Soon to be a family again...

I would like to get all sentimental, discuss the true meaning of Christmas, how blessed we are and have a amazing moving blog entry mentioning all my loved ones... But I can't think... I am so excited, anxious and can not concentrate right now to even write one cleaver sentence. I leave tonight for Italy to meet my other kids. We will all be a complete family again in less than 24 hours. YEA!!!

My bags are packed, presents wrapped with pillow cases cut in half, tied with pretty lightweight ribbon and a cute dated ornament dangles from each one. I hope you all paid attention to that, it is one of the smartest ideas on the entire planet. They should write a article in Hints from Heloise about this. It is environmentally suave, GREEN... Reusable, takes 5 minutes to wrap 20 gifts, all good. Make them whimsical or fancy... Just wished I would have thought about it when the kids were young, instead Chris and I would lock ourselves in my room for undetermined amount of hours with sore backs, rolls and rolls of paper, (coordinating of course), untwisting that paper ribbon or those stupid K-mart bows. How wasteful. Try this and you will love me forever... Plus it is real cute under the tree. Looks like Santa just dropped in.

We have planned every last detail. All I need now is a seat on the plane and a nice sip of wine on Qatar Airways, which is by far the best airline in the world.

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We hope and pray that all of you reading this have a blessed holiday with those you love... Enjoy each moment, listen to the music, taste the peppermint bark, embrace the giggles, read the bible story, go to church, lite a candle in honor of someone that is no longer with us, give to the needy, eat an oyster, make that weird stuff called eggnog, what is eggnog anyway? Just have a wonderful few weeks.


As for me, I will be laughing with my 4 beautiful almost grown children and my heart will be full.



I wish for you a full heart too.

This is the Amir waving goodbye to me as I fly away...

We can't get there fast enough...

See ya next year -
CIAO!!!

Choices choices.....

We went to lunch last week and had the hardest time deciding between the foot, or the camel...

NEW BLOG...

Drum roll....... I have a new blog.... I am doing a fun photography project with a friend from Texas... Less words... Go check it out. www.2chicks2clicks2countries.blogspot.com

Sexy Santa Dance

OK Gals,
Here is a very cute wish coming your way... Please click on the link below...
http://adoniscabaret.co.uk/saucy-santa-hen-night/index.htm

Smiles...
Sher

Cool Dude...

Did a fun shoot yesterday of a really nice young man. His mother recently told me of a story about him giving to the needy when he was 6 years old and how it bothered him so much. This distraught man who's wife had left him with 2 boys and cleared out the house of furniture and the boys didn't even have a bed to sleep on that night. Their family went directly to buy beds and have them delivered. My friend Debbie will never forget the image of this little 6 year old boy shaking the hand of this sobbing man.

Well this summer Chris , 3 other seniors at ASD and their parents put together a charity to build a bathroom for a school in Bolivia. It was an amazing undertaking and carried out so well. The four families and our entire community supported these children and this wonderfully successful project. I was proud to be a part of it.

Please remember those less fortunate this Holiday season, it will make your heart more fortunate to give. And by all means have your kids participate, you could be making a difference in more than just the lives of the people you are helping. You are teaching your kids to be aware of poverty all over the world for years to come.

I know there is one sobbing man and a little school in Bolivia that were blessed by Chris Wallace, 12 years apart.

On the serious side...

I do not read the newspaper, or listen to a radio station or watch TV. The only communication I have with the outside world is the people I meet and this silver box I am typing on. (I know this makes my friends from Reuters crazy.) I see the top news stories as it appears on Yahoo and that's all. I am not a person to discuss current events with, unless you want to know what I had for breakfast or the last picture I took.

