Ready to go...

The girls and I had Henna done yesterday, we are now geared up and ready to go.

(Mother don't worry, this comes off!!!) You just can't come back from living in the Middle East and not have a hint of Arabic style, right? Amanda fell in love yesterday morning at the fish market with this precious toothless fish chopper, actually I think he liked her more...We have shopped for anything Arabic we can come up with for our friends, and our suitcases are full. Amanda is going to Rome, Dad and Bella are staying here and three of us are off to Texas, only to return with one baby chick left at home. Oh my, where has the time gone? It seems just like yesterday when Alexandra asked me to curl her hair and put make up on her like this... Oh I miss the babies.We have also spent some time watching old home movies and laughing so hard. I guess a natural thing to do is reflect together about life pasts so we can better prepare ourselves for the open doors that lie ahead, right? It seemed healthy. Another chapter in the Patrizi family coming to a close, right before my eyes, just in time to start a new one. And I will say it again, "The best is yet to be...". We will be scattered on three different continents this summer. It just seems so far fetched. Heck I can remember when making reservations at the Rainbow campground on River Road in New Braunsfels was a big deal, and all we looked forward to all summer. A simpler time, but not really. I had 4 little kids and trying to make sure none of them drowned was a huge task. I am going back to that spot in August, I want to sit on the bank and have a cocktail and watch the river flow at sunset. I do not want to be putting up a tent and fighting the mosquito's though. I do want to catch lighting bugs in a mason jar... Will somebody please hurry up and have grand babies!!! BUT GET MARRIED FIRST!

Our lives are everything but normal. We have really had a few great weeks with big sister around and will miss her in Austin this summer. See ya on the other side!

Until we meet again....

Patrizi Photography will be taking a summer vacation in the States, going to a few workshops and doing few shoots. We look forward to coming back to Qatar with a fresh new look and new cool things I've learned. If you are interested in Senior or family portraits for the fall, we will begin shooting in September.

Until then, have a great summer Doha!

Father's Day

Although I don't have any pictures of my Father to post, I want to honor Father's today and the few of the special ones in our lives. You see we have people in our lives that might not be our fathers but play the role over and over again with each of us and our kids. I celebrate those men today and Thank you for being a wonderful important part of our lives.

(This is a note I wrote to Chris this morning. Thought I would open up my heart to you and share.)

Dear Chris,

As I sat here this morning thinking of people I would like to wish a Happy Father's day to, I went through the list of who I thought were great Dads and guys who were special to me and our kids. I sent the notes to Tim who was a substitute Dad and big brother to our kids in Austin, Michael Loup, Sparky, your Dad, Ralph, Jeff, Tommy, Kelly Gibson, Swiss Dads and WA. I even sent a note to Mr. Mahachek because I love the way he interacts with his little princess. (A math teacher at ASD)

But as I thought of all the Dads, Grand Dads, God Fathers and Friends that were Dads, I couldn't help to go back in time to remember when you weren't a Father yet, but became a Daddy.

I can remember so many touching moments in time that God put you in my world to heal my heart and comfort me and my children. I can picture you right now changing Amanda's diapers and kissing her tummy and bathing Nic and all the things real Father's do, and you were not any different. You were real. You still are.

I admire you Chris. I love you and the Father and Daddy you have been and still are to our four children. Thank you for being all I could have ever hoped for. I do not know what I did to deserve you. But I thank God for you every single day.
Sher

Things I miss about Texas...

1. My Mother

2. My Family and Friends

3. Big tall Texas pine trees and that green shit that gets all over your car in the spring.

4. Love bugs by the thousands stuck to your grill so bad you have to go through the car wash twice and they are still not all gone!

5. Mexican Food, Rancheros, Pappasitas, Margaritas, Chips and Hot sauce. Whoo Hoo, Can't wait.

6. Seeing the longhorns grazing on 1488 at the Damuth Ranch reminding me about the simpler way of life. (Is simpler a word?)

7. Rolling hills near Austin, the coolness of Austin in general... Hippies and weirdos!

8. Bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes in Brenham

9. We have Bluebell in Doha, but I don't buy it, so Bluebell less than $15 a gallon.

10. A Whataburger with Jalapenos

11. Convenience of parking, driving, eating, living without hassles.

12. Southern Hospitatily when people actually say Hello and Thank you and smile.

13. A cowboy, a tractor, Hay truck and Watermelons for sale on the side of the road on 290 in Hempstead.

14. The Luling water tower.

15. Seeing the sign that says La Grange and making the uh huh huh sound of ZZtop.

16. Friends that bond right back like we haven't even left yet.

17. Cool Junk in Round Top

18. Wildwood Methodist Church Family.

19. Seeing new babies I haven't met yet.

20. Landscaping, green nice Oak trees, flowers and the smell of freshly mowed grass

21. Country and Western music

22. Floating down the river at 47 wishing my body was 18.

23. Greune Hall

24. Deer grazing in a neighbor's yard

25. Hawks, hummingbirds and squirrels, I actually miss squirrels!

26. Bull frogs croaking from the pond

27. Fried Catfish, Raw Oysters, Crawfish boils...

28. Rain

29. James Taylor look alike playing live at Stingeree on Boliver at sunset over the intercoastal canal with barges passing.

30. Home, the feeling of home.

Oh boy, Texas here we come.

