Elvis sang it best in 'Viva Las Vegas'... My favorite line in that song is .......

"If you see it once, You'll never be the same again!"

This post from day 25 in 2012, I actually talk about "cheat repeats." Imagine that! :D

I do hope you enjoy peeking into my past along with me. 

Thank you so much! 

Here's a link to my original post. 

http://www.gigiclicks.com/blog/2012/2/day-25deja-view

Since we've already established the fact that I'm NOT a food photographer, I'll just tell you it's also a quickie snapshot with my cell phone. No real pressure today for a worthwhile photo. Just another Taco Tuesday. Lord knows I LOVE Taco Tuesdays (insert BIG cheesy grin!) :D  

So, if you're out and about in the Northland, this little gem of a joint is located in Claycomo. Nothing fancy. Just good, homemade, fresh food. 

Let's take a little trip back and see what day 23, 2012 holds in store for us! Wait right here...I'll be back! :D 

Well, this one's a little about me! ... If you're interested, please take a look see at the original post! As you can see I figured out the whole 'add a link' process to this blog. It was different. Some things just take me a bit! :)

http://www.gigiclicks.com/blog/2012/2/day-23a-hairy-life

Here's a couple of my favs from one of her meets. 

After my veterinarian's office made a phone call, on my behalf, to a breeder they knew had available Labrador puppies, Mark and I were anxiously waiting to hear from her. Our vet had assured us she was the kind of breeder we wanted. Responsible! She called me that same evening, we spoke, went over a few details regarding when we could go look at the puppies etc and I got off the phone GIDDY with excitement. Although she sent me, via text, a couple of photos of the momma dog and litter, I was so excited that I decided it wouldn't hurt to scope out her fb page just to see if she had possibly posted puppy photos from past litters. Yes, I found some adorable photos from past litters but what really knocked my socks off was seeing a photo she had of two dogs on her front porch!!! A very familiar front porch; one I've walked across in my life more times than I could count. Quite seriously, I nearly fell out of bed when I realized she lived in the same house I grew up in! What a small world it really is. It was meant to be that we found her. Not only did we acquire our sweet Piper from her but, she's become a real friend and I couldn't be happier to have a new friend like her in my life. I feel bad that I don't have a photo of her for today's post but I do have one of her daughter and the Divine Miss P's canine family. They're all beauties! Human and canine! :) Sunny, be prepared. Consider yourself warned! You can't escape my camera for long :D

Kaitlin with Hudson

L to R ... Piper's grandma Kansas, her momma, Kamo and her littermate brother, Hudson. A very fine trio!

Kaitlin and Hudson

Hudson, the handsome one. 

 Let me go fetch that post right now! .... brb :)

Ahhhh, I couldn't be happier to share this one. Aside from my novice photography skills (not that I'm such a pro now, mind you) this was one of my favorites from that year. 

Day 20... Small Things

February 08, 2012  •  Leave a Comment

 Day 20

The best things in life smile when they see you drive up in your car.

The best things in life let you build towers just so they can knock them down.

The best things in life chew on the dog bone...then give it back to the dog.

They reach for you with little, outstretched arms, cry when you tell them "no"

and look you straight in the eye as they do it again... :)

The best things in life want to watch a movie with you.

The best things in life want you to have lots of art on your fridge.

They want to read a book to YOU,  fix your hair "pretty"...

and then tell you that you look "a little weird."

The best things in life say they've been "praying and praying" to come back to your house. 

The best things in life respond to "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" with...

"but if they do, smack 'em with your shoe" and then giggle...:)

The best things in life really are the "small things"

They are the mirror to our own past

and the key to our future.

The best things in life are God's reward for whatever we've done right!

Love this cat. She's 5 years older now since my last 365 project and no longer ALWAYS sits right by my side while I work. I'm pretty sure I can say she never left my side during that year. She truly was my feline assistant. Now, she much prefers the comfort of a recliner that one of her humans has turned over to her after heading off to bed.

Here she is. In all her beautiful orange glory. 

Now, I know a few days back I informed you of my lack of skill when it comes to food photography. So, keep that in mind. Maybe it will help you not to be so jealous that you aren't enjoying these mouth-watering, homemade caramels. Or, maybe not. They. Are. Incredible. 