Recently, we have had a few horrific worldly situations that wasn't caused by a natural disaster, but human disasters the worst kind. As I was walking the dog in the compound, us dog people discussed them. "Hey did you see the front page of the Gulf Times this morning?" a gal says from across the street. "No, what happened?" She tells me of a terrible terrorist attack in Mumbai India where they were targeting Westerns, especially Brits and Americans. Then another lady chimes in and says did you see the airports in Bangkok were closed and the entire county is going crazy. Now this is a much different conversation than I would be having on Clubhouse Circle Drive with Chancy, Kathy, Melinda and Socks about which Mexican food place we were going to eat for lunch that day Pappasitas or Rancheros.

But now I am in a different world, a much smaller one. This world I am in is transparent, you can see through to the other side now. Imagine a globe, America is completely opposite from where I am today, when I lived there all I knew was what was in my comfort zone, Texas. Living here, it is like the globe is glass, see through, you can see everywhere from here. Everyone is your neighbor, not just Louisiana. Does that make sense?

When we hear of these stories some of us, especially me, do not act like they even exist, because it is not real to me, Tsunami, fires in California, Earthquakes, train crashes, because we are so far removed from it. People don't get the hurricane damage either, unless you feel it or see it first hand...Like the Twin Towers, Heck I was in Magnolia and didn't know a soul there. Although it was horrible, It was almost like it wasn't real to me until 2003 when I went to New York and stood there among the rubble and felt the emotions as this street musician violinist was playing Amazing Grace, THEN I felt it. OUCH, double OUCH...
You see, Chris' boss and wife left for a wonderful vacation in Thailand last week to be greeted with a country of turmoil. They were cooped up in their hotel for days and finally bused to Phukett to try and get out of the country to return home. Prayers for their safe return tomorrow morning, please. They are still not back...

Yesterday I found out a good friend of ours from Geneva was in Mumbai in the Taj Hotel ballroom, the one that doesn't exist anymore, the one the Americans and British people were executed by terrorists, he escaped through a window he busted out. The room he was in was blasted later. He is lucky to be here today.

This is real. This is not just a story you are reading online, or a news breaking event on CNN that has nothing to do with you... This world from whatever corner of it you are on, affects us all. He is our friend, a Dad, Husband.. Shoot I took his son's Senior pictures! We are just so thankful he is OK!

I have come to the realization that nothing is safe, perfect or forever. Driving down I-45 is probably more dangerous than traveling to third world countries... I don't want to get my mother all riled up thinking I am in danger... But we are all in danger these days.. Although I didn't vote for Obama, I have high hopes that his leadership will improve the overall worldly issues surrounding us today.

Until then, I believe it is essential that we all continue to pray for peace.

DESTINY...finding it....

Are you living your destiny? Do you wake up and enjoy what is ahead of you? Whether it is your job, passion, kids to take care of, baking cookies or digging in the garden... Are you doing the right thing with your God given talents? Do you sit on your porch and knit, make financial plans for a major corporation, spend your time reading a novel that you love or sing in the choir?

Do you absolutely love what you are doing right now?

Isn't it great to know people that are exactly where you know they should be. People who absolutely love what they are doing and are terrific at it. The perfect teacher, dentist, even the greeter at Walmart. Whatever the ambition, passion or career if you are thrilled about it, it rubs off on everyone around you.

There was this little volunteer man at the hospital this summer when Nicholas was having all his surgeries, he was a volunteer but loved his job so much he was glowing, you would have thought he made a million dollars an hour. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

I have known a few people in my lifetime that are living their dream, using the gift God gave them to the fullest and sharing it with the world around them. Carla McDougal is a powerful faithful teacher, she is great at telling stories she is using her gifts for others. There are only a handful of people that I have met in 48 years that I can truly say are living it. WA Taylor told me in the early 80's he was going to retire early and buy a piece of property in Washington State and cut down his own logs and build his house from scratch. About 10 years later, he bought some acreage that already had the log house built, in Washington and now he is in his element there, he wasn't a lumberjack anyway. He did it.

