today...edited

after kissing me good-bye

~

not being bothered by my rumpled~slept in~almost ready for good-will t-shirt

that hangs loosely from my shoulders

and

ignoring

the way my hair was all flattened to one side of my head

he

said

i love you more than anything

~

i think today

i can pretty much accomplish anything

*

OH

as if my morning hasn't been perfect already

now

i'm totally over the moon

~

WHY

because

not only does my hubby love me more than anything

i just found out that i'm

an honorary truffle girl

today

~my photo is already there, but check back later to see the amazing words that karey will add~

~

i think i should go buy a lottery ticket

*

august break

the

last day

shut the front door....

why is it that i thought pumpkins and gourds just magically appeared in fields

come the end of september

~

because

i'm a dork

~

remember

~

yesterday at my sister's house i walked with her to her garden

to watch her pick cucumbers and melons

but

it was the oranges and whites and greens of a fall harvest

that stole the show for me

~

i have a million photos that i'll share tomorrow

but

for now i just wanted to make sure that you all know fall is on the phone

telling summer she's been great, but that it's about time she packs her bags and leaves

~

seriously

it's 90 degrees here today

and

my sister has huge pumpkins in her garden

~

gosh

i love life

*

senior :: 2011

what can i say

i love taking senior photos

and

when they're as easy to work with as d was

well

wow

~

i love my job

~

there's a few more over here if you have time to take a look

lyrics can be delicious....

i've been listening to music lately instead of the news and now my thoughts seem to be better friends with each other and their tattered edges aren't as frayed

~

which makes me feel

hungry

for life

and

for love

and

for a really cute pair of boots for fall

~

actually

i just feel hungry for a really good pizza

*

august break

day

29

so in love...

i'm

in love

with the farmer's market

on the capitol square

and

in love with

the peppers and garlic and cheese and kettle corn and apple pie

and

onions and cinnamon bread and fingerling potatoes

we just bought

and

totally

in love with

this retro camera app

for my droid

what are you in love with

this glorious saturday

*

august break

day

28

hmmm....

i found a new camera app

on my phone today

~

and

i think i like it

~

but

now i have proof that my desk is a mess

*

5 hours....

just to laugh and share. eat and smile. acknowledge and learn.

~

three girlies getting together who have known each other only through blogging. she was warm to the touch and had eyes that i fell into. she had a smile and livelihood so young and fresh.

~

we talked about many of you

and

how you've become such an amazing part of our lives

~

how the blogging world is a delicious gift

and

how wonderful it is to share and understand

~

we talked about kids and food

and

a few dreams

did you know

she smirks when she smiles and can be a bit sassy

~and has a blog post about yesterday, too~

~

anyhow

my heart is a bit fuller today

all because of them. all because of five hours. all because of blogging.

*

i'm on the road today...

and

i'm totally giddy

~

that's how i feel when i get to meet a blogger in real life

~

but

today i'm meeting two bloggers

~

for the first time

~

faces to faces

hugs to hugs

laughs to laughs

so

i'm doubly giddy

~

oh it's ridiculous how fun this is going to be

~

i bet you want to know who

don't you

~

well

~

it's a secret

shhhhh

~

until

tomorrow

*

i'll have the strawberries, please

if they're baked in a muffin

especially one with a sugary topping

then i love them

otherwise

blueberries just can't seem to find their way into my heart

*

august break

day

25

*

4 months until christmas

~

~seriously with a comment like that my calendar should be taken away from me and i should be given a time-out in the corner while the other kids play~

::

name that song.....errr, um starfish

"get a room" starfish

"tattoo" starfish

"he's just not that into you" starfish

"i'm a swan" starfish

"hey, where did everyone go" starfish

"hide and seek" starfish

"pig pile" starfish

~

please please please

share with me

your names

for these starfish

~it's just too fun and you probably see something i don't~

*

august break

day

24

the proof...

that time really does fly

~

do you remember her

here

~

seriously

how did nine months slip by me so quickly

~

anyhow

this was a very last minute shoot

on a harsh sunny day

and

sweet little O

really didn't want to smile

or even look at me

but

i did my best to capture her little outside fairy spirit

~

hopefully

she'll agree to another little shoot in a month or two

when the colors are blazing with oranges and yellows

and

she can play in the leaves

and

i can promise her the sun won't blind her

*

more photos from her shoot are over here

sunday afternoon...

august break

day

22

hope floats....

