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New stuff!!

2011-11-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

I love new stuff....who doesn't?! Anyway, I bought a set of honeycomb grids and haven't really had the time to experiment on them properly. I need a very patient model. My oldest son, Kane tried, but lost patience soon enough. This is what he picked out of the bunch, not my thing, but hey, he's a teenager.

I also bought myself some neat frames and labels. The labels are great (2 are exactly the same) but I do love them. The frames, not what I expected. The box was different from the content....sorta like Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates saying..... life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

Do you like them?

Below is what I thought I was getting instead of those brown swirly frames.

Big difference.

Disappearing act

2011-10-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try out my disappearing act in photography tricks. Something I've had in the back of my mind to try, but not had the time to do it. So yesterday, I tried it for the first time. A little boring.....but it's a start. I need to fill the fame with more interest, but we have to learn to crawl before we can walk and run.

More Bali

2011-10-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

I had more Bali photos in my last post, but they didn't upload for some wacky reason.

Because of all the motorbikes, people sell gasoline in convenient sizes on the side of the road.

Absolute Fuel.

Temple Monkey

Monkeys at temples are used to people and if you are still for long enough, they'll climb on you and steal stuff.

I didn't like the monkeys so much.

This is how I love monkeys....doing their own thing minding their own business and not climbing on me.

Theif!

Tyler's flip flop

The monkeys are well trained. They know if they want food, all they have to do is steal an item from a tourist including swiping the shoes off your feet. When this happens, there are people with food and they give the monkey some food, the monkey drops the item and the person retrieves it for a fee. The monkey's win, the locals win and the tourist is out of pocket a few dollars and completely entertained.

This is John. He's on the right, driving. The only person we knew in Bali.

John in our villa one night.

John is Dereck's best friend from way back in high school in Singapore. He was so hospitable during our stay in Bali. Our boys think he's way cool. I don't mind because John's a good person.

Our last night, John had a dinner at his house and invited us. There was good food cooked by John and Annie and some great entertainment provided by all those that played guitar and could sing. I had a blast.

The party

D and I enjoying the food.

Tyler in the middle.

John and his guitar.

Annie and Tyler laughing at something.

Bali

2011-10-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Bali. What can I say about Bali? My husband visited Bali 11 years ago and came back with tales of how gorgeous it was, bla, bla, bla. Of course I wanted to go too, but back then our kids were little and traveling that far with a toddler and a 5 yr old wasn't my idea of a vacation, so I stayed State side till they grew up. We flew into Japan, then to Singapore and spent a few days there before heading off to Bali.
We arrived in Bali as the sun was setting and by the time we were out of immigration and customs, it was dark and so my first experience was being driven in the dark. The Balinese are crazy drivers, the popular mode of transportation is motorbike and they will fit as many people on one motorbike as possible. I saw families of 5 on one bike. Forget road rules, the divers make up new lanes and ignore lines in the road. Anyway our villa was even more beautiful in person than what we saw on the Internet. Check it out.

early one morning, Tyler is taking his own photos standing in the kitchen.

Front door

The pool and lounge chairs

Another view of the pool. Bedrooms behind glass doors.

Even when it's raining, it's still gorgeous

The beaches were wonderful with lots of locals selling everything from ice cream, to drinks, food, sarongs, jewelry, magazines, CDs and more.

The beach closest to our villa. Dereck and our boys walking to the beach in search of surf.

Blue Point. A spectacular place. It's like a ski resort, but on the cliffs of a tropical island.

Padang Padang beach.

This is Padang Padang. My favourite beach. The shore is flat water for wimps like me and for small kids and the elderly. The surf is way out for the surfer dudes..... I have 3 of them in my family. My husband and our 2 boys. We spent 2 days on this beach. I could have spent every day here.

Padang Padang

Kane and Dereck after a surf session.

Dereck and I at the entrance to Tannah Lot temple.

Kane and Tyler with Tannah Lot behind them.

Tannah Lot


The boys at Ulu Watu Temple

Ulu Watu Temple

Fire in the sky

2011-10-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

I really need to post my Bali photos before I do this, but this is so recent that I need to document it.
I have seen these awesome photos all over the internet, but nobody was saying how it was done. Then yesterday morning I stumbled upon a website that offered free lessons on how to create such a photo. I went out and bought my supplies and as soon as it was dark enough, I went out with my assistants (my sons) and attempted to shoot. One son decided to go shower and the younger one decided he was going to help, but I forgot all about his pyrophobia that he was born with. Raising a child that was always too scared to blow out candles or hold sparklers was..... well.....I don't know.... I felt sorry that he was so scared. Anyway, it has improved in his teen years, but he's still fearful and he bailed on me as soon as he realized that fire was involved in my shot. I was left with nobody but myself. So here you go. Me and a ring of fire.

Now, I wouldn't advise anyone to do this without protective clothing. I was frustrated that I was left alone to do this and forgot to change my clothing. Don't be as stupid as me. Wear jeans, sneakers and a hoody. Please put the hood on. It will keep the sparks from burning your hair off your head.
So tonight, I tried it again, this time with the help of my oldest son and a friend of his. Friend dressed in proper clothing but older son knew everything and said he was just fine in shorts and flip flops...... yeah...... he felt a few sparks, so he quit. Not to mention, the mosquitoes that were out in full force! Wow!! However, I did a really stupid thing. I hadn't touched my camera since the night before and it was left on self timer and I forgot and so none of my earlier photos from tonight came out. I had one last ball of steel wool and one last chance to get the shot right (I turned off the self timer). I was chatting to a friend on What's App and told her I was going to do this....so Kristine....this shot is for you.

It's been a while.....

2011-10-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

At this point, I feel a bit ridiculous because I'm blogging to...... hmmm....nobody. I'm not good at keeping up with the blog.

So back in March, we were about to leave for Barbados as we usually do and my husband discovered that I hadn't done my job. Tyler's passport had expired since February and we wanted to leave the very next day, but instead, I had to run around and get passport sorted out. Download and fill out the forms, take him out of school early for passport photos and drive down to Miami only to find the place had closed 20 minutes earlier. Grr! As it turned out, he needed both parents to fill out the forms and sign etc. So we spent the weekend at home and on the Monday, left for Barbados for a grand total of 4 days. Better than nothing.

Kane checking out Long Beach.

Tyler getting kiting lessons from Dereck.

My handsome boys chillin' at Parlour.

One can find love anywhere.....

Our guest house seen through our new pool waterfall. Sigh! I love it here.

This is Nula, the farting dog. She's really very sweet.

Moving along...... Barbados was great fun as usual. Thanks to my wonderful husband for working so hard and being able to take us to wonderful places.

In May, my brother decides to harass me to fly down to St. Lucia to take photos of the latest renovations to his hotel. Please do check it out. Wonderful place to stay. www.tikaye.com
I was quite fortunate going at that time as my cousin was also visiting. I hadn't seen her since she was 13 and now she's 30 something...... so it was fabulous to reconnect with her.

Ti Kaye lounge and dining area.

My cousin, Lorca.
I had a blast with Lorca. She's definitely 10 cents short of a dollar and I love her for it!

End of May meant end of yet another school year. Boys were out and idle and looking for things to do. They both celebrated birthdays turning 17 and 14 and in July, my husband took us to Bali. Bali is a place I've always wanted to visit and finally my opportunity arrived. Getting there was tiring, but we made it with a brief stop in Singapore for 2 days. Photos to follow. It's late and I need some sleep. Good night!

The woman who wouldn't take no for an answer and other stuff

2011-02-01T06:53:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I found the time to blog twice a day when Dereck was in the hospital and now it's an effort to post twice a month! Amazing.
Two weeks ago, Dereck had to be checked out by Dr. Philips so he could go back to work. His first flight assigned to him was Africa! Anyway, not sure what happened, but his flight got canceled. It's still a bit too fresh for Dereck to return to Africa. He got a prescription for 2 different medications to take while in Africa, so he's prepared.
It was wonderful to see Dr. Philips again. She's the woman who wouldn't take no for an answer and because of her fierceness, she saved Dereck's life. She's a petite woman of Egyptian descent who moved to Florida just 6 weeks prior to Dereck's hospitalization, so she was new to the hospital and she stood her ground. I will never forget her for as long as I live.
I also must mention Marian, our case worker making sure that Dereck got the things he needed in the hospital and she took care of all the bills. She is also a wonderful woman who I also won't forget. She took the stress of the bills away from us.

L to R: Tyler, me, Dr. Philips and Dereck

So today is the first day of February.........A lot happened in January. I traveled to St. Lucia to visit friends and family and I took a friend with me. The weather didn't exactly cooperate with us, but we still had a lot of fun. Below are some photos from my trip.


Sherry sitting on the window wall outside Nick's bedroom window. What a view!


Five Dollar Beach

On a gloomy Sunday, we found sunshine in the company of friends and family.


Me and my brothers. It was good to see them both. We had a great time together.

After this trip, I celebrated a birthday with my girlfriends up here in Florida. We went to dinner at a fabulous restaurant called Kontiki. A Thai/Japanese fusion boutique restaurant that's very popular and tables hard to get during the high season.

Me and all the girls at Kontiki. Check out the massive dessert platter on the table.

A big deal that I took part in during January is that I signed up in the Susan G. Komen race for the cure. I joined a group called Miles With Michelle. The event was last weekend in downtown West Palm Beach. We had a great day, I ran 5K and slept like a baby that night. Seeing as I ran, I didn't take my camera and I don't have many photos. Had to beg for these. It felt so good to do this and I think I will do it again next year.

Met up in Starbucks before the run/walk. Michelle is the lady in the front row to the left with the big smile.


On our way to the start.

So January was a great month! Here's to a happy and healthy February!
Many blessings till next time......

Happy new year, everyone!

2011-01-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

Well the Christmas season came and went pretty fast. I wish it was a lot longer. So school started again and things go back to normal however, I did plan a weekend get away to St. Lucia to see my family and to soak up the well needed sun. So those of you who live in Florida.......how's the big chill working out for you? Doesn't seem to be working out for me. I swear, if it snows as far south as where I live, I'm packing up and going back to the Caribbean.
Anyway, here are a few photos from my weekend trip.


Meet my 2 younger brothers. Nick on the left and Charles on the right.


We went to Five Dollar Beach which is on the east coast.

Nick's bedroom view. How wonderful.....sigh.....

In passing, I managed to capture this scene of laundry in one of the villages.

Someone's home in Castries.

I never got any sunset shots while in St. Lucia, so I got second best.....a great sunset from 35 thousand feet up in the air on my trip back home to Florida.

The morning after I returned to Florida, this is what I woke up to. Dense fog till 10 am.