Sharron LaFratta told me she was going to buy a Tuscan Villa, I thought she was crazy and believed that was so far fetched. Well, my family will be spending Christmas in Montefeggetasi (Tuscany) Italy again for the second time and also a month in it this summer. I love people that have passions and ambitions I can enjoy too. :) I am so proud of her for chasing her dreams...

I want a 100 year old live oak tree to call my own before I die. And to invent miniature longhorns.

I am not a reader, mathematician, or exercise fanatic, but I am a photographer and fun lover. I truly believe God gave me a gift, and sometimes when I am "on", I can feel his presence there with me. Maybe not so much as the technical part, but more of the people part. Like a presence on my shoulder... That's one of the things that makes Chris and I a perfect couple, what I am lacking, he has and visa versa.

I believe everyone of us has talents and things we are good at, some more than others, but we all have it... WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING! If we could just identify that miracle talent and get excited every time we use it, our lives would be better. I see it all around me. But you have to identify it...I have a fantasy to be a country and western singer, I tried karaoke and realized that is NOT my God given talent, just a fantasy... Ask Kelly Gibson.

Nicholas has a degree in Finance, but his love is people and cooking and he is very good at both. Amanda has a gift for singing and making people happy around her, Alex is a whiz at Math and loves to laugh, and Ashlynn can dance like no body's business. If we could all just do what we love, just think about how cool the world would be. I am just so blessed to be able to have my camera with me all the time.

God gave us different unique talents, find yours and do it... Do it well... and the world will smile with you.

If you are one of the fortunate ones that is privileged enough to have identified your gifts and put them to work in your everyday, I applaud you. Deb did it, Staci, Melinda, Rusty Moore, Amanda Merz, Julia Kerr, De Vinci, Sarah Barnes, I am lucky to know you. You make the world a better place. You are there, you have arrived. (I really don't know De Vinci)

Be aware of your natural strengths, use them to your best advantage and to benefit others, Don't miss out on your destiny doing things that don't come naturally. When you are truly living your destiny life is not a constant struggle, It just feels right.

~Sher

Overreacted....

OK I overreacted about the table decorations, and I took too many pictures of myself the day before that. Shoot, there is not that much to get excited about here. I have to create stuff to do and write about. Next blog is going to be about your destiny. I am working on it.
Have a nice week.

More Preparations....

One day to go....OK now I must cook and set the table. First recipe, Feta Torta... YUM....

Along with Grandma's cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin soup, I did it all from scratch, not one can opened.

OK gotta stop for lunch... Panini and diet coke... Yes, that is Arabic Diet coke.
I have a thing about setting the table. I live for a fabulous table setting. I can wear old bluejeans and boots, but my table is going to look good. We don't do plastic plates and paper napkins here. After all this is Thanksgiving we are Thankful, Blessed and it is not an ordinary day, I am going to make it extraordinary for everyone at my table. (Get it "EXTRA" Ordinary!!)

You guys are going to be jealous of this one... Chris and I make a good team, he loves the kitchen, I love the presentation. Woke Ash up at 9:00AM she helped because I couldn't hold the onions and green beans and tie the bow at the same time. Oh and Bella, she watched.

Then my genius daughter figured out if you use a rubber band, you can do it alone. (Hence, "Why did you wake me up Mom , DUH couldn't you figure this out on your own!")We spent an hour or more getting the table just right... And although we were missing three of our children at the table, I honored them by assigning someone else their engraved napkin ring. Josh represented Nicholas, Marica for Amanda and Sarah Barnes for Alexandra. Our guests were from various parts of the globe. The first time Sarah and Joe Barnes our Volleyball coaches from New Zealand had ever been to an American Thanksgiving dinner. I was honored to have them.

Here is vegetable table decor at it's finest....DAAAA DAH!!!! We counted our Blessings one by one...Bill from Canada was proud of his son Josh, Elizabeth for family, Adam by his experiences and life living abroad (very grown up for a 15 yr old), Ashlynn for food and family, Josh was blessed by relationships, Wright from Arkansas was Thankful for his relationship with God, Marcia was blessed with her family and everything, Nancy her family, Chris his wife, weather, family, day, The Barnes were thankful for people that made them feel like family being so far away from their own, and me with so much (I talked way too long), family, teachers, husband, love, (and of course to myself, creative table decorations....)

