everything rachael

2011-09-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

"...it just feels odd but not odd bad. kind of like trying to write with your left hand (if you're a righty) and come to find out your penmanship is actually prettier and better with your left hand than it ever was with your right."
~rach

The Power of Goodness

2011-09-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

I came across this last night on pinterest. Anyone who knows me, knows how hard it can be for me not to speak my mind. I love the saying "less is more" but seriously it's a hard motto to live by, especially these days. All the pain I'm dealing with, I can't speak of. All the joy and the new found happiness, I can't yet speak of. I guess the fact that I have joy and happiness, in and of itself, is the most important thing though.

As I was drifting off to sleep last night I was asked if I had had a good day. I answered immediately, without having to even think about it, "yes". I had enjoyed a wonderful afternoon and evening with my little family. I realized laying there in bed I could still feel the smile on my face and hear the laughter in my ears from our evening together. I realized that my heart was still warm from the love i felt from those three people. Then I remembered all the tears I had shed and all the bullshit that I had dealt with earlier in the day and I realized that none of that matter. The good had overshadowed the bad. The good was so much more important and so much more powerful that it had totally negated the bad.

Isn't that all that matters in life, that your good is more than your bad. That your love is more than your hate. That your joy is greater than your sorrow. Isn't that what's most important.

coming soon to a blog near you!

2011-08-17T15:46:00.000-05:00

It's been too long. I think it's time to break the silence!

Now I just have to decide where to start, hmmmm?

Quote of the day

2011-05-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

"I could really go for some form of ice cream you can drink through a straw…….or eat with a spoon……..or off a stick….the more I think about it the less picky I become…."

Thumbs up!

2011-05-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

So I had this dream the other night about this guy that use to work in the cafeteria. We haven't used aliases in a while, let's call him Joe! (I'd forgotten how fun aliases were!) He was hoot! He was like that skinny, long haired, bad boy that you sort of wanted to get with but would never admit to your friends if you did. He was huge flirt with all the girls which made it all the more fun. So I’m at church, not necessarily my church but there are people milling around and we are in the kitchen area and I turn around and there is Joe cooking in the church kitchen. Except instead of having his hair pulled back into a pony tail and his hat on (the way I saw him every morning for the past 14 years) he had his hair down. It was so soft and shiny. And it cascaded around his shoulders in big waves. It shone. As if the sun were rising behind his head. I was trying to tell him how much we've missed him and I could see that he was saying something back to me but I couldn’t hear the words. All of a sudden my entire mind was consumed with the fact that Joe was the Messiah. Here standing in the church kitchen. All along Joe had been Jesus! He smiled at me and gave me the thumbs up and then walked away.....

who?

2011-05-15T22:28:00.001-05:00

Do you?

2011-05-12T07:54:00.000-05:00

Do you ever do things you know you shouldn't do?

The good thing is I never say "Boy I'm glad I didn't do that."

What I want to do.

2011-04-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

Memory loss

2011-03-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

There are good and bad things about my recent memory loss. The bad are probably obvious and are harder for me to talk about. It's always hard to talk about our struggles or what we perceive as weakness. But i believe everything happens for a reason. We are put in situations that we are supposed to learn from. We are not given more than we can handle. If God brings us to it he will bring us through it. However you like to say it i feel like i have to gain something good from what I'm experiencing. Here are the positives:

-I can watch a movie & enjoy the whole thing. It's always been hard for me to sit still through a whole movie. I was always filing and sorting ideas in my head so it was like I was never paying 100% attention and i would get bored and distracted very quickly. We went to see "Paul" last weekend in the theater (which i might add cost us an arm & a leg but was worth every penny) and when it was over I realized that i had thought of nothing else, i merely enjoyed the show. The whole show. That was nice.
-I'm really letting go of the bad stuff. You know those reoccurring thoughts and memories that just pop into your head over and over? Don't be jealous, but I'm letting them all go! Like when you say "i wish i could forget that ever happened" i can do that now and there is some liberation in that. The less i think about something the fainter it gets.
-I focus more on personal conversations. In order to retain things i have to really hear what is being said so i don't try to plan my responses in my head anymore (you know you do that! while someone is talking you are already trying to decide what you are going to say in response. but on the other hand don't we all know people who should do more planning before they open their mouths? i know i do!), i just listen.

-The best thing is that I feel like i am absolutely 100% in the moment. I realized this while at a Session meeting at church the other day. (Of course i had to write down the words "100% in the moment" so that i wouldn't forget about the revelation later on). Maybe it's not new to a lot of people but it feels weird to me. Not weird bad just weird different. It's like I'll be going along and all of a sudden I realize, sometimes with a little panic, (like getting to work and realizing that i left the flat iron on, that kind of panic) that I've not been thinking about anything else. I'm so use to doing a million little things in my head it's sort of uncomfortable for me to be focused on just one thing.

Ok so having said all that did i just admit that I'm empty headed? Lol, because that's not what i mean to say. I guess I'm just trying to come to grips with having to go about things differently. It's not like i lost my right arm (Heaven forbid) and you can see me physically having to compensate for that lost mobility. Or clumsily having to learn to use my non dominant left arm (that is the perfect analogy). I've lost some, ok a lot, of my short term memory and I'm having to mentally compensate for that loss. You just can't see it, i internalize it completely. (Did i just offend people with missing limbs by comparing my trivial memory loss issue to a possibly traumatic event that caused them to lose an arm? sorry.)

Initially i was afraid that I'd lost some "substance" along the way (please refrain from any smart comments about any lack of substance before this). Like because I'm not over thinking or over planning or constantly cataloging ideas I'm less of something, though i don't know quite what. This is just something i have to accept, learn from and live with. I recently spent a lot of money to have one doctor tell me I'm just not paying attention. Swear to God he said blah blah blah"...not paying attention." I'm still pissed about that. I came really really close to telling him to go fuck himself. Like scarily close to saying those exact words. Out loud. In his office. I'm not normally an outwardly angry or belligerent person (At least not in public). I wonder if the memory loss is contributing to that. Maybe it's not really anger maybe it's just a new way of expressing myself. It would have certainly been an appropriate response to his blunt comment. Maybe i should embrace this new found enthusiasm for utter honestly at all cost!
Or not. Now where was i...

The creative process

2011-02-27T22:11:00.000-06:00

Stockholm Syndrome: BBC's Top Gear

2011-02-20T10:37:00.001-06:00

Stockholm Syndrome: Describes the behavior of kidnap victims who, over time, become sympathetic to their captors.

For the past few weeks, literally, every time I go into the tv room tom is watching a show called Top Gear on the BBC. I asked him mid last weekend how many episodes he had on the DVR (hoping for an end in sight) and he estimated it at 60. "No wait I watched two today so 58." At first I was annoyed. Over and over this show played while I worked on the laptop or tried to read a book. Over and over I said "can't we watch something else?" "I can't even understand them."

And then one day I found myself giggling at something I had overheard on Top Gear. Then I would occasionally find myself actually watching bits and pieces of the show. Today I actually said to Tom "no wait, rewind that so I can see it again". I can only attribute this to Stockholm's Syndrome.

