“We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.”

Louisa May Alcott

Thankful for morning coffee, afternoon madness and evening tea. Thankful for a sweet boy and a loving husband. Thankful for warmth inside on cold, rainy days. Thankful for a best friend who is family and with whom I'll be celebrating her 29th birthday (again) tomorrow. Thankful for a fun job where I get to work with amazing ladies and cultivate my love of footwear. Thankful for today.

Sunday Citar

“None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Went on a trip to  the auto parts store with the husband. Filled with vintage treasures just ripe for photographs.  I actually enjoy the auto parts store...

“If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.”—Lucy Larcom

“Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.” —Napoleon Bonaparte

“Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. ”- Henry Ward Beecher

Monday Monday! I'm trying this thing where I start Monday with a smile. I'm trying to be positive and uplifting (well...if you're one of the few that talk to me before seven a.m. you may be lifting your eyebrows in surprise). I figure it's a good way to start the week. Positive. Uplifting. It's gotta help bring the rest of the week on with a little more happy. Right?

So how did I do? I'd say I had a good start (after eight this morning at least). Greeted my people and situations with a positive nod. Had a nice conversation with a friend. Went to the shoe store and brought Kelly a coffee and subsequently worked for her for the remainder of the day. (That is what happens when you take her coffee so if you don't want to work you better not be nice to her...). Signed my boy up for driver's ed. What? Yep you read that right. Had a little bad parenting moment right around dinner time. But for the most part starting the day with a smile worked.

one spider web. two ways.

“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, 

but small ones come daily.”

Ivy Baker Priest

After a family dinner with my parents, siblings and aunt I decided to take a solo walk down at the falls before heading home. Even though the park was crowded it was still quiet except for the rushing of the falls and a few punctuations of children squealing. It was perfect.

Of course I whipped out my camera (aka iPhone) and used the toy camera feature to snap a few shots. 

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back. 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Sunday Citar

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. ” —J.R.R. Tolkien

“Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier. ” —Albert Schweitzer

 “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in. ”—Alan Alda

Sunday in Fairhaven

“Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” —Howard Thurman

Yesterday I spent the day with Troy in Fairhaven. When we met we both lived in Fairhaven and early in our marriage we called it home as well. My grandparents lived there all my life and my aunts still do. I love Fairhaven. LOVE it! 

We spent the day walking, shopping, talking, laughing...and I took pictures with my iPhone. I had my regular camera but ended up shooting all the pics with my phone using various apps.

Here is (some of) our day in pictures....

“Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other - it doesn't matter who it is - and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other" —Mother Teresa

"We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn." - Mary Catherine Bateson

Last weekend we went to Gig Harbor. Love it there. Love these pictures of me and my boy. He is in the "don't take my picture" phase and most of the time I respect that, but he was mostly willing for his shadow to be photographed.

I got the sick (the cold one, no flu here yet). Hope everyone is staying well. Take care.

photo from my birthday celebration with my cousin at Katie's Cupcakes yesterday.

1. Angel or not, I will be right here.

2. You can want me any way you want me (I just may not be what you expected).

3. As my mother used to say, you're full of $#@&! (hey that was my mom not me! haha!).

4. I like a big glass of water and a banana after I'm done working out or doing something strenuous.

5. Even in the most crowded of rooms I can immediately find you.

6. A day filled with indecision and unknowing is a day fraught with peril.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to birthday dinner with my mom, dad, brother, aunt while my husband goes off to men's night, tomorrow my plans include meeting some out of town and long time friends for lunch (for the second time this week - different friends, different meal - still exciting!) and Sunday, I want to see a movie or meet a friend for cupcakes, maybe go for a walk...We'll see!


Have a great weekend friends!

she's a beauty.

It was right around age 13 that I fell in love with the University of Washington campus. David (my stepdad) took me there along with my cousin (yes, Lorinda) and a couple friends. We walked the campus. Looked in the buildings. And, while I didn't attend this university, I have always held a special place in my heart for it. So, this weekend when Troy and I went to Seattle we stayed in the U District, strolled the campus, visited the Burke Museum, went to U Village and Trophy Cupcakes (brought home a dozen -YUM).

The UW - she is a beauty.

An anniversary celebration wouldn't be complete without cocktails. We went to The District. I had a (couple) Yazi Kazis - made with ginger vodka (there was a piece of candied ginger at the bottom of the glass - LoVeD it!). Fabulous.

