Tag Archives: ellie pickett

Tara Jean! It is your birthday, baby girl!

2 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, 5 Songs I am Singing, Stuff I Actually Think, , , , , , , ,

My Firstborn.

 

Oh happy day.  You make me happy when skies are gray.  And all sorts of fun songs about love and joy.  To you.  For your birthday today.  Am I supposed to mention that you are 32?  Because I won’t if I shouldn’t.  You should not hate it.  Think of me – your mother!!  If you are 32, then I am….

You were born to…

A novice, a clueless girl.  A May day.  The lilacs in full, fragrant glory.  The sunshine.  Green grass.  No money.  Uncertain times.  A God who loved you and was already smiling at your life.

 

Fixed in the Galaxy

When you were a teenager, everything was stars.  They were your “motif,” and all around you were oodles of doodles of stars and star design on your clothes and belongings and in presents you got.  And you were nicknamed “Shooting Stara” and it was cute.  But it was part of youth.  It was part of a past and you have become a claassic woman of dignity, beauty, strength and grace now.  Save, perhaps for when you are competing with great zeal on the kickball field or during a volleyball game.  Becoming wise and deeply steadfast, though, has not changed or diminished your easy laugh and happy nature.  No, it has only deepened it and made your personality even richer with joy-bringing treasure.

For your birthday, I think of the hallmarks of who you are and what you have always been known for.  For me, of course, a gift.  Thus the Barbra Streisand song, “The best Gift,” that Bill Tull and Mary Tiller sang for your dedication. 

“Liquid joy,” Lisa Bierer called you,for you are a glass-is-half-full, big-smile, cheerleading, enCOURAGing, exhorting kind of person.  Everybody in the room feels more loved and more happy when you have arrived.

At the Heaven Fest dinner Saturday night in Loveland

But then, there was the whole “star” phase.  And as I thought about you and all you are and everything you are becoming and how, youthful and lighthearted as you remain,  you embody even now the personality you did at 3 or 4 years of age.  And as a teen.  So, I could not forget the star part.

But what is different now, sweet daughter?  Now, you need to know, you are not a shootingstar, just a brilliant flash of passing dazzle and fancy against a dark sky.  You are a star hung steadfastly in the firmament declaring God’s glory.  I still see the star in you (S)TARa.  I see it.  But now, it is as Daniel 12.3 says:

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

You have the wisdom of some years now.  You are not just a pretty girl.  You are a ravishing woman.  And you are leading many to righteousness, like a cool drink of water on a hot, dusty day, by your life, by your example, by everything God created you to be and to do.  That has given you a fixed place in the universe to shine.  You shine, baby girl.  You shine.

Happy Birthday, Tara.  Here are my words, a few of them, to say I love you and I thank God for you.

Photo by Ellie Pickett, www.lilacphotography.com Taken last fall.  It is the no-make-up session

Actually, ALL photos by www.lilacphotography.com  :)  Ellie is great!

Song for a Christmas Sunday

2 Mi Familia, 5 Songs I am Singing, 7 Keep Christmas, 9 TV & Movies/Books & Entertainment, Stuff I Actually Think, , , , ,

TWO songs, actually ~

Well the Worship and the Word Movement & Friends Christmas Concert was a rousing success! 

Incredible music:  Dave & Tara Powers, Rocky Rhoades, Dan Wakefield with Todd Herbic (drums) and Stormie Rhoades (bass).  They were joined by special guests Lewis and Ramona Brown who brought the house down, Dave Beegle the world-class-guitarist, and our good friend, Mary Ellsworth, plus Churchill played!  Churchill!  And DJ Life (of Transform DJs, aka Luke Bodley of Heaven Fest) brought a lot of Christmas joy by spinning  some high energy traditional-gone-techno stuff.  My friend Heather’s sweet little girl was heard to say “I danced my butt off,” which means she had great fun, I believe.  Then Ellie Pickett brought it on O Holy Night!  When Dave started harmonizing with her toward the end, wow!  Actually, I mean W O W!!

I think (partially judging by the mad rush for desserts and sweets provided by sweet-Patrice of Patrice’s Pantry), we had about 600 or so in attendance.  It was fun, it was touching and it was filled great joy and good fellowship.  It was a great night for families and friends, for kids from 1 to 92.  Just a good show and sweet worship, too.

Here is a look back at the the very end of the night when the “band-of-brothers” Dave, Dan and Rocky closed the evening.  My husband, I am certain, will be posting more of the great music from the night on his youtube channel. 

Finale to the WWM & Friends Christmas Concert:

 

 

 

Oh, AND, we collected over 2200 pairs of socks for the homeless!  YEAH!

Then Rocky at church on this fine {warm and sunny} Sunday morning before Christmas, O Come Emmanuel:

 

Christmas is for singing, just like the angels did!

Rhoades2 “The Rockvans”

2 Mi Familia, Stuff I Actually Think, , , , ,

I am not sure if there is a baby in the world who has ever been photographed as much as Averi (except maybe Jon and Kate’s 8)?  Those cherub-cheeks just beg to be captured and her mommy loves to take pictures.  Apparently everyone does.

Platte Valley Medical Center knows a good looking family when they see it.

When Averi was born, the hospital staff arranged for a photo shoot of her with her mommy and daddy.  They have poster-sized black and whites of them in the hallways near and in the birthing wing there to this day.  They have also used the photos in the hospital’s community magazine, mailed to every household around.  This made Dave-the-Grandpa somewhat famous when he taught a computer class at the hospital a couple of weeks ago.  Everyone said, “Wow!  Those were your kids?  Your son looks just like you!”

Kaela Green.

When Averi turned one, Kaela Green offered to do a photo shoot at their home and got some cute shots of Rocky, Jovan and Averi.  Kaela, say my sources, is a mommy to young sons and a budding photographer.  She has a very tectural style (that is not technical terminology – I don’t actually talk in photog, but I just noticed the very interesting color and tactile-ness of the pics).  Very rich.  There was a slideshow of the whole thing on Flickr which looks like it isn’t there anymore, but  I just learned Kaela has a website, so maybe you can see Averi and the parents there, too.  http://kaelagreenphotography.blogspot.com/.  By Kaela:

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 Ellie Pickett.

Then just the other day, Ellie Pickett, who was having them over for dinner, asked if they’d come a half hour early so she could “practice” taking some pictures.  Jovan was worried because she’d been garage-saling all day, but she still looks fabulous.

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Ellie is a designer, musician, and artiste in almost every sense of the word.  I think these photographs are aewsome!  Ellie is running the art gallery for Heaven Fest.  She has her card/announcement design biz  (http://thephotocardchef.com/) and, I just found out, a photography site (http://lilacphotography.com/).

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House of Photos.

When Rocky and Jovan buy a house, they are going to need some major sky-high walls to hold all the photos of themselves – just the really super fantastic ones, I mean.  And there are a lot of them!

I think they are beautiful – the whole little family. 

I am the momma/nonna, what can I say?…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  How to choose the best of the prints for the hallway gallery?…Determine – soon.