Happy Birthday Kelly B.!

Wishing a Happy Birthday to Kelly, uno dei miei migliori amici femmine!

The Rollins campus is beautiful when you get a chance to walk around.  Landscaping, architecture, pathways and statues.  One statue in particular reminded me of Kelly's sculptures; not the subject but the materials and appearance.  I've always loved the look of this kind of statue or sculpture. When I was taking the closeups, I saw that the level of detail was astonishing.  In honor of Kelly's birthday, I took some photos for her to enjoy.

Hugs--

For additional information, awesome photography, sculpture and artwork, please click here ArtByBorsheim  (gentle reminder: Kelly sculpts the human form, including nudes.)

One little piece of each

Here's what the kids are all about these days. 

John Sam

a/k/a "Blazing Paddles"

Caroline 

(confidential to Granny Old:  "Arms Akimbo" lol)

Happy weekend, everybody!

July 30 2010

Today was Melissa's last day at the office.  She's taking the first few steps of a new journey.  I'm so happy for her!  A lot of us are going to miss working with her every day--that's the hardest part.  We had to go to happy hour at Ember this past Monday so we could say goodbye properly.

I think this was the lime from the 3rd tequila shot?  lmao

The best part is getting to see a real friend going after what she wants. Here's the ending I've written for this chapter of her life story.

Then she did the hard and scary things that turned out to be the right things, and in the end it all worked out and she lived happily ever after.

And she stayed in touch with her friend-for-life,
Frannie-B-Badd.

(photo taken by Tim, the best waiter at Il Pescatore)

Best wishes on the fresh start!  Love ya!

Instead of blogging

Instead of blogging, I've been doing this:

Reading, workshopping, and writing.  Three things I do just for me ;)

Good Day on July 22

Good day today.  John Sam's results are in and he has passed the test!  This household now contains a 4th grader and a 2nd grader.  Geniuses on the way up!  The rest of the summer is cherry pie, as the saying goes.

Got helpful and encouraging feedback on my first story.  So relieved that I got positive comments!  Writing is about putting it "out there," and that's a little scary.  It's worth it though, when you hear what's right about what you've written.  I can't wait to get the next one going, I'm going to write it from a different point of view, one I don't think I've tried before. 

Soooo glad tomorrow is Friday, pizza night and the night of aimlessly going around doing absolutely nothing constructive.

Time still marching on

Here is the old car seat, the last 5-point one we'll ever need. 

And here are the new car seats for BIG KIDS - it says so right on the box.

Sometimes I'm glad they're growing and changing, and sometimes . . . I would go so far as to say I hate it. But I know I need to learn to embrace it.  I love this poem from a book called The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.  It's an oldie but goodie.

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said,

"Speak to us of Children."
And he said:

Your children are not your children,
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but are not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and
He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
So he loves also the bow that is stable.

(Kahlil Gibran)

Short Stories: One down, one to go

I just e-mailed my new short story to the professor, and here I am on the blog bragging about it.  :)   I like how it turned out, and so what if it was over 4,000 words when it had to be 2,000 minimum?   Wheeeeeee!   I already have the idea for my 2nd story, so that's what's coming up this weekend.  Plus a little scrapbooking after the vacuuming.  Another good thing about writing is that it gets all kinds of creativity going! I have 2 mini albums in the works.  Between the stories and the photos, my new printer is getting a good test run.  So far, so good!

I have pictures for tomorrow's post.  Maybe a little sappy journaling to go with?  lol

Is this thing on?

Helloooo out there.  Feels like forever since I blogged.   I caught these pictures of Tokyo in the yard doing what the kids call "the happy dance."

I'm also doing the happy dance today because my first story draft is finished.  3,751 word count, baby.  A few more revisions, some feedback and a li'l tightening up, and I'll have one more for my personal portfolio.  Heee!

As previously promised, the Whatever Montage follows.

Check out the raindrops!

 

John Sam's Shoes

Foot Bath

Night! xoxo

blank

I had a post ready and it went to parts unknown. I am too lazy right now to retype it.  I'll have to give it another go tomorrow.  xo

1,630 so far

That is correct... I'm up to 1,630 words.  Flowing like water, it is.  :)   Letting it simmer tonight and after cup #2 tomorrow, I will turn on the faucet again.  Took some great notes in the journal the last few days and that's been a guideline for me.

xoxoxo

Graham Greene

"My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of course. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane."  ---Graham Greene

And we were just talking about that in Tuesday night's class . . . !  My first story draft is due in one week, so I'll be working on that the next few days. 

Yes, I know I need to post some pictures and some layouts.   I'm going to try to use pictures I've taken but haven't posted yet for whatever reason.  I'll name it the The Whatever Montage.

July 7

I love today's date, and I happen to know more than one person who celebrates a birthday today.  :)

Reading, reflecting and writing are the last things on my list tonight (brought to you by the sound of "R").  haha~

Red or burgundy?

A few things I've been mulling-

• Why do I keep saying "May" when it's "July"?
• I buy a song from iTunes, and then start hearing it on the radio.  A lot.
• Rebates usually come sooner rather than later.  :)
• Some of these flowers are red, and some are burgundy-ish. They happen to be on the same plant (just like one of our rosebushes I blogged about a while back).

Independence Day 2010

Happy 4th of July!  God Bless America, my home sweet home.  :)

Love, BaumgardnersFour

Welcome July

July is here and all the calendars are turned over to their new pages.  That's all the news from here!