i don't go boating or sailing

but

if i did

i think i would want to be in one of these

*

august break

day

21

i know you see it...

it's my running man

starfish

~

you see it

don't you

~

did you smile

~

i did

*

can you believe

that other than editing to black and white or softening with a polaroid look, i haven't had to edit any of my vacation photos, which means the light in seattle and oregon is about as close to perfect at you can get, which means that yes, this is sooc, which means that this starfish really is this purple, even on a cloudy misty day.

the difference between boys and girls....

enough said

~

i have two tiny posts with a few more wedding photos over here

and i would be green...

i'm not a starfish or a clam

i'm not a crab or an urchin

i'm a sea sponge

if someone asked me who i was in the ocean of life

~

soaking in everything around me

my feelings

the feelings of others

the little things that nobody else sees

the big things that overwhelm me

the way the clouds bring a sense of calmness to a day filled with prickly thorns

~

absorbing all the good

the grey when i thought it was white. the softness. the focus. the hugs.

and

trying to fight the bad when it wants to be absorbed

too

~

yes

i am a sponge

and

i can only hope that someday

when it's time to be wrung out

that all the good and beautiful stay

and

all the bad falls silently away

with no parade of fancy

like a low damp mist whispering while it fades into the rising sun

realizing it never had a room in my heart to begin with

but

only in my hands

as i questioned it's belonging in the first place

*

maybe tomorrow...

it's not that i want things different. i honestly don't love change. but i want things to change.

i don't want to move. but i want to move. i don't want to take the chance of what my hair might look like if i get it all cut off. but i want it all cut off. i don't want to paint my studio. but i don't want to look at the kalamata olive colored walls another day. i don't want summer to end. summer makes me happy and light and almost bubbly.

~

but

i want to wear my favorite scarf that smells like me and that my hubby will sleep with if i die tomorrow. at least i know i would if it was his scarf. and my fingerless gloves that make some people look at me with a raised eyebrow. that look of disbelief. that look of she's gone crazy now. her gloves don't even have fingers for god's sake. i want to wear those too.

~

today

i want to sit in a park by the water and watch people. people watching is something i'm really good at. not in a creepy stalking kind of way. just in a way of being thankful that we're not all the same. of course i'd want to take their photo. i would. i would ask first and they would say yes. they always do. but today i have appointments.

~

and

when i move. which will happen. we move often. i will go into the restaurant where this light fixture lives and beg them to let me buy it.

~

seriously

i will beg

*

nobody told me...

before we left for seattle

i asked a number of people

"we only have one day downtown....what should we do or see"

and

most of the responses were the same

~

space needle

pike place market

seattle underground

the aquarium

~

but

nobody told me about

the bubble gum wall

that we found all on our own

~

we had time to kill. the bridge to get us out of downtown was closed for the blue angels practicing overhead. the cobblestone street under the market called my name towards the water. we saw lots of people. it was dark at first and then daylight poured in. right before our eyes. bubble gum everywhere.

~

honestly

as gross as it was

it was truly extraordinary and amazing and beautiful

but

somehow

i'm not sure everyone would agree with me

while we were admiring the wall

a stock photographer was photographing this girl

and

during one of their breaks

i asked if i could take her photo

and

they both smiled and said

absolutely

~

i actually asked and photographed many strangers on this trip

~which you all know i love to do~

but

this girl

against this wall

~

well

for a photographer like myself

it was close to the most perfect day

ever

*

my new best friend....

or

more aptly named

"why i love seattle"

~

i didn't get his name

but

he was by far the best street performer we saw all day

while visiting downtown

and

i only thought it fair that i share him with all of you

~

PLEASE

watch my video

here

*

i have a winner.....and what's important

you guys are the best guessers

ever

~

especially jillsy

who works as an undercover cop and crime scene investigator on the weekends

~well she doesn't really, but she could~

who

totally nailed where we were

~

we were in seattle first for our nephew's wedding

~those photos soon~

and

then we headed south and over to the coast

where we spent two glorious nights

at the

stephanie inn

in

cannon beach

oregon

and

because you all played along with my little guessing game

the random draw winner

~after hubby pulled a name out of the hat~

is

deb

~

oh and now you're probably waiting for me to tell you what's important. well from these photos, what's important is to make sure that before you start digging your little piggies in the tide pools, you make sure your pink laced leggings are all rolled up and tucked safely under your skirt and if you have adorable little pigtails in your hair, too....well, then you're really set for an afternoon of exploring.

