Story of Now

After 6 weeks in the hospital/transitional care, my Grandpa is home. I am happy the sweethearts are back together. I am hoping they take care of eachother and stay safe! As a family we will continue to watch over them, cook some meals and clean. Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

The experts say that when you dream of a house it represents "self" or ones soul. It makes sense to me. A house has so many rooms, sometimes each with a different theme...their own character. We each have different "rooms" within us. There is the room of "I like..." and it's opposite "I don't like..." There is the room of "I get sad when..." "I am happy when..." "these are my favorite people" "these people rub me the wrong way" "I have these talents" "I can't do..." I have been doing some examining of myself lately. It all started a few days ago at lunch. I got a meal that came with pudding. Pudding belongs in my room of "I don't like". I looked at the pudding, it was butterscotch and thought "Hey, I like butterscotch". So, I thought I'd bring a spoonful to my mouth just to test whether pudding still belongs in the "I don't like" room...

It seems to happen to me every Winter. I get in a rut. I don't take out my camera as much. Tonight I decided it was time for a little picture project. I grabbed my glass ice cream dish, food coloring, white tagboard and my camera with the 50mm lens on it. I had fun and I really like some of the images I got. I would love to try this outdoors on a sunny day too! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

The Tea tag reads "Your choices will change the World". I thought it was brilliant. It wasn't a completely new concept to me, although it was worded in a way I had never seen. Yes, what I do matters and changes the pace for the rest of the world. Every choice, from whether I choose to stay in my pajamas and chill at home, to what kind of beverage I drink, to where I shop and what I drive, to the job I have and the people I talk to. Every choice matters. What can I do to help others? I want my choices to have a positive impact. I want the World to move in a progressively better direction. What choices do I make everyday that have actually become habits? Everyday I make choices that I am not even conscious of. How can I become conscious of my choices and my thinking? It begins with awareness. It begins by stopping and analyzing. It begins NOW! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Sometimes I am strong, sometimes I'm not Sometimes I cry when I'm happy, and sometimes when I am sad Sometimes I love the questions, and sometimes they drive me nuts Sometimes I have the answers, and sometimes I don't Life is very Yin and Yang right now. So many happy- good things happening, and a few things happening with no solid answers. It is the way life goes and I am a firm believer that when something is going not the way I'd hoped, that means I need to have a heightened awareness. My Grandparents are getting older and having some difficulty and I find myself noticing more about them and the way they have lived and loved. My family and I got together last night to discuss all that is going on. I am very thankful that I have such a wonderful, supportive family, who are all willing to take action and help out. This picture is an old one but I thought it applied to what I have been feeling! One of my favorite quotes! I beg you…to have patience with everything unreso...

HOPE By Emily Dickinson Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune--without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I've heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me. I have adored this poem forever. After watching the inauguration today, hope is the feeling I was left with.

Aging is an interesting thing. You see my grandparents are 91 this year, still happily in love, and quite healthy for their age. It seems though that their bodies are slowing down and their role in the family may be changing. When I think back to my childhood, my grandpa was always setting up a game or telling a story of some sort...a man with an amazing memory. He is the type of guy who could brighten the whole room...he has a huge heart, beautiful smile and an amazing spirit. And for Grandma, she always showed her love by making the most wonderful, delicious meals. Food can't taste that good without love. She'd always make sure you were well fed. Grandma has got this quirky sense of humor that makes you recall it days later, and have another chuckle. These two people are beautiful. They have lived so long and so simply. They inspire me. In December, my Grandma was having some back pain and ended up being in the hospital and then in transitional care. She was away from home fo...

I had the pleasure of spending some time photographing my brother Lance, and his friends Brandon and Ben. They went to work painting and I captured them doing what they love! I had alot of fun seeing their creative process in action and seeing them collaborate on a painting (or 4). They will be having a gallery show in October 2009, I will let you know the details when I find out. Without further explanation, here are the artists at work!! These kind of moments, where I am capturing people doing what they love and just living, creates great energy in me. This is the type of session I am looking to do more of. Think of those times when you are just enjoying life. Whether it is playing with your kids, reading the Sunday paper and drinking coffee with your sweetie, walking in the park, building a snowman, that is what I want to capture. I want to capture the day to day activities, the ones that often go uncaptured and yet add so much to our lives! A "Day in the Life" session cou...

I have always enjoyed the beginning of a new year...it refreshens me. I do not long to make resolutions because I don't feel there is anything to resolve. I do yearn to be a better person day after day and year after year. I do yearn to be a healthier me. Connecting with people on a deep level is what is important to me! Being with my loved ones warms me. With this New Year, I am welcoming opportunities! Just as a brand new baby discovers its world for the first time, so shall my senses discover the world in this new year!!

Like I said before this year just felt a little different. I did not have the pre-Christmas excitement like I normally do, but when Christmas actually got here, it was a different story. Matt and I had so much fun at our various Christmas celebrations. What I love is how much "togetherness" there is and how the hugs and laughter are in abundance. I did not miss the normal gift exchange. I do not feel empty. I feel fulfilled. I feel blessed to have my family and my friends. My life is trully abundant! On December 20th, we celebrated at my moms. Here is my mom "cheers" Matt and I Brother Eric preparing the bruschetta We had fondue! We cooked steak and shrimp in oil and then dipped them in flavored butter....mmmm. For dessert we had Orange Chocolate fondue with pound cake, raspberries, strawberries, and pears. Our 6th annual Looneytroupe Wonders performance: Me, Matt, Juliana, Eric, Lance and Brian...just before getting on stage. We danced to Optimistic Voices from th...

I would like to wish you a very wonderful and Merry Christmas! May you be surrounded by loved ones and have warmth in your heart! This year I am celebrating a new marriage! Usually Christmas tops all other days of the year and I look so forward to it, well this year has been a little different. Matt and I feel like we have had the most amazing celebration (our Wedding) and well, Christmas just won't be able to top it this year! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas filled with love! Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas time! I enjoy the love that I feel for everything. The handcrafted ornaments, the laughter, the memories of past Christmases and this year the joy of a new marriage! This year Matt and I will be making eachother gifts, and the family will be celebrating with togetherness. Usually we have a big gift exchange and I am happy that we are going in a new direction, back to the reason and the true spirit! We put up our tree just on Monday and I just think it looks pretty! I enjoy the lights and each ornament and the process of putting it all together! Yesterday I wanted to get a picture so that I could have the tree lights out of focus in the background, so I posed our cake topper on a table and shot...I love how it turned out. I started doing some painting yesterday of ornaments and gifts! I haven't painted in quite sometime and I really enjoyed it, I feel a sense of peace when I am painting. The water turned soooo cool...a milky bath with blue swirls! Last night we di...

I have been meaning to post pictures of Emmy and Leifs beautiful new baby boy. Here is Diesel...what a gorgeous baby...his eyes, nose, lips and toes....so stinkin cute!! He is a true blessing! Congratulations Emmy and Leif! A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities.-- Eda J. Le Shan