dollywood yesterday!

I went to Dollywood yesterday, woo! Here's how my day went:

browsing for books in the outdoor book store....

they had very pretty flowers blooming....

lunch at ham 'n beans....

cute piggy banks in a toy shop...

the Lucky 7 Mine is open again!!!!

pausing at the fountain....

I love the blown glass shop! One day I will own several of these glass ornament balls that are so beautiful yet so very expensive.

the snail says hi!

woo woo woo!

and on the way home this cloud appeared from behind the mountain as the sun was going down. it looks like a baby elephant chasing a bunny rabbit. Yes, it does.

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catching up is hard to do

Just a little update of the last few days. It's been raining off and on for last 2 days but Monday I had gone out to water the flowers and as I was moving the hose back and forth something flew out of the Mexican sunflowers. I thought it was a butterfly but then it moved again and it was a big ol' praying mantis and it flew straight for me and so I ended up screaming like a sissy girl. But it curved and kept on going around a bush. By the time I got done watering and got back out there with my camera I couldn't find him so I was a little bummed. But this morning guess what was back on the sunflowers? The praying mantis! I ran to get my camera and took a few shots of him, but the sun kept going in and out of the clouds so I would have to adjust my settings and by the time I got it set the sun would change again. I got a few good shots I think. He kept looking at me every where I turned the camera. I just told him to stay where he was and don't jump on me. The first shot isn't particularly great but i like the way the flowers are glowing in the background. I didn't do any editing except increase the color a little, they just came out that way.







And then I saw this little spider on the fern so I thought I would include him in the party. Not that I like spiders but he felt left out.



Since I had a day off work today I decided to start on a project that I've had on the waiting list for a few months now. I thought it was going to be easy, but it was a lot more involved than I anticipated and it seems like every time I start sewing my allergies act up and I spend the day with tissues stuffed up my nose so I'm able to use the sewing machine without dripping snot everywhere. Sorry but that the way it is.





Anyway, I got a good start on the booties before I just absolutely had to stop for fear of blowing my nose to pieces. It started raining so I took a break and got out the camera again and got a few water drop shots. I want to be able get better at spontaneously taking pictures and not worrying about what people think.












It occurred to me the other day while I was waiting for my dog to go potty that I take a lot of close up shots. I love to get right up on something and see how much detail I can get. But it was just one of those "aha" moments that I was bumming about not being good at landscape shots like this guy whose pictures make me want to cry they're so beautiful. My sister laughed at me when I told her that, but it's the truth. This little voice in my head said "you take close up shots because you can't see the big picture". Wow. Is that true? Am I so caught up in my own life that I can't see what's going on around me? If so then I need to change something, and not just so I can take better pictures, but because if I'm only concerned with myself then I'm not doing the will of God. I take things as they come, you know? I know I can't change something that's already happened so what's the point in worrying about it? If God wants it to be this way or that way, who am I to question His methods? I've never worried much about what's going to happen next because I figure God knows what he's doing. Does that mean there's something wrong with me? I do know it's not all about me, and most of the time I put the credit off on somebody else, then why am I still so self-centered?






I think though maybe it comes from the knowledge that He tells us this in Matthew "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." But if I'm not worrying about tomorrow shouldn't I be using that energy to forward His kingdom? The answer is most definitely yes, but am I doing it? Sadly no. Knowing that God will take care of all my needs does not forgive me from going out and helping others who have far less than me.

I know I've rambled far off the subject, but I don't know how else to express this realized feeling of being so insignificant because I'm so wrapped up in my own little bubble I don't see the suffering that goes on at my own doorstep. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:27 "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." In fact that whole chapter describes being part of the body of Christ. And maybe knowing this is part of the reason I do close ups. I'm just a small part of something much, much bigger and to try to be more than I am would not work. Maybe I'm not supposed to "see the big picture" just yet. Although in my head it sounded like a negative thing. That sounds stupid to compare taking pictures to being a part of God. I don't know how else to explain it. I guess that's why I didn't major in philosophy.



Ugh, the more I write the more confused I get so I'm just gonna stop now and let it go as what is is. I'll try to start looking past the end of my nose and see what happens.

oh the possibilities

Some little bird had made a nest in the crook of our front porch drain pipe. I haven't seen the babies which I'm sure are long gone, but I do remember the adult birds building the nest.



My wysteria vine is taking off like a rocket after 3 years of coaxing and babying and hoping. yay! Maybe it will actually get flowers on it before I keel over.



AND!! I totally meant to say this last night, but when I got to Q's house to pick her up for the book club I had a box waiting for me from another friend and look what was in it!!