From this....

to this ....

to this....oh, I can taste them now :D

OK, by now, rest assured, I've tasted. 

So, tell me true! Here's a photo of the fireplace. Tell me whatcha think? If nothing else, you gotta love my Divine Miss P the photo bomber! <3

Oh and by the way. I'm mainly looking for some moral support! lolol Seriously. If I was REALLY confident that I wouldn't screw this up, I probably would've already done it. Mark knows I'm serious. He'll be fine. As long as I don't ruin it!!! Because I know there's no going back when painting brick! Let me just say, YIKES! I know what I want, I'm just nervous I can't pull it off and it 'need$' to be a diy project. I'm too cheap and wouldn't pay to have it done. It's gotta be me, or a no go. So now that the truth is out (I'm lacking in confidence,) place your vote for what you think should be done. Paint, or no. Then throw in a few words of encouragement while you're at it! :D Thanks!

Second photo? That's my little Hare Bear. <3  I know he'll love coming to GiGi and PaPa's house whether I paint the fireplace, or not. I'll be his "Sweetheart" and let him play on my tablet anytime he wants! And, I have snacks too! 

Photography lesson with this post? I now know I'm not fit to be a real estate photographer. Food Photographer-X ... Real Estate photographer-X ... two down and counting!

This female Cardinal was ravenous today and spent a lot of time feeding. I caught this image when she took a break from the feeder and flew to perch in my Pine tree. 

However, what has disrupted her little world, and likely caused her some despair is the existence of two small humans living in what she firmly believes is solely her domain. Two small humans who are WAY more interested in her than she is in them. I can just imagine her sighs and feelings of disdain when she sees them coming. But, wouldn't you know, she ALWAYS seems happily hunkered down in a chair or on our bed upstairs, EXCEPT when you want her to be! She regularly attempts to hold her ground just waiting for one of them to get close while she's lounging in one of our recliners. That's when the warning meow is sounded! Next comes the stealthy swat if the meow wasn't sufficient to ward them off. HA! Seriously? Ward them off? They're fascinated by her! I can't imagine why though considering they've both been swatted at multiple times. Somehow, unlike me, I'm very sure that Orange Cat won't miss those babies one bit when they move soon. 

Today, when both the babes were napping, this is where I found her and where she stayed for an hour or more. I'm sure she was very proud and quite happy with herself thinking 'I'll show them' as she laid her fluffy self right smack dab in the middle of the living room floor next to all their little toys!!! She gave me 'the look' when I was making her portrait as if to say, 'I'VE NEVER HAD THIS MANY TOYS! 

Moving on to my second photo. Food photographers, you have my utmost respect. Period. I raise my glass (my bowl to you.) Here's to a fabulous bowl of ham and beans with cornbread! Delicious smells filled this house today while we waited on an ice storm that has yet to arrive and one I could definitely live without. But, no worries. I'm safe and sound at home. And, a steaming hot bowl of leftover beans will be amazing tomorrow, too, should that ice storm actually hit. :) 

Miss Piper <3

Dinner :) 

This isn't the best photo I've captured of an eagle but it's not 'bad.' The longest lens I own is 300mm and it was at 300. And cropped A. LOT.

I hope to capture yet another, better image this winter but for now, this is my first in a few years. It was so cloudy and beyond bitter cold out there this afternoon. We were late getting out there and it was close to sunset (had it been a sunny day) so that didn't help me out either but, I got a shot. I hope you enjoy.

I'm not sure how far we were from it. I'm not a great judge of distance. This was shot with my lens at 300mm.

Here it is cropped.

