Saturday, November 8, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
mourning a great loss
This past weekend Finn and I took a last minute trip to Atlanta in hopes of introducing him to many of our friends who had yet to meet him. Stephen had been there for the better part of the week working and we missed him something awful so away we went. I didn't need much convincing and Finn had begun to sound like a broken record with, "dada, dada, daaddaaaa, dada". I had a running list in my head of all that I had hoped to accomplish, people I wanted to see, things I wanted eat, kids that I needed to meet (!), conversations that needed to be had. Of course, very few of those things were ever crossed off of my list or remembered at the appropriate time. It is a very different experience taking a trip with a baby (almost 1 year old). Anyway, we had a lovely time with our dear friends who welcomed us into their home and family outings. It was just a very different time then I have been used to- in that particular environment at least. I equate Atlanta with my single days- not married with a kid days. Funny how that slipped in there.
To our disappointment, Stephen ended up needing to stay in Atlanta one more night and was not able to caravan with us as originally planned. We stopped by the studio on our way out to say our goodbyes and he seemed notably distracted or upset or something. I just assumed that he was tired and overwhelmed by the work he had left ahead of him in the night. We went on our way and later that evening Stephen delicately shared some devastating news with me that he had learned just prior to our stopping by the studio. He didn't want to share it with me before I had to drive home. Our dear friend that we both used to work with at the High Museum for years, Robi Lyle, had passed away almost a week ago. Apparently he had been in a coma for about a month after passing out one afternoon. It was then that Dr.s discovered a massive brain tumor which resulted in his passing. He was at the hospital with his family when he passed away.
Robi was one of the people on our list that we had intended to get in contact with so that he could meet our son, Finnegan. Over the last eight years we had kept in semi regular contact with him- every few months or less we would either email, call or coordinate hanging out. He was supposed to come 'get away' for a weekend at our home. He was supposed to come to several of our parties- but something always seemed to come up. All of the 'should have, would have, could haves' began to run rampant in my brain. We have been in a state of shock I think. We both keep on googling his name to see if there is any more info on him etc. Stephen discovered a blog that he wrote on his myspace page a short while ago. It makes me both sad and comforted to hear his words. I thought it would be nice to share them...
To our disappointment, Stephen ended up needing to stay in Atlanta one more night and was not able to caravan with us as originally planned. We stopped by the studio on our way out to say our goodbyes and he seemed notably distracted or upset or something. I just assumed that he was tired and overwhelmed by the work he had left ahead of him in the night. We went on our way and later that evening Stephen delicately shared some devastating news with me that he had learned just prior to our stopping by the studio. He didn't want to share it with me before I had to drive home. Our dear friend that we both used to work with at the High Museum for years, Robi Lyle, had passed away almost a week ago. Apparently he had been in a coma for about a month after passing out one afternoon. It was then that Dr.s discovered a massive brain tumor which resulted in his passing. He was at the hospital with his family when he passed away.
