A Sweet Ending…

On our way home from visiting our LA Phrangas we stopped along the way at a truck stop right at the Merced Fresno county border. I spotted a cat over by the garbage bin. Feeling sorry for it I found some food we had in the car and walked it over. Thinking it was feral I didnt think it would let me get too close. But in fact it was pretty laid back about me so I picked it up. I looked it over and saw that it did not have a collar. I then noticed how beautiful it was and that it was definitely someones pet. Either lost or God forbid dumped. I couldnt leave it there so I put it in my car over the protestation of everyone else. But I am pretty much a diehard animal lover so they lost right away. I drove it home and noticed all the way that this cat was used to traveling. It slept quite a bit of the way but it did visit with us too. It made the trip with no problem. When we got home I gave it a bath and for a few days while looking on line for a reported lost cat in that area, I thought it was a she. Not until I found a rescue that agreed to meet me at their vet to see if she had a microchip did I find that she was actually a he and that he indeed was microchipped! Ecstatic that he was going home I waited to hear from the rescue but nothing for days. So I emailed them and still no answer. So I then decided to find another way to get him scanned and get ahold of his owners. I ended up going to our local shelter and within 15 min. I was speaking to his owner in Oregon! Turns out her husband is a truck driver and takes this guy and his brother on these long trips. At a gas station in Corning someone snatched this cat from his cab and from there it is specualtion what happened to him inbetween. How he got from Corning Ca. to the Fresno/Merced County rest stop is a complete mystery. When he was snatched he had a collar but when I found him 4 days later he had no collar. I sure wish I could ask him what happened to you in those days.

I am sad knowing he is leaving because he fit right in here our dogs and cats got along with him because he is such a laid back cat and that breed actually does enjoy friendships with both cats and dogs! I am glad that he gets to go back to what he has known for the last 7 1/2 months of his life. His brother misses him and has been moping around with out him. Now I now why Znarf (yes, that is his name!) His owner’s name is Franz so that is his name backwards. lol. But he goes by Joe. I kinda like Joe better and would have called him that. But hey that’s just me.

So now that we have found the owner and exchanged numbers we have made arrangements to meet up with Joe on his way back from LA tomorrow in Sacramento. I am glad it all worked out for them. They had done alot to find this cat in the town they thought he was lost in which was Corning but here he was down in the Fresno area! Then later on in our cozy little abode in Roseville. This is one blessed cat!

So without further ado here is Znarf….we threw a blanket on a table downstairs and put up a backdrop but it really isnt his color! But oh well! Isnt he just beautiful?! Sniff sniff….

Oops here he is saying I’m done! lol

I wish we had more time to get some great Pet Portraiture done on him in a proper studio! Awww I am gonna miss him! He actually follows you around like a dog! What a great breed!

You’ve invested a lot of time (and money) into your wedding to make sure the day is perfect, and your guests are so excited to be a part of your big day.

You’ve hired a photographer and perhaps a videographer to document your day so you can relive it over and over again. Imagine your surprise when all you really get to see is your photographer and his assistant.

This video is a perfect example of why you want to hire someone to photograph your wedding who is not only a professional, but has the proper equipment to shoot your wedding!

Your wedding day should be all about you, and not about seeing the back of your photographer in this case and videographers in other cases. Our philosophy is that we want to shoot your wedding in such a way that you notice us as little as possible. During the ceremony all eyes should be on the bride and groom.

Seeing these types of wedding video’s actually makes me mad and sad – I am so mad that a photographer would think this is appropriate. I would be embarrased to find how obrusive I was during the ceremony. There is plenty of time to get into the mix later during the fun at the reception but this just makes me cringe! 

Hire a professional for your wedding so your guests will actually be able to see and enjoy the ceremony. Honestly if you are hiring within a severe budget then dont be afraid to ask if they have long lenses to capture those intimate moments without becoming part of them. If they dont, then ask if they are willing to rent them. Many churches have big restrictions so shooting from the back is the only option you have and you MUST have a long lens preferrably a good one that will work in low light situations otherwise you will have dark images and they will be blurry. If they are not willing to rent then move on to someone who has the right equipment or at least willing to rent a good 70-200 IS lens or something equivalent to those millimeters. But realistically a professional who understands your needs and can satisfy those needs is worth every penny! The photographs will be there long after all the food and drink is consumed and the flowers have died. The money you spent on them will also live on through your photographs so make sure you are super happy with your photography decision.  

Here is the slideshow from our meetings with our Xanga friends on the way to and from our cruise.

The first meeting was a dinner meeting with Tim and friends in the Irvine area.  On the way back we met with Kenny Ahn, his cousin John and Victor. We had more time that day so we spent time walking around the Promenade in Santa Monica wheer we had time to check out the locals.

I’m working on the cruise pics and will have those to post up in the next day or so.

It was so much fun to meet everyone!
Now we need to have you drive up to our area!!

 Wow – what a week! We had so much fun on our trip…

We drove down to Southern California and stopped in Irvine to meet up with some Phranga’s
(Photographers + Friends + Xanga = Phranga’s).

We have more pics once I’m done editing everything from our vacation but I wanted to get a couple posted up.

