A Hallmark Moment – December, 2011

The Hallmark card company is notorious for its holiday commercials that have always made me cry. (Folders Coffee has got a few, too!) As I have mentioned in a few of my blogs, my boys love to tease their Mom when any of these ads come on because I am such a “softy.” Hallmark is famous for the sentimental story-lines with their ads during the Christmas season, so I get plenty of Kleenex ready and prepare myself for a lot of teasing from the guys.

I suppose these commercials hit their mark with me even more because we have celebrated Christmas the past two years without TJ at home. I think I began praying back in June that somehow he would be able to be home this year. Once again, TJ just wasn’t sure that he would be granted the leave time.

On Monday, December 12^th, TJ texted wanting to know if we would be at home watching the football game. I replied that we’d be at home and then asked him, “why?” He replied, “Need to call and talk about Christmas.” I didn’t know if I should get excited that he might have good news about getting to come home or if I should prepare myself for the disappointing news that he had not been granted leave time. My emotions just didn’t know which way to go, so I worked at trying to forget that he would be calling.

With supper finished, we sat down to watch the second half of the football game. The St. Louis Rams were playing the Seattle Seahawks, but it had been a long day and neither of these teams were MY team. I just wasn’t as interested as I normally am with football and once again my mind had returned to TJ’s promised phone call. What kind of news would his call bring?

It was in the third quarter when my phone went off. TJ was texting wanting to know what the score was. I was a bit baffled with his text because I had assumed he’d be watching it himself. But, I responded with the score figuring he may have been called back to the armory. A few minutes later Joe looked at me and said, “Did I hear a car door?” And then a second text arrived from TJ, “Well, are you going to open the door so I can come and watch it with you?”

I had my hands full with a crochet project and said to Joe, “Get the door! Open the door!” The doorbell had not rung, nor had anyone knocked on the door and so he did not understand why he needed to open the door. [I suppose if I’d told him what TJ’s text said it would have helped.] I grab what was in my lap and threw to the side as I jumped up to race to the front door. By now Sadie, our dog, was jumping around the room not really sure what the excitement was about but wanting to make sure that she didn’t miss out on it.

The front door is only a few feet away from where I’d been sitting but it was one of those moments that happened in ultra-slow motion and I just couldn’t get to the door fast enough. I opened the door and there he stood! That crazy kid of ours with that silly grin on his face – he was home for Christmas!

I threw my arms around him making sure that my Christmas miracle was really here.  I found out later that his brother knew about this surprise homecoming and had been told not to tell us because TJ wanted it to be “a Hallmark moment.” And, yes, I needed my Kleenex for it!

TJ checks out one of his gifts on Christmas morning.

When he stood there in our doorway, the two weeks granted us more time with TJ than I had ever hoped for. But, once again the time has flown by way too fast! He left yesterday, stopping to visit a friend who completed their service with the Air Force this past year. After that visit, he was on his way back to base. This morning we received a text from him – his drive was over, he was back safely, and he was dead tired.

The Hallmark commercials will always tug at my heart with their sentimental story-line and I will still need to reach for my Kleenex. However, now they will always be the reminder of our own “Hallmark moment" with TJ! Tease me if you want, I’ll just smile and say another prayer of thanks for our Christmas with TJ!   

Guns

He was one tough cowboy with
his double-holster!

Our boys were preschool age when they began playing with guns. I suppose some would find that alarming – and even shocking - that we had allowed it at such a young age. As one good friend once said to me as she lifted her hand up, her index finger pointed straight out and the rest curled into a fist, “they have one built in.” Her point was that whether we give them one or not, they will find a way to play “guns.” And she was right. The boys often built elaborate guns out of their Legos, even though they had some very nice toy guns that we had bought for them. So, the issue wasn’t playing with them. It was teaching them what they were (and were not) for and how to handle them carefully.

Several years later, when they were in their later grade school years, we visited some friends at their home in Idaho. They had eight beautiful acres, most of it wooded, and part of it bordered the Pond Oreille River. The husband was an avid hunter who owned several different types of guns, and had built his own shooting range. One afternoon during our visit, he asked if it would be okay to let the boys shoot one or two of his guns. It was the perfect opportunity for us to teach them gun safety and allow them to experience the power of a real gun.