Robi was one of the people on our list that we had intended to get in contact with so that he could meet our son, Finnegan. Over the last eight years we had kept in semi regular contact with him- every few months or less we would either email, call or coordinate hanging out. He was supposed to come 'get away' for a weekend at our home. He was supposed to come to several of our parties- but something always seemed to come up. All of the 'should have, would have, could haves' began to run rampant in my brain. We have been in a state of shock I think. We both keep on googling his name to see if there is any more info on him etc. Stephen discovered a blog that he wrote on his myspace page a short while ago. It makes me both sad and comforted to hear his words. I thought it would be nice to share them...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
| Ghost Man on Second It is funny sometimes, how conversation works, I mean. For instance, let's say you've saddled up to some bar--in this case, a favorite spot on Peachtree Street. You are a regular--like that Norm fellow from "Cheers.". In fact, you know the bar keep. He is a decent fellow, to be sure. Nice hair, good smell--a class act all the way. Let's be honest, you covet his girlfriend. Deep in your heart you know you would love her better, if only you had the chance. But anyway, he's an ok guy. It's a slow night and the two of you are talking up the Braves, the weather, the election and so on. However, you didn't come to the bar for chit-chat. You have important things to do. You are at the bar to pencil in the profound thoughts that have been crawling under your skin all day like a rash. You brought your journal, a good pen and some chewing gum--you're there to write in your book. Small talk is not on the agenda. But you are a good sport, you think to yourself, so you play your part--"Yes, it has been hot." or "You are right, Obama is our JFK," and so on. The whole time, in your head, you think you are doing the bartender a favor by talking, keeping your end of it up, so to speak. He's the lucky one, conversation-wise. You are the party supressing the yawn and looking at your watch on the sly--or so you think. But, you soon discover, the first chance he gets, he abandons the conversation under some made up pretense ("I have to go count the ice") and it hits you, you're the rube, the clown, the unaware waste of a few precious moments. He was thinking the same thing you were--"How do I get out of this?" and the whole time you thought you were the Spalding Gray of the pair--not the Potsie Webber. Well, friend, you were wrong. You may not want to wear it, but you, in fact, are the well known drag (and everybody knows it). Just shut up, drink your beer, and write those scintillating stories that will impress all your friends on Live Journal in silence. Be careful about pointing the finger, that is all I am saying. So. this is my first blog entry. While I have your eyes, I think I can make this experience worth your while by suggesting that if there is someone you love in your life--and I am not just talking about romantic love, it could be the love of a friend, the love between mother and child, or two bankers, whatever--if you love someone, give them a call. Do something nice. Love is all we need, sang the Beatles, but it is also all we really have (of value)--and I say this even though I have an ipod. So, take the hand of the person on the bus next to you and tell them how much they mean to you, how much they add to your life. It won't do you any harm. Keeping it to yourself, on the other hand, can be a real bear. It's like you are the coach of the team during the big game and your "I love you(s)" are time-outs. Don't let the clock run out when you have time-outs in your pocket. That's just fucking dumb. Be the kind of person who says "I love you" easily--that's almost as good as cultivating the rep that you always smell good. Above all, keep on thinking free. -Robi Lyle |
ROCK STAR, BABY!
Finn is going to be ONE on Nov. 14th! Crazy, crazy, crazy. How did this happen already? Anyway, I have been planning his first birthday party and decided on a 'Rock Star' theme. The boy is so infatuated with music that I truly think this would be his idea of an awesome party. So, in preparation, I had a little photo session for him to use in the invitations... or maybe a card board cut out? Man, that would be freakin' hilarious. I'm on it. For now, here are some of the pictures... enjoy 'em!
Catch Up
It's well over due that I update my blog...
The night before my birthday, Stephen arranged for my in laws to come to our house to babysit so that we could go out to dinner. We went to Nico's at Southside and I was thoroughly impressed. I used to work there when it was under different owner ship and although it was good then, it is better now. Way better now. My in laws gave me some lovely presents before dinner and my mother in law made me a delicious blueberry pie to have at my leisure. Again, mmmmm.
Then, on my actual birthday, Stephen gave me my birthday presents from him, Wii FIT! & accessories for it, a Duffy CD and a day on the town with my two main men... Stephen and Finn. We went to Coolridge Park, ate at Mud Pies for lunch and walked the Market Street Bridge. Then, I got to take a nice long afternoon nap. It was perfect!
This was the best present though.... hahahahaha!
Oh, and earlier in the week my friends took me out to eat for dinner at Tony's Pasta in the Bluff View Art District. The weather was perfect and we got to sit out on the balcony, looking over the river at sunset. Sadly, a lot of the photos didn't really turn out though. Anyway, it was great. I really scored on some beautiful and thoughtful gifts too. Funny, there seemed to be a theme of orange in my gifts. My friends know me well...
I celebrated my birthday in August and had a fabulous time. My birthday woes were minimal if not totally absent. It was a sigh of relief. Stephen really went above and beyond to make it special- and this was before I posted any of my woes on my blog- it was totally unprompted and perfect. I woke up to a yummy breakfast of eggs, toast, soysage, strawberries, oj and coffee. mmmmm.
