Michael

Michael is the son of my older sister.  This is just one of his traits.  He is also 7, my nephew, my godson, very active, loving, really smart, tall, cute as a button, and pretty good at Lego Star Wars.  He also has Alopecia.  Unfortunately, this is the first attribute people tend to notice about him.  For the most part I don’t blame them.  It is human nature to be curious.  I have had people come up to me and ask, “What is wrong with him?”  While this may not be the best way to ask that question (There is nothing “wrong” with him), I don’t mind educating people about what Michael has to live with everyday.

I usually give people the short answer, “He has alopecia, which makes his hair fall out.  It isn’t contagious and it doesn’t hurt him.”  Everyone so far has been satisfied with this answer, although I am prepared in case they want the long version.  Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder.  Causes are unknown and there is no known cure.   While it doesn’t hurt him physically, imagine being 7 and having your classmates make fun of you for something you can not control.  He is strong.  So much stronger than any 7 year old should be.  He is very good at ignoring comments and continuing on with his day.

A couple weeks ago the husband and I took Michael to a nearby apple orchard.  We took a little hayride (I say hayride loosely due to the lack of actual hay) around the orchard.  Michael was perfectly content sitting in the front seat looking out at all of the trees.  He had a peaceful look on his face.  I prayed he didn’t hear the little girl behind us say, “That boy has no hair” as we first entered the wagon.  He didn’t seem to notice.  In fact, he was a happy boy the entire day.

I hope I’m doing the right thing.  I hope that by being honest when people ask questions, and by letting the odd comment here or there go, that I am teaching Michael that he should not be ashamed of his alopecia.  I hope I’m teaching him that it is ok to educate the uninformed, and through education come acceptance, research, and maybe one day a cure.

No one asked questions this day.  In fact, I barely saw any stares of curiosity.  We ran up and down the tree lines.  We played in the pumpkin patch.  The tube slide saw us descend many times.  Michael enjoyed running through the cow maze and then through the corn maze.  We raced each other on the giant tricycle track.  Apple cider donuts where enjoyed after running into old college friends (which, by the way, was totally random, seeing as we went to college in New Mexico).  Michael had a blast, and we were blessed to have the opportunity to hang out with him for the day.

You may notice from the pictures that Michael’s favorite person in the world is my husband.  I’m sure he loves me too, but he never stops talking about Uncle Derek.

To learn more about Alopecia go here



 

 


 
 
 
 

Time Flies

Way back at the end of June, beginning of July (When I took these pictures, and these), I went to North Carolina.  I did much more than just take pictures, but I didn't really mention that part of the trip.  This was my second trip to Jacksonville to visit the little sister.  The whole family went down for Thanksgiving several years ago before that skinny girl moved far away from me to Hawaii.  Now that she is back in the states I get to visit her again.

This time we went to Myrtle Beach.  We had gone last time, but we never made it to the actual beach.  There really isn't much there besides water and sand, but I can't tell people I have been to Myrtle Beach without sticking my toes in the sand.  The lighting was perfect in the shade of the tall buildings, so I had to take out my camera.  Hmm... I guess I didn't do much besides take pictures, did I?

Thanks to Josh, my trusty assistant/brother-in-law, for taking the pictures with me in them.

Me and the sister. We are pretty big dorks when we get together.

Mom was not too happy about taking pictures.

Aren't they cute?

All of us sisters got matching blue star tattoos on our toes several years ago. My tattoo just happens to be on really chubby feet. We will just pretend that they are the cute kind of chubby.

I caught mom off guard. Isn't she pretty.

More from North Carolina coming soon. Be aware, there may be reptiles in future pictures. You have been warned.

A Girl and Her Marine

Yeah, that's my dress my sister is wearing. I don't look that good in it. Actually, my sister and I look absolutely nothing alike. Take her, subtract 3 inches, add 20 pounds, take away all the pigment in her skin, lighten up her hair, and then you would have me. Other than our similar voices and anti-social behavior we are nothing alike. But, she is still my best friend. I hate that we live so far away from each other.

I love you little sister.

A Marine and His Girl

My baby sister married a marine 4 years ago. I couldn't be happier with who she picked. I trust him with her and love him like a brother.

He is headed to Afghanistan in March for his third tour of duty. We all worry about him when he is gone, but no one more than my sister. I wish there was something I could do for her during that time, but there is no way I could know what she is feeling. All I can do is be there for her and give her what she needs. One of the things is pictures of the two of them together. I can do that!

Notice that thin figure and long legs she has? Yeah, I don't have those. More proof that she was adopted, haha.

More to come tomorrow.

90 Years Young

Today I am highlighting a photograph by someone other than myself. My husband took this picture of my great grandfather and I during our trip to Florida (I did the processing). I feel so blessed to have both of my great grandparents around. They have such wonderful hearts and I love them dearly.

