Day Seventy Three

Historic and Peaceful Hendricks Park

I hope to be back here in a few weeks when the rhododendrons are in full bloom.

Oh. And if you're someone who's looking and you happen to notice that this days clothes look an awful lot like yesterday's clothes...

Yeah. I don't know what you're talking about.

Day Seventy Two

The Weekend We Picked Hailey Up For Spring Break...

(aka: the best weekend all year!)

Day Seventy One

This is the look you might get when you bathe your dog for the first time outside since the dead of Winter and the hose spews little icicles out at him.

Day Seventy

Classic Little Brother...

(conversation in the car)

Sister: David Bowie's so weird.

Brother: So are you.

Sister: I meant his movie. It was dumb.

Brother: Well, then. It suits you.

At this point, no one gave it a second thought. This is a familiar kind of conversation in our car.

But then our daughter exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! He's laughing so hard that tears are coming out of his eyes!!"

It's true...

Day Sixty Nine

Quiet Class...

Day Sixty Eight

More snow. A lot more snow!

But we've got the most awesome blue sky!!

Day Sixty Seven

One of my new favorites...

Everyone else has probably known about this for ages, but this is my first Anthropologie catalogue and I have carried it around with me for days!

The photography, alone, is beautiful and thought-provoking (as in, "How would I do that?")

Anyway, in a world where I've seemingly run out of inspiration; on an early, frigid morning...

I offer you a glimpse of the thing I'm going to spend the next half-hour thumbing through (for the tenth time)...

Day Sixty Six

Yep. Still Winter...

This week has been another uninspiring, cold, few days of waiting for Spring to arrive.

More snow.

Day Sixty Five

Looking at this blog, one might begin to wonder if my daughters have fallen off the face of the earth.

Maybe I love the boy better than I love the girls...

No. He's just the ham.

And he's home more than my thirteen-year-old and WAY more than the college girl.

I had determined that his day's shot was actually to go to my middle daughter. I miss seeing her here.

But, as we picked her up in downtown Bend from her sleepover, I realized that her "sleepover makeover" would make it necessary to wait for another day.

They used stuff that STAINED her face! :).

While this may seem like a perfect capture for a project such as this, Mommy (and Daddy) just said NO!

Instead we have the brother, pretending that he's driving us to the beach...

(I'm so thankful that he still has eight years to go before his license!)

Day Sixty Four

 My guy on the school playground with his buddy...

Day Sixty Three

See...

Even the birds are hiding from the snow.

Spring's coming. Spring's coming. Spring's coming. 

Spring's coming!

 

Day Sixty Two

Seuss Hangover...

(dark and blurry? Yeah, Me too.)

Because of my new working schedule, Dad's school schedule, and, well, life, we hesitate to add new stuff. But, like many schools, ours hosted a Dr. Seuss night with a corresponding book fair.

My son wanted very much to go, and Dad played hero while I cooked a late dinner (everyone pitched in) and took B to the event.

So, a short night's sleep (and a full series of Indiana Jones books) later, this is how "we" woke up this morning.
He looks like I feel. Only much cuter and with whiskers!

Day Sixty One

I started my job at Kids' Club , which is a before and after school (also Summer) care program, the Fall of 2006. I have loved almost every minute of it. This past Fall, my boss and good friend broke the news that, due to the economy, we simply didn't have enough kids to support two workers. I was jobless, so to speak, from this past September until...TODAY!

Circumstances created a need for me again. I have missed it so much!

 

Day Sixty

I am loving my daily walks with my friend, Amy.

I take my camera from time to time, trying to find something beautiful, or at least interesting.

 It's a discipline for me as the cold, dry weather drags on.

But I see Spring coming... on the calendar, if nowhere else.

I try to sort of meditate on the quote I see from time to time:

"IAMNOWHERE"

If I am someone who reads, "I am nowhere," which I have tended to be,

I can look long enough to see, "I am now here."

I find it a bit cheesy and "pop-psych", but it struck me just the same.
It helps me adjust my over-wintered, anxious-for-our-"new life stage"  attitude. 

 

 

Day Fifty Nine

I've seen some similar shots in the past few days.

I've wanted to do this one for a few weeks now.

But today I'm so anxious for anything to bloom, that I thought maybe, if I give it a little attention...

Day Fifty Eight

Blue Moon...

 

So, can I call myself a photographer now?

Because, this early morning (some would argue, the middle of the night), I noticed the bright reflection of light on our back fence. I had my blankets and socks in hand, hoping to catch another couple of hours of sleep on a Saturday morning, laying on the big couch...

But I thought this might be awesome and I couldn't ignore it. 

So, there I am on the front lawn, 3:00 A.M., camera in hand, barefoot on the deck in sub-freezing temperatures.

Just so I could shoot the moon.

Good enough for George Bailey, good enough for me!

Note: The white spot, roughly in the center of the shot is not a speck on my lens, as I first suspected. I'm not an Astronomy expert- can't say what it is, but it looks cool, right?

 

Day Fifty Seven

This piano is a complete blessing to my family.

It represents dreams fulfilled and my favorite way to worship.
My oldest never hesitates to remind me that, "I get that when you guys die."

Sweet, isn't she!

 

 

Day Fifty Six

"Sleeping Sun"

 

When our youngest daughter was in third grade, they were encouraged to paint a canvas and submit it for an art auction.which would benefit something or other.

We went, expecting to buy her painting

(you know, like any good parent would)

only to find out that this piece was quite popular.

We ended up having a bit of a bidding war with one of the teachers.

I'm in love with this... and my artist.

Day Fifty Six

Thanks, friend, for walking with me.

 

Actually, thank you for calling and being firm with me when I could have blown it off another time.

Thanks for your patience and conversation.

Thanks for being a true (and a bit camera shy) friend.

 

Day Fifty Five

There's something about roll dough.

 

 

 I feel so... gratified when I make rolls for my family. I've pretty much nailed it, after 20 or so years of baking them on major holidays and random, feel-good dinners. Like tonight .

So I took a moment to breathe it in.