Last night we watched Jeremy Clarkson driving a Ferrari 599 GTO:
                 Reviving the GTO name on a road car? “Thats brave” Jeremy says. “Is like calling your
                 infant son Jesus, you need to be fairly sure that he is going to grow up into something
                special. Not a burglar”

As I blog Tom's playing the episode that chronicles their trip to Bethlehem. Terribly irreverent but incredibly funny. There is a lot of online buzz about how upset people were over this episode. Something about Stig being portrayed as the Holy infant. We haven't gotten that far so I won't comment on that, yet.

You know I can't resist funny. I'm in love with Jeremy Clarkson!

give it up.

2011-02-16T21:40:00.000-06:00

2011-02-09T21:56:00.000-06:00

juno

2011-02-08T21:58:00.002-06:00

Thirteen

2011-02-06T13:39:00.002-06:00

This is what thirteen looks like.

thirteen years ago....

2011-02-05T23:47:00.000-06:00

I was sitting here debating going to bed when i thought i'd throw together a little Dan collage. Tomorrow my little boy turns 13. He will be a teenager. WTF? Seriously? Going through our albums and digital files brought back a lot of memories. I laughed a little remembering little Dan and his quirky ways and his enthusiasm for everything. And I cried a little, realizing how much i miss baby dan.

Here's to you Dan! Happy Birthday.

Eat these

2011-02-05T22:42:00.000-06:00

You must make these. Next time i will use regular sized Hershey bars instead of the king size just because i would rather have a thinner layer of chocolate. And i think they were better the next day (or maybe i should have waited for them to cool completely, lol). You can get the recipe here.

write it down. print it out. say it out loud.

2011-01-27T20:40:00.000-06:00

a few weeks ago i woke up too early on a weekend morning and i started to think about all the things i had figured out in the past year. some were pretty mundane. others were life altering...since i have absolutely no short term memory i quickly plugged them all into my blackberry since i have absolutely no short term memory. (hee, hee.) You'll know which ones pertain to you, my friends.

-if you say "eat (or drink) whatever you want" you must be prepared to clean it off the bathroom floor later.
-"motorcycles rot. ink is forever" juno
-It's fun to play along.
-a full life is more important than a full bank account.
-never under estimate the power of God.
-Don't be afraid to say "no thank you."
-always be polite & honest when you get pulled over.
-you can't have everything. but it's ok to want things you know you can't have. (i struggle with this)
-Sometimes it's more exciting not going all the way.
-write it down. print it out. say it out loud.
-cotton candy has the same draw on me now as it did 30 years ago.
-just because it sounds like a lot of work doesn't mean it won't be worth it in the end.
-say what you mean. ask for what you want.
-"whats the worst that can happen? will it kill you? no." holly
-you should never spend money while laying in bed.
-The 30 year old ego is much more fragile than the 42 year old ego.
-don't take things personally.
-Blood is not thicker than water. Love is thicker than water though. :)
-friends>family (so make ur family ur friends.)
-BIGger is not alwyas better. (sometimes but not always).
-Frequently you have to wait for people to see things your way.
-miles can not separate friends.
-Less is more. (and oldie but still a goodie)
-It can take as long as 10 months for "the plan" to become clear.
-never compare apples to oranges.

move on

2011-01-13T22:24:00.000-06:00

I couldn't have said it better myself!

never give up ?

2011-01-10T20:18:00.000-06:00

nice in theory, however i don't find it all that practical. nope, i don't...... that's all i'm going to say about that.

2011-01-09T17:27:00.000-06:00

pinterest.com

2011: simplify

2011-01-08T22:34:00.000-06:00

less stuff. i need to use what i have.
no more magazines. no more books. period. no exceptions.
no ribbon or buttons.
more creativity.
more thinking outside of the proverbial box.
more me time.
no more over committing myself. my kids. my hubby.
more things. less faces.
more color less gray.
i'm going to learn to cook (more. better. you get the idea.)
(i.e. more Pioneer woman & Martha)
more action on my every growing lists.
more quilting.
less guilt when i have nothing to do.
more grain.
less spending. more upcycling.
less unfinished.
more written word. less spoken word.

unknown photo credits

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T18:58:00.001-06:00

This was probably the most relaxing holiday we've had in a very long time. I LOVED it! The weather was not so lovely friday morning but i was determined to get to Waterloo to do some non essential shopping. Thankfully Grandpa Kevin graciously offered to drive us (after we begged him).
Christmas morning we went over to Mom & Kevin's a had a fabulous meal. Then at 1pm we headed over to Bea & Genes and had a fabulous meal (do you see a trend here, lol). It was an absolutely perfect Christmas day.
New Years Eve was pretty low key. Tom has been terribly sick so we opted not to infect any of our friends & family. This was the first NYE we've been home alone in many years. I got up early and ran to walmart with mom to get the ingredients to make broccoli cheddar soup (from scratch. do you have any idea how long this takes? i didn't.) I got home and started that as well as buffalo chicken dip, chicken enchiladas and reese peanut butter brownies. Dan and i took some snacks over to Kev's garage and visited with him & Dean for bit. You can see Dan's contribution to the can pyramid below. I took both kids to the fountain for a malt. I put the finished edge on waverly's quilt (that i started in 2009). By the time Tom got home from work i was pooped! We had a little dinner, watched a movie and were in bed by 11:30pm.

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-21T15:24:00.000-06:00

{this is the result of too many episodes of SVU DVR'd.}

Four Years OLD!!!!

2010-12-20T12:01:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe these little guys are Four!!! They had so much fun at their birthday party last week. You can see in one picture Mason's (or Alex's, i need to stat making notes who wore what) feet are off the chair as he unwraps his gifts! And so very polite, thanking everyone. I enjoyed catching up a bit with the Droste's and the Snyder's that evening. I always feel fortunate when i get to spend time with these two wonderful families.

{as i was sitting her looking through these pictures it dawned on me that had i remembered my sped-lite they would have been so much better. Let this be a lesson: my pop up flash is severely insufficient. live and learn.}

This is your Word of the day for today December 20, 2010:
li·bel
[lahy-bul] noun
1. Defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.

2. Anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.

creatively impotent

2010-12-06T12:55:00.000-06:00

this is killing me. not literally. well not yet anyway... this will be day 7 in bed. it doesn't seem like it's been 7 days as i've been asleep for so much of it. but when i'm awake i've enjoyed laying here (under my snuggie of course) surfing all of my favorite crafty web sites that i don't normally have time to enjoy. i've amassed a list of craft projects i want to do. except i want to do them now! i'm starting to get a little impatient. i want to feel better and be able to see straight enough to get going on some of these projects. i'm seriously like 20 feet from my fabulous craft room and it might as well be 8 miles away, all up hill, for all the good it's doing. i want to hold my crop-a-dile in my hand and punch holes in my soon to be 2011 coaster calendar. i want to get glue on my fingers from creating my 7gypies shadow box with all of my family pictures. i want to have glitter on my yoga pants from creating my Christmas cards with the great new stamp i bought with Heidi at Archiver's. but alas, here i sit. Loopy and sleepy and unable to create.

creatively impotent. (lol, that's the drugs talking there!)

the snuggie

2010-12-04T23:05:00.002-06:00

I'm going to pick up as though I've never been gone. Does that work for you? Great!

