the wicked witch of the wind....

how lucky am I

to live close enough

to see my niece

use all of her magical powers

to keep her scary black hat on

before she climbed on her broom

and

flew away

?

very lucky

I think

*

this is as scary as gets around our house...

I'm not dressing up for halloween this year

~actually I can't remember the last time I did~

but

I decided to dress up this photo instead

~~

when my hubby first looked at it

he thought it was fake

and

with a sly smile on his face

and

an eyebrow raised into the shape of a question mark

said

"you totally added that bird in there"

~~

I rolled my eyes at him

gave him the cold shoulder

and

went back to my files

to find the original photo

just so I could whack him over the head with it

~~

the photo above is the original

and

the one below

well

that's a dancing bird photo

and

my hubby

he's fine

I didn't hit him that hard

*

I should know what I'm doing...

but

I feel like I'm all thumbs

~~

I went to school for dental assisting when I was 18

then

worked as assistant off and on for 8 years

while specializing in ortho

and

now that I'm 45

you'd think it would be like a riding a bike

~~

but no

instead I feel like I've never seen the inside a mouth before

~~

my daughter had her wisdom teeth out years ago

and

it all went pretty well

and

really I don't remember any of it

except assisting the doctor on a sunday morning

for an emergency visit

when she got a blood clot the size of a golf ball

and

he couldn't get one of his girls to come in

~lucky me~

~~

but

now my son just had his wisdom teeth out yesterday

and

the bloody gauze and ice packs

and

him pale from not eating

and

him not eating because it hurts

and

it hurting because he's not eating so I can't give him his pain medication

arrghhhhh

~~

gosh I love being a mom

edited

he finally ate and wouldn't stop and I got his medicine into him

and

he slept through the night

~

maybe

this won't be so bad after all

so how's your day

?

~~~~~

and

ummm yes, I know these photos have nothing to do with wisdom teeth, but with

halloween this weekend and a gazillion pumpkin photos that I took

well, you know

~

~anyone else gagging over all christmas displays in all the stores already

or is just me~

*

a little look...

at the sweet girl who lives across the street from me

whose brown eyes you could fall into

and

whose smile is infectious

~~

at the end of our shoot

~about 250 pictures later~

she said

"sure"

when I asked her if she would do

a few

"beth thinks she can do anthropolgie"

photos

using my vintage suitcase

~~

I think she nailed them

now if only I could find

50 more girls

just like her

*

I've been busy editing photos from the three shoots before this one

~a few are over at ruby luna photography~

but

I can't wait to start playing with these

~

we lucked out with an afternoon where the sun came out

at just the right time

and

gave us a perfect day

~~

which for our october this year

was a huge gift

*

sunday in the park...

the park benches were empty

and

looked sad

~~

the picnic tables

looked like they missed having sticky popsicle hands all over them

the lake

looked beautiful and tough

like she was gritting her teeth knowing soon she would be fighting with winter

~~

although

I did see her smile a few times

when the clouds and the sun

~running hand in hand~

came out for a game of marco polo

the swings stood still

like they were sleeping

not letting even the slightest breeze push them around

and

as I walked away

the benches and the tables and the lake and the swings

all started to sing

and

even though it was a sad song and their voices cracked a little

I think I heard them say

"don't forget about us"

*

I don't ever want to judge...do you ?

I heard their laughter first

from across the pond

~~

then

as I approached them

they ignored me

the same way I think most adults ignore a group of kids like this

~~

kids who look like trouble

the baggie jeans with their boxers hanging out

girls who think they look tough

with their eyes smothered in thick black eye liner

smoking to look cool

and

hooded sweatshirts with the hoods up

that we often take as

"don't even think about getting too close to us"

and

so we don't

~~

I walked right up to them and asked if I could take their pictures

and

they all smiled and asked me why

~~

I told them that I love real life photography

and

that they were the best thing I had seen all day

and

everyone of those tough faces

smiled

right at me

and

their eyes sparkled

I told them that I couldn't take photos of their faces

due to the fact that a parent might not want a complete stranger

photographing their children

and

they seemed to understand

they wanted to know what they should do

and

I said just be yourselves

~~

so they laughed

and

hugged

