precious memories / warm heart

top photo of me and my girl friends taken by my brother / L - Nikon

My fiance (sounds so strange to me) and I went to see Trans-Siberain Orchestra perform on their Winter Tour. It was truly amazing.
From the powerful sound of this group to the simple, precious sound of friends of 60 years singing "Blessed Be the Tie that Binds" - it has been a wonderful start to the holidays.

My parents had a Christmas party today with a group of friends (about 8 couples) they have known for about 60 years. My brother and I helped out. But we were the ones blessed. This group of friends took care of us when we were babies, our families camped together when we were children - even after moving to different parts of the city they've joined hands in prayer every year at Christmas time throughout the years. The group, sadly, is getting smaller as husbands and wives have passed on. Now their children, my friends, bring the widowed parent to the party and this year I got to see a few of the girls. It was such a great time of fellowship and good food and lots of laughing.
Later, as I relaxed at home, enjoying some of the hor'derves I had missed and a hot cup of coffee I thought back and smiled inside at how funny they were - poking fun at their age, or at the stories that they retold but also smiled to think of this bond so strong - it truly warmed my heart.

This song that we all sang was the perfect ending to a perfect time together.

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent pray'rs;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims, are one,
Our comforts and our cares.

We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

received / given

photos by L

Today I received a cute little valentine "flower" (one of the guys here made them for everyone). It reminded me of Valentine's day growing up. I always loved Valentine's day as a child - the giving and receiving of homemade cards and candy gathered in "mail" boxes decorated with hearts of all sizes. I remember in first grade I had a little boyfriend who delivered a heart-shaped box of chocolates to my house. It made me feel so special. Through the years there was rarely that special someone to share Valentine's day with but it didn't really matter, I truly did enjoy the making and giving of gifts more. It's still true today. So in the spirit of younger years, this year I made my co-workers a little special valentine ball filled with candy and placed it on their desks. I hope it will make them smile and remember their childhood days of getting that cute little card with the bumble bee on it saying, "Honey Bee Mine"./

every year at my middle school we would make little mailboxes for valentines that other people in the class would give out- conduits for candy if you will. i remember one year that i made an awesome box that looked like fluffy white couch and on top of it i put two valentine bears that my nana had given me. i always had the most "artsy" box in the class because my mom and oma would always help me out. i think i still have the box somewhere. but it's funny how what i remember from that valentine's day celebration, and almost every one in grade school, is making the box with my mom, not any of the little gifts i might have received or words that were exchanged.

ordinary

solo post - L, Nikon

I was looking back over photos from the past year, trying to collect a few of my favorites. I found it funny that the ones that took me back to the moment the best where the very simple ones (not even necessarily good) taken of ordinary things. This one, for instance, was taken when I was at the John Campbell Folk School for a week. I went off without packing but one pair of socks. The mornings were unusually cold for October and the ground wet with dew on my early morning walks. I had to try to dry them in the sunlight every chance I had. Looking at this simple photo I can not only feel the cool, smooth wooden floors on my feet - all of the many wonderful memories come flooding back to me.
As I looked at other photos in my library I realized that it was the ones I had taken of my shoes, my feet on the ground that I stood, that really took me back to the moment the clearest - so clear I could smell the earth, feel the air, and hear the birds sing. Isn't that odd? I know it's nothing new, and every one does it, but I'll keep taking those photos of my feet wherever I go.

"Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life." - storypeople

Happy weekend

solo post - L, Nikon

What will you be doing this Halloween weekend? No more costumes for me to make here, no trick-or-treaters at my door to treat. I'll just be at home tomorrow night enjoying a traditional bowl of chili and watching a movie by the fire. Growing up my dad always made the first pot of chili of the season on Halloween night (usually cooked it over the fire) - a good hot bowl to feed us before we went out trick-or-treating into the night. Halloween was a good time back in those days. Whatever your weekend holds I hope it's fun, be safe and don't forget to set your clocks back. yeah for the extra hour of sleep.

The crow above was part of an installation for the Harvest Celebration at Aldridge Botanical Gardens. The tree was covered in crows that children had decorated in festive attire.

unload / remove

L - Nikon, T - phone pic

Yesterday we packed my car to the brim with T's belongings - it took 4 people 3 trips, up and down 4 flights of stairs, to get it done. Today I unpacked the car to put "her" back in her room. Well at least I didn't have 4 flights of stairs to tend with. But where did all of that stuff fit before? I guess if there was room before there will be room enough still – but it sure seems like a lot more than when she left. I'll be glad to have her home next weekend. / my room is so sad looking now. even removing the polaroids and stuff from my bulletin board was sad. i left the calendars, turned to a new month, on the board for this week just so it wouldn't be completely bare. ours was a room others liked to visit... it was inviting, neat and clean... we will miss this little place so much.

Oh I remember that bunny mask fondly.

luminescent / reflecting

L - today / T - one year ago today

I don't have much for tonight. I went outside in the misty rain after I got home - hoping to get some good spring photos. In the evening light the white blossoms seem to become luminescent. This was the only image I was pleased with and it was taken from inside. I have to say I'm ready for the sun to shine again. T didn't send me anything tonight so when she doesn't send a photo for the day I generally go back in iphoto to the exact day last year and pick a photo of hers to go with mine. / This photo was taken in her bedroom. We were in her room - me sitting on her bed and her at her closet going through the items she would need for the prom the next night and discussing what tomorrow would bring. We didn't make much of the prom like many people do - planning several weeks in advance for fancy parties and such. The night before we were still trying to decide which shoes and what necklace she was going to wear with the dress we had gotten just a few days before. When most girls plan to get together with large groups of friends and have fancy parties at their parent's enormous house and take the traditional photos of the group lined up the spiral staircase and out by the poolside or amongst the dogwoods and azaleas and then ride off in limos to go to the dance - we had other plans. And we were excited about them... In some ways it seems like so long ago and then in others it seems just yesterday. Tonight I give you just a shadow - a hint - of a story - I'll tell you the rest in my Monday Memories with PlanetM