No one mentioned fancy cars, or houses, or money, or things... Everyone was thankful for people in their world, lives that made a difference to them, today, experiences, faith and relationships. A lesson that all those "things" don't matter in the end, what matters the most is those you LOVE, and fancy table decorations...End of story.The candles burned well into the evening as I relaxed with my turkey sandwich, husband, puppy and laptop.

I am thankful for whoever you are reading this day in my life. I hope yours was as warm and wonderful.

Smiles,

Sherry

Preparations... Anticipations....

"Dream of the Future, Remember the Past, Live in the Christmas Present"

OK OK SO now it is almost Thanksgiving, but I have started the Christmas scene as well. How do you do both? Remember the last ADD post...Well, it's easy you put up all your Christmas decor and keep your table set for Thanksgiving. The first ornament hung was one of significant remembrance given to me by Karen my forever friend from 1967. She didn't give it to me then, we were wearing girl scout uniforms trying to earn the most badges. I loved a competition and was draped with many badges. I wished they had grown up badges you could wear when you accomplished something fabulous and worthwhile.

I guess we do in a way, they are walking talking accomplishments called children...

First Ash had to finish homework, Bella helped.

Then Josh did the finishing touches and hung the bow, he was the tallest.

Bella couldn't wait to get underneath, she thought this was her new bed. She is a gift to me everyday, I love my dog. OK tree done, check!

Adult ADD Christmas or Thanksgiving???

I love this time of year... I don't know what to do first... So I am blogging.... by request from two friends who want me to write daily... OMG I have stuff to do don't you know..... Although I am addicted to this online journal....Now I have to add one more thing on the list of things to do... BLOG... here is my day....

My grocery list is on the counter in the kitchen along with a few recipes, some of the ingredients we can not find here in Doha, so I am trying to figure out what else I can make, the grocery list is 22% complete.


I have to start thinking about my table setting for Thanksgiving on Friday when I have 12 over for the Traditional Turkey and sweet potato casserole (without sweet potatoes.) But the distraction of Christmas boxes linger in the open closet.... haunting me like a ghost in the night, "Sherry Sherry come here my child! Open me Open me, see what's inside.... I have surprises for you that will make you happy in here....." I haven't opened the boxes in 2 years and I am very tempted... Oh OK just do it...

OK need chocolate. Check e-mail... Start blog... Look at Christmas journals to see what I wrote about making Christmas better and stuff not to forget. Get Christmas cards out before December 1st, Oh crap better hurry... that's a familiar date... and it's almost here...

This is my first attempt.

I always used to have a girly party on December 1st. About 20 years ago it started out as a little get together, and over the years turned into a full craft fair, along with a cashier, mack truck backing down the driveway unloading furniture, and the police stopping by to see what all the commotion was. Then when I moved abroad I did a smaller version of it. Even gathered and cut my own grapevines from the hill above Chancy and made very cute wreaths that year, ahhhhh. So hey, I need to have a party... Stop, make a guests list....

My dishwasher broke this morning. Called compound repair guy, still hasn't shown up.
What am I going to wear for the Gala in January? Do my ski pants still fit, let's try them on....Oh I should take a shower, friend on the way.

I need to go to the lab to pick up swim team pictures that are ready, but Marcia Pratt is coming over for left over gumbo for lunch, she always brings me sussies she calls them, always nice sweet gifts, she is like a mini Santa everyday... Except much cuter.

Then I began to rearrange the furniture in the living room because Ashlynn didn't like it. Not much you can do with other peoples furniture... Kinda gross really. But hey, you do what you gotta do...

My poinsettias are croaking on the front porch, too hot... dang must water...