All wasn't lost in the fog. There had to be some beauty caused by the fog and I found it in this dew laced spider web. I also learned that it's very hard to photograph tiny webs in slight wind. They blow around a lot.

A year in review

2010-12-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

Among the many photo shoots I did this year, it has turned out to be quite an exciting year with many ups and downs. We survived it!
We started off the year really good with our annual trip to Barbados for spring break but this time we brought along some friends who had never been to Barbados before. Jon, Sherry and their little girl, Maia and our other friend Candy. Jon had a blast playing golf and Sherry was happy that Maia met a little friend to play with. Candy was just happy to walk along a white sand beach. Below: Sherry with camera and Candy.

Candy finding a photo opportunity in an old ruin along the east coast of Barbados.

Then summer came along before we knew it. I decided to take the boys to St. Lucia. Kane bleached his hair for the summer and we took along our neighbour's son who's a very good friend of Kane's. We were in St. Lucia for a week. The boys also met up with their cousin, Mandy and her boyfriend, Chad. Kane got certified in diving and Tyler did a resort course.

Kane found a different kind of treasure.

The whole family plus 2. Back row L to R: Chad, Mandy and Louise. Front row, L to R: Kane, me, Tyler and Mike.

I took the boys to see the volcano in St. Lucia on our last day. Kane, Mike and Tyler.

Our next trip was to Barbados. What can I tell you, the place is addictive. We did every thing from boogie boarding at Fowl Bay..........

to eating lunch at local bars.........

to grass surfing.......y'know......it's all good.....

to hanging out with good friends.......

enjoying the crashing waves at Harrismith Beach......

and going diving again. The kids with their dive instructors, Andre and "G".

After our Barbados summer trip (or was it before?), we drove up to Orlando to visit friends who were visiting Orlando from Trinidad.
Dereck, Steven and Craig.

Me, Melissa and Jeannine

Our last day in Orlando. We stayed with Steve and Melissa. Little Matthew is convinced that Kane and Tyler are his brothers. So sweet. We had a really good time with the Renwicks in Orlando.

Back to school! It's now August and it's time to get back into a routine for school. My mother in law came up and Dereck had to go fly his last trip to Africa for the year and we decided I would go. I had a great time. The crew that worked the flight were great. An amazing group of people and I hope I meet up with them again soon.

Our first day, we went on a very long trip to see a slave castle in Elmina, but before that, we stopped off at a croc farm. Yeah, don't think I was willing to pet a croc....... a last minute smile to keep the photographer happy and off I went. The mouth was gaping open ready to eat me for lunch. Scary! We also went on a canopy tour at a national park and walked along these rope bridges way up above the tree tops.

a very scary walk way too high up above the canopy on a very rickety bridge.

The visit to Elmina Castle was very interesting. I learned a lot about African history on that trip. It was definitely a sobering experience.

Dereck and I stop for a photo opportunity after the castle tour in the fishing village of Elmina.

We met some good friends from Ghana. Abraham and Abu who were so accommodating and kind to us. Abraham owns a drum making shop with his twin brother, David and Abu makes jewelry.

Things went seriously downward after this trip when Dereck found out he had malaria. Most of you have read my blog entries about his stay in the hospital. I'm happy to say that he recovered and is doing well. Once he got home and was strong enough to do things on his own, I planned a trip to St. Lucia for a well needed break, but that wasn't going to happen as I got sick and then St. Lucia was hit badly by hurricane Tomas and the airport was closed, so my trip had to be postponed.

We were able to get a last minute family photo before Christmas, but it was just too late to get the cards printed and mailed out, so I posted this on Facebook and sent it out via email to everyone on my email list. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I wish nothing but the best to all of you for the new year.

Second doctor appointment

2010-10-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today Dereck went for a second follow up appointment with the infectious disease doctors. This time we requested specifically Dr. Phillips as we haven't seen her since ICU days. She's the one who wouldn't take no for an answer. She filled us in on more stuff that went on. The lab that processed Dereck's malaria smear called her at night to tell her about his malaria level. She said she almost fell out of bed when she heard that his level was at 23% and was shocked to learn that he walked into the hospital - he should have been dead or at least unable to walk at this level.
The hospital didn't think they could handle his case being ridiculously severe and wanted to transfer him to Miami, but she said that the transfer would do more damage than good at this stage and she was sure that they could handle it. They sure did. At this point, Dr. Phillips was new to Florida from NY and had only been working at that hospital for 6 weeks, so she didn't know anyone and then had such a dramatic case to deal with. She went over a lot of other doctors because they weren't sure about the Artesunate being investigational and all, and went straight to the CEO to get things approved and moving. The other thing that had never been done at that hospital was the plasma exchange, but they pulled it off. They were able to outsource a company that does this along with a technician. It was highly successful. She has now made a name for herself because between her and Dereck, they turned the hospital upside down. Good for her......she more than deserves it. I love her.
We were both so taken in with the conversation that we forgot to take a photo, but he has to go back again as she ordered blood work to see what's going on with him now that it's all over. She needs to make sure there's no residual malaria lurking in the blood.

I went to a farmer's market today and met this delightful little goat. So here he is! Isn't he just the cutest little kid ever?

Family of Four

2010-10-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of taking photos of this delightful new family. I first took photos of her growing belly and then their new born baby boy. Last week, I had the opportunity to take photos of their new baby girl. What a little peanut she was. Very alert and accommodating. But all the photos exhausted her and by the end of the session, I was able to get lovely sleeping photos of her.
Meet Miss K and her family.

Her big brother wanted this flower in the photo and it's his special way of welcoming her to the family.

Doctor follow up

2010-10-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a week since Dereck was released from the hospital. The malaria is under control and he's been doing great at home.
I guess each day is better than the next, but seeing him every day.......I just don't see it. Anyway, yesterday was his last day on antibiotics and he went to see his doctor who said that he ought to see big improvements in his energy level and strength sometime this week or did he say next week.....or maybe he just said "soon" which could be any time. The antibiotics have had an effect on him which contributes to the lethargy and weakness, so I hope to see some big changes "soon".
We didn't get to see Dr. Phillips who we really wanted to see to thank. She has a second office and won't be back in our area till the end of the month. I made a note of what day, so we can go in and thank her then. His appetite is back to normal and he's put on 4 lbs since coming home. I'm still stronger than him and can body slam him without any resistance from him. LOL! He better be nice to me.....or else! Kidding.

Poor Dereck, he walks around like Snuffaluffagus. Such low energy. Well....he's not as big as Snuffy, but you know what I mean.

I'm used to seeing him run around a mile a minute, doing stuff for the boys, Delta, making kiteboards, going to the beach, yard work.....he never used to take a break and now this. What a contrast. I long to see his energy return and along with it his energetic spirit.

A short walk

2010-10-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

A short walk is like running a few miles for Dereck and he wonders how long his body will feel this way. All the stories I have read on the Internet about malaria survivors who went through what he and Reggie went through, said it takes a good 6 months before they felt 100%, but I'm sure that these two men will find a way to make things work well before 6 months.

Today, I decided to take my camera and macro lens.....why, I don't know because you really do need a tripod for the sharpest shots and then there's the high sun factor where everything is totally blown out and then the over saturation of certain colours like yellow and red and bright pink.
A butterfly and Lantana. I remember growing up in the Caribbean that Lantana was considered a weed, I come to the USA and I found it funny that Home Depot was selling this weed! It's a pretty weed or flower or whatever you want to call it.

Not sure if this is a Monarch, but it's pretty anyway.

Weed or plant.

A few photos

2010-10-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have not had many photos to include.....the only way I know how to get the photos off my iPhone is too complicated and long winded and then there's laziness of getting them off my point and shoot camera.

I always felt bad to take photos in ICU of Dereck, mostly because I know that anyone else that was there visiting him may have objected and the possibility of him not surviving. I discreetly took photos of him on my iPhone so that I could show him and it wasn't as obvious and he's glad that I did. When he was up and awake with us, I took out my point and shoot. So here are a few photos taken recently.

Dereck the day after extubation and the first day he was allowed to get out of bed. Lucy and Richard were always there visiting him. Richard shaved Dereck and made him feel clean and comfortable. Yay Richard! And then there's our youngest son, Tyler. Dereck left ICU for a regular room the day after this was taken.

On Saturday after Dereck was moved to a regular room, a friend took this photo of us. It was so good to see him smiling and to hear his voice.

Last night this photo was taken at our house, friends and family came by for a visit. Dereck's mum, Dawn, Richard and Dereck.

4 days later

2010-10-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

A lot of friends and family have been asking about Dereck's progress at home and wondering why I stopped blogging about our ordeal. So I'm blogging to give you and update.
Being at home is obviously a lot more comfortable for him. Sleeping at night is undisturbed and peaceful. The food is way better and he gets to see his kids every day.
He had trouble sleeping in the beginning but as time passes, he is able to sleep better. At first he would be very wobbly on his feet and so night time bathroom visits was taken care of by me. I would stumble my way in the dark to flick on a switch, then go back and get him, wait.....then walk with him back to bed. Last night was the first night he was able to go without waking me up.
During the day we go for short walks, each day going a bit further, but it's exhausting for him and he needs to nap after to regain his energy. This afternoon, he felt like driving, so he took me to run a few errands like supermarket, Pet Smart for dog food and the pool supply store for some chlorine. This was very draining on him and he went straight to bed.
He's also still on antibiotics for his lungs as they don't want the wet lungs to turn into pneumonia and the other antibiotic is Doxicycline which is used to treat malaria. The Doxicycline makes him nauseous and he dreads taking it, but we have to follow doctor's orders.

Reggie.....his good friend who now refers to them as the M & M Bros, is doing great. They have spoken on the phone and compared notes. I hope to see Reggie week after next. He too, is doing well and recovery is slow.

On Monday, Dereck has an appointment with Dr. Phillips, his infectious disease doctor, for a follow up. I haven't seen her since the very beginning, so it will be nice to be able to thank her for her brilliance and for insisting the CDC allow her to use the Artresunate on Dereck.

I have been cooking different things for Dereck. So has his mum, so between the two of us, we are fattening him up. His appetite is very good, but energy still low. I bought some low sugar whey protein powder and make him 2 protein shakes a day and it seems to be helping a lot. I make it with skimmed milk, a banana and some frozen fruit. I made deviled eggs (which he loves) and some banana bread today.

Till next time.....Om mani padme hum

Dereck and Jacqui

2010-09-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here are the baby squirrels that were named after us. How cute are they!?

