And He's Off

Today was the day I had been counting down to all summer. 

August 14th. 

My last day to spend with Caleb until Christmas break.

He's off to Ozark Christian College to be a big kid and learn stuff, I guess. 

Which is great and all, but it's in Joplin, Missouri.

Not exactly close.

At all.

I'm proud of him, though.

And I know he's scared - heck, I'd be scared too.

But I also know he's a pretty tough guy.

So I guess it's time to start another count down. 

Christmas break, here I come.

A Battle of the Arts

Tonight was the "Art Battle" down town. Artists signed up to compete for a cash prize. They had two hours to complete a piece of art - however they liked. A good friend of mine was there competing, so I decided to take my camera and see what kind of shots I could get.

I ended up taking over 700 pictures.

And I loved every minute of it. I'm not questioning my career choice - photography is definitely my thing. I still have ways to go, but it's my element, for sure. Here are some favorites of the night.

The man of the (two) hour(s).

a fallen brush

contemplating 

Things got intense when the shoes came off

Even he can't paint without getting it all over his fingers

Seal of approval 

a toast

Dance

Dance. It’s more than just a movement. It’s more than just a step.

It’s more than just choreography. It’s an expression of something more.

Something bigger. It doesn’t come from the body, or from the music.

It comes from the heart. You know a real dancer when you see one.

Something lights up inside them. Something shines.

They glow, as if they are light from within, and they dance with such a passion

that it gives you chills. To watch a real dancer is like watching magic.

And magic combined with the right music and the right choreography

is truly something to behold.

Just for Fun

Summer has been going great. Working out. Drinking coffee. Giving up processed sugar. Ok, that's not so great, but other than that, my summer had be pretty darn good.

Today I googled and researched "aperture," and then went out to practice blurring the background of photos.

I also went to dance, cleaned, working on 4-H stuff, and ate food (probably too much, but oh well).

Here are some shots.

Tomorrow: Dropping the siblings off at VBS, bike ride with the best friend, dance, and more 4-H craftiness. 

Hello Summer.

He Did It

He graduated. Caleb is officially a MPHS Alumni. I, being the kind and loving girlfriend I am, went to his graduation. It wasn't had bad as I had told myself it would be. The speeches were funny and meaningful. No one fell on there way to get their diploma. They threw their hats in the air at the end (which was awfully hard to get a picture of, but I tried).

But I am proud of him. You only graduate high school once, and like many of the speakers said, it's the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Caleb's next chapter will start with Ozark, which he plans to attend in the fall. His dream job is to be a minister and a teacher, and I have full confidence that he will achieve his goals. He's a hard working, determined young man with a big heart and ready hands. I know he'll make it far. And this is just the beginning.

The Perfect Prom

Prom was magical.

The perfect night spend with the perfect people. It was 80 degrees. The food was good. The dance was fun. The smiles were big.

It was perfect. All thanks to this guy. 

He's such a sweetheart

The day started at 7am. I woke up early. Really early. I couldn't sleep; I was way too excited. I joined my little brother and my dad for breakfast, and then I was out the door by 9 to help out at the dance studio selling t-shirts. I swear I live there. Anyway, 12pm was the hair appointment, which was a lot of "Let's try..." and "I don't care  for that much..." and "Yes! That's exactly what I envisioned!" after an hour and a half of back and forth and many taken out braids,  ended up with this.

Not to brag, but my hair is getting pretty long.

And I loved it! I know it's a terrible picture, but that's what I get for using a phone camera. What can I say? Then came the make up and the primping. I won't bore you with the details on that one, but here is the end result of about 2 and 1/2 hours of hogging the bathroom.

Bam - Eyes

Then came the packing, and finally, the dress and shoes. And then the date.

And man, did he look handsome.

New Favorite Picture

After pictures at my house, we went back to his parents house to get more pictures and then it was off to group pictures. It was hot. Really hot. But I wasn't complaining (ok, yes I was) because it wasn't freezing. It was nice not having to worry about forgetting a coat and it's definitely easier to smile when you're not shivering.

The Group

Then came dinner, which was really good, I thought. It was a buffet style, and the waiters released everyone by tables. They had a mini salad bar, grilled veggies, chicken with Alfredo, beef with mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and a build your own pasta station. (I took a pass on the pasta, but everyone said it was really good.)

And then it was dance time, and boy did we dance. I sang along to ever song I knew, and made a complete and utter fool out of myself. But hey, that's what prom is for, right? 

At the dance there was a photo booth where it takes 4 pictures, each 5 seconds apart, and you can see yourself on a little T.V. screen. The pictures were included, and they ended up being my favorite of the night.

Mini Film Strip

Our version of Charlie's Angels

"Point your  gun at the camera!"

Awkward

Embrace the awkward

At midnight the dance came to an end, and we were proudly the last ones on the dance floor.

We then bowled three games in two hours. I officially suck at bowling.

Big Boy buffet for more food at 2 am, then Shane's mansion of a house for hot tubbing until 4:30 am and movie watching and sleeping at 5 am, just to wake up at 7 am.

Perfect night.
Perfect people.
Perfect date.
Perfect prom.

Mother's Day Meal

For Mother's Day our family friend Dave, aka master chef, grilled brisket for fajitas. While we were waiting for dinner, we made guacamole, and I ended up eating a lot of it, so I wasn't hungry by the time it came to eat our actually meal. So instead I took pictures. Makes sense.  Here are some shots. 

Pepsi never looked so good

Pico de gallo

Pure heaven? Yes.