Dream...Create...Inspire

Time for Reflection and Second Chances

I am on a mission of reflection and appreciating second chances right now.  Last week some crazy stuff happened that I couldn't have even anticipated, and it made me stop right in my tracks, and reflect and be so eternally grateful for the many, many good things (both tangible and intangible) that I have in my life.

I am at a place right now that is requiring me to not be so busy, to let nature dictate what my body can and cannot handle, to listen to those subtle and often no so subtle queues, and get lots of rest and let everything else go.  To realize stuff is just that, stuff, and people are not replaceable.  To let those you love in your life know that you love them, not by just saying the words, but letting your actions scream it out loud.

Also this is an opportunity to change negative thoughts and actions, to go in a positive direction, and realize that tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

That was my big wake up call last week, and a lesson I hope I will never forget.

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone (An Honest Confession)

The photo is me, on September 17, 2010, rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon with 17 complete strangers, on an 8 day camping trip, no cell phones, no hotel rooms, no cable TV, no hot showers, no bathrooms, no contact whatsoever with the outside world, no one else I knew, only the river, the raft, the guides, fellow photographers, and my camera.  Literally, at the end of this journey, I had to step out of my comfort zone yet again, to make the right decision to put my beloved Zachary to sleep.

Life is full of choices and opportunities to step out of your comfort zone.

Are you willing to take those chances?

I had no choice but to step out of my comfort zone, because I didn’t want to stay stuck, miserable and alone. 

I was already miserable and alone.

I didn’t follow tradition, meet guy, fall in love, get married, have kids, live happily ever after (or not), followed by divorce (or not).    I know a lot of people stay together because they are happy or for other reasons:  the kids, the lifestyle, the convenience, and a whole lot of other not so good reasons.  That is their prerogative, and a part of their life’s journey.

I met a guy and got married at 28, and had absolutely no business doing that.  We were both emotionally broken and I was divorced a little over two years later when I was 30.  I can honestly look back now, and say we were both equally to blame for the failure of our marriage.  I have no ill will towards this man whatsoever.  I am thankful we did not bring children into our union.  In the meantime, all of my friends got married and started having babies, and my circle shrank and virtually disappeared.

Frankly, in my 20s and early 30s, I didn’t value myself enough to demand better treatment from a man.  I put up with a man not showing up, or calling when he was supposed to.  I was so starved for attention that I put up with a lot of stuff, and suffered through a lot of pain and depression because I was so desperate.

That despair and depression (and a LOT of counseling) finally led me to step back and realize I was worthy of being treated with respect and love and dignity, and until I valued and loved myself, no one else would.

My older (and much wiser) married friends and therapist kept saying:  “Hey, stop complaining that all of your friends are married with kids.”

“Go carve out your own niche, your own slice of life, somewhere.”

It began slowly, day trips throughout Southern Maryland by myself to St. Clements Island, St. Mary’s City, Port Tobacco, Myrtle Grove, with my notebook and camera in tow.

I forced myself to go and eat at restaurants by myself, actually ask for a table for 1 and sit there without a book or other distraction, and experience the value of my own company.

Was it hard? 

Yes, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

To sit still with just myself, and get to know me, value me, and above all appreciate my worth.

Now, I love that time alone, and I crave it.

I have no qualms about traveling to a foreign country by myself, or anywhere else for that matter. 

I love traveling alone, although it rarely happens now.

It’s not easy stepping out of your comfort zone, but it is so freeing and liberating, and not always immediately successful.

However, if it was easy, everyone would do it.

But everyone should.

It’s all about baby steps, and when you fall, get back up,

And try again.

And realize YOU are enough.

Right Here, Right Now

Everyday life for me here at home:

Ginger, my 13 year old male cat sitting on the ledge of the kitchen window, one of his favorite places to sit when he's outside.  Always in and out with him.  He is allowed out because he doesn't hunt (I kept him in until he was about 10), and he stays close to home.

My peonies are blooming beautifully this year!  This particular plant I photographed didn't even bloom at all last year.

Another close up.  Peonies are definitely one of my favorite flowers.  They are also one of my Mom's favorites and my Granny's as well.  They are perennials, but the flowers themselves only last about a week or two, which is not nearly enough time to properly enjoy them.

My clematis's are blooming as well.

The backyard.

This is my "schizophrenic" climbing hydrangea.  (Seriously, that's what it's called or something close to it).  It is almost to the top of the pergola, finally!

Miss Annie on high alert as I get ready to toss the tennis ball.  :)  I swear that dog is smiling when she's running back to me with that ball in her mouth.

After a good fetch, it's time to rest (and chew on the tennis ball).

