unforgettable. :)

unforgettable.  (click here to be swept away) :)
seriously, can that man croon?
what must it have been like to dance cheek to cheek to this song in 1951?
where fancy dancing dresses swirled and orchestras were magical...
what an incredible moment that must have been.

"...that's why darling
                     it's incredible that someone so unforgettable,
       thinks that I am unforgettable too..."

but what would be even more incredible?
is to have gotten to live, laugh (a lot) and love a lifetime with the one person who is unforgettable to you.

these two. :)
their eyes crinkled and softened when they looked at each other...
they laughed big at each other keeping a comfortable witty banter teasing each other...
he put his arm around her
         when she told me the story of her recently passed away mothers ring on her hand...
to put it simply, it was incredibly apparent that they were most definitely unforgettable to each other.
and it was a pleasure to have gotten to capture these unforgettable two... :)

my anna :)

she likes cats.  not in a crazy cat lady way...just in a lovely girl kind of a way. :)
when she laughs it's because her smile has gotten so big it explodes into happy noise.
my daughter adores her...it's amusing for me to watch their relationship continue and find balance...
          when they are together somehow she becomes younger in a playful way
                      and maddie becomes older in their unique relationship :)
she notices nuances that most people overlook.
I simply love her and love the woman that she is and is becoming.

a nod to yesterday :)

today had the pleasure of helping my friends pick up their new vintage table for their restaurant.
gorgeous old wood weathered with years of use...smooth to the touch.
it made me smile when I saw it...
and it made me wonder who had the pleasure of sitting at it in its lifetime...

I'm not exactly why I have such a love for things that are vintage or antique...
but I definitely like to mix it with something minimal and modern...
sort of a nod to yesterday while starting a new beginning.  :)

whatever the reason, I seriously enjoyed this months kreatid challenge [vintage]!
seeing through your lens' into what you viewed as vintage made me smile...
teaming up with heather at sew over it was especially fitting and fun...her johnny carson messenger bag was coveted by many of you (including me!) as the prize this month...so THANK YOU heather! :)

on to the winners!

my personal favorite this month was from jamie ashton...funny tid bit, when she entered this photograph I was taken aback at the beauty of her hdr editing...and then I noticed her logo and smiled.  it was in my friend kacey's handwriting!  I had remembered seeing jamie's amazing flash course not too long ago and I was seriously happy to see her photograph entered in this months challenge...stunning, beautiful work jamie! :)

 
(for those of you who just scratched your head on what is hdr?!  high dynamic range...where you take several photographs and layer them adjusting curves and levels and create amazing drama in one photograph...a beautiful art form!  a great tutorial with examples is here if you want to learn more.)

in third place was summer montoya's T-8 Air Force Trainer...gorgeous! the pin up is my favorite! :)

summer's words...
"I dig old planes - big time! I love the pin up girl on the side, the riveting, the colors...all the great things that make this training plane unique."

in second place was emily johnston's clothesline...

emily's words...
"A clothesline was a news forecast, to neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep when clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link, for neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by to spend a night or two.
For then you’d see the “fancy” sheets and towels upon the line.
You’d see the “company tablecloth” with intricate design.
The line announced a baby’s birth, from folks who lived inside
As brand-new infant clothes were hung, so carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could so readily by known;
By watching how the sizes changed, you’d know how much they’d grown!
It also told when illness struck, as extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too haphazardly were strung.
It also said, “Gone on vacation now,” when lines hung limp and bare.
It told, “We’re back!” when full lines sagged with not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon, if wash was dingy and gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows, and looked the other way…
But clotheslines now are of the past, for dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home is anybody’s guess!
I really miss that way of life - it was a friendly sign;
When neighbors knew each other best by what hung on the line.
(-anonymous)"
love it and LOVE the emotion you created with this photograph! :)

and our winner for this months kreatid challenge [vintage]?
theresa hodge's miele bike!

theresa's words...
"An old bike on the streets of Cordoba. Interestingly enough this bike was likely made in Canada and is a vintage model.

I have always loved riding and working on bicycles. Since my first paper route at about 8 years old it was always about saving up enough money to trick out my bike a little more. I loved working on it myself and finding new ways to upgrade what I had.