The night before my birthday, Stephen arranged for my in laws to come to our house to babysit so that we could go out to dinner. We went to Nico's at Southside and I was thoroughly impressed. I used to work there when it was under different owner ship and although it was good then, it is better now. Way better now. My in laws gave me some lovely presents before dinner and my mother in law made me a delicious blueberry pie to have at my leisure. Again, mmmmm.
Then, on my actual birthday, Stephen gave me my birthday presents from him, Wii FIT! & accessories for it, a Duffy CD and a day on the town with my two main men... Stephen and Finn. We went to Coolridge Park, ate at Mud Pies for lunch and walked the Market Street Bridge. Then, I got to take a nice long afternoon nap. It was perfect!
This was the best present though.... hahahahaha!
Oh, and earlier in the week my friends took me out to eat for dinner at Tony's Pasta in the Bluff View Art District. The weather was perfect and we got to sit out on the balcony, looking over the river at sunset. Sadly, a lot of the photos didn't really turn out though. Anyway, it was great. I really scored on some beautiful and thoughtful gifts too. Funny, there seemed to be a theme of orange in my gifts. My friends know me well...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
lets backtrack, shall we?
alright folks (all three of you) i have been looking through my old blog drafts today and realized that i have WAY too many of them. why am i so scared to post my thoughts? this topic came up in 'playgroup' at graces house this morning. some people don't post as much because they know that certain family members will read it and they are afraid to offend anyone. some people said that they only use their blog to note special occasions & milestones for family that live far away- but they wish that they had the time, patience, talent etc to write as some others do. while others seem to let their insecurities get the best of them or compare themselves to others too much. i am guilty of all of the above, and more.
several of us began talking about other friends and acquaintances that keep blogs and how much we enjoy them. we compared notes, made observations and listed some of our favorites. i quickly began to notice how much we actually keep 'tabs' on one another- even those that we (or i at least) don't often speak to if we run into them in the grocery store! how strange is that?! it's kind of a new form of voyeurism. only, i don't think that its as bad. i have really gained a lot of insight with the snippets that i've read here and there. it has helped me feel a little more normal at times, a little more hopeful and a little more aware of where people are coming from and the people that they want to portray themselves as or are. since i tend to be one who makes too many assumptions, this insight has been helpful.
anyway, all of this to say that i think that i will backtrack and post some of my old drafts. they might not be eloquent. they might not be interesting. they might not be smart or insightful but they are my thoughts none the less and i should really try and edit myself less sometimes. so, bare with me, will ya?
several of us began talking about other friends and acquaintances that keep blogs and how much we enjoy them. we compared notes, made observations and listed some of our favorites. i quickly began to notice how much we actually keep 'tabs' on one another- even those that we (or i at least) don't often speak to if we run into them in the grocery store! how strange is that?! it's kind of a new form of voyeurism. only, i don't think that its as bad. i have really gained a lot of insight with the snippets that i've read here and there. it has helped me feel a little more normal at times, a little more hopeful and a little more aware of where people are coming from and the people that they want to portray themselves as or are. since i tend to be one who makes too many assumptions, this insight has been helpful.
anyway, all of this to say that i think that i will backtrack and post some of my old drafts. they might not be eloquent. they might not be interesting. they might not be smart or insightful but they are my thoughts none the less and i should really try and edit myself less sometimes. so, bare with me, will ya?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
unpublished
imaginary, unreasonable, daydreaming birthday wish list...
1. an eames rocking chair in red.
2. a TON of cash
3. Instarsia Striped Dress from Orla Kiely
4. a housekeeper
5. red Mary Jane shoes with a kitten heel
6. a gym membership with a personal trainer
7. a spa day. massage, manicure, pedicure, facial- the whole 9 yards
8. champagne & strawberries
9. a bike with a basket and a bell
10. the perfect pair of pajamas
11. magically longer, prettier, perfect hair
12. a trip to NY in the fall
13. a TON of cash
14. a green roof
15. a landscaped yard with pretty ornamental grasses
16. a deck
17. porch swings
18. a vacation to the beach & a healthy looking tan
19. a new way to communicate with my husband
20. my husband to read my mind- when its convenient for me.
