and some say size doesn't matter....

well personally i think it does

~

really

how boring would this photo have been if i had shown you a tiny pine cone

~

oh wait

your mind is still in the gutter

isn't it

*

don't they know i can count...

i see the cold winds outside staring at me. daring me to be brave enough to walk out my front door. but i'm not playing that game today. instead i'm staying in where the warm air from the furnace dries out my skin

and

sends dirty dog smells through the air reminding me she needs a spa appointment.

~

i'm behind

i have closets that still need to be emptied

and

drawers

that are scary enough to be the lead roles in an upcoming horror film

begging me to visit. and i might. or i might just sit and finish the book i'm reading that had me crying in the back of the airplane sunday night.

~

i didn't want to sit in the 14th row flying home. only because it's the last row next to the only bathroom and the seats don't recline.

technically it's the 13th row. do they really think we can't count. that we won't realize it's the 13th row and that someone is just playing the superstitious game with us. little do they know that in our house 13 is a lucky number. na na na na boo boo.

~

yeah. my love for flying went out the window a long long time ago.

i know i know. if you've seen one sunset you've seen them all.

somehow with sunsets though that lingo doesn't work for me. just like snowflakes i believe that everyday when the sun goes down

it's in a different costume than the day before

~

now granted

as much fun as it was to watch my hubby catch snowflakes on his tongue a few posts back

i'd give that up in a heartbeat

to be front and center

for this kind of onstage performance night after night

~

want the seat next to me

*

in the middle of an early mardi gras.....

we were lucky enough to be back in florida this past weekend

and

even luckier to be able to sit in the sun and listen to an amazing concert

{and of course people watch}

~

there were adorable little girls with freshly painted faces

and

dogs with beads

there were costumes

and

poorly applied sunscreen

there was my hubby laughing with his lawn neighbor

and

a guy as busy as i was taking photos

there was little girl who danced right in front of us

and

this little sweetheart

who will grow up and work at disney world someday

there was this sweet grandma all dressed up

dancing the day away

and

another tiny dancer in pink who really knew how to swing it

there was this little boy who just simply made me laugh

now you know at mardi gras you have to dance

{well there are a few other things you can do}

in order to get some beads

~

so dancing i did

this lady didn't understand the rules

and

thought she could just tackle me in order to have a sparkly necklace

everyone knows it's rude to leave the dance floor once you have your beads

so i just kept moving

and

stole this man away from his wife

{not really. it just looks that way in the photo}

~

to say it was a great afternoon

in seaside

would be an understatement

~

so i'll just say

"when do we get to go back"

*

this could be me....

when i see the ocean. a feeling comes over me that's hard to explain. so when i saw this little girl. i had to laugh. somehow. magically. she made my feelings come alive.

~

first she pointed at the water. and then quickly, not wanting to take her eyes off the brilliant shades of turquoise, made sure her loved ones were watching the waves with her.

when she knew they were

and

that she didn't have to worry about a thing.

she just stood there. frozen in place. awestruck. and soaked it all in.

and

when the turquoise waves danced wildly

taking deep breaths while they crept closer to her

~

she applauded them

~

funny. i do that too.

but

in an adult kind of way

where the applause is only heard in my mind

~

next time

i'll be clapping out loud

just like her

~

*

sandy if you're reading this. this little girl looked just like alexandra did at that age.

what's wrong with these photos....

two nights before we left florida

and

headed for home

this is the sunset mother nature blessed us with

and

then after being home only three days

this is the wisconsin reality she threw in our faces

~

actually i think mother nature must have a new

highly under qualified

assistant

that has a mean streak and was fired from his last job

working for her temporarily

{we can only hope}

~

anyhow

the sunset photo above is untouched

{straight out of the camera}

and

honestly

the sky was that orange

~

and

the snow photo

{also straight out of the camera}

well

it has been touched

and

crumpled

and

torn into tiny pieces

stomped on

and

burned

~

what

i'm not bitter

i'm not

~

seriously

i "savored" the entire minute it took for that photo to go up in flames

*

so i'm a bit nuts...

while i was in florida

i was taunted by the squirrels

okay

i wasn't really taunted. actually i was completely entertained.

but

oh they were tricky little buggers

~

everyday

when i walked around with just my portrait lens {17-55} on my camera

they were everywhere

~

they'd sing and dance and even smile at me like a party was going on

{once i think i even saw party hats and confetti}

but

as soon as i'd grab my zoom lens {70-300}

and

go back out to capture all that dancing and singing

they were nowhere to be found

so i diligently practiced my

"make like a tree"

antics

thinking

i can play this game

too

{you silly little totally charming and furry things you}

and

before long

i had them totally faked out

so

in the end

they gave up toying with me

{being completely cooperative the best they knew how}

and

then invited me to share in all their fun

as long as i'd teach them the hustle

~

hence

the tiny white party lights

~

wish you could have been there

*

it's simple...

