Serene

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Very true Mr. Emerson! I might add that taking time to smell the flowers doesn't hurt either;) Wishing you all a calm and peaceful week.

xoxo

Happy Halloween!

It's that very special time of year when something wicked your way comes. Coming to terms with the fact I am going to miss my annual family tradition of trick or treating with my brother, niece and nephew. In the future I will make sure to plan my trips home so I don't miss it again! As for this year, to fill the void I will indulge myself with too much candy corn and all my favorite things Halloween!!! Here's a list of what gets me howling this time of year;)

Listen Up: Even if you aren't planning to camp out at your local theater in breathless anticipation of the new "Twilight" movie, you should rush to get a copy of the soundtrack. This album features an impressive gathering of artists including Death Cab for Cutie and Bon Iver with St. Vincent. Playing these tunes might not conjure up a sexy vampire but it does set the mood for a mysterious and smoldering evening.

Watch It: Hands down my all time favorite scary movie, Rosemary's Baby. Mia Farrow is so luminous in this movie that upon my first time seeing it as a kid, she earned an instant spot on my personal "Female Fixation" list. I think I have suffered Fiance' Phil through seeing it so many times that he can recite the lines just as easily as I can.

Maintain Your Decor: I am seriously bewitched by the haunting works of Vee Speers. The images from her "Birthday Party" series are mesmerizing and unnerving. I would do ghoulish things to acquire one of these works of art.

Apply Liberally: The trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood will be walking the streets in 90 degree weather. All this heat is making it hard for me to pull out the dark nail polish colors I usually love for this time of year. That is why I am bloodthirsty for the new color Jade by Chanel. Also, it's green, which always has me under it's spell.

Have a safe and spooktacular Halloween!!!!

Carry It With You

During an afternoon walk while I was thinking of people I care about, so many miles away, my eyes were drawn to the way the light fell upon a seemingly ordinary shrub. There was something about the way the shadows formed within the shape of the leaves that reminded me of one of my favorite poems. So as I often do when something catches my attention, I snapped a picture.

The next day as I passed the same bush, I paused when I saw that it had been clipped and trimmed and no longer resembled the foliage that brought the words of ee cummings to my mind. When I returned home, I mentioned the scenario to Fiance' Phil and he said, "At least you took a picture of what it looked like when you did." I thought about what he said and how while that was true, the images that fill my albums and I save on my computer are beyond valuable to me but a picture could be lost or erased and gone forever.

What I realized then was that, it isn't the physical evidence in life that bonds but the memories and moments burned into the heart. The people that I love who bring goodness into my world are always close to me, no matter how many states divide us. The landscape might change and the images of our worlds might be different but there is nothing that can cut away love.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

~ee cummings

Away We Went

Ohhh...what a long strange trip it has been.

One U-Haul, two days and countless coffees later...Fiance' Phil, Buster and I have finally arrived and settled at our new home in Florida. The weeks leading up to our eventual move were filled with tears, laughter, sadness, heartbreak and nervous excitement. The extreme emotions and physical effects of moving took quite a toll on me. The bruises are finally gone and my heart has been healed more everyday by the well-wishing, love and support of my family and friends. It is experiences like these that push me to be a stronger person than I ever thought I could be. I am now focused on enjoying every second of the new adventures waiting for our family. I am leaving anything negative behind me and allowing myself to be happy and live in the moment. I hope that part of our new life will bring me here more often, with images to share.

The vintage suitcase that Buster is lounging with is by my friends at Bright Wall Studios. I am so in love with it and use it to store/display my vintage camera collection. Not only are they crazy talented but also happen to be some of the nicest people I have met in a long time. Nothing better than supporting local artists and finding something original and exciting.

Off I go to find some new happiness to share. Take great care and have a lovely week.

xoxoxo

Through The Storm

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

~Vivian Green

This is one of my mom's favorite quotes and reminds me of her so much. I just want to truly thank everyone that sent me kind wishes and positive thoughts on my injury and recent events. Thank you for helping me remember it can be possible to dance through a storm, even with a bum leg;) xoxox

Remain Calm

To say the last few months have been a challenge would not be giving them enough credit. The last few months have been THE challenge of my journey thus far. Without going into details and attempting to channel "Debbie Downer", I will ask that you take my word for it. Just when I thought, "This has to be it! Now comes some good stuff!" I was knocked back on my behind. Quite literally. A nasty spill has landed me in a very unfashionable leg brace and teetering around on crutches. I have been commanded to a solid week of sitting as much as possible and while that does provide a much needed rest, it's not exactly the tropical, beach vacation I was hoping for. Just over two days into my lock down and I have watched six movies, caught up on all my TV shows and finished a book. Under the great care of Fiance' Phil, I am looking at things from the sunny side of my incident. Which involves entertaining myself with the things I mentioned above and spending so much unexpected time with my man and our dog. In keeping with focusing on the good, I would like to share my opinion on some good things with you!

