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 – # Still Life

Every photographer should be lucky enough to have a great assistant- to help them get the shots that they sometimes aren’t able to get ( for whatever reason), or to simply help them carry their gear when they aren’t able.

I am *that* lucky.

My lovely assistant  and daughter,  Natalia got this shot for me at the salon the other day when I wasn’t quick enough. I wasn’t thrilled with her color choice, though ( because Hope only wears shades of red) and she chose a purpley pinky color. So, like any other photo editor would do found in such a position, I switched it. 😉

iPhone 5 photo by my asst. Natalia , PhotoShop edit by me.

(I hope you people with iPhone cameras realize just how lucky you really are. Those things ROCK.)

Still Life.

The Sort of Hope Who Lived in 2012

My how times have changed. Mike and I are enjoying a fabulous stir fry that I’ve prepared at home, our very quiet home and now the children are the ones who are out, and we are the ones staying in,  owed in part to this cold I can’t seem to shake. But it’s no big deal, I never cared much for New Year’s Eve anyway. I feel like it’s rookie night. All the prices go up, and the people who never party go out. Not for me, thanks. Give me my pj’s and the quiet. I don’t need the noise and the crowds.

I’ll stay home and watch the recaps. Read about words we don’t want to make it to 2013.. like Yolo (eew) or fiscal cliff. I’ll lament the passing of my treasured light bulbs. I’ll thank the Myans for being wrong. I’ll say a little prayer for all of the innocent children of Sandy Hook and the other victims of terrible, senseless crimes this year ( like Mike’s young cousin Timmy, a murder victim back in Feb of 2012). I’ll continue to think about the people still rebuilding from Super Storm Sandy.

And I’ll praise women like Jennifer Livingston the news anchor who stood up to the bully who called her fat.  ( I blogged about that before here: read on for more..) I’ll be thankful that her words went viral in a matter of hours. I’ll be hopeful that perhaps just one girl will listen. Hopeful that perhaps just one self image of a fragile teen age girl will be saved. Hopeful that maybe 2013 will be the year we can knock social media bullying down a few pegs.

thank you Kevin Brett of Soul Imagery for allowing me to edit this.

And then, because a woman who has walked a mile in my shoes has finally convinced me to stop looking at all things I can’t do and instead celebrate the things I’ve done, I’ll look at what I’ve managed to be a part of in this past year.

2012.. my highlights.

I was somehow able to keep up with my tumble off champ, my All Berks/ All State Player, my Level 7 USA Gymnast who medaled many times, my HS cheerleader/2 time tumble off champ, another NHS member, My Summer Love- (Schuylkill Berks Legion League Berks Co Div Champs )~oh what a season~! , a 2 x Tourny Winning 18Y Berkshire Showcase Team, a permitted driver to a licensed driver. Natalia turned 14 Nick turned 16. Seems impossible. What am I forgetting?

On my birthday I said good bye to the family Jeepster. Jeepster had been a part of our family for nearly a decade. I have yet to replace it.

In 2012 I personally loved a few and lost a few – {my ball buddy ~ “you know what I mean?” },  flew to South Dakota for my first vacation in years, spent 7 whole days with the James Gang & saw my brother get married. Was able to once again participate in Cups of Compassion and feel what it really means to give of one’s self.

Sadly, I’m still learning that no matter what you think, no one or anything is ever truly as it seems and that people can still manage to surprise you even after 40.

I’m thankful for the chances I was given to share my talents this year. I’m so grateful for those who shared theirs with me.

This year I survived another 7 day inpatient coma and 5 outpatient treatments to help control and slow the progression of my 12 year battle with fully body/ internal RSD.

Oh and I started “allsortsofhope.com”.

As far as this life I lead, well, I owe so much of it to you, my friends who helped to keep me in this game called life yet again.

I am grateful for my new audience and as always, treasure my old one.

13 is my lucky number. I have a feeling 2013 is going to be a great year.

Stick around, won’t you?

