Nearly a Year

You think you know love. Then you have a child.

And you realize love can never be leashed, never run dry, and never could it be explained in mere words.

It is as infinite as space, the stars in the sky and God is the sole source.

Thank you Lord.

Let Us Interact

So here is the deal. I love to blog, I love to share with you all and I love to feel like I have friends.

Perhaps we can delve deeper into my emotional issues later. I would love to blog for you. I seem to blog about my daughter(obviously my first choice), my family and our goings on. But I want you to know some things about me.

I love to cook, and I think I'm pretty good at it. I love photography, I am sure I am mediocre at it. I was a "wild child". I have a great many stories about tearing around the country with girlfriends and rippin' it up before I met Tim and was domesticated.

My question to you, dear readers, is what would you like to come here and read about?

What would you like to see pictures of? Me in way too much eyeliner? Some shots of my latest culinary adventure? Some of my beautiful and/or more failed photos?

Tell me. I want you to have fun here.

Dirty Little Secrets

I want to tell you all some secrets.

I claim they are dirty.......they really aren't. They are not even juicy to be totally honest. Please don't stop reading now.

When I do my "picture stories" I guess we might call them, I go through my catalogue of shots of the story I intend to share. Then I formulate the tale and arrange the pictures to keep some photographic continuity with the chronology of the written tale.

Too many fancy words......I mix the pictures up so I seem funny and/or intelligent. That sounds better, and more honest.

But not for this story. These shots are all in exact order of how I took them. I usually have a few in the mix I end up deleting because they are out of focus, or the light is wrong. Not this time.

It is July and it is hot.

Though I must admit that I have a new idea about hot since I was 8 months pregnant in the summer. That was wretched-hot. This is just summer-hot.

One day last week whilst wilting in the house watching my toddler run around sticky skinned in her diaper I had an epiphany:

Why am I in this house!?!

I then ran to Target for a $5.00 inflatable baby pool, swim diapers and Ghirardelli chocolates.
The following in what ensued.
Just little tiny test splashes....and chewing, from me.




Followed by some more rigorous splashing....and savoring, from me.

Followed by mild flailing.....and gulping, from me.

Then it was an all out frenzy.

I was so jacked up on Ghirardelli chocolate and a side of mild heat stroke I never once stopped to think about my very expensive, very intelligent and very sensitive camera lens.

But who cares, I mean, look at that face!

Mine meanwhile, was covered in caramel and milk chocolate.

After she exhausted her tiny arm muscles and her lungs, she surveyed the damage.

I think she looks a little sheepish. I too had this look on my face when I reached into my bag of Ghirardelli chocolate to find it completely empty.

It must have been a half full bag. Yep. Definitely a manufacturer error.

Instead of Work

It is currently 9:15 pm on a Monday night and my bed doesn't have sheets on it.

Tim just got over a horrible cold and so I stripped our bed and gave it the "treatment".Vacuuming, extreme airing out, washing of the mattress cover, the usual.

I should be up making it so we can get in it and sleep, but I started looking at pictures and realized how much I like the shots my husband gets.

From 6'6" off the ground, perspective is different, and the above picture is a fabulous example.

Also, one should feel compelled to stop and really enjoy Violet's toes in this shot.

Cute enough to eat, I'd say.

There is also a nagging mess in the kitchen that may ultimately require the local Haz-Mat team. Between my innate clumsiness, Violet's desire to share a third of all her meals with her dog, Gunner, and said dogs' desire to play with rocks in a mudhole........it ain't pretty.

Tim recently got me some photo editing software and I now have the Power of Grayskull, or just the ability to tweak my colors and contrast, which is still empowering.

I think I still need a big green tiger to feel whole as a woman though.

We had a great display of fireworks here for the 4th after Violet went down.

We only did 5 fountains, seriously, only 5. We were still just as amused as we would have been at the feet of Lady Liberty. Having children makes you that way. Hot meals, naps, 5 fountains on the 4th, these all become elusive and sought after mirages in your daily life.

The spent carcasses of those glorious symbols of our entertainment are still laying out in the yard. I swear I'm going to get out there and pick them up, soonish.

Yet another example of Tim's shots. Only he could get this close to the top of the flag on our house. It rained off and on the day of the 4th. Tim was in and out, tending to Old Glory to keep her dry. I then tended to her with the color saturation feature of my new software.

All while my piles of laundry taunt me with their collective smelliness and grime. Good thing I don't really scare easily.



My sister took this picture last week.
I can see at least 15 things about this shot I love, but the collective whole.......sigh.
You know how every so often in life you realize that you will never forget a certain moment you are experiencing? This picture is like that to me. I know that every time I look at it, I will get that felling of being in a moment I will never forget.





I seem to be running low on things to say, at last.
I am now off to check my sleeping angel, make my bed, check my angel one last time, and then climb into bed and kiss my husband goodnight.
I hope you are all about to experience a moment you will never forget, and that your housework is not haunting you while you do it. I know mine won't.

Little Helper

Here is a delicious little morsel for you to chew on this Fourth of July weekend.

First of all, forgive me for my commentary. I was eating dinner while filming this....nuff said.

Also, have a glorious, safe, and Blessed 4th.

I am always so grateful to live in this nation everyday, but especially on this day. I always stop to think of all the many men and women who have given their lives so that we can live, multiply and prosper in freedom. I remind myself that freedom never was and still is not free. It was purchased at a very high price, and it is still being paid for.

God Bless all of you have helped pay for our freedom, those who still do, and especially those left to grieve the ones who paid the highest price.

Heavy words. Maybe just watch the video again.

That wee one is enjoying her freedom!!

The Ring......Again

My sister came over yesterday for a mani and pedi.

While I was painting her nails her signature red you see here, I had to stop 57 times to stare at her ring. She has tiny hands, and she got her ring sized down, so it looks even bigger now!

I never knew how much I would actually like a solitaire!!

I might be a little jealous, but I would never admit that.....

Mostly I am still just so happy for them!!

I Hear Wedding Bells

Here is the official, bright and shiny, hot off the press announcement:

Josh and Kimmy are engaged!!!!

And could they be cuter?!?!?!

I doubt it.

Here is the story, as told to me by Josh and Kimmy, and now relayed to you:

They love to hike, bike, sweat, be sore and face near injury on a regular basis. Over this last weekend, they hiked Raspberry Mountain, which is about an 8 mile hike.

They also told me this hike is "their" hike.

Kimmy likes to have a snack at the top of the mountain and when they arrived, Josh offered her a marriage proposal instead of a snack.

She of course accepted.
Good alternative to a snack anytime, in my opinion.

Josh told my sister he knew he wanted to marry her after spending Thanksgiving with our family. Why that is exactly I do not know, but we all adore him.

We went and did an impromptu photo shoot by their house the evening after the proposal.

Gunner and Violet accompanied us.

It was a lovely, loving, lovable, kissable time.

And Josh is definitely a Geek, as his shirt would imply.

I can remember when Kimmy was about 12 she would run around telling everyone she was going to marry a geek or nerd someday.

"Because they are smart!"

Guess she was on to something.

Violet approves of her new Uncle Geek, er, Josh, and the new ring.

And it is a lovely ring.






1.23 carat round cut solitaire in white gold.
Good job, Josh. I'd say you are off on the right foot.
And I know I speak for our whole family, as well as those who know and love Kimmy,
when I say,
We are so happy for both of you. Josh will be a great husband, as well as a welcome addition to our brood of nuts. I know you two will only grow to love each other with each passing day and year, and that is a true Blessing.



And to all of you out there, as soon as I have any info on the upcoming nuptials, so will you.