US & OZ: Day 2

From gorgeous Kate in OZ:

This is a corner of the "fairy garden" in my backyard, at around 3pm.

US:

11am.  Moss growing out of an outdoor seat.  

US & OZ: Day 1

Hello everyone, 

Here is the photo that the gorgeous Kate sent me this morning:

"i'm in a suburb of sydney. the pic is of the sidewalk of my street at around 3:30pm."

-Gorgeous Kate

Knowing that she had taken her photo around 3:30pm I thought I would try to do the same.  However, it has been rainy and cloudy and overall dreary here so I thought I would wait until the sun started to peak out.  It did around 4pm and I took this shot around 4:30pm:

It is a tree at the end of my driveway and it looks at me everyday while I wait for the school bus.

Sometimes it can look a little creepy, but it usually makes me smile.  While I look at the tree and daydream I believe that Nature is just bursting to talk to me so the tree grew a face.  One day I will walk down to the end of my driveway and it will have a mouth and then the conversations will get really good.  Right now they are a little one-sided.  

xo

Photography Series

I am very excited to announce a little photography series that my friend and I have been plotting.

I have named it US & OZ.  

Here is a little background:

My friend (who was once just the babysitter of my children, but now is also my friend) is spending a year in Australia being an au pair.  

Tough job.  

She is staying with a gorgeous family who have gorgeous houses (yes, plural) and gorgeous children and she is meeting gorgeous people and taking gorgeous photographs.  

Like I said, tough job.  

So, on a related note, and for a little more background, my sister has been telling me that I should do a photo series.  She suggested doing a 365 day project.  Have you heard of them?  If not, google it, some of them are really great.  It's basically a photograph a day for a year--365 days.  So, as I was thinking of the 365 challenge I thought of something else entirely.  My mind tends to wander a lot...

How about a photograph a day for a month?

But not just one photograph.  How about two?!?  

And, not just two from me

One from me and one from my friend in OZ.  

One from the U.S and one from Australia.  

And, thus, the title of my series was born...US & OZ.  

What do you think?

So, one night while I was chatting/IMing/emailing with my friend

(I can't remember which mode of communication it was)  

I brought it up to her and she loved the idea and was more than willing to participate.  

And, lo and behold, this morning there was a photograph from her in my inbox.  

However, I won't be posting it until the end of my day.  

You see, as I am sitting here typing this post it is not even 8am.  

However, in OZ it is bedtime.  

There is a 14 hour difference.  

So, she actually took her photograph yesterday.  

But, she thought it was today.  

It's crazy over there in Australia.  

Don't ask...

They also think it's springtime.  Not fall.  Crazy I tell ya!!  

Anyhoo...I want to post both photographs together so I am waiting until the end of my day when I have taken my daily photograph and then I will post both of them with brief descriptions for each.  (should I have used a comma in there somewhere??)

As with all best laid plans there is always a caveat.  

Since she is the au pair she has to go on vacation with the family.  

It's a tough job.  

This year the family is enjoying a holiday in...drumroll please...FIJI.  

Did I mention it's a tough job?  

So, since she will be living in a hut in the South Pacific (she's got it rough man) she is not sure of her internet connection.  We are hoping that she will still be able to email me a daily photograph...fingers crossed!  If not, we will just have to take a little hiatus and start it up again when she gets back.  I am really looking forward to seeing her daily photographs and am really hoping to see some daily shots of Fiji.  

She is a great photographer, so I know you'll enjoy them too.  

I hope you enjoy the series.  Check back later for the first installment.  

xo

On the last Saturday of Summer...

There were balloons

and hugs and kisses

and pregnant bellies 

and loving touches

And, once we were sufficiently stuffed, we rolled ourselves down to the beach  

where we frolicked

and made marine discoveries 

even the gentlemen rolled up their trousers 

the boys walked out on the rocks 

and the girls looked for shells

kids jumped off boardwalks 

and flashed peace signs 

It was a glorious day!  

