Tea Party

Here's wishing a happy 2010 to you and yours! I am so thrilled to start a new year! Just thought I would share what was one of my favorite moments of my holiday season, a tea party with my niece. Perhaps the best party I attended last year. Cheers!

Wonder Dog

It was three months to the day that we had picked up Buster from his operation. It seems like it was a lifetime ago. When I recall the weak and tired state that our dog was in at that time, it crushes my heart. The discovery of Buster's malignant tumor, which was the size of a tennis ball, sent us reeling. Even though he is 10 years old, he has always acted like a puppy and showed no signs of illness. The situation was not one that could be ignored and we had to act swiftly. Under the great care of the skillful surgeons at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, Buster's procedure went extremely well and the tumor was successfully removed. In just this short time, all the fur where he was shaved has grown back and only a tiny scar shows evidence of the 15 stitches. In honoring his recovery, it was important to us that we spend the day with our dog doing something that would make his tail wag. Since the option of taking him to a buffet restaurant was not possible, we settled on going to "Dog Beach". Truly this was one of the best days I have spent living in our new state. I smiled so much my face hurt. Upon arrival, Buster started out cautiously testing the water at the shore but by the end of the day, he was running down the beach looking like a dog that had kicked cancer in the butt. Which is exactly what he has done. Looks like we will be celebrating this fact many more days to come out our new favorite spot.

Serene

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Very true Mr. Emerson! I might add that taking time to smell the flowers doesn't hurt either;) Wishing you all a calm and peaceful week.

xoxo

Happy Halloween!

It's that very special time of year when something wicked your way comes. Coming to terms with the fact I am going to miss my annual family tradition of trick or treating with my brother, niece and nephew. In the future I will make sure to plan my trips home so I don't miss it again! As for this year, to fill the void I will indulge myself with too much candy corn and all my favorite things Halloween!!! Here's a list of what gets me howling this time of year;)

Listen Up: Even if you aren't planning to camp out at your local theater in breathless anticipation of the new "Twilight" movie, you should rush to get a copy of the soundtrack. This album features an impressive gathering of artists including Death Cab for Cutie and Bon Iver with St. Vincent. Playing these tunes might not conjure up a sexy vampire but it does set the mood for a mysterious and smoldering evening.

Watch It: Hands down my all time favorite scary movie, Rosemary's Baby. Mia Farrow is so luminous in this movie that upon my first time seeing it as a kid, she earned an instant spot on my personal "Female Fixation" list. I think I have suffered Fiance' Phil through seeing it so many times that he can recite the lines just as easily as I can.

Maintain Your Decor: I am seriously bewitched by the haunting works of Vee Speers. The images from her "Birthday Party" series are mesmerizing and unnerving. I would do ghoulish things to acquire one of these works of art.

Apply Liberally: The trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood will be walking the streets in 90 degree weather. All this heat is making it hard for me to pull out the dark nail polish colors I usually love for this time of year. That is why I am bloodthirsty for the new color Jade by Chanel. Also, it's green, which always has me under it's spell.

Have a safe and spooktacular Halloween!!!!

Carry It With You

During an afternoon walk while I was thinking of people I care about, so many miles away, my eyes were drawn to the way the light fell upon a seemingly ordinary shrub. There was something about the way the shadows formed within the shape of the leaves that reminded me of one of my favorite poems. So as I often do when something catches my attention, I snapped a picture.

The next day as I passed the same bush, I paused when I saw that it had been clipped and trimmed and no longer resembled the foliage that brought the words of ee cummings to my mind. When I returned home, I mentioned the scenario to Fiance' Phil and he said, "At least you took a picture of what it looked like when you did." I thought about what he said and how while that was true, the images that fill my albums and I save on my computer are beyond valuable to me but a picture could be lost or erased and gone forever.

What I realized then was that, it isn't the physical evidence in life that bonds but the memories and moments burned into the heart. The people that I love who bring goodness into my world are always close to me, no matter how many states divide us. The landscape might change and the images of our worlds might be different but there is nothing that can cut away love.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

~ee cummings

Away We Went

Ohhh...what a long strange trip it has been.

One U-Haul, two days and countless coffees later...Fiance' Phil, Buster and I have finally arrived and settled at our new home in Florida. The weeks leading up to our eventual move were filled with tears, laughter, sadness, heartbreak and nervous excitement. The extreme emotions and physical effects of moving took quite a toll on me. The bruises are finally gone and my heart has been healed more everyday by the well-wishing, love and support of my family and friends. It is experiences like these that push me to be a stronger person than I ever thought I could be. I am now focused on enjoying every second of the new adventures waiting for our family. I am leaving anything negative behind me and allowing myself to be happy and live in the moment. I hope that part of our new life will bring me here more often, with images to share.

The vintage suitcase that Buster is lounging with is by my friends at Bright Wall Studios. I am so in love with it and use it to store/display my vintage camera collection. Not only are they crazy talented but also happen to be some of the nicest people I have met in a long time. Nothing better than supporting local artists and finding something original and exciting.

Off I go to find some new happiness to share. Take great care and have a lovely week.

xoxoxo

Through The Storm

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

~Vivian Green

This is one of my mom's favorite quotes and reminds me of her so much. I just want to truly thank everyone that sent me kind wishes and positive thoughts on my injury and recent events. Thank you for helping me remember it can be possible to dance through a storm, even with a bum leg;) xoxox