The shooting range was a long, narrow clearing. We grabbed a lot of empty pop cans and set them up at the end of the range. The boys were given a lesson on how to hold the guns, how to aim them, and how to fire them. They were repeatedly warned never to point a gun at anybody. Then they were each given a turn with a rifle.

Our oldest son enjoyed the experience and had a lot of fun. But TJ … TJ blew all of us out of the water (figuratively speaking, that is)! He seemed to have perfect aim no matter which gun he was allowed to use and no matter where we set the pop cans. He hit each and every one on the first shot. So, our friend finally decided TJ had to be given the opportunity to use one of his special handguns. He was actually testing TJ’s ability to aim so accurately. Up to this point he’d been using the scopes on the rifles. The handgun didn’t have a scope and would force TJ’s accuracy to be based solely upon his ability to aim the gun on his own. We encouraged him to go for a pop can that was closer to him. We figured it would be an easy target. He nailed it. As he moved from one target to another, each and every time he hit his mark dead on and sent the can flying. TJ has never forgotten that afternoon and neither have we!

When we moved to Michigan we moved into the heart of hunting country! November 15^th was the official opening day of deer hunting season (with rifles) and it should have been a state holiday. School attendance dropped almost in half and anybody who could took the day off from work. They were all out in their hunting blinds looking for their deer. TJ loved the idea and took his hunter’s safety class as soon as somebody offered to take him hunting with them. Since then he has gone hunting with friends about three or four times. Each and every time he has never even seen a deer, much less been able to use that incredible aim of his. But, none of this has diminished his love for guns.

TJ continued to go to shooting ranges with friends throughout his high school years and prior to enlisting with the Air Force. He is not afraid of them and most importantly, he does “respect” them, handling them with extreme care.

When he entered Basic Military Training his prior experience with guns proved very useful. He quickly picked up the training he was given. His final shooting exam was a timed exam. I don’t know the specifics of what was expected, but what I do know is that his gun jammed three times during his exam. He not only fixed the problem but he was able to complete what was expected of him, and that perfect aim from long ago at our friend’s shooting range … well, he put it to use once again and earned his expert marksmanship bar. He was so excited!

TJ, right, on guard duty in Kuwait.
His gun has gotten much bigger!

He continued to learn all he could about the guns he is required to use and handle in the Air Force. He knows how to take them apart and reassemble them in pretty quick time. He now works in the armory and oversees the lower ranking members. Many airmen treat their work in the armory as something akin to checking in books at the local library. Not TJ. As military weapons are checked in at the armory, he makes sure they are properly cleaned and stored. He understands that he puts his fellow airmen in harms way if those weapons are not in top condition each and every time they are taken out into the field. TJ takes that responsibility very seriously.

TJ has never abused a firearm and has a very healthy respect for them. I believe much of this goes back to those early years when we took two small boys who wanted to play “guns” and gave them a healthy understanding and appreciation of, and respect for guns. One of those boys laid down the toy guns and picked up a guitar. The other, TJ, took his love for his country and his knowledge and respect of guns and is using both to serve and protect us.

The Smell of Brown Bread Baking

The cooler and wetter weather of the northwest autumn seems to have settled in upon us. Sweatshirts are being pulled from the closet far more often during the evenings and early mornings and I’m enjoying the warmth of having a scented candle burning. Fall is here and I love it! It has always been my favorite season.

One of the ladies in our neighborhood organized a fall soup luncheon and asked if I’d bring a loaf of bread. I enjoy baking but just don’t do it very often anymore, so I welcomed the “excuse” to pull out the bread pans and turn on the oven. I quickly decided to use a recipe that had been given to me almost twenty years ago. It is a sweet bread that makes an excellent side dish to just about any meal. So, this morning I set out the ingredients on the kitchen counter and began to mix them together. What fun to be using this favorite recipe again!

What I was not prepared for was the flood of memories that came rushing in upon me as the kitchen warmed and the smell of that bread baking filled the room. We had been living in the desert of Southern California about three years when I began a home business of painting sweatshirts and selling them at a craft fair that was held once a month, from October through March during the height of the snowbird season, in one of the many RV parks in our area.

