beach party

Ben and I stumbled on this party at our local beach today..... 

As you can see, true beach weather has not yet arrived. Our feathered friends have the place all to themselves, and they seem to be loving every minute of it. It's hard to see the variety of 'folks' at the gathering...but there was a duck, a few geese, a gull and another fella I can't quite identify.  

Ben and I walk the trail from town, that leads to this very spot, each day.... it's certainly not a sandy ocean beach, but we sure do LOVE it.

Today share a little glimpse into your world....  the beach, the trail, the back yard.... wherever you may find a little inspiration and sunshine. We'd love to see it. 

refresh

 

I have a confession to make!

Are you ready? 

Here goes......

I'm a diet coke addict!  Seriously... I've had an ongoing love affair with diet coke since high school! I know I'm not alone. Anyone else out there, LOVE it too? I know it's really BAD for me. So, once again, I'm cutting back and trying to kick my DC habit. :)  

My latest DC substitute is lemon water. And I have to say, it's not nearly as refreshing as an ice cold can of diet coke.

Today, snap a pic of your fav refreshing drink of choice and share it with us. I can not wait to see what you all are sipping!  

Have you Met My Muse?

Oh how I envy all the fabulous sisters that have the privilege of capturing their little ones each day!!

Back when my boys were young the camera only came out for special occasions. If I could go back in time, I would definitely have stalked my sweet little blonde boys with my camera.  I'm sure If I had, they'd be a lot cooler today about me snapping their pics. Ugh. They love to give me a hard time. 'Oh great, she has the camera out again...Quick, just take the shot!...How many do you have to take?... Geez Mom!'

Sigh... Anyone else have this problem?  

After I fell in love with photography, I absolutely needed a muse. Enter 'Irene'. Some of you may remember her! I had her posing...all over the place! Irene did many Bench Monday shoots for me. She's always willing and as strange as it may sound, her expressions seem to change... I'm not kidding!! She's quite the girl! So my friends, allow me to introduce, Irene! 

How 'bout you? Are you blessed with a real life muse? Or perhaps, like me, you've had to improvise. More recently, Ben has become my muse.  He seriously poses for the camera! It's so cute. I just call his name, and he strikes a pose. And sometimes he strikes a pose as soon as he sees the camera. Today, we'd love to 'meet' your muse. Please share with us.

hero

Meet Jeremy ~ AKA Jer.

Jer is sixteen. He's incredibly smart, has received countless academic awards, he loves his vids, his iPad, movies and UFC.  He's a guys guy. He's super funny. He can pull a quick joke or a sarcastic line out of his hat in an instant. He says things you would never think of.  Jeremy truly is the BEST.

And, he's our HERO. Actually, let me expand...... He's our Super Hero.... 

Jeremy is my nephew.  He's 16.  He lives with a genetic illness known as SMA - Spinal Muscular Atrophy. He is confined to his wheelchair. He has limited hand/arm mobility.

I asked 'my boys' individually to describe Jer in one word.  The first word both Brett and Bryce came up with.... instantly...was RESILIENT.  And that is just so true.  (Definition: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions)

That's our Jer..... and here's a few more words that came to us:

• brave
• inspirational
• smart (bordering on genuis)
• cool...as in Cool Cat....smooth...all that
• determined
• amazing

As I prepared this post I hopped over to the SMA Canada site. My brother founded the organization in 2000 after Jer was diagnosed. It occurred to me.... there is more than one Hero in this story. Jeremy's parents are the truest of true heroes and they have raised a  Super Hero.

We would love to meet your hero. Please share with us. Let's celebrate heroes today. 

Here's to you Jer... and to all our Super Heroes ... love and gratitude....

p.s. If you have not heard of SMA, I encourage you to follow this link to learn more. And if you have just a few moments, check out this incredibly touching video.  

texture love

mouse over to see the before texture photo

I ♥ textures.  You may already know that. :) I will never forget the first time I placed a texture on a photo....changed the blend mode... and poof...  MAD LOVE! I find the process completely magical.

How bout you?  Have you been bitten by the texture bug? Have you tried? Honestly.. it's so much fun! 

If the whole process is completely new to you.... check out these tutorials on my site. And here's a little texture gift for you as well.  Just a little something to get your started.  Maybe today's the day!

Share your textured fav with us... We'd love to see....