~

jillsy and deb....please send me your snail mail addresses

have you....

have you ever noticed

that the beach calls your name with a familiar voice

and

embraces you with a hug that feels like a long lost friend

when you finally arrive

have you ever noticed

that the beach never makes you feel lonely

even if you're all alone

have you ever noticed

that the beach makes you more playful and smiley

and

that after a day of even just walking in the sand

your cheeks are pinker

with a color that can't be bought

have you ever noticed

that the beach is as alive as you are

have you ever noticed

that the beach makes you a bit weepie

when you have to say

good-bye

*

i have

~

august break

day

13

~

have you thrown your guess in the hat yet

for where i was in these photos and the ones below

~

there's still time to play

*

i have a secret...

i've been gone for a week

~

did you know

could you feel it

~

could you tell i wasn't sitting in front of my computer everyday

anyhow

the first person

{and no you can't be anonymous~you have to have a blog or a blog profile}

to guess correctly where i was during the last part of our trip

based on these photos

will win a little prize

and

if you're a follower

you'll be entered twice

~just be sure to remind me you're a follower~

~

but

please

if you are a friend or a family member who knows where i just spent the past week

please please please

don't ruin the guessing game for those who want to play

~

okay

enough rules

let the guessing begin

while i unpack and do laundry

*

{i'll pick a winner on friday around 6 pm}

~

august break

day

11

i searched everywhere....

but

the non-pucker up lemons

just couldn't be found

::

august break

day

10

i'm so sorry....

i have been a terrible blogger

in regards to returning comments

and

thanking you all for

the amazing birthday wishes that you sent to me

all gift wrapped with gorgeous bows and ribbons

~

the birthday gods smiled down upon me

this year

and

they're still celebrating

making me feel like a queen

~

so in a few days

when the quietness returns and i find myself looking in the mirror

saying

"now what"

i'll be back to tell you all

"thank you"

and

show you how i celebrated

*

august break

day

9

and then my inflated head lifted me off the ground, and i flew away

Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu, Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu, Happy Birrrrthday Dear Beth, Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu! A few years back, not so long ago, heaven and earth erupted into a major celebration with the news of your impending adventure into this very time and space. You see, someone like Beth doesn't come along all that often. In fact, there's never been a single one like you, nor is there ever ANY possibility that another will come again. You're an Angel among us. Someone, whose eyes see what no others will EVER see, whose ears hear what no others will EVER hear, and whose perspective and feelings will NEVER, ever be duplicated. Without YOU, the Universe, and ALL THAT IS, would be sadly less than it is. Quite simply: You're the kind of person, Beth, Who's hard to forget, A one-in-a-million To the people you've met. Your friends are as varied As the places you go, And they all want to tell you In case you don't know: That you make a big difference In the lives that you touch, By taking so little And giving so much! Beth, you are so AWESOME! For your birthday, friends and angels from every corner of the Universe, including buddies you didn't know you had, will be with you to wish you the HAPPIEST of days and an exciting new year in time and space. You won't be alone! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Beth!

these were the words in my inbox today

from

the universe

~

and

now you know why head inflated the way it did

~

but

i guess when it's your birthday

you get 24 hours for that to be okay

~

august break

day

7

kind of like this....

when i think of all of you

and

how you make me feel

it looks like this

~

hearts + all of you = me feeling loved

~

between your amazing comments

~reassuring me that i'm not dorky~

and

the birthday wishes

you've bestowed upon me for my "big day" tomorrow

~

well

honestly

i think of myself as incredibly blessed

and

without all of you

my days would be lonely

and

the house would be spotless

~since i would spend all of my time cleaning instead of sitting here at my computer~

~

and

between me and you

a spotless house

is so overrated

~

besides

i kind of like naming my dust bunnies and their babies

*

august break

day

6

you already know i'm a dork....

but

today

i'm a dork over here

and

since she lives like a million miles away

i'm not even sure what time it is there

but i know our morning and evenings are like a day apart

and

well

ummm

she might still be in her jammies

~

fine

it's me who's still in her jammies

and

she's probably out saving the world

~

anyhow

i hope you have time to come and visit me

and

see some of my favorite photos that i've been saving

~

oh

~and if i'm not her immediate interviewee when you get there, then i'm right below that one, because like i said, she's a day ahead of me...i think~

~

but

first

or

second

watch this

and

smile

~

60,000 photos

9,600 prints

~

i'm more than amazed

*

august break

day

5