"The sea was wet as wet could be, the sands were dry as dry"

When I stand at the edge of the ocean I feel as though I could take off into the air and fly. You can't help but feel the magnitude of God's creation when it's all around you filling your lungs and rejuvenating your soul. I realized this last weekend that it had been over a year since I had walked on a beach and dipped my toes in the ocean. So Sunday morning while I had some time to myself while John was at the field I took a short trip to the ocean. I brought my camera along despite the fact that it was overcast that day..and actually love the jaded mood of how they turned out.

"It's Outta Here!"

Yes, I noticed as well the two weeks passing without a single post...ugh, I hate it as much as you do..let's blame it on this nasty weather we've been having...it just sucks all my creativity right out of me..I mean, I reluctantly come home from a wonderful weekend soaking up my love in Florida...where I am convinced they have the most gorgeous sunsets and would like to move there asap..only to come home to overcast.freezing.rain.

I'm over it though and have a fun afternoon with some of my favorite people I'd like to share with you!

Have you ever wondered what a family oozing with athleticism likes to do for fun on the weekends? Allow me to show you...

A few weeks ago I received this invitation in the mail, ha.

The Raynor kids had decided to have a home run derby amongst themselves to see who could hit the most bombs...and invited me along for kicks...thank goodness we didn't have to do the whole "picking teams" thing b/c I definately would have been the last one standing as there are no athletic bones in this body. I did think it would be a good chance to try a little sports photography, so I brought my camera along for the ride.
It started with Brody, Anna and Mike..and MaryBeth and Will came later after they got out of softball/baseball practice.

Anna sporting her "Benson All Stars" softball T - circa 1992 or 3?..ha

Mike hitting one out..I love it b/c Brody's ducking : )

I didn't really pay attention to the score, but I know it was between Anna and Mike..i think

"Little Miss Sneaky"

She's so cute

Wilbur striking a pose for the camera..haha...did you notice how tall he is getting??

I even got up and was ecstatic that I got a hit the first time! (granted none of mine made it past the infield)

There's rumored to be a "First Annual Kickball Game" in the works...I'll let you know if it pans out..ha!

**Disclaimer** - If you are a potential client here for the first time, please don't judge me by these photos...it was overcast, close to dark, and I tried to edit them all in like 3.5 seconds...these are totally "just for fun" shots so keep scrolling for the good stuff!

Mud Pie for Your Love

I still remember the first time I saw him, halting my steps in a new found curious fascination that gave me butterflies and the distinct gut feeling that I should be turning and running in the opposite direction. The year was 1988, and I was a four-year-old little pixie blond catching tadpoles in my pink tutu. We were living on Hanscom Airforce Base in Boston, MA where there was always a plethora of playmates to choose from.


I don't know if his family moved in after ours or if I was just too young to be aware of him before..but one fateful summer afternoon as my best friend Tiffany and I stood waiting for the daily run of the ice cream truck I glanced across the street and saw him...my first crush.

To any other person he was just the average freckled face, skinned-knee young boy...but for me it was one of those moments where the clouds opened and a ray of sunshine beamed down on his face revealing the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.


Our families lived across the street from one another for at least a year or so before we moved. I don't remember if I ever was able to utter a word to him..but I do remember him being kind enough to play with a four-year-old (he was at least 8 or 9) and in my gratefulness for the kindness he showed me I made him a mud pie..and I'll never forget his name..John.


Twenty years later I'm a little taller, no longer blond, and no longer chasing tadpoles...but I am completely in love with a boy named John. I still get butterflies each time I see his face and am excited beyond belief to be flying down to Florida tomorrow to visit him at Spring Training where he's been working hard the past month. I can't wait for our dinners, our talks, to cheer him on from the stands as he steals a base, to "arguing" over who's movie picks are best, and to getting some well-needed time in the sun.


I'll be back late Tuesday night so this is my official "Out of the Office" message...I'll still be answering e-mails but if I'm responding a little later than normal don't get concerned...I'm just soaking in the sun, ballgames and my love.



And for those of you who only come for the pictures..here's one of little miss Lila from her session earlier this week...and yes, she's on the kitchen counter...it's fab, i know ; ).

Better than Sprinkles?...No Way.

I know, I knoooooow....slap a slacker hat on my head and put me in the corner! Ugh, I hate when I let more than a week go by without a new entry! I promise I have a good excuse...no, really....I just can't tell you....yet. ; ) There's something that has been stealing me away from my dear blog but is almost complete...so stay tuned for a VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT in Mary me Photography land! It's gonna be better than a big ole' box of sprinkles! (If you know me you understand the gravity of those words.)

Have a great day!

MIA

I will be MIA the next few days...going on a ski trip with my church. I'm taking my camera but leaving my laptop because I've decided that I spend WAY too much time on it and I need to give my eyes (and brain) a rest. I am going to put forth extra effort into experimenting more with my camera this weekend..so check back to see if I get anything good. I haven't been skiing since 3rd grade so hopefully I'll come back with no major injuries. Good thing my ski jacket is black in case I ski off the side of a mountain at least someone will spot me.