LISTEN UP: The latest album by Phoenix is the soundtrack to my summer. I truly love this band. Not too mention the lead singer happens to be with the lovely and genius Sofia Coppola. This couple is very high at the top of my list for dream dinner guests.

WATCH IT: Every so often I see a movie that haunts me for days after. Without question Let The Right One In did just that. It isn't just because this film involves the ever intriguing subject of vampires but because there were so many frames that could be paused and turned into a perfectly composed photograph. Be warned, there are instances of violence and the corn syrup must have been in high demand on that set. Yet, I found that the love story of Oskar and Eli plays with so much tender vulnerability that I was less affected by the scenes of gore and more by the innocence of young love. Oh, and Fiance' Phil would have me inform you there are subtitles but he liked it so much that he wasn't that irked by it.

MAINTAIN YOUR DECOR: I have been looking for ages for a perfect wall hanging to mount outside my bedroom door. After my grand fall and being forced into slowing my life down, I decided that this lovely sentiment is a perfect message to see as we start our day.

APPLY LIBERALLY: I am always seeking a great makeup concealer. Call off the search team. I not only found but am reaping the rewards of Benefit Erase Paste. It works for all imperfections and because a little goes along way I think the jar and I will be getting to know each other very well.

And now, here some images from the last month that remind me of happy moments and feeling calm... xoox

The view these from my couch these days....

Someone very sweet gave me these;)

"Two Lads Winery" in Traverse City...I approve!!!


Look what our little plants gave us!!!


Irish coffee after dinner with Fiance' Phil is always a treat.

An evening of watching fireworks on a blanket with someone you love is absolute magic.

I love summer!!!!! I wish it could last forever!

The Little Joys

I have been trying to live by the mantra..."Find the little joys in life." Really this isn't always the easiest road to travel when you are having a bad day. Interestingly enough, I do find that on my worst days, I don't just take these things for granted but stop and appreciate the joy that they brought into the moment. Eventually all the little joys gang up on you and suddenly, you had a lovely day. Dang it, I was supposed to be having a bad day! ;) So here are some of the things that have made me smile recently...

1) The miracle of nature. I have always wanted to grow things that I could eat. Going all the way back to childhood this is something that fascinated me and in my mind seemed terribly hard to achieve. I saw my neighbors struggle over their gardens for hours, sometimes to only produce a vegetable or two. My parents felt the grocery store provided all the bounty without the work, as many people do, myself included. Yet this summer Fiance' Phil and I finally had a tiny spot of soil behind our townhouse and we dared to attempt growing our first tomatoes. A staple of all our summer meals. As I was standing on our deck one balmy evening last week, something urged me to look at our plants. Even though everyday we stand around them and check for new growth or dead leaves. I felt compelled to look once again. Suddenly, there she was. A tiny, green, beautiful tomato just hanging off the plant. Of course I went hysterically giddy and screamed for Fiance' Phil to come see. Confirmed. A tomato has been sighted. I have what some might think are rather easy life goals. One of them is to grow tomatoes. As we prepare our first meal with one, I look forward to checking that off my list. Grow our own tomatoes...check.

2) Dior, beautiful, lovely Dior. I can't say enough positive adjectives for the eyeshadow quad that has become a part of my daily routine. The colors are all so workable and can be applied softly for day or layered for night. I refuse to believe that this palette won't work for everyone. It's just that good!

3) Birthday Cake Candle. I know it's not for everyone but I will testify to the joys of a sugary, sweet, cake infused scent flowing through my powder room during bath time. It's so over the top girly and comforting. I mean...there's confetti in it. I rest my case.

4) Late summer walks with Fiance' Phil and our dog Buster. During the harsh winter months we reminisce about taking these long and relaxing evening walks. The light is beautiful and shadows follow us everywhere. The shadow that always makes me smile the most is the silhouette of my family walking side by side with nothing to do but talk about our day and discuss all of the good things we look forward to happening. It's pure bliss.

5) "Where the Wild Things Are" upcoming film. I think me and about a bazillion people are in anticipation of this one. Who doesn't love and feel connected to the classic by Maurice Sendak. I have always included this book in my baby shower gifts. The trailer for this film puts a lump in my throat so much that I don't know if my heart can take the beauty of this movie. Spike Jonez is a genius and the music of Arcade Fire flowing in the background is too perfect to believe. I am waiting with baited breath to be blown away and transported back to childhood.

Here's wishing you a lovely weekend full of little joys around every corner.

Summer Time and the Livin' Is Easy

I truly hope everyone had a weekend that was lovely and relaxing. Nothing like an extra day off and great temperatures to get you in a good mood.

My Fiance' Phil and I always look forward to any opportunity that arises which allows us to take our niece and nephews on a little adventure. This weekend the five of us packed into our vehicle and headed to the "Heritage Festival" in Rochester Hills. There was a car show, crafts and fun pioneer based activities like sack races, hay jumping and walking on stilts.

