Artists In Bloom!

I had the amazing opportunity last week to spend the day with a local artist from Ketchikan, Alaska. I followed her around taking pictures, running errands, and trying not to embarrass myself with my overly-enthusiastic interest in her many talents! Her name is Evon Zerbetz(http://www.evonzerbetz.com/home.html). She is a linocut expert and an illustrator. She was brilliant, kind, and very engaging. I enjoyed every moment and each different presentation! In this series of photos, Evon is teaching the 4th & 5th Graders to make linocuts with cardboard. Unfortunately, Savana was called away so I had to finish her project, darn-it!! :)

World's Most Tolerant Dog

My dog Coti and I have been together a very long time (more about that story in another post) and life was a LOT less complicated before children joined our little clique! Coti has been a saint since the day we brought the 1st child home. She has never had the degrading misfortune of being dressed up in clothing, but she has been forced into many other embarrassing situations! The most humiliating (or fun if you ask the girls!) was being trapped as a prisoner in the castle!

Who Knew?!

If anyone had ever told me that something so tiny could create such joy in my life, I would have scoffed at the idea. I would have been short-sighted.

We have been invaded by a handful of hummingbirds over the past few days and my whole family has been enthralled! These are amazing little creatures...I hope you get the opportunity to enjoy them also!

Relative Anonymity

I didn't realize that I had my blog set to refuse anonymous comments. I have changed the setting so that anyone can leave a comment without logging in...Sorry for the inconvenience!

Big Girls

I have received several e-mailed comments (ie. complaints!) that the pictures I have posted so far are not current. Why this would bother anyone is beyond me because they were so darn adorable when they were younger. My two babies are now just miniature grown-ups! They are beautiful and interesting, but they're just not babies anymore...not even a tiny bit of the baby-ness is evident in these young people :(

Savana's 1st day with braces:

Brynna snuggling HelloKitty:

I'll get the camera out and take some better, current pictures to share with you folks. However, keep in mind that this is going to seriously impact the "denial" phase I am enjoying so much right now!!

Balancing Acts

This is Max. This is a pretty good example of a typical day in his life. I wish my worst concern was trying to balance on the edge of the sofa every day without falling off! Max, you don't realize it, but you are one lucky creature...

No Matter The Cost

I've had a rough couple of days so I have not had the inclination to blog. However, recent experiences have changed one of my favorite movie lines. My favorite quote from Dirty Dancing has always been "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." (Shut up, Todd!) Now it's changed to the line where he talks about what Baby taught him. Something along the lines of "there are some people who will stand up for other people no matter what it costs them." Nuff said...

Where's Patrick Swayze when I need him?!

Mouth Watering Goodness

As the end of school draws near (we are done on May 25th!), my mouth begins to water just thinking about the food I will be devouring as soon as I hit the East Coast!! First stop, if at all humanly possible, will be Alleva's in Little Italy and some Bocconcini, which is bite-size mozzarella. I once asked my friend Bob Alleva about some cheese that was behind the counter and he replied, "Oh what do you care, you never buy anything but bocconcini!" It's sad when people know me soooo well! Seriously, why try anything new when the old stuff is so fantastic?! Anyway, if you're ever in New York City, head to Alleva's at 188 Grand Street (http://www.allevadairy.com/) and tell Bob I sent you...maybe he'll give me a free tub of bocconcini!!

Nostalgia

One of the coolest things about this blog is that it's given me a legitimate excuse to spend hours looking at old pictures. These were taken in 1998 in New Jersey when our friend Todd kindly created an enormous leaf pile in my parent's yard!!

Brynna:

Savana:

A Real Cowboy

When I was a teenager, I used to put pictures of cowboys up in my locker. When I moved to Atlanta, I danced at Miss Kitty's with guys who looked like cowboys. I always thought I wanted a cowboy! I met a guy from Colorado who lived in Alaska. I married him and learned an important lesson...'cowboy' is not a look, it's an attitude! He's strong, he's stubborn, he's steadfast...yeah, that's right, I got my cowboy!


I know this looks barbaric but it's really not so bad. We (and by "we" I mean everyone but me...it's really hard to hold the camera and the calf at the same time!) were branding, castrating and inoculating the calves on the ranch in Colorado. It's like a choreographed dance and all involved have to work together without getting in each other's way. (That's my stud lifting the calf up in the air...no, he did not injure it!)

Practice Post

I am attempting to learn the nuances of creating a post. Hopefully, I have properly embedded a picture of the girls & I in front of Castel dell'Ovo (the Egg Castle) in Naples, Italy. One of the best days of my life was the day we were able to explore the interior of the castle with my mom (who was born and raised in Naples). I am sure none of us will ever forget that day. I mean really, how often can you use REAL canons in a REAL castle to defend your fortress from pirates, vikings, giants, and dragons?!

Stagnant Blog Resurrected

Well, it's been a little over six months since I created this blog, I thought maybe I'd try to turn it into an outlet for my creative tendencies. Now all I need to do is discover what my creative tendencies might be!