At the house...

Aunty (my stepmom's sister) has been making the best curries around. She loves cooking and we are ALL glad she does! I've been eating non-stop since I've gotten here. Here is Jom thanking her for her wonderful food! Thanks Aunty!

Uncle Jose and Aunt Alphonsa visited for a day from the Middle East. It was nice to visit with them, they too enjoyed the good food. I hope Coop and I can visit them on our way to India someday! Safe travels Uncle and Aunty!

Jom's Swim Lesson

Jom is taking swim lessons and today I got to take some shots with my long lens on. He is improving every day and dad gives him some quality advice. Dad and I have been swimming with him all week.

Visiting Houston

Dad gave Jayden one of his home grown Guava fruit...Jayden really loved it. Jayden has grown a ton since the last time I saw him. It has been nice to see Rojy (one of my cousin's here in Houston) again. She's a hard working mom!

Every child is a precious gift from God.

Vacation Bible School

This little boy looks just like Todd (Cooper's brother )when he was a kid.

Last week I volunteered at Vacation Bible School at Blessed Sacrament Catholic (where Coop went to Elementary School) and it was the BEST! I loved teaching and learning about God and seeing the kids sing and dance for God. I worked alongside a new friend named Kathleen who ran the program and I was honored to be by her side. She is truly a sister in Christ. There were more than 80 kids at camp and some of them were familiar faces from tennis (students from tiny tots). My ring bearer Osbaldo and his little sister were there too!

I am definitely on board for next year!

Farewell to Brooke!

Brooke (my neighbor and friend) has moved to Asheville, NC. Jeremy, Brooke, Cooper, and I have grown to be good buddies. We will miss them so much. We had them over for Crepes one morning, then Kelly and I threw a surprise going away party for Brooke ....she really was surprised and will be missed!

Brooke, Kelly, M.C. and I ...

Summer Camp- Tennis

Fredrik (our tennis pro) talked me into helping out at Summer camp again for a few days and I enjoyed every bit of it. I decided not to teach camp this summer, I missed my sweethearts, so it was nice to come back for a few days. We also got to celebrate Fredrik's birthday that week with cake. Henry (Annabelle's brother on the left) Aliana (Osbaldo's sister on the right)

Happy 4th of July weeks later!

The cousins came over to Cooper's parents house and had burgers and lots of great food and drinks! Here is Caleb practicing how to row.

Everyone loves watching Charlie (left).....

Grandaddy, family, and friends enjoy the Strong's new deck.

Fourth of July

The prisoner and wife.

We went on a Charleston County Prisoner's Truck into this area to find a path to the Ledenwah (sp??) river. Okay it's really Uncle Rick but as we were driving through the woods, we got a flat.

It was a fun adventure that day and then we all did a float down the river. Coop and I were on the sailboat with Sketcher, after capsizing the first time, I sat on Trisha's kayak the rest of the way. Sketch ended up on Cousin Robert's kayak. I didn't want the camera to get wet, so I have no pics from the float.

Wild Dunes Bike Ride

Wild Dunes is where the girls and I stayed during the wedding week. I had a beach photo shoot there a few weekends ago and Coop and I decided to bike after the shoot. The sky was beautiful and the ocean breeze felt great. We passed by the beach house and it brought back good memories of the end of March.

Conch eggs anyone? It looks like a necklace or snake but it's really a shell with eggs inside...I've never seen anything like it!

We got a new bike rack from REI thanks to some friends in Oregon (gift registry) and it has been so fun to ride all the time! Thanks Joanna and Mike! Cooper likes how easy it is to load up!

Cousins or Brothers .....Whatever

My brother dropped off Ziggy when he went to Texas, so Sketcher got to play with his Cousin...or brother....we are not sure....

Ziggy on the right is quite a bit larger than Sketch. He has curly hair too.

Grandaddy

It's nice that Coop's family lives so close. We often have them over for dinner. This time Grandaddy joined us. Sarah is now a college grad and is back in Charleston too, so we see her often too. Coop grilled out and we enjoyed good company.

How can I help you?

My secret wish has always been to work as a cashier. When I was a kid, I loved the play cash machines. This summer I wanted to help Sr. Jane(a good friend and spiritual leader) at Pauline Books and Media (a catholic bookstore in downtown Charleston). So every Wednesday, I work at the front helping folks check out and I do other things at the store. Coop came to visit me on my first day and snapped some shots of my joy helping others get closer to Jesus while I fulfill my dream of being a cashier! High aspirations, I know. :)

Gianna's Baptism

These pictures of Gianna's baptism are courtesy of Jolie Marie Chenet Photography (in training)....:)












Cooper is so excited about being the Godfather...can't you tell. No, he really is. :)

Little Chubby Cheeked Gianna slept through the entire baptism! She is wearing Franz's baptism dress that has been passed down from generations. Yes, the rumor is true..Franz used to wear dresses.

The show was great! I really felt like I was in the middle ages watching them battle it out on horses.

We were rooting for our red knight. Each guest had a color designated to them. Our knight didn't do so great but it was so much fun anyhow!

We were served chicken, potatoes, soup, bread, ribs, all without utensils...just like the middle ages.

Maryland Trip

CHeck out this little Sun Goddess!
Jolie Marie Chenet.....
Ebony and Ivory...

We went to the pool with Inshal, Rinju, and Jolie while we were in Maryland.

End of the Year Ice Skating

These are some of my students at the end of the year ice skating field trip. We had so much fun! I look forward to seeing them in a few weeks!

Tennis Kidders

This is Annabelle who is my little sweetheart. She will be moving to Florida in a few months. Her brother Henry takes lessons too and they are both awesome tennis stars!

So, I'm thinking about not teaching tennis (tiny tots sessions) this year so that I can focus on photography and teaching. Although I will miss the kids so much, I think a break might be good. It will be tough.....look how cute these guys are!

Boat Rides all summer long

Sketch always goes on kayak rides, on Coop's johnboat (as seen here), and sailing with his mommy and daddy. He loves the water.......

Some of my school kids....

Okay, so I'm catching up on posting stuff from the past few months. During the school year, I have a hard time keeping up with everything that I do, bare with me as I fill you in on the last few months. :) These are some of my girls with their music program hats on. Aren't they cute? I'll miss them as all of them have moved onto second grade. They will be in the classroom next door though! I'll see them in a few weeks!

Sketcheriapus

Ya Aunty Jill, you're not so bad either!