And, for anyone who might be interested in boating and/or skiing right now, I took this one for YOU! ;D

Sleeping dog and 'dad.' Yep, I regularly have to take his glasses off :D

January 29, 2012

Day 10 ... Days Gone By

Day 10
Once in awhile, we all reminisce about the way things used to be. Lots of clever Fwd's seem to float around the internet, through our e-mail and on Facebook that remind us of our own childhood and how truly different it really was compared to the children of today. Occasionally, though, when your not even thinking of it, is when it really hits you!
Today as I was walking around town here in Liberty with my husband I saw this phone booth. I immediately loved it's bright color and how it just screamed of days gone by. But what really struck me was the young people who had just passed by us in a car, laughing and squealing (there were eight of them piled in this fairly small car..we counted as they got out)... but as they drove past I saw at least a few of them with cell phones in hand. I had to wonder if any of them had ever even used a pay phone, much less used one inside of a phone booth!!! It was just one of those instant reminders of how different things were when I was their age...(now, being piled in a car with way too many passengers remains the same)
Don't get me wrong, I actually like technology and for the most part I embrace all the changes and want to keep up with how things change. I don't ever want to be that "older person" who is really way too young to be so "out of touch" with the way things are nowadays. It just really made me wonder what will my children look back on when they're only 52 years old and remember as being soooo different from the way it is right now...:)

Tuesday it was all put back together and that's a good thing!

End of story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7T68M6bRbU

I hope you enjoy this blog entry from January 26, 2012... :)

Day 7...Eggs and the Lord

January 26, 2012  •  

 Day 7

Ok, I have to ask...here goes...Am I the only person who's never noticed the Bible verse on the inside of the egg carton? Please, someone, tell me I'm not alone. I guess I don't get an award for being very observant. Obviously, in my mad rush to put groceries away and move on to the next task, I've transferred eggs (no telling how many times) to the egg container and tossed the cartons in the recycling bin without ever noticing. It may sound silly to some (and my husband never misses the chance to tease me about it) but I truly believe there's a life lesson in nearly every moment we live. So what could possibly be my lesson in this? Maybe to be more observant? Lord only knows what I may be missing out on (no pun intended but I feel certain He has a really good since of humor anyway!)

Today, I actually had a really good day! It was a great day at work, the weather is beautiful and my daughter Abby came by to see me "just because" :) It always makes my day when my kids stop by just to see me! And last, but certainly not least, in my search for something to photograph, I not only find a subject but a little message from God!... Life is Good!

Does an apple make any of us this happy? Something to think about, huh. To be so innocent. To once again grasp the meaning of "it's the small things that really make us happy." Really small, like an apple.

Oh, sweet little one, GiGi's Evey girl. I love you more than you'll ever know.

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies."  ~J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan, 

1. I've decided not to beat myself up when I miss a day. For instance, like today, it was freezing cold outside!!! High of maybe 12 degrees? I had NO desire to leave the house and seek out something fabulous, (or simply worthy,) to photograph. I stayed in my jammies ALL day. I even went outside, briefly, on the back porch in said jammies for that photo attempt I mentioned earlier. Talk about COLD... YIKES! But, I gutted my closet and dresser! 5 sacks off to Goodwill. And, I'm feeling REALLY good about that! 

2. I've decided to take a trip back in time when this happens and share a post from the exact day of my first 365 project blog. 5 years to be exact....Now, let's see what Day 5 had to offer five years ago! OH, WOW, I just realized it's Thursday anyway! TBT, ya'll :D

 Here's my day 5 photo from January 24, 2012. I started my project later in January that year so the dates and projects days don't match up :) 

Day 5...a Lifetime of Memories

January 24, 2012  •  

Day 5

If only Brownie could talk!!! If I only knew how many moments in time had been captured by "Brownie"....If only I had a penny for each of the photos taken. How many birthdays would there be? Family gatherings? The fishing trips "big catch" or Christmases? Weddings and new babies arrivals?...and don't forget the picnics!!!...Wow, I could go on forever and the list of memories captured could be endless. Old, faithful Brownie caught so many of those moments that my family now treasures, neatly placed in aging photo albums for a lifetime of walks down memory lane. Mom loved her Brownie. I remember her saying many times that it took the best pictures of all!

I

Just look at them here. They have no shame. These two totally comandeered Argus' Christmas present from his other Grandma. Thank God he doesn't really seem to mind. I'm sure he'd happily tell you that anything to keep them busy and out of his space works for him! Notice Sophie's prancing? She's quite proud that she stole it away from Piper just seconds before I took this shot. Then came Pipers revenge....the old headlock wrestling move, ya know. 

