OK. I hate the new WordPress interface, and I despise the fact that I lost all of my data and had to start over again. I tried for several days to restore the database to no avail. Anyway…lucky for me, I had saved all of my posts, keywords, categories and pages in backup text files. I finally took each backup post and manually recreated each post. If you find something missing, please let me know. Until then, we’re back in business. Look for rest of my line art examples soon.

I upgraded my site to WP 2.5.1 last night and it hosed by site. In the process of “fixing” the problem, I wiped everything out. I’ve tried restoring the database, but it isn’t working, so I am going to report everything. The dates will be messed up, but atleast all of the links will be there. If you have any issues finding something, please drop me a line and let me know. -Texaiano

In my post “6 Crafty Photo Ideas for Dad” from earlier this week, I told you about some crafty photo gifts that I found on FamilyFun.com. Gifts are great, but as the kid in all of us knows, the best gifts of all are time and caring.

Some people do not have a father, but honor that someone who was the “father figure” in their life, such as an uncle or grandfather. Some fathers have great relationships with their children and keep their experiences and opinions as an open book to enhance their family’s lives, while other men tend to be stoic and closed off, feeling that, though they love their children, it’s more of the mother’s place to talk about all that “touchy-feely” stuff. To those of you whose Dad is in the latter category, you have your work cut out for you, but might I suggest that when you call or go see your Dad this Father’s Day that you take a little extra time to visit and really get to know him?

Depending on if your father is the first guy or the last guy that I described, starting the dialog may not be easy, but don’t sweat it. Just start out by asking how week was, or start talking about the latest sporting event. (HINT: The NBA finals were this week. Find out who he was rooting for.) Once you start talking, just go from there. Hopefully, this will be the first of many talks with your dad

While your are with your dad, ask things about him that you don’t know such as him tick and what makes him the man that he is. Treat this opportunity as if you were a reporter who was granted a once in a lifetime, one-on-one interview a famous person. You don’t have to be Jimmy Olson sitting there with a pen and pencil jotting down everything that comes out of his mouth. Just take good mental notes.

Here are some ideas about what questions to ask:

What are you top 10 “rules for life”? (ex: “I don’t do anything in life where there is no margin for error, such as jumping out of a plane.”)

While you are there with Dad, ask yourself if you have a recent picture of you with your dad. What about pictures of your dad when he was a child? This is the perfect photo-op to break out the camera and record a memory. Speaking of recording, you can also tape or video tape “interview”. Pictures are great but having your Dad’s voice recorded or even a “moving picture” of him will be priceless years after he is gone.

I myself have a good relationship with my father, and especially now that I am grown and have a family of my own, I enjoy talking with him and hearing him talk about his life. (Imagine that!) Nonetheless, almost every time I talk to my dad on the phone, I learn something new about his life. This Father’s Day, I too am going to make a special effort to fill in some of those missing details of my Dad’s life.

Until next time,
-Texaiano

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“Give me a minute and I’ll give you a lifetime.”

Two of my goals here at fotofamilymemories.com is to inspire you to build stronger relationships with your family. I also want to help you capture those memories through photography and art. To that end, I am introducing two new regular features. Continue Reading »
New Features - “Foto Family Minute” and “Foto Memory Minute”

FotoFamilyMemories.com is finally LIVE!!! I will be publishing my first article soon, but until then, make sure that will not miss it by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can also check out our exciting extras page or drop me a note from the contact form located at the bottom of this page. I would enjoy hearing what you think about the site and our projects, and what ideas you have about how to better enjoy your photographs, make more memories, build a stronger family or just in general, how to live a more fulfilling life. If you have done any photo mods that you are especially proud of, send them to me too. I am always willing to highlight other people’s creativity and I promise that read and respond to each email that I receive.

Your Fellow “Creative Genius ” ,
Texaiano

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