So this would be day number 5 in bed. I have never been this incapacitated in my life. It's humbling. I like to think i run the show around here on a regular basis. I like to think that I'm the only one really qualified to do it. I have been proven wrong. So so wrong. Mr. Robinett has stepped up and taken over and let me tell you he's done a damn fine job. Tonight he came upstairs and we laid in bed together for a while (with our respective laptops granted, we weren't actually going to talk or anything like that, lol). I of course was wrapped in my beloved Iowa Hawkeye snuggie and i could see that he was eying it.
     Mrs R "Are you jealous? Do you want me to get you a snuggie"
     Mr R "I am jealous. I want to be inside your snuggie with you. I miss you. I miss being close to you."
     (i might be paraphrasing slightly the vicodin makes me a bit fuzzy). i'm also leaving out the part where i get
     misty eyed and tell him how great he's been. You all know i'm softie already!

That's what i love! That's the bond that 20 years gives us. The fact that even though we've been in the same house for the past 5 days and geographically together because I've been so out of it we haven't been emotionally together. Because I've been in so much pain we haven't snuggled at night like normal. Because i haven't been participating in the normal day to day operation we haven't share those daily touches that are so automatic we don't even notice them, until they aren't there.
It's a weird feeling for me to know that I'm not the only one that can run The Robinett Show. But not weird bad. Weird because now i have to admit to myself that i don't have to do it all. It's been surreal for me to lay up here, in and out of awareness hearing my household continue on below me, without me. The kids got to grandmas on time in the morning. No body peed on the floor (you know like sadie or murph cause sarah would never). All of our obligations have been met. And honestly there has probably been less yelling (because the main yeller is upstairs in bed!!! I'll admit it!). So on goes The Robinett Show with it's interim leader because i may be down for the moment but I'll be back!!!

2010-08-18T21:34:00.002-05:00

Who says I haven't been busy?!!! Check it out!

Camping with Brian

2010-07-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

There will be more to come but i have to share this now. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. By the way, that is not me you hear telling Brian to "work it" in the background!

The making of a Fatty

2010-05-31T20:31:00.001-05:00

DISCLAIMER: The following will most certainly clog your arteries. They don't call it a fatty for nothing!

Ingredients: Sausage, bacon, chicken, onion, pepper, cream cheese, cheese, cumin. Cook your chicken and dice. Caramelize the onions and peppers (mushrooms can be added as well). Combine the cream cheese, warm onion mixture, warm chicken and cumin into a large glass bowl. This will become the filling for your fatty. This is only one option of fatty filling. You could use scrambled eggs, bacon, onion and cheese. Or hamburger, ricotta, mozzarella and marinara sauce. The only limit is your imagination!

On a large piece of parchment paper, with your freshly washed hands, spread the sausage out into a single layer. On top of that add the cream cheese mixture. On top of that add a layer of shredded cheese.

Now you are ready to roll your fatty (stay with me here, we're still cooking). Start by lifting the edge of your parchment paper so that the edge of the fatty folds over onto it's self. Gently roll your fatty up (think cake roll or Ho-Ho). Once you have it rolled all the way to the other edge press the ends together to seal it completely. Do the same along the long unfinished edge. You want there to be no beginning and no end. One continuous log of fatty goodness.

Finally you must prepare the bacon wrap for the outside of the fatty (this, of course, is strictly for looks). On another piece of parchment paper lay out half of your bacon, all going one direction. Weave the other half of the bacon through the original bacon as shown creating a lattice o' bacon. Gently lift your parchment paper with the lattice o' bacon and slap it on your fatty. You can then gently, with the parchment paper lift the edges of the fatty to neatly tuck the bacon around the edges.

Your fatty can be chilled in the fridge or freezer if you are not going to cook it right away. You can cook it in the oven (we've tried that) but we recommend cooking it outside in a smoker or grill for the best flavor. You can see the little grill/smoker that Tom whipped up in his shop yesterday morning. It worked perfectly. Took about 2.5 hours to cook. Low and Slow.

Invite your friends and family over then cut and serve.

a day in Robinett history May 2003

2010-05-23T22:41:00.001-05:00

Take special note of a few things here. Wav is still shorter than Dan. Notice Wav's snazzy outfit. An orange Halloween t-shirt (in May), red & white checked capri pants, and a pink headband with green stitching on it. And Dan's batman t-shirt is showing his belly and his bangs or horribly crooked (maybe Wav had cut them, i can't really remember) Really? Who let them dress like this?

Funny thing is i don't see any of that when i look at these photos. I just see two adorable kids who loved each other dearly and truly still do.

Oh yeah i also see my beautiful new carpet and gorgeous original woodwork. But that's a whole other post. I bet it was cool too because the central air was probably on. [sigh].

Rock & Worship Roadshow 4/22

2010-04-25T21:03:00.003-05:00

Shari & I took Wav to the Roadshow in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, the day before her birthday. She was a trooper, waiting in line, handling the loudness & shopping the merch tables. She really really enjoyed herself. It was a great show! Sidewalk Prophets, Remedy Drive, Francesca Battistelli, Fee, Family Force Five, David Crowder band & Mercy Me.

A day with the Droste's

2010-04-19T19:43:00.002-05:00

So i'm going to start doing a little catch up. I hate that my blog has taken a back seat to everything else in my life.
There is nothing like a little backyard snow tubing to entertain the kids. Oh we had fun in spite of the cold!

my kids

2010-01-31T21:41:00.004-06:00

Don't hassle me about the bad pet eye correction. I was walking into the dinning room this afternoon and saw them laying there together. I slowly grabbed my p&s and had to shoot with the flash on. Moments like this are few and far between, you have to take what you can get!

My poor kids spent a lot of time sitting for me friday & saturday morning while i got things ready for my first session in the new studio.

When she is alone Sadie Muffin does wonderfully!!

And when Sadie and the cat aren't around these two do wonderfully. Heaven forbid that Murphy actually lay on the floor. He loves that bean bag!
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to hold my heavy camera and a dog treat and snap my fingers to get him to sit, all at the same time!

Meet Murphy

2010-01-18T16:32:00.003-06:00

I know I know... I know i said no more. Ever. I remember. But it's not that easy. Unless you've had one it's hard to explain. Great Dane's are kind of like my crack. I just can't be without one. This little guy is so sweet! He's 11 weeks old and about 38lbs.

This was a brand new bean bag chair for the studio. Guess I'll have to pick up another one.

He decided he was done.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-27T21:57:00.003-06:00

We were kindly invited over for a most wonderful Thanksgiving dinner this year. There is nothing like great food, a big noisy family and guns to celebrate all that we are thankful for!

In all seriousness this was probably the best Thanksgiving meal I've had in a long time.

Our helpless Thanksgiving targets.

The identities of those involved in our after dinner target practice have been obscured so as to protect their reputation as good upstanding responsible citizens of this great state.

y

Halloween 2009

2009-12-27T21:26:00.002-06:00

I think everyone knows how much i love Halloween. I make no bones about it. For the last couple years i have implemented a few Halloween rules. The first being the costume must be scary. No more princesses or knights. Those days are over. And you must go out in full costume! Make-up, hair, clothes, you must have the full package. Dan fought me a little bit this year, I kept telling him to "trust me". Wav on the other hand knows better, she just let me work my magic! I figure this is probably about the last year for this... sniff, sniff....

