The following narrative is written by Poppy as he imagined his granddaughter, Maddie, telling about her experiences in Washington, DC on the 4th of July.

Maddie:  “Cloud cover was our best friend.  Washington, DC on the 4th of July can be unbearably hot and extremely uncomfortable.

This was my first Independence Day Celebration in our nation’s capital.  I had been here before, but on that day in October, it was cold and rainy and we missed a lot.

One reason for missing so much was because we only had one day to be in the city and, as you know, there is a LOT to see.  But this trip, we had several days and planned to see as much as possible.

Another reason is that we all got wet and cold and couldn’t wait to get back to National Harbor where we were staying.  Some hot chocolate helped but it was pretty miserable.

Now, here we were in DC on the 4th.

After getting off the Metro, we walked and walked and walked toward the Mall.  This enormous area is West of the Capital and stretches all the way to the Washington Monument.

As we walked, we asked lots of people if they knew the best place to see the concert and the fireworks.  However, the more people we asked, the more confusing it became.  We got all kinds of conflicting information.

Finally, Aunt Lynne, Mckenna (that’s my little sister) and I went to The Castle, the Smithsonian Information Center, while Honey and Poppy looked for the best spot.

Now Poppy has to fill in the rest of the story.”

Poppy:  ‘We were standing, looking at the Washington Monument, positioning ourselves between the Capital Building and the Mall.  We probably looked a little confused but not so much that a young lady came up to us and asked if we knew the best place to sit.  (Now here it gets a little strange.)  She told us her name and asked ours.  We said, Liz and Terry Power and she said, “where are you from?”  We said, “Chattanooga, Tennessee.”  She said, “No way!”  I’m from Chattanooga,” and she got really excited.  Then she said, “I know someone with your last name, Jessica Power.”   We couldn’t believe it.  She knew our daughter!  Small world for sure.

It was a lot of fun to spend the rest of the day with her.  In fact, she went and found out the best information, directed us to the waiting line, and said around 3 PM we would be able to get into the area close to the stage.

Later, Aunt Lynne, Maddie and Mckenna found our little camping spot and we all waited out the day until the concert began.’

Maddie:  “Well, after we saw Honey and Poppy and met all of their new friends, we realized it was really, really hot.  The cloud cover was gone and now the sun beat unmercifully on us.  So Poppy asked Mckenna and me if we wanted to look for some shade.  We grabbed the frisbee, thinking we might be able to toss it around for awhile, and off we went, weaving our way through the crowd.

I was tiptoeing barefoot having left my flip-flops behind.  The hot pavement in front of the Capital really motivated me to hurry and we finally got to the grassy area.   All three of us spread out to play catch and I decided to launch one to Poppy who was about 25 yards downhill.  I knew I was going to have to really let it rip so I reared back and let the hard, yellow disc fly toward Poppy.  However, to my surprise and horror, the frisbee was heading for a strange looking man.  The reason he looked so strange was because he was dressed in a long white shirt and long, dark dress pants and he was sitting Indian style under a shade tree.  He was completely oblivious to the frisbee heading his way and when it hit him he shouted with a very loud voice, “WHAT WAS THAT?”  I think most of the people in the concert area heard him.

Although I was totally embarrassed, I went over to apologize and to retrieve the frisbee.  He was very nice to accept my apology.  However, I hurried down the hill toward Poppy and Mckenna and this time we passed the frisbee among ourselves without any mishaps…until my toss to Poppy sailed over the security fence.  Oh, no, not again.  Fortunately, there was a friendly guard who got it for us and tossed it back.  No more frisbee for me.  And, oh yes, the concert and fireworks were AWESOME!”

Thank you mom and dad for these pictures of my family.  You captured us the way we really are.  Love you guys.

-Becca

This slideshow makes me cry.  Let it load and watch it full screen.  It’s worth it.

Becca

Hal contacted us recently and said he would like to have some portraits of himself for business and personal use. Here’s Hal…

Thanks again for coming our way!

Liz likes to take pictures of Terry taking pictures.  Terry likes to take pictures of the American flag.  The outstanding pictures of Honey and Poppy were taken by the amazing Amber and Nathan Holritz.

Thanks for coming by to check out our new blog!  We are excited to have a fresh new look, as well as a site that is easier to navigate. At the top of the page under the large picture slideshow, you’ll notice a menu.  Pay attention to each item to help you find something you are looking for.  If that doesn’t help you, simply enter in a keyword in the Search Bar on the menu.  Hope you like the changes we’ve made!

Liz

Happy, happy, joy JOY!!!!

The very blessed and proud grandparents, Honey and Poppy with Kate.

Thank you all for your love, prayers, and notes of thanksgiving and congratulations.

Check out another look at Kate from Becca’s sister. Diana Simpson, and her amazing slideshow of the blessed event, CLICK HERE, brings tears to our eyes everytime we watch.

Isn’t he something? Here is a SLIDESHOW WITH WAY TOO MANY PICTURES OF THE BOY.

I just love this little sequence. Eliot can open his mouth wider than any baby I have ever seen.

I took my kids to Atlanta for a couple days over Fall break and my sweet cousin decided to have her baby on our last day there… THANK YOU! So I took my girls over to meet their new cousin and I got to take some photographs of our sweet new family member.

Meet Ryan McCord

This is an amazing shot taken by our son-in-law, Keith. He is an extremely talented guy and is capturing some very beautiful images. Check out this next of his younger sister, Belinda, who loves horseback riding.

We are so blessed to have Keith and Becca photographing with us.