Design 460 - Life PhotographyRaylee & Josh met through mutual friends.
If you like the same kind of people, maybe you have other things in common.
Who knows, you might get to know one another and become friends.
If you're lucky, you might just find the love of your life.
If God blesses you with that, seize it! Spend time together and laugh a lot.
Keep noticing the little things.
A good catch wins a prize.
Remember that friendship is a solid foundation to build a life time of togetherness on.
Know that playing together and enjoying simple times together turn out to be true treasures.
Remember to open your eyes when you kiss and always mean the words, "I love you."
Sometimes those mutual friends provide an opportunity to ride off into the sunset to a wonderful place called, "Happily Ever After."
Josh, it's my pleasure to meet you. Since Raylee loves you, I know you're amazing. You've joined to a wonderful family. Raylee, from the time you were a little girl that drank too much apple juice to now....I love you and I pray you have a lifetime of love.
Always and forever,
LBB
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460 Seniors JJ-3080No matter how hard you try, you'll never be as cool as these ducks!
Yesterday was the last day of duck season. Around here some people get pretty bummed out by that. JJ is one of them. We first decided to do this session before it was even fall. We wanted to use real ducks in legal quantities. That was one thing we couldn't figure out how to make happen. If you hunt, you know that it's just impossible to guarantee you'd get the limit on each kind of duck. I don't remember if it was JJ or his mama, Jenny that came up with the idea of freezing them throughout the season without cleaning and plucking them. That was ingenious! Here's a tip though! Thaw them in plenty of time so that their necks will be limber but not so soon that they'll spoil. This session illustrates a whole new meaning to, "cold duck!"
Hunting is a passion for many here in Louisiana, The Sportsman's Paradise. JJ is one of those passionate Louisiana sportsmen. "The pursuit of the animal and the reward of the hard work to harvest it is something I truly love," explained JJ. "The beautiful, 'paintings,' God displays each morning and evening are another."
460 Seniors JJ-3109The only paradise is paradise lost. Let's protect our wetlands.
I have loved to tag along hunting with Daddy or my husband, DeWayne all my life. I realize that there are people that think hunting is cruel. Every hunter I've ever known loves the land and its natural animal inhabitants dearly. The hunting seasons protect the numbers and keep things in balance. We were taught and also teach our children that if you hunt and kill it, you eat it and never waste. We ate so much deer meat when I was little that once, Mama cooked something out of beef and we kids thought something was wrong with the meat. Daddy got a kick out of that.
460 Seniors JJ-3122The memories are limitless...the peace and beauty are good for the soul.
Like us, JJ's family has hunted for generations. If you know them, you know how they cherish and respect wildlife. His mama, Jenny loves it as much as the men. In her own words, "Hunting is a passion my boys and I have always shared. I just love being in the woods surrounded by all of God's beauty."
Yesterday may have been the last day of duck season. May might bring the class of 2021 to the close of its high school years. However, both will have filled JJ and his family with so many memories so far. They will both be the beginning of the next sets of memories to be made.
I feel kind of funny when I share kind words that someone speaks about my work. I love it and it makes my heart so happy. At the same time I don't want to sound boastful or like I'm bragging. It just makes me glad that I might have shared some of the talent God has given to me with someone and blessed them in doing so. Jenny made my day when I sent a preview of these photos and she said, "Yesterday you captured the pictures I had dreamed of in my mind! In my mind he is still a boy, but the pictures show the man he is becoming." Jenny and JJ, the bond you two share with one another and others in your family through hunting is priceless. I truly hope you keep it alive and continue passing on throughout future generations.
460 Seniors JJ-3145Mullets and ducks just go together!
I can't quite remember how we wound up taking about mullets and duck hunting. Somehow though, we did and JJ's hunting advice is to grow out a mullet and you can limit out every time!
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You never know when something unexpected will happen. Last Thursday, Becca and I started some of her senior softball photos. She had all of her uniforms and things. The wind was cold and it was lunch time. We didn't have long before she would have to get lunch and prepare for practice. Rather than rushing through all the uniforms, we decided to use just the black one and meet back up now and then for several short sessions until we got them all. After about 45 minutes we called it quits with plans to coordinate the white uniform soon. Becca went to get food. I went home to unload the camera and start processing them.
Friday's practice was going fine. I was in the car watching and reading my latest book. The sunroof was open and a comfortable breeze was blowing fresh air and the sounds of hard work through the car. Cracks of the bat and players, "talking," to one another about fielding the hits made for familiar, "white noise," for my story. Suddenly, the peace was interrupted with a scream and a total change of atmosphere.
Becca was fielding a fly ball from left field when she crumpled to the ground in pain. She was literally carried off the field and to Urgent Care. My mind instantly traveled back in time to Caroline's senior year when she tore her ACL and missed out on her absolute favorite season. I hoped that Becca and Robin wouldn't have to experience that. I'm pretty sure most of the team and coaches were imagining similar scenarios.
I tried not to bug Robin while Becca was checked out and x-rayed. I figured her phone was blowing up with others wondering the same. After an exercise in patience I finally heard from Robin that it was sprained but not broken. Whew! Now it's a waiting game to see if it heals quickly and properly. Sprains sometimes are unpredictable and finicky about healing. Consequently, I'm believing hers will knit back together stronger than ever and speedily.
Once I knew the results from Urgent Care I could sleep. I drifted off thinking that I sure was glad that we had taken at least some of her softball photos the day before. I said all this to help drive home the point of the title of this blog. "You Never Know," when something important to you will change. Take those photos and videos. Hire someone you trust for senior year. The value of those images is high already. That value becomes priceless when something big changes in your life!
Becca, heal fast and get back out there! Robin, my heart is thankful that you will see her play! We have more pictures to take so let's get them before you're back out there busy fielding balls!
