Resolution

I was wavering on whether to set a resolution of “following-up” on all things important to my well being and my business… then I thought to myself, "does this set me up for a fall?" Have I successfully completed resolutions that I have set in the past? What does resolution REALLY mean??? So, of course I looked it up in one of my favorite books (as described in my profile - ANY Dictionary). The definition(s) actually surprised me (see below).

Nowhere did the definition say that I would be setting myself up for a fall… cool, then I’ll do it! And, I realized I stopped setting resolutions many years ago due to the FEAR (there's that UGLY word) of failure... sooo, I am making a resolution for 2007 to follow-up on all things related to the good of my life – and this includes SEE ME cards - I am walking thru my past fears of failure! AND, since my philosophy is self-care & self-love, all these follow-ups will fall in line with my truest beliefs! YEAH!!!

Happy New Year to each and every one of my IBI sisters and brothers! And may you COMPLETE your needs for 2007!

:O)

res·o·lu·tion n

1. the process of resolving something

2. a formal expression of the consensus at a meeting, arrived at after discussion and usually as the result of a vote

3. a firm decision to do something

4. firmness of mind or purpose

5. the level of reproduction of detail offered by a TV or computer screen or a film image

6. an answer to a problem

7. the process or act of separating something such as a chemical compound or a source of light into its constituent parts

8. the disappearance or coming to an end of symptom or condition such as fever or inflammation

9. the movement from a dissonant to a consonant chord or note

10. the note or chord to which the harmony moves when progressing from dissonance to consonance

11. the point in a dramatic work when the conflict is resolved

12. See resolving power

13. the substitution of a long syllable for two short ones in the rhythm of a line of poetr

Friends & Witnesses

My husband and I were blown away by two of our friends, Mark & Christina (Tina). We haven't seen them but maybe 2 times this year due to both our schedules... then yesterday I received a call from Mark inviting us to go to dinner... well... I told him that Tim and I could go if we went to a restaurant that would honor our CitiPass... ya know, one of those city books that you buy and get two-for-one dinners or lunches.

Anyway, Mark says, "We want to treat you guys" in celebration of your anniversary (of which they were our wedding photog's and our witnesses all in one, cause we were in Scotland getting married) and Christmas. Well I was taken a weee bit aback by this invitation... I had no expectation of their intentions...

Mark & Christina picked out a restaurant that we had never been to called Stoney River... it was REALLY good. We had a great time, and I took some pictures and passed my camera around... here are some shots.Thank you Mark & Christina for such kindness... you really touched our hearts... we look forward to returning the favor when we are able...P.S. Those are ONION Rings!!!

Home Again!!!

On the road again... just can't wait to get on the road again...

Actually, I'm not really looking forward to it... my trip to CA was very WONDERFUL and part of me doesn't want to leave... going home means it's time to WORK WORK WORK... but then again, Piano Wizard should be arriving at our home really soon, and I can't wait to get started learning how to play the piano...If you haven't seen this revolutionary tool, YOU MUST check it out!

And, if you would like to invest in the project that is bringing this awesome little puppy to the public, you need to email or call me ASAP!

STOP

It's a dream filled thought that I would love to see come to pass. It's a waste of time and energy to hate, it is easy to love... well, most of the time...

It's not nice to be mean - it's mean not to be nice!

I was tooling through Nashville in the West End area near Vanderbilt University when I came across this sign... yeah, I agree!

Deep thought in the Laundromat...

I was sitting at a local Laundromat (don't ask) recently while waiting for two comforters to dry... In the mail I had received a catalog (that I usually throw away) with some of those sort of things that I don't need... but I needed to kill some time while waiting for my comforters to dry...

Anyway, I was flipping through and came across this little framed saying: Well behaved women rarely make history....

WOWIE! With all that I am working on right now with my business, my spiritual life, my relationships, etc. (try not to notice the order I put those in...). That little graphic caught my attention. And I started to ponder what "well behaved,” meant to me...

Throughout my life as "the child of Armando & Diana" I prided myself on being well behaved... BUT, and this is a big but, I realized that I was always trying to please everything and everybody outside myself to be what "they thought" was the right thing or person to be... never truly honoring myself in who I wanted to be... AND, being well behaved really opens a can of worms... even in the society that I grew up in where women mostly raised families and kept a home...

