what gets in the way....

actually

for reverb 10 day 2

which was yesterday

it's

"what gets in the way of your writing and can you eliminate it"

~

simply put

i get in the way. it's me. i'm in the way.

and

no. i'm not going anywhere.

~

i'm 46 and growing up that many years ago, there wasn't the term "attention deficit disorder"

if there had been, i would have worn that label.

~

i have a hard time focusing. it's that simple. and i often hear

"people like you...you know...the artsy type, all have trouble focusing. it's a trait"

~

really. is it.

~

i often feel that my brain is like an 8 lane highway and my thoughts are the cars weaving in and out of traffic, occasionally flipping each other off. silently i scream things like brake, take the next exit, pull over to the side, slow down, there's a rest stop. doesn't somebody have to pee.

and

when that doesn't work i pray that they all run out of gas. at the same time.

~

believe me. i love to write. but it takes work. and on those days when finally my favorite car veers of that busy highway and takes a road less traveled. a quaint country road where noisy mice play in the crooked barns that work so hard to stand proud in the golden rolling fields where they were born. my words flow.

~

they flow like a river

and

writing happens. notebooks are filled. notecards scatter.

and

i feel alive

*

i'm going to try....

reverb 10

started yesterday and leave it to me to be a day late. oh well. my mother always said, better late than never. so here i am. searching for a word that can sum up 2010. it sounds easy enough. but it's not. i can come up with 10 or 20 words that feel right. but to package all those words together into one. not so easy.

~

i guess i'll pick the word

bumpy

~

i assume any year is like a road with a journey ahead, planned for those prepared and carrying the best pack back, but this year there were bumps along the way that made me question where i stand as a mother. as a photographer. even as a wife and a friend.

~

did i learn. oh did i. am i still learning and looking back. like you can't imagine. but that's what we do. don't we. always trying to fix what went wrong. change what can be changed. and maybe closing our eyes on what we don't want to see again.

~

so

for next year

it would only seem appropriate to pick the word smooth. but that feels to perfect. too ice cream like. so instead i'm picking the word open. to remind myself to keep my heart open. my ideas. my mind. my eyes.

~

because

it's obvious to me

that if i'm not open

the world around me that i try desperately to absorb everyday

will never have a chance

~

and

that would just be a waste of living

*

reverb10 will give you a daily prompt. something that will get your mind off the presents you haven't bought and the tree you haven't decorated. and if you're like me. one who questions the busyness of december. this just might be the most perfect gift to give yourself.

~it's never too late to join~

short and sweet....

for today

no photos

no words

just a little

"please"

watch this

*

i've only just begun....

to edit

all the photos from my last family photo shoot of the year

which was on saturday

and

within just a few minutes

these two photos have jumped out as the front runners for my most favorite

~are they the sweetest boys or what~

~

now

back to our regularly scheduled program

~

which means

me getting my butt in gear and working on more post processing

*

edited....here are few more finished photos

i'm not complaining.....

the thanksgiving weekend seemed like a vat that just sucked me in and wouldn't let me out for air. but in a good way. there were presents to wrap. and a tree to put them under. craft shows to attend. movies to watch. food to eat. photos to take. late mornings of blissful sleep. air just warm enough to walk in, fooling us to believe that it isn't really winter. yet. children to photograph. laughs to be heard and boots to be worn because it's that time of year.

~

today is my hubby's birthday

~

he's a little grumpy about it. i told him it's just a number. he smiled and repeated "it's just a number" as he walked out the door and left for work. i told him last night that his birthday today is the 30th birthday i have celebrated him. we met in high school you know. it's kind of amazing when you think about it. 30 birthdays. with him. kind of special, huh.

*

my niece...

and

her beautiful spirit

a day of gratitude....

my broccoli dish is baking. the corn bread is next. i know my mom doesn't have an empty spot on any counter in her kitchen and that my dad has already made a trip to the grocery store for something forgotten. my sister probably woke up early like i did and turned her oven on, too

but

all that really matters is that we'll all be together

~

again this year i'm thankful for so much and to list it all seems an impossible task

~

i was at a local food pantry twice this week signing families up for our help portrait day. to see families so excited about having their photos taken at no cost to them, warmed my heart in more ways then i can ever explain.

~

on the help board at the pantry there was a sign asking for tarps, blankets and sleeping bags with a note saying "we're sleeping in a tent....brrrr" and i teared up. so this year i have to say that sitting here now in my warm house after having slept in my warm bed, knowing later that i'll be taking a hot shower and putting on warm clothes and furry lined boots is an amazing gift

and

something i don't ever want to take for granted.

~

happy thanksgiving to all of you who come here to my little place in the world and fill me with love and laughter and hope. may your thanksgiving with loved ones be more special than you ever imagined it could be.

*