That Special Time

Yes, it's that special time of year. The time of year when everyone seems a bit more friendly. The time of year that people give to others freely, or at least used to do so. I think the commercialization of Christmas has gotten out of control, but as long as some of us remember to keep things in perspective, I don't think it's meaning will be totally lost.

I do love this time of year. Christmastime is a special time in my family, and always has been. We use it to spend time with each other as a family, and really remember what this time of year is about.

Some of our traditions include the following:

1. Reading of the true Christmas story (from Luke's perspective) on Christmas Eve by candlelight
2. Making gingerbread houses with the family in some fun competition
3. Having a couple of nice meals together on actual Christmas day
4. Opening gifts one at a time, so that each of us can see the excitement of that person opening the gift. (Thankfullness abounds)
5. Going to see A Christmas Carol at a local theater, New Stage Theatre.
6. Singing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve, also by candlelight

No, not all of these things point to the birth of our Savior, but they do bond us together as family...and keep us centered.

Something smaller we do as a tradition, and we took this from my parents, is that we use the same tinsel on the tree...every year! Yeah, you heard that right...we reuse the tinsel. My dad's family did not have enough money to buy new tinsel every year, so they took it off of the tree each time it was time to take all of the decorations down. My parents have done this every year, even though they are now able to buy new tinsel, for their forty years of marriage. It helps them remember humble beginnings and to really be thankful for what they have. We have continued this tradition in my household. My wife never used to put tinsel on the tree before we met, but we decided together that this was a tradition that we wanted to continue. 

What are some of your traditions around this time of year?

Not Completely Green

This is one of the newest additions to our yard, the Florida Flame maple tree. Now, when I say "new," I don't mean that we just planted it. It has had a bit of time to get established. We planted it two winters ago now, which is not very long for a tree.

It is not completely green...neither in color or age. I had hope that it would turn completely red, and stay that way for a while so that we might enjoy some difference of color for the Fall weeks. However, with some extraordinarily warm Fall weather, the leaves did not turn until about two weeks ago. Now, the leaves are steadily falling off of the tree, in preparation for the coming Winter. I do thoroughly enjoy the beauty that this tree brings to our yard.

The Language of Smiles

What is in a smile? What exactly does a smile say?

I think a smile can have a language all of its own. It can say, "I am proud of you," or, "I'm proud of something." I don't think this is boastfull, but rather just the joy felt about something bubbling out of a person. It cannot be contained any longer by merely thinking on this accomplishment, but rather has to spill out of the body in the form of a smile.

A smile can also say, "I'm glad to be here." No additional words are needed...just a smile. Often, if you know the person that is smiling, you will know this smile language. It will speak volumes to you. The smile will allow that euphoric feeling of need and appreciation from the giver of the smile to wash over you.  Sometimes, you can decipher what the smile means, even if you don't know that person. Just from the expression of their face that accompanies the smile...it will be evident.

A smile can have very different meanings as well. It can say, "I'm sorry you're hurting, and I'm here for you." This is perhaps one of the most comforting smiles of all. It helps you understand that the person behind this particular smile is there, watching over you...waiting to help you in any way. This smile, although not as noticeable as some others, shows through like a little ray of sunlight coming out of a dark sky. It peers through the facial wall...and looks deep within you. Just like the sunlight, it warms you completely from whatever icy situation with which you're dealing.

Have you smiled at someone today? Let them see one of your smiles.

Hammock Envy

Oh, to be able to rest peacefully in a hammock. That is a desire of mine, for I have long been bound by back pain, and not able to enjoy something like that.

The simple things, like hammocks, in life are usually what we seem to enjoy the most. I think that's what bothers me the most about hurting my back, somehow, when I was a younger man. It is to the point now that I get pretty upset when I think about it because you only get one back. You're only allotted one in your lifetime, and if it gets damaged, you just learn to live with pain and that certain activities off limits. For instance, I cannot sit on the floor for any length of time to speak of because my legs go to sleep. This is very uncomfortable and a condition of the back injury. If I happen to choose to "tough" it out and sit on the floor anyway, I will regret it in the coming days in the form of a pinched nerve in my lower back. This pinched nerve shoots sharp blasts of pain down through my legs, usually one at a time.

I think what angers me most about the injury is that my ability to play with my infant son is hindered by my now handicap. I am very thankful for all that I am able to do, but I do wish, sometimes, that I did not have these problems every few weeks.

