Category Archives: Elainie

Alexis, Brandon, Candid Portrait, Carla, Elainie, Holidays, Jason, Logan, Mom, Olympic Sports, Russ, Teresa

2009-05-10

August 24, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures in the folder 2009-05-10 are from a Mother’s Day Celebration. I think it is the first family celebration I hosted at my current abode. Might have been one of the last.

I don’t know that I will ever host one again because my house is on the smaller side, but I do have a new grill and a “new” 60 year old dining room table that seats 8.

Here are some pictures:

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery I was able to restored the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” post to its original glory:

Mother’s Day

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a lift and some socks.

9 Emotions Project, Alexis, Anders, Andy, Animals, Baby Got Rack, Baier, Bethany, Black & White, Boone FUMC, Brandon, Carla, Colleen, Derrick, Elainie, Flat Earth Joe, Iowa State, Jay, Jesse, Johnathan, Jorge, Laura, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Nader, Naima, Nate, Nora, Russell, Sara, Shannon, State Fair, Tenderloining, Teresa, Tim, Willy

Blessings – 2018

November 22, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! It is the time of year where we are supposed to count our blessings.

I thought I would share a few of my current blessings:

I am blessed with a great family!

I have plenty of friends that share my love for the Cyclones!

I have a job I don’t hate going to, where I work with several people I don’t want to punch in the face.

I have an amazing church family!

I have an amazing friends family!

I’m blessed to share my life with Naima!

This is really just a handful of the blessings in my life! But I’m already getting this out late, so I’ll cut if off here. I’ll just end with a passage from a Rob Bell NOOMA video that really spoke to me:

“So the verse in First Timothy, it says command those that are rich to not put their hope in wealth… and then it goes on and it continues… and it says, but to put their hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

That phrase, a God that richly provides us with everything. All that we have is a gift.

Food. It is a gift.

Clothes. Gift.

Roof. Gift.

That breath you just took. It’s a gift.

Now there are some that will say: No, you don’t understand. I’ve worked for what I have. I deserve it. It is mine. But like it says in the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 8: You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the Lord your God, because it is God that gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

I thank God for the embarrassment of riches in my life!

Elainie, Photo Journal, Portrait, WPC - Reminder

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 111

October 12, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

A few weeks back Elainie was home from San Antonio. She stopped by to pose for THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT. Her friend Tiffani accompanied her. It provided the perfect time to tackle Page 111 for THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 111 – Compose a picture with the intention of displaying it upside down.

Only 1 picture can be physically adhered into the physical THE PHOTO JOURNAL. However, I did take a few more picture that I thought I would share:

Next time we check in with THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT, we might check in with Page 44.

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This is your weekly reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is ENTERTAINMENT:

ENTERTAINMENT!

An ENTERTAINMENT photo is any photo of some form of ENTERTAINMENT. Movies! Music! Television! Sports! Games! Whatever! As long as you find ENTERTAINMENT in your subject,then it qualifies. You will not need to cut off a gladiator’s head and then scream at me, “Are you not ENTERTAINED!”.

Happy photo harvesting!

9 Emotions Project, Black & White, Elainie, Formal Portrait

The 9 Emotions Project – Elainie

October 11, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

Elainie came home from San Antonio for a visit a few weeks back. It was an excellent opportunity for her to finally pose for THE 9 EMOTION PROJECT and complete the set of my sisters’ children.

Elainie

For those of you that have forgotten, these are the 9 emotions:

Joy

Sadness

Anger

Amusement

Fear

Jealousy

Surprise

Sympathy

Boredom

I don’t have any other 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT shoots in the can. Recruiting people could be a good project for the winter when playing in the indoor studio seems so much more appealing!

I already have my eyes on a few people!

Alexis, Art, Baseball/Softball, Carla, Dawn, Elainie, Flowers, Jason, Macro, Road Trip

07-20-08/State Tournament

September 29, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

The pictures in the folder 07-20-08/State Tournament are from when Elainie played in the Little League State Tournament in Albia.

Looking through the pictures, I had forgotten that Dawn’s daughter Debra also played on that team. It might be where we rekindled our friendship. Or maybe our friendship began. I’m not sure we were exactly friends in high school. That was a long time ago.

Boone won their first game against Grand View. Which was an event to rejoice. Grand View Little League is hard to describe. I think the best way I can put it is this way:

You know those movies about summer camp, where there is a rival camp across the lake filled with the worst people you can think of in the context of summer camp. Grand View Little League is that rival camp across the lake. Filled with the worst kind of Little League parents you can imagine.

Boone then lost in the championship. To somebody that wasn’t Grand View.

Here are some, but definitely not all of the pictures:

It is weird what can get ingrained into you from the past that you hold onto for no real reason. Grand View Little League’s Major Boys team made it to the Little League World Series just this past summer. Even though I haven’t had an interaction with that league in over 10 years and probably nobody that is affiliated with that league is still affiliated with the team that was in the World Series, I still found myself rooting against them. I usually root for almost anything that represents the great Cyclone State, but I found myself rooting against our representative in the Little League World Series.

Next time I shave maybe I’ll try to purge myself of this prejudice.

There are many more pictures from my trip to Albia. You can check them out by clicking on the link below:

Boone Little League – 2008

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Photo Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” post to its original glory:

Albia, Iowa

Depending on ambition and free time levels, next week’s walk down memory lane will involve my first mission trip, a farewell of sorts to the Miller farm, and spandex.

Alexis, Baseball/Softball, Elainie, Event, Jason, Jaycees, Music, Night, Shannon, Tenderloining

06-22-08 & 06-23-08

August 11, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

There is a bit of variety in the folders 06-22-08 & 06-23-08.

There are pictures of Elainie playing softball.

