I am in total denial...

It can't be the last day in April. Really. I'm not on board at all. And I have been miss neglectful blogger of late. What have I been doing? Trying not to spend an hour looking for the perfect bike picture to make a random image to put on my blog! :) Sometimes I love searching, creating, killing time. Sometimes I just want to bust through some work. Ebb and flow.


BUT, my big news is that one of my awesome clients/friends had a bike for use!!! Thank you thank you thank you. I have been pedalling my way to skinny town. (does anyone know where that is and how far?) It is heavenly to work out and be done for the day. My bum is a little unhappy about the whole thing, but I will be going out today to find some kind of squishy cushion to appease it.

Okay, back to work, y'all!

Best THING ever!

It was Suessical the Musical last night. Does it get much better than that?!

FIND YOUR NEST...

I had this great idea a few years ago to give the kids their own coat hooks. Well. They lasted til a few weeks ago. Now we just lay the coats next to the wall where the coats should be. Our dog has discovered a new place to burrow. I think it makes her happy. Not that you can tell by her picture. Seriously, can a dog look more depressed! I swear she's happy. Really. We didn't even beat her today! (just kidding. do not send me emails. we do not beat our dog.)

I have the morning free today. I am listening to season one Project Runway and am nice and toasty next to my space-heater. love today. love friday. life is good.

that's how I feel this morning. thankful for my morning latte (that I made myself thank you very much). thankful for my son, who stepped up and conquered a seemingly impossible task of finding and FINISHING 6 assignments that were missing in his progress report. thankful for my daughter, who is reading like crazy and really enjoying it. thankful for lit-up eyes. sparkly eyes. for smiles. and "thank yous". and a cuddly dog. and my space heater at my feet.

sometimes the goodness of life just hits me in the face. wack. I'll take that any day.

what are you thankful for?

Obama power

No, I'm not trying to stir up any political discussion. Seriously. My eyes will glaze over.

But as my husband and I were watching Obama on "The Daily Show" last night, he was so fresh and light hearted. How does he do that? He's been campaigning like crazy, and he's up for stupid (yet funny) questions from John Stewart. Obama has been surrounded by people all day. ALL DAY. And he's up for discussing whether he will enslave all the white people once he's president. And he's laughing and smiling and ENGAGING.

I'm tired from walking around the mall.

Where does that Obama energy come from? Is it all about expectations? Is it some major Red Bull? Is it that he's so close to the Holy Grail that he has more capacity to dig deep? Or is it the result of being a big picture person?

I am a next-minute person. I am always stunned when the month changes. I see one step in front of me. I don't see the big picture. and I get overwhelmed easy. I wonder.

I remember when the kiddos were both toddlers, and I was exhausted by 6pm, I almost always found a little more to give. A little more patience. A little more love. A little more energy to read another story. And give baths. And blow kisses.

I think it's really easy to just not reach for those places when we don't HAVE to. When you don't have an election hanging in the balance. Or kids that will be "neglected."

My goal today (or maybe for a month...I'm working toward big picture, but I'm not quite there) is to dig a little deeper and see what happens.

triple blessed family sneak peek

no, not triplets. :) But 3 wonderful kiddos that I had the pleasure of hanging out with yesterday. oh my gosh, so fun. and so much love. and acceptance. patience. joy. I loved every minute of it. Thanks for including me in your family for a few hours. Enjoy your sneak peek. :)

and because I can't get enough of these...

I'm off to another shoot...more goodness tomorrow. Happy Monday, ya'll!

The big "W"

So, I've never really taken on weddings. Weddings with a capitol "W". But I would love to start doing a few. So, my wonderful friends Jeff and Kerry modeled for me...how awesome are they!
Loved this wall and knew what I wanted the picture to look like as soon as I saw it.



Thanks guys! I can't even express my thanks. :) You guys are beautiful inside and out.

I'm off to a shoot. but i just wanted to put in a big fat "HI THERE" to everyone. It's sunny and beautiful and I started my day with a mango/peach smoothie. and it doesn't get much better than that.

I'm out!

Well, after being pretty dead business wise since Christmas, I have 3 shoots this weekend. This always happens...and I am ready and excited. But, that means that I need to do my quarterlies today and get that squared away. And I need to so some art. I have major ideas floating in my head. And some photos of the snow. And some scrapbooking so that my kids know that I actually took pictures of them and not just my clients. And listen to some Sondre Lerche. And pet my dog, who seems a bit down right now. Poor thing.

And cram this all in a few hours, cuz there was a delayed start for school today cuz we were blanketed (is that a word?) in snow last night. Gotta love Colorado in the spring. You just never know what will happen. I am praying for my poor daffodils.