Dereck got moved to a regular room yesterday and every nurse and doctor that has come to his room already knows about his ordeal. All are surprised that he is alive. Some nurses sneaked into ICU5 just to see who the man with severe malaria was and last night the same nurse was assigned to Dereck's new room and was shocked to see him because not only was he up and awake and alive, but all the swelling went down. This case of malaria rattled the hospital staff, they were challenged and on their toes and they did an amazing job.
The nurses finally allowed Dereck to take a shower today. 13 days without a shower......yeah, he was feeling uncomfortable, but it was like running a marathon. He didn't realize how exhausted he would feel just from standing up in the shower. He's going to need some physio therapy to gain back his strength and learn how to breathe properly again.
The original intensivist doctor came to see him tonight and spent an hour with us explaining what malaria does to the body and what was happening to Dereck and also explained the sequence of events. It was very interesting. He also said we could get a print out of his blood smear with the parasites in abundance on the slide. He said that they usually see one or two parasites, but Dereck's slide was infested and at a level of 23%. Even at 20% he said, it's usually a hopeless case. So between the Atresunate and the plasma transfusion, they worked wonders for Dereck.
This morning I read my first couple of posts and I think I downplayed the severity of what was really going on. Dereck shouldn't be here, we are VERY lucky to have him back. The whole thought makes me sick to my stomach. I am so grateful to Palms West Hospital and their team effort to save my husband. My miracle husband.

Day 11 afternoon and night

2010-09-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, Dr. Hossain came in and was all smiles and laughing with us and saying that he loves how there are some happy endings. Told us that he too has had malaria several times and in certain parts of the world, it's like the common cold, you get fever, get tested and medicated and then you're all better. The nurses were telling us that some of the staff on their days off were calling to find out about Dereck and his progress. He has quite a reputation now.
This evening when we arrived at 8pm he was sitting in the chair again covered in blankets and he reminded me of a monk wearing white robes instead of saffron and burgundy. He managed to eat a meal... soup and jello. Yeah, he passed the swallow test. His voice is soft....... the boys should take advantage of this time because he cannot yell. ha!
They are definitely moving him to a regular room tomorrow and then he can go home by Tuesday. Yes!!!! I can't wait.
Dereck said we only have 2 things in life.....love and time.....and time runs out. It's so true. You can take away my clothes, I'll still have love, you can take away my car, I'll still have love, you can take away my house, I'll still have love......If you take the love away, then I truly have nothing. As for time, we all know how precious time is. Don't waste it, use it to help someone, put a smile on someones face, love someone......don't be afraid to tell someone that you love them, that...... is majorly stupid, just tell them. You may not get another chance.
For the past 11 days that I've been visiting the hospital, I would see this big family......lots of girls, they were all giggly and giddy.......I would watch them and smile. I told them hello several times.......well today when I was almost skipping my way to ICU5 to see Dereck, I saw a priest and this big family with all the girls and they were crying. No need to ask what happened. They didn't get the happy ending and I knew that whoever it was was dearly loved. I felt sad for them and I wish them well and hope that they find the strength to move on.
The other thing that I noticed shortly after I got to Dereck's room was the nurses were running around and "things" were happening in one of the other rooms, we all noticed it and so did Dereck and I told him that all that running around was happening in his room just a week ago and then again last Sunday when he aspirated. Thankfully he doesn't remember any of it, but he was surprised to learn about the nurses and doctors running in and out of his room trying hard to save his life. I'm sure glad they did.
I think this may be my last post. Blogging has been so therapeutic for me, it helped me to deal with the days events as they unfolded. Thank you all again for your strength and support through our most difficult hurdle to date. I don't know that I could have done it without you.....a huge part of me wanted to curl up in bed and not deal with it - wake me up when it's over - don't call me, don't tell me any bad news...just leave me alone under my sheets curled up in a pathetic ball. But I got my scared ass up out of bed every day and drove my trembling self to the hospital and held my loves ice cold hand till it came back to life. Man.....I'm so glad I did that.
So........till next time...... and next time it will be photos..... there are 2 brand new baby squirrels that my neighbours saved from a fallen tree and have named them Dereck and Jacqui. I can't wait to meet them and then introduce them to you.
Love and light always.

day 11 morning and noon

2010-09-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Every time I walk into his room, he looks better and better. He is very shaken over the whole experience and has some memories, not all good and I will leave it up to him to share his near death experience or not. I find it very frightening and personal and feel it's not up to me to share. We shared some beautiful moments together, I managed to steal 30 minutes alone with him last night.

This morning our neighbour and friend, Richard came by as usual with a shaving kit in hand and was determined to shave Dereck and he did. He was so gentle and thorough and then he washed Dereck's upper body and put on deodorant and cologne for him. How sweet. Shortly after the shave the physio therapists came in and worked on Dereck for 10 minutes. They got him up and walked a couple steps and put him to sit in the recliner. His orders were to stay in the chair for 2 hours at a time. We also opened up the blinds to let in some natural light so that he can begin to get used to day and night.

Couple tubes still in and not sure when they will be removed..... I hope soon. I thought they were going to move him to a new room, but they need to do a swallow evaluation first. After being intubated for so long, they need to make sure that he can swallow properly as we don't need anything getting into the lungs. He still has wet lungs, but they aren't concerned about that.

I just got a report that Reggie is being released from the hospital today, so let's just hope that Dereck isn't too far behind. In the mean time, I will be taking his guitar, computer and some magazines for his entertainment. Hospital TV isn't so great.

So yay! The rough part is behind us and we can move on with our lives. I am dying to take a photo of the care package that Delta sent. I am so tickled! I've been showing it to everyone who comes to the house. I'll take a photo of it soon and post it. Gotta set it up properly.

Again....thank you everyone for "holding" my hand through this ordeal.
Om Mani Padme Hum

Day 10 afternoon

2010-09-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

This was an amazing visit. It was so good to see Dereck without the tube down his throat and the even removed the feeding tube. Tomorrow other tubes come out of other places.....he didn't even know he had one "there". The whole ICU floor is smiling and happy for him. Dr. Hossain came in and was all smiles and we thanked him for saving Dereck's life. It has been so emotional for all of us. I can't even begin to tell you the joy I feel inside, the warmth that surrounds my body and now my muscles are all relaxed. I have never been for the 8pm visit as it's only 30 minutes, but I'm NOT missing it tonight.
I told Dereck about ALL of you that have been praying for him, sending good vibes, healing engergy or just thinking about him.......I don't think he grasps quite how many of you there are that have shown such amazing support, compassion and love to our family. I know I wouldn't have been able to do this without you. I cannot write this without mentioning Adam who has been at my side from the first day. He is on "vacation". Yeah....some vacation and I'm so thankful to him as he was a really good distraction for Kane and Tyler. So Adam.....if you are reading this, again....a huge thank you and I can't wait to see you again soon.
Delta family........we got the care package....LOL!! You put a BIG smile on Dereck's face. Just love how the 1st class tray and Styrofoam cups and bottle of water among other things made into the box. That was great! But what are those big blue things?? The only thing missing from that box were all the pilots and a few flight attendants. Thank you for sending the box. All the cards we have received, some too big to fit in the mail box.....you know who you are.....thank you! OK, I have 5 minutes to eat and leave for the 8pm visit.
One more thing before I leave.......Reggie Sealy is doing GREAT!! I think that Dereck should be able to text everyone soon. I left his phone with him.
I just wish I could personally thank each and everyone of you who have called, emailed, texted (they need to enter that word in the dictionary), left FB messages, blog comments, read the blog...... amazing and again......so freaking GRATEFUL!! Big kisses!! Fat ass hugs!!

I'm so stupidly happy!

Till next time.......Om Mani Padme Hum

Day 10 morning and noon

2010-09-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

OK. Sorry about the delay in posting. I got to the hospital late because it was late start for Kane's high school and I had to wait to drop him off.
They started talking about trying to wean him off between 12 and 2 this afternoon, but the doctor came by and said he wanted to try it immediately while we were there, so I sat through the wean process. It was very difficult because I imagine he felt like he was drowning, his knees drawn up to his chest, his face red and the look of fear deep within his eyes and I just held his hand tight, but he eventually coughed up stuff and then relaxed. The C-PAP mode was left on for an hour and we sat quietly with him encouraging him to take long deep breaths. After an hour, he was a pro and they were all thumbs up. Finally the resp. therapist asked him to take in one deep breath then let it out and he passed that. Next was to check the blood gas and he passed that too. The resp. therapist came in with some help and asked us to leave. They removed the tubes!!!! Remember what I told you about Three Little Birds? Well today was the 3rd attempt and he DID IT!!! They yanked out the tubes.....so he indicated. Couldn't have been fun at all. My poor man. I love him so much and to see him in so much discomfort was horrid. He is resting his throat right now and hopefully he can talk to me later today. Today was the first time they didn't kick me out. They actually wanted me to stay with him to keep him calm.
They are going to keep him in critical care for the next 24 hours to observe him. They will do small tests to see how his swallowing ability is doing before removing his feeding tube up his nose. If he can pass, they will remove that and begin to feed him pureed food. Once all of that has been tested and they're happy with the results, he will be moved to a regular ICU room where I can stay with him all day if I want. So let's hope that starts by tomorrow afternoon.
I am over the moon with joy that things are looking good for him and mostly that he passed the wean and the discomfort of the ventilator is GONE!!!
I want to let you know that Reggie is no longer in ICU. He had malaria, dengue and pneumonia! He is now getting some good physical therapy to get his motor skills and limbs moving the way they should. I am so happy for Reggie and so glad to hear he's doing great. He sent me several text messages via Dereck's phone this morning. Three cheers for Reggie!!

