We girls found a little bowlegged Yorkie to play with while the long line of guys did DRUG TESTING for sports. Can you believe that? Every kid from 7th grade on up! 

I tried my hand at sports photography tonight. Amidst the buff guys with HUGE cameras, there am I. How do I get roped into these things? Oh, wait. I know. I'm about to marry a JOCK! 

OK ... so I came very close to being run over at this point! 

Little blondie looks on as her bus approaches for the first time. This year? A little nervous, but more excitement than fear ... and she did AWESOME! Maybe I'll get to know some parents this way. It seems to be a morning ritual for some. I don't know names yet, but Nice Neighbor Mom lives close to me. Coffee Cup Mom lives on the other side, and after day one she stayed there! Happy Smiley Mom lives on the opposite corner and seems fun ... coffee cup stays in smiley's yard. This is my new little morning world.

The athlete is still the shy one. Football is the new big adventure. It's tough, but I'm so proud of him! GO TIGERS ... whoo! whoo! whoo! 

Isn't this sad? Not my little girl, MY CAMERA! It needs help. I think I need a new one so I can zoom ... otherwise this is what happens! Plus, I can take sports photos for the local paper (I'll let you know if that happens) ... so I may be joining my sports-minded soulmate in a little photo action! 

Big brother is on the team ... can you find him? (This was cool ... I got to see my cousin here, even though her son wasn't playing in the scrimmage - he is on opposite nights.) 

Little sister is the cheerleader and "sodee" drinker on the sidelines. 

There's nothing quite like a sunset at Dad's place! 

Grandpa and big brother watch as the sun sets on a wonderful family reunion and a happy little fisher-girl content to spend her day on the dock. (I have more reunion photos ... I'll have to put them online when I get a chance to transfer them from the laptop!) 

It was her first day of fishing and she didn't want it to end! 

The boy loves his hair! 

The magic lure ... the bass are biting this! 

Working on photos ... what do you think of my office? Am I spoiled (code for "blessed") or what??? 

Now this is what I call a VIEW! This is the location of some of the most tranquil thoughts and content moments I've had since childhood. This is MY kind of Vegas sightseeing! 

My first souvenier of Vegas ... from a romantic dinner for 5! I have to laugh. There were only two of us that were romantic! 

A week of photos in Vegas? Maybe it's a gamble, or maybe it's my lucky weekend! But I know one thing ... it's a sure bet to be fun with my favorite person by my side! (I'm so cheesy ... hehehe)

OK ... so tell me how these things can grow so huge in less than 2 weeks! I thought someone's baseball cap blew over the fence, but it was a MUSHROOM the size of a plate! Neither of the kids would go near it, so I went and took the top off so the newly appointed mower could mow the area without grossing out (he is supposedly allergic to mushrooms ... I think he simply doesn't like them). 

Uncles are awesome ... and evidently tiring! Or was that the move? Either way, with one came the other. It's nice to have family around.

The meeting of the two little artist girls was fun ... we will have to showcase the masterpieces from the night! It was great fun. 

Though we were too tired to do much else, staying home and watching the neighbors' fireworks proved to be quite a treat! Cars were lined up on the main roads to view our neighborhood ... there were probably half-a-dozen "big" shows within a two-block radius, so it was hard to even take it all in!

We may have stumbled upon the inspiration behind Bluetooth Technology!

We got here just in time to celebrate my step-brother's birthday! Maybe I should claim no relation? LOL!

Hard to believe ... but this is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our new home! I just had to investigate when I saw people with fishing poles up on a hill. I thought it might be a man-made channel ... but I was surprised to see this!

A last-minute photo shoot along the way (Mississippi) was fun ... especially since I had my favorite assistant with me! Aside from being a wonderful editor, he is a great reflector-holder.