Until tomorrow... :)

But, there's always the sky with brilliant sunrises that make you anxious to awake early each morning, glorious sunsets full of unimaginable color, starry dark skies and moonlit nights. 

I'm drawn to the sky. I look up and feel the connection. I'm in awe. The moon and stars are a part of me. I am a part of them.

So, as I said above, today was the day. I carefully and lovingly wrapped so many items. All of them laid out on the dining room table waiting for me to find just the right spot for them in a box. Some belonged to my mom, some came from my aunt, some were from friends. All of them neat and tidy in boxes now. Packed up, stacked up, then carried downstairs. Boxes of enchantment (sigh.) 

Until next year...

But, anyway...let's get this party started!

You can just see the lack of excitement all over their faces. They're so underwhelmed with my idea of adorning them in New Year's party hats and such. I say I have some canine party 'poopers' on my hands. Believe me, for them, it's only a party if it's a wrestling match, they're tearing up some random item they're not supposed to have (ahem, like the Santa hat that just got chewed in two while I sit here blogging) or ravaging the yard. Let's just say it might be easier for me to name something they haven't tried to chew/eat rather than what they HAVE chewed and/or eaten...and survived. What can I say except think the Bumpus hounds from A Christmas Story, throw Marley (x2) in the mix and there ya have my furbabies! Trust me, I wouldn't lie. And, we're crazy in love with them in spite of it all. :)  

So, without further ado... Meet the hounds! The Divine Miss P (Piper) and Sophie (So-PHEE', as Harrison my grandson says it which is beyond cute, btw), aka Sophina and Josephina Dirt.

So, there they are in their finest New Year's party accessories. Happy New Years everyone!!!

Many of you know them well from my fb posts but this is their official blog introduction. Piper, my gorgeous beauty, the black Lab, is the reigning queen. She holds herself in the most regal stances even while chewing a shoe. Then there's Sophie, full of love and always appears to be smiling. She's our Aussie/Border Collie mix. We don't really know what she is but, she has enough Australian Sheperd in her for it be prominent in her looks. 

 Argus, (the Husky/Malamute mix) is our handsome grandpup. And well, he's just too damned well behaved for our rowdy crew! Too bad they don't pay attention and learn from his example.

Dream on, GiGi... (I do speak in third person sometimes when I blog.) 

Blogging again?... Yep.

Consistently? ... Not, but hopefully.

My motivation to blog and record the moments of my life, (and yours) comes from taking a photo walk down memory lane by looking through my 365daysofsnaphappy blog project.

I CAN DO THIS. For me, and for you, too! I hope you enjoy what you see here on GiGi K's blog  ... Read on!

First, let me finish up 2014! I could start anew but, I have some special photo memories to document in this last post for 2014. Too special not to blog! Prior to this post my last blog date was the middle of May. I'm picking back up there and moving right on with a timeline of the photos I loved most from last year, 2014. Not just because there may be loved ones in some of them but, because these photos are some of my own personal favorites. Work I'm really proud of. 

 May 18th was a HUGE day in my daughter Roxanna's life! She graduated from K U with her degree in Film and Media Studies. I couldn't be prouder. With her boyfriend by her side, they walked the hill together and made quite the graduating pair! 

June, 2014

July, 2014

A very special month. Waiting for a new baby to arrive is always so exciting. But not always do Grandmas (GiGis) get invited to be there by their daughter in laws. I'm blessed to not only have the awesome daughter in law that was ok with me being there when the baby was born but actually wanted me there and wanted only me to document the birth with photos. What an honor. AND, it was my first home birth experience! What a day (sigh)... Thank goodness the "traffic Gods" were in my favor that morning and I made the 40+ mile drive from my home to theirs with thirty five minutes to spare before our little guy arrived! What an awesome day it was! :) 

August, 2014

 But, this year I'm just not sure there will be enough of it. Cold weather just seems to keep worming it's way back in. Here we are, it's the middle of May and Mark was outside, early, early this morning showering off the plants in the garden to ensure any possible frost gets rinsed away before the sun rises. Bring on the steady temps of 70-80 degrees!  Is it really too much to ask?! Ahhh, (insert sigh) I'm somehow always reminded that Mother Nature has a mind of her own! :) 

It's been a super busy month and so many photos to share so let's just see if I can cut down on my "jabber" and get to the "good stuff"...at least I sure think so! I hope you do, too! Many of these photo's I've shared on my fb but I'm really thankful that I'm blogging them also. They will forever be logged into the diary of my life! And that's what this blog is! My life and maybe at some point, a little glimpse of yours if our paths should cross! And, I hope they do! 