Till next time........ Om Mani Padme Hum

Day 9 afternoon

2010-09-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

I was fit to be tied to return for the midday visit, so for my own sanity, I decided to rest and not visit. I called prior to leaving for the afternoon visit to find out how the wean went and it didn't go as planned. He failed the second attempt. The new resp. therapist is amazing.....love him.....he said that when he came in the room, he told Dereck that in 30 minutes he was going to switch over and told him what to expect, but he did it right away, you know the whole psychological thing......and he labored to breathe for 30 minutes at 40 breaths a minute, so his lungs just aren't strong enough to be weaned yet. They will try again tomorrow. Can I tell you how much I love this new resp. therapist? He's a short black man with dread locks, he has 3 kids, 2 in college and 1 in high school and he LOVES his kids. We had a nice long chat and I adore this man. He is the one to help my husband to breathe on his own. He will be there again tomorrow and I look forward to meeting him again. When I arrived, I knew that Dereck had told the nurse that his feet were cold, so she gave him a sponge bath and gave him new socks, so he felt more comfortable. I also know that he wrote and asked the nurse what was going on, so she explained to him. When I got there, he was very emotional as expected and he wrote asking about his brothers and asked who cut his nails......nobody did, I am thinking that he may think he has been in the hospital a very long time, we can clarify that another day. I told him about Reggie and he opened his eyes big and wrote CALL HIM EVERY DAY. I also told him Javier came to see him yesterday and he tried to text Javier but his motor skills are not quite good enough to text, so I did it for him. He wanted to send a big hug to Javier. He also told me that he feels like he let every body down......this is so typical of Dereck, always concerned about everybody else even in his most vulnerable state. Bless his sweet little heart. They don't make too many people like him and I'm so blessed to have him in my life.
I played Three Little Birds for him and he was emotional about it, but after the song finished and the rest of the album played, he was tapping his toes and fingers to the beat of Bob Marley and then David Gray. He began to relax, then the nurse came in and upped his sedative and he fell asleep, so leaving him wasn't as difficult as this morning.
After he fell asleep...... about 20 minutes before visiting hours were over, I played Om Mani Padme Hum as I am not giving that up just yet. It's not over till its over. Keep the prayers going. It's all good.
So till tomorrow......my friends and family......Om Mani Padme Hum
I was also given another "gift" for Dereck from George. Thanks GQ!

Day 9 morning

2010-09-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

This morning's visit was bitter sweet. The sweet outweighing the bitter by far. When I arrived, the Diprovan was almost finished and the nurses said that they were going to switch sedatives. The new sedative is actually a better one to wean him off the ventilator, so while we were there, they changed sedatives. Dereck was awake. I mean, really awake and was trying so hard to communicate, but the vent was preventing him from talking, I saw him trying to move his lips, but I just didn't understand what he was trying to say. There was a balloon in the room from a visitor and he looked at it and indicated with both hands that he wanted something done with the balloon. I found some paper and got a pen so he could write and he wrote the word POP!!!, yep, with exclamation points too. I took the balloon home, unsure of why he wants it popped. He is definitely uncomfortable and extremely frustrated and feels hopeless and shed some tears because of such feelings. This was hard for us to see. But at the same time......it's good that he's so alert and responding with emotions. I saw Dr. Hossain, the intensivist doctor who has been phenomenal with Dereck and he was all smiles saying that there is no reason that Dereck cannot be weaned today. They are hopeful that it will be successful today. So let's keep our fingers crossed, pray a little more, focus our energies to his lungs a little more because that's where he needs it the most.
It was so hard for me to leave him today because he was aware that I was there and also aware that I was leaving and he didn't want me to leave. This has been hard for me, but I cannot imagine how much harder it has been for him. I feel happy that my blog entries are getting shorter but I will be happier when I can enter only good news of laughter and good health.

Tyler is doing a lot better this morning. He has to be free of fever for 24 hours before going back to school, his fever went back up to 101.4 last night so no school today.

Below are 2 "gifts" for Dereck. One is from a forum friend of mine who takes the most gorgeous photos, Stefanie Weber and the other one is from my beloved mother who thinks of Dereck as one of her sons.
Stefanie's gift

Mum's gift

Thank you so much, he loves Buddha and we have so many of them in and around our house.

Till next time........ Om Mani Padme Hum

Day 8 afternoon

2010-09-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

It was quiet this afternoon. Not a lot of people visiting. But he was asleep. I played Om Mani Padme Hum and used his beads. I also played Three Little Birds for him.
Fever still normal. Blood count stable and hemoglobin normal and best news is that the brain scan came back normal, but you can see that by the way he responds when not heavily sedated. I told him about his fail to breathe and so did the nurse, so he understands now that he has to work on that. He was put on the diuretic after we left at 1:30 and he passed 6.5 liters of urine in that time, so he's really draining out the fluids. They will x-ray him again tomorrow to see if the diuretic dried out the lungs. So that's what we are working toward now...... the lungs and the breathing.
After a while, I asked the nurse to turn down the Diprovan so that I could talk to him and she did, so the visit ended well. He squeezed my hand when I asked him to. The good thing about the Diprovan is that you don't remember anything and most patients won't even remember the breathing tube, so that's a blessing as it really is uncomfortable.

A lot of people have been asking me how the boys have been coping with all of this and they are doing great. Kane is my rock, always has been and always will be. I am able to cry on his shoulders and he keeps it together for me and reassures me that all will be well, he is concerned about his little brother too and keeps a close eye on him. Tyler......he is very emotional and has certainly cried a lot over this and I am there to be his rock. Dereck is Kane's rock and he is very certain that his dad will be back doing his regular old stuff in no time so as far as he is concerned, there is no need to cry. What can I say? He is one amazing kid and we are blessed to call him ours. The boys are so different in spite of having almost the same birthday June 17 & 18. The only thing the same about them is their parents.

I'll talk to you tomorrow.....till then.......Om Mani Padme Hum

Day 8 midday and 3 Little Birds

2010-09-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

First of all......I don't know why, what I'm about to say, is anything but me grasping at straws or not. Yesterday Darren (Dereck's older brother) told me that he had a dream that Dereck sat up in bed and asked for him and then he woke up. It was very early in the morning and the house was still dark and a little bird flew into his house and landed on his shoulder for 5 seconds and then flew back out. wow! Then this morning leaving the doctor's office, in my head I began to sing "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley - Dereck is a huge fan - then Tyler saw his dad's iPod and asked if he could play it, I was thinking to myself to ask him to play some Bob for me, but I decided to leave it and not say anything. Well Tyler put on Bob.....Stir it Up or something and after a few seconds changed it to....you got it..... Three Little Birds......I did all I could not to cry. Coincidence? Not sure. Dereck always tells me there are no coincidences. Good omen, definitely. So my story doesn't end there. I was just on the phone to Damian (Dereck's younger brother) telling him about Darren's bird story and my bird story and guess what? He TOO had a bird story, a bird was following him into his room and he couldn't get it to stay out! That was just yesterday. What do you think?
On to Dereck. When I arrived, Dereck was there in the same condition.......lying there, intubated, sedated and moving slightly. The nurse told me that they tried to wean him but he failed. My heart sank to such a depth that I'm finding it hard to find. I just want this to be over. FAIL?? The Camachos DON'T FAIL!!! The doctor told me that it could be one of three things.
1. He's just not ready to be weaned.
2. He may have some very deep sub-conscious anxiety issues and fears of being weaned.
3. The lungs look a bit wetter and this may be because of an over load of body fluids, when the body has a fluid overload, the fluids can seep into the lungs through tissues and blood cells, so they are going to put him on a diuretic to make him urinate a lot and get rid of the excess fluids.
They are tackling the diuretic method first. But on a good note, his fever is normal still. yay!

I'm going to foolishly analyze the birds....... 3 of us had a bird thing happen, so maybe he will be successfully weaned in 3 days? So Friday the 24th.......keep that in your minds and send him some more prayers for a successful wean no later than Friday. I may find the energy to have a drink or two. Till next time...... Om Mani Padme Hum

Day 8 morning

2010-09-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't make it to the hospital this morning because Tyler, my son woke up with fever (oh joy!) of 101.3. Gave him Motrin and made an appointment to see the doctor. He just has a cough and this fever, no signs of infection etc. Hopefully a day or two at home will have him fixed. I hate it when my kids get sick!! Not a good time for anyone in my house to get sick. Because of going to the pediatrician, I didn't make it to the hospital, but my neighbour, Agnes went.....she's a nurse at another hospital and she went to see Dereck and just called to fill me in. He has NO FEVER and his oxygen flow is down to 40%, so they will continue to wean him off the ventilator and maybe remove it really soon. She said he was very alert and saw when she came in the room and held out his hand to greet her. OMG!! I want to cry! I want to rush down there, but they are VERY strict about visiting hours and I know they won't let me in. I will go for the 12 o'clock visit. I hope this is the beginning of being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm very excited to see my love this afternoon.
Till next time my friends....... om mani padme hum

A little something before I visit today

2010-09-21T04:26:00.000-07:00

A friend (thank you!) sent this via email and I thought it was a lovely piece and Dereck would love it. He so loves the Dalai Lama. I thought I'd share this with you.

A Precious Human Life
Every day, think as you wake up,
today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive,
I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it,
I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings,
I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
H.H. the XIV Dalai Lama

Day 7 afternoon

2010-09-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today I feel like singing. I really do. It really has been a great day. I enjoyed this afternoon's visit so much. When I arrived, they had just finished the brain scan, so he went on a little field trip. Too sweet. His Diprovan was running out (the sedative) and he was quite alert, he knew we were there, he lifted up his hand to hug his mum. Then our friends Jon and Sherry came by and he indicated that he wanted to shake hands with Jon and so they did that........it warmed my heart to see how well he was responding and knowing who was there. He even met Tim, one of my friends and shook his hand for the very first time. He kept squeezing my hand.......gosh what a tight grip he has for someone in his condition. All of this excites me beyond belief! All these good reports are wonderful and all, but he's still considered "fall risk" as it's written on his door and it's written on a wrist band that he wears. But he IS heading in the right direction. He is indeed a warrior.

Below is a huge card that Sherry made for him and it's got the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra on it, I showed it to him and he likes it. I know he will keep it forever.
Today is the first day that my whole body didn't feel like Jell-O!! I've lost 5 pounds. That's a good thing sort of......but when he gets home, I'm gonna be so freaking happy that I'm going to put it back on in one meal! BRING IT ON!!

Please continue to pray, send good healing vibes and hum or play that mantra for my Dereck and for Reggie. I understand and know what his family is going through.

I tell you....... after all of this is over, I think I need to spend a month on the beach with my honey and my kids. They are EVERYTHING to me. Next month Dereck and I celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. Eighteen years and I'm still not sick of him. He's the best husband and best dad anyone could ever want.
Till next time...... Om Mani Padme Hum

PS. I forgot to mention....... there was a different resp. therapist in this afternoon and she was sooo nice. She said hello when she came in, she told us what she was doing, she was aware that it was uncomfortable for Dereck and she tried to soothe him and keep him calm. Hello!! BIG DIFFERENCE from the jackass he has had for the past few days. When she left, I told her thanks for being nice.

day 7 morning

2010-09-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yes! A change of scenery. I think that some have had a hard time reading the blog due to low contrast, so I gave the blog a little face lift and I hope it's easier to read now.

