THE PHOTO SHOOT!

LAST NIGHT WE DID THE PHOTO SHOOT FOR THE "COMMIT FOR LIFE" BLOOD DRIVE CAMPAIGN! I WAS NERVOUS ALL DAY FOR SEVERAL REASONS, ONE, ACTUALLY HAVING TO FACE THE FACT THAT BOBBIE JO WOULD NOT BE PRESENT WITH THE FAMILY. I AM SURE SHE WAS THERE IN SPIRIT, BUT IT WAS SO HARD FOR ME TO KEEP A CHEERFUL DEMEANOR-I HAVE BECOME QUITE GOOD AT THAT NEVERTHELESS. I GOT UP EARLY AND WENT TO MY FAVORITE HAIRDRESSER AND ASKED HER TO HELP ME WITH A REALLY NICE STYLE. SHE MADE THE APPOINTMENT FOR 2:00 PM, SO I WENT BACK THEN. ALL DAY, I THOUGHT ABOUT BOBBIE'S MARTIN AND HOW HARD IT MUST BE FOR HIM TO HAVE TO FACE HER LOSS AS WELL. THE WHOLE FAMILY (EXCEPT FOR AARON'S FAMILY AS THEY ARE IN EL PASO, AND ROBBY AS HE COULD NOT GET OFF WORK) AND BOBBIE'S MARTIN WERE TO BE IN THE SHOOT. I WANTED TO LOOK ESPECIALLY NICE AS IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD BE ON A BILLBOARD, ON TV, IN A MAGAZINE OR IN A BROCHURE, AS WELL AS ON THE WALLS OF VARIOUS HOSPITALS. MY HAIRDRESSER DID MY HAIR IN AN UP-DO. IT WAS SO PRETTY, AND SURPRISING FOR ME TO ACTUALLY SEE MY HAIR LOOK SO GOOD. IT HAS GROWN PRETTY LONG, AND I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH LONG HAIR AFTER SEEING HOW NICE IT LOOKED LAST NIGHT. THE HAIRDRESSER IS VIETNAMESE, AND SHE IS SO CUTE. SHE ASKED WHAT I WANTED DONE, AND I TOLD HER TO DO SOMETHING FOR AN OLD LADY. THE GENTLEMAN IN THE CHAIR NEXT TO ME SAID, "OH? ARE YOU AN OLD LADY? IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT FROM HERE!" I LAUGHED AND TOLD HIM THANK YOU, BUT THIS IS WHAT 55 YEARS OLD LOOKS LIKE! THE HAIRDRESSER KEPT TELLING ME HOW HAPPY SHE WAS THAT I HAVE "BETTER" HAIR NOW, BECAUSE SHE WAS ALWAYS DOING WHAT SHE COULD TO MAKE MY THIN, SHORT HAIR HAVE MORE VOLUME. SHE CHATTERED AWAY AS SHE WAS CURLING AND TEASING AND DOING ALL SORTS OF SPRAYING- IT HAS BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE SOMEONE DID THAT FOR ME! SHE WENT ON AND ON ABOUT HOW "BABY FINE" MY HAIR WAS-THEN, SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS DONE AND SHOWED ME WHAT MY LOVELY HAIR LOOKED LIKE. IT WAS SO PRETTY! I WENT TO TOUCH A CURL AND SHE SAID, "NO NO! YOUR HAIR TOO BABY FINE! I GIVE YOU 5 HOURS TOPS AND IT COME DOWN AGAIN! DON'T TOUCH HAIR!" WELL, IT ACTUALLY STAYED UP FOR SEVEN HOURS AND I HAD TO TAKE IT DOWN WITH LOTS OF EFFORT. I BET IT WOULD STILL HAVE BEEN "UP" NEXT YEAR IF I HAD NOT TAKEN IT DOWN. SHE REALLY HAD IT "FIXED". I MUST HAVE PULLED ABOUT 30 SMALL BOBBIE PINS OUT! THEN I HAD TO WASH IT AND CONDITION IT TO GET THE TANGLES. IT IS BACK TO "BABY FINE" BUT FOR AWHILE, I WAS A GLAMOR PUSS!