I'll start with Easter! It was such a fun day! These precious little people are four of our grandbabies that we were lucky enough to see on that day!  I call this one...

"First Taste of Easter"

This little beauty has always been so patient with her GiGi. She's getting to the age where having her photo made all the time isn't so much fun but on Easter, she posed like the princess she is! I told her I needed to forever have a memory of her in that gorgeous dress her Momma bought for her to wear and if we took her picture then GiGi would always be able to see her in that dress. She just looked at me and smiled. She was sooo excited a couple of weeks later to find out that I had won 1st place at the monthly meeting of Northland Photography Club with the photo of her. The theme for May's meeting was "portraiture." I was honored and very excited myself! I titled it...

 "Bloomin Beauties"

This little guy was so happy when the REAL Easter Egg Hunt took place because earlier I had left some empty eggs laying around that I'd wanted to use just for photos and when he opened them, oh my, his little face did not look this happy. A few jelly beans and some chocolate, that's all it took to make him smile this big when he opened the eggs that had the good stuff in them!

"A Sixlet Kind of Happiness"

And, last but not least is my beauties little brother! Not so much a baby anymore but looking quite the fine gentlemen in his Easter suit! Too cute, but oh so sober! I could hardly get him to crack a smile with me until I started telling him we could probably find some trouble to get into together! That managed to bring a half smile to his face at one point! 

"A Dapper Dude"

Two of my gorgeous, grown up girls made the photo blog this time around, too!!! :) With so much activity going on that day, somehow I didn't manage to put the families together for photos but these are two of my favorite shots from the day, also. I caught my oldest daughter holding her nephew in such a tender candid, moment. What a special memory for her to have forever. For them both. AND, my daughter in law showing off our 7th grandbaby, due the first of August! :)

I am honored to be called "Aunt" by this little guys mommy and I can't wait to watch him grow! His Grandma and I have been best friends for years. Three weeks ago I had the pleasure to photograph him at the hospital the day after he was born. His mommy and daddy couldn't be prouder!

Meet little Blake Owen. What a handsome, doll baby! ... I think "handsome" and "doll" go together just fine, don't you!? ;) 

And what would Springtime be without all the flowers beginning to bloom!? I love them all but just happen to have plenty of Daffodils to photograph in my own back yard. I think I need to plant Tulips and Crocuses, too! By the way, I looked up that plural form of Crocus, it's correct!

And last, but not least, we couldn't forget the Easter Bunny! I know, they're really just a rodent (sigh) but somethings are just sweet no matter how destructive they can be. Kind of like Dandelions...I don't mind those so much either. Not really. Think of them this way...they're a freebie from God! We don't even have to work for that little piece of sunshine! :) Happy Spring!

Many of you know how much I LOVE my backyard birds and along with those greener, warmer days and blooming flowers I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the birds that come along with it! But, in the meantime I'm still observing the year round residents and lately I've had some interesting behavior going on. For anyone that pays attention you know it's the time to start staking out territory and building nests. There's so much flitting, flying and chasing going on between the birds because it's the season...to make babies! They're trying to entice and impress their mate. Or catch a mate! After speaking with a friend of mine who is very knowledgeable about birding, I believe all those things, along with the crazy, cold weather making it more difficult to find worms, are what's causing one particular female Robin to behave so poorly in my yard. If she were a child, let's just say she'd be in "time out" quite often! As I mentioned above, 'tis the season, so it is normal for them to fight amongst themselves at times but, she's been very aggressive. She pecks at and chases away ALL birds at the feeder, the ones on the ground around the feeder, at the bird bath and a couple of days ago when I went to put out food and water she even sat in the middle of the feeding tray, postured down and had a stand off with ME!!! Little stinker! I was nearly within 10 ft before she flew away only to land in a nearby pine tree and proceed to loudly fuss at me! Although I've seen her strut around the the perimeter of the feeder and the ground like a rooster, I am pretty certain it's a female because of the dull, faded colors she sports in comparison to other Robins in my yard. My husband and I have had a lot of fun and laughs watching her but I do hope she doesn't chase away my other birds.