and

kept looking over their shoulder at me

~~

one of the girls said she felt like a celebrity

and

that I was the paparazzi

coming out of nowhere to take her photo

~~

it was one of the best compliments I've ever received

when I was almost done

I told them about my jumping photos

and

their excitement was tangible

as they ran over towards me

while I walked a little closer to the pond

~~

they practiced

they laughed

they competed to see who could jump the highest

and

then they thanked me with loud voices of

"this was great"

~~

I said

thank you

for being such great kids

*

give kids like this a chance...I have a teenager close to their same ages and he wears

a black hoodie and also thought smoking made him look cool

but

he wouldn't hurt a fly and almost everyday

has a heart larger than life

~~

maybe this is why I was so comfortable in the park with these kids

who knows

~~

just remember

they're kids

who maybe have parents too busy to notice that they aren't even home from school yet

or haven't had a hug or been told "I love you" in months

or even heard

good morning...have a great day at school...got everything you need

in weeks

~~

i think all of us can make a difference

in the lives of the kids who others ignore

and

the surprising part

is the difference they can make in yours

*

it was just sitting there...

I look for them all the time

those abandoned doors and windows

held together by walls that once had a voice

~~

but

sometimes I like to think that they find me

~~

this one was loved

I can tell

because

it's the shade of pink that your cheeks become

after a long walk in the dried fields

while

hand in hand

with your lover

~~

not pink

because the sun has soaked the typical and always blaring red right out of it

but pink

because somebody cared

~~

it is still on a lived in property

at the bottom of a hill where the grass is calf high

near a slight bend in the road

and

where I'm guessing

laughter fills the main house during the day

and

the lights come on at night

~~

my sister has passed this

"there must be a story here"

building

many times

as it's on the way to her friends house

yet

she's never really given it any thought

~~

yesterday was my first time to see it

and

I was instantly drawn to it

the way I always am with these left behind buildings

the sun

was warm and understanding

while

it painted with long brushstrokes

~what I want to believe was a guest house or a child's playhouse~

simple

weak layers of white

that cast ghostly like shadows

~~

someday I'll go back

when I can spend a little more time

and

see if it has anything to tell me

*

I agree...

it's hard enough to have your picture taken when you're a little bit shy

and

just turning a year old

but

then they throw you on top of a pumpkin the size of a whale

and

expect you to smile

~~

if he could have spoken I think I would have heard

"come on people

give me a break"

*

monkeys, I tell you...a family of monkeys....

and

I'm so lucky to be related to them

remember the sneak peek of my sister up in the tree

?

well

here are a few more photos from that shoot

~~

I've been a little busy and have two photo consults ahead of them

before I can dive completely into all their photos

but

I just had to play around a little bit

with a few of them

because

well because

she's my sister

one of the best parts of the shoot

was that my hubby had my old camera

and

was shooting over my shoulder at what I was shooting at

or as I found out later

right at me

with

my 80-200mm lens

and

caught me in the act of catching these tree monkeys

so

these are some of the photos I took

except the ones that I'm in

~duh~

but

just wait until I show you some photos that the hubby got

~~

he's good

he's really really good

and

now I think he's going to have to stop carrying my camera bag for me

because he's sweet like that

and

instead

I'll have to hire him

*

I see, I feel, I hear

the shadows

danced perfectly in the woods yesterday

like they had spent hours in a front of mirror practicing for just the right moment

the sun

glistened off the dried blades of grass

like a warm layer of lotion trying to smooth out the wrinkles

the leaves

that had lost their ability to hang on weeks ago

danced under my feet even though I thought their music sounded sad

the glass covered lake

ignored the geese that were finding last minute landing spots

acting as if it were an inn that was closing up early for the winter

and

the walnuts

fell from the highest of trees

letting out little sighs on their way down

somehow knowing this was the end

for them

*

because there isn't always enough room....

I've made a little spot

for some of my favorite photos

because

sometimes they just need a home of their own

~~

remember these munchkins

?

~~

you can see a few more photos of them

