A New Beginning

Yesterday, along with my niece Working Mom, I shot the wedding of Jasmine, who I had the pleasure of watching grow from a sweet little girl into a beautiful woman. Jasmine was, in fact, my oldest son's first girlfriend. Back in elementary school, he would pick her wildflowers and give her pretty little things for Valentine's Day. But now she belongs to someone else.

Jeremy. But it's okay, because I think he'll be good to her.

And she deserves it.

Best wishes to Jasmine and Jeremy!

God will catch us.

The leaves are falling, falling as from far off,
as though far gardens withered in the skies;
they are falling with denying gestures.

And in the nights the heavy earth is falling
from all the stars down into loneliness.

We are all falling. This hand falls.
And look at others; it is in them all.

And yet there is One who holds this falling
endlessly gently in his hands.

Rainer Maria Rilke, Autumn

Someday...

...I'd like to go on a photographic journey some place, with a tripod and lenses and filters. Somewhere away from interstates and cities, where the light falls just right at six p.m. and no one else has ever photographed it.

Until then, this will have to do:

I've got a ride in Denver tomorrow night

My son leaves for Iraq on Monday. If your son was going to Iraq on Monday, what would you do? Yes, that's right, you would book a flight to Denver for tomorrow afternoon, and a flight back on Sunday night, because, apparently, no one is flying to Colorado Springs.

So I've spent the morning at work not working, unless you call making travel arrangements work, which I do. I'll arrive in Denver tomorrow at about 4:30 p.m., pick up my rental car at Alamo, drive 60 miles on this highway:

to Colorado Springs, check into my Bed & Breakfast (which I didn't intentionally book, but will be a delight anyway:

(and don't give me grief about the name), and then I get to spend the whole weekend with my son. Maybe we'll go to the Garden of the Gods:

or to the top of Pike's Peak, or to see a movie, or to a bar, or to lots of yummy restaurants including maybe the Japanese hibachi grill one. Or maybe we'll just go shopping at Best Buy, which is Chase's favorite place to shop.

It doesn't really matter what we do, as long as I get to spend this time with him before he goes. It feels like the best gift ever.

P.S. The title of this post is sort of a line from a song by Garth Brooks called Much Too Young (to Feel this Damn Old).

This ol' highway's getting longer
Seems there ain't no end in sight
To sleep would be best, but I just can't afford to rest
I've got to ride in Denver tomorrow night

I always like to sing songs in my head about the cities I visit.

My new ball gown

The gossip sheets have all been abuzz regarding what I am wearing to the Willow Manor Ball.

Well, here it is, darlings:



Isn't it fab? Of course it's not a wedding dress! I insist. Even if it were, I'm just daring enough to show up in public in it, anyway. Because I'm a maverick. I only hope I don't trip over that bubble hem all night. It would be a horrible faux pas to fall into some man's arms.

Since I couldn't make a choice between Cary Grant and Clark Gable, I allowed both of them to accompany me. I do declare, I can't decide which of them is the handsomest. I'm hoping there will be some sort of duel by the end of the ball. Of course I will insist that the gentlemen take it outside, so as to not spoil the ambience of Willow's lovely ball.

Then I will allow the one who is still alive to escort me home.