I will survive!

It’s a good thing we have unlimited long-distance service. I have a crook in my neck from holding the phone to my shoulder with my cheek while doing dishes, folding laundry, tying shoes…People want to talk about the election. I’ve decided to take the approach that I won’t waste time worrying about things I can’t control. I’m most definitely in a funk, but I’m not planning a move or making Kool-Aid.

In order to offset some of my jitters, my sweet friend Annie invited us over for pizza and returns last night. We watched a few of the early returns come in and we left in time to get all those too young to vote tucked into bed. It was pretty easy to be distracted and remember what is truly important to me, when I was watching this little cutie splash around the bathtub.

Then again, maybe that’s part of the reason I am so disappointed in the election results. As a good (and obviously brilliant) friend said last night, our kids may not get to enjoy the same kind of lives we lived.

Wait, I vowed not to worry about things I can’t control, did I not?!

I’m so far behind on housework; it’s as scary as a Democrat majority. I still have suitcases in my kitchen and they must be moved today. I’ve also got loads of photos to edit from three weekend shoots. Poor Meredith is becoming far too familiar with PBS Kids. Clearly, I don’t have time to be sitting on my can in front of the computer, but I wanted to assure everyone I haven’t headed for the hills! Hey, after all I still have My Man Mitch.

Wake me when it's over!

I don't ever remember being this gravely concerned over an election. I look back and laugh at how I FLIPPED OUT over Bill Clinton's election. In fact, Jennifer reminded me last night, that although I was too young to vote, I called her house and made mention of my plan to move to Canada. Little did I know...

John McCain isn't a quitter...

I don't know if you can read this gentleman's sign or not, but it says, "John McCain NEVER QUITS." I know his sign might insight eye rolling out of my two, maybe three Obama supporting friends. I'm sure there are a lot of leftists who think, "No kidding, he never quits. Give it up already!"

I saw this picture, and subsequently borrowed it from McCain Blogette.com. It's a site Megan McCain keeps journaling her life on the trail in support of her dad. As any daughter would be, she is so dedicated and proud. What struck me about this photo is both the age of the gentleman holding the sign and his buddy standing in the left of the frame. These guys aren't newbies to the political game, who know little about a candiate other than, "He's just so articulate, and makes such motivating speeches." These are probably guys who have been around the block. It wouldn't surprise me if they've served our country in the same capacity John McCain has. They know tenacity, determination, and honor. They know McCain is the epitome of all three.

John McCain doesn't quit.

That wasn't a vacation.

Wow! I haven’t posted anything in a really long time. Normally, when this happens, people e-mail me and ask if I’m okay. No one did this time, so either no one is reading this anymore or everyone knew it was October. And if it’s October, the Webbers are in Disney.

We left on the 24th and just got home yesterday, the 1st of November. We had a good time and PERFECT weather. I mean perfect. Blue skies, zero humidity, and even a chill in the air at times. I kept checking the local news to make sure we were in Florida. Some people head to Florida for the heat. Not me. I really don’t like to be hot…or hungry, but we’ve discussed this before.

The second day we were there, we met up with our friends, the Hindmans. Karen and Dave used to live here, but moved to Florida several years ago. We wind up seeing them at least once a year during our visit, and they come to Indiana in the summer if we’re lucky. We went to Epcot and for the first time in years, our families were able to ride most of the rides together. Everyone met the height requirement! It’s the little things.
Every other year we’ve made the trip, we’ve built in little excursions outside of the Disney parks here and there. It didn’t happen this year. I didn’t need my usual break from the heat and the kids are old enough to stay awake for evening excursions to the parks. We were finally able to “Eat to the Beat,” at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. We’re always there for the festival and they advertise some faded band from the 70’s under the guise that you can “Eat to the Beat.” Brandon talks about this non-stop every time we go. We’ve done it, now hopefully he’ll stop speaking in rhyme. The kids were wound like eight-day clocks after a mid-day three hour nap, so this is them taking Brandon’s suggestion literally…



We had breakfast with Pooh (again…I’ve memorized the buffet), and lunch with the Princesses (again…I still don’t like Norwegian food). Meredith did ask me if Tigger was just a man in a suit. I asked her where she got that idea and she explained that Tigger lives in The Hundred Acre Wood, not Florida. I tried to stop her from growing up and thinking on her own and said, “Well, maybe he vacations here, just like us.” “Oh,” Meredith said, “You think he hops a flight just like us? I think it would freak me out to fly next to Tigger.” Me too, Merdi. Me too.