I was born into a new faction of women who decided that raising a family wasn't necessarily going to feed the inner needs... I became a young woman fighting (mainly inside myself) for the rights to be "whatever it was I wanted to be". And for me, raising a family and keeping a home was not even close to my desires...

So then I started to look at my "current" definition of "well behaved". AND, that I did't want to come off as someone who is well behaved, because I am someone who is working on something that will very well CHANGE HISTORY... oooooooooooouu, those are big aspirations, aren't they? Yes indeed. I can't go into much detail as there are legal issues, but I can tell you, I am going to disrupt the business I am in... and I am going to leave my mark...

I now believe that well behaved women aren't what I want to be, or what I am... and I'm O.K. with that...

All I was doing was flipping through a stupid little catalog in a Laundromat waiting for my blankets to dry... ya never know where deep thought will occur... I'm used to it happening inside my car driving down the road... I welcome more of it in more places...

Colours

I thought only the smog filled skies of southern California could have a sunset that was this colorful... This is a silhouette of my husband with the sun setting in the west in the back roads of Tennessee...

Doggonit!

Too cute! I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this dog at the Jack Daniels Country Dog COSTUME Contest. He didn't win, but he sure was cut!

It was amazing to see the costumes people made for their dogs. The winner was dressed up like a chef, but not just any chef, a Jack Daniels chef!

Jack Daniel

What a fun day spent in Lynchburg, TN at the 17th Annual Jack Daniel's Invitational BBQ! It took us about two hours to drive from where we live, and when we arrived just a mile or so outside the city limits it was bumper to bumper... even tour buses were there...
Lynchburg is a quaint little town where the Jack Daniels distillery is located. Many years ago when I first moved to Tennessee, I went to the distillery for a tour, it was so interesting. About I year after that, a deed arrived in the mail. I had been gifted a square inch of land located on the grounds of the distillery. I was officially a Tennessee Squire. Every year they have the barbeque they host a private party for the squires too, that is just one of the benefits. I also get a calendar every year, and sometimes a goody bag! We went to the party, and got a collector bottle of Jack signed by the master distiller, Jimmy Bedford, and also one of the tasters, Lynn Tolley signed our bottle (she also owns Miss Mary Bobo's - a restaurant in Lynchburg). The bottle of Jack was not free... they did however, give us a commemorative shot glass, a small shot bottle of Jack, and a squire pin. Very cool!

Anyway, we also entered our little girl Lucy in the Jack Daniels Country Dog Talent Contest... and guess what? She won second place! Her talent was that she sings Happy Birthday with me... and she sang the whole song and got more applause than any of the other dogs... we were real surprised she didn't win first place... oh well! So this is a picture of Lucy with Kelsie Hardin - Junior Miss Dogwood Queen. Aren't they precious?!
Oh yes, and when we were getting ready to leave there was LOTS of traffic, so Tim and I decided to drink our Jack Sours before we left (waiting for traffic to die down). We happened upon the grave yard in Lynchburg… we found Lem Motlows grave, and then Jack Daniels grave, and low and behold… two seats right on top of Jacks grave, so Tim took my picture right there on Jack’s grave enjoying a delicious Jack Sour… yummy!

Brothers

There are some days when I really love my job. Today is one of those days.

I had the good sense to accept a photo assignment of two brothers, Isaac & Ford. They are seven and eight years old, not normally the age group I choose to photograph. But the call came in as a referral, and my inner guidance told me not to turn this one down... I am sooooo glad I didn't pass this experience by.

These two boys were so awesome to play with, and when I say play, I mean photograph. It was almost like they were professional child models or something. They were so up for showing me who they are... and most importantly, their mother (who is 8 months pregnant with a girl) told me she wanted me to capture the essence of their age... to capture this candid time in their lives. So, here's one of the shot's that the boys did for me.

Also, I want to point out, that I spent a good bit of time laughing with these boys... I had them laughing, and they had me laughing... I almost think I had a better time than they did...

Halloween Oreos.......

Nothing is safe from my camera... Here is what I'm bringing to a dinner on Friday that is of the Halloween theme. I don't usually have the time to fuss these days as I am soooooooooo busy with work on my business... but I thought I should take the time to do something fun, AND, it was... in fact, I did this while I was on the phone (at about 1 AM) with a dear friend in Dallas...