1. an eames rocking chair in red.
2. a TON of cash
3. Instarsia Striped Dress from Orla Kiely
4. a housekeeper
5. red Mary Jane shoes with a kitten heel
6. a gym membership with a personal trainer
7. a spa day. massage, manicure, pedicure, facial- the whole 9 yards
8. champagne & strawberries
9. a bike with a basket and a bell
10. the perfect pair of pajamas
11. magically longer, prettier, perfect hair
12. a trip to NY in the fall
13. a TON of cash
14. a green roof
15. a landscaped yard with pretty ornamental grasses
16. a deck
17. porch swings
18. a vacation to the beach & a healthy looking tan
19. a new way to communicate with my husband
20. my husband to read my mind- when its convenient for me.
birthday woes me
* this post is one of my rough drafts that, funny enough, i never posted. now, months later, here it is. *(see the post where I ask you to bare with me...)
so my 28th birthday is coming up. next Saturday, august 30th. birthday celebrations are a HUGE deal to me. i love celebrating. i love finding the perfect gift for someone (which is not always timely but i like it that way too. i hate a forced or rushed gift. a gift months after your birthday is common from me...) i love making a nice card. i love, LOVE making birthday cakes and cupcakes. (for those who don't know, i really love baking cupcakes. i have a double oven in my kitchen and can really crank em out. one time, for a friends baby shower, i got carried away with the different flavors and decorations that i all of a sudden looked up and realized that i accidentally made 112 cupcakes! that's right, 112!) i love celebrating with people through out the week in different ways. i love a good theme party. i love getting spiffied up for a night out for dinner and drinks. i love birthdays.
the problem is that i love birthdays so much that i tend to have high expectations and get stressed out when it comes to planning my own. i kick butt at throwing a party for someone else. i enjoy the decorating, the baking, the shopping, the invitations, the phone calls... i like every part that goes in to throwing a party for someone else. i love the details and most of all, i love that i am creating a special party for someone that i care about in a way that shows their personality at the party. but i HATE planning my own. it stresses me out.
last year for example was a disaster. for starters i was majorly pregnant in the middle of a heat wave, exhausted, hormonal and terrified of what our lives would look like in a few short months. i had high hopes that on that magical day of august 30th i would miraculously feel some sort of relief from the realities of life. most of all, i had hoped that i wouldn't have to make any decisions. i wanted desperately for someone to swoop in and say, "hey, let me plan your birthday in a way that highlights who you are to me. let me organize a party where you will be surrounded with people who care about you and want to help you celebrate...."
yeah right. who does that?
as I'm writing i realize that it might sound like i want to be the center of attention but that's not it either. i just want to feel comfortable, at peace and content with people who i care about to celebrate the passing of another year. i want to mark it as a day that is different from the (sometimes) mundane passing days. why wouldn't everyone want to celebrate the day that God gave us life here on earth. how cool is that? i want to rejoice in that. i want there to be good food, good music, white wine, flowers (mums and peonies) and lingering conversations. no small talk. i hate small talk. i am no good at it.
i cant help but wonder if my hang up with planning my own birthday is mostly due to
finances. i know that i can throw a great party on a tight budget but it takes a TON of effort. i don't want to put that work and money on someone else. i function on guilt. last year Stephen kept on asking me what i wanted to do on my birthday and i didn't know what to tell me except that i didn't want to plan it. everything that i could think of that i might want to do required more money then we had. i knew that if i told Stephen what i wanted to do he would insist (sort of) that we do it anyway and worry about it later but i just don't function like that. i wouldn't be able to enjoy it knowing that we couldn't really afford it ("it" being just about anything last year since we were saving every penny that we could in anticipation of Finnegan).
anyway, all of this to say that i hate that i get like this every year the week before my birthday. it's silly, right? wait, don't answer that. i don't really want to know your answer. i just want to have these feelings go away. maybe by writing them down and putting them out there for all to see, these thoughts will leave me. ? yeah right. hahaha.
