September 29, 2008

because now I'm addicted......

photographing people TTVF
is so much harder
than shooting objects
but
my niece and nephew
were angels
on
saturday
when I asked them to
"sit"
for me
~~~~~
even though her face is blurry
there is such an
ethereal
feeling
when I look at
olivia
here
that it gives me a chill
~~~~~
and I didn't do an
exact final count
but I think
the square corners
won
the
poll
~~~~~
thank you
all of you
for playing along
and
for also
leaving me such great comments
you made me smile
really big
*

September 26, 2008

because of misty......

these are my first attempts
of
photography
through
the
view finder
you take an old camera
a really old box camera
bought cheaply on ebay
have your wonderful
and
talented hubby
build a light diffusing
contraption
for it
~~~~~
attach your
macro lens
that
your thoughtful, loving
hubby
gave you for your birthday

and then go out in public
*
and
look silly
as people ask questions
as to what you're doing
*
and shoot
REALLY COOl PHOTOS !!!
~~~~~
oh, that misty !!
~~~~~
I left two of the photos with their square edges
and turned the other two into rounded edges
which ones do you like best ?
~~~~~



color me happy......

I was blessed
to meet jonatha
at squam
~~~~~
and
to be in a
superhero class
with her
~~~~~
and
to
have her sing
right in front of me
~~~~~
the beauty
the voice
and
the love
in her
soul
~~~~~
and
yesterday
I bought two tickets
to see her
here
YES
HERE
in
madison
on stage
in
december
because
her song
"taste of danger"
well
it's just
the
best
ever
and
I love her
~~~~~
if you know me
well
you've seen
my
happy
dance
~~~~~
and
that's what I did
yesterday
and what I'll still
be doing
all
day
today
*






September 25, 2008

he's always had it

17 years ago
I gave birth to a beautiful
baby boy
~~~~~
who
has made us laugh
make your cheeks hurt
tears in your eyes
pee your pants
laugh
at least once each day
since then
~~~~~
to my sweet boy
thank you for adding
so much to
our
lives
~~~~~
we wouldn't be
*us*
without
you
*
happy birthday

September 22, 2008

he stole my heart.....

I don't even know his name
but he was
beautiful
the kind
of
beautiful
that takes your breath
away
and I told him that
I had been looking
for a spot
a perfect water spot
for a photo shoot
and
instead I found him
this child
that when I asked if I could take his photo
smiled
and
proclaimed
"YES"
when I was walking back to my car
I approached a man
who I had somehow been drawn to
and asked if by any chance
his son was playing down
on the lake's edge
~~~~~
he smiled ear to ear
and
asked
"the one with the fro?"
and
I said yes
he's so beautiful
~~~~~
I stood next to this man
as he beamed
and told me all about his son
and
why they moved here
to wisconsin
from illinois
~~~~~
this beautiful child is
autistic
~~~~~
and
it is here
that they found the schooling and support
that they need
for him
~~~~~
and
it is here
with these
photos
that proved
to my heart
why I love to be
behind
my camera
~~~~~

September 19, 2008

I'll sit on that bench with you.....

"In order to do what really matters to you
you have to
first of all
know what really matters to you"
~~~~~
and maybe somedays
it's just best
to sit on a park bench
to sort out your feelings
and remind yourself
not to be scared of your life
but most of all
not to waste your life
~~~~~
while at
SQUAM
I heard
connecting with the earth
existing in the moment
finding your passion
living
~~~~~
and
that's what
I intend to do
~actually~
it's what I thought I was doing
but I wasn't
I've been faking it
"putting up a good front"
they say
so
if you see me
and I look the same
but maybe with a sparkle here or there
and you feel something differently
emerging from me
when you get a little closer
it's still me
only better

September 18, 2008

less jumbled thougths, kind of...or SQUAM part two.....


It's your passion that ultimately connects you
to your higher purpose
so I've been told
and
that's what I've been looking for
I think
and probably didn't even know it
this is Swirly girl
and
if you haven't bought
her book yet
well
you're missing out on amazing amount of inspiration
the kind that we all need
everday
in our lives
I've always known that I'm a water person
lakes, oceans
it doesn't matter
as long as there is water near me
well, it sings to me
can you hear it, too ?
this is
saturday's super hero life class
and in the yellow
is
kathleen
she's an angel by the way
as she was my partner during an exercise
and saw me shed lots of tears
as I told her about the person that I admire
the most
my grandma ruby
being here at SQUAM
was the most positive thing
I've done
just for me
so far this year
and it felt wonderful
~~~~~
so
a big
thank you to everyone
who pushed me
convinced me
and
taunted me
to come here
I exposed myself to lots of strangers
lived in the moments
and
returned with a new energy
can you feel it?
can you see the angel wings
on misty and stef ?
look closely
they're there
big, soft, fluffy, beautiful wings

travel journaling class 101
with my new friend
tara
she looks quiet here
but don't let her fool you...
she's a blast !!!!

