Then Hunnee's other hand came up and around my neck. "Let's do a picture with this pose!"

"I don't think so," the photographer laughed.

"Yeah, only if I can have one of me slapping you," I said.

"See? I told you she beats me all the time!"

The next picture was snapped.

"Hey! You're pretty fast!" said Hunnee to the photographer. "I like that."

"Well, thanks!" said the photographer.

"Yeah, this picture-taking session is moving right along!"

"Better than last year?" I asked.

"Oh yeah! You know how I hate to wait."

"He means that," I said to the photographer. "So ADHD." I said in my best theatrically loud whisper.

"Yeah, I really am," he said. "Can you tell?"

"He almost walked out of a studio because they made us wait when we had an appointment," I said.

"Then we were behind that woman and a grandma with all those babies who couldn't make up her mind which pictures she wanted of her little ugly, bad-a** kids,"Hunnee snarled.

"Hunnee!"

"Well, Okay, they weren't bad kids. But they were ugly," he said as the photographer laughingly arranged us for another photo. "You got ugly kids, take a picture of one and get more xeroxed. Then it looks like you have pictures of all your ugly kids and you don't waste my time. Get out of my way. Hey! I like that picture! Tell me can you do something to help me out with the wrinkles. I really don't want to see all my wrinkles."

"Can you do something about the pictures to help hide my fat?" I asked.

"Let's take individual pictures now," said the photographer who was hinting we were about to make her have to visit the ladies' room. "Who's first?"

"She is!" Hunnee hurried. "I like her pictures better than mine."

As the photographer arranged me Hunnee took the opportunity to play with the props behind the camera. That was his plan all along: to play with the toys. He grabbed the football.

"It really would be cool to take a football picture--like this!" he said as he did a football yearbook pose--the kind that looks like they're about to chuck the ball across the field to somebody.

"Stop that!" I said through my teeth so I wouldn't loose my pose for the photographer. "A black suit with a football. Yeah. Very appropriate.. Put that down!"

"I could take a picture in my black suit with a football," he said striking another yearbook football pose.

"Dude. Forget the football."

"Yes ma'am."

"Ooo!" Said the photographer. "You called her 'ma'am'. Is it alright to call he ma'am if you don't like to be called 'sir'?"

"Oh, that's my thing not hers. You can call her whatever. I do." Then he started singing, "I can call you whatever I want! Call you whatever i want!"

"No, you don't call me whatever," I said.

"Yes I can. Sometimes you know it and sometimes you don't. I got sense not to be in arms reach. My turn?"

"Yes s--" the photographer started. "I mean yes, it's your turn for your individual pictures. Would you like to stand or sit?"

"Ah ha! You almost said 'sir'. And I think I'd like to stand."

When the photographer was done with the last pose, she sent us out to have a seat while she edited the pictures.

Hunnee whispered, "What's she got to edit? We took the pictures, we saw how they look in the little screen thing and--What's she doing? She's on the phone!"

"She's tweaking the photos a bit, Hunnee," I said. "Be patient."

Hunnee has no patience for folks who use a cell phone at what he considers inopportune times--like while driving, serving in a place of business or walking.

"Would you please come with me and we will take a look at your portraits," aid the photographer as she came out of the back and led us to a table on which was a computer monitor. "Now here are all your poses and in this section are the enhanced versions I made to a few of them."

Hunnee didn't sit. He looked at me and raised one suspicious eyebrow. "Hmm. So that's what that editing business was all about, eh?"

We saw some collages and Hunnee turned up his nose. With the ones of us together the photographer showed us how nice they were then she showed us the "enhanced" version. It had a little frosty mist around the edges.

"I don't know if we need all those --hey wait," Hunnee started as he took a closer look. "That frosty cloudy look does wonders for my wrinkles!"

"Well, sir--I mean Mr. M, that is one of the advantages of this softening effect," said the photographer.

"What can you do for fat?" I asked. "Is there any way you can camouflage that in your little editing room?"