While walking the streets in Cordoba Spain a few weekends ago I stumbled on this bike and immediately loved this fender with the logo. This photo incorporates two of my lifelong loves, design and bicycles."
I simply LOVE what catches your eye theresa...and this was a perfect win for this months vintage challenge...gorgeous! :)

thank you all for participating and thank you heather for the amazing prize this month!

p.s. I'm going to be taking a break from these challenges for a bit...I've got some things to catch up on...but the challenges will be back if there's still interest!  thanks so much for participating!  :)

[prelude]: jacqueline

I couldn't decide...same lovely girl, two entirely different preludes :)

yeah, did you see her shoes?!
awesomeness. :)

adventure is out there :)

 
have you ever watched a movie and have it tug at something in your heart so strongly?
this movie did just that to me...
maybe because I've know matt since I was nine,
or maybe because I can relate to the craziness of ellie as a girl,
or maybe because I feel like I am living out my own up...
whatever the reason, I simply LOVE this movie.

so when the opportunity came to photograph these two...this movie was the first thought I had.
I couldn't help but wonder during this session what it must feel like to be almost ninety
and have lived and loved life together creating a lifetime of adventures...

it made me smile...and made me think of my matt.
I simply love living the adventure I get to live with him...
and seeing these two makes me smile thinking of the next sixty years that
I get to spend living and loving life with him. :)

much more valuable...

it's the week after spring break.
the monday after spring break.
and it's raining.

that seems like an oxy-moron to me today.

I love the rain...like really, really love the rain.
I crave it more now that I live in a desert most of the time.
and monday's I usually like because they signify a new week to me...
                                                         almost like a mini new years day, if you will. :)
a chance to pick yourself up and start fresh....with new determination and resolve.

well, I started the day celebrating my mini new years day...but then the reality of to-do lists, phone calls, emails, reports, paperwork and a whole lot of life pin pricked my mini new years bubble.

but then, I read something the resonated with me
            as I clutched my slowly deflating mini new years bubble...

"dying for something is heroic;
in the rare case that it happens, you go down in a blaze of glory, clutching to your cause.
nice work if you can get it. years later, brad or angelina will play you in the movie.

but living for something, really living for something can be mundane - and therefore far more sacrificial, because seldom does anyone else notice. you just go on living, beating the drum for the thing you've chosen to value above all else.

genuinely living for something, day after day,
                       is much more valuable than the blaze of glory at the end." 

there's discipline in the mundane.
there's character to be had in the day to day.
there's joy to be found in the day to day.

spring breaks happiness in the day to day seems like years ago on this rainy monday.
the zoo, the play time, the hiking, the new cube, the mini vacation...
I know that it wasn't years ago...but it feels like it.

it was a good week...

I want one for my backyard.  seriously.  I would call him Moses.  really. :)

 

if you stand really still...you can hear the wind whisper...

"mommy, it looks like I'm really strong, huh?!" :)

even though she scared me to death falling head first into a rock,

pretty cute moment with her daddy right after... :)

it was super...for you adrienne. :)

so now?

now I am going to sit back and enjoy the echo's of last week.

and then I'm going to go walk in the last few rain showers of the day and look for a rainbow.

tomorrow is a new day...

tomorrow, I get another opportunity to find joy in the mundane...

         and that is much more valuable than a blaze of glory. :)

coolness. :)

there are some people in life who think they are cooler than they really are.
then, there are some people in life who simply don't know how cool they are.
and then still, there are some people in life who don't care how cool they are
                                  and it just makes them cooler for not really caring about coolness...
this is that person.  seriously.  :)

he drives a 66' ford mustang that he enjoys restoring when he has the money for it.
he has the look of james dean with the sweetness of a southern gentleman.
he'd never tell you, but he has some serious guitar skills that rival some of my favorites.
           and not the kind of guitar skills that everyone says they have.
                         nope, genuine skills.

but my most favorite thing about this guy?
is that in a world of boys simply content on remaining boys...
      he cares more about what it means to be a man.

don't get me wrong...he has some of the driest, fly-under-the-radar wit I've ever heard...
and the stories he tells me about the pain he and his brother and friends inflict on each other
                                                 just for fun of it makes me wince...

but after all that...
I have definite respect and admiration for who he is.
and seriously, I cannot wait to see what God does with him. :)

and simply because she's gorgeous and I made her let me...his beautiful mom. :)