This morning was a much calmer visit. No snafus like yesterday. I also reported that idiot to admin. Heather is the nurse on duty, she was his nurse on Thursday/Friday and was amazing. When I arrived his temp was 99.3. Still sedated and intubated. I had to sign some papers so he can have his brain scanned for possible issues, but they don't see that there will be anything serious, but just to rule things out, they have to do it. He seems less swollen in the eyes and his right arm and hand. It seems to have gone to his left arm and hand, he looks like Popeye! hee hee! Some of you may know I have affectionately nicknamed Dereck "Caveman" because he is so coarse about doing certain things like folding delicate or small things and so I was telling him this morning that his hair needed cutting and he needs a good shave and I told him he looks like a real caveman.....he raised one eyebrow, so that made me laugh because I know he can hear me. I told him about the people who have been calling and contacting me in other ways out of concern and he is acknowledging all of that but he won't remember it all as that's what the sedative does.
They also said that they are going to try to remove the vent in about 2 days, so please keep up the vibes, thoughts and prayers and the healing mantra.
It is hard for me to keep up with the phone calls and FB messages and wall messages on both Dereck's FB and mine, but do know that I read them and am so thankful.
I also want to ask you to send some good strong vibes, prayers and thoughts to Dereck's friend, Reggie who is also very sick with malaria. He has a different strain, but he's also very sick. I am so upset to hear about this. I have never met Reggie, but Dereck talks very fondly of him and I know that Dereck would try very hard to be at Reggies side during this difficult time.
Till next time.....
Om Mani Padme Hum

Day 6 afternoon

2010-09-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

OK, so I have cleared up a few things. First of all the person who I thought was a pulmonologist is really a respiratory therapist who has the worst bedside manners. The asshole was there again this afternoon man handling Dereck. I had to leave the room as I was going to jump on him and scratch out his eyes!
I spoke to his nurse, Terri and his intensivist doctor about what happened earlier. I told them that I was not happy when I left that I was completely unhinged and upset and my legs were like jello the entire day. They were apologetic and suggested I file a complaint and told me how to do it, so I will be doing that tomorrow. So I got that sorted out..... on to stuff about Dereck. I think I mentioned that the malaria level is way down to .5% and they expect it to go to zero. His fever still fluctuates, it was at 99.1 when we arrived at 5 and before we left it went back up to 100, so not too bad. It's getting to where it needs to be. Because of the nafu that happened earlier this morning, they discovered that there's a slight infection happening in the lungs, so some antibiotics have been given to him for that. They also want to do a brain scan to make sure that nothing funky is going on upstairs. I hope it's all OK. Every so often, they turn down the sedative to give him a break and during that time, he can respond to simple instructions like blink twice, do you know your mum is here and he will blink his eyes and nod his head, so he seems to be OK in that respect.
Back to the asshole....... this afternoon, he needed to come in and take a sample to be tested and he began to man handle my husband, I left the room and some friends were visiting and told me that he shoved his fingers in Dereck's mouth and this caused some bleeding, so when they asked where the blood was coming from, he walks out the room saying that the blood is coming from the lungs and he is a very sick man. YOU DON'T DEAL WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY LIKE THIS!!!!! There were a lot of us there and not one person liked how he was treating Dereck, so I know I'm not being hyper sensitive.
Tomorrow is a new day.......I hope for something good.

Day 6 morning

2010-09-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today's visit was scary. When Dawn (his mother) and I arrived, he was asleep, but then he began to open his eyes and wiggle quite a bit. I asked him if the tube down his throat was bothering him and he nodded. The pulmonologist came in and began to check the tubes in his mouth and discovered that Dereck wiggled it out, so all hell broke loose in that room. Dawn and I scattered out like rats into the hallway to wait out this scary moment. I could hear his maxi taxi coughing going on and it seemed like it went on for a very long time. What had happened is that the tube down his throat got some blood in it and was dried up making it harder for air to pass through and he was able to dislodge it. So they had to replace everything. I had no idea that he just CAN'T BREATHE ON HIS OWN. I don't know what was going on in my head. Of course he can't breathe on his own, that's why he's intubated. But I thought they were just regulating his breathing because the fever had him panting. When they removed the old tubes, his stats dropped, so it will be a while before he can breathe on his own. The doctor checks his breathing ability every 2 hours. I don't know if knowing too much is worse than knowing nothing at all. It is totally up to Dereck's body to heal and until it does that, he will remain intubated and sedated. He should be fully sedated while intubated so that he isn't aware of the discomfort.
I don't like the pulmonologist much.......no bed side manner and he finds it strange that I don't understand the medical jargon that flies out of his mouth. Chewps!
On a better note, the malaria level is now less than .5% which is fantastic! He needs 2 more units of blood as his count went back down to 8 and I think it needs to be up near 16 or something like that.
So still keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he is still a long way away from healed.

I hold my loves hand hoping to give him some healing energy. This is taking a long time and I miss him so much and long for his recovery. I still play Om Mani Padme Hum for him over and over and over. I long to see those fingers slide over the strings of one of his 6 guitars.....you think he has enough?

Day 5 afternoon

2010-09-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Can I say how exhausted I am? I feel we are so close to the end of this horrific journey, but still so far. When I got to his room this afternoon, I saw his right leg dangling off the bed - sweet!! He must be ready to come home! LOL! Not really.......his sedative was almost finished and so he was waking up and wiggling around on the bed, lifting his arms and legs and even trying to lift his head, coughing and opening his eyes. I made sure to stand right in front of him as I wanted him to see me. But coming out of sedation, he responds well. The nurse came in to give him another bag of the sedative and she asked him to open his eyes and he did. But his temperature was back up at 101.7 which is normal for that time of day. She said that typically our temperatures rise in the evenings and at night, so it's normal. They will continue to give him Tylenol and monitor the fever. I was told that he was on 100% oxygen and they have reduced it to 50%, so this is another good sign that he is becoming less dependent on his tubes and meds and things. They think he should be on the vent for another 3 to 5 days........seems like forever! I am so anxious for him to come off of everything so he can begin to talk and get back to normal, but I know all this will happen in due course.

Dereck's mother came in last night and she got to see her boy this morning. Nothing quite like the love of a mother, it can be so healing.

Day 5 morning

2010-09-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

I am actually writing this from the hospital. I got here to find that they removed the cooling blanket because they had it on and he began to shiver. I have told them over and over that he HATES the cold, so they finally got it. I no longer have that machine to check his temperature. It was connected to him with an inserted probe (use your imagination) and then it monitored his fever constantly. I know he is happy the probe is gone. They now check the temperature manually through the ear every 4 hours. And the best news is that his temperature is down again to 100.7!!! YES!!!!
Our dear and good friend Don Maingot told me about Om Mani Padme Hum a magical healing mantra. Thanks Don! So with that, I found the mantra on youtube and I brought my laptop so I could play it for him over and over and over. Here is the link to the mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum
I also brought his Buddhist prayer beads and placed them in his hand.
All of you who have been praying, sending positive vibes and healing energy his way.......THANK YOU so much because it has been working! I took a few photos and will finish writing as visiting hours are now over till noon.

Day 4 - Dereck (Afternoon update)

2010-09-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

This afternoon wasn't much different from this morning. Fever still up there and they keep giving him Tylenol to bring it down. When I got to his room this afternoon, his temp was at 102.3 which was better than this morning. By the time I left it dropped to 101.9, not much......but still dropped enough to excite me. I never thought that watching a bunch of numbers on a machine would excite me so much. LOL!

This is his temperature monitor and I have been watching it like a hawk. Like waiting for that pot of water to boil. He is still under sedation, but they reduced the amount of sedative very slightly. They wanted to start weaning him off the sedative and the vent today, but the fever is still too high. With the fever this high, he breathes too fast at 50-60 breaths per minute and this is too tiring for him. He uses up too much of his energy breathing and we want his body to channel that energy to his whole body so he can recover. The vent keeps his breathing at 16 breaths a minute. We love the vent. If his fever drops over night to normal, then they will begin to wean him tomorrow, if not, then they will keep giving him Tylenol to control the fever till his body is ready for a normal temp. They also started to feed him through a tube up his nose. Getting nutrients will help his body to fight the fever. Another thing he did this afternoon was cough. Now.....with the vent down his throat, his coughing makes the vent go off like a Maxi Taxi's horn. I know my West Indian friends who are reading this know very well what those maxi taxi horns sound like. It was quite funny at the moment because I am now calling him maxi taxi. Kane was telling me that I was being mean, but that just made me laugh more and I know if Dereck was conscious, he would be laughing at it too. At first I was very concerned about the coughing, but the nurse told me it was a very good thing. So that made me happy.

I look forward to a brighter day from my beloved Maxi Taxi tomorrow.

Another tender moment between brothers. Damian holding Dereck's hand to warm it up.

Day 4 - Dereck

2010-09-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

Damian came in last night and we went to visit Dereck this morning. For the past few visits I was expecting to see improvements, but only got disappointing news of further deterioration till last night, so I proceeded to the hospital with caution and tried not to have high expectations.....try to be realistic. Dereck always accuses me of living in a fairyland bubble and I always said he was a pessimist, but he says he's a realist, so I am trying hard to be like him.
So.....Dereck is still on the ventilator and this time heavily sedated as they need him to rest so that his body can heal properly. His fever went back up to 102.9 and the nurse (Heather) had just given him Tylenol. She decided not to turn on the cooling blanket, but turned the a/c to max cool (man was it cold in the room!) and left off his blankets. While I was there the temp dropped slightly to 102.7 so it was working. I got there late, so we didn't have much time with him. The cardiologist came in and said that his heart was doing great and all the other doctors who visited said all was well. His spleen is doing great and not swollen as they sort of expected (I forgot why), so that's a very good sign, but his liver is tender as that is where the malaria starts. It goes to the liver first and then works it's way up and around from there. His liver must be very tender because in his deep sedation, he flinched twice while his abdomen was being examined. His blood count is still low, so they were giving him more blood to get the count back up. They will begin to reduce the sedative and slowly test his breathing by reducing the use of the vent tomorrow.
I will be going back to the hospital to see him at 5pm today, so I will post another update if there's anything different to tell you.
Thanks for stopping by and blessings to all of you who have shown us great support.

Brotherly love. Damian trying to warm up Dereck's feet because anyone who knows Dereck will know that he HATES to be cold, he HATES winter and so knowing this, we were trying to warm up his feet and his hands. Bless his warm little heart. We love him so much.