so my 28th birthday is coming up. next Saturday, august 30th. birthday celebrations are a HUGE deal to me. i love celebrating. i love finding the perfect gift for someone (which is not always timely but i like it that way too. i hate a forced or rushed gift. a gift months after your birthday is common from me...) i love making a nice card. i love, LOVE making birthday cakes and cupcakes. (for those who don't know, i really love baking cupcakes. i have a double oven in my kitchen and can really crank em out. one time, for a friends baby shower, i got carried away with the different flavors and decorations that i all of a sudden looked up and realized that i accidentally made 112 cupcakes! that's right, 112!) i love celebrating with people through out the week in different ways. i love a good theme party. i love getting spiffied up for a night out for dinner and drinks. i love birthdays.
the problem is that i love birthdays so much that i tend to have high expectations and get stressed out when it comes to planning my own. i kick butt at throwing a party for someone else. i enjoy the decorating, the baking, the shopping, the invitations, the phone calls... i like every part that goes in to throwing a party for someone else. i love the details and most of all, i love that i am creating a special party for someone that i care about in a way that shows their personality at the party. but i HATE planning my own. it stresses me out.
last year for example was a disaster. for starters i was majorly pregnant in the middle of a heat wave, exhausted, hormonal and terrified of what our lives would look like in a few short months. i had high hopes that on that magical day of august 30th i would miraculously feel some sort of relief from the realities of life. most of all, i had hoped that i wouldn't have to make any decisions. i wanted desperately for someone to swoop in and say, "hey, let me plan your birthday in a way that highlights who you are to me. let me organize a party where you will be surrounded with people who care about you and want to help you celebrate...."
yeah right. who does that?
as I'm writing i realize that it might sound like i want to be the center of attention but that's not it either. i just want to feel comfortable, at peace and content with people who i care about to celebrate the passing of another year. i want to mark it as a day that is different from the (sometimes) mundane passing days. why wouldn't everyone want to celebrate the day that God gave us life here on earth. how cool is that? i want to rejoice in that. i want there to be good food, good music, white wine, flowers (mums and peonies) and lingering conversations. no small talk. i hate small talk. i am no good at it.
i cant help but wonder if my hang up with planning my own birthday is mostly due to
finances. i know that i can throw a great party on a tight budget but it takes a TON of effort. i don't want to put that work and money on someone else. i function on guilt. last year Stephen kept on asking me what i wanted to do on my birthday and i didn't know what to tell me except that i didn't want to plan it. everything that i could think of that i might want to do required more money then we had. i knew that if i told Stephen what i wanted to do he would insist (sort of) that we do it anyway and worry about it later but i just don't function like that. i wouldn't be able to enjoy it knowing that we couldn't really afford it ("it" being just about anything last year since we were saving every penny that we could in anticipation of Finnegan).
anyway, all of this to say that i hate that i get like this every year the week before my birthday. it's silly, right? wait, don't answer that. i don't really want to know your answer. i just want to have these feelings go away. maybe by writing them down and putting them out there for all to see, these thoughts will leave me. ? yeah right. hahaha.
Friday, August 22, 2008
STUDIO TIME
well, my paints are in order...
my fabrics are color coordinated...
and texture coordinated...
project coordinated...
and material coordinated...
and neatly (for me) placed on my new shelving system.
my flat files are somewhat organized and i now have a designated sewing/computer area. i bought the industrial metal shelving systems (x2) from a local bakery that went out of business. the owner also sold me two bread racks (as seen below) that fit my smaller screens perfectly for storage and/or drying! i have one in my studio and one in the safe (my darkroom). somehow i thought that if i put my studio together i would be motivated to work too... that has yet to come. crap.
my fabrics are color coordinated...
and texture coordinated...
project coordinated...
and material coordinated...
and neatly (for me) placed on my new shelving system.
