On The 2nd Day Of Christmas, I Asked For This Gift...

This photograph blown up on a canvas.

Or this one...they are both really cool. 

And they are both taken by my nephew, Tyler. 

Wait a second, when did you get old enough to take these kind of pictures?   Wasn't I still changing your diapers only 18 short years ago? Or around that time?  I'm so old I forget.

On a serious note, for being 20ish, he ranks right up there with my favorite artists like Nancy Cawdrey or Martin Grelle, but he does photography.   I would love to say he got his creative side from his aunt Suzanne, but his mom used to take some awesome pictures too.  Also, Tyler has bought all his own photography equip during and since high school. 

He's always been an impressive guy... anyway, check out his website.  He's really got some breathtaking shots.  It's really exciting for me as family to watch him evolve into this great artist.    http://www.tylerjphoto.com/

Now, on to my Christmas memory: 

It's as fresh in my mind as if it happened just yesterday.

Wait....

It did just happen yesterday.  Last night to be exact.  We had a Christmas party with some relatives, I'm in the kitchen cooking supper...it's quiet....all I hear is the TV. 

Something's wrong. 

I hear faint giggles coming form my bedroom. 

Not good.

I open the door and about 20 presents are unwrapped and Maggie and Levi are playing with them.  The wrapping paper is mangled and it's too hard to see who got what for who. 

I punted.  We were out of tape and had mere scraps of wrap left.  I got the yellow masking tape and used the torn scraps to wrap them up. 

We'll see how bad I screwed up tomorrow night. =)

My charity is:  Art from Ashes, based in Colorado.  http://www.artfromashes.org

"Since its inception in 2003, Art from Ashes (AfA) has provided poetry and creative workshops to high-risk youth, facilitating expression, connection and transformation among the most neglected and vulnerable segments of our community. Executive Director Catherine O'Neill Thorn has been conducting transformational poetry and spoken word workshops at juvenile detention facilities, treatment centers, and schools—including post-trauma workshops for Columbine High School students—since 1992. When statewide funding for youth programs was cut in 2003, Thorn was motivated to establish a nonprofit to serve struggling youth with a proven process that helps build strong interpersonal skills, encourages literacy, and empowers young people to lead confident, violence-free lives.
AfA has since provided creative workshops with more than 60 partnering organizations for more than 3,000 young people who have survived traumatic events, are victims of abuse, neglect and/or poverty, and are at risk for or engaged in destructive behaviors. Moving beyond contemporary therapeutic models and arts programming, AfA provides a forum through creative expression for recognizing and acknowledging previous traumas; removing the barriers that isolate young people from each other, from caring adults, and from society; and allowing youth to experience health and hope rather than the expectation of further victimization. " -from their website

Happy Trails,
Fairchild Farmgirl