3…2….1…

My Philadelphia Freedom is all but mine!

Treatment day is almost here.

Had a terrific day today, all because I am forgetful old lady ;}

Went out for dinner with my girlfriend last night and left my glasses in the restaurant. This is the 2nd time that I have done this now. She told me she is going to get me the ‘chain’ for around my neck to hang my glasses from like the older ladies wear. I’m really *not* that bad, am I? I fear the answer.

Picked up my son and daughter and her BFF to go retrieve said glasses which happened to be at a shopping center also. Provided some entertainment. Nick tried on mens running pants which make a suitable double for “yoga pants for men.” Nick is blessed with a big booty. He is proud of it, as well he should be. Hours of endless pitching went into that thing.

Had a blast with the kids.

 

Today was also the first day of hunting season in our county, which is why the kids were still off of school. Not sure hunting of what ( I don’t hunt) but looks like these turkeys weren’t taking any chances, caught them running across the road today headed into a nearby field. Or maybe they were just grateful to be around for one more year.

Realized I have been spending far too much time alone and sitting. Needed to shake things up a bit, so when we got home and the girls wanted to play photo shoot,  I knew I couldn’t say no. Though it was far too tempting to do just that and crawl into my chair. I figured it would be at least 2 weeks until I could play again , so off we went to find a spot. Should preface this by saying it is about 30 degrees tops here. The body really want to sit at home, but the brain knows I need to be moving. So move I did.

Natalia was wearing a gown that I wore to 2 proms in 1985 and later lent to my high school best friend to wear to her junior prom in 1986. She isn’t with us any more so the dress means even more to me now.  It was really special for me to see my daughter wear it. I hope Beth would be proud of the work we did today. I still miss her every day.

 

We were out around the golden hour- magic lighting. It truly was magic. Sadly, upon review, Miss Natalia was not pleased with herself today, but I was. I feel like the love that these two best friends share for each other is so apparent in their photos. Reminds me of the friendship I had with Beth so very many years ago.

If you are lucky enough to have a best friend that you love too, do me a favor and tell them- today.. because you just never know.

Was hoping to have the pics from the photos that I did ‘on the other side of the lens’ to share before I left for my treatment but, sadly, I don’t have them just yet. Should give me something to look forward to when I get back, though!

In the meantime…. as I have come to say~

” I’ll catch you on the flip side of the K” my new Blog Buds.

*\O/* if you are the praying sort, please throw one up for me, if not, your good thoughts are appreciated as well.

Thursday, 7am.

HERE I COME MY PHILLY FREEDOM.

 

 

The Sort of Hope Who Has a Lovely Daughter

“Saying you don’t look good in a hat is like saying you don’t look good in shoes!” (author unknown)

The Shady Maple-d Sort of Hope

**16 Days til my Philadelphia Freedom!

Today marks one of my favorite days. It’s how the James Girls kick of the holiday season. Dawn breaks and Dad throws us all in the car. We then head to the place where cholesterol parties and desserts dance, otherwise known as The Shady Maple Smorgasbord.

Dad is the only male allowed and girls may only join provided they are of the James lineage and only under the stipulation that they have reached high school age, as it is often times a rated PG-13 ( at best) function. {*refer to an earlier blog entry about my obsession with balls. This obsession seems to just flourish around the holidays as balls are found around every corner and my sisters really feed into my obsession.} This year we welcomed my Natalia into the sisterhood.

The ride to Shady Maple is beautiful. It’s all country views. Cows, farms, green fields. Endless blue skies today.

Veteran’s Day was observed today for some schools today so it was a bit more crowded than our normal breakfasting/ shopping excursion. Mom seemed a bit disturbed by it but dad didn’t seem to mind. 