Dereck

2010-09-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

As most of you already know, Dereck has been fighting malaria. He started to feel sick on Friday September 10th. On Sunday I took him to the ER because his fever wasn't going away. It reached a peak of 102.7. Not good. He asked to be tested for malaria and on Monday night, the hospital called with the news of positive for malaria. We checked him into hospital and I stayed with him till they began the doxicycline (probably all spelled wrong). The next morning he sent me a text to say that the antibiotic didn't work and they were moving him up to ICU because his malaria level was severe. They consider sever at 10% and he came in at 23%. In ICU, they added quinine. The cardiologist didn't like what one of the antibiotics was doing to his heart. His blood pressure dropped very low and he wasn't happy about that, so they ordered an experimental drug from Europe called Atresunate. Very good reports of it being highly successful all over Europe, but still considered an experimental drug here in the States. His ID (Infectious Disease) doctor was working with the CDC and got them to approve the new drug, so they started it last night and ordered 4 units. Last night when I saw him, he was talking, but it was hard for him and his motor skills were slowing down. By this morning, he was almost non responsive, only nodding his head for everything. I left for an hour and then returned to find him on a C-PAP machine (I was horrified!). I was scared and left the hospital very upset. The nurse on call promised she'd call if anything changed. At this point, he was considered to be critical.
By 4:30 this afternoon she called to update me when she gave me the good news that the Atresunate was working and his malaria levels DROPPED to less than 1%!!!!!! Yay!!!!! They also had to put him on a ventilator because his breathing was very shallow and he was fighting and tired. So they had to help him breathe. But he was trying hard to talk and couldn't because of the ventilator. His temperature was very high......it soared to 105 and so they put a cooling blanket under him to reduce the fever which then dropped to normal, so tonight they are doing a plasma exchange to flush out the dead malaria cells and replace it with new plasma cells, so things are looking up and all this after only 2 units of Atresunate! I am beyond excited about this major turn around and look forward to seeing him tomorrow. Out of respect for my husband, I am only posting a photo of his gorgeous hand.

I can't thank you enough for all the prayers, good vibes and positive thoughts you sent his way. It makes me very emotional to see such an overwhelming response. Everyone from friends, family, Delta employees and even some of my on line friends who have never even met us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will be going to see him again tomorrow morning and will post after I leave the hospital.
Many blessings
Jacqui

Smoke

2010-09-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with some burning incense lately. So much fun to see what the results are.

Who knew that THIS

and THIS

could turn into THIS!!

My handsome dog, Blue.

2010-09-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

I am loving my new macro lens. It even makes a good portrait lens. Look at this handsome devil of a dog. Even his toenails are cute!

The S family

2010-09-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen Jiejie in about a year. What a treat it was so see her. I saw Charlie a couple of times at parties and of course mum and dad. These are 2 vibrant, happy and busy little kids and it was a pleasure to take their photos to commemorate Jiejie's adoption date. We are so happy to have Jiejie with us!

Jiejie in her beautiful silk dress from China. It's almost too small for her! She's growing so fast!

Jiejie's big brother, Charlie loves Jack, the horse.

Big brother smile.

Macro Madness

2010-09-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have been inspired for a long time by Heidi's macro photography and recently bought myself a macro lens to begin learning all about macro photography. I need to learn more about depth of field in macro shots and the focal point. So much to learn!! How can anyone ever say they have nothing more to learn in photography? Not possible. I love the endless learning and the adventure and how photography has enabled me to see our beautiful world with it's beautiful people in a whole new light.

Kewpie with an owl hat

2010-09-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Every time I go to Urban Outfitters, I have to stop myself from buying all the kitschy stuff. So hard to not buy. But this time I decided what harm could a cute little Kewpie doll do? NOTHING! How adorable is he? I just noticed that under his cute little feet it says MADE IN CHINA (I thought he was Japanese!) and on the other foot it says DREAMS 2005. Does that make him the li'l man of my dreams? I also treated myself to a new lens. This time it's a macro lens and I have little experience in macro photography, so I'm gonna start with my little Kewpie doll with an owl hat on.

The Colour Purple

2010-09-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Another favourite colour of mine. Purple. It's the final colour for The Creative Colour Challenge. I had a hard time with this colour even though I absolutely love the colour. I had some other ideas in my head that I might still try. One was to fill a purple balloon with cornstarch and glitter, blow it up a little and then capture the burst with the cornstarch and glitter scattering and the other one was smoke or even food colouring in water, but this was ready and easy to do.

Accra, Ghana

2010-08-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

My husband is a pilot and he had one last trip to Ghana for the year and invited me to go with him. What an experience. I do want to go into a lot of detail here, but I don't know where to start. I'm going to start with a few photos of the things and places I saw. Leaving Accra on a tour to the country where we did a canopy tour and went to see some crocodiles and then to a 500-600 year old slave castle in the village of Elmina.

The canopy tour. We were over 100 feet above the ground. Couldn't see the bottom of the forest. All we saw were the tops of other trees. Scary. Very scary! And me touching the tail of a croc. And finally, Cape Coast. 3 beach vendors strolling looking for a sale.

SEA GREEN

2010-08-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

The colour for this week is sea green. Ahhh, another fav of mine. Again, I have been able to swim in that colour. It's a pretty colour, but not nearly as orgasmic as turquoise. Nothing comes close to turquoise. Anyway.....last summer, we went on holiday to several places and one of them was Thailand. I just love that place. So many wonderful people and places and the food, OMG, the food!!! So delicious and so much of it available to all levels of income. The first photo was taken from a speed boat where we went to visit the Phi Phi islands. This cove was unreal, the water was so green and so clear! I wish we could have stopped to swim, but it wasn't part of the tour...... y'know, to stop and swim, but we did stop elsewhere for a snorkel.

The second photo is of The Emerald Pool. This time it was a land tour, we also went for a ride on an elephant which was scary and fun. So this emerald pool......wow! Never seen anything quite like it. So pretty, so clear and the perfect temperature to swim in.

I would have posted something original for this week, but I'm leaving for Africa tomorrow. If I can find something sea green to take a photo of while there, I will and IF we have Internet access at the hotel, I can post, if not, this is it. Thanks for popping by!

BUSTED!

2010-08-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Jeanette House. Yay! Jeanette......I think I want to cuss you for this. Who am I going to tag?

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?
Oh boy.....I started this blog because I thought I had to. Doesn't every photographer have a blog? It doesn't matter to me if I have a blog or not. Not sure that anyone really reads my blog, so therefore I must be an anonymous blogger. But either way, I'm as happy as can be! Yay!

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.
I am not a stubborn person. Never have been.

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the face in the mirror?
I'm going to be very superficial about this because, I could go on a bit much about "who" I see. So I do see a mature woman with blond hair that needs to make an appointment at the hairdresser to fix those roots. So yeah, sorry, but I'm not about to get down to it with the real answer to that question.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?
I love a good fruit punch, nice cold sangria and always a good chug of beastly cold water.

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
I like to go to my friend, Michelle's store to hang out and be creative. If I stay home, I do the same thing or I'll surf the net, edit photos or even organize my external hard drives. A good clean out is always a great thing to do.

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?
I want to travel the world. Spare no corners.....go everywhere. I want to see it all, learn it all and photograph it all.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school? Describe who you were if not one of these.
Definitely the class clown. I was too scared to ditch school, but I did it once and got caught. Go figure! So all the risky ones did it on a regular basis and never got caught. I do it once and get caught. Life! LOL!

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?
LOL! Seriously? Why? The day my dad died. It was one of the best and worst days. The best because I spent the day with a lot of wonderful friends and I was on holiday. The worst because at the end of the day, I was given the bad news.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?
Not easy at all. Not sure why one would want to post such intimate stuff on a public blog and I don't understand why anyone would want to read about my true self. I rather write about events. Stuff I've done.....so much more interesting, don't you think?

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
Both. I love to chat to my friends and family and I enjoy reading too. My family lives far away from me, so I need to talk to them every so often.

Lucky 2

Jenny Blair

Heidi Brand

Heidi.......Jenny....so sorry hun.....but I don't know who else to tag. I don't think I can tag the person who tagged me. Ya know......

TURQUOISE

2010-08-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Oh my, when I tell you, turquoise is my favourite colour, it almost feels like an understatement. If I could translate how I feel when I see this colour, you'd all think I was mad. It lifts me up and makes me feel all fuzzy inside. It excites me and makes me just want to stare at it. You would be surprised to see how often this colour shows up in nature and also in your everyday life around you. Be observant for a day and mentally record how often you see this colour naturally (in nature) or just around you, a splash of it on a billboard, verdigris from some old leaky pipe, someone's shoes, or clothing, a wall even a house. I often go to Barbados (cuz I was born there) and love to take my kids there so they know their roots and learn about the culture. The sea water there is turquoise, so you can just imagine how excited I get to be able to actually SWIM in my favourite colour. Have it totally envelop me. Ahhhhh!!! Doesn't get any better than that! Below is my entry for The Creative Colour Challenge and a photo of my very good friend and her daughter in Barbados admiring the deliciousness of the turquoise sea in Barbados.

RASPBERRY BALLOON

2010-08-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

This week's color challenge is RASPBERRY or RED. I have always wanted to do this sort of high speed shot. Nothing fancy was used, just natural light and my camera set on burst mode to capture every second.

The Creative Colour Challenge

2010-08-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

I joined up with another blogger who is challenging anyone who is interested in exploring the wonderful world of colour. Each week in August, we will explore a colour and submit our work of art. Doesn't matter if the piece is photography, water colour, acrylics, mosaics....whatever your medium of choice is, then create it according to the rules. The first week colour choice is YELLOW. This is my submission......and an out take.

Spring Break, Barbados 2010

2010-04-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

So we went to Barbados. Yes!! Florida has been bashed around by the cold weather. Unusually cold for us Floridians and we needed to get back to our sun, sea & sand and soak in the heat and enjoy the company of good friends. Pictured, hubby and the boys on the plane ride to Barbados, a little chattle house in Barbados, Kane doing a back flip, Tyler holding some crab claws, dry docked fishing boats on the west coast of Barbados and Mother Frog on the east coast. The rock looks like a frog sitting and watching over the bay.

Krabi, Thailand

2009-11-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

Our next stop was Thailand. We stayed in Krabi at a hotel called Railay Bay Resort & Spa where we could only get to by boat. Long tail boat. What an experience!! I loved every minute of our stay there. We were there for 5 lovely days.
Me in Railay Bay. A long tail boat. My family on a boat tour to the Phi Phi islands, yes, pronounced pee-pee. Long tail boats lined up in Don Phi Phi Koh (the largest of the Phi Phi islands). My boys and I in the Emerald Pool on another tour. This place was amazing.
Kane and I on our lady elephant. That was pretty cool. Finally, a photo of my husband and kids negotiating a price for a ride back to the pier on a tuk-tuk. A popular mode of transportation in Thailand.