This is going to be a low key weekend at home, cleaning off the patio, and tackling my craft room (so NOT looking forward to that!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Day Trippin': Fells Point

Baltimore Harbor Fort McHenryKey BridgeA nice relaxing Saturday afternoon in the Chesapeake Bay.  The water was a little rough, and not nearly as beautiful as the water in South Florida, but still nice to be out exploring.  Fells Point was the end destination.  It seems everyone goes to the Inner Harbor, and been there, done that.  Fells Point is more of a neighborhood place with lots of bars, restaurants and shops.  Shuckers of Fells Point is a great restaurant for lunch or dinner, and if it's a beautiful day, and you have time to wait, get an outside table, and just sit back, enjoy a great meal, and watch the world go by.

Celebrating Mothers

Near Fells Point in Baltimore, MD on Saturday.  Love these sets of parents with their little ones.

For Mother's day, I went to my Mom's house, and my sister and her husband put on a performance.  It was such a good show.  Lots of laughs, and an all around good time.  I even got in on the act and sang a duet with Karen, Loretta Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter.  It was hysterical.  Neither one of us could remember all of the words.  We sang it three times, and the first time was the best, but no one had their video cameras on.  Mom has the last version on her iPad.

My stepfather enjoying the show.

My mom and niece.

My other niece, channeling Katniss from The Hunger Games.

Two sisters sharing a tender moment, while going through Tom Chambers' new book, Entropic Kingdom, writing down the photos they like best.

Watching her Mom perform with her own music playing.  That's how it is when you're 12!

I made food (which I forgot to take pictures of).  I made as much as I could ahead of time, and did the rest when I got to Mom's and then put everything out, and I was done.  

The menu consisted of:

• Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders (based on this Rachael Ray recipe).
• Spring mix salad with Compari tomatoes and spring onions, served with Honey and Poppyseed dressing
• Brie en Croute with Raspberry and Pecans (Paula Deen)
• Pan Fried Onion Dip (Ina Garten)  This dip was SO GOOD, and is going to become a staple for future gatherings.  The dip was served with Utz Potato Chips and fresh vegetables
• Pineapple Casserole (Paula Deen)
• Peach and Raspberry Crisp (Ina Garten)

It was a nice and relaxing day.

No stress.

The way all celebrations should be.

The Week That Got Away

See that osprey flying away?  It took my week with him/her.  I don't know where the time went.  I didn't get nearly as much done as I thought.

On May 4th was the ribbon cutting ceremony for Off the Bay Gallery and Gifts.  They had a "meet and greet" with the artists, and wine and cheese.  It was a very nice event.

My Cinco de Mayo margarita.

I spent a lot of time taking photos of this cargo ship, that I thought was a Carnival Cruise ship, named Freedom, sailing out of Baltimore to the Caribbean on Sunday, and after I got home and blew up the photos realized I was photographing the wrong ship.  Next time I'll take binnoculars.  My girlfriend and her family were sailing on the Freedom, and I was taking photos from the dock in my neighborhood with my 200-500 mm lens, but couldn't really make out the ship.

Another "live and learn" moment.

Took lots of blurry hummingbird photos, and this photo of a bluebird (I think) who was visiting the feeder but decided not to nest here.  :(  I need to get out all of my flashes to photograph the hummingbirds properly.  I just haven't had time to do that yet.

The yellow finches are looking very pretty.

My peonies are getting ready to pop open.  Can't wait for that.

I am also working on getting my Week in the Life finished and catch up with Project Life.  I hope to post photos this weekend of my completed project.

Hope alll of the Moms out there have a very happy Mother's Day!

 

Wishful Thinking

I wish I had….

That thinking is NO good.

We must be thankful and appreciative of what is in our lives at the present.

These circumstances are here to teach us something.

Embrace whatever that lesson is.

Then move on to the next one.

This is the life of lessons.

And if you get stuck, you just have to do it all over.

If I never loved I would have would have cried ~Simon & Garfunkel

Sometimes, crying is just what you need.

The Hummingbirds Have Returned...

Sorry, for the photo of my blooming knockout rose bushes instead of hummingbirds, but today marks the first day I've seen my beauties back.  So for my area the hummingbirds come back at the beginning of May (the same time they did last year).  I've had feeders out for a month,and nothing.  Spoiled nectar in the feeders yesterday, cleaned them out and today WOW, saw at least one female at the feeder several times.

There is a lot going on right now, so as much as I wanted to stop and take photos of the hummingbirds, I didn't.  There are obligations and commitments going on, and one of them was this:

Making a "Clifford the Big Red Dog" birthday card for my nephew, who will be 3.  (I sketched it in from a photo on the internet and colored it in with colored pencils.  Coloring Clifford red was quite a challenge).  I just hope my nephew likes it.  We are going to have a Skype call when he opens my present and card.  I am really looking forward to seeing his reaction.