Little Sister Rachel>-> who will not be pleased that I posted this with Mom who shocked us all with this outlandish behavior. Mom is ever the lady.>–>

^Holly , the big sister with Dad. Holly is a poser. Dad, The Marine and proud Veteran, never stops eating long enough to partake of such shenanigans. Eating is serious business for a Marine. Many a time he has regaled us with the tales of having to eat maggots out of his helmet along with his food and therefore he is always just grateful for food in general. Daddy is delightful at dinner. 😀

During breakfast Holive entertained us all ( as usual) in the way that only Holly can. Which won’t be funny to anyone else so I won’t attempt to try to relive it. Suffice it to say,   Holly is fascinated by the most mundane little things and can make just about anything funny. Today it was a collapsible brush. Who knew such a cheap thing could provide such entertainment?

After we got our feed on, we headed to the gift shops to spend what my dad calls “all of our egg money” , which is dad speak for all the money we saved all year for this very day.

^ HOPE is the thing with feathers. ( Emily Dickinson fans ? )

Holly found a HOPE ornament with a ball in the O.  SCORE.  Posed in front of some fuzzy white and red balls for me, too!

.. and the winner of the strangest thing I saw all all day goes to this piece of blown glass poo… I mean slug. (Apologies to slugs everywhere).

We laugh, we eat, we shop.We laugh some more.  This close to my next treatment, it’s going to take me at least 3 days to recover from our excursion, but I don’t mind. Today not only signifies the beginning of the holiday season for me, it also reminds me how lucky I am. I’ve got sisters. Great, beautiful, kind sisters and I still have both my parents. Sadly, I don’t spend enough time with either of my sisters or my mom and dad, which is really quite a shame. But the time I do spend with them is always filled with laughter and love. And for that I truly grateful.

My fav jam from the ride! You gals “made my day”.  ❤

The Sort of Hope Who “Benefit”-ed .

^ A collage I made of some of  favorite moments from my first 10 day Inpatient Ketamine Infusions, April 2010.  As luck would have it, my little (though much bigger) brother was in Philadelphia at the same time on business- got to see him for the first time in yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrs. Didn’t remember it too much sadly 😦  Two AMAZINGLY generous , selfless women ( who also both have RSD!)  Heather and Susie  flew in from their respective states, Rhode Island and Texas at their own expenses to help me through my infusions. Susie took the first week, Heather took the second. My first friend in this life- Scotty also lives in Philly and I got to spend some time with him ! My mom and dad were with me off and on. Mom mostly on, dad mostly off. My sisters stopped in and my family (bottom center) stopped in over Natalia’s sectional weekend which I got to watch via webcam- the gym skyped me in ( got special permission) because I wasn’t allowed to be there during treatment and it broke my heart. I had never missed any of her competitions prior to that.  My husband and my children were not with me during my 10 day. I only saw them that day and again at the end of my infusions. We did skype several times during my treatments when I was lucid enough for conversations. Though Natalia will tell a completely different story.

That first round of infusions was made possible by the kindness of my facebook friends, friends in this incredible community , people from my churches ( old and new ) and yes, even strangers.  The money from those fundraisers carried me through to this year. I turned a few special treatments away. But basically, we made it work. And I am so very grateful.

Hope for Hope basket bingo was held yesterday. I can’t even begin to describe the emotions that go along with being on the receiving end of something like that-a charity event of that magnitude. How do you even begin to thank the people involved in helping to keep you “in the game” for the next year or two ?  for the countless hours of work involved in organizing something like that? The blood, the sweat and yes, the tears. (though  most of the tears were mine!)

To my delight, my event was like a long overdue high school reunion. Most of the people who came out to support me were friends from my high school days, some old friends from church and family of course, and some friends of my parents that I hadn’t seen in quite a number of years. It was like “going home”.

I was overwhelmed with the generosity of local merchants and especially my baseball family, Berkshire Baseball who went above and beyond for myself and my family.

I am still trying to digest it all.

The organizers of my event, Trinity’s Helping Hands, were even generous enough to allow me to save the leftover beverages and non perishables to take to the event that I help out with in a few weeks called “The Cups of Compassion” for the homeless people in the city of Reading ( I blogged about that previously.)