my flat files are somewhat organized and i now have a designated sewing/computer area. i bought the industrial metal shelving systems (x2) from a local bakery that went out of business. the owner also sold me two bread racks (as seen below) that fit my smaller screens perfectly for storage and/or drying! i have one in my studio and one in the safe (my darkroom). somehow i thought that if i put my studio together i would be motivated to work too... that has yet to come. crap.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
mr. legrand
im sorry but i think that i have the cutest little boy there is. he looks like a cartoon in this picture. does it get much better than this? i cant imagine anything better! i think that it actually captures how happy he was that afternoon too. he was thrilled with his new little wooden police and ambulance cars and the sound that they made on the metal high chair. he is such a little boy. i love it!
just look at those little big man shorts pulled up way high with squeaky clean hair! i think that he looks like a little cupie doll. he was going to town on his little piano during this photo session. its so neat to see him take new interest in toys that he could have cared less about just last week. he is really playing now too. he is totally content playing on the floor in his bedroom for much longer periods of time now. his enthusiasm is contagious.
this last picture is actually from april but he is wearing the same shorts. they fit then and now, as you can see above they are too big in the waist and ride up super high! he isn't even sitting up on his own in the bottom sailor photo. what a little moose. man this poor kid is going to have a TON of embarrassing photos of himself in costumes etc. hopefully he will have a great sense of humor and grow to love it. 
BLOGGING TIME!
ALRIGHT! it has been way too long since i last posted. i told my friend amber the other day that i have been writing, i juts haven't been posting. the problem is that i got into the habit of sitting down to write when i had a few minutes to vent, spill and/or brainstorm and would inevitably get to a point in my writing where i would share too much information that i really wasn't interested in sharing with the masses. ok, so maybe i only have like four readers but for the idiot strangers that leave comments on my blogs asking me to check out some link, i dont care to share my life with them in that way... plus, i have had some trouble getting my iphoto to work on my new computer etc. etc. etc. what good is a post about your kid/family without pictures though, right?
SO. this summer. i have been busy to say the least. i think ill just list and add photos where appropriate...
1. we have been plugging away at the million and one projects in and around our house, quickly attempting to baby proof. not quickly enough i might add but we're making the best of it. finnegan is not really crawling. well, he isn't interested in getting on his knees at least. he, as one of our friends from church says, just flounders around on the floor happy as can be. he has become quite speedy at an army crawl of sorts and rolling. he pulls up on furniture every now and then and occasionally has taken a few side steps while holding on. it generally seems like more of an accident but the practice is there so i will call it progress.
2. we celebrated stephens 30th bday this july. per stephens request we had a low key day, just the three of us, doing some of his favorite things. we went to mckays bookstore, americas thrift store, a music store, took a walk, ate chinese food and i made him my apple pie that he loves so much. it was a nice day had by all. we plan to celebrate a little more extravagantly sometime after my birthday with a mini family vacation, just the three of us. we have yet to do that and i am looking forward to it.
3. we planted a mini garden that has been providing some yummy veggies, pretty sunflowers and herbs. i cant wait to tackle a 'real' garden next season. the side yard by the back door is calling for it. we also planted some white oleander bushes, four chinese dogwoods on the side of our driveway and four viburnums in the front. we still have quite the blank slate but it will have to wait for some cooler weather in the fall. i cant wait to landscape!
4. finn was baptized! actually, it was before the summer but i am really behind! he wore a gown that stephens aunt pat made for him before he was born. she took a special class just for it. she always says that it must have been a mistake that stephen was born to sue because he is really her son. she is super sweet and finn looked quite dashing. i look forward to passing it down to our kids and grandkids someday.
looking back at this photo is kinda shocking. i cant believe how much my little moose has grown already!
anyway, the baptism was beautiful and special to us. we were so glad to have been able to share it with some of our family. afterwards i planned a lunch at my moms house where we also celebrated nona (my mom's grandparent chosen name) and grammi's (stephens mom's grandparent chosen name) birthdays. their bdays are just a few days apart so we thought it fitting to have finnegan baptized the weekend between the two. it was a wonderful celebration all around however certain family members were sorely missed.
by the way, as nursing babies often do, finn hadn't pooped in over THREE days the morning of the baptism. the moment we put the gown on him i ironed and packed an emergency back up outfit by the look on his face. stephen and i were just convinced that the moment that we handed him over to our pastor he would let it rip up the back. we were a nervous, giggly wreck the whole time. i couldnt get that lovely outfit off of him fast enough when it was over. we made it out alive and clean, but just barely! what good is a post without a good poop story, right? here is a picture of both dada and finn looking very nervous before the ceremony...
