JustMeAgain

Happy Thursday everyone!

Wednesday, here I come!

Getting ready to head out to work today so I am not having too much time for a blog update this morning.  I am enjoying the week though, keeping up with daily blog entries at the beginning of each day again.  I want to do a little fun giveaway here in my blog at the end of the week.  I'm thinking of some ideas for something fun to do.  I'll keep you all posted by Friday.

Today I have a full day at the office with client appointments back-to-back pretty much non-stop.  I even had to book someone up at noon!  I really do not mind days like these though, they tend to move really fast this way. This is another reason why Starbucks lunch works so good for me!  A quick stop and I can have lunch in 5 to 15 minutes tops.  I have always been that way, even though there are times when I try to make a little extra effort in taking a longer break in the middle of the day.  Somehow, for me, taking a long lunch break seems to slow down my inspiration.  When I am working, I tend to get "in the zone" and it is hard to break away from that.  I have many friends who insist that one should take a full hour away from the work tasks to re-fuel.  I think it is more a matter of what works best for each of us.  What is your own personal style?  I'd love to read your feedback on this particular question. 

Thank you in advance, and have a wonderful Wednesday!

In the picture:  An ATC on a wooden frame just for fun that I made a few weeks ago for a friend.

Happy Tuesday!

One of the very important things we were celebrating last Sunday at Ceasar's restaurant in San Francisco was the engagement of Chelsea and Paul! They are such a cute couple!  I met Paul when he was only 14.  It is hard to believe he is soon to be a married man.  And the fact that I will be shooting their wedding makes me want to jump up and down in pure joy!

Boy, does time fly!  I am so very happy for them.  They make the most adorable couple!  I will be counting the days until their wedding day!

You can see a few more pictures from last Sunday's dinner here.

Blissful weekend

 

Yesterday we spent the afternoon and evening in San Francisco spending time with the Rumolo part of the family (great-grandma's step son and his beautiful family.) And, of course, we had more time to spend with baby nephew.  What a lovely time we had! 

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant, Ceasar's, that has many important family traditions linked with it.  It all started with great-grandma whose second marriage was to a wonderful Italian chef (he was my husband's inspiration on all of his tremendous cooking skills) who was best friends with the original owner of the restaurant.  Great-grandpa passed away only a few days before our wedding in 1996 in case you are wondering why I haven't posted any pictures of him in my blog.  Grandma has a tradition of going to this restaurant to remember Vince, her late husband, and visit with her step son every year or so. 

Another important tradition about this restaurant is that this is where my husband took me to dinner on our very first date.  We went out to a baseball game first, and then out to dinner there. And it happened to be on a beautiful sunny day in a month of July, too!  I even remember the table we sat in that day.  It was so memorable to be there yesterday. So, so amazing. I loved visiting with the Rumolo's.  And I loved hearing all the stories about grandpa and all of his Italian friends.  Five course dinners are the best!  But you better starve yourself before you get in there because the food is amazing and you won't want to skip any of the dishes!

I have more pictures to share, but not enough time this morning.  I'll have to do that tonight.  Now it's time to head out to work again!

Happy Monday everyone! 

A day sprinkled with fun

 

Yesterday we had a day with a little of everything: a hiking adventure in the morning, a little get-together at a friend's house (thanks Jim for the invite!) and 4th of July fireworks! Certainly a day sprinkled with FUN!

I took a few pictures that I posted in flickr.  Feel free to check them all out here if you wish.

Today we are getting ready to have a few more family adventures.  Have I mentioned how much I love weekends?  Hope yours is going BEAUTIFULLY, too! 

Happy 4th of July!

 

Here in the United States we celebrate Independence Day today!  Aren't holidays fun?  They bring an opportunity to celebrate traditions and the things that matter. Plus, they are one good excuse to spend uninterrupted time with family and friends. Not that we needed an excuse anyway, but why not take one? 

Today, may you find the magic hidden in the every day moments of the day.  May you see little bits of magical dust turning your day into a beautiful one! 

Have an awesome 4th of July my friends!

Random Tuesday on Friday

 

Cheryl had posted these fun random questions last Tuesday.  I'm using them for today's post. (Thanks Cheryl!)  The photo was from last Father's Day photo shooting with baby Jayden.  This was the little prop I used for the shoot...I'm loving it!  It fits babies perfectly!

1. Now that June is almost over, what are you looking forward to in July?

Well, it is now July and I am looking forward to the longer days ahead and some photo shoots with family and another engagement shoot coming along for a couple who is getting married next year!  Also, this month, I am taking a week off from my day full time occupation to have a little family vacation (usually I take a day or two at a time, so this is the first time I get to take a full week off since about a year and  half ago so I'm pretty excited about that.)

