Love Letters

Weekend in New Orleans...

I had the privilege of spending last weekend in New Orleans, with my nephew Rusty and his lovely wife Shellie, to celebrate their little girl, Brynn's first birthday... I now understand what people say about being a grandparent.  I'm much too young to be a grandma yet, but this experience might have been the closest to heaven I can remember in a long time.  

 

This little girl has stolen my heart... my children are very special to me, and I loved them as babies, no question... but being a young, new mom, is no picnic; and it is definitely not for the faint of heart.  I don't think I could handle the anxiety now, that I experienced then.  But being a faux grandma... WOWIE!!! 

I can't wait to see Brynn again, and I promise to never, ever roll my eyes or become impatient when a grandparent wants to show me photos or brag about their little darling, again.  I GET IT!!!

PHOTO CREDIT: RUSTY LAUGHLIN, PROUD FATHER

Furry shenanigans going on...

This is a picture I took with my new teeny tiny camera, something I've wanted for a very long time. It's a Christmas gift from my children, Tim & Corey, and from my husband. It's awesome! It's much, much smaller than my digital 35mm camera, and yet, because it's newer, it's got lots more pixels. This camera is ridiculously fun and now I can carry it with me everywhere, even on my bike, and take pictures anytime I want. My old camera was just too big and too heavy to carry with me on the bike, so I'm psyched! Wicked fun. I hope you are having fun with your family... I'm very, very grateful for this time at home.

Newest family member

For those of you who know me well, you may recall I am extremely allergic to cats. Somehow I have become a cat lover, so now, in addition to our wonderful, elderly black Lab, Lady; we are home to not one, not two, but three wonderful kitties. Each one is so different, and yet so wonderful, that I find myself wondering how did we ever get along without them? Oh, that's right, I took a lot less medicines! One thing's for sure, though... I wasn't happier. These four pets, while they complicate our lives somewhat, make getting up in the morning a joy, make cuddling up in the afternoon with a book a joy, and make going to bed at night a joy. Smiles all the way around.

Photo of the day...

This beautiful Christmas photo was taken by my nephew Russ Laughlin, who lives outside New Orleans, LA, in a little town called Abita Springs... Russ' mom is Lois, my older sister, who can be seen in yesterday's post! Russ and his wife Shellie are expecting their first child this April, and we are all SO excited!