5. so as you can see in the above chubby picture of myself, i now have glasses. as my grammy used to say, "girls with glasses dont get passes sarah!" never more have i felt her words ring so true. just kidding, sorta. i must say that glasses are not the fun fashion accessory that i once dreamed they might be. at least not for me. i see plenty of other women who look dashing, funky and fashionable in them. i just feel silly in them. but, no more migraines = a good thing. it turns out that i have a relatively rare depth perception problem where my eyes work 10 times harder then most everyone else's eyes and i've prob. had it my WHOLE life! geeze. so when i get tired, my eyes especially, is when i start knocking things over, falling up steps, running into parking meters etc. etc. etc. when my eyes are tired i see things about 10 inches farther then they really are. hence my frequent accidents... sorta. i'm prob. just a hot mess too.
6.speaking of hot messes, i taught art classes this summer for AVA. i had 14 six to eight year olds for a week in the afternoons. may not sound like much to some but it was crazy for me. it might not have been so crazy had it not been a last minute gig and i had been able to plan five solid lessons in advance. what i hadn't anticipated was that they would soar through about 5 projects in half of our time if i wasn't careful. i had to over plan every day. i eventually got the hang of it and ultimately had a great time. for flying by the seat of my pants i think that i did a pretty good job... they seemed pretty pleased.
SO. this summer. i have been busy to say the least. i think ill just list and add photos where appropriate...
1. we have been plugging away at the million and one projects in and around our house, quickly attempting to baby proof. not quickly enough i might add but we're making the best of it. finnegan is not really crawling. well, he isn't interested in getting on his knees at least. he, as one of our friends from church says, just flounders around on the floor happy as can be. he has become quite speedy at an army crawl of sorts and rolling. he pulls up on furniture every now and then and occasionally has taken a few side steps while holding on. it generally seems like more of an accident but the practice is there so i will call it progress.
2. we celebrated stephens 30th bday this july. per stephens request we had a low key day, just the three of us, doing some of his favorite things. we went to mckays bookstore, americas thrift store, a music store, took a walk, ate chinese food and i made him my apple pie that he loves so much. it was a nice day had by all. we plan to celebrate a little more extravagantly sometime after my birthday with a mini family vacation, just the three of us. we have yet to do that and i am looking forward to it.
3. we planted a mini garden that has been providing some yummy veggies, pretty sunflowers and herbs. i cant wait to tackle a 'real' garden next season. the side yard by the back door is calling for it. we also planted some white oleander bushes, four chinese dogwoods on the side of our driveway and four viburnums in the front. we still have quite the blank slate but it will have to wait for some cooler weather in the fall. i cant wait to landscape!
4. finn was baptized! actually, it was before the summer but i am really behind! he wore a gown that stephens aunt pat made for him before he was born. she took a special class just for it. she always says that it must have been a mistake that stephen was born to sue because he is really her son. she is super sweet and finn looked quite dashing. i look forward to passing it down to our kids and grandkids someday.
looking back at this photo is kinda shocking. i cant believe how much my little moose has grown already!
anyway, the baptism was beautiful and special to us. we were so glad to have been able to share it with some of our family. afterwards i planned a lunch at my moms house where we also celebrated nona (my mom's grandparent chosen name) and grammi's (stephens mom's grandparent chosen name) birthdays. their bdays are just a few days apart so we thought it fitting to have finnegan baptized the weekend between the two. it was a wonderful celebration all around however certain family members were sorely missed.
by the way, as nursing babies often do, finn hadn't pooped in over THREE days the morning of the baptism. the moment we put the gown on him i ironed and packed an emergency back up outfit by the look on his face. stephen and i were just convinced that the moment that we handed him over to our pastor he would let it rip up the back. we were a nervous, giggly wreck the whole time. i couldnt get that lovely outfit off of him fast enough when it was over. we made it out alive and clean, but just barely! what good is a post without a good poop story, right? here is a picture of both dada and finn looking very nervous before the ceremony...
