Friday, April 25, 2008
Hang on tight!
Emma is giving her daddy a ride on her horsey. She makes him hold on to her so he doesn't fall off. You can see him straddling the horse in the first picture. It cracks me up when they trot by.


Living with Cecil B. DeMille
Well, that's what it feels like sometimes. Emma likes to direct the conversation. She'll actually tell you what you should say. She'll set up a dialogue by telling me, "When I say blah, blah, blah, you say blah, blah, blah." So I dutifully recite my lines for her. Honestly, it's like listening to her when she's playing with her Little People. Except when she uses me she doesn't have to do all the voices herself.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Cruising on our tricycles
This was taken the back porch of the house we lived in while we were in Fayetteville, NC. I remember the little boy was named Matthew and he lived next door. I was probably a close to three years old there. We were pretty stylin', weren't we?



Here's why I absolutely adore my photo editing program. I'm not even that good at it but here's what this photo actually started as...

Just wanted to share...
I figure my family will be interested in seeing this...

There are very few pictures of M from his youth. His family wasn't, and still isn't, likely to pick up a camera and use it. I like this picture. It seems to me that he is one of those people who always looked like a grown-up, even in Jr. High. He would have been 18 years old in this photo.

A lifetime of moments
Some moments of motherhood are so sublime you know you'll always remember them, and usually it's the small things.

I was working on a website for someone, doing the tedious chore of resizing, editing and uploading photos for a photo gallery. Emma often finds things "I have to see" when I'm deeply involved in working on something. Sure enough, after playing up in her room for a long while she came down and told me she had something to show me upstairs. I asked her to please wait a minute while I saved what I was working on. She was persistent and really wanted me to come see her surprise. I sighed and dragged my butt out of the chair to go upstairs and see what she'd done. I was figuring she'd set her table for supper or some such. I followed her up the stairs and as she rounded the corner she said, "Ta da! I cleaned up my room."

I was stunned. She has never, ever cleaned up her room. If we ask her to clean she feigns sudden incapacitation and protests mightily. She can be a real drama queen when it comes time to clean up.

But when I looked around she had actually picked up her toys and put them in their proper bins and put them away. I was in shock. I praised her repeatedly and made sure she knew how much I appreciated what she'd done. I'm still feeling a glow from that one.
My fourteen favorite British entertainers
OK, actually I mean folks from the British Isles. My apologies to the Irish, who are included in this list. These folks are not necessarily ranked in order of preference. I have no idea how these people rank as humans. This is a shallow assessment, mostly based on cute accents :)

1. Morrissey - Lyrical genius and enigmatic too. I wish I could see him in concert. Still.

2. Freddie Mercury - Long live the Queen! Flamboyant and so so talented. A larger than life character who is sorely missed.

3. David Bowie - A very talented man who has done so much behind the scenes to shape the music scene and help other musicians. He's a clever marketer, too.

4. Christian Bale - Born in Wales. He's been my list for years. I can't wait for Batman Returns. Sorry Heath, I'll still be watching it for Christian. Please forgive me.

5. Simon Pegg - My most recent discovery. Still can't wait to see "Run, Fatboy, Run."

6. Daniel Craig - James Bond. Seriously, he melts my butter. Can't wait for November and the release of "Quantum of Solace."

7. Liam Neeson - Irish. I've liked him since way back in the eighties. Casting him in a movie is a sure way to gain my interest.

8. Ewan McGregor - I've enjoyed him in numerous films. He's a pretty ballsy actor, not afraid to let it all hang out.

9. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers - I think I fell for him in "Bend it Like Beckham." Those eyes! That face! Whew!

10. Eddie Izzard - Funniest comedian in a dress, EVAR! I like his comedy, fast-paced and intelligent. Sometimes it's hard to keep up!

11. Jennifer Saunders - Come on, Edina Monsoon? Everything I never want to be in a mother. Brilliant! No wait...absolutely fabulous!

12. Kate Winslet - Strikes me as a human person, with her priorities in the right place (children!). I probably wouldn't want to know her politics though. Just a suspicion...

13. Hugh Grant - Always entertaining, even though I suspect he's always playing himself.

14. John Cleese - I've loved Monty Python since I can remember. John manages to pop up in the most unexpected places.

Left off intentionally:
Jude Law - Nice eye candy, seems like a lout in real life.
Colin Ferrell - Also a lout, not even that nice looking.

UPDATE: I'm updating to include a glaring omission. Billy Idol. I know this will sound like a lame excuse, but he's been in the U.S. so long that I had about forgotten that he's really British. Duh.
Fishing Day Videos
Do you like to fish? If so, you'll love this!



Here she's feeding the fish...



Playing on the suspension bridge with their host.

The fishing photos
M said it took about twenty minutes before they got their first bite. Emma doesn't seem to be too happy with the waiting.


Beautiful property where they fished.


It was thiiiiiiiiiis big! They threw this monster back. This was the second fish Emma caught; she kept he first one. The keeper was more dinner-sized. We're having fresh trout on the grill tonight. I hope I like it; I've never had it before.


Playing on the suspension bridge with their host.