White Chocolate (purple colored), hand-dipped, with a candy corn. Very halloweeny!

Talk about multi-tasking... Yum yum yum....

NEVER BORING (My Life)!

I can't even remember the last time I have had a Clint the Black Cat show. I put it on the top shelf about 4 years ago to pursue my photography/web design business full-time. But here I am again, my first show in years... and I am nervous. There will be K-5th grade students there who have written their own books. I will read Clint the Black Cat to them, then some of them will read their books to me. It should be fun fun fun...

I judged an art contest yesterday at this school... it was so cute and always such a joy to see a child's artistic expression. The theme was reading and books... most of the children had a hard time following the theme, but as usual, there were a select few that were inspired.

Dear Young Entrepreneur!

I was asked to write a letter to the consortium of "young" entrepreneur education - speaking to young people (and maybe some young older people)!

Here is what I was guided to write:

The best advice I can give anyone about embarking into the business of CREATIVITY is dive in, get it all over yourself, and don't look back! If your heart and your head won’t shut up because they are so excited about seeing a creative thought become reality, than hang on and ride the ride ahead.

Start with the following if you need some guidance:

a) Don’t ignore your idea or thought (you might even have an excited sensation in your chest; feels much like a rush of adrenalin during a bungi jump or skydive). You want to scream inside (and out), and I suggest that you should… scream for goodness sake… there’s nothing like a good scream when you’re riding an exciting new ride. If you ignore these thoughts and ideas, you will regret it every day of your life. This is your higher power guiding you to be who you already are!

b) See the idea in your visual mind. See yourself creating the thing that you envision. Close your eyes and perhaps mime the action of the creation with your hands. Keep a separate journal of ideas. I have many of them.

c) Take a step each day in the direction of this dream that you have created. This might mean picking up the phone to find someone in the business that you want to be in and ask him or her to be your mentor. Most people are honored to be a mentor; it is validation that they too are heading in the right direction of their dreams. And remember dreams never end - they continue to EXPAND.

d) Live and breath your dream. Speak it into being! The words you speak are the power and belief of your dream. If this isn’t already happening, then you MUST seek a way to make it happen. BUT, don’t fall into the STARVING Artist TRAP – been there done that… it was NOT pleasant! I CANNOT eat tuna fish anymore…

e) **This is the biggest one!** DO NOT ask for approval from other people – I don’t care who they are! Your dream is YOUR dream! It belongs to you and NO ONE ELSE! Dream thieves live among us in the millions, and many times they are the people we trust most in our lives. Just do your dreams, and YOU will inspire someone else to do theirs.

If someone told me that I would have completed 3 murals in Los Angeles, received 20+ awards for photography, co-starred in a movie-of-the-week with a screen legend, authored a children’s book series, have a patent pending, and was going to continue producing creative ideas that were endless; AND, I was going to love every minute of every creative day of my life… I would have jumped on that train when I was 16. Don’t wait till your forty-two like I did to live your dreams, do it NOW! Although, if you are 20 to 100 and still haven’t decided to live your creative passion, I’m proof that it can still happen and is continuing to happen every minute of everyday!

Either way, follow your heart and your dreams; your passion will never fail you. And never forget: Only the ones who believe ever see what they dream come true!

Creative blessings forever and ever,

Carla

Peoples Choice Award

I truly believe that this entire experience of taking this photograph was a gift from God. I was at the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment in my hands.

Lucy (my Scottish Terrier) had never been taken off her leash before, she's a typical Scottish terrier, and she wants to rule the world and all its creatures. Since this day, every time we go to the Dog Beach in Huntington Beach, CA, we gladly unleash her. I have never seen such joy on this sweet little dogs face as when she runs around the beach sniffing and chasing other dogs.

I entered this photo into the Tennessee State Fair professional category. All my photos placed except this one... I'll admit I was very puzzled as I thought this to be the best of my submissions. I call this UNLEASHED! Well, my puzzlement was answered, as total strangers in attendance of the fair voted it the BEST professional photo in the exhibit! We won the "Peoples Choice Award", a large purple fancy ribbon - I am very proud for both Lucy and myself!

Remissssful Me!

Remissful me. I've been gone for a couple of weeks and away from my computer and blog... so please forgive me if you've been looking for a new entry.

