Photography 101

I would love to thank my darling daughter Kaitlyn for posing for pictures so that her Mommalady could take lots of pictures of her and practice my photography. And I need to thank my husband who supports my love of  the Arts...he got me the new lens and the classes for Christmas, however he has stood behind my several adventures. Of course Kaitlyn loves to be the center of attention and really loves to have her picture taken and to feel like a model. Here are some of the results of that Photo Shoot. 

And although Dakota wanted nothing to do with me taking photo's of him he was a sport and posed for me a couple of times. 

About a month ago I sent something out on Facebook telling my friends and family that I would love to take their family pictures for free, I just needed the practice. My co-worker Jayci replied and so I met her and her family at Wheeler Farms last weekend. Here are some of the results....

Thankful

Thanksgiving and all that I have to be grateful for....

An Amazing Husband - Michael is a wonderful man, who loves me faults and all and never forgets to tell me or show me how much he loves me. I have never before felt loved the way Michael makes me feel, it's great. And I love him too. I love the relationship we have, the way we both just want everything to be ok, we both hate to fight and really don't have anything to fight about. We see other people and their relationships and how they fight and we just look at each other and say "I'm so glad we found each other, I could never live like that". We didn't get to take a vacation this year because of the whole moving thing, but we are planning something good for the year to come. He loves my children and grandchildren as if they were his own. And they all love him too. I could write a long list of all the things I do love about him.

My Children - Raising 5 children alone until just 5 years ago was never easy, but always worth it! I am proud of the people that they are all becoming in their lives and I tell them this everyday. 

My Grandchildren - All 7 of them are in my heart each and everyday. Although I only get to see 3 of them ALL the time, I do love them all. Quynn, Blair and Ollie make me feel so special and make me smile and laugh so much. They're amazing little people! I remember how special my grandparents were to me and still are and I want to be that for them. 

My Family - My brothers and their wives and children whom I love very much and show them as much as possible. I look at all of us and think we beat the odds. Coming from alcoholic, abusive, very disfunctional home. You would think one of us would have gone that direction, but none of us did. We all choose to make our lives better, however it happened quicker for some than others LOL! 

My Job - I just celebrated 5 years with my company, which really wasn't hard because I do love my job and in today's economy having a job is GREAT and loving your job is even better. 

Our new home - At the beginning of this year I was very distraught because of the falling out between Michael's parents and us. But now I THANK THEM for booting us out. We finally got a home that is OURS and there is no better feeling knowing that every last dime we spend goes towards our future and not helping someone else secure their future. And this house is so much nicer too, I love when people walk into our home and say WOW this is so nice! Never got that in any home I have ever lived in. 

Life - I have had a lot of medical issues this year and am now getting them all under control, but nothing makes you more thankful for life then the thought of cancer or blood clots which you could lose your life. I sometimes take life for granted and since my latest hospital stay I have to say...I have a whole new outlook on this life of mine. I thank God for giving me this wake up call and I also thank him for not taking my life away! I have so much to live for!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you are thankful for all the Lord has given you!

God Bless

The Days of Old

My brother was so kind to scan and email these pictures to me, my Aunt Mary gave them to him when we were in Iowa for my Dad's funeral.

I had never seen these pictures before, and it was a very emotional thing to see them.

These were taken before my parents decided to divorce, I don't know the year but I'm guessing it was somewhere between 1972 and 1974, possibly sooner.

Me and my brothers and sister during Christmas.

Although we were smiling no one really new of the pain that was happening at home.

Top Right to Left: Todd, Tarianne, Tim and Bottom Right to Left: Troy, Tami (me) and Trent

 And this picture is the one I treasure most. Us 6 kids with our Grandpa and Grandma Keepers. I really loved my grandparents. I miss them so very much. I have really tried to be the same kind of Grandma I had. I learned to be a grandparent from the very best, and to me it's a compliment when my oldest brother Todd see's me with my grandchildren and tell me I'm the kind of Grandma like our Grandma's were! We didn't have it all, but God sure did bless us when it came to our grandparents.

I didn't realize how much I missed my Grandparents and then I saw this picture! I miss them horribly!

I'm Gonna Live, and Live I Shall

About 3 weeks ago I was at work and I felt awful and my side was hurting and I IM'd my husband and said 

"Honey I sure don't feel good, I think I need to go to the doctor"

He asked me if I wanted him to take me to the doctor and I told him that yeah I think I should go.

Then we debated weather he should take me to Instacare or to the Emergency Room, I sat there for a minute thinking! I wasn't really sure what was wrong, but I knew something wasn't right. I even told my husband the night before, that I didn't know what was wrong but I just didn't feel right. So finally I made the decision to have him take me to the Emergency Room, which turned out to be a very good decision! 

After many blood test, an ultrasound and a CAT scan, the nurse came in my room and said "It looks like we're going to make you a resident for a couple of days"! Needless to say I was in shock!