Continuing Color

There are some things that you just expect to happen, especially after living a bit of life. For instance, if you step off of something, you expect to fall if nothing is beneath you. If you don't use an umbrella in the rain, you will get wet. Those are just a given. Then, there are some things that are not quite as certain, but they happen most year after year. For example, during the Fall, you expect to see colors of yellow and red, as they are old regulars around this time of year. However, you do not expect to see bright yellow, magenta and bright pink.

Surely, you say, I'm not implying that the trees are turning pink and bright yellow. You are totally right, I'm not saying that. I am saying, however, that if you look around, at least here in Mississippi, you will see many colors that are normally long gone by this time of year. We are having some warm weather, this last week in October, and the flowers in my yard are still blooming as if it's June. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving coming home to temperatures less than 100 degrees, while still enjoying the colors in the yard. It is just one of those things that I don't expect. The colors that surround me daily right now seem foreign, exotic.

Maybe, by Thanksgiving, it will be drab and dreary like usual. I'm not wishing for it, other than for the fact of normalcy.

Falling Colors

I've started to notice more and more Fall colors. There will be a bit of red in this Bradford pear tree or a touch of yellow in this majestic oak. I love looking around, as I'm driving home, and taking in all of the colors of each season that I can. The season, the reds and yellows seem to dominate.

1,000 Words Photography-Portfolio

 Fall is that aptly named season for which many things, ironically enough, fall; temperatures, leaves, colors from the tops of trees down and length of the days. I guess it only makes sense for this season to be named Fall. The symbolism is very touching, because you can almost feel the season being called into existence by its mere name. It seems to fulfill its destiny.

Just the other day, I noticed that some of the Bradford pear trees were turning shades of red. I love this, because they can really put on a show, depending on how quickly the cold temperatures arrive. This year, we had an early start with a couple of weeks being quite chilly. After that, however, we had a bit of a warm spell...almost reaching 100 for a few days, and in the 90's for a few weeks. Although it is still pretty hot during the day, middle of the way through October, the nights are often cool enough to sleep with the windows open.

I'm hoping that this more gradual cooling than we had last year will afford me the pleasure of seeing our Florida Flame maple tree turn bright colors; red, orange and yellow. In full flush, it is supposed to look like it is a tree on fire with flames of color, licking at every leaf.  At first, the dastardly draught we are having, would have deprived me of the privelege of seeing this beautiful tree's splendor, because its leaves began falling off rather quickly. However, I have been able to stave off the inevitable by constantly watering it. Hopefully, the hard work will pay off...in a color burst for my viewing. If I'm so lucky, photos of the ruddy beauty will surely follow.

Headshots

 I recently did some head shots of my nephew because his school ones didn't come out really great. I don't really know how that could happen, because he is just about the most photogenic kid in the world. Sometimes, he is a bit camera-squemish, but overall....he's just glad to be there.

 And I was there, at his house, for these shots. He was actually just out playing in his sandbox when I walked out there with my camera, and asked him if he'd smile for me. He gladly obliged, and as you can see, the photos came out great. I love that true kids smile that he sports. There is almost nothing more genuine than seeing a kid, in his element, and happy to be there. 

I have enjoyed watching this guy grow up over the past few years. I'm his barber and his photographer. Hopefully, I'll be his mentor at some point as well.

Good, Old Flowers

1,000 Words Photography

Often in the South, we will use the phrase "Good ole...." when referring to well, just about anything. This post is about something that sounds similar, but is meant a bit different. The flowers to which I refer are called "Spider Lilies" unofficially. Apparently, they are a very old variety of the lily family that dates back to the 1850's. It is unsure of the origin of them here in Mississippi, but if you look around from the end of September to the middle of October, you are sure to see some of the reddish/pink spider-looking flowers popping out of a hillside.....the base of a tree...or just out in the middle of nowhere. Their most spectacular showing is when there is an entire bunch set all together. This vibrant color is sure to grab your eye against the rapidly-waning color of summer.

The fact that they are old will be very apparent when you try to purchase some. They will set you back about $10 for 3 bulbs. Only one flower comes up from each bulb. The good thing about these mysterious little flowers is that they reproduce quite rapidly. Because they are perinneals, you will see them year after year. The good part: there will be more and more each year, as the bulbs replicate and help out your original investment.

Go to your local nursery or just go ask your grandma for some, but definitely get some of these for your yard. It's just the good, old Fall Surprise your yard needs.



**To see more photos, visit my site: http://bruceaulrich.zenfolio.com

Growing Like a Baby

You've heard of sleeping like a baby? Well, it would be better said to be growing like a baby. They are constantly changing. My son is now 17 weeks old (that's a little over 4 months, for the non-initiated) and just had his 4 month doctor checkup.