The two little tourist thought the Wiggles were awesome! They were so excited about the Wiggles they didn't even care about the candy!

The last Camping weekend of 2009

2009-12-27T21:12:00.002-06:00

No it was not recently. But I'm finally getting around to updating my blog. During these cold and snowy days these pictures are bringing back some great memories.

We enjoyed our last camping trip on the weekend of 10/16/09 and as i recall it was very very cold that weekend. We were double and triple layered with what ever we had on hand for sweatshirts and jackets. It was a rare weekend where we actually needed the heat of the campfire.

OMG!!!!

2009-12-03T21:43:00.001-06:00

I have two tickets to see Ani DiFranco in my hand, OMG!!!!! April can't get here soon enough!!

The Latest Iluminate Book News

2009-12-03T20:37:00.002-06:00

Check out the article on Karen & Natalie's book!

http://www.edenprairienews.com/news/city-news/author-believes-kids-will-take-shine-her-books-112

Humble Pie

2009-11-22T17:29:00.006-06:00

We took a little road trip Saturday to beautiful, sunny Minneapolis for the Humble Pie book signing at Bachmans. How fun!! The books were flying out the door!! We are so proud of Natalie & Karen and this accomplishment!!

Get your copy at iluminatebooks.com

It Happens

2009-10-18T20:32:00.004-05:00

Back in September my friend AP and I went to a concert in Ames. We really just wanted to see Matt Nathanson and he was opening for Sugarland. Neither of us were Sugarland fans or even really knew more than one or two of their songs. But we were willing to suffer through Sugarland just to see Matt.
Well Matt was great! And then there was some country guy whose name escapes me completely. The only thing I remember about him is that he had nice arms. And then Sugarland took the stage. What a great show!! And now, months later I've finally gotten around to downloading some of the songs we heard that night. I'm totally hooked on their stuff. You'll notice I didn't even bother to get my camera out during their part of the show. Shame on me!

In the infamous words of Jennifer Nettles....

Ain't no thyme or reason
No complicated meaning
Ain't no need to over think it
Let go laughing

Life don't go quite like you planned it
We try so hard to understand it
Irrefutable, indisputable
The fact is, psssh, it happens

September Camping

2009-10-12T21:16:00.003-05:00

oh i'm so far behind in blogging... so much to say so little time! We had the pleasure of camping with the whole gang in September again. This time Jason (a.k.a. my #1 blog fan) came prepared. With his portable 27 inch TV, Xbox 360 and a box full of games. I don't know if we can really call this "roughing it"?

Denise did not partake in the gaming.

They were getting too much glare so we had to create make-shift "walls". Here you can see Dan kicking all three of their butts at Halo!

We were finally able to get the Iowa game on our little TV. I think we've decided to upgrade the camper tv next season!

Say a prayer today

2009-10-07T10:01:00.001-05:00

My friend Kim's little girl Song is having open heart surgery at the University of Iowa hospitals this morning. Please say a little prayer for Song and her family and her doctors.

Random Photos

2009-09-29T22:48:00.004-05:00

Just a few random shots i came across tonight....

Here's something i didn't notice until just now. Notice how relaxed my children are and how obviously up tight i am. Can you see it? Keep in mind this was the week I spent in Duluth when my dad had triple bypass.

Godspeed Sully boy...

2009-09-13T20:16:00.002-05:00

We lost our Sully boy this evening.... it's unbelievable to me that I'm going through this today. Our best guess is that he had an allergic reaction to something. Some of you will remember earlier this spring when he had the large mass on his shoulder while we were camping. That came up within about 20 minutes. We are guessing that something similar happened this evening except that this time the mass was in his throat. We are all heartbroken here. absolute disbelief....

First Day of School

2009-08-30T20:19:00.004-05:00

Oh my babies are back to school!!!! Dan started 6th grade and Wav started 4th grade on the 19th. I'm not sure I'm ready for 6th grade. It's been a week and a half now and I'm hearing a lot about girls and showering after gym class. No, not those things together, but those seem to be the most interesting things, individually, of course, at this point. Wav went in and tested on the Harry Potter book she read over the summer and has kick started her AR points!!! Oh yeah I'm hearing more about boys from her than I would care to also! Why can't they just stay little?

Well I'm back to work tomorrow. I've only been off a week and a day but it feels like forever. I was really worried I wouldn't be ready to go back, especially after the past couple days. But today I felt good for the most part so I think i'm ready. I hope I can remember what to do when I get there, lol! I feel like such a ding-a-ling lately. I'm hoping that will pass and soon!

camping July 25th

2009-08-25T13:26:00.008-05:00

We had a great camping weekend on the 14th up at Prairie Bridges in Ackley. The weather was beautiful and so unlike a normal Iowa weekend in August! The kids of course didn't think twice about jumping in the pond to swim, YUCK! I wish every weekend could be like this!

Two little girls

2009-08-12T21:44:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday I got to spend some time with two very adorable little girls! Check out a few of their photos at Robinett Photos

my pack

2009-08-02T10:16:00.004-05:00

I can't say enough about this fabulous weather that we are experiencing here in Iowa. Essentially no humidity, mild temps & sunny skies! I spent about 30 minutes outside with the dogs this morning just enjoying it!

A day in Robinett history: August 1, 2003

2009-08-01T12:52:00.003-05:00

My baby was getting ready to start Kindergarten in 2003 at Immanuel Lutheran, he was all of five. We were trying on school clothes here.

Wav was three years old here. She had just that morning given herself a hair cut. Check out that snotty nose!! This photos reminded me of Courtney Love!!!

Not blogging

2009-07-31T06:50:00.002-05:00

Yeah yeah yeah i know it's been awhile since I've posted anything. I have not been blogging lately. Mostly because a) I've not been home. No I've not been out doing wickedly fun things. And b) I spend all of my time at work. And if I've learned anything from Heather Armstrong, one of Forbes most influential women in media, it's that you don't blog about work.
And I know you don't want to hear about work and I know when i walk out of there i'd rather not talk about work. I'd like to keep the precious two and half hours a day i have away from there all to myself.....

Never fear, I will be back before you know it. In the meantime i highly recommend reading this post. I laughed out loud and even shed a tear

http://www.dooce.com/2009/07/27/labor-story-part-two

Triple bypass

2009-07-08T23:11:00.004-05:00

My quick three day trip north has been extended. Dad had triple bypass surgery on Tuesday at St. Mary's in Duluth. He is not recovering quite as quickly as we may have hoped but he is improving. They stopped the sedation late this evening and we were able to communicate a little with him. He is still on the ventilator but they are hoping to take that out tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and concern. We truly appreciate it!

I was able to take an hour or so each of the past two evenings to get out and shoot a few photos. Duluth is such a photogenic town! I'll apologize now for the color, I'm working on Tom's laptop (thank you honey!) and the monitor is not quite what I'm used to (I'm so spoiled at home!) so I can't really tell but I think it's off a little.