Every nine weeks I travel to a foreign place... Los Angeles... I find it amusing that I would feel like Los Angeles is foreign since L.A. is my birthplace (Torrance, CA actually), and I lived there for 31 years. But each time I return there, my connection is less and less, and the place I sometimes refer to as home is so strange and foreign to me. If it weren't for my family, and the business side of my life, I'm not so sure I would return there any more... very sad to think...

First things first: I don't like driving there at all anymore... toooooooo many cars!!!!!!!!!!!!
Secondly: It seems like it is a POLICE state any more. It is very easy to figure out what you CAN'T do (what's against the law). And maybe I am exaggerating, but it seems like common things anymore there are against the law (parking, stopping, looking, smelling, enjoying... etc.).

Now that I live in a small town in Tennessee, I find my visits to California becoming quaint in nature. I grew up in Seal Beach, a small town surrounded by much larger cities on either side. So, now when I go to CA, I gravitate to my small town attraction by visiting the downtown area of Seal Beach. You can walk along the sidewalk in peace, window shop, and guess what...??? Parking is FREE... a very uncommon occurrence in southern California.

I have a photo of the beach from the pier, I'll keep looking for it so I can post it, and you can see Seal Beach.

California Dreamin'

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day

I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin'
On such a winter's day...

aaaaahhhh I love the Mamas and the Papas...

I'm looking forward to going to the beach... when I look out toward the never ending ocean, my mind just seems to clear. I can sit for many minutes in silence just listening and watching the waves break.

It's a time to recharge and rejuvenate.
I took this shot at Seal Beach, CA (my home town) a few years ago while doing just that... recharging.

Little Pisser...

Not 5 seconds earlier his mother had just warned me that he was probably going to "go" very soon... It was a warm feeling that surprised me as I balanced behind my camera taking photos of little Jack.

Only five weeks old and Mom already knows her son... he did… on my brand new red blouse... and on my pro lens and camera...

You might be laughing... I wasn't; I wasn't doing much of anything... I was in shock... I had piss running down my cleavage.

Did I bring an extra blouse with me to the shoot...? NO!!! I had to spend the rest of my day in that blouse...

Green Eggs

Green Eggs actually EXIST!!! Once again, this city born girl is amazed by the appearance of something I thought fairy tale fodder!I remember my first year living in Tennesse and sitting outside during the early summer on my front porch; and what did I behold but a glowing little spark in the air... a Fire Fly... I had always thought that fire flies were a figment of Walt Disney's imagination... so here I am again, green eggs are REAL!

I'm still that little girl with wonderous readiness to embark on new learning... either that or I've led a REALLY sheltered life.

Deadwood and gone for now...

I thought that I had heard that this was going to be the last season of Deadwood on HBO… Last night was the final episode of the 3rd season, and it left me with a sense of completely unfinished business...
I LOVE this show. I realize that some people are offended by profanity; but I’m not one of them (unless it is OVER-used). Then again, I can be irritated by someone who uses “UM” too many times while speaking, or “YOU KNOW”…

The thing that I love about this show is that it challenges my ear. The dialogue is written in iambic pentameter (refer to Shakespeare) form. I have to listen intently to follow the dialogue at times, AND am many times amazed at the wording… I just love it! I hope they change their minds and bring back another season of DEADWOOD!

Side note: My children’s book is written in iambic pentameter, no one really knows this unless I tell them, but if you’re sharp, you’ll recognize it.

Soooooooo. . .

It's been a sort of challenging day... so much to do... so little energy and know how. Soooooooo. . . when I get lost or STUCK, I do something creative. I just finished the back of the cards I've developed with my mentor Dr. Roni Angel-Lucas (centerforselfawareness.com). We've developed an exceptionally gorgeous card deck that combines my floral photography along with beautifully written words that define the colors in the flowers through the Micahael essence (see centerforselfawareness.com to understand who/what the Micahael essence is).

Here's a look at my first draft design for the back of the cards (hopefully this will be the final design), and a sample of one of the sixty cards in the deck.

Robert Joseph Costanza

My dear friend Sherry Costanza's husband died yesterday morning. I was fortunate enough to get to spend casual times as well as photograph the final portrait session with both Bob and Sherry at there home over the past years. I always told Sherry what an exceptional man I thought Bob was... and what a looker he must have been in his prime... I always loved the way he pronounced my name with his Brooklyn accent.