And god bless The Office for giving me something to look forward to tonight.

Oh, and for anyone in this area...does anyone have a decent exercise bike that they's like to get out of their basement? I'm anticipating a busy summer with shoots and I HAVE to get some exercise in when I can...and I'd rather do it at home. Anyone? Anyone? :)

liar liar pants on fire

That's me. I promised pics of my pendants yesterday and I never got to it. Sorry. I was busy running around the whole city with science fair applications, client meetings, business stuff, promoting world peace, and fighting hunger. It's all in a day's work. :)

So here they are. Actually it's just one new pendant.
Side one:

Side two:

I wore this yesterday on the "breathe" side, cuz breathing is good while you are promoting world peace.
As soon as I get 12 solid designs for pendants (you know, one's that I can actually duplicate and not be like "um, I think I used that paper"), I will open an etsy store. For now, if you are interested, email me...they are $20.

Okay, that's all for today. The phone awaits me making millions of phone calls, so off I go.

today is a good day.

Here's why...
1. my kids woke up great today. great moods. great attitudes. and my daughter even said she was so thankful for a mom like me who cooks up hashbrowns for her in the morning. is it lame that that meant so much to me?
2. the house is quiet. all I hear is the hum of my computer and the water going through the pipes for my first load of laundry. Quiet makes me uncomfortable sometimes, but this morning, it is soothing my soul.
3. I have a million little things to do, and I HAVE the time to do them. I just have to do one thing at a time and not get side-tracked. We'll see, but I am rooting for a successful day.
4. I made a new pendant this weekend and it is killer. Is that too boastful? who cares, this pendant is really really cool. Pics tomorrow.

Here's the things I need to work on...
1. I get afraid to call clients. Lame? Yes. and I have to work on that. Where does that fear come from? blech.
2. One of our local starbucks wants to put some pictures of mine up...keeps asking...and I am dragging my feet. Why? double blech.
3. .......(to be filled in later when I totally disgust myself with my fear and perfectionism)

But I will focus on the tippity-top list, cuz that's just the way I roll today.

can my dog look more bored?

Oh Lily. She hates the camera.
I'm going to sit in my office on the floor today and make something just for me. And then it's off to a soccer game. I'm feeling a bit blue today...but I'm gonna work through it. :)
When you feel blue, what do YOU do?

quick...

It doesn't always happen, but today I woke up in the best mood. Which is good cuz our son was a little dark rain cloud. That's okay, I've had my own dark cloud days for sure.
But today is not for that. Today is for embracing and loving and playing. For courage, for believing in things impossible, for holding tight to the strength God gives.
Okay folks...I'm stepping away from my computer for the better part of the day. :)

MY WEBSITE IS BACK UP!!!!!

and everything is right in this world. :) (big sigh)
I can also get my email! I'm so sorry to everyone who has been trying to contact me, only to get their email kicked back to them!

Today, some phone calls, working in the classroom at the kid's school, soccer (if the weather is okay...looks like snow is coming), and my weight watchers meeting. :) And somewhere in there, a shower would be good.

Oh, and I'm gonna make something. An omelet? A painting? who knows. My website is back up and the possibilities are endless!

stomping like crazy...

I'm reading "The Creative Habit" by Twyla Tharp and it is amazing! She talks about routine and how in her studio, she stomped her foot and shouted "Begin!" I love that image. When you're creatively stumped, stomp your food and shout "Begin!" Do it. See what happens. Don't worry about where you will end up. Just start. Love that.

My first time advertising!

So excited! I'm giving these to a few local high schools to be put in their photographer packets given to the upcoming seniors. We'll see what happens. :)

Website update: still down. still no email. I'm so sorry! Things are in the process of being fixed, but may take a few more days.

more interuptions...

Hi everyone...I am having major computer issues. My website is down for a bit while things get figured out (who knew you had to renew domain names!) and because my website is down, I can't get any business email. Urrr. And double urrr. If you've emailed me in the last few days, I am so sorry. The control freak in me is freakin' out. But my wonderfully sane husband says it will be okay. (breathe. breathe.)

Who's more powerful?

Spiderman vs. Iron Man
This was the big debate in the car on the way to school.
Seriously, I'm going to miss this when they get older. :)

dreams

Life is full of surprises and wonder. I don't know where I'm going to end up, but I know where I'm supposed to be today.

where are YOU supposed to be today?

I've got no GO in my step

Ever have a day when you just have to push through?...ya, that's today. I'm thinking that a nonfat latte is in my future. God bless Starbucks and all the crack they put in their espresso.

Maybe something wonderful will happen today. I will be on the look out. Miracles happen. And I want to be ready with open arms.