4th of July weekend

2009-07-05T18:25:00.009-05:00

Oh what a relaxing weekend we had! We left for Clayton Hills Campground early Thursday afternoon. We camped next to the Droste's and their family this weekend. We had such a great time, really doing nothing! A lot of sitting around relaxing, reading books, the kids watched some movies, we drove into McGregor and Prairie a couple times, it was just nice! The folks came up on the 4th and had lunch and dinner with us. That evening we enjoyed the campgrounds fire works display. It was even better that we were able to watched them from our lawn chairs by our camp fire.
We are already looking forward to doing it again next year!

Wav & I downtown McGregor.

Dan, Wav & Sadie at Pike's Peak State Park.

I do not think Sadie appreciated the little hat we bought her.

I really enjoyed the quiet time, sitting out under the awning, basking in the glow of our awning lights.

Today

2009-06-23T19:02:00.003-05:00

I'm a follower...sometimes. Thanks Cathy & Ali!

TODAY
June 23st, 2009

Outside my window... The black clouds are rolling in on 60 mph winds.

I am thinking... how much I love my little Sadie-muffin who is curled up beside me on the couch.

I am thankful for... health insurance.

From the kitchen... i can still smell the chicken la-las we had for dinner.

I am wearing... Tom's old red t-shirt and blue shorts (i came in soaking wet from the monsoon outside and changed into the first thing that was close).

I am creating... a video from the wedding photos i shot on saturday and post processing the engagement photos i took sunday.

I am going...to do very little the rest of the evening.

I am reading... a Lisa Gardner book on my kindle. for the life of me i can't remember the name.

I am hoping... that i can get back and forth from my car to my desk successfully tomorrow.

I am hearing... Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. I love Netflix!

Around the house... there are lots of things that need to be done yet here i sit....

One of my favorite things... my canon of course!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Clean up the house and yard to get ready for the wedding on Saturday. Take Waverly to the orthodontist as she has lost so many teeth recently that her retainer no longer fits. Go see my dear friend Lisa Saturday morning so that she can work her magic.

Camping weekend

2009-06-15T18:59:00.002-05:00

It was a rather short camping weekend for the kids & I. We drove up to Wapsipinicon State Park after work on Friday. It rained and rained and rained all the way up there. And it continued to rain until about 7am on Saturday morning. Thankfully though it stopped and stayed rather cool all day Saturday. We had a great time with some of the folks from Tom's work. This is my new friend Elaine.

and her dog Sunny.

and my kids still glued to the video games even out in the great outdoors.

unphotographable

2009-06-10T13:14:00.002-05:00

This is a photo I did not take. Of a woman driving into the parking lot of a psychiatrist office. Her car windows were rolled down and she was talking, out loud, to herself, rehearsing the spiel she was going to give to the doctor to convince him she wasn’t crazy.

Digital Scrapbooking

2009-06-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

I'm really enjoying digital scrapbooking. I've gotten to a point where I can create my own templates too! It's just so easy and I don't have a lot of free time these days (ok that's like the understatement of the year) so if it can be done quickly then I can do it!

Side note

2009-05-31T21:55:00.003-05:00

On a side note, obviously we did not leave Stella a full bowl of cat food this weekend. She made her demands known.

Pine Lake Weekend

2009-05-31T21:27:00.004-05:00

I love just hanging out in my camper, I'm really kind of an inside girl anyway! And luckily all three of my dogs love taking naps!

We had kind of an eventful weekend! Sully sprouted a huge bump on his shoulder Friday afternoon. We ended up driving him into the vet at 7:30am Saturday morning (thanks doc!) for a shot and meds. If it doesn't go down by mid week he'll have to have it removed in the office. No one is really sure even what it is but it doesn't bother him at all thankfully.

The kids each crashed on their bikes this weekend and walked away with some good road rash. Our camping neighbors lost their two year old son about 7:30pm on Saturday night so we all helped them search the camp ground. He was found about 15 minutes later, way down by the spill way, fishing all by himself. We were all relieve.

Sunday morning Brian was running his mouth (which is not unusual) about being able to out run Sha (who had a pretty sucessful track season this year). I made him put is money where his mouth is and race her (short distance mind you). We were cracking up as he "warmed up" by jumping straight up and down and stetching. And I'll be damed if he didn't win the race! He is way faster than I gave him credit for!!!! I think my mom captured it on video so I may get that posted yet!

The weather was absolutly perfect all weekend and we all had a great time! But how is it a weekend of doing very little can be so exhausting? I came home, quickly unloaded the camper and took a shower and could not help but lay down for an hour or two...

Sadie-licious

2009-05-28T23:01:00.004-05:00

Who said I wasn't a small dog person?? Did I say that? Nah!!! Isn't she just the cutest! And she cuddles up to me every night and snores her little soft snores. I just love her to pieces!

Here she is trying chew off Sully's ear. He is such a good boy. So very tolerant.

It's hard to see where one dog ends and the next begins. Just a pile of black and white!!!
She fights just as hard as they do, she turns into "Sadie-vicious"

Isn't it nice of Sully to share his bone? Well rather to give up his bone!

She even beats up on Stella.

Last weekend sessions

2009-05-24T23:20:00.003-05:00

I had a busy weekend last week! Saturday was cold but sunny (I was praying for overcast all weekend, lol). I met Jill & her family in Waterloo and we braved the wind and cool temps. Then Sunday Henry & his parents came to see me in Reinbeck (I did finally get my overcast day!) and we walked around town and got some cute photos. You can see some more of these session on my photoblog

Happy Anniversary

2009-05-21T07:08:00.001-05:00

15 years ago today we were getting married.... Happy Anniversary honey!

Our favorite Song!

2009-05-20T22:13:00.006-05:00

It was cold. It was windy. But the sun was shining and hundreds of us were out for a great cause!! It was fun to catch up with Kim and her family as we walked, it had been way too long since we'd been together. She and Mike should be very proud of their beautiful family!

Click here to Visit Song's page to read her story and make a donation.

Dan walked with us too but he couldn't keep us with Wav & I!!
Check out her new glasses. Aren't they very waverly?

Denise and her mom came out to walk with us. The boys road along in their big stroller too!

someone is missing from this picture?

The newest edition

2009-05-10T21:42:00.003-05:00

Someone recently asked me if I had trouble with impulse control?
Nah.... not me!

Isn't she adorable!! She is a french bulldog mix. You should see her in her cute little sweaters!!

I got them all to sit still for just one moment. Sully doesn't really like Sadie to touch him. He's a little scared of her.

It's kind of like I can't image Dan without Wav. I can't image Sully without Sarah.

Pine Lake Weekend

2009-05-03T21:26:00.005-05:00

May 1st was the official kick off to the 2009 camping season. Pine Lake was far from full but there were still a lot of people there. The weather could not have been more beautiful! The kids rode their bikes all around the park, we walked the dogs (and by we I mean the kids and Tom), we ate good food and enjoyed a little family time. Mom & Kevin were camping for the first time this weekend in their new trailer, everything went very smoothly & Mom is already planning her next camping weekend!!! Bea & Gene dusted off the RV and were setting up next to us just before breakfast on Saturday morning. As always I was sad to have to come home Sunday afternoon and can't wait until we can go again!!

What do you think??? Ghetto fabulous!!! I had to have my lights!
I hadn't had my 70-300mm out in so long I had forgotten what a nice lens it is.....
We got to see the migrating Pelicans. They were so beautiful. I guess last year there were around 300 of them on the lake. It was a sight to watch them take off from the water.
Sully in his customary position.

