Eli on the stairs

This is one of the only pictures that survived the weekend.  It was Eli going up the stairs.  He's such a cutie.  Something about him reminds me of my mom, although he looks a lot like Andy.  I can't believe how quickly he's growing up.

Neverland's Best Man

The best man was Mark's dad. I watched him with Mark, he's very affectionate, almost like a father is with their son's when they are little.  He still hold Mark's hand when they walk together like he was a little boy.  It was very touching to see that kind of affection.  Also another funny story is if you notice Mark's dad played Enos from "The Dukes of Hazzard",  my dad's name is Ennis.  Our dad and Mark's father were born on the same day.  Wild huh!  He has that wonderful laugh just like on television.

Neverland's Maid of Honor and baby Ethan

Dena was a beautiful Maid of Honor, she wasn't crying like all of us were, but it takes a lot to make this little girl cry, it always has.  She's quite a woman!  Just look at her with Ethan.  She's a wonderful Mama.

Neverland's Ring Bearer

Eli was so cute walking down in front of Sherry.  He was so cute that blond hair shining in the sun.  He decided to take a seat in the grass half way through the ceremony, then he spotted me taking pictures and said "Here I come Uncle Derek",  it was towards the end,  so I sat down, and he sat down in my lap.

Neverland FlowerGirl

Neverland had a beautiful flowergirl.  Autumn was so good, she was the perfect little flowergirl,  she was in no rush, she took her time and enjoyed it.  She was such a little doll.  She really enjoyed the week.  I miss her!

Nana's tears of joy

This is clearer but I had to shrink it and it took some of the dpi out.  Mama was crying so much that Sherry had a time stopping her own tears.  I heard her say once, my mama's crying.  So I love this shot because you can see mama crying, and Sherry trying to stop.

Neverland Pony

I took Autumn and Eli over to see the pony, I told them to whisper their names into his ear, and the pony would remember them forever.  Eli loved the pony, and everytime the pony would lick his hands he would have this wonderful laugh, I love looking through life through their eyes.  Autumn is trying to feed the pony a flower.

Newlywed and Neverland

This was the view from our place, I definately know how those Darling children felt when Peter Pan sprinkled pixie dust on them to make them fly.  I sure wanted some pixie dust.  The view just took your breath away.

My sister Sherry the NEWLYWED

Sherry was beautiful, I snapped this of her during the wedding playing with her flowers.  More to be posted later.  When I saw her get out of the carriage and walk down the isle I was filled with emotion.

Mark and Me

It takes a special man to fill the shoes of the man who is going to marry my sister Sherry.  This man is Mark, Mark has been in our family for almost 10 years I think, or somewhere close to that.  So he's already like family.  Saturday he will be my brother-in-law.  I hope they have a wonderful life together full of God's many blessings.  Mark is a wondeful man, he loves Sherry, and he loves Autumn.  Autumn is crazy about him too.  I wish for them many things, mainly love and happiness.  I ask everyone to pray for our family this weekend, and for many blessing on this special day. 

Mama

Well here's another good one for M.  Mama with a big smile, she's getting her braces off soon, she's been wearing them for almost three years now.  I know she's happy.  She's always wanted straight teeth.  I've always thought she had the most beautiful smile in the world anyway.  I was a little disappointed she and Autumn didn't come this weekend, I was looking forward to seeing them, but mom was coming down with a cold, so she stayed in Georgia and kept Autumn, so she will feel good next week for the wedding.

Michael

What better way to start my M's than with Michael.

Little Loved Ones

I get to see Mama, Sherry, Dena, and Autumn this weekend.  Next week I see the entire family, and I do mean everyone.  But these are the three I'm looking forward to seeing the most.

LOVE

On my lunch break I went hunting for angels in the cemeteries close by my work, in the Greenlawn cemetery, instead I found this, I got down on my knees and looked up, I said a quick prayer for love and blessings in my life.  In the back of my head I wondered what it would have been like to have been in the crowd of people listening to a sermon by Jesus on the Mount.  Must have been amazing.  This was the first time I'd seen a statue of a Jesus in a cemetery.  It was beautiful.  I wish I'd zoomed in on the face but I think it still turned out beautiful.  I even asked for it to be a picture from HIM!  Hope it speaks of LOVE!

Bridge of Lions

I think I may have put this picture in my journal before, but since I was on the Lion theme, thought I'd add it again

Lion Fountain

Took this today on my lunch break, it is of the Lion Fountain over in San Marco over by where I work.  I used to live over by this famous fountain over in San Marco.  Late at night teenagers are bad about putting Palmolive dishwashing liquid in the fountain, I've seen bubbles going all the way across the street.  This is one of my favorite places in San Marco, except for the river side part of San Marco.

Linda in the pool

Doesn't this picture make you feel like doing the plunge.  This is my friend Linda, I've known her longer than just about anyone, that's not family.  We met years ago when I lived in Tifton on a trip up to Gatlinburg.   She such a sweet woman.  Can't believe she's been in my life so long.  She's known me since I was young and innocent.  Well since I was young.  I love summer!

Lovely Lineage Ladies

Well Mother's Day is tomorrow, little lovely lady lineage project I'm working on.  My sister's with my mom, and the other is of her mom, and her mom's mom, and her mom's mom's mom.  Five lovely generations of Mother's.  Thought I'd join in on John's weekend assignment.

 

Extra Credit:  A little trivia about my mother, well the picture of her above with her mother, and her mother, and her mother, and her mother.  That picture was sent off her senior year to Jerry Lewis along with every other girl in her graduating class,  He picked her as Maid of Honor.  I think Jerry Lewis had a thing for brunettes.  Because almost all the women he picked had dark hair.  I've always loved this picture of my mom.  I took this other picture of mom with her two sweet daughter's.  It's one of my favorite's of them.

KITE STATUES

I was doing a quick lunch, and running by the bank, and saw this statue that I'd never really noticed before of three kids flying kites.  I only had a few seconds to shoot, so they didn't turn out wonderful, especially since I was at a red light turned green with cars behind me, but I shot anyway, will have to go back for a better shoot, and to get one of that famous lion fountain.  This is in a part of Jacksonville called San Marco, fashioned after San Marco Square in Italy.  I lived there for 2 years.  I love the area, very artsy.

Kiss

When I was growing up, my parents weren't much on showing public affection, I can only remember seeing them kiss once, but there was this picture that my mom had in one of her old boxes of pictures, and I used to hide it in my room and take it out from time to time.  To see that kiss, and tell myself they loved each other like they did in this picture.  Maybe it was just a little boys fantasy.  But I saw love in the picture, maybe because I didn't see them do it much while we were growing up that I needed this to tell me that they did sometime.