bluesky93's Xanga

Monday, November 10, 2008

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:58:59 GMT

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook...made me laugh...

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:01:37 GMT

This blog...

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:27:24 GMT

I've been having my reservations about this blog lately...maybe I have too many blogs...and maybe I've been neglecting the other ones to the point that they aren't getting the job done (some or all of my other blogs have actually purposes!).

So...while I ponder the fate of the Xanga blog...please check out www.danieljwatkins.net (my primary blog serving my photography business). I'm still wondering if I should just integrate my personal blog and my photography blog...they pretty much overlap (such is the nature of photography being about personal relationships!).

Also...Xanga seems to be a bit wonky at times. I don't really know, exactly, what the word "wonky" means...but I just wanted to use it. LOL

Also...I'm pretty active on Facebook (soooo much easier to use!)...so look me up under Daniel J. Watkins (or search by school...SLUH '84, SMSU '89 or SLU '01). Yes, Facebook is fun and very addictive!

Please pray for the family of recent bride Erin...

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:48:21 GMT

This seems to happen about once a year and it always chokes me up when it does. I got a tearful voice mail message from a bride, Erin, whose wedding we photographed last month in Chicago. Her aunt passed away suddenly today. The DJ at Erin and Nathan's wedding did the "anniversary dance" and Erin's aunt and uncle were the "last couple standing" for the anniversary dance...meaning they were the couple that had been married the longest of all married couples who attended the wedding.

The DJ asked the bride's aunt and uncle if they had words of advice for the bride. The bride's aunt was so sweet...she relayed a heart-warming story about the importance of doing the little things for each other...how one time she walked in on her husband doing the dishes and she felt compelled to check his temperature.

Erin sent a follow up e-mail to her voice mail message where she thanked me for taking beautiful pictures of her aunt during this "longest married" anniversary couple advice for the newlywed couple. I know it's just part of my job to capture as many of the special moments on a wedding day...and it pains me whenever I learn of a loss of someone special to a newly married couple.

So please say some prayers for recent bride Erin and her family during this time of loss.

Here is a photo of Erin's aunt giving advice to the new couple...may God welcome her to His kingdom as I'm certain she has a special place in heaven.

"f22 in the park" - a few still shots...

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:45:47 GMT

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

f22 in the park

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:16:03 GMT

Please watch this video...

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:12:35 GMT

I think more people need to see this...

Smiling grill or girl? (he-he-he...)

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:36:18 GMT

While I was searching for the last page of the internet today , (okay the last G or PG rated page ) I came across the site for Tata Motors -- a car manufacturer located in India that sells vehicles in Asia and Europe. Naturally I had to check out some of their passenger vehicles and of-course was intrigued by the utility vehicles.

I found my curiosity peaked when I saw the Tata "Sumo" - a rather boxy-looking larger sized SUV kind of like the old Isuzu Troopers or Toyota Land Cruisers of the mid-1980s (the less sporty the better...as it seems to be to get my attention...LOL). Here's the Sumo...

http://www.tatacarsworldwide.com/products/sumo.asp

I clicked on the "style" tab and saw that the Sumo features a "smiling grill." Now what in the name of Fats Waller is a "smiling grill?" I clicked on it to see...and I'm still perplexed.

Okay...back to my...my...my whatever I was doing before my 3:33 ADD kicked in...

EDIT:

Here's a video of the "Sumo Grande" unveiled at an auto show in India earlier this year (make up your own mind about the background music ). Drop a diesel engine in it and I'll take two of them...one black, one red...

Three Steps to Change the Nation's Future...

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:04:16 GMT

I've been a big fan of Dave Ramsey's program for the past year and a half...here is a great recommendation from Dave on how to change our future...

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/fed_bailout/3_steps_to_change_the_nation%2527s_future_10928.htmlc?ictid=sptlt

I've contacted both senators (the good one and the bad one ) from my home state, as well as my representative, and let them know how I feel about the bailout. I urged them to vote AGAINST the proposed $700 billion money grab. At some point we need solutions that don't involve more national debt. And I believe Dave Ramsey makes excellent points for getting the problems solved.

I also encourage people not to panic and do irrational things due to fears of "another great depression." That's a bunch of hoosafudge...and politician's know it. Don't go running to your bank and pulling all of your money out...don't dump your 401K -- knee-jerk actions such as these things will not help anything.

(BTW -- be sure to sign up for Dave Ramsey's podcast on iTunes...he has a free daily download...or you can sign up for the full 3 hour daily podcast on www.ramseypodcast.com or the Total Money Makeover program on his site.)

# 145 - Our Lady of the Holy Cross, North St. Louis

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:08:35 GMT

Stop # 145 on the St. Louis archdiocese tour was at Our Lady of the Holy Cross in North St. Louis. The family and I attended 5:00 vigil Mass this past Saturday -- we were warmly welcomed by Msgr. Mark Ulrich as we stepped inside the church. There were about 40-50 people who attended the Mass at this beautiful church, high upon a hill in a mostly run-down area of town. Our Lady of the Holy Cross has been very well maintained over the years and features a recently refurbished and very tall steeple that can be seen for miles. I don't know how often weddings are held at Our Lady of the Holy Cross...but it seems to me that it would be a most-beautiful setting for a wedding.

Things have definitely slowed down for me on the tour -- I'm entering my 24th month of attempting to attend Mass (or photograph weddings) at all 198 of the parish churches in the St. Louis archdiocese. One of the primary reasons for the slow-down is that the remaining 50 or so churches are all some distances from my house -- ranging from 20 - 80 miles away. With the high cost of gas and the premium on my time...I'm only able to attend about 1 new church per month. Perhaps during the winter I'll be able to bump that up a little more...but I've run out of most of my daily Mass options, save for a few that have 6:00 AM Masses and are within 30 miles. Since I drop the kids off for school each morning at 7:30 AM...I can't really attend any more Masses (well, not at churches that I've never been to, that is!) except for on weekends.

The total number of Catholic churches that I've attended Mass at is now 187 with the addition of St. Anne's Catholic church in Barrington, IL where Maria and I photographed a wedding earlier this month (and we were able to go back the next day for Mass...where we sat in the "upper deck!"). I'm still finishing up the pictures from that wedding...I'll post some pictures from St. Anne's very soon. Hopefully between now and Christmas I'll be able to celebrate my 200th church.