Camp photos

2009-05-03T20:56:00.006-05:00

Here are some photos that my mom took this weekend at Pine Lake.

My folks' trailer is on the right, we are on the left. My in laws were to the left of us.

Baby Luck

2009-04-30T14:06:00.002-05:00

I got to meet Isabelle on Saturday. What a sweet heart! We really bonded too. Of course I was thinking she would be asleep for much of the time she was here, boy was I wrong. She was all about keeping an eye, or two, open. She was absolutely precious, even when she pooped on me. What an angel. Check out my photo blog for a few more photos.

Being in the forefront

2009-04-27T10:30:00.003-05:00

From the Waterloo Courier Monday April 27, 2009

"The Iowa Supreme Court’s unanimous and emphatic decision on April 3 made Iowa the third state to allow same-sex marriage, joining Massachusetts and Connecticut. For six months last year, California’s high court allowed gay marriage before voters banned it in November. Vermont has passed a law that will take effect in September.

Iowa has a history of being in the forefront on social issues. It was among the first states to legalize interracial marriage and to allow married women to own property. It was also the first state to admit a woman to the bar to practice law and was a leader in school desegregation."

:-(

2009-04-22T13:41:00.001-05:00

Miss me?

I know I do.....

Slippers

2009-04-19T20:28:00.002-05:00

I had the distinct pleasure of spending a little time with my friend Jodi's family last Sunday afternoon. All of her aunts & uncles & cousins were visiting for Easter so we took a few family photos (check out my photo blog!). Someone, however, thought he could get away with wearing his slippers outside!!!

Rearranging

2009-04-06T20:51:00.004-05:00

What is it about rearranging that is so appealing to me?? I'm forever trying to find the perfect blog template or just the right layout. I can never leave well enough alone. This weekend I ended up downloading some templates and then attempting to tweak them on my own. I'm not so much of a geek that I can write my own CSS code or xml or whatever it is, but I was able to find some good tips online. I like the layout I have going on my other site click here.
So long as you're not viewing it from GMAC's netword you can see it, but because of the blocks they have the pretty grey/black background doesn't show up. This blog is ok, the layout is good but the colors aren't exactly what i was going for... I want somthing like what Cowbelly has with essentially, patterned paper along the back and I think i figured out the code for it, but you have host the image on photobucket and photobucket seems unreliable to me. So i'm stuck with a solid color background I guess. It could be worse, lol!
Don't be surprised if you see some changes over the next few weeks, I can feel it already, this is not quite the end!!

By the way, if any of you are tech-y and know how I can get what it is I'm looking for in a blog drop me a line.

The letter R

2009-04-01T20:36:00.003-05:00

I was so tired Monday night by the time I got home I had vowed I was going to bed early. I had been up earlier than normal that morning. I worked through my lunch and it felt like I had rushed around all day. After work I ran up to tan, as did everyone else in Blackhawk county. I've never seen my beloved Tan World so backed up! So of course by the time I got into my favorite bed it had to be at least 9000 degrees in there. I laid there sweating profusely for 12 minutes, the whole time trying to figure out why in the hell we put ourselves through these regiments. The immediate thought: why do we spend our hard earned money to lay naked in a little coffin sized oven to brown our skin? What about this process is enjoyable? Yet it is.

Then I broadened my scope. I run from my bed to the shower, the whole time trying to get the kids up and at it. Then I run to the car and its off to work. If I don't work through my lunch I try to run in to tan or run to my photo lab (God bless Sara who always has a smile on her face when I come in) or squeeze in doctor and dentist appointments. Then after work I run to the Y two nights a week, or I run to church meetings or I run to Target or Walmart. Once I'm home I need to pick up the house and do laundry or help the kids with school projects or sew on girl scout badges or play with my four legged kids. Then after 8 or so I try to sit down at the computer to catch up with the world or work on photos or a little digital scrap booking or even blog. And if I'm really lucky I can be in bed by 9:30 or so and read my book for an hour. Then in a short 7 hours it starts all over again.

At a recent doctor's appointment (and I use the word doctor loosely) I recounted all of the things that I am responsible for and all that I do. She said to me "Do you ever do anything for yourself?" I looked at her and was puzzled. Didn't she just hear me list all of things I do. And I said to her "Sure I do. All of those things that I just mentioned I do for myself." I don't think she bought it but it's true. I do them all because I like to. No one forces me to do any of those things, I've chosen them all. I enjoy a clean house so I clean. I enjoy being tan and going to the Y and serving my church and being creative. I get real satisfaction from my job at GMAC and from being a photographer (and I used the term photographer loosely, lol!). I love it when I can help my kids pull together really great projects or sell 134 boxes of cookies. Or when I lend a hand or even just an ear to a friend. That's me!

Anyway, originally I was just going to post this layout, whoops. I did this Monday night (i was up until 11pm!!). I opened the template (you can get the templates at two peas) and just started throwing in pictures. I'm a sucker for groupings like this. Hope you like it!!!

Today's post is brought to you by the letter R! Who doesn't love Sesame Street?

36

2009-03-28T17:24:00.004-05:00

Thirty six.
Thirty six is closer to forty than thirty five was. And much further away from thirty. But I think I'm ok with it now. I'm trying to embrace thirty six. Some things are changing in my life, things that will make thirty six memorable.
Already this year has gone smoothly and been full of good things and good people. I've met some wonderful families, three to be exact. I have some fun things to look forward to this summer like camping in the new camper, both of my kids attending Summer enrichment and most notably a photo project that I'm going to be doing in August.
So bring it on thirty six, I'm ready.

Wav makes the phone book

2009-03-28T14:14:00.006-05:00

Waverly announced the other afternoon that she had drawn a picture that was selected to be in our local phone book. I promptly dug the little phone book out of the garbage to look, and low and behold there was her drawing on the back page. We are so proud!!!

It's amazing how two dooney's can really take the sting out of a 36th birthday.
(Thanks mom!)

I snapped this this morning, all of my four legged kids in one picture.

Sully getting comfortable!

My New Website

2009-03-23T06:59:00.004-05:00

Well not quite a website but as close as I'm going to come for now. I've moved the "business" end of my blog over to it's own space. Bookmark it!!! Pop over there to see my new friend Cameron!

Robinett Photography

Words of Wisdom

2009-03-18T21:03:00.002-05:00

"But I do know this: You quit doing what you know is bad for you when you are ready to do it. End (and beginning) of story." ~Cathy Zielske

Amen sister! I think I'm ready.

I'm still laughing....

2009-03-15T10:54:00.003-05:00

We watched the best movie last night! I know it's been out for a while but sometimes it takes me a while to find time to sit down and really enjoy a movie. If you haven't seen Zack & Miri you need to. Buy it, rent it, move it to the top of your Netflix! I laughed harder than I have in a long time. And I love this guy!! I think the funniest part is at the end. I can't even type "dutch rudder" without giggling!!

The adolescent years

2009-03-11T20:01:00.004-05:00

Meet my adolescent Sully. Doesn't this photo scream "I don't fit here!". He's got a funny look on his face. His ears are all cockeyed. He's finally started to shed so he's loosing that downy puppy softness. His lips are growing. He falls down the steps every so often (there is nothing scarier than the sound of all that dog rolling down the steps). There is actually a strip of hair down his back that almost looks curly. He is the epitome of a teenage boy! If I came home and he had on a black leather spiked collar and had pierced his nose I would not be surprised!!!

