Nurture Self 365

365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety Eight:

November 6, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: bright shining light, dark, darkness, night, night lights, red, semi truck, tail lights, Travel, traveler, traveling, truck | Leave a comment

“Weather forecast for tonight: dark.” George Carlin

We’re still travelling . . . and this is a late night on the road. We spent a bit too long at the Woodburn Outlets in Oregon and so are arriving late at our destination for tonight. Baby Girl is in the back seat jabbering away at us, singing songs along with the radio . . . a very pleasant and fun drive even tho it was late and dark. She has been a bright shining light on this trip. For a two year old, she is an incredibly happy little traveler.

I keep saying this, but it’s so true . . . she is so much like her mother at this age. We traveled every summer from California to Canada from the time she was a baby. And she was always a happy little traveler, going with the flow whatever we did.

I took this shot with my iPad as a Semi Truck was passing us. I liked the effect with the red tail lights . . .

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety Seven:

November 5, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: CostCo, Fred Meyer, Granddaughter, hot dog, ipad, kindergarten, love, miracle, Nik Color Efex Pro, PhotoShop, pink, stylin', Travel, traveling, trip | Leave a comment

“The wonder of a miracle from which this love began. There is so much found in the touch of holding a grandchild’s hand.” Unknown

We’re on the second day of our four day trip to California, staying two nights at my Son’s house just south of Portland, Oregon. We picked my 5 year old Granddaughter up from Kindergarten and took her shopping at CostCo and Fred Meyer. Since it was lunch time we thought we’d stop somewhere to eat. Well, she had her mind set from the moment we mentioned CostCo! She LOVES their hot dogs. She says NO ONE makes them like Cost Co. And she ate the whole darned thing! Then off to Fred Meyer we went to try on anything pink . . . she ended up with a pink quilted vest and a pink sparkly hat to wear with it. Quite stylin’. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get a picture of her in it.

Isn’t she just so cute??

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety Six:

November 4, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: Baby Girl, Bellingham, blaine wa, California, day road trip, Fred Meyer, ipad, north bellingham, Photography, PhotoShop, Photoshop CS6, Ralph Waldo Emerson, road, road trip, surrey bc, transportation, Travel, traveler, trip | Leave a comment

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Road Trip!!

We’re on our first leg of a 4 day road trip to California with the baby. This picture is taken at the Pacific Border Crossing between Surrey, BC and Blaine, WA. We’ve got a six to seven hour drive ahead of us to just south of Portland, OR. Baby Girl is snuggled in and happy. What an awesome little traveler she is too. It took an hour to get through the border, and another 20 minutes to Bellingham where we gassed up. She’d been in the car two hours by then, with no fussing what so ever. I let her out to run around at the Fred Meyer in North Bellingham while hubby gassed up the car. The rest of the trip was uneventful with just a couple of rest stops for food and stretching our legs. I did load up my iPad with a few of her favorite shows, which kept her entertained during part of the trip. For much of the time she either slept, or chatted with us or herself, and sang songs . . . one of the most fun drives south I’ve had in a long time. We’ll be two days at my son’s south of Portland before we head out again.

The Road Trip continues . . .

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety Five:

November 3, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: Adobe Photoshop, blessed, Canada, ipad, morning, opportunity, Papa, Photoshop CS6, priceless, quality time, wake up, window ledge, Ya Ya | Leave a comment

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” Dr Seuss

Baby Girl wakes up every morning giggling and happy and playful. It’s the most amazing experience for her Papa and I. I love to listen to her talking with her stuffies in her crib – which she will do for almost half an hour. Then I’ll hear a tentative “Ya Ya?” When I get up and go in to get her, she giggles with joy and hides under her blanket. How can one not just have a great day after waking up to that?? This morning, her last day here in Canada with us, she decided to climb on the window ledge in our bedroom and look outside for the birdies. I love the whispy softness of this shot – taken with my iPad and processed in Photoshop CS6 with Nik Color Effex Pro.

I’m going to miss her so much! But I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend this quality time with her.

Priceless!

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety Four:

November 2, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: abilities, baby steps, conquer, determination, direction, failure, focus, hard work, never give up, trust | Leave a comment

“Take baby steps and don’t give up! Keep moving in the right direction. Trust yourself and your abilities. Just because something didn’t yet work out as planned, doesn’t mean it won’t work out. There is always a way and you can’t lose unless you give up.” Kemmy Nola

I watch this little girl and her determination in everything she does. “I do it myself” she says about everything. And if she’s not doing it herself, then “I helping”. She keeps at it until she conquers whatever it is she attempting . . . even if it’s just putting a sock on her foot or opening a door . . . quite amazing to observe. Was I ever like this – so determined to achieve, determined to conquer all? As a child I don’t really remember, but as an adult when I want something, there is nothing that can get in my way. If something does, I’ll find a way around it. I seldom just give up.

I love seeing that determination in a 2 year old!