Though I still have mixed feelings about having allowed my father to have spearheaded this for me, I felt a little bit better after remembering something I read rather recently. I shared it as a status on my facebook yesterday. It’s from a book that a friend of mine wrote. His name is Dan Clouser. Dan is the president of Berkshire Baseball and one of the most generous people I have had the good fortune to meet in this lifetime. Mr C is a neat man. He is generally quiet and very unassuming. But his smile and laughter are so contagious.  His book is called ” The Beauty of A Diamond ~ Through the Eyes of a Coach.”  It is a must read for parents, coaches, players, heck, for human beings in general. 

Anyway, it goes something like this ~ “The important thing to understand is that everyone in this world has been helped by someone along the way. No one here can simply go it alone. We may try from time to time, but we all depend on someone along the way. The sooner we all understand that, the world will be a much better place.” ~ Dan Clouser  The Beauty of a Diamond , through the eyes of a coach

Yesterday was a very long day, physically and emotionally. As I (literally) crawled into my bed, I fluffed my pillows and got distracted by a lovely bright red ladybug. I always seem to find them on “special” days….. Or, perhaps, they find me.  ❤

The Sort of Hope Who is Happy to Have a Beautiful, Indulgent Daughter

Distasios’ don’t sit still well.

I’m not sure what most other families do while they wait out “states of emergencies” called for the impending arrival of a hurricane, but in this family, we ‘play’ photographer/ model. Between Natalia and I, we can make pretty much anything into a “photo shoot”. We’ve done glitter, water colors, hats(that was a long time ago) heck,  we even grabbed a few friends and made a “circus” once!

I suppose it’s a good thing that I don’t have a truly functioning portrait lens or my kids would be perpetually annoyed with me instead of being only occasionally annoyed with my requests. In addition to occupying each other, doing things like this sometimes help to keep my mind off of how yucky weather like this makes me feel. Storm systems can wreak havoc on someone with a condition like mine. Hurricane Sandy has certainly been no exception.

This is the result of what we got finished so far tonight.

School is closed for the next 2 days.

God only knows what that will find us doing.

Stay tuned

Pop Calls Them Pixies

“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?’ asked Piglet.
Even longer,’ Pooh answered.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

My daughter Natalia is quite an amazing young lady. Having been put on bed rest at 28 weeks into my pregnancy with her, she is not only one of my greatest challenges in this life, she has also been one of my greatest rewards. I like to tell people though, that even after being put on bed-rest at 28 weeks for premature labor, I ended up going past my due date with Natalia and had to be induced. That’s the thing about my daughter Natalia, she does everything her way. On her on time and at her own pace. And that became apparent at a very early age.  She is strong -willed, stubborn and determined.

She could walk early, talk early and ‘give direction’ ( read was quite bossy) at a very early age. One of our favorite memories of Natalia was when she lifted her beautiful little red head and blurted out in a crowded store for all to hear (at the toddling age of 3 )  ” Mommy, Nicky is antagonizing me!”

We simply had to find a way to channel all of her energy. I was injured when Natalia was only 2. Dealing with 2 toddlers while on crutches full time is difficult. So we needed to find something to do with them to help get their energy out. By the time Natalia turned 3 we had enrolled her into dance classes. By the time Natalia turned 4 her instructor had informed me that a ballerina she would never be. Fortunately for me, their was a mom in our class of a very talented gymnast in the area who recognized what Natalia just *may* be.

By the age of 5 we had enrolled her in tumbling classes. It didn’t take her long to get her first solo. She immediately began to excel.

By the age of 6 her Pop-Pop offered to enroll her in a local gym to try out some of the equipment “just for the summer”, as a birthday present. That  was June. When August rolled around, she was offered a chance to begin training on their “team training program” that they called “The Sparklers” at that time.  It was then that she met her best friend Brianna.