5. so as you can see in the above chubby picture of myself, i now have glasses. as my grammy used to say, "girls with glasses dont get passes sarah!" never more have i felt her words ring so true. just kidding, sorta. i must say that glasses are not the fun fashion accessory that i once dreamed they might be. at least not for me. i see plenty of other women who look dashing, funky and fashionable in them. i just feel silly in them. but, no more migraines = a good thing. it turns out that i have a relatively rare depth perception problem where my eyes work 10 times harder then most everyone else's eyes and i've prob. had it my WHOLE life! geeze. so when i get tired, my eyes especially, is when i start knocking things over, falling up steps, running into parking meters etc. etc. etc. when my eyes are tired i see things about 10 inches farther then they really are. hence my frequent accidents... sorta. i'm prob. just a hot mess too.6.speaking of hot messes, i taught art classes this summer for AVA. i had 14 six to eight year olds for a week in the afternoons. may not sound like much to some but it was crazy for me. it might not have been so crazy had it not been a last minute gig and i had been able to plan five solid lessons in advance. what i hadn't anticipated was that they would soar through about 5 projects in half of our time if i wasn't careful. i had to over plan every day. i eventually got the hang of it and ultimately had a great time. for flying by the seat of my pants i think that i did a pretty good job... they seemed pretty pleased.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
6/12/08
i'm glad that i have the desire and urge to write again. just for the simple fact that its therapeutic for me. i have definitely been in a bit of a slump since my grandmother passed away. not in every aspect of my life exactly but as far as motivation and creativity is concerned- i have been slumpish. and slumpish i am not. i see it in the little things like writing about Finnegan turning over, getting baptized, eating solid food for the first time & sitting up on his own. it sometimes seems impossible to reflect upon without her coming into mind and quietly sobbing. sometimes its just too painful to rehash these emotions over and over again. i cope by ignoring them. i know, that's just not too bright.
i digress...
for example, when i was pregnant she often spoke rather fatalistically to me. saying things like, "i just hope that i'll be alive long enough to meet your son"... or, "to see him roll over" or, "to say mama & dada". i think that my grammy lived with too much fear in her heart. she was (is?) a faithful woman and would probably have said that it wasn't fear but that she was being 'realistic' so as to justify her fear. obviously if you are insanely sick it is reasonable to worry about these fears but to share them with you 8 month pregnant grand daughter is something else. the problem is that she was like this in most aspects of her life and i believe that it greatly affected her chances of recovery. that's sad and hard to say but she would have probably been the first one to admit it.
i hope that i am wrong as that is a difficult way to live ones life- i know first hand unfortunately. i think that i tend to be a bit like my grammy in that regard. stephen calls me a worry wort. the thing is that i am painfully aware of this and feel like i fight against this tendency routinely. so if it is still coming off as fearful to those who im trying to fool- imagine what they would say if they saw my heart! scary.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
These days we have been playing a game of musical chairs with our computers and their software. It's a regular riot, let me tell you. Anyway, my studio computer isn't hardwired for wireless Internet yet, Stephens studio computer doesn't have iPhoto right now and through a series of unfortunate events our laptop is on the fritz. SO, that's my excuse this time around for not posting more- pictures especially. Sorry to all ten or so of my readers for not sharing the growth of our little big guy, Mr. Finnegan Legrand. He is the cutest. More pictures soon. I promise. Life has been very full lately but I would like to make time to share it more with those who we don't get to see as often... really.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Nancy Lee Cardillo
these are just a few of the photos that stephen put together for a slide show presentation with music at the visitation. everything went very well considering the circumstances. i think that's about all that i'm able to really say about it for now. i can't believe that it's been 3 weeks already... i thought that maybe posting some pictures would at least jump start me into wanting to write again. soon i will write some news of the Boy. he turned 5 months this week. where has the time gone?
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