Posts are no fun without pictures so let's see what I can find on my hard drive...Oooh, these are pictures that I've kept running across and thought they'd be so cute in black and white...I took these over at my agent's (Dae Wood) house (I call her my agent because she is constantly sending me business and I LOVE her for that!) This is Bryson and his sister Gracie and they are just cute.as.pie!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

I Drove All Night

Okay..we didn't drive all night..but we did sit in traffic for almost an hour, watching the clock go from 7:30 to 7:45 to 8:00 (official start time) to 8:15...finally pulling into a parking space at 8:30...at least half a mile from the RBC Center. We aren't the only ones though, there's actually a herd of people who, like us, didn't think traffic would be that bad. We jump out of the truck and start racing through the parking lot, weaving in and out of the mass, trying not to slip on the black ice surrounding us. Thank you Jessica Simpson for adding a little tread to the bottom of your oh-so-cute boots I just purchased. : ) However, trying to keep up with the "fastest baserunner" had me wheezing by the time we get to will call while John's not even winded. phew. In the midst of catching my breath I realize that I don't hear anything...no music...no amazing voice (because you know you would hear Celine from outside the venue if she was singing)..which means there must have been an opening act that wasn't advertised and which also means that we weren't late! John grabs the tickets, we rush inside, find our seats, and as soon as we sit down the lights dim...allowing Mrs. Dion to make her grand entrance...

I knew it was fate when she first walked out...we were both wearing purple. Hers was in the form of a sequined purple mini dress and 4 inch heels while mine was a sweater...but still...I knew at any moment she was going to pick me out of the crowd and invite me up on stage as a permanent back-up singer. We would be BFF's for sure. I was in Celine heaven all night long...the music, the dancers, the outfit changes...and John...well he made some comment about needing to regain his manhood...ha.

Needless to say at the end of the night I was a very happy girl...and now with Martina and Celine down I have seen 2 of the 3 ladies that I just "have to see before I die". Who would have thought that Allison Kraus would be so hard to get...someone needs to tell her that this area is actually very southern and she and her bluegrass band would just love it here. Really. Sweet tea in mason jars.

Oh..and I did bring my big Canon but was only able to bring in the little Canon..so the pictures are so-so and really don't do justice for how awesome our seats were.

Look at those legs..

The dancing was very eclectic, but cool.

And the man that made it all possible..

: *

State of Emergency

I hope everyone around my area had a wonderful snow day yesterday...and for those of you that are out of state but still checking in we saw the most snow that we have seen in like 10 years...schools & businesses were closed...and everyone was happy. : ) Unfortunately I didn't take any snow pics with my camera because..well..I was on the back of a 4-wheeler trekking through slush and mud, over hills and through water holes...and I was just not that gutsy to risk my equipment. I did however get a few pictures with my little point-and-shoot because a post with no pictures is just no fun!

On a more serious note, the night I had been looking forward to for weeks was postponed due to the inclement weather. I know I worried John half the day asking.."but what do you think Celine is going to do?!..you don't honestly think she would cancel her concert just because of a little snow??...I mean she has to know i've been waiting 24 years to see this!" He tried to reassure me that we wouldn't miss Celine...we would plan to leave 2 hours before the concert even started..and take his dad's hummer so even if we met with a mountain of ice and the abominable snowman we would easily plow over both.

At 5 I was just about to jump in the shower to start getting ready and thought "maybe I should check and make sure the concert's still on..but I know Celine won't cancel on me". I went to the RBC Center website and read "Due to the state of emergency declared today by Governor Perdue, Celine Dion has postponed her concert until tomorrow, January 21st."

I can handle that, she's a smart lady..just worried about our safety. Now, if I can just figure out how to covertly sneak my camera in...

Here you can see the huge orange sled we purchased on Monday just in case the weatherman was right...and yes, it is sticking out of my sunroof...don't worry though, the people across the street were laughing along with us.

MaryBeth & Jack riding on snow & mud...a yummy combination.

So attractive in his camo waiters ; )

Brody & Mr. Max

Mike waiting to ambush them with snowballs

I had some nice racoon eyes goin on..

And, finally..John, MB, & Anna dressing Izzie in her cute little snow parka

She hates it by the way...and refuses to move an inch when you put it on her..haha

Jack Frost

The weather lately has been so crazy..warm to freezing, sunny to rainy..and random fog. I do not like scraping ice off of my windshield in the morning but boy do I love when nature smiles for my camera. The past couple of days while driving I would see different scenes here and there and think "that would make a great picture"...but it really was just too cold for me to get motivated to weather the weather. I'm more of a summer girl really..give me a tropical island and a bottle of tanning lotion any day. But I finally got my lazy butt out the door to take a few shots..spent an hour losing and finding my phone..but thought it was all worth it after seeing these. Hope you enjoy..happy winter. : )