Fast forward 8 years. Brianna and Natalia have grown up together. Theirs is a friendship of mutual respect. I have watched them evolve as gymnasts and as people. I am incredibly proud of them both. Brianna’s family has been beyond generous to my daughter over the years. They treat her like she is theirs. She has traveled with them, stayed with them and vacationed with them. I joke that in the summertime Brianna’s parents and I share custody of them. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I am delighted that their friendship has remained steadfast. I have seen very few serious arguments. Very few typical girl squabbles. Maybe because they go to different schools, or maybe because they are just that close. For whatever reason it is, I am grateful.

Bri and Natalia are my 2 favorite subjects to photograph. Brianna will humor me almost as much as Natalia does.

Brianna’s Pop has moved in with them recently. It hasn’t been an easy adjustment for her. But it makes me giggle when he calls them “the 2 Pixies” . I have named my collection of photos of them over the years ” Pop Calls Them Pixies” in his honor.

I love to see their joy when they are together. Love to hear their laughter. Even love to hear them argue a bit over who gets to stand where or wear what. Because that just means they care. And caring is a good thing.

I lost my best friend when I was just 16 years old and I would give the world to hear her crazy laugh again. Or even just to argue with her.

These are a few of my favorite ( older) photos of them. My daughter’s schedule has been so crazy we haven’t seen much of Brianna lately. I’ve been waiting to get them both out in front of my lens again. It’s been too long. I’m sure my daughter will let me know when the time is right.

The Awarded Sort of Hope

Thomas Wigington, http://astrangertoheavenandearth.com/,  has nominated me for the Beautiful Blogger Award. I am honored for the nomination and I accept. Thank you,  Mr Wigington poet, essayist, fellow blogger for this generous nomination. Please take a moment to check out his site!

The rules for this award are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Post the award image to your page
3. Tell seven things about yourself
4. Nominate up to 15 other bloggers and let them know

Imagine my surprise at seeing this nomination in my email! Heck, I’ve only been blogging for less than 2 months. Wow, has it been 2 months already? Time really flies when you’re doing laundry. I am very grateful to Mr Wigington for reading my blog, (clarification, I’m grateful to *anyone* who reads my blog!) let alone nominating me for this lovely Beautiful Blogger award.

The ‘Share Seven Things about Yourself” reminds me of the “16 things about you” that went around back in the beginning of my days on Facebook.  It always gives me pause. I can’t help but wonder what 7 things about me other people would actually find interesting, “normal”,  ‘you can write about them publicly’ things. I mean, everyone has quirky interesting things, right? But PG13 ?

1)When I was a little girl, I wanted to be President. Not first lady, I didn’t want to assist anyone. I wanted to run the world. And if I couldn’t run it, I wanted to save it. My mother has always told me that from the time I was about 3, I thought I could save the world. Over the course of my life I have tried to save so very many things. Causes, people, expired relationships, animals, old clothing, struggling businesses… you name it. I’ll try to save it. There has to be some sort of disorder name for this. And I don’t mean in the hoarder sort of way , I mean in the “rescue it” sort of way. I spent a rather grueling  heat wave week once trying to get a kitten to trust me enough to come out of some arbovitae trees and allow me to care for it. I moved a few feet/ inches closer to her every day, every hour. I even slept outside next to those trees, fearing that some mean creature of the night would eat it. I succeeded in my efforts and was ultimately left with a kitten that I couldn’t take in , as my son is allergic. Called all the local shelters and no one would take her as there was apparently some heat wave rush of feral cats, so I convinced my parents to drive the kitten to Maine to live with my brother. Yes, I am that bad.

2)Much to the dismay of my family, I celebrate everything. EVERYTHING. Got an A on a test?  Let’s celebrate! Great season? Celebrate. Successful treatment for me? Let’s celebrate. I believe that birthdays should be celebrated for at the very least a week. Minimum. I decorate our entire house for the Birthday-ee’s occasion. Balloons, signs, streamers, the person gets to pick a menu for a week with all of their favorites. With so much bad in the world, why not find as much joy as you can in the simple things, right? Last night we celebrated the end of Natalia’s first HS Cheer season and Nick’s Showcase Season.. and some other stuff I’m not at liberty to talk about yet. Kids in general should be celebrated. They are such a privilege and a joy.

