KROSS, THE BEACH BUM (NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER)
In the hustle and bustle of our travels back and forth to Indiana, I realized this week that I hadn't taken any photos of Kross for his 8 month anniversary. So...I we headed out the door last night to watch the sunset at the beach and to snap some "beach baby" shots of Kross. Needless to say, Kross was stoked. I'd love to know what he was looking up in the sky at in the top image and what he was thinking at that moment. If he could talk, I believe he'd be saying "Power to the surf" in this shot below...
Beings that Kross was born with the love of the beach running thru his veins, there is no doubt that he is a certified beach bum by DNA association due to his Mother being a beach bum at heart. So when he began sugaring his hands and toes in the sand the moment he got there...I knew he felt right at home. What I would have given to have grown up on at the seashore, on the coast, in the warm gulf waters with the wicked white surf.
It's a good darn thing a little sand ingestion never hurt a kid before because Kross ingested enough last night to feed a small army. Well ok...maybe a small bucket load anyway. LOL!
As a friend of mine said, he looks like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar here...
Like..."Who me???"
I love this boys smile. He can light up a room in an instant with these looks...
I think one of my favorite parts to the evening were these shots though...the blackmail shots of the future...
He was waving to passing beach-goers in this shot below. They were cracking up that he was "nek-ed." He kept on smiling and just kept waving to all of them like it was no big thang. :)
OK...I lied. My favorite part of the night was this moment...when Brennen was swimming with his baby brother...
Look closely...does anything look odd about this image above?
Focus in on the cloud in the sky. What do you see? We saw a fish! Does it look like a fish to all of you as well? Too funny, eh?
Above is a close up for you. See it now? Tamara noticed this cloud formation when we were on the boat - enjoying our sunset cruise in the back bay of Bonita Springs one week ago last Friday. It was too perfect to NOT take a picture of. If that doesn't look like a fish, I don't know what does. :) And below, you can see where it begin to break apart as the clouds lost their shape.
While on the crusie, we even got to get right up on some adorable dolphin pairs swimming along together in the back bay. They were so incredible. There were actually two here in this photo but the other went under again before I could snap him/her with its buddy.
One afternoon while on the beach, a scenic tour guided helicopter flew over and I was able to catch a glimpse of them with my telephoto lens. Gotta' love that 70-300mm lens. It has a tendency to make you feel like the CIA in a way. You can watch but people have no clue that you can see them that close. I've managed to capture some pretty fun shots from unsuspecting individuals. HA! This shot below was as the helicopter passed by on the beach and everyone watched in a sort of "amazement" as if it were an alien space ship about to land. Me included. Heck, I even took their photo for evidence. hee hee!
I'm ready for some more sunsets like the one below. This shot was also taken while aboard the sunset cruise that Friday evening.
Although it is sunny here today in Indy, it's cold. I'm tired of the cold. Really tired of it, the rain, the snow we finally got rid of last month, etc. We have 11 more days until we get back to this sunset seen above. Next Friday the 29th, the kids will go to school for half the morning. They get out at 10:50am that day. It is their last day of school for the summer. Freedom reigns come the 29th. Mama is a happy girl! So are the kids! They'll come home from an early dismissal day that morning, I'll get them off the bus, then we'll throw our suitcases in the car and head back to the Indianapolis Airport where we will fly out from that afternoon as we head back to FL for the summer. My Dad and Cathy will be joining us for about 4 days during the start of the trip. They'll then fly back home Monday and come join us again at the end of the month of June for a week. I'm feverishly working hard to get all the laundry done here at home, suitcases re-packed, get painters finished up in our home as they check off things on our walk thru list today and tomorrow, travel to dr. appointments, and meet up with friends one last time before heading out for the summer. It's pretty much chaos here right now. The next 11 days are cloudy for me. Very busy - actually beyond busy! I can't even keep track of my to do list because I'm running so fast. Trying to slllloowwwww downnnnnnn...just a bit at least. So much to do and so little time to do it in.
No matter what, I just cannot even begin to express how excited I am to get down there and take pictures all day long - all summer long. I'm beaming with excitement actually. As a photographer in Indiana, the backdrop just isn't the same. Photographers in the South, or NY, or CA, etc. have no idea how good they have it. Their backdrops are amazing and so effortless. Here in Indiana, we have to look and look far and wide to find a good backdrop. In those tropical states or states with nostalgia such as Chicago, IL or New York, they just fall into your lap and jump in front of your feet. To be a photographer full time in one of those areas would be pure pliss. Instead, I'll keep shooting the yellow fire hydrants while a hoosier. HA HA!
Hope you are all enjoying your Monday. I know I am - even though I'm cold with a zip up hoodie on today. Never fear though...I AM WEARING FLIP FLOPS! It's never too cold for flip flops my friends! NEVAH! And how bout' the finale starting tonight on Dancing with the stars? I'm rooting for Melissa all the way. I'd love to see her win that whole thing. And as for American Idol tomorrow night...GO KRIS ALLEN! I'm faithful that you can shock the world and win! :)
How anyone can assume that the sun just 'automatically' knows when to rise and when to set boggles my mind.
How anyone can assume that the sea just 'automatically' knows where to start and where to end baffles me.
And for those who have yet to to believe that there is a God - even after witnessing an extraordinary site such as a simple but yet stunning sunset like this - leaves me speechless - and wanting to share my faith even that much more - every second of every day. It leaves me yearning to share how much God has done in my life and how much he has done for those around me. It leaves me wanting to plant that many more seeds whenever and wherever I can. It leaves me wanting to be more Christlike in all that I do. In every breath that I take.
I sat on this sunset cruise last weekend just in awe of God's miraculous gifts to us. Some of you even saw me facebook about it and twitter my thoughts during the actual event. I've seen sunsets before but this particular one left me with a feeling of wanting to help change the world. Wanting to take on the world more less. It left me with the notion that I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of doing enough while on this earth. I walked away with a new sense of inspiration and an even deeper love for the Lord. I'll be 34 years old in a month and a half and feel as though I need to get busy. Busy being the change I wish to see in the world. I climbed off that boat last Friday evening and felt refreshed, renewed, rejuvenated, and restored. But on the other hand, I realized I had a long way to go before ever becoming minutely close to fulfilling God's plan for my life. It's time to get moving and kick it into high gear. I'm ready for him to use me in all the ways he feels necessary.
It's amazing what a little BIG sunset will do for your life goals and for your soul in general. God has magnificent ways of speaking to our heart if we are willing to stop and listen. I know I've been guilty of not slowing down enough to listen in the past year especially. How bout' you guys? Are you listening? To learn the answer to that question, pull up a lawn chair in front of the next sunset. That big round ball of luscious golden glory isn't just there rising and setting for us to ignore. The sun has a purpose. We have a purpose. The question is...what will we do with that purpose while blessed with our time here on this earth? Celebrating the simple yet intensely significant things in life today....
In his grip, Angie
PS...To see fingerprint Friday entries as well as iphoto Friday images, go HERE and HERE! Two wonderful blog friends with two great photo posts each Friday.
