1987 Called

Vintage, antique, classic, venerable, mature - in simplified terms, old.  Anybody that knows for me any length of time can tell you that I love old things. Other than the fact that I've gotten very accustomed to technology and medical advancements, I truly think I would enjoy living in the past.  But since no time travel machines are waiting in my driveway, I will settle for some artifacts from the past to satisfy a nostalgic spirit.

Both of my older two children are utterly embarrassed to be seen in public in my 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer.  My youngest loves it though because it is circa sans airbag and she can sit in the front with me.  I aquired this fine automobile about four years ago because I have a wonderful husband who indulges my fasination with the past.  That, and he likes old cars himself.  I do not have the collector gene nor does he, thank goodness; but I have always told him that if we somehow became independently wealthy, we would collect old cars!

I'm not sure what it is about the Wagoneer that appeals to me.  I have always liked them.  Maybe because it represents the classic family car - one of the first SUVs to pack up the family and drive to the lake or the beach.  It's a star when it comes to movies and TV shows.  I remember watching Baby Boom when Diane Keaton's character says goodbye to the corporate world, packs up her Wagoneer, moves to the country into an old farmhouse (which I would also love!), and strikes it rich making homemade baby food!  I mean, really, how much simpler could life get?

For now, I'll keep driving my classic Woody which is ironically, woodless.  And when my mortified children say, "Mom, 1987 called and wants its car back," my response will be, "It's not for sale."

My 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Our Georgia dog and the Wagoneer

AlphaBetties

The first Betty I ever remember meeting was my Aunt Betty, my mom's younger sister.  My mom grew up in a family of five girls.  She is next to oldest and Aunt Betty was just below her in all the family photos and of course, in birth order.  Aunt Betty didn't have children of her own so she was one of those aunts that absolutely loved all the nieces and nephews - my cousins.  You know how those people are without kids, they are always in fun mode with the children.  I now realize why - they're never tired from the daily demands of being a full time mom.  So, going to Mamaw and Papaw's and getting to see Aunt Betty when she was also there was always fun.  Christmas gifts from Aunt Betty were the best.  My mom's large family would all be crowded in my grandparent's teeny living room on Christmas Eve waiting to open presents.  Of course while we (my sister and I) were always grateful for the sweater or socks or underwear given by others (that was what was expected in our house), I was always most excited about what Aunt Betty had wrapped for me under the tree.  Her gifts were never practical but always fun.  I remember the AM/FM radio she once gave me.  Wow - a radio of my very own!  Sounds crazy in today's world of technology, but at the time...

Several years ago, I started taking photos of alphabet letters - images that stuck out to me in architecture, signs, or objects.  For absolutely no reason, when I look at these alphabet letters, in my head pops the word "AlphaBettie."  At first I started taking these photos just for fun - remember, I do love words and letters; but now it's something I also do to give a unique gift to another person.  Just like my Aunt Betty.  It's not at all practical.  It's been an interesting hobby.  The process requires that I look at the pieces and parts of the whole, which really is a lesson we can all learn and apply.  I look at the many children I work with everyday, and honestly, sometimes looking at the whole isn't pleasant.  But if I stop to look at the pieces and parts, I might find a treasure - an AlphaBettie, my first Betty.

Why start a blog?

Around the time this photo was taken, I was probably frequently hearing the phrase "Tracey Carol."  That's what I was called when I wasn't always making the best choices, as I sometimes now explain bad behaviors to my children.  Tracey is my first name and Carol is my middle name.

Why have I decided to start a blog?  Good question.  I really don't have a huge amount of free time - I have a wonderful family that, rightly so, keeps me very busy; a way-too-smart dog; a full-time job involving over 300 more children; and so many extra-curricular activities involving my three kiddos that I sometimes spend more time in my car than at my home.  But in amongst all those things that bring me joy, I have very little that is just me.  In reading a book that my mother-in-law recently gave me about the very demanding life of motherhood (which, by the way, my way-too-smart dog just chewed up - sorry Helen!),  I heard other moms stress that we just need to take some time for ourselves.  Again, why have I decided to start a blog?  How is that taking time for myself?  I'll tell you.  

For as long as I can remember, I have loved words.  Big ones, small ones, long ones, shorts ones, hard-to-spell ones, and all the rest.  I can remember going to the grocery store with my mom and asking her to let me hang out in the school supply section while she shopped so I could look at the cool paper and pens.  I loved practicing my handwriting different ways and seeing printed words on pages.  Yeah, sounds weird, I know.  

Most of my adult life, I have enjoyed photography.  I love looking at photos, and especially taking them.  I am no where near knowing enough about the whole subject of taking wonderful photos, but what I do know is that photos truly are worth not just a thousand words, as the old adage says, but worth millions of words and more importantly, they are catalysts to wonderful memories.

So, that being said, I decided to combine the three - my love of words, my love of photography, and something to call my very own.  Hence, tracey carol * behind the lens.