i "savored" january

and

in savoring i realized how simple life can be

and

how simply i can live

~

most of you know i spent the month of january in florida. and to tell you that i tried to savor everyday would be an understatement. i not only savored my time there. i sucked it up until it oozed back out of my pores. these are the photos to prove it.

in living simply, i didn't miss any of my "stuff" at home.

all the little things i buy or save that fill up a corner here or a spot on a shelf over there. the stuff that has to be dusted constantly. nope. i didn't miss any of it.

i didn't miss all the clothes and shoes that were still in my closet that i didn't take with me. i liked having only options a, b and c when it came to choosing what t-shirt to wear on any given day. the rest of the alphabet options are really unnecessary.

~

standing on the beach multiple times a day seeing how the color of the water constantly changed, was all i needed to be happy. rubbing sand off the bottom of my feet before getting into bed every night, no matter how often i swept the hardwood floors, became a habit i loved.

~

i learned that sitting in the warmth of the sun for the sake of doing nothing else, is never a waste of time. and that walking miles and miles a day through an ever changing environment kept me focused. focused on just how simply i could live.

~

really. how many lipsticks does a woman need to be happy. my new answer. one. even with my love of face creams. i only packed one. so no decisions had to be made after i washed my face at night. do you have any idea how freeing that kind of thing is. very.

~

as soon as we got home. before i unpacked my suitcase. i cleaned out my closet. i filled two huge garbage bags that are now ready to go to good-will. and that feels amazing.

and that's just the beginning.

the rest of the house is going to get an overhaul too. mostly those drawers and closets that tend to almost grow things when you're not looking. you know what i mean.

you go into your junk drawer to find batteries and an hour later you're all like "wow. i forgot we had this and what cord does this go to and why do i have 4 screwdrivers that are all the same size" and when you finish rummaging, you walk away with a magnetic key holder for under your car and forget that you were looking for batteries in the first place.

~

so i was thinking that maybe simple or simply or simplify would have to my new word for the year since that's what i feel like i'm doing. but i wouldn't have gotten to this point without savoring everything the past month. so i will keep "savor" and i will keep savoring everything life wants to throw at me.

granted. my expectations are a bit high after an amazing start. but maybe sometimes that all we need. a whole lot of good in order to savor everything else that comes our way.

~

and

now to my hubby. thank you for giving me a gift that i will never forget. thank you for everything and i mean everything you did in order for me to have the time of my life.

just like dirty dancing. i really owe it all to you.

and

these photos you took of me. wow.

thank you. thank you for seeing me the way i truly am and letting me be me.

authentically me. the me that only you can bring out. the me that only you know.

*

a bit more of this and some of my stupidity....

this is a friend of ours

he and his wife came down to visit us for a few days. i told them they didn't have to jump. in fact i was a bit nervous to let them. but they insisted. actually he insisted and his wife came along for the ride. she's so darn sweet.

these girls were too cute. they're from destin

{i think}

you'd think after awhile i'd learn to carry a notebook with me to keep track of everyone. but no. i rely on my memory. actually i try to rely on my memory.

i found this cute couple biking and taking photos in town.

they're from cedar rapids, which is in my neck of the woods.

you know. wisconsin. iowa. illinois. we're like triplets.

check out these jumpers. they're from tampa and mississippi.

{once again. i think}

the girl in the pink was totally getting into the fun.

here's

samantha. lucy. and tracy.

all from my favorite little shop

perspicacity

{is the hair in the middle photo hilarious or what}

i adore these two guys

~

if my memory is right

they're from bloomington, illinois

and

i think they would have done anything for me. i should have asked for cartwheels.

and

here's where my stupidity comes into play

~

these two girls are twins and are the sweetest people i think i have ever met.

obviously one is pregnant

{terri}

and

is due in a month

and

the other is not

{tracy}

{i pray that i have their names right}

~

anyhow

both of them are married to men serving to protect our country. they are originally from phoenix. terri lives an hour from here. tracy lives in las vegas.

so what would a really good photographer do after spending that much time with strangers to know that much about them.

she'd be smart enough to have her camera set to get a photo that it's in focus. but noooooo. instead she first uses one camera with the wrong setting that totally overexposes the photo. in seeing what is happening she runs to her hubby and grabs the other camera. changes lenses. runs back to the girls and is blinded by the bright sun which prevents her from seeing that her red focal point was not in the center where it should have been. arrghhhh.