We also realized that the snowbirds, in their fifth wheels and travel trailers, didn’t really like to heat their “rigs” by doing a lot of baking. But, they still liked their baked goods!  We were looking for a way that the boys could earn a little bit of extra money and wondered what if they baked brown bread and sold it at the craft fair? It would teach them something about baking, how to manage the money they made, and would encourage interaction with the people as they sold the bread at the craft fair.

With a small amount of fear, we ventured forth and gave it a try. I measured out the dry ingredients on Thursday and on Friday the boys took turns mixing and baking a batch under the watchful eye of Mom! They made four loaves of bread with each batch and as soon as one batch came out of the oven, the next one was ready to go in. The kitchen sink was constantly in use washing the mixing bowl and bread pans. It was a steady assembly-line type of operation that produced 36 loaves of bread by the end of the day. We sliced two loaves to use as samples and the other 34 were sold for $3 a loaf.

As we approached the beginning of that first craft show I wondered how would these two grade school-aged boys do selling their bread and talking with the older adults at the fair? What would I do with the leftover loaves of bread? How would they react to the possibility of not selling very much? So many concerns!

I remember the other craft people smiling at us as the boys and I set our table up that first time. I think they were wondering the same things that I had been wondering the night before. And then the first flood of customers came through the door.  We had been given a table in one of the first aisles, a very good spot. But, it was the two young boys at the table that sparked an interest in what we had that really drew people to our table.

As people stopped to see what it was we were selling my heart slowly crept up into my throat. I was so anxious for the boys, concerned they would become nervous and fearful as they talked with their customers. To my surprise that was the last thing I needed to worry about! Our oldest son took charge immediately and would have put the best of any salesman to shame as he promoted their bread. TJ quietly allowed his older brother to take over this role and he simply maintained the sample dish and continued to replenish the loaves sitting on the table. And that fear of what we would do with all the left-over bread … that was truly wasted time and emotional energy on my part! The boys sold out within the first three hours of the six hour day!

The boys all ready to sell their bread.

The boys continued selling their bread for the next four years. They created a competition of sorts, seeing if they could sell out faster than when they had at the previous show. I think their record was selling out within an hour! The bread was so popular we began receiving calls the day before the shows asking if we were coming or if the caller could reserve a few loaves. One year the boys even received a request for a special order to be made just before Christmas! It became a very good business for them!

The last year the boys made bread was 1999, twelve years ago. I honestly don’t remember the last time my kitchen has been warmed by the oven, filling the house with the wonderful scent of brown bread. But, it was today. And, it was not just the kitchen that was warmed by the oven pushing the chills of the October morning out. It was my heart that was warmed with the memories of two boys working side-by-side as they made “The Dough Boys” Brown Bread.  

One Year Later

One year ago I started this blog to record/share the journey of a mom with a son who had deployed. I had no idea what to expect from his deployment and what uncharted territory it would take me into. I knew I was fortunate that his was only for six months and not the twelve or eighteen that many military are ordered to complete. And, I had been told that Kuwait wasn’t really considered “dangerous,” especially when compared with Iraq and Afghanistan. But, none of that seemed to matter too much when it was MY son deploying to the other side of the world. 

Standing guard at the main gate, Kuwait, 2010

It seemed so monumental when he deployed and on that day there was a heavy somberness of the unknown. We had no idea just how safe he would or would not be in Kuwait, regardless of what people told us. There was a growing unrest between Iran and Israel because of the nuclear power plant Iran was building, just 100 miles across the Gulf of Oman, and we were concerned what would happen if the situation escalated. When he first arrived and told us that he stood guard at the front gate, our thoughts raced to the suicide bombers who drove trucks of explosives through military bases’ front gates and we prayed that much more for his safety. When he told us of working in “the pit” looking for bombs that might have been planted underneath our own military trucks, I never dreamed that “the bad guys” would think or ever try to do something like that and then to come to terms with my son finding one! Those first few days and weeks truly opened our eyes to the world of “deployment.”

Now, a year later as I think back to those first few weeks, I realize just how much of a learning experience it was for all of us. TJ gained invaluable knowledge and experience for his military future. We grew stronger as we leaned on the Lord, trusting Him to keep TJ safe. And as TJ fell into his new pattern and the routines of his job in Kuwait, we, too, found that our lives settled back into their routines and it became just another part of our lives.