The father of Nashville's first family of film, the Costanza's, founders of AC Inc and supporters of the Nashville film community in so many ways for decades, has passed away. Bob Costanza was father to Armanda, Robert Jr., Michael and Sherry Jr., and adoring husband to Sherry Costanza. Visitation and services are this weekend.

May you rest in peace Bob...

Sugar anyone?

Growing up I remember seeing the pink and white label in the cupboard; I'd lick my finger first, then dip it into the opened package when I wanted to have a sugar treat (of course Mom wasn't in the kitchen when I did this).
Just above Oakland on the bay is the VERY old C&H Sugar processing factory. Tim and I spent at least an hour there picking up a load at the plant. This place is so OLD, very old. However it has a lot of CHARM in a sort of industrial way... it's hard to believe a factory like this still lives in this day and age of NEW and SUPER automation.

My mouth is watering...

. . . in two different directions. . . I'm kicking myself now that I look at the picture I made of these apples through the window of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Seattle, WA. I cannot believe that we didn't stop and taste this masterpiece... how the heck did they do that?
However, we were smart enough to buy some smoked Salmon to eat on the truck for dinner a couple of nights. I put it on chicken in a biscuit crackers, added some cream cheese, and sliced up some apple. On the second night, we had found some blackberries on a vine near where the truck was parked. Tim picked enough for us to have over the course of a few meals. How cool was that...? Very!

Here's a shot of what I fixed on the truck, Tim is there in the background at the drivers seat waiting patiently.

Ugly Proud

He was the ugliest of the seagulls hanging out at Ivar's on the wharf in Seattle, but there was something regal about him... He posed for me as if to honor me with his presence... maybe he was seagull royalty, and the rest of the seagulls with normal seagull coloring were his servants... his royal playmates. You see, he didn't beg like the white and grey seagulls, he waited patiently for the humans to hold out their hand, then he would graciously accept their gift of nourishment.

It's all how you look at it, isn't it?

America looks AMERICAN!

In the 17 days I traveled via 18 wheels with my husband... I saw the following states: Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Illinois and back to Kentucky and Tennessee.

P H E W ! ! ! What a trip for this City Girl Gone Country...

Some very A M E R I C A N things I saw along the miles...

So humble...

Be it ever so humble, there's NO PLACE LIKE HOME...! After spending 31 days out away from home; on the road with my husband and at the most incredible conference of my life (ibiglobal.com), I land at home. I am grateful that everything looks the same, but at the same time EVERYTHING looks incredibly different.

I am different, I have changed, my life has changed FOREVER, my view from this place is different. I have different expectations of myself and my future. I know that I DO have something to offer the world that could be quite profound. The words that I can find at this time to express my thoughts of this 31 day experience are cliche... all I can say is, "I am different and I am so glad..."

Here is another photograph taken along the way on my 31 day adventure. This is in Montana... it's called the Wild Horse Monument.

18 Wheels and...

The adventure began on July 8th... headed to Los Angeles from Nashville for the IBI Freedom Forum via Kentucky, West Virgina, Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and Pennsylvania first (not necessarily in that order).

I am going to post photos as I have access to the internet from various truck yards. Yes! I am traveling via an 18 Wheeler with my husband. Here is a shot I took in St. Louis as we passed through downtown at about 4 AM. The picture sucks, (do you have ANY idea how an 18 wheeler bounces?) but you can see the gateway to the west... the St. Louis Arch!

EXPANSION of Life

My life is changed FOREVER! I wish I could explain what just transpired... everything I've ever thought or done for myself and my business has been expanded... AND... this is just the begining of what's to be...

Stay tuned for the rest of the chapters as they unfold into the magic of what I am, and what I shall become...

http://www.ibiglobal.com

Don't LEAVE!!!

I'll be back soon, stay tuned!

Ohhhhh Lily!

A gorgeous Lily from my garden... the only one to make it through the WILD vegitation.And now a PSYCHEDELIC Lily! Pretty cool, huh? A flashback to the part of the sixties I missed...

Songwriter

I love what I do!

