Friday, July 30, 2010

It comes in threes...

or so I was told. I am not sure about that, but the past couple of weeks have unfolded a bunch of mishaps all glued together...and more than three!
*A disclaimer - the following post is not a complaint, merely a re-telling of events so that either you will laugh at the unfortunate or it will comfort you to know..it happens to everyone.

July 4th - after several problems...it finally happened...all systems in the house backed up. No toilets, no showers and very quick dish washing. Having company over was a little daunting so visitors were limited;) So, without much warning - soon enough our front lawn was dug up only to reveal a calamity of errors in a previous septic system. awesome.
Simultaneously in the transfer of a BUNCH of money from one financial institution to another..it was lost. Yup. lost. After a million hours on the phone and three days of stress, the money was found.
AND who wouldn't love to be on one of the most heavily traveled roads in Albany just in time to have your car stall...but God allowed me to find the side of the road and at least get the car into a parking lot..where the problem was actually pretty minor.
Went to a concert...had a blast..but lost the tickets in the car somehow and overshot my exit, only to turn around and come face to face with all the traffic of opening day at the Saratoga Race Track and THEN Brad Paisley never even mentioned my name...sheesh.
I was all excited when I purchased my NEW camera only to find out a week later my credit card had never been charged because the register failed and the purchase was "never made".
I went to mow part of the lawn with the push mower, the one wheel rusted out and fell off which only led to use using the riding mower - which also had a part come loose and the a piece of the deck fell out, used the weed trimmer...and the string went far far away somewhere. ( I hate landscaping anyway).
Austin ended up with 102 fever for a few days and the short cut I took last week....was not so much a short cut as it was a scenic drive :)

All - in-all nothing horrible and life changing, could have been better, definitely could have been worse. I have to admit, at some point you just laugh and wonder...what next? A friend and I did manage to pound five cheese burgers, three snack wraps and a giant coke....so that was perk!
Now its a quiet morning. I have had two days all to myself (and a night) and its easy to reflect on the good stuff - like toilets that flush.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Once Upon A Time...

you take it from there ;)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

does this count as pic of the week?

I told Austin to be serious.... this is the face I got....







Closet Novelists Are Everywhere...

You see them in grocery stores, they stalk blogs, you may even hang out with them and have no idea they can venture to lands far away and put together stories that maybe the world would want to read.
In the past couple of months I have had heard at least three people say, "If I was going to write a book, I would write about..." and let me tell you...the ideas are really good!!! The idea of writing to express thoughts is nothing new, but it is certainly a thread that connects millions of people...I mean...how many blogs do you think exist in this world? Most of them are for personal outreach whether it be writing, journaling, keeping up with family, posting humor and sharing thoughts. It's amazing how many people even admit they have scratched down a few ideas and even logged hours writing out a story that someone may or may not ever read. The idea of writing a novel is a romantic notion. Your name on a cover and the dream of walking into Barnes and Noble with your book on the shelf. However, the journey to get to that point is less romantic, less idea and slightly grim....just ask a few potential authors-in-the-making that are struggling to find someone to publish their thoughts.
So, though most of the population will never be on the top 10 best sellers list, I believe there are masterpieces in closet spaces. It's hard for the "writers" to lend their thoughts to would-be critics or friends, it's like opening up a very vulnerable space with the fear that it will be rejected, scorned or that your "great" idea is rather...not-so-great.
But, whether or not the writer in you is resistant to share or comfortable in opening up, I hope if you love to write...that you write regardless of what the published world has to offer :)
I MIGHT even have scratched down one or two thoughts myself ;)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

And So It Begins...


To see a passion of my own spark just a small interest in my own children...well, I have to admit, it's exciting. It must be what a painter sees when his child presents his first watercolor masterpiece or when a musician hears her little one singing in the back seat completely on key or the novelist watching his son evolve into a bookworm...something of you can be seen in them. They may never do more than dip a toe in the shore of what is a vast ocean of interest for me, but at least they know it, at least they feel what its like to be out there with a ball at their feet. They came off the fields with smiles, sweaty faces and smelly shin guards...and the memories came rolling back. It's not my turn anymore...it's theirs and they may love it as I did or they may not. The choice is theirs....but tonight...at least they found a liking to something I have loved :)









Just a snapshot...


I kinda sorta forgot my "picture of the week" detail. So, I will make up for it. Actually, I have a good enough excuse that I have been busy with work as an actual photographer..so if I was to have a good excuse, I like that one. But, this shot was neat - everyone loves that late summer sun just before its sets on the day. The kids had been fishing and left the pole leaning against the bench they were using. I liked it - so - I shot it :