One year later as I write to recognize the “anniversary” of the month when TJ deployed, knowing that I didn’t even understand why I was blogging about it, I am thankful that I did record this journey. I am thankful to know my feelings, thoughts, and the experiences have been saved. My husband believes that somewhere down the road these blogs will serve a purpose, if only to become a unique scrapbook of this phase in our lives.

So, where does this blog go from here? I have no idea. Just as when I started it I didn’t know what it would evolve into; I’m just as unsure now of its future. What I do know is that I’ve had over 1000 views during this year! I don’t think I know that many people, so, many of you who have visited; we’ve never met and probably never will. I feel honored that even though you don’t know me, our family, or TJ, you have still taken the time to read our story.

This also seems to be a fitting time to say to each and every one of you who have “stopped by” or maybe faithfully followed me/us on this journey – thank you. Thank you for caring enough to share in our family’s “deployment” journey. Thank you for showing your support of our son, and our nation’s military family. To those who have left me comments, thank you for your words of encouragement and support. But most of all, thank you for praying with us for TJ’s safety and for our family as we walked the path of deployment.

One year later, I am one very proud and thankful mom. 

Independence Day, 2011

We celebrate our nation’s independence on the 4^th of July. It is a holiday that has been celebrated every year since 1776. John Adams, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, wrote to his wife Abigail reflecting upon their work on the Declaration of Independence and his excitement about our country’s independence. In that letter he said,

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

When we lived in New Jersey, our town had a 4^th of July parade. I can clearly picture myself, Joe and our very young sons standing with the crowd along the parade route. It was a very typical procession with colorful floats and marching bands in it. I turned to look down the street to see what was coming next and saw a military troop marching toward us. I cannot recall what branch of the military they represented. I don’t know if they were a reserve group or on active duty. They were in their battle dress uniforms, walking in formation down the center of the avenue. By the time they were in front of us there were tears of gratitude rolling down my face. The boys, who were probably not much older than three and five, couldn’t figure out why Mommy was crying. It was probably the first time that TJ got any kind of “up close” look at the military.

Several years later, when we were living in Southern California, we attended summer concerts in the park. The city of Palm Springs would host various musicians or bands in the city park. I don’t know too many families with young children who turn down anything that is free, and we were no exception. We took the boys to several concerts each summer, but the one that we were always sure to attend was the very last one of the season. Each year the Marine band from Twenty-nine Palms came and performed. The band members looked so sharp in their dress blues and the boys, now grade school age, loved to see them and listen to their performance!

Each year the band would close out their program by honoring all of the vets in the crowd. They played the song for each of the branches of the military, moving from one into the next until all of them had been recognized. The veterans were to stand when the song of their particular branch was played. As each group of veterans stood to their feet the crowd cheered and applauded. I can’t even write about this without crying, so you can imagine what I was like sitting among the veterans we were acknowledging. [By now the boys understood why I cried, so at least I didn’t have to explain it all over again each year]. It seems that without fail, every year as we packed up the blankets and lawn chairs and headed for home, the boys talked about the day they were going to be soldiers. For TJ it was just another up-close and personal encounter with the military.

We didn’t always make it to a fireworks display on the 4^th of July. So, we began to watch some of the various specials on TV [although admittedly it cannot compare to being there in person!], One of my all-time favorites was the year we watched Disney’s celebration. Lee Greenwood was one of the special guests that year, which would have been in the early nineties. They had him placed in Frontier Land and he sang “I’m Proud to be an American.” By the time the song was finished, not only was I in tears, but I was standing in the middle of the living room singing with him, as best I could through my tears. Thankfully my family fully understands my deep patriotism and didn’t have me locked away for losing my mind. (You can watch one of Lee Greenwood’s early performances of this song here.)

A "Self-Portrait" that TJ Created

Sometimes I think back on these various events when TJ watched his mom unashamedly let her patriotism shine through, and I have to believe it was the planting of the seed in his own heart for his deep love of our country. TJ is deeply proud to be an American and to be serving his country! This year he will be ‘home’ in Montana, serving on base.

