So you haven't seen my family lately?.....

I don't really have anything specific to blog about, hence the lengthy gap between now and my last blog. But I've been requested to post more of my family for those that I don't see often enough (or has been years since I've seen!) So per Kisti's request...here's some recent shots of the fam (at least the ones I have on THIS computer) I can get more later. Some of you may not even recognize my sister, but especially my brother! I'm hoping to look different soon myself (New Year's Resolution to lose weight), but here we are....Have a great weekend and safe New Year! oh...and before the comment comes, the day we "paired off" and took the pix at Thanksgiving, Lacey had already left. Then Christmas came and it rained and still no pic with Lacey....My sister pix are on another cd at home. I'll do better next time, promise! =)

How I measure up

So I've been slowly but surely getting things going with my photography business. I'm all licensed up and even have business cards. I'm still taking my courses at home, but while I am, I can now make money when I'm asked to take photographs of someone/something.

My best friend, Amy, sent me an ad about a Photo Contest that's continuously taking entries. I'd looked at it before, but didn't put much stock in it. Well, I guess out of sheer morbid curiosity I entered one of my photos (the wedding glasses), just to see how i measured up....if it even got noticed. I'm just eager for any kind of professional feedback on how i'm doing so far. I have a hard time not comparing myself to others on a daily basis, and now to other photographers. Not that I expect to win awards for my photos, but I'd like to know how I'm doing to help me find out what I need to fix or learn...and then maybe help me find my direction. (what i'm going to specialize in) I like SO many types of photographs, I can't decide. And I don't have the energy to try and do it all! =)

Just some thoughts as I start this journey of doing what I love.

A New Addition...

My parents came to visit this past weekend and brought me a new friend! His name is "Taka" (officially Bartok) but this is what I'm going to call him on a regular basis. He'll be a year old in October and already seems to be adjusting very well. Those of you that knew/met my last cat, Chloe....Taka is the total opposite!!! LOL

He's pretty laid back unless he wants to play. But he likes to love and be loved on. The way I'm holding him in this picture is the way he likes to be held all the time. (if you hold him any other way, he will panic) He meows occasionally, but even then, it's quiet. I think it's more when he wants something.

I was afraid he'd be all stressed from going to my parents house (with another cat and large chocolate lab), then to my aunt's house (with ANOTHER cat and large yellow lab), then to my apartment (all with new people) and the car rides in between. As long as they let him out of the carrier while they were driving, he was fine and seemed to take the transitions rather well.

As you can see in the following pictures he wasn't real concerned about any of it. LOL

I just wanted to share my excitement. I think we'll get along great and hopefully some of you can come meet my new buddy in the near future! He's not afraid of strangers either!! =)

I love my Family!

This is actually a shot of just my section of family. This Gattis Reunion was started with 10 children (Gattises). The people in this photo are just the decendants of 1 of those children, my great-grandmother Welch, who passed away almost 2 years ago. There is only one child still living as Uncle Tom, one of the last 2 passed away this year. They will all be missed and hopefully we can keep up the wonderful tradition that brings our family together each year. It's up to us "KIDS"!!

As the Family Reunion drew nearer this year, I decided I was going to take many, many pictures this time! Since the last reunion I've been to, (2 years ago) I have purchased an SLR and a Digital-Sony Cybershot...so I was going to have some fun! Well, little did I know that Grandpa Fry had plans for me! He asked me to take pictures for the scrapbooks we make every year and to get as many faces as possible. I chuckled to myself, since I had planned on doing that very thing anyway! =) So I told him what my plan was. He let me use his SLR since he had the film and I used my digital since I was more familiar with it.

I absolutely LOVE when I get to be with my immediate family, and even more so when more extended family are there as well. The more the merrier!! Here are some of my favorites from this year's Gattis Family Reunion:

* This is a distant cousin's little boy. It was SO hot out that weekend!

*The thing to do is ride stuff out at the Frys'- this was the John Deere tractor!

*This is one of my dad's sisters- Janet

There are so many more shots I love, but it wouldn't let me add them in this blog. If you really would like to see more, just click here to see my MySpace profile and watch my slideshow.

I made it!

So I did it! I got into the dress and looked pretty good in it, if I do say so myself. Got Ashleigh all married off and everything pretty much went off without a hitch. Any issues we had were quickly solved and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. (weather wise)
The shoes, on the other hand, were a nightmare! They hurt so bad and quickly came off as soon as they were able (after getting to the reception).

I was so glad I got to spend a few days with my friend and be with her during this special time in her life. But hopefully I'm done for a good long while. (at least until my sister gets married!!) LOL

The Saga of the Bridesmaid Dress!

