shoes

i am little forward to the little feet that will fill those little shoes.

Step One

there are two goals that i am working towards right now.


the first
my new year's resolution
is to make my new town
my new hub of activity.
to reach out.
meet people.
be active.
here.
now.

step one:
join the local Y
check.

so now i just have to commit
to being there
then.

step two:
attend a meeting tuesday night
for the local multisport club.
be brave.
meet new people.

not always easy for me
but i'm trying.

the other goal i am working towards is my next
half marathon.
i did my first in september
and now just registered for one in april.
my only goal is to be faster than last time.

so cheers to speed.
and when i say speed,
its all relative.

i am in

i am in a
cozy down
cuddle up
snuggle with
turns the lights down low
kind of mood.

reflect. ponder. savor.

looking within.

contrast in black and white

just before my run
with peace in my heart
in a stream of light
on the guest room floor
i studied the contrast
and tried to shoot
to capture it all.

you can say a lot with a picture
but you can never say it all.

contrast: the series

a few more from the series.

spc: contrast

i enjoy running in the dark
when the shadows caused by the streetlights are long
and i hear the leaves crunch underfoot.

easton enjoys the runs too
and occasionally inspires me to a full blown
wind in the hair
sprint
just to watch him gallop beside me.

fresh: self portrait 3

i think this image says it all: fresh air.

fresh: self portrait 2

fresh miracles of nature all around us.

check out other fresh portraits here.

fresh: self portrait

fresh cut grasses
just smelling them means spring.

for other fresh ideas, click here.

with a martini

there's no better drink to celebrate with than a girly-girl martini, sipped in good company.
anyone care to join me?

see others here.

dear baby vanessa,

i celebrate your arrival with a gift just for you.
sewn with love, waiting for you to be born.
each stitch was a thought of you.
a wish for happiness, a wish for peace, a wish for wonderful memories.
you arrived in this world on january 4th, to a life that will be full of people who love you.
your auntie em will always be one in that huge number...
and this is my biggest wish for you,
that you always know just how much you are loved.


more pics to follow when the gift arrives with the sweet little one in the mail!
until then, its a surprise!

i will never outgrow...

i will never outgrow my love for a warm pair of tights and a skirt good for spinning.
to see what other people love to wear click here.

self portrait: food

its all about the choices we make.
tonight i reached for the soy milk and organic fig newmans
instead of the ice cream.

and it felt good.

see other people's relations to food here.

spc: in the bathroom

school was out, so i snuck into the bathroom alone to shoot some pictures of myself.
hopefully noone was walking by and listening to the beeping and the shutter.
and there i was balancing on the sink, or the toilet, automatic flush going off and all.

perspective

i am coming off my last days of summer
and into a week of training
to get ready for the school year ahead.
the kids come back on tuesday.

for now, i am trying to relax and breathe
focusing on positive energy
and my wonderful summer behind me
so i don't panic too, too much.
even teachers get the jitters
when its back to school.
my school has already brought me in
and i have felt super supported
so its all about focusing on that.
and focusing on a week from now when i know it will all be okay.

my mom went home after a delicious, fun, busy, chatty visit.
and my mailbox was full of packages (thanks nina and amazon)
and so i am listening to my sounds of summer c.d.'s from nina
and setting up my classroom
and getting ready for a week-end of getting ready.

beads and blinds: spc

after lunch out today
we ventured to an antique flea market right in town.
i found some beads that i liked
and some beads that i didn't
and they were all sold together for $5.
i couldn't go wrong.
and what a pretty pattern they make here
as i watch the garden out the window
and enjoy another, my final, summer day.

spc and happenings

a portrait of our feet.
mom is in town and after we got our pedicures, i knew it would make a patterned self portrait.
our toes.
of course the puppy had to be a part, too.


in other news,

• mom came in on tuesday and we had dinner at mt very favorite restaurant on the way home from the airport, lisa's small plates. it is so fun to eat there, and they have my favorite dessert, creme brulee.

• my projects are coming together. mom and i are enjoying each other and working on gifts that we hope to put together for christmas. drinking coffee. planning and preparing.
  

• my classroom is getting set. i put mom to work and we are cutting and coloring, organizing and planning. i am meeting all the teachers again and learning to navigate the corridors. its exciting and fun, but i am grieving the loss of summer.

• d and r had us over a delicious dinner from the grill last night. it was great food, great conversation, great dog wrestling, and a great time. talks and laughter. their new house is looking wonderful as they are settling in and making it their own.
  

• the days ahead will hopefully be full of visiting and cooking and eating and shopping and more classroom preparation and cutting and more cooking and more eating and visiting.

i'll keep you posted.

spc: patterns #2

still in bed.
savoring my last weeks of summer.

see more patterned self portraits here (including mine from last week).

spc: patterns

so, the theme is patterns and this summer dress fit the bill.
it was a hot afternoon (weather dot com currently reports 97, feels like 115)
and the the dogs were watching me from the kennels
a fly was buzzing about and bit my arm about ten times in the course of my picture taking.
i am still itchy.

spc: the elements: air

bubbles, bubbles everywhere
watching easton catch some air, as the bubbles float away in the breeze
what fun with the puppies, a girl's best friends

see others in their elements here






i will be in MA for two weeks, so a short blogging break
when i return, i shall bring photos a plenty of all my hometown and college peeps
xxoo