"Whoa! I like that one and I like that one and--oh, what's the difference in price with the enhanced ones and the not enhanced--Oh! I'm liking that one, too Honey, we need to get that. Did you put that on the list?"Hunnee went on. "Yeah, you can hardly see my wrinkles on that either."

Realizing he was getting caught up he looked at me and backed way from the table. "Okay, Honey, you decide on some pictures, I'm through, pick some you like. Go ahead. Go ahead."

"Let's pick some together," I said.

"Well, this wasn't so bad. Let's see...We wore white last year, black this year," Hunnee figured. "and since it looks like I'm going to be stuck doing this every year because you are going to make me, I want to wear my lime green suit."

"Aw. You guys have a portrait made every year?" the photographer asked. "That's so nice."

"Yeah, and I'm wearing LIME GREEN next year. I'm color blind but I like to look cleeeeeeaan. Wear what you want Honey, but I'm getting out my Easter egg suit."

The photographer was dying from laughter. "What are you going to do with him?"

"She's going to love me and beat me when I get out of hand," Hunnee said. "I'm going to pull the car around. I'm wearing LIME GREEN next year."
I was trying to sign off for the picture when he leaned in to say "Lime green" in my ear as if the pen on the counter attached to the counter with a coil was a leash and I wouldn't be able to reach him if he clowned on me. He underestimated the length of the coil and the speed of my reflexes when he tried to say, "lime green" and pinch me simultaneously then whirl around and walk quickly to the door to go and get the car.

Without turning around, while I was writing with my right hand my left was free to slap him on the butt before he was able to get out of reach.

"Ow! I told you she beats me!" He said. On his way out a saleslady from the appliances section saw him leaving, rubbing his butt and saying ouch so he pointed to me. "She hit me! She beats me!"

"She does?" said the saleslady. "You beat him?

"Yes, " I said matter-of-factly. "I have to. It's my job to keep him line."

It took her a few seconds but after she saw the photographer laughing her head off she realized we were together. Now the appliance saleslady was laughing.

"You two are such fun!" laughed the photographer. "This has been one of the most fun sessions I've ever had!"

That's how we have portraits made. So how was your weekend?

Multimedia message

Hunnee at the Movies:

I took this outside the movie theatre on my phone and sent it to my blog. I'm so proud of myself! I'm learning about modern conveniences. Aren't you proud of me?

Prayer Partners

I have a huge memory card that I thought was lost forever. I know it has been through the washing machine and who knows where after that. I've been so happy to find it again. I was searching through the over 1,000 photos on it and came across the photos of my prayer partners, Gwen and Kendra.

I met Kendra as a volunteer for Girl Scouts. I worked with Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts and she was volunteering with the older girls. she has a sweet way with kids who love her to death! I introduced myself to Gwen, Kendra's mother at an evangelistic campaign at our church. Her son, Kendra's brother was a teenaged junior deacon at the time. That week, both surprised me by joining our church, first Kendra and the next day, Gwen. I thought they were already members as often as they were there--especially with Kendra's volunteering as a Girl Scout leader.

Kendra pledge grad chapter of my sorority, which was great! I've not been very active so she still keeps me up on what's going on. She's very active in the sorority with my mother. Go Deltas!

We'd go out to eat after church together and com back for BTU and evening service. Sometimes all we had to do was look at each other and start laughing because only we knew the joke. We went to the movies and our bowling games were memorable because they weren't about bowling, which none of us did well. It was about us having fun being together--and we did!

Gwen told me she went to the same high school with me in the class two years ahead of me. My sister Carol remembered her from then but I didn't. I was just happy to know her now.

I told them they had to do a Discipleship Weekend and they'd see what a blessing Kairos is. We worked on several men's Kairos team together.

Sometimes Gwen and Kendra were more like best friends than mother and daughter.

Gwen used to tease Kendra about having grandchildren and seeing her duaghter get married in a reasonable time--like before Kendra turned forty or something. "I'm going to spoil my grandchildren--a boy and a girl--and then I'll send them home."

These photos are from last June 2008. Kendra is in her early thirties. Gwen was as happy as Kendra on that day.