Tim put the meeting together and there were several people waiting for us when we showed up at the restaurant. It was so much fun to meet everyone! We have more pics, but here is the group shot we took (after Tim finished negotiation with mall security to let us take the shot…)

left t right in the back is David, Lindsay our daughter, Me, Janet, John his wife Susan and baby Noah, Matt and his fiance Joy, Brian our son, and in front is Tim and Victor 

We then drove on to San Diego and the next day boarded our ship for the 5 day cruise to Mexico and back. The weather was perfect – 90 degrees every day - 45 in the morning and 45 in the afternoon….so not what we were expecting but we did have one good warm day in Cabo.

Here we are on the boat getting ready to leave: I dont think anyone was happy about it except maybe me cause I was ready for home. Plus the camera was set on timer so perhaps no one was ready except me of course! lol 

Then on our way back home we stopped in Santa Monica and met up with Kenny Ahn, his cousin John and Victor (who drove up again to meet with us – thank you Victor!!)

After treating us to an amazing lunch at a restaurant Kenny picked out we went over to the 3rd St. Promenade to walk around – it was great to just walk around and visit.

Kenny decided to make a button for himself
to wear at the next wedding he shoots:
 

Then Kenny was drawn to this cart to see what they had to display.
Unfortunately they didn’t have his color or his size.
 

We’ll post more up in a day or so, but thank you to everyone who drove out to meet us in Irvine & Santa Monica - it was such a pleasure to see old friends and meet new ones!

There are so many shots I want to post up, but you’ll have to wait!
I need to get them edited and into a couple slideshows to post up.

We interrupt this blog to bring you the latest news on the Lydell Fam Adventure!

We will return to our regularly scheduled programming after all of our Southern California Xanga friends have had a chance to look at this and post up to let us know who is coming and who isn’t.

Don’t miss the last post we just put up with Kelly and Tim’s slideshow from their engagement session – be sure to look at it and post up your thoughts!

Here are the details:

As you know from some of our past posts, we’re trying to meet as many of our Southern California Xanga friends (and other friends – yes, we have friends outside of Xanga…) on either side of our trip down South. Here is the current plan:

THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 20TH:
We’re headed to Southern California on Sunday the 20th. On the way to San Diego we’ll be stopping in Irvine for dinner. Tim Park has been coordinating this and suggested we meet at Pat & Oscars Restaurant which is located in the Marketplace. If you need more info or want directions post up on Tim’s site so he can get back to you. We plan on being there around 6 PM. Don’t be late and someone bring a camera!!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26TH
On Saturday the 26th on our way back up we’re stopping to meet Kenny Ahn at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. After a cruise we’ll need to get a beach fix.  We’re planning on being there around 1ish, but that depends on how fast we get off the boat, get to our car and get on the road.  If you want to meet up, post a comment on Kenny’s site he can include you in any plans!

We hope you can come out!

Hey there all you SD/OC/LA (sounds like a disease…) Frangas!*

As you know from Kerri’s last post we’re headed down south this weekend to start out vacation! (You can click on the link to see it ’cause you know how hard it is to scroll down…)

We’ve talked to so many of you through Xanga for the past several years we feel like we know you! But we’d love to meet and break bread with you on our way down to San Diego.

We’ll be in the LA/OC area next Sunday the 20th and we want to set up a place for us to meet for dinner before we head on to San Diego that night.

I’ve been talkng to Tim Park about setting this up. (He’s been great to give me suggestions as well as help us geographically challenged people understand how big and vast the LA/OC/SD area is.) Before we set up a place to meet we’d like to know how many are able to meet for dinner this Sunday evening. Depending on who is available Tim will help us find a place that would work best for everyone.

If you’re available next Sunday night for dinner, then post a comment letting us know. Please also put where you are located – it will help me when I look at a map!

We hope to see as many of you as possible!!

*Friend & Xanga = Franga!

First of all I want to thank all of you

for all your heartfelt wishes and prayers for my health. I have been taking care of myself and watching the stress and other things that wack my health. Your love and support has gotten me through some pretty down days.  I am feeling so much better and realizing I have to encourage the good things and watch the not so good things in my life and take it a day at a time. What a difference a week makes.

Last year we signed up for a photography cruise which is this next Monday! 

It leaves out of San Diego for Mexico…never been to Mexico before….

What better time to take a cruise than at this moment in my life. I am looking forward to warming my bones a bit and just hanging out. If I want to take pictures I can and if I want to sit and read or sleep…I can! But I am planning on walking as much as I can as I am tired of sleeping and laying around because I hurt. This is going to be one of those turning point months for me. I have several things I am doing to make sure I dont have a month like Dec./Jan. again! what a painful way to end the year. But what a way to start a new year.

Whenever we leave I hate leaving the doggies but since they cant come we did the next best thing and got a housesitter so they will be well loved and cared for so I wont need to worry. Worry is such an enemy of our well being!   

We are so excited to have our kids come with us again (took them to Alaska with us in ’05). Since they are employees in the business and this is a business expense trip (photography cruise) this will be fun! We are also planning to map out our year, businesswise, personally and individually. We are gonna talk about our hopes and dreams and our plans for ourselves and each other and as a family. I get to do this without having the distractions of planning and cooking meals and cleaning! I gotta say that has got to be the best way to do it!

Since we are driving down to San Diego to catch our cruise we are hoping to see some of you! We will be be posting all the info soon so hopefully we can meet up with some of you!

Thanks again!!! I cant tell you how much better I am feeling as each day goes by….