I have learned that most military bases will have a fifty gun salute at Noon on the 4^th of July. It is called “The Union’s Salute” to recognize each state. TJ has never mentioned this event, but I’m sure he would be extremely proud to be a part of it. To be sure, if I was standing in the crowd, I’d be in tears before the last gun shot.

When John Adams wrote to his wife back in 1776, he was off by two days with his thoughts about when our nation would celebrate her independence. But he was extremely accurate with the fact that we would indeed celebrate, and celebrate in a very big way, each and every year!

Happy Independence Day to each of you! And …    

God bless America! 

Getting Back to Normal - May 31, 2011

TJ didn’t want any big fanfare when he arrived home from Kuwait. He didn’t want us at the Great Falls airport to greet him with the big signs and balloons, nor did he want anything drawing special attention to his arrival home about twelve days later. He just wanted things to be “normal.”

Working together on his lamp.

On Monday, February 21^st, TJ pulled into the driveway. He had been given an extended leave and he took full advantage of it! Just before coming home, he had signed a lease on his first apartment and purchased a bed for it. Beyond that, he did not have too much in terms of household items. Therefore, we spent most of our time with him looking for things he needed for his apartment or working on decorating it. He and I turned the kitchen island into the work center for many of these projects. It was so much fun to see his excitement as candle holders were made into lamps, as he turned thrift shop picture frames into works of art, and to watch him making plans to decorate his own place, taking this step of total independence.

TJ had to report back on base on Monday, March 8^th, where he spent about two weeks at his old job in the armory. He then went into the Airman Leadership School (ALS) for an intensive six week class required before he would be allowed to put his Staff Sgt stripes on in June. We were warned that he would have heavy loads of homework each night and were told not to expect much communication during this time. Not a problem for this Mom who had just gone through six months of deployment! We told him we would not call or text unless it was an absolute emergency - and for most of the time we held true to it.

The reports of the amount of homework had been very accurate. He had tons of reading to do and wrote many papers during the class. One of his papers was his view of leadership. It listed his six core values of a leader and by the time he was done explaining each one, providing numerous quotes from other military leaders, the paper was over ten typewritten pages!  

Presentation of the Commandant's Award

At the end of the class TJ called home to tell us that he would probably be receiving an award. On May 3^rd at the ALS graduation banquet TJ was presented with the Commandant’s Award. The Commandant’s Award is sponsored by the Air Force Sergeants Association, and is presented to the student who, in the Commandant’s judgment, made the most significant contribution to the overall success of the class. I asked TJ out of all the awards presented which one would he have wanted to earn. He said, “This is the award I wanted.” He went on to explain that it would have been nice to have earned the award for being at the top of the class. But to earn the Commandant’s Award meant that all of the students in the class voted on who they believed was deserving of the award. After that, the commanders who taught the class made the final decision. TJ was honored to know that first his fellow students had recognized him for this award, and then the leadership.

TJ really doesn’t care for a lot of attention and is not a big fan of large celebrations being given in his honor. He never sees his exemplary work as anything more than what is expected of him. For TJ doing his job with excellence is very … well, “normal.”

Back on American Soil! ... Day 189

It has been nine days since TJ had posted anything on his Facebook page and fourteen days since his last phone call. Knowing that his deployment was to end at any time, it was becoming VERY difficult to wait for word from him. In fact, I didn’t do too well with that period of silence. I finally emailed him. When he didn't answer that I sent a private message on Facebook about three days later. During this silent period we were guessing between two options: 1) he was still in Kuwait and no longer had access to the internet, or 2) he was trying to get all the way home and surprise us.

Tonight as I got into the car to come home from work the cell phone went off. It was the first text message from TJ in more than six months!

“Just got to Baltimore. Gonna’ be here tonight and leave tomorrow morning for Montana.”

What a fantastic text!

TJ will be given twelve days of “R & R”, but is hoping he can get some additional time off to come home and visit many good friends that he hasn’t seen in over a year.

We are SO thankful TJ is back on American soil!

  

One very proud and grateful mom!

Airman of the Month ... Day 177

Presentation of Airman of the Month Award!

Yesterday TJ posted the following on Facebook:

‎”387 AEG Airman of the Month - God has blessed me this year. Couldn’t have done it without the support, mentor-ship, and encouragement of the 387 Family.”

