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365 in 52 [2013] ~ Week Thirty-Five

We made it through the first week of school… mostly without hiccups. The bus forgot to pick up Anna at school on the first day, yes… you read that right. My daughter was left at school! I sent a very strongly worded email to the Director of Transportation, the Superintendent of the District, and the school Principal entitled, “12-year old spec ed student forgotten at school” and I had a personal call from the Director within an hour. Completely unacceptable. Poor Anna waited for an hour before her teacher called me and it took 20 minutes for me to get there. This district, Round Rock ISD, is touted as the best for special education but that has not been our experience to date. We weren’t even sure if she was going to get picked up in the morning either. You see, the administrators decided 10 days before school started that there were too many students in the FAC classes at Cedar Valley and Canyon Vista, so they were creating an FAC room at Deerpark, our home campus. So for the 6th time, Anna was required to change schools. We’ve never moved. That is a lot of shuffling around of a little girl with special needs, isn’t it? I called transportation the week before school started to make sure she was going to have bus service and that she would be taken to the correct school. I never got a call back. There are so many issues that have gone wrong and I just pray that the teacher in this newly formed FAC room can actually teach Anna something… though so far the curriculum  is geared more toward FLS instead of FAC (functional life skills versus functional academic class). I’m really trying to step back, let Anna be more independent since she’s in middle school now, and have some faith. It is not easy.

Dominic had two amazing first days. His teacher called us on Tuesday night to tell us how well he was doing at school. Wow. Usually when I see the school number flash on my phone, my stomach sinks. Well… the assistant principal called me on Wednesday because he’d had a referral for slapping a boy in the face. Sigh. Success was short-lived. He wasn’t provoked or anything, he has no explanation. Just an impulse. Makes me want to scream, I don’t know, I just don’t know. The rest of the week was fine. ::shrugs:: Argh!!!

But to end the week on a good note, I’m published!!! An image I took for a workshop last year at Clickin Moms was published in Click Magazine, Issue 06, September/October 2013, page 72. It is a bit surreal to see something of mine, something so personal, printed in a magazine. I am very honored. I also found out today that one of my images was accepted into a juried art exhibition set to run at the end of October.

Since it was a long weekend, we got to see Jenny which is always such a treat. She started her senior year at Texas State and started her internship with the Lockhart Police Department. I am so proud of her. We’re going to do her engagement photos in a couple of weeks. Talk about surreal. She was just a little girl, then I blinked. It goes so fast.

Day 241 ~ My Morning Sunshine

Dominic and Daddy had just left for school when I caught Anna standing in the living room with the morning sun shining all around her. I used to sing to her “You are My Sunshine” all the time. I love her so much.

Austin lifestyle child daughter girl black and white photographer

Day 241 ~ Regarding Me

Playing with Anna after school in her room, Charlie looks at me perched on the pile of stuffed animals like I was crazy.

Austin pet canine dog Labradoodle photographer

Day 241 ~ Dave

Anna’s always had obsessions, but none quite like her current love of the Minions. Every since she saw Despicable Me 2, she has been watching YouTube clips and commercials about them. She saved her allowance and bought Talking Dave who giggles, babbles, and farts. He’s a riot.

Austin child lifestyle toy photographer Dave Minion

Day 242 ~ Anyone Home?

We were outside playing after school and mom’s cat, Kitty McGee, comes running past then up the walk ending at my mom’s front door. She looks back at me as if to say, “Anyone home?”

Austin pet photographer cat feline outdoors

Day 244 ~ Published

My image of Rocky, taken just a few months before we lost him, was reviewed by Sarah Wilkerson in a section of Click Magazine called “Why it Works.” She says,

The organized chaos of patterns, shapes, and surfaces, with light reflecting off of them in so many different ways, is a feast for the eyes. Strong lines and a very low perspective draw the eye deeply into the scene. The framing creates a fantastic contradiction between the primary subject and the visual experience; we observe a lazy dog, but the viewer’s experience is much more active. While the dog sleeps, the viewer’s eyes move about, exploring the house: into the back room, up the stairs, even into the kitchen via reflection of the door.

Austin published photographer self-portrait

Thanks for looking! Hope you have a great week!

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