2. Do you have any specific memories of Farrah Fawcett or Michael Jackson?

Who doesn't?  Just about everyone I know has been touched one way or another by these two celebrities.  Farrah was one of the first women I admired.  I loved Charlie's Angels when I was little.  I must have been in first grade or so when I first heard of them.  Along with Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman, they were all my three favorite shows.  I never watched a lot of TV, but these shows I'd never miss!  I used to love Farrah and Jaclyn Smith, but also loved Kate Jackson.  I particularly loved Kate's character's name: Sabrina!   Mmmm, now that I think of it, maybe that was the beginning of my love for that name.  And all this time I've thought it was because of the Sabrinamovie with Harrison Ford!  LOL.

I loved Michael Jackson during the Thriller years. Thriller was, in fact, the first music video that I remember watching.  My cousins had it in their collection of videos and they were watching it during one of our family visits. I remember watching it with them over and over.  I'll share this link from an entry by Cathy Zielske called I was a fan.  I think she always has such a good way with words. 

And yes, I was shocked when I heard the news. It is still hard to believe that Farrah and Michael are just gone.  Life is so fleeting for all.  May both, Farrah and Michael,  rest in peace and may their memories continue to be treasured by everyone who loved them. 

3. What's the last book you read?

As in finished, I have to say it's been a while, maybe a few months ago!  I think it was the Search for Significance by Robert McGee. As in currently reading, I have two on the works, My Sister Keeper and Digital Wedding Photography by Glen Johnson.  This second one I anticipate will become one of those books I'll be back to time and time again.  It is not only beautifully written, but it has excellent and practical advise for those of us diving into this area of Wedding Photography. 

4. What's your favorite Summer fruit?

Watermelon and Jicama.  Although I'm pretty sure that Jicama is not technically a fruit!

5. What is your most important job or role in your life today?

I don't think there is anything I can point out more significantly than that role of being a mother.  All the other roles are also important, but motherhood is the single most important thing in my life today. 

ATCs and coffee

 

This was July's "one-of-a-kind" challenge with my group of creative friends with whom I trade Artist Trading Cards with each month.  We each picked a quote from the Starbucks' set of mini quotes "Bloom" to create a unique version of the quote we ended up with.  Have you seen those little quote boxes yet?  Each box has thirty tiny quotes that you can open every day for 30 days.  I loved that set the minute I set my eyes on it, so I suggested we use the quotes to make ATCs in a creative way.  Everyone was so unique in their interpretation!  I loved what everyone came up with!  This was my take on the challenge.  You can see what the rest of the ladies did here.  We also exchanged ATCs in a few other themes, I'll be sharing some of them in the Artistic Visions blog within the next week.  Keep coming to check out the updates!   

I have a busy day ahead today, but I'm ready.  Coffee and me, here we go! Have a wonderful Thursday in this gorgeous month of July!

July greetings

And as sure as the sun rises every morning, July has made it back again into the equation. Right after June ended and before August begins. Silly to even rationalize this thought, but one thing that I love to notice sometimes is just how much I love consistency, tradition and well, the things that never change like the orderly presentation of life. The way each day begins and ends in the exact same way.  I also appreciate noticing how even when some things never change, we always have the opportunity to make part of our every day a little different in one way or another.  To make it anew.  Every year, when we get a fresh new month, we get a whole new exciting grouping of days paired with the opportunity of making it the best month ever. 

So, in this note, happy greetings July.  All thirty-one days of you; welcome to my life!

This month I am hoping to be able to document my daily happenings a little more consistently than I have been in the past six months.  Mostly because I think that when I consciously notice the little things of every day, I am more appreciative of the bigger blessings that God so graciously pours into my life. I can't help to realize just how eternally grateful I'll always be for the love, the blessings and even for the teachings that come along the way when I don't get what I ask for. 

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"You must take personal responsibility.  You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself"
- Jim Rohn

Middle of 2009~

 

I can't believe today is the last day of June!  And I can't believe that we have already lived half of 2009.  So amazing to notice just how fast time moves along. 