And finishing up on some other projects, and starting some other ones, such as cleaning up my craft room and office.  Feeling so overwhelmed.

On a positive note, I am attending a "meet the artists" event at Off the Bay Gallery and Gifts tomorrow from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

If you are local, please stop by and say hi.  Would love to see you!

Have a great weekend.

Rehab at the Hard Rock?

Okay, I admit it.  I am not "in" the cutting edge crowd.  I am having a MEGA milestone birthday in December, okay?  So, in Las Vegas this past weekend, and decided to stay off the strip at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.  My first time in Vegas, off the strip, mind you.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

First, the music was awsome, loved it.  It's a hip place, with a younger crowd.

LOVED the "Do Not Disturb" signs :)  (Snagged one for my scrapbook).

Loved looking at Neal Preston's work. He traveled with Led Zepplin and photographed them, as well as some other famous rock musicians.  True grit, black and white film, darkroom work.  So admire this.

Cabanas for rent poolside:  $1,000 for the day, plus a minimum purchase of $1,000 in food and beverages. Would LOVE to rent one of these cabanas for the day, but not gonna happen on my budget :)

This is the hotel pool, which is free, and towels were on EVERY SINGLE CHAIR by 9:00 a.m.  I took this photo at 8:30 a.m. by the time I came back at 9:30 a.m. every single one of these chairs had a towel on it.  I managed to snag a beach chair though. :(  Not happy.

Welcome to the upstairs portion of the Rehab Pool, free this particular Saturday.  This  away from all of the really loud music (and action) geared toward the 20-something crowd which featured a DJ.  But it was still pretty loud.  Below the pool is a pool bar/restaurant, and those big clear circles in the pool provide a view to the crowd down below. :)  Keepin' it clean...

The glass wall at the opposite end overlooks the hotel pool.

The view from up above down below.

These are all of the cabanas available for rent at the Rehab pool. Very $$$$$$

Another view from the upstairs pool where you can see the Las Vegas Strip and a shaded area to get away from the sun, and a full service bar with cocktails and a delicious lunch menu.  I recommend the chicken teriyaki bowl (to share with someone you love).

A full view of the bar area upstairs at the Rehab pool.

The lifeguard at the pool.  I was REALLY hoping she didn't have to get her hair wet...

Downstairs at the main Rehab pool on Saturday amidst all of the chaos and craziness and LOUD music of being in your 20's in Las Vegas.  (Where was THIS place when I was in MY 20s????)

All I have to say is be young, have fun, and be safe :)

Everyone looked great.

Lots of bootyshakin' goin' on for sure... :)

There is even pool-side gambling at Rehab, after all this is Las Vegas :)

I was glad I experienced Rehab at the Hard Rock for free.  On Sunday, the price was $30 for women and $50 for men.  Luckily, I was up early enough on Sunday to snag a beach chair at the free hotel pool, which really played my kind of music, and I was able to really get my feet wet :)

Keeping it Together When Things Go Wrong

Monday was a tough travel day.  I got up at 3:15 a.m. and was at the airport by 4:00 a.m.  My 6:00 a.m. flight was canceled, without notice, no phone call, no e-mail, no text, nothing.  One minute the board said "on time," the next it said, "canceled."  I was left on my own to figure out what to do, and so was everyone else at the gate waiting, and on their cell phones trying to get onto another flight.  At that early time of the morning, there were no ticketing agents on duty, and the airline made no announcement or attempt to re-route anyone.  

The best the airline could do was to put me on a flight that left at 2:25 p.m., PDT, which put me into Baltimore at 10:00 p.m.  In the meantime, I watched the airline offer other passengers willing to give up their seats and take a later flight all sorts of incentives because the airline oversold those flights, and also had to accommodate those of us on the 6:00 a.m. canceled flight.  

Those of us the most inconvenienced were offered nothing.  

That sucks. 

No one cares about being stranded in Las Vegas, but at least let me know BEFORE I check out of my hotel, turn in my rental car, and check my baggage.

Then, I'm just stuck in an airport.

Honestly, I don't do well in these situations.  I was furious, but I did my best to keep it together and by some miracle was able to finally get onto another non-stop flight that left at 9:55 a.m.,(PDT), arriving into Baltimore at 5:15 p.m.  I lost my early bird boarding, which put me in the "C" boarding group, after those that are impaired, minors, the A boarding group, family boarding, the B group, and I was number C15, and by some miraculous fate, I got an aisle seat in row 8.

Thankfully, my luggage managed to fly on the same flight, so a definite silver lining.  

Annie had to spend another night in the kennel, and incur another extra cost.

So we were reunited yesterday.

And sometimes, that's just how it rolls.