JESSICA AND THE BOYS, BECKY, BOBBIE'S MARTIN AND DAD AND I WERE THERE TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED. WE WENT INTO A PROFESSIONAL STUDIO ALONG WITH DRINKS, COOKIES, FRUIT AND A HUGE BOWL OF CANDY. THE BOYS WERE ENTRANCED! THEY WANTED SOME OF EVERYTHING! WE WERE ALL WEARING BLUE SHIRTS AND WE HAD THE LIME GREEN "LYMPHOMA AWARENESS" PINS ON THEM. BECKY WAS HAIR AND MAKEUP PERFECT WHEN WE GOT THERE AND SO WAS JESSICA, SO THEY DID NOT NEED TO SEE THE MAKE-UP ARTIST. THEY TOLD ME TO GO TO THE MAKEUP ARTIST, AND SHE SAID I ONLY NEEDED A LITTLE "TOUCH-UP" AND I TOLD HER SHE WAS BEING KIND. SHE POWDERED ME AND DID MY EYES, AND THEN LIP GLOSS. I FELT BEAUTIFUL. AS IT WAS, I HAD MY HAIR DONE AND ONE OF MY VERY BEST CHURCH OUTFITS ON. I ALSO HAD ON A STRAND OF PEARLS THAT MARTIN HAD GIVEN ME, AND I WAS SO GLAD, BUT I WILL TELL YOU WHY LATER. THEN, SHE "POWDERED" THE MEN TO TAKE THE GLARE FROM THEIR FACES, AND EVEN THE LITTLE BOYS. THEY ALSO HAD THIER HAIR DONE, (SPECIAL HAIR WAX TO KEEP THE ROOSTER TAILS DOWN)AND THEN WE WERE READY. FIRST, BECKY WAS DONE BY HERSELF. THEY TOOK QUITE A FEW SHOTS OF HER, AND WE FOUND OUT LATER THAT SHE IS GOING TO BE A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE BLOOD CENTER! THEY WILL USE HER PICS FOR THAT, AND FOR THE CAMPAIGN. THEN WE ALL GOT TOGETHER AND WHAT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A FEW MOMENTS, TOOK QUITE A WHILE, AS THE LITTLE BOYS COULD NOT QUITE GET IT THAT THEY COULD NOT "STICK THEIR TONGUE OUT, WIGGLE, PICK THEIR NOSES, BLINK, MAKE FACES, SCRATCH, OR LOOK BEHIND" THEM. FINALLY, WE GOT A GOOD POSE AND PICTURE. JAYBIRD HELD A LOVELY PICTURE OF HIS MAMA FOR THE SHOOT, AND THE SECOND ROUND OF PICS FEATURED HIM IN THE MIDDLE WITH THE PICTURE OF BOBBIE JO. THEN, THE PHOTOGRAPHER PRONOUNCED US DONE, AND WE DISBANDED, THE BOYS TO EAT SOME MORE GOODIES, AND THE MEN TO GET THE POWDER OFF OF THEIR FACES. BUT, BEFORE MY MARTIN COULD GET AWAY, I GRABBED HIS HAND AND ASKED THE PHOTOGRAPHER IF HE WOULD DO A FORMAL PIC OF MARTIN AND ME. THAT IS WHY I WAS SO GLAD THAT I HAD DRESSED UP FOR THE OCCASION. HE TOOK A COUPLE OF SHOTS OF US, AND SAID HE WAS PLEASED WITH THEM. THEY TOLD US THAT WE WOULD GET COPIES OF ALL OF THE PICS, ON A CD- AND I AM HOPING TO USE THE ONE OF MARTIN AND ME FOR THE FAMILY GALLERY OVER THE NEW FIREPLACE. THEN, WE EXCHANGED THANKS AND GRATITUDE TO THE CREW, AND OUT WE WENT. NOW, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU ALL, BUT WHEN MY FAMILY FINISHES ANYTHING THAT WE ARE ALL TOGETHER FOR, THE SUBJECT OF DINNER ARISES. HOPEFUL FACES LOOKED TO DADDY, AND HE TOLD US TO CHOOSE A PLACE FOR DINNER. ROBBY JOINED US AND WE WENT TO A FAMILY RESTAURANT, WHERE EVERYONE, (BUT ME OF COURSE) ORDERED CHICKEN FRIED STEAKS, OR HAMBURGERS, ROAST BEEF OR PORKCHOPS, MASHED POTATOES, FRENCH