for pleasure / for knowledge

L - Nikon / T - itouch

"Concentrate and nurture your mind with your best thoughts and great literature."

- 54 precious keys to happiness

(part of the series)

While I read to escape, she reads to absorb.

cute little journal from this etsy shop

intricate / simple

solo post - L, Nikon

"Trust that your intuition is your supreme inner intelligence." - 54 keys to happiness

No matter how much knowledge we gather, sometimes it's simple intuition that gives us the answer we need.

running / soaring

L - Nikon / T - Canon

"Keep the child in you alive. " - 54 precious keys to happiness

(sorry for the repeat of the last one - it just seemed appropriate for these photos. After all, it is an important one and worth hearing again, right?)

Evee just turned 12 on April 6th. Pretty old for a dog but you'd never know it in the way she behaves. She still has puppy energy. I love to see her running like the wind, ears flapping, loving the warm sun and cool breezes of springtime. / with two weeks left of school and breezy weather, we decided it was a great day to fly a kite. unfortunately the dollar store two for one kites weren't all that reliable, but my friend has some sort of kite whispering abilities that made hers soar. i gave up and decided that all i could do was document, but i vow to get better soon, in the sun and freedom of summer.

peek / boo

solo post, T - itouch

bunny is a funny cat with a lot of personality. i like playing games with her in the morning.

"Keep the child in you alive. " - 54 precious keys to happiness
(part of the series)

ruffled / rumpled

L - Nikon / T - itouch

"Regularly commune with and learn from nature." - 54 precious keys to happiness

(part of the series)

We can learn a lot from nature. But one thing I often think of is how plants follow the light; they grow and reach towards the sun. Without sunlight they wither. In our lives the "light" is love and peace and all things positive that help us reach our truest potential - these things give us meaning which brings happiness. On the contrary, negative feelings - bitterness and jealousy, etc, waste our energy and hinder our health and happiness.

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. " - Anne Frank

in the present / in the moment

L - iphone / T - Nikon

"Live each moment now. " - 54 precious keys to happiness

(part of the series)

I really needed to be working in my studio today but the weather was so so gorgeous, I just couldn't bring myself to stay indoors. So I enjoyed the day in the sun - on my hammock - listening to the birds and feeling the hot sun and cool breeze on my skin, reading every once in a while but mostly just closing my eyes and listening. It was near heaven. Every now and then I would get up and walk around the yard taking photos of new spring growth or photograph my work to post later. Free from deadlines, chores, obligations and such... in my mind, it's how Sunday's should be spent if at all possible. ...I worked in the studio when the sun went down. I hope you enjoyed some beautiful moments this glorious Sunday./ we all have our obligations- the schools and the works of the world frequently distract us from enjoying the beauty around us and usually make us think we have very few minutes to set aside for ourselves. but i think it's really important to read the books that you relish, the ones that you are sad to finish. enjoy the beautiful weather while it's here. don't let the pressures of everyday life prevent you from enjoying the seconds you won't be able to get back.

caring / sharing

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

"Practice and express kindness. " - 54 precious keys to happiness

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

What You’ll Need:

- 1 cup softened butter

- ¾ c packed light brown sugar

- 1 c granulated sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 1 tbsp vanilla extract

- 3 ½ c flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 1 package Double Stuff Oreos (or really any kind for that matter, i bought the cheap store brand [: )

What To Do:

- Preheat oven to 350

- In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until well combined; then beat in eggs and vanilla

- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda; slowly add to the wet mixture with the chocolate chips until just combined

- Form balls with a cookie scoop

- Place one ball on top of an Oreo cookie and one on the bottom; seal the edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until the Oreo is fully enclosed

- Place onto a greased baking sheet and bake for about ten minutes!

and voila, you have the best cookie known to man - now share them someone .

purple jelly beans / pink pom poms

L - iphone

"Make keen use of your five senses and become a sensualist." - 54 precious keys to happiness

I was keenly aware of my five senses today as I sat outside and ate my lunch. I looked around at the colorful world around me - yellow tulips, pink pompom cherry blossoms, white and purple pansies, the green green grass and the beautiful blue sky - colors matching the sweet and chewy jelly beans I had as a snack. A bird sang and I couldn't place it's song. A cool breeze was blowing, that mixed with the warm sunshine, brought a tingle to my spine . It gusted at times whipping up a mist from the waterfalls that cooled my skin and blew around in swirling delight the soft pink petals of the cherry tree that landed in piles like pink snow. It was a delightful day to be outside.

What excited your senses today?

sweet / sour

T - Nikon / L - Nikon

"Make wise and careful choices." - 54 precious keys to happiness

Taylor's photo is posted on top tonight.

Home on spring break - a new dress - a glass of old tea bags plus a fresh one (a cup each day since she's been home)... and bored perhaps. This is what she gives me today. I love it somehow but I didn't know how on earth I would make this work with the '54 keys of happiness' postings I've been sharing on our blog. So I turned it into this. "Make careful choices" ...or things could turn sour. It's a far stretch maybe but it my head it works for the moment.

unfold / emerge

L - Nikon

"Remember that order - preceding beauty - underlies all things."

- 54 precious keys to happiness

sustain

L - scannography

“Sustain an optimistic and positive attitude. ”

- 54 precious keys to happiness

calm / patient

L - Nikon

"Be patient with yourself and with others. "

- 54 precious keys to happiness

catching light / catching dreams

L - Nikon / T - Canon

"Be open to changing circumstances and remain flexible."

- 54 precious keys to happiness

I've missed my visits with you all but I've just been away on a fantastic trip to Arizona. Such a great place for inspiration, and a photographer's paradise. I came away with a few photos I really love but I have to say it wasn't without some frustration. I found I had a difficult time with the correct exposures. If you haven't seen some of my photos on flickr you might not realize where I have been. I visited the Grand Canyon, came within just feet of beautiful deer and elk, snowshoed deep in a birch tree forest, 4-wheeled in the desert at sunset, relaxed on the green lawn at Fountain Hills - home of the 4th largest water fountain in the world, and hiked the McDowell Sonoran Preserve without getting cactus burrs in my legs.

While I was in Arizona Taylor sent me this photo of her dream catcher and her camera pendant that hang in her rearview mirror - seemed fitting for what I was experiencing right there where dream catchers are made by the Navajo women. (the one she has was bought on our trip to Niagara Falls last August).

One thing that I was really looking forward to was a hot air balloon ride. It was scheduled for Thursday afternoon and the day was beautiful, warm and clear. The van filled with about 12 people drove to a large field, miles away from where we met, and then the balloon pilots sent small helium balloons up into the air to watch it's flight pattern and test the winds. We watched as the little white balloon went higher and higher and disappeared in the sky hoping that it was going to give them a positive reading. What they look for are winds no greater than 10mph, but they were at least 14 and gusting to 18mph - the flight had to be canceled. I was SO disappointed. I was so hoping for that ride in the sky across the desert at sunset. I tried hard not to pout like a baby. But... I found beauty regardless, walking on foot at the perfect time of evening I caught this wonderful light - and got my ultimate desert photo. I smiled with delight.

if you're interested in a few of the highlights of my trip you can see them here

impression / reflection

L - Nikon / T - ipod

"Accept what you cannot change. "

- from the 54 precious keys to happiness list in "Choosing Happiness" by Alexandra Stoddard