Summer vacation is in full bloom here at our house.  My daughter's bed time gets a little windfall every night since she gets the privilege of sleeping in every morning. Ah, the bliss of being 12 and being on school break.  I remember using summer breaks to catch up on reading, drawing, or taking up on art classes or other similar projects. My father was never an outdoor person so we never really went camping or boating.  I am not much of an outdoorsy person either, but my husband and daughter love going to the lake with my in laws.  I always try to get good excuses to get out of camping/boating duties.  It doesn't always work though.  Thankfully, at least so far, I've been lucky enough to escape the torture.  And don't take me wrong, it is always fun to get out there with the family and take pictures (that is about the only good thing about camping, that, and being around family), but having to sleep in tents, or even motor homes, is just not the idea of relaxation that I want to have during summer breaks.  I would much rather walk for miles from 8 to midnight in Disneyland if you ask me!  And, I don't blame you if you start shaking your head wondering why I am so full of contradictions (how is walking all day relaxing?)  But really, I'd trade Disney for camping ANY day! I'd trade Disney for pretty much any other type of vacation.  Even though we've been there once a year since 1996 and at least eight or nine times in 2008 alone (annual Disney passes are truly the best thing ever along with living only a six-hour drive away from Anaheim.)  One can never have too much Disney! 

And who says you can't enjoy the majestic beauty of nature INSIDE Disney? Just check out the photo I took last August of the pond lake on the side of Cinderella's castle.  In my book, it is nature at its best. 

What are your favorite things to do in the summer? 

Today: in the garden

As a little kid I was always drawn to the idea of secret gardens, and hidden spots in the yard where I could sit quietly to read my favorite story books with stories that filled my heart with joy, my face with smiles and my soul with excitement. Those stories were like a shield of protection against  whatever else was going on around my life at the time. And so, I would often find myself reading and daydreaming in the garden. 

And I truly believe that in the garden of my imagination everything was possible.  Any dream, little of big, would always seem reachable. The loss of my baby brother when I was only 12 was easier to deal with, when I hid the feeling in my books.  The challenges of teenage years were all too hard to notice when I was following Don Quixote in his own quests for impossible dreams or Alice in Wonderland in all of her adventures. 

And some things never change.  Thanks to the long summer nights, I get to have enough day light to come home to do a little photo shooting in the garden after dinner.  And a little daydreaming every now and then.  And of course, I am loving my drop dead gorgeous hydrangeas and other beauties blooming in my yard right now.  And well, I just had to share some of them with you.

And, if you haven't already, take a moment to visit Linda Woods's new zen garden.  Talk about garden envy (in a good way, of course.) Her new zen secret garden is beautiful!

 

 

Tid bits for today

I saw this entry over at Ali's blog the other day and I thought it was a cute idea for a post.  So here are my tid bits for today, June 25th:

Outside my window...my gorgeous pink/light lavender hydrangeas blooming like crazy. They are among my favorite flowers (besides my rose bushes in the back yard) so every time they bloom I get overly excited! 

I am thinking...about seizing the moment, motherhood and just how fast babies grow.  Their cute giggles, the tiny hands wrapped around your finger.  Hearing their tiny heart beat against your chest. That glorious baby powder smell. It all does not last long, and you cannot turn the clock back. No matter how much you really want to.

I am thankful for...family, friends and the things that matter.  I am also very grateful for all the little things that make every day such a GIFT.

In the kitchen...Starbucks coffee brewing. 

I am wearing...a sweat outfit and socks. No shoes on at the moment.

I am creating...a new set of ATCs that will most likely get to be finished until the weekend, and some photo editing projects.  I am loving Photoshop CS4.  It took me some time to adjust to a few of the new changes, but I am getting more comfortable with it now.

I am going...to start getting ready for work as soon as I finish typing this post.

I am reading...several files from work to prepare for upcoming cases.  Looking forward to reading My Sister's Keeper this weekend.

I am hoping...to stay motivated to spend a few minutes each morning to exercise.

I am hearing...Chess in concert.  In fact, I've been listening to the CD every day since I got it the day it came out and I am loving it as much as the first day.  I love Tim Rice's lyrics with the voices of Josh Groban, Idina Menzel from Wicked and Adan Pascal from Rent.  It is so powerful! Anything that involves Josh is brilliant, but in this case, a Tim Rice's creation with the these three main characters, is such an amazing thing to watch/listen.  Some of the lyrics in a few of the songs keep reminding me of AIDA, another one of my favorite musicals also written by Tim Rice. The stories and time periods are completely different (and they were both written decades apart from each other), but there is something in his lyrics in Chess that remind me of AIDA.  Must be his style, which I love!

Around the house...there is the on-going laundry in progress in the washer/dryer room, a pile of books and magazines on the dinning room table waiting to be put away and the hubby's laptop on the kitchen counter as well as our three cell phones getting re-charged.

One of my favorite things...is to notice how Summer sunny days are so very pretty!  Even if I can only see them through the window when I am at work.

A few plans for the rest of the week...work today and tomorrow, a visit with step grandma Mary in San Francisco on Saturday so she can see baby Jayden and Sabrina and church on Sunday (Beth is back so I am looking forward to catching up with her afterwards at our usual Sunday Coffee break.)