Fiance' Phil had to point out how much I seemed to enjoy the demonstration of old-time laundry. Fine, I was busted. I have a laundry completing obsession that obviously would have been present even back in the days of bonnets and throwing buckets into a creek. Beyond the activities for the clean freaks, in our little group there was plenty of ice cream sharing going on and the knock-knock jokes were on fire!!!

Isabella said her favorite part of the day was when the moving statue lady sprinkled her hand with glitter. Ethan liked the sawing exhibit and Jackson liked dancing to the "rock and roll band!" What I liked best was seeing the beautiful, smiling faces of the people I love so much and sharing laughs all afternoon.

Hope

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words and never stops at all."

~Emily Dickinson

Spring has arrived and along with the season comes the vision of new blossoms and vibrant colors. All of this beauty has me feeling hopeful...and it feels really good. Just this week I discovered a story that in my opinion defines "hope". This is such a beautiful story and I have thought about it often since hearing it. I promise I would not ask you to watch a video (please click the link under the photo) if it wasn't worth it...especially about of all things, football!!! I can't recall the last time a story has moved me so much.

I hope that sharing this might remind those that have forgot, how important the strength of hope can be. If you can't find it for yourself maybe you can help someone else discover it in their own life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52AOPQvCTv4

Serious Business

So, everyone has heard the timeless joke about women and chocolate. Well, I think everyone needs to stop laughing because...IT'S NOT FUNNY!! In my humble opinion, chocolate is very serious business. For me, a delicious piece of chocolat can take a bad day and turn it around faster than you can peel away a piece of foil. The Easter Bunny is coming soon to a basket near you and if you want to fill yours with near genius, might I suggest you take a trip to GAYLE'S in Royal Oak.

Do not be fooled by the whimsical pink walls when you enter this lovely space, candy is very serious business here. Even my personal favorite, the 35mm chocolate camera commands an earnest respect for its attention to detail. While times might be little tough for all, a piece of quality chocolate is a decadent experience that won't leave you with buyers remorse. After a visit with a carmel truffle, you might just find yourself smiling and feeling luxurious. That is very serious business to schedule indeed. ; )

Melanie

Without question, my session with the lovely Melanie was some of the most fun I have had taking photographs yet. Melanie was a major trooper, braving freezing temperatures and crazy wind gusts, all while holding a smile. I have known Ms. Mel since she was a little girl and when asked if I would do senior photos for her, I was absolutely thrilled! Melanie is not just smart and witty but gorgeous to boot. Melanie is embarking on the next phase of her life and judging by the sparkle in her eyes, it's going to be a very exciting journey indeed! :)

Clearly...

"That's the way things come clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they've been all along."

~Madeleine L'engle

So let's be very clear on one thing...I am ready for spring!!! Hang in there everyone waiting to bid farewell to winter. Sunny skies and blossoms are surely on their way.

Tickled by Pink

Green, my true love, do not be jealous because the lovely Pink has captured my attention for the moment. A long winter and a brief flirtation with high temperatures have my heart aching for sunshine and spring. It also happens to be the week of Valentines Day, a personal cherished holiday. In the last year February 14 has become dearer to me because it marks the anniversary of my engagement. Hence, this post is dedicated to the delicate, feminine inspiration that is the color pink. When I think of the hue, spring flowers, Valentine decorations, my niece Isabella and her love for the shade come to mind! It was a Miss Dior Cherie bottle, my most spritzed fragrance that was the inspiration behind the décor in my powder room. Imagine my delight when I discovered my fave director, Sophia Coppola, teamed up with the brand to direct the decadent ad campaign for the fragrance. The result is pure eye candy and total inspiration. While I won’t dare pretend that I could spend my days like the lovely model of this advertisement, running around Paris in designer frocks and floating into the sky with a handful of balloons. I have made an effort to wear a more vibrant pink lipstick, placed tulips throughout my home and will absolutely be indulging in anything frosted in the shade! SO, to you and yours, Happy Valentines Day and I hope you find a little bit of pink in your day. Xoxo.

Alex

Every once in awhile, I have the wonderful experience of meeting a young man that restores my hope that being a gentlemen is not a thing of the past! Working with Alex and his family was a fantastic experience! Alex has such a bright future ahead of him and I wish him all the luck in the world, something tells me, he probably doesn't need any!!!

A Wish For The New Year

This message might be a bit late to state but happy new year to everyone! This year my single resolution is to find more peace with each waking day. No matter how rocky the terrain, dark the night or inclement the weather, I will do my best to find calm and stillness among the moments that challenge me. I also wish, for those of you that might need it, that tranquility comes to you and yours.

Ava and Blake

On a very cold day in November, I had the true pleasure of photographing my cousin Nicole's children, Ava and Blake. Even though they are twins, their personalities shine brightly as individuals, yet compliment each other perfectly. The most shared trait, and one that you can't ignore, is their stunning, blue eyes! I had so much fun spending the day with them and look forward to our next visit.