~Peace be with you~

Eat Pray Love

When the book, Eat, Pray, Love first came out it was a phenomenon.  The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, was celebrated by Oprah herself; which probably took care of any money concerns she had.  (For those of you who read the book you know about her money concerns).

I read the book when it first came out and LOVED it.  I read the book again, recently, as part of the Book Club of which I am a member.  I loved it again.  It is a wonderful book about a spiritual journey that ends up healing the author in ways she probably never knew were possible (with God all things are possible).  I loved how it wasn't about a specific religion, just about her relationship with God.  Which is what all religions are about.  What difference does it make if you belong to one and I belong to another?  What matters is your spiritual relationship with God (or, the Almighty Peanut-Butter, whatever you chose to call It).  As Ketut (a character in the book) said, "when people start talking about religion, just smile and nod and say 'I absolutely agree with you' and then go home and do your own meditations or prayers, whatever you believe..."

When I heard about the movie I was excited.  First of all, I love going to the movies, and secondly, this movie was going to be shot on location in Italy, India and Bali.  I couldn't wait to see big, sweeping, panoramic views of the locations and dream about going to all of them.  Plus, I thought Julia Roberts was a pretty good choice to play Elizabeth Gilbert given that they are both pretty tall, lanky women.

Well, folks.  The movie was a big disappointment.
sad sad sad 

Now, I know there is never a movie based on a book that will be as good as the book.
Did you understand that??  

However, this was just sad sad sad

One of the things that I dislike about movies based on books is when 'they' add something into the movie that NEVER happened in the book.
(like, the Burrough being set on fire?  What was that all about?).
Why not just add more stuff from the book?
I know there are things that will have to be left out so the movie isn't 20 hours long, but don't just add things that were never part of the story!!  Come on people!!

Anyway, before I get overly excited, *ahem* let me just tell you that you should most definitely read the book, Eat Pray Love, if you have not already.  However, don't bother paying $10 to see the movie.  Wait until it's on TV if you want to catch it--it probably won't be too long before it is!

Liquid Diet

I recently had 2 wisdom teeth pulled out.  It sounds barbaric, but I really didn't feel a thing.  I have a great oral surgeon who gave me pills to calm my nerves and stuck needles in my gums to make them numb to any pain.

Again, it sounds barbaric, but it was really quite lovely.
Ok, it wasn't 'lovely'.
More like, uncomfortable...
Which is a word that came up a lot in the past few days.

"How do you feel?"  
"Uncomfortable."  


"Are you in a lot of pain?"  
"I wouldn't call it 'pain'.  More like 'uncomfortable'."  

However, I am starting to feel more comfortable, which is why I am able to sit at my computer and type a quick blog.  I just wanted to let you all know that if/when you have wisdom teeth yanked out of your mouth you will probably have to go on a liquid diet.
The thing about liquid diets is: all you consume is....(wait for it)...liquids.

I ain't joshing ya.

A liquid diet is, by definition, a diet consisting of liquids.  So, you pee a lot.  And by 'you' I mean 'me'.  But, we'll just stick with 'you' for the purpose of this story.  Sounds better for you to be uncouth than me.

And, you are hungry ALL.THE.TIME.  
No chewing for you!
No food in your belly, just liquids.
Which, have I mentioned, make you pee.  A.LOT.
And by a lot, I mean, all the time and for long lengths of time.
You know what I mean?  I won't go into any further detail.
Sorry, please come back...keep me company...it's time for my meds...
I'll be better next time...

Recovering

I had some wisdom teeth yanked out.

So barbaric.

I am recovering, and my mouth is a bit sore.  And, I am hungry.  I can't chew anything, so I am on a liquid diet.  To add insult to injury my son had DanDan Noodles from PeiWei last night, which really made me nostalgic for chewing!  Soon....  One day I will chew food again!!

Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing the movie Eat, Pray, Love with my friend Jen.  I am hoping that will take my mind off my sore mouth.

And, I also have a cool little photography series in the works that will come to you in October.  I will let you know more as we get closer to the date (can you believe it's almost October??  2010!!)  I am really excited for this and hope y'all enjoy it too.