So when I was looking for invitations for the Christmas party, I ran across some old pumpkin cards, so wonderful... Must write a few Thankful cards. OK done... Next...

I have opened up a few boxes and scattered around a few Santas, some very fine ones that I absolutely love. But still kept the remainder of the few remnants of Thanksgiving, after all it is not here yet... It is hard to think about snowmen and scarves, we are wearing flip flops for heavens sake.

Oh bark bark, must take Bella for a walk, so she can poop in other peoples yard and I can pick it up. Who is the animal here, if an alien was to see this, we would be the stupid ones. After her walk she takes a nap...

Yikes, gotta go pick up Ashlynn from Tennis. Thank goodness. Got to get out of this mess.

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

From Qassems GQ modeling at The Pearl in a wife beater, (which for those of you that do not know, The Pearl is the man made island Doha is building to keep up with the neighboring Arabs in Dubai which is very cool and not open yet) to a cute Cowgirl at the Souq with boots & a hat, ASD swimmers in speedos, a precious Canadian family in Arabic Pajamas, and handsome Marines in uniform at the Marine Ball... It has been a fun week for Patrizi Photography. Here is a little glimpse at my week... Talk about variety... I didn't have any naked babies though... sniff sniff... Maybe next week.

Right now I am wearing house shoes, PJ's & no bra. Not a pretty picture...

Hope you are having a nice day where ever in the world you are...

Gotta work~Can't Blog!!!

Smiles.

Sher

Time for sharing your family....

20 Years of Bliss....

Today is the day we said our vows in 1988. I wished I could remember them because we wrote our own. I just remember Chris memorized his... and it was beautiful... I would do it all again. I have been blessed for 20 years with the love of my life, my hero, a knight in shinning armour, hunka hunka burning love which started out as a great friendship and still is... We still like each other and he is still tolerating me and all my SheNaNiGanS. Bless his little heart. Thank you honey...

I still tingle inside when he touches me, my heart skips a beat when the door opens when he comes home after work. It is still there, the flicker that began long ago and slowly burns for a lifetime. There is a song that describes our relationship, it is written by Tracey Bird called Keeper of the Stars. It says one thing that is so true,

"Someone had a hand in it long before we ever knew!"

I wish for my children a healthy loving relationship, one that grows, is blessed daily and incredible. I hope and feel we are leading a pretty good example. If I have taught my kids anything, I hope it is the value of love and the sacredness of marriage.

Love is in the Air!!!

LIVE IT!!!

As I read over my Blog recently I realized I "miss" a lot of stuff. I was missing Chancy, missing Texas, missing my family, missing my old church, missing Mexican food, now missing my big kids. Heck I have been preaching about wallowing in the moment you are in, the gift of today can never be taken back, live in the present, while I am whining about the past...

I swear I am not bi-polar.

I try real hard to "Love the one your with", no matter where that is or who it is... I try real hard to "Bloom where you are planted", and work hard on "Home is where you hang your hat"... blah blah... But I really do.

To all of you who are in places that are unfamiliar, seem uncertain about the future, having a hard time adjusting to your surroundings, trying to make friends and a new life here and there... I feel your pain... It doesn't happen overnight.

But hey, if we can come to Doha Qatar and have this much fun, life is good... I just need to remind myself sometimes.

Doha, is filled with wonderful interesting people, most of them are from Texas so it is almost like home. We are blessed with so many great friends. Here we are living it up at a Chevron Cocktail party, and it was fun! Yes, I said "FUN" company party.

OK so we don't have good Mexican food, green grass, my 3 older children or my mother, but we do have friends.

Happiness is something that we are in charge of... Sometimes it makes us happy to reminisce about things before, but we can not dwell on them.

Today is Today November 10th, 2008, LIVE IT!!!

New Business Card ~ Old story

Lately I've been whining about missing my big kids a lot to anyone that will listen. I even made a new business card with a very old picture... I have been staring at it over and over again. This is where my life started...