~

thank god i had taken photos on their camera first. please tell me those turned out if you're reading this. my fingers are crossed.

and

the jumper. she did that pose in every jump and totally cracked me up. i didn't ask but i bet she played volleyball in high school.

~~~~~

thank you thank you thank you

to all my jumpers

you truly made my january one i'll never forget

*

babies are so entertaining...

is it just me or does this white sand look like snow

*

i know her....

my mind

~not to mention my heart~

is achingly full. in a good way.

in a 'truly i can't believe this is my life' way. in a 'wake me up has this been a dream' way.

~

often when a new year begins, my mind won't rest. it works overtime designing a plan where the things i don't need. get tossed. and the things that remain, need to be beautified. unfortunately as honest and easy as that may sound. it rarely happens.

and

instead

it makes me feel anxious

like i have bricks tied to my feet while i'm in the middle of the ball pit at mcdonalds

~

add my germaphobic tendencies to that picture and let me just tell you. it's not pretty.

~

but

not this year. this year has had a completely different beginning. and my mind is clear.

well as clear as it probably ever will be. or ever has been.

~i am a woman after all~

~

it's as if someone else is doing the thinking for me. and maybe even the worrying.

~

i feel like

maybe

every now and then

i'm standing outside

wide-eyed

in my favorite pair of boots. looking in. my face pressed up tightly against the window while my fingerless gloved hands cradle my face. watching someone who might be me. who looks strangely like me. crooked nose and all. wondering what she's going to do next.

and

then

quietly yet suddenly

the one i've been watching

grabs my hand

and

makes me run with her

and

i realize that she's wearing the same gloves that i am

and

that we share the same breath

~

i am her

*

please tell me....

that you're not tired of my jumping photos

~because i could do this all day long~

these two sweeties

are

from tallahassee

and

so is this group

~i think they are all students~

if you've ever been to seaside

then i know you've shopped here

at

per-spi-cas-sity

~

they closed for a tiny bit after the holidays and this past week they were back to work setting up the most incredible vignettes

~

so

sophie and i strolled through the market everyday

watching and drooling

{me not her, over the new clothes}

and

quickly made friends with managers

ann and morgan

who

wanted to jump for me

when they found out that that's what i do

~they are too sweet~

these two unsuspecting beach walkers

from ft. walton beach

or shoot

was it panama city

were more than willing to set down their beers and jump for me

~guys are so easy~

this is judy and her grand-daughter. we met judy the first day we walked into town and since she spends the winters in seaside, we've been lucky enough to talk to her almost everyday.

she really wanted to jump for one of my jumping photos, but i told her that i just couldn't take the chance that she might fall or twist an ankle. now granted, she rides her bike everyday and is amazingly young for her 70 plus years. but sometimes i just have to draw the line.

whatever her grand-daughter eats for breakfast, though. well, i want some of that.

wow. can this girl jump.

and

of course we had to throw in a few cartwheels

too

this family is from henderson, kentucky. which is just barely a breath away from where we lived in newburgh {evansville} indiana for 8 years. so we had lots to talk about.

at first

the little guys weren't so sure that jumping was what they wanted to do.

~actually i'm not really so sure dad wanted to jump either~

but

when mom said "come on, let's do it" they all joined in on the fun

aren't they the cutest

~

and

believe or not

it's the younger kids

already close to the ground

that have the hardest time jumping

so you can imagine how happy i was

to see the "air" they were able to get

{and to see the seagull in the upper left corner}

~

thanks to all my jumpers. you make me smile until my cheeks my hurt.

and guess what. i have more. see. i told you i could do this all day.

the rest of the photos will be up a bit later in the week.

~

ps...the packers are going to the super bowl. it's good to be a cheesehead.

AND

this information below, from kate is so helpful, that i might be publishing it a few times, as i really want to respond to you when you leave me a comment. but i can't and i don't want you to think i'm ignoring you. because i'm not. honest. you just have to change something.

~

here's the information

thanks kate

Bloggers out there ~ you’ve seen it. It’s the ‘Noreply-Comment@Blogger.com’ message that appears sometimes after you click on reply to a reader’s comment.

I often respond directly to reader’s comments, but there’s that little grinch who always seems to show up like an unwanted guest when I have something I really want to say to someone.

There is a way to help rid this little problem and it’s so easy to do. Readers who have blogs can do the following:

• Open your blog and click on the Customize link. It’s in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
• Click on the Dashboard link, also in the upper right hand corner.
• Now click on Edit Profile, on the left hand size of the screen right next to your picture.
• This takes you to the Edit User Profile screen.
• Look in the Privacy section.
• Check the box that says, “Show my e-mail address”.
• In the Identity section, enter in an e-mail address.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on Save Profile.

And that’s how it’s done. This will rid the world of Noreply-Comment@Blogger.com. Unless you wish to remain stealth, of course. And that I will understand.