Today I met and photographed a really nice songwriter from Minneapolis. I picked him up around 9:45 AM and we did the town for a little over an hour (to try and beat the heat, humidity, and a rainy forcast).

One of the things I love about using Nashville as my studio is that I NEVER know exactly what I'm going to use as my backdrop until I see it, and the vision is born. It makes for a really good shoot when my subject is a willing participant, and today, songwriter Stephen Crawford was just that...

It took the first part of the shoot for him to warm up to "having fun with it", but before I knew it, he was shining.

I love VERY many of the shots I took with him, but I think my favorite was one of the last (I'm on the ground to get this one). His attitude is so cool in this shot in front of the Ernest Tubb Record Shop... a V E R Y Nashville landmark.

NO Children!=Almost NO Worry!

My cousin who has THREE children sent this to me. After I had a muffed laugh out loud at my computer, I wrote her back telling her that, "once again, my decision is confirmed", having children is not for everyone... besides, I married Tim, he generates ENOUGH worry...

WORRY

Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become detached spectators in the lives of their children and shrug, "It's their life," and feel nothing?

When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son's head. I asked, "When do you stop worrying?" The nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, "Don't worry, they all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open. A friend said, "They're trying to find themselves. Don't worry, in a few years, you can stop worrying. They'll be adults." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.

By the time I was 50, I was sick & tired of being vulnerable. I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle. There was nothing I could do about it. My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing. I continued to anguish over their failures, be tormented by their frustrations and absorbed in their disappointments.

My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my mother's warm smile and her occasional, "You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home. Are you depressed about something?"

Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life?

One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, "Where were you? I've been calling for 3 days, and no one answered I was worried." I smiled a warm smile. The torch has been passed.

PASS IT ON TO OTHER PARENTS (and also to your children. That's the fun part)

The SECRET

This is The Secret to everything - the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted.

Do NOT miss this film... find it... see it... believe it... your life will change FOREVER!!!!!!!!

http://www.thesecret.tv

What a GREAT 6-6-06!

I have the cutest, sweetest, most darling husband! I told him that I wanted to be treated like a Princess for my birthday...! My wish was his command, he did everything in his power to deliver... AND HE DID IT!!!

Here is a photo of us at dinner, thanks to our great friends Christina and Mark for bringing a camera!

Sing it with me... Happy Birthday to ME, Happy Birthday to ME, ..... hee hee hee...

6-6-60

Today is MY BIRTHDAY (6-6-60)! And, 6-6-06... I say WHATEVER!!! It's just another day in the life of every human being on this Earth... nothing more...

So, I say to ALL, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME"!!!

Issues! Party of One?

What a way to start the summer... with a cold and cough. Not a kind thing in the south, where pollen is so thick, you think that it's snowing green gunk... Is it just me, or are the trees coughing too?

Well, I don't have too much to say. I am back from a trip to California to visit my Mom and Pop's, and a little side visit to Las Vegas... where I left some of my hard earned freelance monies...

I was stuck in the airport for three hours with nothing but shopping, eating, or gambling... Hindsight is 20/20, I should have gone shopping - I'd have something to show for the money gone...

Here's a couple shots I took while in Las Vegas, I'm not thrilled with any of my shots, but then again, I didn't go there to do photography either...

Mom's Little Nurse

Mom was diagnosed with Cancer about a year and a half ago. I'm guessing that's one of the reasons Mom decided to stay with us and heal is because of this little precious being... her name is Guadalupe (or Lupe for short). Lupe is a Chihuahua; hence the Spanish name.

I was just in California visiting Mom (& Pop) for Mothers day (Mom is in remission from Multiple Myeloma - yahoo!).

My brother would bring Lupe to the hospital "almost" everyday. You cannot believe the power of Lupe's presence in the hospital...

How cool of Hoag Memorial in Newport Beach (an exceptional hospital) to allow family pets to come and visit.

And, when Mom came home from the hospital, this little dog stayed by her side at every waking moment. We had to coax Lupe out just to eat and go potty, and then she was back by Mom's side in an instant. I noticed a bit of aging on this little one since my last visit. She has many grey hairs on her chin and some new moles on her head.

I was once told that our domesticated animals are here to heal with us... well... that little creature sure proved it...

God bless little Lupe - she worked overtime - a perfect example of unconditional love. I always say, "I want to become the person my dog thinks I am...".