More Singapore

2009-11-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

We all loved Singapore. There's something for everyone there. We did an awful lot of walking. Visited Little India (my fav!!), got henna, so did the boys. Went to the zoo and visited Sentosa Island. The best place for the boys was Sim Lim Plaza. Something crazy like 8 floors of nothing but electronics of every sort.
Below is Sim Lim Plaza. Elephants at the zoo, me with my henna taking a photo of the Merlion, a famous Singapore statue that used to be at the mouth of the Singapore River, they have since reclaimed land around it. My husband with a bunch of rambutan. A fruit that's plentiful in south east Asia. It's similar to lychee. It was my first time eating the fruit.

Singapore

2009-11-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

Moving along....we flew from Japan to Singapore. We stayed there for 4 days. We got a lot done in such a short time. My husband grew up there, so it was great to have someone who know where they were going. I have visited Singapore before and the last time I was there, my 15 year old was 3 months old. And things have changed a lot since then!
It so happened to be close to Singapore National Day, same as Independence day. They were lots of festivities and shows. Us in Raffles sports grounds waving the Singapore flag.
Below, a Hindu temple, a bum boat in the Singapore River.

More of the Buddhist Temple in Japan

2009-11-19T17:01:00.000-08:00

A ceremony of some sort going on at the temple and a shot of Japanese Maple. The gardens at the temple was so gorgeous.

It's been a while

2009-11-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

I went on an amazing trip to South East Asia. We decided it was a good time to show the kids a different part of the world and introduce them to a different culture.

These photos were taken at the oldest Buddhist Temple in Narita, Japan. We stayed only a day in Japan to break up the flying.

Lookie what we have here

2009-04-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

A beautiful baby girl born to Krystel and Tommy. She's gorgeous and came sporting quite a coif of hair!

Another gorgeous mother to be

2009-02-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

I know I'm really behind on things and I do apologize for it.
Anyway, I'm convinced that there's something in the water because I have been getting a lot of phone calls about maternity photos. Everyone is pregnant! They are always gorgeous and glowing.

Introducing Noah

2008-12-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

So Simone had her baby and what a gorgeous little man he is. Life isn't what it used to be. Busy with nursing, changing diapers, night time parties in Noah's crib that can last for a few hours! A bit of crying to air his views and 2 brand new nervous parents running around doing as they are told....orders by an infant who can't even talk yet! LOL!

Mother to be

2008-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is precious to me. I have known this beautiful woman since she was under 10 years old. She is my husband's 1st cousin and my first born's God mother and one of my closest friends. It doesn't get any better than that. I have longed for the opportunity to be able to take her photos. Pregnant photos, no less!!! I am so happy for you!

Trenton

2008-12-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

I know I have my blog stalkers that come and remind me that my last post is way too old and for that, I'm grateful. But since my last post, my lovely pregnant model/client gave birth to a beautiful bouncing baby boy. They named him Trenton. Congratulations to what is now a party of 4.

Oops!! This is what happens when we try to get great naked baby photos. He "went" in his ear!

Big sister had a bit of a problem for this shoot. Baby brother was a bit too new and she wasn't quite used to him being around and didn't want to be in any photos with him. She didn't mind being photographed alone. We didn't mind either. Thanks Leah!
Since this photo shoot, we are proud to announce that Leah is now great friends with her baby brother and loves to be in pictures with him.

BEAUTIFUL MAMA

2008-08-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

I have been taking photos of her and her daughter for a few years and now I photograph her while she radiates with child.

It has been a long time since I found the time to add new stuff to my blog. I might begin to post personal stuff as I have found that in my progress as a photographer, I am beginning to enjoy imagery that is created in Photoshop - seriously, one of my best tools ever. Here are a few that are regular portraits and some imagery that I have begun to learn and love. Hopefully you'll think it was worth the wait since March (please.... I really do feel bad about that). So enjoy and feel free to leave comments.

Happy Birthday To You!

2008-03-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe a year has gone by already. This little man was so busy and so tired. He was so excited for his first birthday photo shoot, he just couldn't go to sleep before I got there, so toward the end of the shoot, his eyes were a bit red. But he's oh so cute and did he ever love getting into that cake!!!

Blogger Blogged up!

2008-03-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well it seems as if Blogger doesn't want me to upload any pictures today. Bah!!!

Little Woman

2008-02-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of taking photos of this delightful woman who stands only 4' 10". Wow!! I don't know anyone that short. Her personality is larger than life and she laughs a lot. What a joy it was working with her.

A cool thing that I found out about her is that we share the same birth date. January girls ROCK! Hope your birthday was as fun as mine.

The Beauty of Pregnancy

2008-02-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

I just don't understand people who don't celebrate being pregnant. It's a beautiful time in a woman's life. Carrying a child that she will forever love. So our bodies look different, but to me.......it's gorgeous. I always find myself staring at pregnant women and thinking how beautiful they look. Some women aren't as fortunate to become pregnant and those of us who can get pregnant and have had children of our own who make comments about how ugly pregnant women look and that they ought to hide out indoors for the duration of their pregnancy, should think twice about making such comments. There are women out there who would give anything to look like that, to bare their own children, to get stretch marks and watch their skin sag just so that they can bring a child of their own into this world. Don't take being pregnant for granted. It's a wonderful thing.

He's Here!

2008-01-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

In my prior post, I showed you some lovely photos of a woman expecting. She didn't know what to expect. A boy, or a girl.............. she had a boy. He came into this world on Dec. 19th 07 weighing in at 7lb. 7oz and 21 in. long.
Welcome to our world, little boy! You are going to bring a lot of joy and happiness to all those around you.

Expecting

2007-11-29T06:01:00.000-08:00

Isn't amazing how much we expect? We expect our babies to come on time, we expect tomorrow to be sunny and perfect for us, we expect our friends to be loyal. Why do we expect so much?
These are the latest photos of my dear friend who is expecting a baby. She has no idea if the baby is a boy or a girl, but she expects the baby to be here soon. I expect that she will love these photos.
I took my very first maternity photos ever of my friend just 2 years ago and I never expected that those photos would launch my photography business. I didn't expect it and I wasn't disappointed by the outcome, in fact, I love it and am forever grateful that my dear friend believes in me so much that she shares her photos with the world.
On a closing note.....
If there were less expectations, there would be less disappointment.

Graceful

2007-10-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

My dear friends surprised me by showing up and spending a night with us. We got quite a lot done in 24 hours. We went to Monsters in the Marsh at a local preserve, a cute Halloween event for kids. This little treasure was a bit scared, but for the most part enjoyed herself. We at Chinese for dinner, got in a quick photo shoot and then her mom and I hit the mall for some retail therapy. Woo! Feels good now.

So......... here are a few from her photo shoot.

This one is the very best of the tutu series. She shows so much personality here. I love it!

Can you believe it's already time for Christmas???

She's getting BIGGER!

2007-10-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe a year has passed since I took Miss Riley's photos. She's getting so big! Before you know it, she'll be telling every one in the house what to do! Look out, mom and dad!

This is when she was little...........

I know that mom and dad have been checking out my blog frequently, excited to see the last photo shoot, but unfortunately, I am a bit behind because my husband ended up in hospital twice in the space of 7 days with kidney stones. So let's hope all that is behind us and I can get on with my editing. Thanks for being so patient with me.

see how much she's grown?

Congratulations!

2007-09-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

It was my pleasure to attend and shoot my dear friend's journey into womanhood at her bat mitzvah. We took photos before and after the ceremony as photography isn't allowed during service. Understood, but there were a lot of very symbolic and meaningful stages of the ceremony that would have been nice to capture forever in a photo.

So this is to say Mazel Tov! to my friend Julie. I love you!

Julie reading from the prayer book.

Julie and her parents.

Julie and her mother.

In the height of celebration, Julie is lifted above a dancing crowd. How fun! Mazel Tov!

Later on after the chair lifting and buffet, Julie takes a moment to strike a pose for me. Thanks, Julie! You look so grown up!

Zetta

2007-07-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while, but I don't like to take on much work when my boys are on vacation. They don't like going to photo shoots with me. Anyway, I did this gorgeous woman a few weeks ago and am very happy with the results. Oh, and my boys were NOT with me on this shoot. They did something fun with their dad. LOL

Little Miss

2007-05-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

I had the greatest pleasure photographing this beauty a few weeks ago. Her mother has to be one of the most laid back mothers I have ever met. She has embraced motherhood like this was her 10th child. So comfortable with it. I wish I had been like that. It has taken me 13 years to feel comfortable being a mother and even still......... there are moments that have me in a spin.

Sweet Apple

2007-04-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

I bought a new backdrop and I love it! It arrived the day before I left on vacation. Do you have any idea how agonizing that is? I had to pack it away and leave it till I got back. So OK, I completely forgot about it the minute it was packed away. After all........ let's weigh it out here. Try out new drop or pack for vacation?? I definitely packed. We went to Barbados for a week and had a blast. You can view my vacation photos on my FLICKR site.
Anyway.......... on my return, I unpacked my Sweet Apple drop from SILVERLAKE
Kane was the closest victim.

So Sorry....

2007-03-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a little "behind" so please enjoy the view till I find the time to post other cuties.

Pocahontas

2007-02-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

She was little blond Pocahontas. She whispers her answers and loves typical little girl things.

Don't you love the face in this one? Makes me smile.

Boy

2007-02-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

The last time I photographed this little man he was a newborn. He is beginning to look just like his dad. I had fun doing this. He didn't feel like smiling today. I think he reserves the biggest and best smiles for his mum and dad exclusively. Still........ isn't he adorable?

Little Miss

2007-02-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

Little Miss came over to my house and I managed to have the shoot done in record time. Before she got cranky for dinner. As usual, a lot of fun. She has grown so much and is quite mobile and loves to pick stuff up and put it in her mouth.

Teen

2007-02-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of taking some quick fun photos of this delightful girl.

Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed shooting her.

Expecting

2007-02-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

There is definitely something special about pregnant women. They glow and are always happy!
I had the opportunity to shoot this lovely lady in waiting. Her husband had me laughing with his ideas........ and I have to say, they were really good and fun too!

His idea to have the surprised look with the measuring tape. I love it! So fun.

Life Blooms

2007-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

There is something very special about a pregnant woman. She glows. She's very happy and all of that oozes out of her very being. I love to take photos of pregnant women. This client of mine was no exception. She's gorgeous and a pleasure to work with. Enjoy the photos and thanks for looking.

The Face that Launched a Thousand Jobs

2007-01-23T05:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, indeed. The very face indeed. This is Candice. If it wasn't for her and these very photos, I wouldn't be in the photography business. I wouldn't be buying lights and backdrops and taking on jobs. So thanks Candice. Thanks for your kind words, your belief in me and for spreading the word.