Recently the hubs and I took a trip to Florida to celebrate my great grandad's 90th birthday. He doesn't look a day older than 80 :) Seriously, this guy is young at heart. He still rides his bike around the neighborhood, and still insists on driving his car places (he's not going to sit in the backseat of any rental car, that's for sure). I hope to be as young as him when I am 90.

My great grandparents used to live nearby in Pennsylvania before they moved to Florida. There where a couple summers that I went and stayed with them when I was younger. I remember my great grandad always having a smile and a hug to give. I still can't resist his smile and his hugs. I will cherish every moment I get to spend with them.

Thank you for this picture, husband.

Monster Trucks

For my sister's last hoorah in the continental US we went to the Monster Truck show at the Great Geauga County Fair. Oh my god how I loved it. Monster trucks are awesome. Huge, giant trucks go flying through the air, how amazing is that. I got an Avenger shirt (because he is awesome) and had all of the drivers sign it. Can you say dork? Who was there? Bigfoot, Avenger, Brutus, Iron Warrior, Black Stallion, Screamin' Demon and Samson. If you have never been to a Monster Truck show you should definitely go. Just call me a hick, I know.

For Heather and Josh

My sister, Heather, and her husband, Josh. Aren't they super cute. I'm going to miss you guys.

The Many Faces of Connor

Connor is my mom's cousin's son's son (2nd cousin's son?), say that ten times fast. He is a cutie and looks just like his daddy. At 5 months old he can barely sit still , with his legs constantly moving and his body always twisting. He is going to be an active little guy.

Family: If you want these images let me know and I can send you a CD with them. Stay tuned for more pictures from the weekend as well.

Strawberry Pickin'

On my way home from Houston I made a pit stop in Ohio to pick up the furry kiddos. It was perfect timing for strawberry pickin' with my grandma and cousin. I got to keep all three buckets of strawberries, one bucket is in my tummy, the other is in several strawberry pies, and the last one is going into the freezer for later. I love this time of year. Next stop, blueberry pickin' in July.

Ready to Fall

It has been a busy couple of weeks, and it hasn't ended yet. We were in Ohio two weekends in a row, this past weekend we had some great friends in town for a visit, and next week we are taking a road trip to Houston. I am about a month behind in getting the images off of my camera, let alone processing them. I'm hoping two days in the car will catch me up. On the plus side, I'm finished grading for the quarter!!!!!!

Please pray for my brother. He has been in the hospital since Sunday with pain in his chest and right side, as well as high blood pressure, high fever, and high white blood cell counts. They still have no idea what is wrong with him. Thank you.

Yay Steelers!!

Instead of watching the game I went to Super Crop with my sister. I finished a total of five pages in seven hours, haha. Like my sister said, "It's not about how many pages we finish. It's about spending time with each other." Well said sister.

I did catch the last quarter of the game, though. I quickly became the least popular person in the room. Winning looses its thrill in a room full of Cardinals fans.

Ladies Day Out

Well, there was one man, my brother, but he was outnumbered.

Instead of waking up early to go Christmas shopping on Black Friday, we opted for a relaxing day of pedicures and jewelry. It was my grandma's first pedicure ever. Actually, it was the first time she even got her toes painted. She opted for pink, which looked great on her tiny toes.

Is it wrong that my grandma's legs look better than mine? See those skinny legs, the first ones on the right. Yep, those are my grandma's legs, so not fair. I guess it helps that she hikes, bikes, canoes, kayaks while I sit in my office on my fat behind. More power to you, grandma.

The Decision is Made

Out of the 300 pictures I took for my cousin's senior pictures this is the one she ended up choosing. I just hope it turns out looking good in the yearbook. My favorite was the closeup shot of her face, but I can totally relate to not wanting a huge picture of your face in the yearbook for eternity. This one is pretty and doesn't shout "look at me", so it definitely works for her.

I learned so much from doing this shoot. One, if it is glaring bright outside, find a place with diffused light to take the pictures. Two, that shot in front of the pretty flowering bush that moms always want doesn't work so much for senior pictures, try going somewhere unique. Three, if you decide to take pictures under a tree make sure that there are no splotches of light on your subjects face. They are impossible to remove in post processing. I thought I had a fourth, but it is 10:30 at night and I still have a paper to write for tomorrow. Goodnight :)

edit: Four, it helps to have a pretty subject :)

ABC Wednesday: "K"

A kiss for the Hubby. This photo is out of focus, but I love it anyways. I love you too hubby.

edit I just realized that I posted this photo over the weekend already, but I used a different editing technique, so technically it is not the same :)

For more K posts and to add one of your own, head on over to ABC Wednesday.

Me and My Hubby

These are full rez for my dad to download. Here you go Dad. You can download them too Mom :)
(Dad, click on the picture, it will open it's own page, then right click the picture and click "save as" and save it to your computer, maybe you already knew that, but just in case)