DELIRIUM!!!!!!!

Can you say..? "Oh my God, that was the most incredible experience of entertainment I've seen in years!!!!!!!"

I went with skepticism because of the price of tickets. I thought to myself, "THIS BETTER BE GOOD!" and it was...! It was better than good - it was GREAT! I have wanted to see a Cirque du Soleil show for years, it finally came to Nashville, so I bit the bullet and spent $260.00 on tickets, ($220.00 for the tickets, and the rest of the monies went to bullshit charges).

My husband and I were so engrossed in this odyssey, we didn't speak the entire time the show was happening, there was so much going on, I was afraid I'd miss something.

Well worth the monies! GO IF YOU CAN - it IS a MUST SEE!!!

THREE Questions...

As I continue down my path to spiritual enlightenment (and learning how to love me), my teacher has suggested that I ask myself these three questions (in any situation):

1. Does this take care of me?
2. Does this harm anyone?
3. Is this in the greatest good of all?

Three simple questions that have left me somewhat puzzled...



So I called my teacher for additional clarity... The main thing I heard her say was, "I'm supposed to consider myself FIRST in any situation," (no one else). And that the answers are simple - Yes or No.

Guess...

... what kind of flower this is? It might be obvious to some, I'm hoping all. But I'm just not sure, so I really need your help. I shot it cropped like this, so I can't give you any more flower if I wanted to...

Of course, I know what kind of flower it is, but I want to make sure everyone else does too. You see, sometimes I invest a good amount of funds in flowers I'm crazy about... like when I have enlargements done for the gallery where my work is exhibited. And I'm sorta crazy about this one, the colors are just awesome...

What a rush...

I did stand-up comedy on Sunday for the first time in YEARS... I hated it the first time, thought there was no way I could continue cause it was just TOO hard... I think I was wrong... it was hard because "I" made it hard. I had a great time up there, and was very well received with LOTS of laughter.

I'm not saying that I want to become a stand-up comic now... I just realized it's not as hard as I thought it was... I'm done...

VERY cool!!! Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

I'm thinking I can apply this to the MANY things I make harder than it really is... sit back, relax... and BE ME...

Bored Outta My Gourd

How can I possibly be bored??? I am an Artist with multiple talents! At any given time I might be painting, making jewelry, photography, web designing or acting (up)… but I find myself EXTREMELY bored in this today. I have work I need to do, but I don't feel like doing it. Today I spent a good portion of the day dealing with medical bills... arggggggggh!

Even though gas prices are at a terrible high, I found myself venturing down a country road to see if I could find something I hadn’t seen before. Today I stopped at a roadside nursery and shot a few pictures of Columbines. Here they are…

I guess I'm drawn to flowers because... they don't argue... they are honest & true... they don't make excuses for themselves... they're just what they are... flowers BEING... beautiful!

I LOVE my MAC!

After four years of NOT A PROBLEM in sight, my G4 Mac decided to take a much needed vacation. It kept warning me that it needed the vacation and was about to have a nervous breakdown if I didn't reboot and archive... but I wouldn't listen, I just kept pushing it.

I had PHOTOSHOP running for days/weeks without a reboot, and then I had some 15 files open at one time... TRY THAT ONE ON A PC... NO WAY!!! Talk about the ultimate multitasker...

Anywhoo, it had a nervous breakdown and left me wondering why... WHY didn't I listen to its plea???

Well, thanks to a new version of Disk Warrior (retail $79.95). It's back and running like a new beauty. Course, I'm frantically backing up my digital negatives too! Yikes, it could have been curtains for this Photographer/Web Designer...

I love you MacGoddess! I am NOTHING without YOU! You are everything to me and my business.

MOMMA Nature

I went for a drive today, not specifically to see Tornado damage, but to look for a couple of historical places that I've photographed before... One was the Harpeth River Bridge in Ashland City, TN. This bridge is scheduled to be demolished some time this year, I wanted to make sure I had some good shots before she was killed.

Then I went in search of a church that was built sometime in the 1600 or 1700 hundreds... it was gone. Not because of the Tornado, just gone. I'll have to dig those shots up from my archive.

Anyway, here's some of the devistation from yesterdays tornado's... that I saw just from the road. I wasn't comfortable getting out. I shot these from inside my vehicle.