This is just what I needed...

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you till it seems you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.
-Harriet Beecher Stowe
(copied from Karen Russell's blog - her really cool Valentine's story...click here - it's inspired me to talk about my own Valentine-y story.).

This whole week has been very stressful...talks of layoffs in my city (which would directly affect Adam as a police officer); health concerns; scheduling conflicts; work; homework; Valentine productions...but that quote right there is just what I needed to remind me of how I roll.

My husband and I have been just 2 of the most fortunate people in the world. This marriage has just been full of sheer luck and opportunity. We got married and started this wonderful life and it hasn't really stopped being wonderful....some of you have heard this story before...

We got married in 2000 and while on our honeymoon, Adam got a phone call from the NYPD to join them - the Police Academy started 5 days after we got home to MA so we did what any sensible person would do - we packed our stuff up and headed out to NYC to follow Adam's dream of becoming a police officer. I got pregnant with Dylan 2 minutes after we cut the cake at the wedding reception and had him 9 months later...we were lucky enough to live with my parents so that I could stay home with Dylan. We lived in NYC during 9/11 and endured the sadness with the other 11 million people who lived there with us. One year later, Angelica came along. Adam decided that he wanted to come home to MA (to raise our kids with a chance of seeing real grass). So we came back here in Feb. 2003. I got my old job back; he got a job as a police officer at Beth Israel Deaconess - all before we left NYC. We stayed with his mom and dad for 5 months and then bought our home. We moved in - got the cats we left with my parents and got 2 dogs a week after we moved in. I stayed at my old job for just over a year and then got lucky to land a job at HarborOne Credit Union (where I still am) - just after I got that job, Adam got laid off from the hospital but had a spot on the Brockton Police Department. He went into the Academy just before I had Melody (who was very unexpected - she is the reason why birth control companies don't say that their pills are 100% effective).

Life hasn't slowed down for us in the almost 9 years we've been married. This week, I have felt like it's come to a screeching halt with the possibilities of our country's failing economy finally reaching my front porch. I think the uncertainty of it all is what bothers me most (I've had a headache since Tuesday). Even if my lifelong streak of good fortune continues, surely we will have friends who will be affected by the city's cutbacks. And that part won't feel so good.

But that quote at the beginning of this post is what I needed to get me out of my own skin - out of this feeling of uncertainty and what feels like a downward spiral...holding on for dear life - holding on....and feeling like I'll never let go. (thanks Josh Downs!!!) I'm officially happier than I was 20 minutes ago...

just so crazy!!!

I've been so busy between work, school, making valentines for the kids and keeping my head on straight that I haven't had time to take a lot of pictures lately. But I did take these:
This is Mittens - we've had her for 10 years. She'll be 11 this year at the end of July - she's trying to look dignified in this photo.
This is Melody in her very favorite shirt - we're a green family - check out her shirt...


Here's Dylan just lounging...after he got a haircut which he desperately needed - he started to look like a used Q-tip because his hair was getting so long.

Finally, here's Cisco, mid-meow...We got him shortly after Mittens. He's going to be 10 this year on Valentine's Day.

Off to school I go - I was lucky enough to sell my 3 day weekend for a 1/2 day off so that I can attend class without interfering with work. (Thanks, Pam!!!!)
Gotta find more time to take photos.

A quick post

About 5 1/2 months ago, I took pictures of my friends, Michele and Mike's little baby, Ryan Michael....


You just knew that he was gonna be a beautiful baby -
I absolutely melt like butter with this picture - who couldn't love this little guy? I think Michele likes this picture....she's holding him in this photo that I shot with my Canon 50mm f/1.8 in our friend Tracy's hospital room the other day. I love the lights in his eyes from the window - her room had a window the length of the room and it was a nice sunny clear (very crispy cold) day. Ryan was so good for the hour that we hung out with Tracy and the new baby.
This was Ryan looking out the window on Michele's shoulder getting a little thumb action - teething - sigh...I miss my kids' gums but not enough to have another one without teeth. =).

I'm out - gotta go to work and hopefully the car is all warmed up because it's 1 degree outside...getting up to a balmy 43 degrees today - that's like sweatshirt weather!!! YAHOO!

My day off

Today I had the day off. It's nice to be home but it's never really a day off.

I went to school today to test my dichotomous key - don't ask - google it if you must...at least it works. I took a couple of pictures on campus:
Lens flare: happens when light bounces on your digital sensor. Sometimes it's wanted (for effect) and sometimes it's unwanted (like when you take a picture and it seems hazy) - either way it's very difficult to control. In the picture direcly below, I love my lens flare.

I even like it here but it's not as nice as the picture above.



In the picture below, the sun is nearly directly overhead - there is not a cloud in the sky but that light source has nearly washed out the sky to an overcast day. Check out the little flare at the bottom of the picture.
I took a couple of photos of my friend Tracy who just had a baby girl yesterday - we visited at the hospital this afternoon. I won't post the photos until she gives me the ok - but they were nice. A while back, I posted pictures of my friend Michele when she had her baby, Ryan last August - we visited at night and her lighting was difficult. Tracy's mid afternoon lighting was perfect and little baby and mom were just gorgeous. Hopefully, I can get her ok to post soon.

Other photos I've been taking -
This was Melody at my nephew, Connor's birthday party at Bugaboo Creek Steak House.

This is Melody and Adam dancing in the kitchen when I got up for a drink while I was home sick the other day. I wish that focus was sharper - but an semi-ok picture is better than no picture of this...
One morning while I was getting dressed, the girls decided to sneak in on my side of the bed. Angelica is front and Melody is behind her right next to Adam.
This is Mr. Potato Head that lives in front of the blue morpho butterfly in my boss's office. He's here to remind us that spring training is just a couple of weeks away....can't wait - it's like 9 degrees or something like that outside!!! My feet are freezing!

Speaking of the Red Sox, this is Dylan holding a magnetix in front of his Red Sox shirt - took this one day after school.

Pretty random pictures but it's all for practice - I can use lots of it - I'll take pictures of pretty much anything...it all teaches me something. Off to scrap - or read some A&P - I'll decide when I get upstairs.

ok - the new template stays for now....

Today kinda stunk - I went to work in the morning and ended up coming home early because I had a stomach bug that kept me pretty much out of commission the whole day. I didn't do anything but come home and try to sleep it off. My tummy still hurts but at least I'm not as queasy....I hate the feeling of queasiness - I'd rather be tossing my cookies than feeling just on the brink of tossing my cookies.

Went on a mini-caravaning LSS tour with girlfriends over the weekend. Good times....lots of fun stuff...now to work on them all.

Unfortunately, I will have to cut this posting short - as the porcelain god beckons....I hope this goes away by tomorrow. I don't have time to be sick this week.

OK for now....

For now, this blog template will have to do - I have some stuff to do tonight and I won't be home tomorrow - just hanging with my girlfriends is what I'm up to....

tell me whatcha think - I think it's too dark for pictures...but I sure am a black and pink fan!!!

NOTE TO SELF....

Don't mess with your blog if you don't have time to fix it!!!! CRAP!!!! I went to this lovely place called Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates and DL'ed a free template and I didn't like it but I couldn't fully recover my old template and I don't have the time to fix it right now....I'm so irritated with myself!!!! ugh - I'll fix it this weekend!!!!

P.S. I highly recommend that site with the blogger templates...she does some nice work.

My computer is in the kids' playroom which is right next to the laundry room where my dogs are crated...would the dog with the really bad gas please stop blowing fluffies? SIGH!!!!