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety Three:

November 1, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: alien, beauty, character change, dye, foil, grey hair, Hair, Hair Care, hair color, hair cut, Rachel Scott, Red hair, style, styling, stylist, trim, vibrance | Leave a comment

“Don’t let your character change color with your environment. Find out who you are and let it stay it’s true color.” Rachel Scott

Ok, Ok . . . yes – I color my hair!!! Not drastically, but to add some of the vibrance back. I have always loved my red hair, and I haven’t enjoyed seeing it lose the lustre. It’s just turning kind of a blah brownish color – I guess in preparation for the grey hair that must be ready to pop out any time! I shall do what I can to delay the inevitable however.

Even if it means that I look like an alien while doing it . . .

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety Two:

October 31, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: candy, Charlie Brown, drive, drs appointment, drs office, Halloween, happy halloween, rain, rock, Shirley Temple, trick or treat | Leave a comment

“I got a rock.” Charlie Brown

Happy Halloween! Today didn’t exactly go the way I had planned. It was a whirlwind from the moment Baby Girl woke up. We had a full day ahead with a trip to pick up GG (92 yr old Great Grandma), run a few errands with her then off to a Drs appointment in the city. On the way, we stopped in to see another of GG’s Great Grandkids – this one only 9 months old. We had a very nice visit – then off to the Drs office we went. What usually takes only 1 hour expanded to just over two hours . . . not an pleasant thing usually with a two year old in tow. However, dressed in her Shirley Temple Halloween dress . . . she enchanted everyone in the waiting room. Following the Dr’s visit, we headed to the airport where my sister was actually checked in to her hotel finally! (lol – only a day late) By time I dropped GG off at her Condo and got her settled in, then drove home, it was after 7pm, pouring rain, and too late to take the little one trick or treating. We live in a neighborhood that is very rural. I’ve never had a single trick or treater since we lived here. So . . . we snuggled on the couch and watched some Toy Story and off to bed she went. She’ll get to really enjoy it next year!

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety One:

October 30, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: airport, crazy, delay, flight, heavy rain, Hong Kong, ipad, local mall, optimisim, tomorrow is another day, Vancouver | Leave a comment

“These are the soul’s changes, I don’t believe in ageing. I believe in forever altering one’s aspect to the sun. Hence my optimism.” Virginia Woolf

Today was quite the day. I received a message from my sister last night indicating that she was flying in to Vancouver. I drove with my 2 year old Grand Daughter the 1 hour in to the city to the airport to connect with her and have a visit before she flew on to where she lives. I checked to make sure her flight was on time . . . it landed 15 minutes late but it did land. I called the hotel to see if she had checked in . . . they said they were expecting her. However she never arrived. I finally drove to a local Mall where Baby Girl and I did some window shopping, and had a bite to eat. This photo is taken with my iPad while we were on our way back home, stopped in heavy traffic at a stop light. It took us almost two hours to get home in heavy rain and traffic. The amazing thing is . . . she did so well! We sang songs, and called over bluetooth and talked with Papa G. It was quite an enjoyable ride considering!

Now – for the crazy part.

I arrived home in time to get her bathed and down for the night. All the while I was worrying about why my sister had not arrived . . . it just didn’t make sense. Did she miss her flight? Was there an issue with the Hurricane back east? So, I went back to the message she had sent me on the 29th and discovered . . . that I was the dunce . . . If I had read the entire message . . . it said . . . “I am leaving tomorrow (October 30th) and arriving on October 31st.” (She was flying in from Bali via Hong Kong) I guess I saw the word “tomorrow” and went no further! Urg! My Bad!!

Oh Well . . . tomorrow is another day!

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Ninety

October 29, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: angel, angelshine, girl, luxury, precious, water baby | Leave a comment

“Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angelshine about them, and though it wears thin sometimes there is always enough left to lasso your heart . . . ” Alan Beck

What more can I say about this precious little angel?? She just makes my heart skip a beat . . . I remember feeling that all the moments with my kids (big or small) were so important . . . but somehow being a Grandma brings a new awareness to each experience.

I guess part of it is that I have the time to stop and enjoy the moments, really roll around in them, immerse myself completely – something a busy parent doesn’t always have the luxury to do.

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365 Self Portrait Challenge: Day Two Hundred Eighty Nine

October 28, 2012 in ma365, Photo Challenge, Photography, Self-Portrait | Tags: Canada, cereal, Halloween, morning light, patrick rothfuss, Photoshop CS6, puffed rice, treats, willow tree | Leave a comment

“When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

I’m enjoying so much taking pictures of this little one. Those curls, that sweet innocence. This morning we went out to feed the birdies some puffed rice cereal we’d used to make some Halloween Treat with – but it didn’t work out so well. We thought the birds might enjoy them. I caught her with the morning light coming from behind her, through the Willow Tree at the edge of the creek. I think this may be one of my favorite pictures of her so far.

After she put the cereal on the little spool, she walked around snapping her fingers saying “here birdie, here birdie, treats!”

I just love seeing life through her eyes!