But oh do we love our boy! He sleeps in between us at night, under the covers no less. And if you don't let him under the covers he will rub his cold wet nose along your back until you do! He still lays on his Dora the Explorer bean bag chair in the tv room, though he can only get about 1/2 of his body on it. Today someone had thrown it over in the corner so there he sat facing the wall all by himself because he insisted on laying on Dora! He and Sarah wrestle until she can't take it any longer, it's a good thing she's little or we'd have broken furniture.

They are just about the best dogs ever.

Digital Scrapbooking

2009-03-09T21:54:00.002-05:00

I did a little digi scrapbooking a year or two ago. For some reason I found myself on Two peas in a bucket last night and went crazy downloading super fun stuff!!! I used elements from Sande Krieger and Rhonna Farrer (this was a free kit). The font is 2peas Jaya Bean. The photo frame is French Laundry.

a little bit of February

2009-03-08T13:16:00.004-05:00

Thank you to everyone who purchased girl scout cookies from Waverly (or rach or tom). She was excited about all the cookies she sold! I'll just be glad when the ones we bought are gone, we aren't used to having that many cookies just hanging around the house.

I was absolutely touched by this project. Waverly did this in school and it was hanging up in the hallway when we went up for conferences in Feb. If you click on the picture you can read her write up. My favorite line is "she inspires me to do all new things."

Oh my poor Sully wants so badly to sleep in this chair.... We will be taking his monthly picture tonight, I'm anxious to see the difference. Seems like he has really grown this month.

I picked this up this week. It's a 12x12 gallery wrap (i realize it's hard to see that here). I love it!

so much to say, so little time

2009-03-05T20:28:00.002-06:00

I have pictures to blog about and stories to tell but not tonight.....

It was a beautiful day and I heard it is supposed to rain on Saturday so we popped up the pop-up and got it emptied out tonight. I was sad. I will miss that smell. Isn't that funny, but if you've camped in a pop up you know the smell of which I speak. I don't care if it's a new pop-up or a vintage model like ours, they have that great canvas/campy smell. So it's empty now and ready for me to advertise it for sale. There's really no sense in hanging on to it. It will only sit in the corner of the yard unused. I have to say good bye to it. So if you know of anyone looking for a great starter camper with a fun vintage flare shoot me an email.

Maternity photos

2009-03-01T19:52:00.004-06:00

I think one of the things I most enjoy about photography is the people I get to meet and work with. I met Nate & Lyndsi on Saturday for some maternity shots. I know Lyndsi wasn't feeling the best but she looked just beautiful!

Previews of Baby R

2009-02-27T10:24:00.002-06:00

song info

2009-02-24T19:11:00.001-06:00

The song on the baby r video is called Safe & Sound by Matthew West. You can find it on itunes.

Baby R

2009-02-19T19:52:00.005-06:00

I met the most amazing family today! I feel honored to have been invited into their hospital room to share an hour with them and their beautiful new baby boy!

I knew I wasn't going to have much time to play with them this weekend so I put together this quick little video, make sure your volume is turned up. (Laura & Devin I just couldn't make you wait, hope you like it, congratulations.)

He is absolutely beautiful.

all apologies....

2009-02-17T20:35:00.005-06:00

Here I am. I didn't leave you, I'm sorry I was so neglectful. Thanks to everyone who pointed out that I hadn't had a blog post in 9 days. I'm feeling the love! This one is going to be random, well cuz that's how I am, lately anyway!

I have had more fun working on my quilts. There is something so relaxing about surrounding myself with brightly colored cotton. I love the way it looks and feels. I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I finish a block. Thanks to my Tuesday crafting girls who actually got me out this month. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The picture below represent the midway point in this one. I can't wait to see it finished.

I was doing laundry late last week and for what ever reason noticed for the first time what my washer said. Heavy. High Agitation. I laughed because at that moment those words exactly described how I felt. Oh the irony. I laughed about that one the rest of the night.
In contrast this week is starting off on the gentle cycle, I can handle that.

I'm a bad mom. Dan's birthday was the 6th and do you know I woke up on the 7th and realized I had not taken one picture of him on this 11th birthday. Shame on me. So here's Dan, officially 11 years old, with his cool new phone (as we washed the old one).

Sullivan Farkas is getting so big! he is now bigger than Sarah. You have to be quick to get his picture. He does not like to sit still for long. Can you see the new black spot under his eye? That's just popped up in the past couple weeks. He doesn't look happy here. I was trying to get some pictures while Tom was giving him his "lesson" for the day.

And I thought toddlers were hard to photography... All I wanted is a picture of the two of them so you could see how much bigger Sully is than Sarah, but no. No one would sit and look at me.

I'm looking forward to having tomorrow off of my GMAC job. By the way I'm very much enjoying my new job. It's very fast paced and is testing my multi tasking skills but that is exactly what I was looking for. I have list of things to do tomorrow, most of them things I'm looking forward to! A couple in particular.

I'm sort of feeling like things are turning around for me. Actually no, that's not quite right. Because it's not like there was anything bad I needed to turn away from. Maybe not a turn but rather a merge, yeah a merge onto another road. Like the way hwy 35 becomes 35w or 35e in MN. Or maybe back onto a road I was on before. No wait. I've got it. A merge onto a road that I had traveld on before but let's say there's been some construction since I was on it last, so it's familar, yet new.

Wow I think I lost myself on that one.... anyway. Stay tuned!

Sully at four months

2009-02-08T19:20:00.004-06:00

It took him a couple tries but I think he finally remembered that he had to sit up in the chair, rather than lay down. He got right up there, sat all pretty and looked at me like "take the picture woman." I was surprised to see how much he's grown this month! It's no wonder he's clumsy, he probably wakes up with longer legs every morning!

2009-02-07T21:59:00.003-06:00

All I can say about this (for now) is that we got it home and I'm madly in love with it (do you think my family would notice if I went out there to sleep tonight?). Anyway, it's a long story...

Thankfully, I'm working through some personal inadequacies at the moment which means I'm doing a lot of cleaning. That's how I cope. Mo stopped by tonight and I asked her, what's the stage beyond cobwebs? Cuz that's where I was. They are gone now though!!! I hung photos, I dusted, I had the pledge & the windex going it was great!

Tomorrow "The Gris" gets it? The Gris, like Clark Griswold, LOL!!!! I told Tom I'm going to find someone to paint over the front awning and make it say "The Gris"

Ok that's all I've got for now. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a Sully update. It's time for another monthly picture in the pink chair. Next month he may have to sit beside the chair for the picture.

Bobby McFerrin

2009-01-31T21:58:00.008-06:00

Most people think of one thing when you mention Bobby McFerrin: "Don't Worry, Be Happy". That's a great tune, but Bobby is so much more than that. Last fall when I heard that he was going to be at Gallagher Bluedorn I couldn't wait to get on the horn and order tickets, the first day they were available! These were the best seats I've ever had for a show, (well where I didn't have to look around a very large lesbian anyway!!). 2nd row orchestra on the aisle. When the usher sat us she even comment on our luck.