Missing Chancy

Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, "Do you like it? I did it just for you." Max Lucado

Today's topic is a mixture of sadness and reflection. Chancy is the name of the most adorable charming village in the world, but happens to be in Switzerland. We miss the beauty and simplicity of life there very much. At Christmas in 1997, the Patrizi family bought a yellow lab puppy in the mountains of France. We knew one day we would have to leave our fairlytale world so we named the dog Chancy after the place we loved to call home. Chancy was a great family pet and a huge pain in the butt! Chancy had many families over the years, and had real relationships with people. Today she is in DOG heaven! If I could describe what that would be for her, it would be near a field of cow dunk so she could roll around in it, and then a dirty pond to rinse off in. She would have all you can eat cheese trays, whole chickens and loaves of bread then a comfortable place to sleep and fart. God Bless Chancy!

Graduation and beyond...

Alex did it... YEA! And the best part we were all there to see.

My heart is whole and beating with fulfillment to have all my kids here with me again. The Patrizi siblings LOVE eachother. It is a Mother's joy beyond joy!!! Grandma Rita and Grandpa Dan traveled all the way from Louisana to join us too. We have had a fun week of cooking "Patrizi Style", Celebrating Graduation, Exploring Doha,

and crazy Dune Bashing... It has been a great week. Thanks for joining us, even if you weren't able to be here in person.

The nest is full again.

Amanda mixes with locals...

Last night Patrizi Photography shot the American Embassy big shin dig an Independence Day bash (on the 4th of June) at the Ritz Carlton in Doha. My assistant was my sweet, almost 21 year old daughter Amanda. It was a terrific evening... Amanda was quite popular with the service young men and was invited to several after party parties. But she came home with Mom!

We are proud to be an American!

Fabulous Doors

You never know what is behind a closed door. I can only imagine this little old Italian lady in a flowery house dress, short and stubby like me, holding a watering can, hanging out her big momma panties on the line outside her upstairs window. Waving at the locals as they stroll by from the cafe after their morning cappuccino yelling Buon Giorno!

I love doors about as much as heart shaped rocks. My personal door is always open...
What character lies behind your closed door?

Two days til graduation.

Back to Photography...

Does anyone really know where they are going? I love taking a photo then creating a caption...

Here is another picture let's see how creative you all can be. Send me your caption to this photo...

OK I am really feeling insufficiently inadequate lately. All my cool photo friends have really cool blogs and websites and ideas. From teaching great business ideas, photoshop actions, to taking pictures of food and sending recipes, writing stories about amazing lives as a horse rancher's wife in Wyoming, doing amazing weddings and touching proposals, taking naked pictures of 70 year old ex mayors of small towns for a Calendar Girls type remake calendar for an animal shelter and being written up in magazines... Others doing the NILMDTS, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep shoots of terminally ill children, Shit, how can I compare with that?

I live in the middle of the desert in the Middle East, it is 123.6 degrees today. It is too hot to think! I have not shot a wedding in 2 years nor do I know a soul that is getting engaged. I have no real adventures to share, do not have anyone 50 or above that would strip for me, although we all would like to, remember it is 126.3!!!

I could take pictures of the amazing food we eat around here with my chef husband and his Dad and Steve. Tonight we are having 2 tenderloins, not one but 2. One from the US Angus beef and one from Australia, but that is irrelevant to this entry. Back to photography and feeling really old and boring and Olin Mills-ish!!!

OK I have done a few nice family shoots lately at the old new souqs. Now why they call them old new, I have no clue... They used to be old, then they spruced them up and now they are newish, so OLD NEW!! Whatever#$%^&*()_

SO here is today's entry. I shot this sweet family and completely ignored my settings and over exposed this shot to the point where I could not use it nor fix it anyway in photoshop to be good enough to really print. But, I like the shot so much I wanted to use it at the end of my slideshow. This little girl Paige was as sweet as she could be, with a precious Daddy that shook my hand and I knew right then he was a great Daddy, Momma is adorable too. Here are the before and afters...

More Old Men...

It doesn't matter where you live....

They are everywhere....

From Doha and Beyond...

The world is full of interesting men...

Old and young...

Each one unique in character and charm...

Heart shaped rocks..

There is something special about a heart shaped rock... I have made a point to really notice them daily, wherever I am... I decided one day that when I would notice things shaped like a heart, I would stop and think about it. Why had it been put in my path? Who put it there? Even if it were a smashed piece of gum on the Milan sidewalk by the Conciliatione Metro stop, below the gypsy beggar with one leg. There would be a little sign of something nice, a heart. Which as we all know represents love. It always made me think it was created there for me to spot... There are days, weeks and even months when I do not see heart shaped random worldly objects, or at least I don't notice them, but I have a feeling if you try, you will find that they live abundantly all around you. It could be a leaf, a piece of lettuce you just so happen to see in your salad, a design on the marble floor while your sitting on the pot, or a cloud, but a rock is extra special. It is something free, most of the time you can take with you. Collect them, save the moment you find God's message of positive love in the ditch. Wallow in the shape and meaning. Then share it with someone else.

Over the years I have been the recipient of many heart shaped objects, mainly free rocks given to me by numerous friends, and the really special ones given to me by children, not just my own. I have rocks from special hikes, creeks, Tanzania, moments in time I know exactly where they came from and who gave it to me. I have a collection. It makes me happy. Possibly my most prized collection, even better than the Limoges boxes, Waterford and Lladro porcelain statues.

The next time you notice a heart shaped rock, take a picture of it, put it in your pocket, take it home if you can. Glance at it often. I believe it brings good Karma to your surroundings, doesn't matter if you are into Fung Shui or not!

You see, you can't put a price on love, it is free. Free to give, and free to receive. Free, yet priceless.