FRIES, ROLLS, VEGETABLES AND ALL KINDS OF GOODIES. THANKS TO MY PROTEIN ALLERGIES, I HAD A "WONDERFUL" FRUIT PLATE. SPARKS FLEW FROM THE CUTLERY, AND EVERYONE HAD TO SHARE A BITE HERE AND THERE WITH EVERYONE ELSE. SOON, THE MOMENTUM SLOWED AS TUMMIES WERE GETTING FULL. THIS RESTAURANT REALLY PILES ON THE PORTIONS, SO THE PLATES STILL HAD LOTS OF FOOD ON THEM. WE THEN HAD THE DISCUSSION AS TO WHO WOULD TAKE THE LEFTOVERS FOR LUNCH THE NEXT DAY, AND TAKE-HOME BOXES WERE CUSTOM FILLED. I NOTICED THE GLEAM IN THE LITTLE BOY'S EYES, AND KNEW THAT I HAD TO ASK THE ULTIMATE QUESTION. "DESSERT?" THE ADULTS GROANED AND THE LITTLE BOYS NODDED VIGOROUSLY. THANKFULLY, WE GOT AWAY WITH TWO LARGE PIECES OF CAKE, WHICH SOON FOUND IT'S WAY INTO SEVERAL MOUTHS. IT IS FUNNY HOW YOU THINK YOU CANNOT EAT ANOTHER BITE, BUT WHEN A HUGE PIECE OF GERMAN CAKE IS SET BEFORE YOU, YOU FIND ROOM SOMEWHERE, EVEN IF FOR "JUST A TASTE". THEN, GRUNTING AND GROANING WITH FULL TUMMIES, WE PARTED TO FIND OUR WAY HOME IN THE DIFFERENT VEHICLES, EACH CUSTOM TAKE HOME BOX CAREFULLY TRANSPORTED. WHAT A WONDERFUL NIGHT IT WAS. HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR MY FAMILY AND FOR BOBBIE'S MARTIN. I AM PLANNING A SIMILAR NIGHT IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WHEN BOBBIE JO'S HEADSTONE MARKER IS PLACED ON HER GRAVE. WE WILL ALL GATHER AT HER GRAVE TO MARK THE OCCASION AND THEN OF COURSE, WILL ALL GO FOR DINNER. AT LEAST I HAVE TIME TO SAVE FOR THAT, BUT I WILL LOVE SAVING EVERY PENNY. OUR MOST SPECIAL TIMES TOGETHER SEEM TO REVOLVE AROUND A HEARTY MEAL. WELL, AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THE MORE THE MERRIER! BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE YEAR, I HAVE TO PLAN FOR SEVERAL SPECIAL DAYS. ELI'S BAPTISM IN SEPTEMBER, THE WHOLE FAMILY INCLUDING AARON'S FAMILY WILL BE HERE. LIBBY'S BABY SHOWER AT THE END OF AUGUST, AND THEN THE BIG DAY OF THE BIRTH AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. THEN, THE NEW BABY'S BLESSING DAY, (WE ALWAYS PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS FOR BLESSING DAYS) AND BY THEN, BOBBIE JO'S GRAVE MARKER WILL BE IN PLACE AND THAT WILL BE A SPECIAL DAY AS WELL. ALL OF THIS IS IN ADDITION TO HALLOWEEN, THANKSGIVING (IN MY NEW DINING ROOM) AND CHRISTMAS! HOW HAPPY I AM TO HAVE SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO. AND YOU DO TOO, AS I WILL CHRONICLE EACH EVENT FOR ALL OF YOU! BY THE WAY, MORE AND MORE, I AM BEING ENCOURAGED TO WRITE MY BOOK ABOUT THE EVENTS OF MY LIFE, (SEEMS THAT MANY FEEL I HAVE SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT) AND SO I WILL GET STARTED ON THAT AS WELL. I AM GOING TO USE THE WRITINGS FROM THIS BLOG, SO, IN A WAY, I HAVE ALREADY STARTED AWHILE AGO. I WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED, AND I LOVE YOU ALL! LOVE, NANASEE