3)In my life I have seen people very close to me overcome some of life’s greatest challenges. My big sister, my parents’, my best friend, my husband’s best friend, scores of RSD pals, each of whom have been dealt some of the worst of what life has to offer and have somehow held out with amazing grace , heads held high and have gone on to inspire myself and countless others. These people are heroes ( heroines) to me. Not the NFL/NBA or actors & actress who get paid millions of dollars to do what they do. I’m talking real life people living life struggles and living large living hard. I wish we glorified that more for our children. *Values*

4)Nicholas Michael and Natalia Marie are by far the greatest accomplishments of my life. Yet they continue to be works in progress. I pray every day I get to continue to see them grow up. I am so thankful that I have made it this far. So thankful that they have turned out as good as they have. Having a parent with a chronic condition is sooo difficult for children. They could’ve gone to the complete opposite end of the scale. Somehow, I got lucky and they didn’t. They are over achievers, honor students, good friends, amazing athletes, and more importantly good people and wonderful children. Yet sadly, growing up far too quickly.

5) Our universe baffles me. Though I , too, was an honor student,  space baffles me.  I am over 40 and I still cannot understand how we can see stars that are no longer there. Do not try to explain it to me, I will never ‘get it’.

6) In case you’ve missed it, I’m a redhead. I’ve always been a redhead. If it hasn’t been one shade of red, it’s been another.  Of course, I have a little more help now. My daughter was born with the most gorgeous shade of red hair and I was completely jealous. I have recently decided that it is no longer worth trying to make my red hair look natural , so it is currently the brightest most vibrant shade we can make it.  Why not, right?  I’ve threatened to go brunette, but my family says that they’d never be able to find me anywhere. One time at a gymnastic competition, my daughter shouted to me ” What’s that mom ? I can’t hear you over your hair!”~ well, you get the idea… 

7) Six degrees of separation was something I never heard of until Facebook. Yet Six degrees of separation affects my life almost daily. Almost always in a good way, thankfully.  It is also mainly responsible for my blogging experience. I am blogging because of a man I will call Joe. I didn’t know Joe, but my husband did. Joe is another kind of American hero, Mr Joe is a teacher. He encouraged me to try my hand ( or keyboard) at blogging. Stubborn gal that I am, it took me a year, but I eventually listened.  I tried to thank Mr Joe  but he was too humble to be thanked.  I just want him to know how much I appreciate him.

And I appreciate you, too. You being anyone who takes the time to read what I write, or look at the photos I post. ~ There! I didn’t even get into my addiction to scarves, my weird food habits, the fact that I am left handed but do almost everything with both, my bizarre little ‘envy’, my shoe collection, my penchant for taking pictures of anything and everything, my daily need for cappuccinos,  or all those other bizarre Hope facts!  However,  I really am thankful Mr Wigington!

I hate when I prematurely blog..

In my original entry, I forgot to write that the reason I have selected these folks is because their work moves me. They have all taken me to places I have never been. Probably will never get to see. Be it through their writing or their art or their photography. They are all artists. They enrich my life and make getting out of bed every morning just a little bit less painful each in their own unique way.

I had trouble linking one of my favorites on my first go round. I’m going to try again.

My nominees for the Beautiful Blogger Award are:

http://www.deneanmelcher.com/

http://phillanoue.com/

http://grishmanphotography.com/

http://peterknightphotography.wordpress.com/

http://pdjpix.wordpress.com/

http://rpdpod.wordpress.com/

http://www.cathykuhlmanphotography.blogspot.com/

http://krahnpix.wordpress.com/about/ ~

http://mydaysinfocus.com/

http/milnersblog.wordpress.com/

http://silentsongstudios.wordpress.com/

http://thephoblography.wordpress.com/