everyday
for every meal
we had a very long walk to the dining hall
heather
asked me on the last full day
if I had seen the "nest"
and I hadn't
so we walked with our heads up
~~~~~
which for anyone who was at SQUAM knows
that was next to impossible to do without tripping over
a stone or a root
which would then send your body flying through the air
~~~~~
but
sure enough
we found it
and if I could have brought it home with me
empty of course
I would have
as
it was spectacular


oh susan !!!
on our first night in the cottage
I heard someone downstairs
saying she was
supposed to find me
at SQUAM to say "hello"
from a mutual friend
and upon looking for me
found out we were sharing the same cottage
and not only did we share a cottage
we shared time with one another
real time
an evening with the gang in front of the fireplace
just the two of us on a road trip in the rain
to and from
meredith
stopping at the general store to buy boots and a hat
in holderness
you are a special one susan !!
and the ducks
on the first day
right after registration
made stef and I crack up
did anyone else see them ???
~~~~~

















September 16, 2008

it can't be all said at once, as my thoughts are still all over the place, jumbled

I did something spontaneous
for the first time in my life
and for that
I'm a changed person
the magic that comes from
the voice
of
will stay with me forever
the water brought to me
the passion I've always felt for it
but this time
with an energy
that ran through my veins
I tried to soak in everything
around me
the smells
the sounds
the air
the quiet
but mostly
just
the
never ending
moments

this was my home
for
4 nights
2 of them bitterly cold
but
with layers and socks
and
a big down comforter
I
slept peacefully


{jonatha-andrea-jen}
~~~~~
women are amazing
we really are
and
this retreat
taught me to love myself
~~~~~
all the good parts
and especially the bad
but
most of all
that I can do
and
be
anything
and
everything

my
"heart rock"
on the way down to our dock
was a sign to me
to leave a little bit of myself
here
and to take home
with me
a new sense of self

if you know me
then you can see the love in my smile
as this woman
rocks
she is
crazy. beautiful . sexy. funny. safe . warm
and to have met her was a dream come true

stef
was one of my 7 housemates
and she is precious
and drop-dead gorgeous
with a never ending smile
and amazing hair
late one afternoon
she was doing yoga on our dock
and she let me take a few shots of her
what an amazing young woman

jess
was another housemate
soulful . quiet . kind
and makes the most amazing shirts
and
now I own one
thank you jess for being you

I only knew kelly
from the blogging world
but felt a connection
as she lives in indiana
and
can this beautiful woman
ever light up a room
I mean really
just look at her

oh heather
where do I begin
she was my roomie
a complete stranger
who I fell in love with immediately
she's soft spoken
gorgeous inside and out
she put up with me waking early
and we listened to each other
as we talked late into the nights
about life
{and she deserves her own post that will come later}

nina
the woman who pushed me
and taunted me
to get off my butt
to be spontaneous
and come to squam
and for what she did
I will love
her forever

sweet misty
with her huge heart
beautiful in so many ways
full of love and passion
and adventure
{i'll never forget our ride on the lake by the light of the moon}
you are an amazing soul

and saying good-byes in the airport
so hard to do
ellen
I wish we had spent more time together
and
anne
I loved our night where you shared our cottage
family room with us
and we had a chance to connect
~~~~~
this post has taken me most of my morning
but there's more to come
as I still have so much to share
more people, more stories, more photos
and
I don't want to forget anyone
or anything
{and ELIZABETH....you are my hero}



September 15, 2008

where to begin.....


this
is one of
oh, I don't know
maybe
150
photos
from my
amazing trip to
SQUAM
so
while I work on
my words
for
a real post
I leave you with
this little teaser
~~~~~
a little piece of
new hampshire
heaven

September 8, 2008

my bags are almost packed.....

I am one of the searchers.
There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content.
We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret.
We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand.
We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty.
We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well.
Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter.
To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know - unless it be to share our laughter.
We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide.
Most of all we love and want to be loved.
We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give.
We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.
For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful.
It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves."
~James Kavanaugh
With that said
I'm nervous and excited
as I get ready for
my trip to
New Hampshire
I'm so anxious to meet new people...
people that I only know from the blogging world
and of course to see my friends
that already have a place in my heart
kim, julie, nina, misty
~~~~~
And when it's time to head home
I want to come back
with a feeling of contentment
and as much inspiration
for life
as this body of mine can hold
~~~~~
{the above quote came from christine's blog
and she got it from denise's blog
and I couldn't resist
passing it on again}

September 6, 2008

too beautiful not to share


Have patience with everything

that remains unsolved in your heart.

Try to love the questions themselves,

like locked rooms

and like books written in a foreign language.

Do not now look for the answers.

They cannot now be given to you

because you could not live them.

It is a question of experiencing everything.

At present you need to live the question.

Perhaps you will gradually,

without even noticing it,

find yourself experiencing the answer,

some distant day.


by: rainer maria rilke

September 2, 2008

little bunny fru fru...

From an earlier post
I was asked
"is that a kitty or a bunny"
in your photo
~~~~~
well
in this shot
I'm sure it's obvious
~~~~~
YES
it's a bunny
~~~~~
a
dwarf bunny
with a
mohawk
~~~~~
and
even though she poops
alot
we absolutely love her
~~~~~
how could you not ?

September 1, 2008

slowly.....just for awhile

All summer long
we have walked through
our prairie
only hearing
the
cicadas
but this morning
with
a
thud
one landed on my bathrobe
and looked right at me
as if to say
"what are you doing here?"
slowly
as I held
my breath
John coaxed it
off of me
and
onto his hand
so that I could
enjoy
its' amazing beauty
up close
~~~~~
almost always
our early morning walks
are
beautiful
but
sometimes
when a visitor takes you by surprise
an early morning walk
can be
really
spectacular