over here

at

ruby luna photography

*

she doesn't really know me, know me

but she likes me and my blog

and

I feel the same way about her

~~

lisa is an amazing mom to two adorable boys

that keep her moving all day and night

and

somewhere in her busy days

filled with sticky hands and wet kisses

she makes jewelry

~~

really really beautiful jewelry

made from her heart

with words or pictures that are simple

yet say and mean so much

~~

I've been reading lisa's blog pretty much forever now

and

it seems like I ask her lots of questions

~which by the way she always answers~

~~

after one of my last comments to her

she sent me a personal email and I decided I just had to share her

and

her jewelry

with all my blog loves

~that's you guys~

~~

she sent me this necklace

with my word for next year

~remember I don't do a new year's resolution anymore~

~just a single word~

just because she's nice that way

and

when her package arrived in the mail

~which is as beautiful as her jewelry~

I was blown away

~~

I am in love with this necklace

and

in love once again

with how this blogging world

~in so many little ways that have filled my heart~

has changed my life

~~

the community

the tribe

the connection

that I feel and see

and

am part of everyday

continues to amaze me beyond words

~~

so today my blog loves

please visit lisa

and

fall in love with her and her family

and

her jewelry

all of which she is so incredibly passionate about

and

tell her I sent you

~~

you won't be disappointed

I promise

*

lisa is giving all my blog loves a discount this week on anything you order

~

just use

beyourself

as the discount code when ordering and save 15% on your purchases

~

I told you she was great

*

it's in our genes....

to be silly and goofy

and

climb trees

~~

this is my sister

~

my hubby and I did their family photo shoot yesterday

and

laughed until our eyes filled with tears

~~

there's something special about photographing family

~

I guess it's because I know they love me

no matter what I do or say

so the whole experience ends up just being pure crazy fun

~~

there are about a million more photos from this shoot

and

sometime this week I'll get a few more posted

so you can really get a feel for the overall silliness

that swallowed me up yesterday

*

the fingers were red and the noses were running....

but

they were all troopers

and

smiled

and

laughed

despite the cold weather

~~

this family is amazing

~

a year ago they were my first maternity shoot

and

then we did a newborn shoot

and

a

7 month shoot

and

now

guess who just turned

ONE

?

going crazy with picture sizes....

this is a large photo uploaded through flickr

~what I've been doing lately~

where the right hand side usually gets cut off

and

irritates the crap out of me

this is the medium size photo uploaded through flickr

which is better

but not quite the right size I'm looking for

now I've gone in and started to play around with the html on my photos

which I think is going to make me so much happier

~~

there are a hundred different ways to so this

depending on who you ask

and

bloggers

of course

are the best source of information

some html changes

will make all your photos the same size every time

you upload a photo

and

that's not what I wanted

~~

I like having some control over my photo sizes and once I learned an easy way

to edit the individual html for each photo

I patted myself on the back

and

ate a chocolate chip cookie

~~

for all of you bloggers who answered my questions

THANK YOU

~~

for those of you who would now like my help

I'd love to

~~

would you....

when the new television season began

we started watching

"flash forward"

on thursday nights

and

we're hooked

~~

~the premise of the movie~

every living soul here on earth

loses consciousness at the same time

for approximately 137 seconds

~

after waking up

it's confirmed

that they have all had visions

of what they are doing

6 months into the future

on april 29 and 30

2010

~

one guy sees himself being shot

another girl sees herself being drowned

one women sees herself with another man besides her husband

and

the women engaged to the man who sees himself getting shot

sees herself getting married

~

it might sound confusing

but

it's intriguing and intelligent and compelling

and

brings up the question you probably already figured I was going to ask you

~

but

before I do

just so you know

we have discussed this in our house and we're on two different sides

~

if given the chance

I would take it and want to see my life 6 months from now

my hubby

says he wouldn't take the opportunity

that he'd rather just wait and be surprised

~~

so now I ask you

"if you could see what would be happening to you or what you would be doing

6 months into the future, would you want to know?"

*