today i smile

in




by god, i'm going to smile if it kills me.
even though it's monday.
and this morning when i woke up, i was greeted by 5 inches of snow outside.
which is not so good for all these beautiful blossoming trees and bushes we have.
but we got that winter weather over with and now i don't think we'll have anymore.
it will be daylight savings time this coming weekend.
and longer daylight hours
is another good reason, to smile.
whatever is in your day today,
i hope you're smiling too.
i really do.

happy monday!


p.s. i'm taking an informal survey....which processing do you like best on these photos? any feedback would be most appreciated!

the statue of liberty has a great smile



and apparently she's a he now. i didn't know that.
until i saw her/him the other day on my way to work.

people in costumes.
funny, isn't it?
and spring seems to really bring them out in full force.
cupids, leprechauns, abe lincolns, statues of liberty.
last year i was walking through the mall and the easter bunny was walking the opposite way.
he had an entourage with him.
it was incredible.
i guess you could say they were his "peeps".



i love this field.
it's about a half a mile from my house and when i'm feeling claustrophobic, i go there and walk it.
wide open space.
it makes me breathe easier.
i focus differently when i'm outside and in wide open space.
and yet, there are plenty of times that i don't seem to remember this.
and then i can't figure out why i'm such a crabbyhead and restless.
the geese honk at me trying to help me remember to do this more often.
although they don't particularly like the idea of me traipsing around in their back yard.

self portrait tuesday

in
february's theme is "introduce yourself"



hi! i'm dawn.
week 4

i lurked.
believe me, i was the queen of lurk when i first found the self portrait website.
i would look at the challenges and the amazing contributions of everybody and i would tell myself that there was no way i could ever hope to think that i could be allowed in this league of incredible and creative people.
and then i got over myself and submitted.
and a funny thing happened, i freed myself up in ways i never thought possible.
i want to thank this fabulous community of extraordinary people for allowing me in and supporting my vision.
i have learned so much and continue to.
and i thank jeremy for continuing this self portrait challenge for us and for his tireless support and guidance.

self portrait challenge was the best medicine i ever took.

hands down



hands are my favorite.
i've always loved hands and how people express themselves through their hands

when i think about hands, i think about lending aid...
support and assistance.
reaching out.
guiding.

important work that our hands do.
i'm glad i have them
and i'll gladly lend them.

sweetgum



why on earth were they ever named sweetgum?
they're not sweet. in fact, they're
nature's little balls of hell.
not fun to step on.
not fun to step on with bare feet
not fun to rake up
not fun when they land on your head from the tree above.

but they're awesome looking.
like sea urchins from the forest.

i have an abundance of them. does anyone want some?
will gladly ship.

happy friday



the other day, i looked up at the sky and i thought for a minute that i was looking at the waves of the ocean.
i'd never seen clouds like that before.
and then when i thought it couldn't get any better, a rainbow came out.

just another day that was made extraordinary.
a little gift from the universe.

self portrait tuesday

in
february's challenge is "introduce yourself"



hi! i'm dawn
week III

when steve and i decided to have children, we decided to screw only one child up in this lifetime. it was a conscious decision and the right decision for us for many reasons. the responses from people regarding that decision have stung at times, but we're complete as a family of three regardless.

our girl is about to turn 21 years old and she's already begun a life of her own. and steve and i are still friends.
that's really nice.

sometimes my hand is in the middle, sometimes it's steve's and sometimes it's justyne's. but whoever has their hand in the middle, you can be sure that the other two will always surround that hand with our own to support, to love and to nurture.

my family of three.
incredibly important to me.

guess what?



you won!
i wish everyone could have won, and i thank you all for participating.
i will have some more giveaways soon i promise.
i need to get back on the pottery wheel!


and now, how about this one little forsythia bloom on my bush?



just one.
minding its own business.
there will soon be many others to follow.
but for now, she's the star of the bush.




our japanese cherry trees are blooming here.
i love them, but i love the yoshinos best of all.
i'm waiting on them.
not very patiently.
they are teasing me every day with their delicate buds almost ready to burst open.
they know i am ready to drink in their beauty.
so they make me wait.
and i do.





when neon signs were first used, people called them "electric fire"
what a great phrase.
how come we don't use that phrase anymore?
just because phrases and words go out of style i suppose.
people find new and better words to describe things and people.
but we discover the old stuff and it becomes new all over again.

and round and round we go.

some words and phrases never do get rediscovered.
they stay gone forever.
there are some you wish would never return back in style, but do.

so for fear that electric fire might never come back, i am requesting that we all use it again.
maybe a drink could be named the electric fire?
or a dance
or a sandwich
or a personality disorder
or how about a physical condition
or maybe a fashion trend?

how about we bring back electric fire?
what's your vote on it?

have a happy and very lucky friday the 13th!

and don't forget to enter the february freebie giveaway which will end on the 15th! leave a comment on the post dated on 2.7.09 to be eligible.




some of you may know that my own personal ikea store or (my)kea as i like to call it, has been under construction within a mere 15 minutes from my house.
it is now done.
and ready to show off its lovely saturated hues and smart design.
to me personally.
because it is (my)kea.
a friend told me that ikea will allow people to camp out starting on february 16th.
two days before the store opens.
will i be camping out with them?
no i won't.
but why you ask? if i'm such a crazy idiot fan of ikea, wouldn't i want to be camping out as well?
fortunately, i won't have to.
because i will have already been there.
because i get to go to the pre-opening.
because i have an awesome friend who also
has an awesome friend who works for ikea
and was given only a limited number of these tickets that she could hand out
one of which i now possess
because she knows how much i love ikea.
and because she loves me
and i owe her big time.
more than big time.
and i thank her.
from the bottom of my ikea loving heart.
because now i won't have to camp out in the freezing cold with my sleeping bag that smells like campfire and stale farts.

signs that you're ready for a weekend



1. you ask on monday if it's friday yet
2. you put the milk in the pantry instead of the refrigerator
3. you seriously think about putting in an intravenous line for the coffee to go straight into your system 24/7
4. you ask on tuesday if it's friday yet
5. you pick up the stapler instead of the phone and answer it
6. you put your underwear on backwards and can't understand why you have a wedgie from hell
7. every other driver on the road becomes more and more of an inconsiderate jerk as the week goes by
8. you ask on wednesday if it's friday yet
9. it feels like the days have dropped into a black hole
10. when friday actually does get here, you ask "is it friday already?"

self portrait tuesday

in
february's theme is "introduce yourself"



hi! i'm dawn.
week II

i am a social worker and have worked with older people for more than 14 years. when i first got my master's degree in social work, i worked for hospice. i became interested in working with hospice after my father died. i was pretty sure that i would never heal from his tragic and sudden death, but i eventually did and i did so because of the support i received from another hospice social worker who ended up mentoring me and inspiring me to be a medical social worker.

i worked for hospice for 12 years and i loved every minute of it because its mission is something i truly believe in. but 12 years of death and dying can really take its toll so i left hospice to work at a non-profit continuing care retirement community.

working with older people teaches me every day. they teach me how to live. they teach me how to laugh. they teach me that i really should remember to floss my teeth and the importance of fiber in my diet.