Ok, so the big weekend is finally here! Yet another wedding I'm in for my best friend from Junior High...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind and tell you why I'm talking about this in the first place:

It's Summer 2005...Ashleigh calls and says Waylon proposed (finally-they've been together 7 years) , and she wants me to be in her wedding. Soon after, she sends me the picture of the pink dress (but they are ordering blue). Very different from the others I've worn, and I was getting excited. We figured out the size and she ordered the dresses for all 6 of us Bridesmaids. Now, some of you may be wondering, why in the world (if the wedding isn't until June 2006) why are the dresses being ordered in summer of 2005?? Great question!! LOL

Ashleigh (the bride) found out that the dress she wanted (above) wouldn't be available this season and she really wanted this dress, so she ordered them LAST year. *No pressure* (note the sarcasm). So here we go! I've got several months to lose weight or at least not gain...well the pressure seems to have gotten to me and I gained (at least since February).

The other issue was, Ashleigh was just going to hold my dress until I got there for the wedding 2 days before (the wedding is in Illinois!)-that's my blue dress hanging in the picture. Well, she started stressing and I was stressing too, so she offered to mail me my dress a few weeks ago. Thank goodness she did! Cause the dress was too small!! (I can tell you I now know what a stuffed sausage feels like). So small (on top) in fact, that even with helpful, sucker-inner undergarments women are forced to wear, there was no way this dress was going to zip up! I thought I was going to have to back out of this wedding, or wear something completely different from the other 5 girls...I was not looking forward to that phone call, and had not yet told Ashleigh it didn't fit. I didn't want to stress her out even more weeks before the wedding.

So my friend Lacy, and I, frantically go from store to store finding the undergarment I wanted, then I was going to try letting the dress out as far as it would go. Well, my mom being the genius she is had the idea of trying the bridal shops here to see if maybe THEY carried this dress or something the same color, in the event we had to add material to the sides of the dress. David's Bridal was our first stop after that and they didn't carry that brand, let alone the dress. The lady looked at it some more as we explained my dilemma and said to hold on a sec. She went out on the floor to look for a shawl. When she came back, my mouth fell open (literally). She not only had a shawl, but it was the last one and the EXACT color of my dress and made of the same material as the top layer!!! And it wasn't even the same brand. PLUS, the shawl was on sale and was only $8!!!!

I was having a friend at work let the dress out for me, then any detailed stuff I was going to let a seamstress do...She went to let it out and, at closer investigation of the inside layers, discovered that someone had purchased the dress, had it taken in at the top and then never wore it!!!! I was appauled and exctatic at the same time! Here I was, feeling like a fat cow cause my dress didn't fit and it wasn't me to start with. Someone needed the size dress for the hips but then had the top taken IN! Well, when she let it out, she didn't even let it out all the way and it fits!!! =) So, I ended up not needing the shawl for material at all, and have it to wear if I ever wanted to wear this dress again. (if I don't burn it first!)

So the saga of the bridesmaid dress finally comes to a close...as the dress now fits and I took up the shoulder straps myself and it's perfect! I'm all packed, the car is loaded, and I head to Nashville today and on to Illinois for the pre-wedding festivities tomorrow morning! =) I know I feel better now that I can enjoy spending this time with my friend and will be wearing the same dress as everyone else on Saturday. And, on Sunday....IT'LL ALL BE OVER! LOL

Wish me luck!

I'm not LOOKING.....honest!

Seems like everytime I talk to someone about wanting to find a guy or have the possibility of dating, they tell me "You'll find them when you're not looking, so stop looking"....I don't get that. Cause I'm not "looking" per say. I don't date (not that I don't want to...). I don't go out much. I barely meet new people cause I live in this "bubble" and new people don't seem to enter into it very often (work, church, apartment). Every once in a blue moon I'll meet someone and briefly think, "what if" or "it would be nice to get to know them better"....but it usually doesn't get any farther than that, cause I'm a big chicken or the person doesn't stick around long.
I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to STOP looking when I'm NOT! If I stopped looking any harder, people would call me a HERMIT! (or a hobbit, since i'm about the height of one really) LOL But you get my point, at least I hope so. There's the occasional set-up which everyone seems to think is their job, but i haven't persued anyone on my own in a very long time and don't foresee that happening any time soon.
Anyway, just venting a little about the mystery of being single. It takes too much energy to actually persue anyone and it's safer most of the time to just be single and work on being the best "ME" I can be....so why does being single feel so crappy most of the time??

Not sure what there is to talk about...

So I'm trying this blog thing out for a spin...Not sure if I have anything worth talking about right now and don't have a computer at home yet, but here goes.

I am on the road to being debt free and just paid another one off today!! =) That's 1 more down and 2 left to go until I'm debt free!

Until something else interesting happens....