Perfect anniversary trip with my hubby. Fourteen years! - we've made it through the seven year itch twice! :)

"Look at this photograph. Every time I do it makes me laugh." - Nickelback

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away." - Eudora Wetly

I am very lucky. My grandmother was a fantastic keeper of memories. Photographs with names, dates (most of the time), clippings, and other fantastic memorabilia. Love it.

Note above (there are pictures of): me as a child (lower middle in blue dress), my father and his siblings, my son, my husband, my great-grandparents in various stages of life (including their engagement photos and anniversary - bet you can find that one), my brother, my wonderful cousin with her Raggedy Ann birthday cake. I can go through these over and over and never tire of them.

I am so thankful that I come from a long line of photograph lovers. I now have many photos of my great-grandmother as a baby and young mother. My great-grandmother died when grandma was just a girl. My grandma lost her mother, brother and father all before she was 25. I can't imagine, however I can look back at them and remember the many stories my grandma told me through out the years.

Now it is my job to organize the photos I have been entrusted with. I'm thinking a heritage album is in order. (and of course I will be scanning some to share...)

"A photograph is memory in the raw." - Carrie Latet

today.

I am looking forward to a lazy Saturday. Read a book, watch a movie maybe, catch up on my backlog of magazines, clean a little. Just do a little bit of {this and that}. You know...whatever strikes me at the moment. Right now cruising blogs, replying to emails, and updating this and the book blog is striking me. We will see where Saturday goes. How is that for vague?

And this picture of my "little" boy...I took it a week or so ago and I love it. We were at my parent's new house and he was being goofy with Nicholas and fell to the ground. I pointed my camera and he even smiled. Didn't get up and run away. Didn't tell me no. Just smiled. I love my boy.

Right now.

Enjoying:

• sitting in the sun reading (Pride and Prejudice at this time)
• summer evening walks
• trips to Starbucks with Archer
• having fun with my camera

We are gearing up for fireworks selling season. Next Saturday sales begin. I think selling fireworks is fun still. This is only my third year and I am sure it will become a tiresome chore at some point, but right now it is still fun. People enjoy buying fireworks. It is a release. Something fun outside of the everyday. You can only set them off for such a short period of time. It is a treat. And a way to celebrate our nation. Happy Birthday USA! 
I wish that we could capture sound the same way we can capture an image. I took this picture on a photo walk the other day. It was perfect. I was walking alone, there were no cars for a few moments - it was just me and the water. What a glorious, fresh, peaceful sound. 

a few points

This week, which should have been a short one, a one filled with excitement looking toward summer. I find myself with students who are losing it. They can't sit or learn another moment! We are trying to keep 'em on track - doing what we can to educate and tide them through to the end of the year. We may need your prayers for the next nine school days. I so enjoy my students, the behaviors on the other hand...


On Monday at the cemetery I took pictures that weren't of Troy. One of my favorite photography subjects is trees. I take a lot of tree pictures. The wonderful thing is that there are so many trees - I won't ever run out of subjects. A tree on any given day can be photographed and look completely different - going back to the same tree is just another photo opportunity.

Trees are so peaceful. They stand the test of time - weather, man, they can grow through concrete, up a hill, down a cliff. They are in cities, the country, downtown, on the side of streets...



“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.”

—Mary Anne Radmacher, author

Reminder...

Just a few days left to vote on your favorite March picture on my photo blog. Vote if you haven't yet. Make your voice heard! (haha - I should be a campaign manager!)

Fun

Here is something that may be fun! Go to my 365 project blog and vote for your favorite picture from January and February. I picked nine to vote from, but if there is another (not from March) that you like better let me know.

This has been such a fun and inspiring project for me. I started it initially just to get in the habit of taking everyday pictures more often. I tend to be an event picture taker and am envious of those who have pictures of their bookcases and their trips to Starbucks. I wanted to be one of those people and now, I think I can say, I am. I take pictures of everything. The pictures aren't always good, but I like them because they are of my everyday - places I go, things I use, people I see...

I hope you enjoy this process along with me - through taking your own everyday photos or looking at mine as I post them. I really enjoy and appreciate your comments - doing this everyday is a challenge sometimes. Sometimes I don't want to take a picture, load it on the computer, upload it, post it...It just seems like too much. But then I post it. I see all the photos in their folder on my computer and I feel good. Really really good.

So thank you for looking and being part of this process with me. It is more fun with friends!

P.S. My friend Sharon has taken on this challenge with me. She has taken some great photos (see this ladybug one). I love that I can go to her daily photo and get a glimpse into her everyday - I may not know exactly why she took a particular picture, what motivated her or inspired her, and I may not know what she did that day, however I get a feeling of what is going on...Love it. Go visit - you'll be glad that you did!