Well, that's her story. Don't be fooled by her sweet, little "Robin looks." She's just scoping out who she wants to attack next!

Meet my bad ass Momma Robin!

From blocks away my husband heard them first and then, sure enough, so did I! The sirens! The parade had begun and several moments later the beginning of the parade passed by our corner. Kansas City's finest were leading the way! Police and Highway Patrol on motorcycles along with a NKCFD firetruck adorned with firefighters worthy of a calendar photo! ;)

Next came the first of some disappointments I wasn't expecting...Much different than the magical, parade memories of my childhood. The element of grandeur was certainly not there. I wasn't so inclined to photograph the two sullen looking, young girls carrying the Snake Saturday Parade banner. They appeared bored and tired after only a few blocks into the parade with no smiles, no waves to the crowd and no "parade attire" being worn. The same was to be said of two banner carriers who came shortly after. It dampened my excitement.

But, before I say more, here are some of things I enjoyed the most....

These wonderful Bagpipe players were a delightfully Irish part of the parade. I know there is a difference in the type of pipes played throughout Europe, and whether or not these are truly Irish I don't know, but they were amazing!

No parade would be complete without the presence of our American flag. My daddy was very proud of his service to our country during WWII and he instilled his pride and patriotism into me. I believe in what our flag stands for; Our freedom, and that freedom is never free. My husband and I fly the flag proudly at our own home, also. I know my dad would be proud to see that.

There were dogs in green tutus, bikers doing burnouts, proud smiling veterans, bicyclists in wigs, hats, argyle socks and skirts (that one in the middle :) that's not a kilt, it's a skirt, lolol) and local bands performing on flatbeds...these were the fun parts of the parade! 

But my favorite part of the parade had to be just people watching! I especially loved watching the children. They were so excited. Waiting for the parade to start. Waiting for the candy to be thrown. Just the same way I remember being. Here are a few shots that are my favorites from the day....You just can't beat the excitement of little children. You could see it and feel it everywhere. Especially cute were some of the little red heads celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the Snake Parade!

Then... the parade was over....and there were no Shriners on mini bikes. No convertibles with local or state beauty queens. Does a truck pulling a trailer with "Toddlers in Tiaras" and their stage moms count? I vote no. I saw one "float" that actually qualified as a float in my book. The rest were trucks, trailers and cars. Some with minimal efforts at displaying a decorative sign and others with nothing at all. Kansas City's not small and I only recall four high school marching bands. The Marching Cobras performed but had such a small amount of performers participating it was disappointing, to say the least. I saw two clowns. Two. Now, not being a huge clown fan, I didn't really mind but clowns are generally a big part of the street fun at parades, right? In the absence of Shriners there was one, lone, little, funny car driver. Maybe he had his face painted. I don't remember. One small group of horseback riders came through and some children riding ponies. These, what I call "traditional" parade participants could've easily fit into a one block span or less. In a parade this size, there was room for so much more. I should add there were other events going on also. A BBQ competition, a carnival area with rides and food, and more. But, I was there for the parade. That's the part I'd been looking forward to.

So yes, I was somewhat disappointed but I do hope that my photos show you some of the fun being had! I now realize, even at 54, that I could get excited over the thought of a simple parade and also be let down because I was hanging on to expectations of what I thought it should be from my childhood memories. So, where were all those elements I spoke of and remember? Maybe it's economics? Maybe people just don't think it's important? The "extras" don't really matter? It takes too much time? It's just not a priority in today's world? I really don't know but I do know that ALL things change and some things will never be the same again. Would I go to the parade again? Sure, I would, now armed with less expectations. But, I will always have my memories of parades from my past. And the little children I photographed? They'll never know "they way it was" and therefore, they will never miss or long for what I have memories of. These will be their special memories that they hold dear. Now, I officially sound like my parents.