I remember the day I took this shot, in Beaumont Texas 1985.

I received an email from an old friend (50), he sent me this story I wrote about 5 years ago he had saved .

(For those of you who think my stories are too long, I didn't make you click on here!)

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August 2004, Missing kids, It all began back when...

Today I said good-bye to my son again... Just about 10 minutes ago. He packed his sister's truck like a typical college boy. Everything crammed in boxes, stuff like a box of latex gloves. I said "Nic, why do you have a box of Latex gloves?" He said "Last year I copied Dad's idea and went to a Halloween party as Dr. Sphinskster, (a proctologist) and I might need them again...."

The mound also consisted of down comforters without duvets, several pillows without pillow cases, all the old towels he could find, boxes of clothes and shoes with green plaid boxers hangin' out the top, his rugby ball, and favorite bongo drum, (and a box of latex gloves just in case). Right before he took off he remembered his two large bottles of Patrizi's Italian Dressing. He had made a double batch last night, one for the new house and one for his roommate's parents. So in an ice chest sitting next to him, my son heads to Austin Texas with all his favorite things, his Italian dressing and a box of latex gloves.

Earlier at lunch there was a small blond headed boy, about 2 years old, sitting directly behind him and I could not stop staring at him, he was making a mess and blowing in his drink. Nicholas turned around and made faces at him and the little boy smiled. I said "See you just don't get it Nic, one day you are blowing in your drink and the next you are off to college!" His reply was, "Mom, I still blow in my drink!"

On the way home we talked about grown ups who didn't have their own children, and he said how that would be terrible, he definitely wanted his own family, his own children. I begin to tear up just to think that we spoke of him having a family... He spit out his toothpick laughing at me and told me I was so silly.

He hugged me and kissed me twice in the driveway before he drove away whistling.

His baby teeth have all fallen out, his knees have been kissed enough, he knows the truth about Santa and the Easter Bunny, he can make the Italian Dressing, he knows he has God and a special guardian angel named David by his side and a family to call no matter what, and of course, a box of latex gloves.

To all of you who are in the process of anticipating this for the first time or the last, OUCH!
Smiles,
Sherry Patrizi
Magnolia Photography 2004

"Mommy, Can I wear these?"

I had the great pleasure to do a precious family in Magnolia while I was there this summer. I came across this picture today and smiled. I love this family. I took pictures of them when the boys were small, when Hadley was born and now growing up too fast. Tonya and Chad are fantastic parents and cute too. I love this flip flop shot becuase it makes me love the mother so much. Any Mother that would say yes to the 3 yr old to wear for pictures, cuz she liked them both is on my favorite list.

Thank you Tonya for keeping it real...

Inspired by...

This morning I was inspired by my 83 year old Uncle Troy from Cabot Arkansas. He has a zest for life that makes us youngins look like old fogies. He lost his wife a few years ago and remarried at 80-something. He hunts, travels, emails and has a wonderful outlook on life. He is in love and blessed to have this new life, a new beginning in his 80's. And he is proud of it.

It is proof that anyone can have new beginnings.

I have friends that are single, happily married, some in the process of ending theirs, and some just so so. We tend to love the couples that inspire each other and respect, love and show it for the world to see. I want to be one of those couples. It is wonderful to have those people in our lives. I have been inspired by many, my own parents, David & Chris' parents and Sparky and Debbie on the top of the list. Partners who pray together, stay together for sure.

I am encouraged today by my 83 yr old uncle who would never give up on life.

We should look at that with admiration as an example to all of us that you are never too old for love.

Keep the flame a burnin'...

Photo by: Kelly M. Gibson Professional Golfer and Photographer extraordinaire!

Trick or Treat in DOHA?

BOO!

My idea of a "good for you" treat, probably turned out to be a trick on me cause we ran out in about an hour. Pebbles and Bam Bam were a hit at the party they went to I'm sure.