Today is a great day in our home. It is the grand opening tournament & ceremony at Weeks Golf Course…..or as I’ve been calling her – the other woman.

My husband came home from work about 3 years ago sooooo excited because he had just been given the “project” of renovating Weeks Golf Course. This was a “project” near and dear to his heart and to the heart of many in town and he knew it.

He put in endless hours, had help from an endless number of people and lost endless hours of sleep worrying about sun, rain, and the lack thereof. He drove the course every morning checking in on progress and spent every afternoon following up on what he saw. I began to call Weeks Course “the other woman” because when I’d call his office and get nothing I knew it, I knew it in my gut…he was on Weeks Course, driving around her on a golf cart….

Matt now knows more about grass, weather patterns and sprinkler heads than many landscapers. He knows every hill, every tree and every sand pit. This course has been his project, his baby and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m sooooooooo proud of him and his team for pulling it all together.

Today is the grand opening and it’ll be open to the public tomorrow.

Looking for something fun to do over Labor Weekend?
Go see Weeks, let your husband spend time with “the other woman” – she’s a beauty!!!

I’m always proud to call you my husband Matt.
But today…… I’m beaming.
I’m beaming as you spend the day playing on the course you helped build.
I love ya.
~M

……told ya I was catching up.

Yes – I made it through my sons first day of Kindergarden.
He ran out of school at 1:00 and reported that he didn’t pull a ticket (you have to pull a ticket when you misbehave) and NO HOMEWORK! Gotta admit – can’t get much better than that!

So – back to “real” work and more catching up on albums!!! I don’t blog most albums – but Libby is on the East Coast in college now and I don’t have her new e-mail….so….

Here ya go Libby!!!

My baby started kindergarten today….and here is the proof….the “kindergarden smile”

Garrett is my baby boy that went with me on my first shoots in his carseat.
He was my first naked baby shoot.
He was my side-line-buddy as I started my business with him at my side as an infant.

For the past 5 years I have heard myself say “yeah – I’m a photographer, it’s great because I can work my schedule around my kids and once Garrett is in school full-time I can really take off and dedicate time to my business”.

There was a sense of anticipation for today.
I would be free.
I would have 8-3 every day to work, to focus, to be a photographer.
…..when Garrett starts school full-time……

Why then does my studio seem so big and empty today?

Madie – now going to 3rd grade (gulp) was sooooo proud. She has been “explaining” the ins and outs of elementary school to Garrett for about a month now. My kids…..

I choose not to focus on the end of a great summer and instead anticipate the love of a schedule.
I choose not to focus on putting the boat into storage and instead unfold my favorite blue jeans.
I choose not to focus on my quiet house and instead enjoy the “to do” list at my studio.
I choose to thank God for my healthy children instead of wonder where time went.

I choose not to notice that my sons backpack is bigger than he is and instead look at the proud smile on his face and his pride walking into HIS school with his sissy for their first day of school, together.

It’s 1:30am and I can’t sleep….

I’m up working in my living room to the simple noises of our ceiling fan & my nails on the keyboard. My son is in his room snoring and then there is an occasional shout-out from Madelyn talking in her sleep.

I love the sounds of my home at night.

Simple Blessings…….

Ok – so brace yourself….I got my back-to-school-shopping done!

Yes, yes, it’s true…if you look up you just may see pigs flying! I am ALWAYS the mom in Walmart the Saturday before school with my list, frazzled hair and frustration on my face because there are no pocket folders with brags left. I almost always have to go to 3-4 stores to fill my list and I usually end up apologizing to the teachers on the first day of school promising hours of volunteer work to make up for the fact that I’ll be trickling in my kids list throughout the month, but NOT THIS YEAR!!!! I AM DONE!!!

One more time……I’M DONE!!!

