365 Challenge- Day Feb #7 – My View

Day Feb #7 – My View

 

This is the view from my office window in my house.

These lights have been hanging in this tree since the day we bought our house.

12 years ago.

I have no reasonable explanation as to why we never took them down.

They don’t work. They haven’t since we moved in.

They have never actually been plugged into anything from what we could tell.

They just hang there.

Sometimes I don’t even “see them” any more.

My view differs from my husband’s.

I have always felt that they should come down.

He thinks that they aren’t hurting anything so why bother.

So , they continue to just hang there.

For 12 years.

Check back in 12 years, they’ll probably still be there.

My view.

Day Feb #7- My View.

 

365 Challenge- Day Feb #5 – Arrangement

Feb #5 Arrangement..

Which I should subtitle ORDEAL.

“At what price beauty? ”

I think you have to be a woman to appreciate this one.

I pull a brush or two out of a drawer, and if I’m lucky they make it back into the drawer. Maybe that same day even!

Not this gal.. She’s got quite the ” ARRANGEMENT”.

And don’t mess with it.

 

This was one of the new Vintage lenses. But now I forget which one. I should’ve written it down. Sorry Marc.

365 Challenge – Day Feb #3- Bedside

Feb 3- BEDSIDE

Confession:  I cheated on this one. I knew that I had already taken a photo (with my Droid) that means more to me than any new one I could possibly take. It is one I had taken last year for no particular reason on January 12, 2012 .  This is the lamp next to my bed.  It is “adorned”, if you will, with all of these necklaces, which were all given to me by one friend or another at some time during my 12 year RSD journey. They all mean something to me and they are usually the last thing I see before turning out my light at night and the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning. Each are a symbol to me that I do not fight this battle alone. They give me strength, and they encourage me. Though I know they would be better preserved tucked away in my jewelry box, I will always leave these particular necklaces hang on my lamp, by my BEDSIDE, so that I know that no matter how hard it gets, I am never alone!

Day Feb #3- BEDSIDE.

The Sort of Hope Who $u<k$ Less At Basketball (than I did just a few months ago! :)

Nothing will work unless you do.

 John Wooden

And working I have been! (at my photography, any way.)

I didn’t want my poor neglected blog ‘s friends to think that I’ve just been sitting around eating bon bon’s waiting to not fulfill my commitment to the pictures for the 365 Challenge. Au Contraire!

I’ve been quite the busy little sick gal. I’ve been working so diligently at trying to get better at my basketball shots. Photos that is. A Michael Jordan I will never be. Just as I’ve been working hard, so have our basketball teams. Our boys and girls have both made County play offs – So proud of them!

Which means that I will even get the opportunity for extended practice this season. I didn’t want to bore you all with shots every time I took some , but here are a few that I just decided were post -worthy.

If I were a bit more clever, and had a bit more time, and hand strength left, I’d set it to some really balling music and video up for your viewing pleasure. But I’m not feeling very clever, I don’t have the time and my hands are a lost cause this close to treatment.

Hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I have enjoyed taking them nonetheless!

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365 Challenge – #6 Feb ~Saved (Up)

My poor little neglected blog. How I’ve missed you!

My apologies… I started a corresponding facebook page! ~ https://www.facebook.com/Allsortsofhopecom?ref=hl

My new FB page!~ Go ahead, check it out.

Then I went  to about five trillion basketball games, a few gymnastic competitions and tried to recover from all that stuff. Having some trouble with my hands, too. Trying to keep the keyboarding/ processing to a minimum.

SAVED (UP).

In this photo, I am wearing pants that I , Hope the clothing hoarder, had SAVED from, no kidding, the early 90’s. I had also taken this photo using a Minolta lens with a Nikon adapter that a friend had recently given me that he had SAVED from years gone by.  In addition, the lovely silver necklace that I wear proudly around my neck  has a silver ribbon with the word HOPE engraved on it. It was a gift from a woman who had SAVED it for a while til she remembered to give it to me.  I waited quite a few hours to get my knuckles un-swollen enough to be able to type even just this pathetic little paragraph. So in essence you could say that  all these things had been SAVED UP for- just to make this photo.   (kinda? sort of?) .

It’s a stretch at best. But right now, I’m saving up for so many things the best thing I could think of  for “Saved up ” was my actually my new ( old) car that I finally went out and purchased after months and months of not having. However, when it came time for my car to make it’s photographic debut, it wasn’t home because my son is now driving it as his was just hit while being parked outside of our home. You see, that’s how we seem to be doing things in this house lately. One step forward, two steps back. It’s a good thing that I saved up for it, though, or we wouldn’t have anything to drive.

I’m also trying to save up every last bit of energy and strength I have. My vision is starting to play tricks on me too. I’m getting anxious. I’ve got a treatment in just 21 days! And that’s the big winner for SAVED UP, I suppose…. the strength and energy it took me just to do this whole thing. I pray no one ever truly understands what I mean by that.  Sadly, I know that there are far too many of you who do.