The show was amazing. It was more than amazing but I can't seem to come up with a better word right now. He started off with some of his original work, sounds that are so Bobby McFerrin. When you are listening to a cd it's easy to forget that there is no fancy mixing, no special audio effects, but when you are looking right at him you are reminded it's all just him, only him. As the show went on he started to involve the audience. He sang Bach while asking the audience to sing Ava Maria over top. He invited people up on stage to do interpretive dance to his improv, he asked people to come up and sing with him. At one point he asked about 12 singers to come on stage. He ended up with more like 30. For me there were two song he did that were especially incredible; Drive from Simple Pleasures and Blackbird from The Voice.

The Simple Pleasures CD (actually I think I had the tape) came out in 1988, I was 15 years old. I fell in love with his music instantly, more so the tracks other than DWBH. I remember laying in bed one Sunday night late, I was listening to my walkman, my radio walkman, with the antenna up. I would run the dial slowly up and down, fm & am, just listening for anything off the beaten path. Remember I was 15 & I bet there are a few of you out there that remember how hard I worked at being "off the beaten path" around that time. Anyway, I remember one night coming across Bobby McFerrin in concert on a Public Radio show. He did Blackbird that night. I remember thinking how unique his sound was and how badly I wished I was there, in that theater, watching that show. Twenty one years later I finally got to be the one sitting in the theater, watching him live.

photos courtesy of www.bobbymcferrin.com

"It's really the act of singing and being there in the moment when music is made that I love most." -Bobby McFerrin 1/21/09

Reaffirmation

2009-01-27T19:57:00.000-06:00

You know I didn't need it. I didn't need to be reminded that I'd made the right choice. But on the other hand I think a little reaffirmation is good for the soul. Like a little pat on the back from yourself. That little voice that says "See girl, I told you this was the right thing to do!".

And she's always right you know, that little voice. Her name is Candy. Doesn't everyone name their alter? Am I sharing too much? Have I been watching too much United States of Tara? Are you keeping up with me today?

Anyway I got that today. And once I realized what it was, it made me smile.

2009-01-21T19:02:00.003-06:00

You have to check out this posting:
http://shortyjohnsonfarms.blogspot.com/2009/01/diversify.html

I laughed out loud, seriously. I'm not just saying lol, I actually did LOL!!!! And I hope the "golden girl version of Thelma & Louise" is ready for the throw down. I heard today that they were going to put down the cross stitching and get serious about quilting! Gotta love multi-crafters!!

Mo & I are really into this quilt thing. Even if it only last long enough for me to get one done I'll be happy. I had so much fun cutting out my stuff last night. I did manage to get one panel put together before my machine started making a horrible racket. I guess you have to oil them. Who knew? It's not like I needed another "hobby" to fill my "free time". But you can never have too many irons in the fire. You know my theory, if you aren't feeling stressed you aren't working hard enough. If you aren't feeling stressed you don't have enough going on in your life. You can sleep when you're dead!

restless

2009-01-18T17:04:00.002-06:00

I'm restless today... I've been messing with my blog, never quite getting it to where I want it.... Messed with some photos but got nothing monumental.... I tried to go outside earlier, even though the weather is much improved from last week it's still too cold to be out there long... I've got tomorrow off (due to the Holiday) and am just wishing I could go in and work (what the hell is wrong with me??). I hope tomorrow feels more productive than today. Here's a photo of Stella from last summer....

Maybe that's it, maybe I need some sunshine?

What would you risk your life for?

2009-01-17T21:05:00.005-06:00

What would you drive through a blizzard for?

I've never seen as many cars in the ditch as I did today. And not just in the ditch but upside down in the ditch. A few years ago Tom & I drove to Chicago a day or so after a terrible ice storm and I remember seeing all the cars still in the ditches from a day or two before. This was different because many of these cars still had their engines running & their tires spinning. At one point we were routed up the exit and then back onto the highway because of a semi that was across the road. Thankfully we had a very experience driver at the wheel! And had no real trouble ourselves. Other than the strange smells, I don't know what that was all about.

So I guess unknowingly we risked our lives for a camper. I know, initially it doesn't seem like it would be worth it, but it's a heck of a nice camper and we got a great deal! I'm super excited!! It was in wonderful condition. Now I'm even more ready for spring!!!

thoughts of spring

2009-01-16T22:54:00.000-06:00

Font funk

2009-01-16T20:21:00.004-06:00

I'm in a font funk. I love fonts, but I hate what I have. Sometimes a serif, sometimes not. Sometimes traditional, sometimes funky. But lately I don't have what I want. It might be helpful if I knew what I wanted I suppose....

What are you favorite fonts?

Ok just one quick Sully picture... he loves this chair but he just isn't going to fit in it pretty soon. He is up to 40lbs. 3 months and 40lbs.

Feminist Lesson of the day

2009-01-14T18:23:00.003-06:00

No, this has nothing to do with the Darwin awards. No, I don't recommend anyone try this at home. My entry way lights were burned out. It is too cold and snowy to bring in the ladder and the ceiling is too high to reach by just standing on a chair. So I'll admit I had to improvise. Waverly helped me change the light bulbs and also thought to snap a quick picture (that's what i get for teaching her to use my little camera). I asked what she learned from this. Her reply:
"you don't need no stinking man." Amen to that sister. I've taught her well!

New Beginnings

2009-01-11T16:39:00.005-06:00

This morning during church I was installed as an elder. I'm very excited for this opportunity to serve my church as a member of Session. During the installation one of our traditions is for all current and past elders & deacons to come forward and lay their hands on the member being installed. What a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by my church family like that. To feel their support and love for me.

Also tomorrow is the first day of my new job. After eight years in the cash area I'm moving back into the default world, this time in Loss Mitigation. I'm very excited for a new challenge!

This morning Kevin asked me if I was nervous about tomorrow. I'm not really but I really haven't thought about it that much either. I think I've said this before but I'm finding that I don't put a lot of excess thought into things lately. Last January one of my New Years resolutions was to stop over thinking things. I think I may have over done it, lol! (Leave it to me to over achieve on that one.) I think though, what I've cut out is all the unnecessary over analyzing that I use to do in my head (might be the meds too). I must say, it feels liberating and I certainly feel like my life is on the right track. So obviously my recent decisions have been good ones. (oh wow. I just realized, am I over thinking by hashing this out on line? oh goodness! is this like a hypochondriac that doesn't know they are a hypochondriac they just think they are really really sick all the time???)

My baby is growing up!

2009-01-10T08:30:00.003-06:00

They say in the summer on a quiet evening you can actually hear the corn growing. Well around here it's never quiet. Never. So you can't hear Sully growing but you can certainly see it. I swear I came home from work on Thursday night and he had grown in the 10 hours that I had been away!

These two pictures were taken just 33 days a part. He loves that chair (thank you Waverly for giving it up to him). But when he sleeps there now his legs hang off as does one side of his face. I looked at him just last night and noticed that his puppy face was quickly changing into a big dog face. It is bitter sweet.

Unphotographable

2009-01-10T08:13:00.001-06:00

This is a photo I did not take. While waiting in line at Burger King drive thru I saw a live trap set up along the wall, up next to the bushes. It was baited with french fries.