Last December I went to see Gwen in the hospital. She'd had a lot of health problems due to diabetes. We talked for about an hour and she was in very good spirits--except she was nervous about having a blood transfusion. She told me there was not enough oxygen in her blood and she was using a candela off and on in her hospital bed. I assured her, as a former blood donor, that a lot of screening goes on. She felt better about that.

So we started talking about good times and a nurse from her old neighborhood came in and they included me in even older times. Gwen did that big laugh of hers then we prayed together. She asked what time I was going in for my last chemo treatment so she could be in prayer. She was as excited as I was about my final treatments. She told me she'd give me a call right before she went in for her transfusion so I could be in prayer for her.

My family was leaving to see my brother in Florida for Christmas break and Gwen called to say she was going home from the hospital. "Are you all on the road now?"

"Yes," I said. It was early morning and we were on our way to Florida. We spoke briefly and she was so happy to be leaving the hospital. She said she was glad she had the transfsuion because she was feeling much better.

"Have a nice trip. I will see you when you get back. I love you honey!"

That was the last thing she said to me. On our way back, I woke up with the worse case of hives and shivers. My sister insisted on taking me to the nearest hospital so we stopped over in Tallahassee.

When we got home, I received a phone call from my mother. Gwen had passed at the same time I was waking with the hives.

At her funeral, Pastor said what I already knew--that she stayed active with us in church because she knew where she was going. I know where she is. All of her troubles of this world are over and she is in peace. I hear her big laugh in my head and in my heart. I'll hear it again face-to-face. Love ya honey!

Kendra and Gwen: Gwen helps Kendra into her wedding gown

A happy day for Gwen

Mother of the Bride being escorted down the isle


A reception photo

Big Money!

I found these giant plastic coins at a dollar store--Dollar Tree, to be exact. As soon as I saw them I scooped them up because I thought of them as a good tool for kids with low vision and regular cognitive abilities for learning coins. I have put coins under the CCTV before, but suppose you're traveling from school to school and you don't have one in your back pocket? besides that these are accessible by touch and just plain fun. I may take close up photos of these--front and back-- to use in an Intellitools activity. The program comes with some photos of coins but they can be enlarged only so much without losing clarity.

More Zoo-fari Photos

In Memory of Beverly Part 2

Yesterday I signed out for a few hours to attend my class mate Beverly Robinson Downs' home going celebration. It was held at the church where I was baptized. She was still a member there and very active. My family moved membership to a church closer to home. I am comforted when I know the person was saved and had declared Romans 10:9-10 while they were alive. So I know where she is.

Some of our classmates still live in the area. Some in other states. But many of them keep in closer contact than I do. I was invited to join them after work. I was not too comfortable with going to a club atmosphere. I don't drink and I don't care to be around people after they've had a few too many. However, it is not that often I get to see my classmates. So I went to be sociable and I took pictures and traded emails and phone numbers. We attended a small, semi-private school so our class was no larger than about sixty-two.

I loaded these and more up on my Kodak Gallery and shared them by email today.

Zoo-Fari

My daughter and I went on a Zoo-fari Saturday. That means we took our camera's to the zoo. Hunnee and Mr. Bob Buttons stayed home. One slept in the computer room while the other slept in front of the TV in the family room. Here are some of my photos. I'm particularly fond of the last one.

Black History Program

We had our first Black History program this morning. I took plenty of pictures and shared them on my Kodak Gallery with the faculty and staff. I can only post these photos as they don't show close ups of any children.

The program was very well organized and inclusive. Mrs.Weathers, our lead teacher for ESS was the coordinator, thus the inclusivity.

The top photo shows the outer stage decorated by one of the preschool paras,Mrs. Brown.

Top right is Ms. Ellis with whom I worked this past semester. She is the para in the visual impairments classroom. Mrs. Neal, one of the parents is next to her. They are good friends and she asked if I would get a photo of her son for her.

The next photo shows some of the program--a skit part-- took place on the stage. The children were in a wax museum of famous Black Americans. Too cute!

The most elegant Mrs. Weathers is seated on the sidelines. The little girls in the dance team were marvelous! I have better pictures than these so I hope that as the staff views them they enjoy them.