Day #6 of Feb- Saved Up

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365 Challenge- Day #31 Grow

Day #31- Grow

“The Beauty of a Diamond~ through the eyes of a coach”  written by Dan Clouser

Dan is a friend of mine. A boss of mine. A mentor of sorts. He also employs my son. My son, Nick plays baseball for Dan for several years as well.

This book is a story about Dan, and how baseball has affected him personally and professionally. The life lessons it has taught him along the way. It is an easy, gentle read yet it’s message is heard loud and clear.

It was interesting to read it and shows how Dan grew from a naughty little teen aged boy into the quiet , unassuming man that I know him to be today. Dan is one of the most generous men that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He owns Berkshire Baseball. Berkshire Baseball “raises” young men and teaches them that life isn’t all about baseball. It teaches about character, too. Life lessons.

The past few weeks have been trying at best in this household. Our community lost a young man who decided he was left with no other recourse than to take his own life. To say it has not affected my own family would be a gross understatement. The weather here has given us a few minor inconveniences as well.

My son, Nick has never ever given us trouble. We have rarely had to discipline him.We have been so fortunate. But these past two weeks we have had our hands full. He has had some “growing pains.”He has not been thinking straight.  He has made some simple bad choices. He is a boy of great character and strength and I try to remember that once upon a time many a man, like Dan,  had been lost and found their way, too.  I know that he will get back on track. Boys do that. I read Dan’s book and several others like his when I need that reassurance.

I’ve never been a teen age boy ( haha) but I know that they grow and change and push a whole lot differently than girls do. The good news is that they do change, and carry on, and learn, and GROW.

Day #31. GROW.

 

 

 

The Sort of Hope Who Needs Your Votes! :D

Never thought I’d be the sort of photographer with a photo in a contest… yet here I am!

This photo has been entered into Rodposse’s  Photo Contest … 

5th RPC- 22nd Challenger- Theme : LINES.

Would love your votes! Click the link and click LIKE for Natalia and I please!

RODPOSSE PHOTO CONTEST : LINES

What’s one more click in your day of endless clicking? and hey, maybe someday, you’ll need me to click something for you… 😉  { a you click my link, I’ll click yours sort of thing!}

We thank you muchly, friends. ❤

http://rodposse.com/2013/01/30/22nd-challenger-confusing/

(if you’re more of a copy/paster  ^)

365 Challenge – A few days…

Life is flying by me.

Which is good and bad I suppose.

We are painting Natalia’s room. She had gotten a gift certificate from my sister for an occasion that I can’t even remember- a birthday? Christmas? and she chose the color last summer. It’s been sitting in our garage ever since. Finding free time to paint has been quite an issue. This gal’s schedule must rival the President’s. School til 230. Then Cheer for 2 hours then home just to eat then gymnastic’s for 2 more hours. That’s only if there isn’t a basketball game.

Having Nick help to drive has been an asset but baseball practice started for him which also pulls him and his father away which goes back to it just being me again.

I don’t know how these kids keep up.

I honestly wonder how I do it sometimes, too.  Lately more so than ever.

I am the only person in the house who is doing laundry, cleaning , cooking , running the errands and finishing the paint right now. I know I’m not telling the women of the world ( and some men) things that they don’t already know. I just needed a place to vent. Our dishwasher is broken (in addition to the stove, and the microwave, and the fan above the stove.. and the… ) and my husband is in no hurry to fix it. I therefore believe that he should be the one to do the dishes.. Makes sense, right? Somehow it’s not working out that way. And he certainly doesn’t have a disease that affects his hands quite like mine does. The kids were home for one day and I asked Nick to do the dishes while Natalia and I painted. That went over well. I told Nick that maybe his father is just confused about what decade it is because I wear aprons in the kitchen,that maybe he thinks dishwashers just haven’t been invented yet… ?!?  I think I may have to stop wearing aprons for a while. See if it changes things. I’m open to suggestions.

Anyway… I am still trying to stay on top of my photo group challenges. But I’m failing miserably.

Here are day #27 – outside

and Day #28 -inside.

Sunday – #27 Outside– we had a snow day. I took a break from painting and looked out of our window and saw those footprints. I was so confused. Which way was this person going and exactly *how*were they walking? what happened to the rest of  their footprints?

Of course I had to take pictures while we were painting..

So , Day #28- Inside-

You’ll notice we painted “inside” Natalia’s room. You also may notice up in the corner that some of us had a bit of difficulty painting inside the lines. And that’s OK. “it gives it character” … Right gals? 😉

When people ask me what color Natalia chose to paint her room the best descriptive I can use is ” Tiffany box blue” . I find that almost 90 % of women can recall what I mean immediately. Tiffany box blue is an iconic color. It’s more than just a color .. it’s a dream for many a little girl, too. My daughter picked that color along with black trim and some black and white carpet/ curtains and has unknowingly made herself her own little Tiffany box!

