Her First Mother’s Day

On May 14, 2014 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life14 Comments

I remember my first Mother’s Day. My daughter had just been born. A soft and tiny miracle. I inhaled her fresh baby scent and enjoyed being a Mom for the first time; a mere two days after she came into our life.

My Mom brought me a little corsage to wear that Sunday. I even kept it, all dried up, with my daughter’s baby keepsake things.

And now, twenty years later, I spend her first Mother’s day with her, her daughter, and my Mom-in-law (who I call Mom too!). As in… she is my Mom, too.

We visited the beautiful Weston Gardens in Bloom in Fort Worth, Texas. We sat among the flowers and listened to harp and violin music play. The notes sounding even more classical in the setting. We sipped on a variety of teas and nibbled on cookies. We even got to pick out a free Mother’s Day plant for being there. A gift to remember…to nurture and take care of. No wonder they gave them to Moms.

I have to say…this place is gorgeous. Every area you go to is like a different room in a different garden. I would love to go back before it gets super hot to explore some more. I really only scratched the surface of this place.

I took some photos of Sydney and Averey. Nothing formal as Sydney worked earlier in the day and she is still wearing her “uniform”.

But I didn’t want to forget her first Mother’s Day with Averey. And my heart soared a bit that she shared her special Mother’s Day with her own Mom, too.

I’d say it is a tradition we haven’t missed yet. Twenty years, if you are counting…

Hope you had a fabulous weekend. I hope you hugged a Mother (or two).

Cultivating Cheerfulness

On October 7, 2011October 7, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angelia's Photography, Beautiful Life15 Comments

To insure good health: Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.

– William Londen

I saw this quote this morning and it fit so much about life that I love.

To be interested.

To be cheerful.

To breathe deep and enjoy what’s all around you.

The beauty of life and the beauty of appreciating life.

Have you looked around lately?

These are probably the last butterflies of the season. I took them at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens on the weekend.

Their light fluttering wings are captivating.

The season, the effect, and the delicacy of their life cycle is something to truly appreciate.

I wish you a happy weekend. I wish you joy.

And mostly I wish for you to cultivate cheerfulness today and always.

Texas Bluebonnets

On April 15, 2011April 15, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angel Lia's Photography, Beautiful Life23 Comments

The third weekend in April is not just Palm Sunday, but the peak of the Texas Bluebonnets. A Texas staple in our land.

I think my mom’s words to me went something like….. Dig some of those up and bring them to me to plant. I love the bluebonnets………. And most people who have seen them feel the same way, but in Texas, I’m pretty sure that’s illegal (plus, she lives in Oklahoma, heh!).

I wouldn’t want to pick them anyway. With their sea of blue, they are just too pretty to touch.

Before my injury we took the girls to Cedar Hill State Park. They have a place called Penn Farm. It was a working farm until the 1980’s. It is now a place to explore and read about Texas farming and equipment. There are several barns, houses, a windmill, and yes, even a bluebonnet field. It’s a photographer’s dream place.

Don’t leave home without your Dad’s old iPhone. You might need it in the bluebonnet field. I don’t think she wanted to miss her iPod music. LOL!

A stunning place with beautiful subjects. If you live in Texas, I urge to get a look at these gorgeous fields. NOT THE ROADSIDE BLUEBONNETS, but the REAL fields of them. They can be found in most of the state parks. There is also a Bluebonnet Festival in Ennis this weekend. In addition, many flowers and activities are on display at Clark Gardens. It is a must-see for the Texas Bluebonnets and worth the drive from the metroplex.

Wherever you are, I hope the weather is nice and you can get out and enjoy it. I can’t believe this is our peak spring season in Texas. That means the brutal summer heat is pushing at our backs, ready to knock us down, and fry our grass blades to a crispy brown. I may have a sprained ankle, but I am armed with a walking boot and I know how to use it. I will hobble along to one of these gorgeous sites before the flowers of Texas fade for another year.

The State Flower of Texas – the bluebonnet.

Have a happy weekend!

Winter Garden Wonder

On February 22, 2011 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life, Posessed by Nikon17 Comments

I have not explored the The Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Not in the blazing heat of I’m-about-to-die summer, not in the tricky flash spring, and not in the mostly 100-degree fall either. I have especially not visited in the stark dead of winter. Why would I? It’s a garden.

Until now that is.

Our photography class field trip ended up here on Sunday. It’s the last class. Our last chance to use our technical learning and get it all right. Or some of it right. Or at least walk around with a camera and hope to get something right.

So, I knew there would be no lush gardens. No roses unfolding. No perennials sprouting. Just harsh branches reaching up leave-less and life-less aching for color. Hints of green would be hard to find, but hint they would, here and there, to take a peek at the landscape happily awaiting spring.

And then……..there is the winter colors. Not forgotten. Not overshadowed by new buds. Here they stick to their grounds solemn and stark saying in their calm way, “See, I’m not so bad.