He had called us earlier on Friday to share his good news with us and we couldn’t be more proud of him! [It’s that “stinkin’ proud” feeling again!] In talking with him we discovered that he was selected as the Airman of the Month out of the approximately 400 airmen that are on his base. What an honor!

Airman of the Month Award
Below it - five coins TJ has recieved!

This picture shows the award they presented to him. At the bottom of the award he placed the five coins he has been given from various officers during his deployment. To be “coined” by an officer is a very meaningful recognition of superior service to the Airman. [One of the coins was actually given to him by a General].

TJ begins his final week of deployment. I couldn’t imagine a better way for him to end it. Congratulations, TJ! We are so very proud of you and can’t wait to see you!

The Beat of TJ's Drums ... Day 170

TJ playing the drums at 15 months!

When TJ was 15 months old, his older brother was given a child’s toy trap set for Christmas. I don’t have a single picture of his brother playing those drums, but I have two of TJ. In one of the pictures he is singing and having the time of his life. In the other picture the gleam in his eyes lets you know just how much fun he was having on those little toy drums.

Fifteen years later one of TJ’s friends showed him a few simple things about playing the drums. He bought himself a pair of sticks and began practicing / playing the drums in the church’s youth room whenever he could. One Sunday evening after services were over, his dad was down the hall from the youth room and asked one of the other teens, “who’s in there playing the drums?” They looked at him with surprise and replied, “It’s your son, TJ.” We were stunned and amazed. Without a single “professional” lesson, he had learned not just how to play the drums, but how to do so with sensitivity to the music and his audience.

That year for Christmas TJ and his dad watched the eBay sales for drum sets and won the bid for the one that TJ had decided was “perfect!” They arrived several weeks before Christmas but we made him wait until Christmas morning to have them. He also received several desired attachments, like several more sets of sticks, a cow bell, cymbals, and his requested “throne” as the drum set’s seat is occasionally called.

Our neighbors were very thankful for our basement where the drum set was assembled. And then it was time for a family “jam” session! His older brother played electric guitar, dad was on the keyboard, and there was TJ, in all his glory, playing his very own set of drums!

From then on he spent as much time as he could, with a pair of headphones on listening to music while he played his drums. He spent his money purchasing a double drum pedal, more cymbals, and of course, lots of drum sticks. I had no idea how quickly he could go through a set of drum sticks!

Later TJ became the drummer for the worship team at church. He instinctively knew when a cymbal roll was needed, or just a light, quiet brush of the snare drum, and when to let loose with a run across the other drums. It was so much fun to watch him. He loved playing for his Savior.

On his last Sunday before heading off to boot camp, he was allowed to really let loose and played a 3-4 minute drum solo during one of his favorite songs. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the entire congregation as we watched him play for the Lord with all of his heart.

Leaving his drums behind was probably one of the hardest things TJ did when he headed off to serve in the Air Force. Once he was assigned to Malmstrom Air Force Base, he made arrangements for his things to be shipped out to him. He gave me specific instructions to make sure the movers packed his drums very carefully! Though he had no place to assemble and play his trap set, he wanted them with him. During his first few years on base, he was able to play for the worship team at the base chapel and again, thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to worship with the drums!

Frequently I find myself watching the drummer of the Sunday morning worship team, and often I must fight back tears as I think of the days when TJ sat there. How I miss watching him praising his Lord on the drums! I suppose that is why I love the following verses from Psalm 150.

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord,

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1, 3-6

Keep praising the Lord in any way you can, TJ. And may the day soon come when you can do it with your cymbals and drums!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words … Day 150

I have heard the saying countless times – ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ And it is true – there are some pictures that capture a moment in time or an expression that we could never capture through our words.

Just a month ago parents stood in lines with their little ones who were all dressed up for a picture with Santa. Weddings take place every weekend and each couple wants their special day caught on film – both DVD and photo paper. We could come up with ‘thousands’ of situations that people want captured in photos because photos hold within them priceless moments in time that people never want to forget and that they know they could probably never fully capture in words.

Therefore, just a few nights ago my husband told me to go look at the picture that was on TJ’s Facebook page. The grin on TJ’s face goes beyond ‘a thousand words!’ Though there was no explanation of who he was standing with or what the occasion was – his face said it all. I encourage you to ‘read’ it for yourself!