Two wonderful women in my life sent me a gift from Tiffany’s as a special , *very* special gift when I first started treatment. It was a horseshoe necklace.. to “let the luck fall in”…. (you may have seen this photo before – as self portrait I did as a tribute to those 2 amazing women.2 special gals who helped me get through those first 10 days of treatment.)

Getting that beloved blue box in the mail was such an incredible experience for me. I hope someday to be able to do that for others, for my daughter, too. But for now, this was as close as I could get…

I know it won’t mean nearly the same thing to her, but I sure loved seeing the smiles on her face the painting days! And as fast as the days are going right now, I’ll treasure each and every one of them while I can.

 

 

365 Challenge Day #11- Signature

Day #11- Signature.

“Red hair, sir, in my opinion, is dangerous.”

― P.G. Wodehouse, Very Good, Jeeves!

I ‘ve pretty much always had red hair. When I was younger it was a beautiful dark auburn red. Of course, as we age, things change and like it or not, if we wish to keep living, we must change with them. I decided very early that even though my red hair was being taken from me, I would do whatever it took to keep it red. (Thankfully my sister is a hair dresser!) Though I have often envied women who have gone from blonde to brunette and back again, I really never wanted to be one of them.

I. am. a. redhead.

My children tease me that if I ever stopped being a redhead they would never be able to find me anywhere again. My red hair definitely suits my personality, too. I am temperamental, moody and bitchy beyond belief. I am stubborn, strong- willed and “spirited”, passionate (in all senses of the word.) I have a friend from years ago who told me once that I’ve got “moxie” . (made me giggle.) and I suppose he’s right. I’m pretty mellow until you push me too far. My personality, just like my hair color, is high maintenance, too.

Naturally, given the “challenge” of thinking of  “Signature” , the very first thing that came to my head ( haha) was my red hair. It is undoubtedly my signature.

Redheads banned from Donating Sperm! (6 fiery facts about Redheads)

4 Surprising Facts About The Color Red

all about red

The Sort of Hope Who Has A Daughter That Can Fly

Natalia’s first gymnastic competition was on Saturday. She competed last year as a Level 7 USA Gymnast and this year is now an Advanced Prep Optional ( it’s a level for girls who don’t quite have all the skills for Level 8 or those who for whatever reason just aren’t ready to compete the next compulsory level  quite yet. )

We could not have been more pleased with her performance! Gymnastics is such a fascinating sport to me. These girls train so intensely. I can’t wait for competition season so that I can be surprised by all of the new tricks that  Natalia and her teammates have mastered during the off season. This year was no exception. Natalia has added a layout full twist to her floor routine. Floor is my favorite thing to watch the girls compete and I honestly think it’s the thing that our gym tends to excel at the most consistently.

Yesterday was no exception. Natalia ended up doing very well for her first meet- she placed First All Around (36.00). Captured a 1st on beam (9.3) and floor (9.25), and a first on bars (8.95) and a third on vault (8.5).

There was a bit of a some excitement and a resurgence of interest in gymnastics last year following the Olympics. I could not have been happier for the girls at the gym. I feel like what these gymnasts go through is sometimes underrated and under-appreciated and surely under-valued because it is not a school sport. I get upset because I personally think that they don’t get the recognition that I feel they deserve. If people knew how much work these girls put into learning just one simple ‘trick’, maybe they’d value the sport a bit more. These girls are true athletes. Hours and hours spent in a gym to master their craft. They have to be braver and stronger and even more courageous than most other athletes. Fear is a word that they check at the door.

Competition days are difficult for me. (though surely nothing like they are for the gymnasts!) They often involve long rides in the car, sitting for hours on cold hard bleachers and then long rides home again. We never eat right. Traveling with me is like traveling with a toddler. I ‘ve got my “goody bag”- water, snacks, socks, meds, music -for distraction if the pain gets bad, pillows, blankets, gloves… If you’ve learned anything by now, you know that things like travel and long days I don’t get along real well, but the only times I have missed her meets were because of treatments. If it were up to me, I’d watch her and her team compete every weekend! I’ll just deal with a longer recovery time afterward. She won’t be competing forever and while she is , I’m going to do my darndest to make sure when she looks up, she sees her mom in the crowd.

I’m not sure why, but yesterday I really struggled to photograph this event. Out of practice maybe? You cannot use flash in a gym, the lighting is typically even worse than in a school gym. Gymnasts move fast. Very fast. This was the first meet with all new routines so I wasn’t sure how to follow them. AND to complicate the process, for every event but the beam, I was shooting through the safety bars of the balcony. I did manage to get a few decent shots of each event.

Special thanks to my two photographer friends for responding to my panicked texts about how to try to take the shots from that meet. (and understanding that sometimes my panic is born of my disease and my over active nervous system making me forget every thing I already know!) You guys are life savers to me. Truly.

Anyway, for those of you who don’t have amazingly talented people who fly through the air with the greatest of ease, allow me to share mine! The girls of FGI. It’s a pretty short season – States is March 16- and our gym only competes about 5 meets- so enjoy these girls with me. They really are something special.

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