It seems that I had 2 blood clots, one on my ovary and one on my kidney and they were somehow attached by a thin string of blood clot (none of the doctors had ever seen such a thing). This worried them, because if one of the clots dislodged then that could be deadly. They needed to start blood thinners right away, to stop the possibility of more clots. But what worried them even more was the fact that the found a nodule on the lower half of my right lung and because I am a former smoker this worried them. Worried them, oh geez it worried me. All I could think of was, I quit smoking 18 months ago because I never wanted to have to go through this. 

The next morning I was scheduled for a biopsy, they wanted to see exactly what that nodule was on my lung! So I had the biopsy and it was less scary then I thought it would be. 

The scariest part was waiting for the results which took about 4 days. 4 days on little sleep and much worry! Friday finally came and I went to my doctor, nervous but ready to face whatever he was going to tell me. You never realize how much you really love your life until the thought of it being gone is in front of you. 

It's NOT cancer!!!

Thank you Dear Lord!

So now I sure look at my life so different! I want to live, I want to be around for a long time!

So now I am keeping my Blood Sugar under control, watching what I eat, exercising and remembering how precious life really is. I've lost 14 lbs now, just from eating healthier and portion control and yes exercise. I have about 90 more pounds to go, but I am sure I can do it!

The view from my room at LDS Hospital was beautiful!

The beautiful get well basket of plants my employer sent me! 

Halloween 2010

I remember being a child and loving Halloween, I am always amazed at the great costumes that people come up with! Today I still love Halloween and so do my children. Kaitlyn is now the only child at the Trick or Treating age, and lucky for me every year she knows what she wants to be. This year it was August I believe when she said "Mom for Halloween I want to be Super Girl" and all I could think of was WOW, I sure hope we can find a Super Girl costume or a pattern for one! Lucky for us, we were at Wal-Mart shortly after they put out their Halloween Costumes and she walked right to it. It was the one she had dreamed of Hallelujah! I think she looks adorable in her costume! And others thought so too cause she came home with so much candy, she said "Mom and Dad, I hit the Mother Load"! I want to know what she knows about a Mother Load LOL!

Kaity and Dakota before Kaitlyn's Girl Scout Party. 

Mr. Pumpkin Head, Michael decided this year he would get in on the pumpkin carving action. I think he did a cute job!

 Our oldest Granddaughter Quynn. This was the first year she really got to carve her own pumpkin and boy was she proud of it. And very well she should be, she did an amazing job. I guess that's what happens when you become a big Kindergartner!

 Oh Kaitlyn and Quynn were having so much fun going through the pumpkin guts, while Tiffany slaved away trying to clean out her pumpkin.

 Kaitlyn working away on her pumpkin, I actually forgot to take a picture of the final product!

 I know bad Mommy!

It was super cute cause she took the carving knife and carved her name in the back of her pumpkin.

 And she really loved that pumpkin!

 Tiffany and our grandson Ollie all dressed up for Halloween. We went to a party at Tiff's Grandmother in law's church and had a great time. By the end of the weekend we were Halloween partied out!

 Cute little Quynnie all dressed up in her Halloween costume. I might be a little bias but I think my Grandchildren are ADORABLE!

 

And Little Ms. Blair Daisy my youngest granddaughter made the cutest little Ladybug! 

My daughter Courtney and her husband Jason "The Devil Couple" ready to go out to a party.

My stepson Ian in his Halloween costume which I think is awesome! Honoring the men and women of the United States Army who give us the freedom and protect us so that we can celebrate things such as Halloween!

In Memory of Thomas A. Keepers

Last Friday on my way to work I received some shocking news. My father Thomas A. Keepers passed away during the night. They say he passed away sometime during the night in his sleep, which is the way he had hoped to go. I took it much harder than I had ever imagined. Because during life we only allow ourselves to remember the bad and it is only in death that we begin to remember the good and then we miss it.

Until we meet again Dad! I really did and still do Love you!

I have always missed my dad, but now it's permanent.

My Family, Mi Familia!

A lot going on in our lives lately.
We haven't been very good at keeping up on here as we had planned. I will try harder. 2010 hasn't been the most friendly of years for us.
It started out with a hard lesson that we feel no family should ever have to endure, the lesson that we try to teach our children everyday that no matter what your family is and always should be more valuable than money. I can't say much on the subject, but I can say that the Keepers Family I once referred to as my dis-functional family is not at all the case. No matter what I have said or done to disappoint my family I know they have always loved me and been 100% supportive of my decisions, my life and my illegitimate children and all of my failures! I realize that although we never had much financially, we always had each other. And today we can laugh about the times that we would have popcorn for dinner night because we couldn't afford "real food" or that our mom is the only mom we know who can make a mean creamed pea's over potato chips cause that was all we had in the cupboard. When the rest of the world tried to beat us down, I always had my brothers and sister and best of all we had each other. And the best thing of all my family loves and appreciates my husband and I thank each and everyone of them for accepting him! He is the love of my life and knowing that my family loves him makes my love even stronger. Here's to the worst beginning, but the best ending!!!!
I love you all so much!