 A few weeks ago

Everything went well at the doctor. She checked his joints....fingers....toes....etc and said that he was perfectly healthy. That is just music to my ears. He is now in the 90th Percentile in his weight and the 75th Percentile in his height. Seems to be getting a pretty good amount of food these days, don't you think? He even took his shots well. He had to get 3 shots, and with the aide of some Tylenol before getting them, he was still happy when I arrived home at about 5:30. That's what I like to see....a happy baby!

Yesterday

I still wonder things like: Will he be taller than me? Will he be right-handed or left-handed? Will his hair turn darker as he grows older?

I guess we will just have to wait and find out.

I See........Pinestraw

You've heard of seeing dead people as a sixth sense? Well, I can see pinestraw as my sixth sense. This past weekend, I spent a good bit of time raking, bagging and distributing pinestraw in our flower beds. It is a painstaking task, but when you have had to pay for bales of pinestraw (at $15/ea., like we did last year), you're just grateful to even be able to rake some up.

It started with getting the beds naked....so that we could see what needed trimming and pull weeds. Then, we could fluff all of the old pinestraw, for added volume, before applying the new needles. Finally, after many scrapes and pokes....we had a nice, thick layer of pinestraw covering our flower beds. It was like the plants were being held snuggly in place by a brown see of discarded items.

The only problem now...everywhere I go, I see fresh piles of pinestraw.....or a freshly dropped carpet of it, and it makes me just want to grab a rake. Habit, I suppose at this point.

Good Things

Good things come to those that wait. I've heard this my whole life, and truthfully, it's one of those sayings that just kind of bothers you more than making sense. You think, this is just a ploy that my parents cooked up so that I would stop bothering them about having this or that right now. It is true though....as the famous Ent from Lord of the Rings, Treebeard, once said, "Nothing is worth saying, unless it takes a long time to say." I guess I think that about a lot of things now. I would morph it more into something like, "Nothing is worth doing unless it takes a long time to happen." If you think about it, you have to plan significantly for some of the best things to happen in your life: marriage--must plan the wedding, starting a family--seeing if you're ready for kids or not, pregnancy--you are constantly planning for this and that.

You never really know what will arise when you find out your are pregnant. This, as you know from previous posts, happened to my wife and I about this time a year ago. We found out that she was pregnant with our first child, Alan. We were exstatic and scared, all at the same time. However, we did begin to plan. We started planning for his room accommodations. We started planning for hospital bills. We started planning our lives around this little guy that was coming. We knew, things could not be the way they had been for 3+ years in our marriage.

We had a strong marriage, but we would soon come to find out that those strengths, and more importantly, the weaknesses, would be tested. The strain of sleep deprivation, worry, and nervousness of the unknown pulls hard at a marriage...even one tested by years of marriage. We found this to be especially true. I think the things that we've had a tough time with, we have emerged even stronger because we persevered though.

Alan is such a blessing. He is here now (Yes, I'm a bit late with this post) and we cannot stop looking at him, even after these 3.5 months. He is our pride. He is out joy. He is our life.

Great Expectations

Expectations shape a majority of our moods and what we demand from society and from our lives. These expectations can be a pleasant surprise, because they were previously low, and the reality turned out to be something so much more. Also, these expectations can be great, just because they have built up in our minds to the point that nothing could shatter the imaginary world they have created. Regardless of how we use them, expectations are everywhere. Well, our expectations are some of those that were previously referenced. They are the ones that keep us floating on cloud nine, and will still for years to come. The expectations to which I refer are parenthood. We are about to journey into that world, where many have come before us, without any previous experience. Our expectations will help carry us though...our expectations will make up for the lack of experience that we might feel. Our expectations of our little one, Alan, are coming due...sooner, rather than later.

Innocence Personified

This little boy, Eli, did so well with our shoot the other day. He was just so interested in giving his mom some flowers and letting his dad make him laugh. What parents would ask for something else? What a beautiful family, Nicholsons! Thanks for letting me be a part of it for a little while.

Beauty & Beau....and more Beauty

I had the chance recently to shoot a Beauty and Beau Pageant. It was interesting. There is nothing to make you realize you are getting old like shooting pictures of a bunch of young, beautiful people. There were so many of them too.

Susie, my friend, has nothing to be but proud, as her daughter was definitely one of the most beautiful Beauties there. Here are a few from that night.