We took the kids Trick or Treating at Downtown Disney along with the rest of Central Florida’s residents and every vacationing European. The Europeans. I forgot to mention the Europeans! I mean no offense, but I don’t think I have any European readers anyway. The parks are LOADED with Europeans. The weak dollar is great for their travels to America. I find it funny that America is supposedly struggling with Her image abroad, yet these folks don’t seem at all hesitant to hop the pond and visit a significant piece of Americana. The great thing about the Europeans…for the most part, no matter what I wore on any given day, I looked much more put together than half the people there. Our family looked like a toothpaste commercial comparatively.
Believe it or not, I think we may have finally gotten our fill of Walt Disney World, at least for the next few years. Maybe that’s part of the reason we did spend our entire vacation in the parks. Normally, we’ve pretty much known we’d be back the following year, but this year it felt like we’re due for a change of pace. Alex let us know by writing a note: “Next year, I wint two go two Maxico.”

Lauren

I don’t know how I get so lucky, but every kid I shoot is ridiculously cute. I’m serious. Somehow my friends and clients have disproportionally beautiful children. Evidently, we have good water.

Last night I shot one of the cutest of the cute. I met Lauren’s mom, Toni through Alex’s soccer team. Since I’m not exactly watching Alex hammer one goal after another, I have plenty of time to talk with the other moms. I liked Toni right away, and got really excited when I noticed she had a camera nearly identical to mine.

I’m easily intimidated, so I don’t often come right out with the fact that I sort of know my way around a camera. For whatever reason, I took a chance and told Toni that I do children’s portraiture. It was largely for selfish reasons. I wanted to shoot her family. Believe me when I say this family looks like someone peeled them off the page of a Ralph Lauren ad. To top it off, they are incredibly nice.

Toni and I had plenty to talk about. We met for coffee to talk photography and decided we needed to take her oldest daughter Lauren and Meredith out for a tea party lunch. The girls had tons of fun pouring pink lemonade out of tiny teapots and even managed to eat their lunches. Toni mentioned needing some pictures for a project she’s working on with Lauren and I practically begged her to let me shoot some for her.

As luck would have it, this family lives in the same neighborhood as my in-laws. Alex and Grandma have tutoring sessions together once a week, and our timing was perfect. Meredith came with me so she could play with Lauren’s brothers. Our session literally lasted about ten minutes. Lauren is sooooo easy to shoot. I can’t wait to do a full length session with this family!

Brandon's chart

Meredith is the clown in our house. It’s no secret she likes an audience. I fear she comes by it genetically. Much like Brandon, Alex is quietly funny. He’s serious 90% of the time and then he’ll come up with something that has us rolling. Sometimes it’s intentional, and sometimes it isn’t. When it isn’t and we laugh, look out. Alex doesn’t like to be the butt of jokes or the center of attention.

I was bent over tying Alex’s shoes and he said, “Mom, did you know Dad has a chart of all his girlfriends? He keeps it in the basement.” I said, “Oh really?!” Alex could sense the paranoia in my voice and said, “Oh, don’t worry Mom, you’re on it. It says right on it, ‘Leslie Burgah.’ I found you right away.” I immediately knew he was talking about this:


I'm circled in bright green at the top, and I knew some of the other regular blog readers would want to see their velvet draped shoulders. It's too small for you to see, but trust me, we're all wearing pearls.

Welcome Baby Maria Rosalia!

The only picture I have of Jill C.'s new baby girl are on my phone and I'm not young enough to know how to make pictures jump from my phone to my blog. Also, my phone is from 1985, so it doesn't make things easy.

You can bet as soon as we meet Baby Maria, this blog will be loaded with pictures of her! This is Jill's first girl and I'm guessing she and Gaspare are already goners. She is gorgeous, even on my "Wall Street"-era phone.

Not surprisingly, Jill walked two miles on the treadmill in the morning, worked the lunch hour at their restaurant, and as Jill's mom told me, took off her apron, and said, "Let's go have this baby." Viola, no drugs and an hour later and Maria Rosalia was born. The little pumpkin weighed six pounds six ounces and is 20 inches long. I hear she has curly black hair, but it was covered by her newborn cap in the picture I have. I'm guessing she's really a blonde.

Congratulations Cucinellas! We can't wait to meet her and are thrilled for you to have a sweet baby girl in your house. By the way, Jill managed to have her children on October 10th, 16th, and 19th so she can forever do one big combined party. I wish she would come here and organize my life.