Back in December

2007-01-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

I did a "for fun" photo shoot back in mid December. I have to give a holler out to my friend Candice who pretty much forced me into this business. I cannot begin to thank her for all she has done for me. All you really need for this business is talent and someone that believes in you.
The first photos I took were of Candice when she was pregnant with her son, Nicolas. I will have to make a separate entry of the maternity photos I am talking about some other day.
This day, I shared with another talented photographer, Keena DaSilva who has been shooting way before me, but took a break and now I'm trying hard to get her back on track.

Thank You Mr. & Mrs. Renwick!

2007-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

The below post would never have happened if it weren't for the baby's mother (and father?). Scared of receiving hate mail from them if I make a mistake. So just in case........ I have to say that both parents were involved in landing me that amazing job and exposure. They showed a friend of theirs who works for an ad agency in Trinidad and she loved the photo and found a client who wanted to use the photo in an ad over Christmas. I sure hope I got the story right. What ever it is that took place, I landed the job and am forever thankful to my wonderful friends, Melissa and Stephen Renwick.

I have known Stephen since I was in pre-school and met Melissa the day before she married Stephen. It was an instant connection. We have been great friends ever since.

These are Matthew's wonderful parents. Stephen and Melissa Renwick.
The next 2 images are of Matthew taken the same time as the photo the agency chose for the commercial.
Once again....... thank you my dear, dear friends.

Commercial

2007-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

Someone saw one of my photos and asked to use it in a new years greeting in a magazine. Of course I said yes and got paid too. Doesn't get much better than that, does it?!

Here's what was printed. It's either a magazine or newspaper in Trinidad. This is definitely a proud moment in my career as a photographer.

Motocross!

2007-01-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my boys had some lessons and today was just for fun. There were lots of people at the track today. This is not what I usually shoot, but because my sons are involved, I like to take my camera along and capture them (and others) enjoying the ride. Hope you enjoy the ride too.

This is Tyler just about to wipe out! Then the mighty fall. He lay there motionless for a few seconds because he was trying to clear the mud out of his teeth. lol

This is Kane riding and his wipe out. Can't have a good day without a few good wipe outs!
Other guys doing their thing.

For Betty Gray

2007-01-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

I have so much to add today. Yesterday, I went over to my neighbour's house and had a lot of fun with the kids and my camera. Natalia again........ I can't stop taking photos of her! She is just too adorable. In their yard, they have this very cool, well built doll house that's the perfect backdrop/setting for fun photos.

Oh, you must be wondering who Betty Gray is? You can check out her site at cc photography.com

This is Natalia's older sister, Angela. I like to call her Goosie........ she's at that age where she doesn't hear very well and when I say something to her, she makes this sound like a goose "Huh?" So I gave her the nickname which I think is quite fitting.

This is Angela's duck. He has a name, but I don't remember what it is. He has this cool hairdoo that's quite unique. Angela thought it would be fun to put the duck in a tutu.

Natalia showed me how Cat In The Hat smiles. She did a great job!! hahahaha!!

And now her real smile that is just the most beautiful smile ever!
Not to be forgotten, this is Andres....... the middle child. Natalia's older brother and Angela's younger brother. He is a good friend to my boys.

The children s' father has this fabulous old car that also makes a fantastic prop for photos.
And a few odds and ends from different parts of the yard. Animals and ornaments.

Again......... thanks for looking.

Natalia

2006-12-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

Before I forget, happy new year to all my viewers. Be safe and enjoy the night.

This is Natalia. She is the daughter of my new neighbours. She has 2 older siblings and I feel that my family has grown by 3 kids. If they are not at my house, then my kids are over at their house. One big happy family. I love it! I have been dying to take photos of the kids for a while now and a few nights ago, Natalia let me take some precious photos of her. She didn't want to smile for me, she much preferred the idea of making funny faces. I don't have a daughter, so you can expect to see a lot of photos of this gorgeous child.

This is Natalia's favourite photo. I think it's so funny, I can't stop laughing when I look at it!

Christmas Day and Boxing Day

2006-12-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. It's not the gifts that are wrapped in pretty paper, but the gift of friendship that I love the most. We always try to get together and have a party here and there. This is giving you a glimpse of what I can do when I'm not shooting professionally. I still enjoy having the camera close by and I also hand it over to friends and allow them to capture what they see.

Meet Bully. This is actually Boxing Day at a friends house and this is their dog. Incredibly cute.
Of course Bully and I. A friend took this one for me.

Following are a few fun moments captured on Christmas Day at my house.

The Men

2006-12-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's all about the men. I love it when the men are comfortable enough in front of the camera. The photos are always interesting, especially the ones holding babies. I just love that. I love the contrast of the strength of a man and the softness of a baby. Here are some of my favourites.

Those are the men that I meet every so often. It's always a pleasure. I mean, how lucky am I? See how gorgeous they are? I feel lucky that they allow me to capture some precious and tender moments. Almost as if nobody was watching. Then there are the men in my life. I see them all the time. One is a camera ham and the minute he hears the click of the camera shutter, he's posing and smiling. Then the other 2 run as fast as they can in the opposite direction. Can you guess which ones they are?

Family is good

2006-12-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

I envy those of you who have your family close by. OK, so it doesn't always have it's advantages, but seriously, I miss my family. They are scattered all over the world, so I make family with friends. Last night, I was lucky enough to have a family member - and this is real family member - visit us. She drove 2 hours, through the snow, up hill with flat tires both ways to visit us. OK, slight embellishment of the truth, but she did drive 2 hours to visit us. We always pick up where we left off and that's always a good thing.

Meet Simone. She's my husband's 1st cousin and our son's godmother. I met her many years ago when she was just 9. My, how time has flown. I also got a new backdrop and was itching to try it out. So I begged on my knees for everyone to pose for me. Even our dog was a part of the fun. Here are the results. Enjoy!

I have to add that my husband broke his wrist/thumb 2 weeks ago on his right hand which also happens to be his dominant hand. Yes, I have been doing a lot of things for him, but he figured that he would try to take a few photos so that I could be in them for a change. I think he did a remarkable job.

My husband thinks the below image is better than the one above. I am just in love with the lighting in the above image. To each his own, so to please him, here is his pick.

Here he is. I have no idea what he's doing behind there. Hey, we were just having fun!

Last, but not least....... our dog, Blue.

Christmas is ringling tingling

2006-12-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

I stole that title from my son. He had to write an essay for school about his favourite holiday and that was his title. I love it! Anyway, it's Christmas. When did that sneak up on me? I have been extremely busy lately hence the lack of updates here. Sorry about that. I have decided to post some of my favourites, not only for the season, but for the year. I have had the opportunity to take photos of some wonderful people and as the season goes on and the year comes to an end, I will be posting stuff that I'm super proud of.

This little girl has always been a pleasure to shoot. Her mother is more than willing to let me take the lead and toss ideas for fun photos. She is holding a plastic crystal snowflake ornament and the light caught it at the right angle and she's also holding it at the perfect angle. Her little mouth is right there in the V of 2 snowflake legs or arms....... or whatever they are called.

This one, here mother is holding up the snowflake ornament and she's reaching for it. I purposely made sure that I set a shallow depth of field so that only the snowflake would be in focus.

I don't have the words for this one. I just love it. I added a bit of softness and made sure that the lighting was also soft. I love the gentle feeling this one gives me.

This is my client Christmas card this year. Not everyone has a good day. We also very rarely capture our down times in photos. Again, I am lucky that this baby's mother shares my vision and she loves this one too. When my kids were little, I tried to capture their not so shining moments, but they got even more annoyed with me when they saw the camera. So because of that, I don't have many good ones. Have you been good this year and expect to find treasures under the tree, or have you been bad and expect to find lumps of coal? Either way......... make the most of it. If you get pretty glittery things, use them wisely, if you get coal, at least you can keep your fire burning. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Drive by shooting

2006-11-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know if all photographers are like this, but I have a hard time leaving my camera at home. I have to take it with me. I have been out a few times without it, but regretted it as photo opportunities emerged.
On this beautiful day, my husband had a delivery to make in Ft. Lauderdale at the Bahia Mar Marina. Seeing as we weren't there for too long, I didn't get any nice captures of yachts, but figured I'd try my hand at drive by shooting. These photos are the result of that. It was a lot of fun trying to time it right. There were a lot of tourists lying on the beach waiting for the sun to paint on a golden tan, one dark enough that they could show off to their friends and family in the great white north. I had a hard time trying to avoid them. I was looking to capture a sense of peace, tranquility on a hot sunny day. I managed to catch bits of beach without tourists. Yay for me!

I had to severely crop this to get rid of a jogger. I still quite like the end result.

Long time no see

2006-11-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I did a photo shoot with some old friends.....well, not old...... but you know.... the kind that are really old and been in our lives for a very long time. LOL. We don't see each other very often, but when we do, it's always a barrel of laughs. Maria and Terry used to be my neighbours at one time (long, long ago) and life has taken us to different parts of Florida. Not far, but far enough away.

This is Maria and her 2 pooches, Molly (the Bishon ) and Finnegan.
Well behaved dogs!

Meet Ashley, Deaver and baby Maya.
Maya's birthday is October 10th and she has the most hair I have ever seen on a baby. Isn't she gorgeous?

A close up of beautiful Maya.

Will I ever get this figured out?

2006-11-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

Kane hates his photo taken, so this is a rare moment.

Tyler is the poser. This image is a regular thing.

You see, I had to add in some photos of my kids to prove to myself that I could do this blogging thing. Thanks to the help of my Internet forum friends on LDPT, I was able to figure out a lot more. I feel so smart now. I even have an auto play video of Enya's Caribbean Blue. Big thanks go out to my friend Anna who talked me through something that I wouldn't have been able to do myself. Please check out Anna's blog by clicking on "For One Moment" under OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS Enjoy Enya and come back soon as I will now be changing the videos to suit my mood.

Virgin

2006-11-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

My first blog. My first line. Everyone has one, so why do I feel so freaked out?

Thanksgiving just passed. The frenzy of shoppers has begun. Not for me. I rather stay home and do math homework with my 7th grader. Oh yea. It's that bad!
I have no images to post for Thanksgiving as I just wasn't into it. Never really been into it because I wasn't raised with the tradition. I do appreciate it though.
We were invited to our neighbours and had a fantastic meal with them. I was thankful for that.

Today is Friday, black Friday as they like to call it. I created a Christmas card for my family in the event that I don't get the chance to take fun Christmas shots next week. I also took some photos of my brother in law, Darren when he came by with his dog and bird for a visit. Made a card for him to send via email.