There are pictures of an Ames on the Half Shell concert. Vivace I believe.

There are pictures of Scottie D. and I tenderloining.

Have a look:

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Photo Gallery, I was able to restore the following “An Artist’s Notebook” journal entries to their original glory:

Royals Win!

Tenderloin Quest: The Beginning

Vivace

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve more Ames on the Half Shell, tractors, the most accurate nickname I was ever given, and a wedding. The wedding if I’m feeling ambitious.

Alexis, Animals, Becky, Blogging, Brandon, Carla, Commercial, Elainie, Flowers, Holidays, Jason, Johnathan, Logan, Mom, Russ, Shannon, Teresa

05-12-08

June 9, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

There are 3 sets of images to be found in the collection of pictures in the folder 05-12-08.

The first set are pictures from a Mother’s Day celebration at my Mom’s house.

The second set are a collection of pictures of flowers at my Mom’s house. A Mother’s Day Peony and a tulip.

The final set of pictures is from the first part of making a batch of Little White Lye Soap.

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Photography Gallery I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entries to their original glory:

The Most Fun You Can Have with Caustics

Mother’s Day Barcecue

Mother’s Day

On our next walk down the lane of memories, we will look at the first Jaycees activity I participated in. All the signs were there, I wasn’t paying attention.

Alexis, Brandon, Carla, Elainie, Formal Portrait, Iowa State, Jason, Johnathan, Logan, Mom, Teresa

One of Nature’s Masterpieces

April 19, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Time to hit the backlog again. Here are some family pictures we took when Elainie was in town… back in March… 2017.

Unfortunately, the weather was terrible that day, so we were trapped inside. Hopefully, next time we do a family portrait, the weather will be more cooperative.

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A Minor Announcement

Just wanted to let everybody know, as we are now less than one month from my birthday, that I will not be having the birthday party this year. Time just escaped from me and I don’t have the time to plan such a shindig. Better luck next year.

Alexis, Basketball, Black & White, Boone FUMC, Brandon, Carla, Christianity, Elainie, Event, History, Holidays, Jason, Jaycees, Johnathan, Mom, Music, Shannon, Teresa

03-25-08

March 17, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

These are the pictures from the folder 03-25-08:

By restoring these photos to the Photography 139 Photo Gallery, I was able to restore the following classic blog entries to their former glory:

MY HAPPY EASTER
THURSDAY NIGHT WITH KOUNTERTOP (PT.1)
A NEW GIG
RELAY FOR LIFE

The picture of me dunking is not a photo trick or a lowered hoop, I’m sure.

I’m not quite sure why I took the religious photos. But I like them.

The Easter photos are interesting because this year we won’t be celebrating Easter on Easter for the first time that I can ever remember. Mom is heading to Virginia with her favorite child that weekend. I might have my own private Air Fryer Easter that day.

The pictures of Shannon are from when she started at United Way. She needed a head shot for some kind of press release or newsletter or to hang in the company bathroom. I’m not really sure. However, I am 100% sure that Shannon will continue to work at The United Way for the foreseeable future. She will probably retire from there.

Next week’s walk down memory lane will involve snow.

Alexis, Alisa, Anders, Animals, Baier, Becca, Bethany, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Derrick, Elainie, Evie, Flat Earth Joe, Holidays, House, Iowa State, Jason, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Johnathan, Jorge, Logan, Mom, Movies, Nader, Naima, Nate, Pastor Sarah, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Shorty, Tenderloining, Teresa, Tim, Willy, Youth Group

Won’t Take that Credit; I know Where We Get It; Them Blessings Be Comin’ from God Above

November 23, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Rather than my standard picture of an inflatable turkey, thought (with apologies to Lecrae, I’d give thanks for some of the many blessings in my life.

Count it up, count it up, count it up.
Line ’em up, line ’em up, line ’em up.

Blessed with a tremendous biological family. Blessed to share DNA and a life with these people.

Blessed to be a part of Olivia’s family. Blessed to learn a new definition of the word “family” from Shorty and Doris.

Blessed to be a part of an incredible church family. From Youth Group to Methodist Men to the people I see in the pews on Sundays.

Blessed to have a job and double blessed to have a great work family. 7 AM comes pretty early, but so many of the people I work with make the struggle worth the effort.

Blessed to share a life with this band of brothers. Not one of us has any fashion sense, but I’d still take a bullet for any of them.

Blessed to fit in with this band of sisters as well.

Blessed to be able to share my love of weird cinema with like minded individuals once a month.

Blessed to be a Cyclone and double blessed to have somebody to share so many trips to Jack Trice (a spiritual place for me) with.

Blessed to have a roof over my head that belongs to me. Blessed that I can extend that roof over friends and family when their life needs it. Blessed that when I say, “Want to help paint by house?” 20+ people show up.

Blessed that friends from past jobs are still important pillars of my current life.

Blessed that people that aren’t related to me consider me an uncle to them.

Blessed to have a car that I can drive out of town and not worry about the tire falling off.

Blessed to have so many people in my life that when I say, “I’m coming to your city”, they say, “You’re staying with us right?”

Blessed to have so many people in my life that fill gaps.

Blessed that even though I’m aged, I still healthy enough to still ball. Although pretty poorly these days.

Blessed that even though I’m aged, I still have people in my life that keep me young.

Blessed to have people in my life that want to change the world for the better, when I get cynical.

Blessed to have art in my life.

Blessed to have a beautiful beard. Even if the old guys at my church hate it.

Blessed to have people who will help with projects like this, no questions asked.

Blessed to share a life and a domicile with this crazy beast. Teaches me about selfless love every single day.

Blessed to have a chance to spread my blessings to others, sometimes, with some of my favorite people.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of my blessings. But I don’t want it to start to sound like I’m bragging.