Yes! Williamsburg pottery! I had seen the vase in the first photo on her ebay page and since we have a trade agreement told her that if nobody bought it I would like to have it. I expected one vase but instead was very surprised with a whole slew of pottery. And very nice pottery I might add. I do love unexpected surprises! A big thank you to Chrissy at Our Vintage Treasures over on ebay.

I am doing a 365 self portrait blog and most days I am very uninspired. Well, today I found the most awesome skirt at the thrift store I had to show it off. But Dawn inspired me to go back to the 70s, with her KERchiffs and I have a couple that I always want to wear but feel like a dork when I do. So now I'm left with the dilemma of do I show off the skirt or do I show off my non-existent fashion sense.

I chose to showoff the skirt for the self portrait, so where oh where do I put the other pics that I just can't let sit on my hard drive and go to waste? why, here of course!

I don't really like to do full body photos, but I like the overall feel of this one so I guess it's ok this one time. And what do you think, do I look nostalgic enough?

This is a record for me, three posts in three days. Maybe I'm getting better.

post book club extravaganza

Ahh, the book club....this was the sky on the way to my sister's house. So loverly with big white poofy clouds.




The taco fixin's I didn't get to eat but enjoyed looking at.




While we waited on everybody to get there Q played with the baby while I took pictures. He's so cute.




My non-spicy non-hard mushy bean burrito with cheese and lettuce.
And yes, dang it, I put a tiny bit o' mild salsa on it.



After we ate and discussed the book and there was only me, my sister, and Q left we discussed tattoos and where to get them. This is the one i would like to get between my shoulder blades. It's the triple suns from "The Dark Crystal"



Although, this one is nice too. We talked about getting this one on the inside of our wrist, since there's three of us and that's where Q wants her next one. If I ever actually go through with it, I'll have a hard time deciding.

book club here i come

Book club tonight at my sister's house. We're talking about Nocturnes by John Connolley. I couldn't finish it, it creeped me out man. We are having as our supper a taco bar, which I cannot eat because I can't have anything spicy or hard for 3 weeks, thanks to my recent dental surgery. That make me very sad cause I really want a taco. Just one, that's all I need.

Well, I must go get ready and pick up Q so we can start not eating tacos. Boo.

on top of it all

I had dental surgery today to remove a baby tooth that was dying. They drilled a hole in my bone and put an implant in the hole so that later they can put a cap on it and nobody will ever know that I have a fake tooth.

After the whole foot thing, I'm just about doctor-ed out for this month.

It was seriously not as bad as I had it played out in my mind to be. I'm so thankful for that. My jaw hurts, but I was expecting that since they sliced open my gum and all that good stuff. I have no words of wisdom or witty comment or anything, I'm still in recovery mode for crying out loud!

my mouth is still numb!

not feeling so hot....

that's what you get for showing off

ok, I have not updated in forever but I feel the need to do so today. Over the weekend I went swimming at the creek, my first time in 2 years, and ended up not being able to walk. Let me elaborate.

I am a member of the Flickr group Self Portrait Challenge and this months theme is childhood. I got the brilliant idea to take a shot of me at the creek since that's where I spent a large chunk of my childhood summer days. I had visions of me getting the perfect shot as I jumped off the big rock where we used to swim and visions of me jumping gracefully into the water to get that perfect shot. Two things....I haven't been swimming in the aforementioned 2 years, and I am not graceful.

My first set of pics was all me standing on the rock because I waited too long to jump. The second and third set was...wrong. So I decided to get creative and go up higher to get a different angle. The water was up because of the rain and it was a little murky. I had forgot that in the particular spot where I was aiming to jump the water was shallower so as I jumped I was not expecting to hit solid rock. But I did. My left foot hit the rock and my right butt cheek followed. I just thought, dang I'm gonna have a bruise on my butt. Oh I was so wrong. My foot hurt a little but I just figured it would go away but as the day grew to a close I could not put any pressure at all on my heel. It hurt super bad.

So I figured it wasn't broken since I could sit on it and it didn't hurt. Only when I tried to walk. The first dr i went to basically told me, hey you have a bone spur and you hit it. Here's some medicine and wear tennis shoes. Wow. Really? I didn't know that. I wasted $100 for her to tell me something I already knew.

The second dr I went to (yes, ok? i was desperate and in pain) told me I had a tiny hairline fracture on the bottom of my heel and to wear a boot cast for 6 weeks and it might get better by then. Well, at least he told me something I can understand.

So now with 2 totally different opinions I still can't walk and the people at work are mad at me for making them come in on their day off. Can I help it if I can't walk? If I had a desk job it wouldn't be so bad but chasing after kids all day you kinda need all you limbs to work.

In any case, that's my update. If I can get myself together I'll try very hard to update more often. Those of you that know me and bother to read this are laughing right now.