So – this year I found myself in the Target isle in heaven, got it all done, got it all marked off, got happy kids, and got time on my side so I browsed! I had no idea back-to-school-shopping could be so much fun! All of the fun binders, the sparkle pencils, don’t even get me started on all of the COOL stuff you can put in your locker (I know, I haven’t had a locker for 20 or some years but I still love it)! I love the feel of the paper, I love the pencil sharpeners but most of all – I LOVE Big Pink Erasers!!!

I love the sound of a kid writing or drawing, erasing…almost scrubbing off previous thoughts or ideas, wiping away the pink crumbs to make room for new thoughts & ideas, then – the best….”the blow” to create that clean slate.

And then just like that – thanks to the Big Pink Eraser you get the preverbal “do over”.

Mistakes are ok, you can always revise your thoughts and ideas.
You always have the option of starting over with an new clean slate….all it takes is a scrub, wipe & blow.

You have a safety net when you have your Big Pink Eraser.

Yeah – I’ve been MIA this weekend….literally!

We took our last trip for the summer to Colorado to visit my in-laws for a long weekend and let me tell ya, they call it God’s Country for a reason. This was the sun setting our first night there.

Our first night in Colorado was spent at my in laws cabin IN the mountains. Literally, they have a tiny little A-frame cabin in the mountains. There is no internet, no cell reception, no cable, the electricity runs off of a generator and running water is their luxury item. I think Heaven is gonna be kinda like being at the cabin…..

Here is the view from the deck. No Photoshopping necessary.

Instead of watching tv we threw pinecones at a tree stump

Instead of watching tv we climbed a rock formation…..I mean…..my kids climbed the Mountain!!!

And instead of going to the gym, we took a hike on which G found he and his PePe (Grandpa in French) walking sticks.

The weather was cold and overcast and it rained all night but I’ll be honest with you – it was a REALLY nice break from the 100s we’ve been having here at home. AND, in an effort to be 100% honest…. I didn’t pack for THAT cold of weather so I had a GREAT excuse to do some shopping while we were there!

Proceed With Caution – Bad Texan Blog Ahead

You have officially been warned.

The highlight of our trip was Grandma Kathy hooking us all up with row 12 seats to the Preseason Bronco -vs- Cowboys game. It was soooooooo amazing. The weather was perfect, the game rocked (sorry – when you are married to a Colorado-boy you learn to love the Broncos), and seriously, is there anything better than $4 peanuts and a $7 beer at a football game?

Anyway – we’re back and glad to be home. We are blessed to get to visit family that are friends and have a home and a life we love returning home to.

Thanks for letting me share!
~M

If ever you wonder to yourself……
“I wonder what kinda album I get if I trust Micki and just be myself”
Here ya go.

THANKS Kelsey for…well…trusting me and just being true to yourself!
~M

Yep! I don’t have another scheduled photo-shoot until September!
Honestly – it’s HOT HOT HOT out and I’m going through a bit of a mid-life-business-crisis and mixing some things up a bit. I’m doing some website and blog updating, adding in some new angles into my business and yeah….gonna do some looking at my prices for the 08-09 season.

So – that is my plan for the next 3 weeks.
Oh – and did I mention that we’ll be going to Colorado where the high is 88
And I’m in deep in my training for a half-marathon I’m gonna run in October
And I’ll have the kids home full-time until school starts …… ……… ? ?

Ya all know I can’t stay away for an entire 3 weeks- I hope to have some albums to show ya (I don’t show them all but they’ll be good fillers) and maybe more pix of my kids…..oh ……speaking of kids…… BOTH of my kiddos got up on skiis yesterday at the lake! HeeHaw!!!

Happy Last-Phase of the Summer gang!
~M

Oh yeah – I love my job – the one cool cloudy day in August is the day I get Alison in-front of the camera.
You just can’t beat the light God gives ya.

A girl is NEVER too young to accessorize!

After the fun in the sun we took it back into the studio for a shoot mommy wanted…her girl in her jp’s cuddling up to her blanket, appropriately nick-named “nite-nite”

Thanks Allison for being such a good girl and letting those amazing brown eyes brighten up my morning!
~M