by angela batts on June 20, 2010
in Family
There is a HUGE difference in being a father and being a dad. Anyone can father a child but it takes someone special to be a dad, to raise and nurture a child into adulthood. When I was 3 years old mom remarried a very special man named Ennis. From that moment forward he has raised me and helped shaped me into the woman I am today. He has never once made me feel like I am not biologically his own. We have a much deeper connection than that – we have a heart connection and for this I am forever grateful. He has always given to me unselfishly and never once have I heard him complain when I needed something. Daddy, thank you for your unconditionally love. I love you and can’t imagine my life without YOU being my dad.
My Dad
by angela batts on May 28, 2010
in Holidays
A lot has been going on in the past few months and I just realized that I uploaded some of the pictures I edited over Easter but they never made it to the blog! I guess these are better late than never! At least they made it on here before the July 4th pictures or better yet, Christmas . . . YIKES! Rachael and Ben were unable to be there this year to decorate eggs with everyone but Daniel pitched in and got a dozen eggs decorated to hide on Easter Sunday. With so many eggs to color and so little time, we needed all the creative hands available. Thanks everyone for pitching in! Even Tank (the Flores’ family bulldog) was part of the action. Sometimes he was patiently waiting as the eggs were decorated so he could go outside and play when all was said and done. In the picture with Donna and Tank, he gave Donna a high-five for a piece of cheese! 
One of my favorite things to do is people watch and Venice Beach is a perfect place to do just that. Last Sunday Donna and I took our cameras to Venice to relax, people watch, and grab a few shots while there. It was a beautiful day and this in itself is a welcomed change to be outside in the sunshine rather than sitting behind a desk in the accounting department all week. I was able to take a few shots while strolling the oceanfront walk. Here are a few of them.
The next few pictures are of graffiti that I saw on the side of a building. I like the colors that the artist used in the paintings so I took some pictures to post.
We were walking along and I heard this lone voice above the crowd saying, “I need gas money to get back to Africa.” This made me literally laugh out loud when I heard this. I looked around and this is the who I heard saying these words. I wonder exactly how he was proposing to use this “gas money” to get back to Africa!!!
This street sign captured my attention as well. If you have ever driven in California, you know that EVERY street here could be called “Speedway”!
I had a wonderful time in Venice and look forward to going back once again. I have always loved going to the beach, taking pictures, people watching, good company and when you combine all of them in one day, WOW, that’s a perfect day! Thanks, Donna, for such a great time!
On January 1, 2010 I embarked on a new project called Project 365, which basically is capturing one picture a day for an entire year. What I like about this challenge is that the picture does not have to be taken with my fancy dancy camera but can be taken with my iPhone. This sounds simple enough yet will also challenge me. Some days I know that I will not feel like taking a photo and also that I will lack creativity yet I will do my best to follow though with the challenge that I have put before myself.
I have added a new page called Project 365 where all of my shots can be viewed in one place. Click here to link directly to the page. Be sure to click on the slideshow and come back OFTEN as this will be updated daily. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor! 
For those of you who may not know about Tank, he is the Flores’ family bulldog. Tank is not just ANY bulldog. He’s quite a little character. He will make you laugh when you are down and he will bring a smile to your face even when you don’t think you can muster a smile. He is a dog of many faces. I have never seen a dog that has so much personality as this little guy. When Donna and Daniel brought home this little bundle of energy last Christmas for their boys’ Christmas present, I was immediately won over by this precious little face. I was in North Carolina visiting my family over the holidays when I got a text message telling me they had an addition to the family and when I saw his picture, I knew why they had picked this one. They have had him a year this week and as a tribute to the Tankster, here are a few pictures I took in their front yard of him playing a few weeks ago. He LOVES to play with this gigantic volleyball and gets so excited when Josh brings it outside. Take a look at the pictures and look at the expression on Tank’s face. He chases the ball so fast and furious that he actually runs OVER the ball when he catches it. Everyone laughs at him and this makes him run even harder and faster. It’s like the excitement he exudes is contagious. You can’t help but smile when watching him. I never thought someone else’s dog would bring so much joy to me. Thanks for sharing your pup!
Full-screen
Below are a few shots that Donna shot on the way home yesterday while I was driving. The fires are very widespread here and the fire headquarters are located at
Hansen Dam which is where a lot of the major networks are broadcasting. Hansen Dam is not quite a mile from work and when I am driving on the 210 Freeway I can look to my left and see all the equipment that is not being used at the moment. The efforts are massive and the their work is definitely paying off.
Below is an excerpt I found earlier on the web about the area I live and I am VERY relieved to get this WONDERFUL news!!!! However, there are still a lot of people in harm’s way and please do not forget to pray for them as well as those fighting the fires. The air quality here still remains in the hazardous zone.
La Crescenta, La Cañada Flintridge declared safe
12:30 a.m., 9/2/09: Mandatory evacuation order in Briggs Terrace, and all of La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge are lifted.
7:52 a.m., 9/1/09: In the once-threatened area of Briggs Terrace, firefighters using flares set backfires from the top of the ridge gradually down toward the homes. The burnouts neutralized the danger of the wildfire coming down. Nathan Judy of the U.S. Forest Service. “Everybody in that neighborhood has nothing to worry about,” said Nathan Judy of the U.S. Forest Service.”There’s no fuel to burn. We took it away.”
Here are a few pictures that were taken by Donna that she said I could use to show one of the water drops from the helicopters. These were actually taken from my bedroom window! This shows exactly how close this fire is to where I live . . . . too close for comfort if you ask me!
Tuesday evening on my way home from work I texted Donna to let her know there was a huge plume of smoke coming from the mountains near her house and asked if she knew anything about it. She immediately texted back that she was not aware of the fire. Here are some pictures that I have taken over the course of the weekend as the fire continues to consume everything in its path. I have some more pictures that I am going to post later. I’m truly grateful to God for keeping us safe and to the courageous firefighters for all their hard work to put out this wild fire. If you would like to read more about the fires, please venture over to Donna’s blog and take a look at her pictures that she has posted. Here is another link to a picture she did that was actually taken from my bedroom window. It gives you some perspective as to how close the fire actually is to where I live.
by angela batts on August 26, 2009
in Family
My sister, Kristin, texted me today and told me to look at what she had posted on her Facebook page about my seven year old nephew, Logan, who began second grade last week. For those of you who know me know that this little boy is the apple of my eye and always has been since his inception. When I read the words Kristin had written, tears filled my eyes. Here is what I read:
Logan had to write in his journal on the first day of school. The assignment started out with the phrase, ” The best thing about me is…” . I just knew he would talk about how much he loves to play video games, or ride his bike outside, or that he is pretty good at playing basketball. I picked it up after he was done to see what he had written and this is what he wrote: “The best thing about me is that I am a Christian and that God loves me. I am good at playing video games and basketball, but the best thing about me is that I am a Christian.” After I held back the tears a little, I began to really think about the simplicity of that confidence. We can each hang our hats on many talents and gifts we have been given. Some of us stand out more than others in various areas. Some of us spend a lot of our time focusing on what we do not have. What is the best thing about you? I can truly say that all I am today hinges on the fact that I have a God who gave His son unconditionally for me. My purpose in life is to allow Him to live through me so that others may come to know and experience this same joy and peace in their lives. Everything else is just icing on the cake. May each of us today learn to look at life through the eyes of a child.
My nephew, Logan
