Downtown South Philly

On Friday, after the daytime class but before the Conference start there is a few hours to kill. We have learned to jump on the Broad Street line of the subway and head out for an early dinner. We found a great Italian restaurant Called Crimiti (I think) that is in a building that once had been a church. There is a beautiful stained glass window in the dining room and they serve wonderful food. Before heading in for dinner we took a walk up broad street. Not sure what is in the water there but we found a hospital and 6, count them 6 funeral homes... does not speak well for the hospital that 2 of them were just across a street from them. Here are some shots from our walk...

 

2 of the funeral homes were right next to each other

 

 

There are always guests who come and speak or perform at each conference. This year there were a number of them. Dr Henrey Cloud spoke about achieving the dreams that God has given you, Mandissa shared her testimony and sang (can you say WOW?), Nichole Nordiman sang (What beautiful music and meaningful lyrics, "I Am" just about cried me out it was so beautiful), Sandy Patti, and Anita Renfrew( A Depends moment girl) what an incredible lineup this weekend

 

Dr Cloud

 

Mandissa

 

Nichole Nordiman

Patsy, Marilyn and Luci

It is no secret that these three women are some of my favorites from the whole conference- Patsy is just a tiny bundle of amazing energy. Her story of breaking free form the fears that filled her life is so inspiring. Her recollections are so funny, her mannerisms are hysterical and yet her message hits home hard. I have learned so much from her - like don't drink a lot of water prior to her session- you just might laugh too hard.

 

Marilyn is a brilliant woman who has a quirky sense of humor. You just know I have to love someone with a quirky sense of humor. But in all her off beat anecdotes she really teaches you great lessons. Her understanding of people make her sessions so worthwhile.

 

And Luci... Wonderfully adventourous Luci. As much as I would like to spend time with any and all of the women from Women of Faith, Luci is the one I think I would have the most fun with. She is creative, a photographer and a great traveler. Her ability to teach you with simple but funny stories makes it worth the wait for her session. One might wonder why I chose this seemingly unattractive shot of her but if you were albe to listen to her story this conference you would quickly recognize her imitation of a man she met at a meeting.

 

Sandy Patti was amazing- no surprise. She can really belt out a song.

 

And final shots of my friends- inside the conference...

 

and out. So long Philadelphia, we had a great time

 

Head shots

When I signed up for the Photo Walk (http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/169824/)I got an email requesting a head shot for a security badge. I had to laugh... I always take pictures of people but get one of myself? And one that would make a good head shot? Yeah Right! So this morning I headed outside with my tripod and camera set on timer, a head shot to get. Would that you could have seen me.. it was too funny. As you can tell by the first shot, there is a learning curve on how much time you have to press the shutter and get into place. I realized I was aiming too high and did not have enought time to scramble over the rocks, through the bushesand onto the rock bridge ( I know.. I think I am 18 and in the best of shape- oh what a rude awakening.) Take 2, or was it 10....OOOOOPPPPS, zoomed in a little too much on that one. Phew... this was hard work, it was hot, I was sweaty and my hair was now about 5 feet high on its own. Inside to get a hair band and try it in there... then onto the porch. I am sure the drivers of the cars passing by were laughing as I would keep jumping from the camera to a chair. After about 26 shots I finally got one that would work. Forget that old saying that a lawyer who represents themselves has a fool for a client- a photographer who shoots their own portrait is just plain crazy.

 

 

 

Woodcliff Lake Fireworks

Last night our town held a night of fireworks in a local park. Jay has been involved in the running of this each time the town does it. His ability to organize everything and get things going is always amazing to me. This year was no different. The fireworks display was nothing short of spectacular and even the hard to please people who were sitting in front of where I was stationed ended up being pleased (All they were talking about before the show started was when would this start...how long will it last...how many more people would be showing up, yadda yadda yadda.) I felt that this year was the best yet and I was so proud of Jay and all his hard work. Following are a few of the shots I took during the show but none really does credit to how great it all was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finale

The whole show was pretty amazing but the finale was spectacular. At one point there were so many different exploding colors over my head I truly felt like I was inside of a kalidoscope. Well done Jay, well done!

 

 

Light sticks

It seems that at any night time event glowing sticks are sold and kids go wild for them. At the fireworks they sold the standard necklaces and then they also sold light sabers. Two boys close to where I was were having a great time dueling with them... I love the photos I got of them.

 

 

Fine start to our day

Heading out this morning on a day trip to Philadelphia and we get a call from a friend that was joining us....flat tire! AAA couldn't be there for an hour so off to the rescue we go. I have not changed a tire since 1974 when my dad taught me how before my mom took 3 of us cross country to South Dakota. He felt one of us should know how to do it and chose me, lucky me. BUt it finally paid off... Although in the picture it looks like my dad did all the work I promise I was an integral part in getting the donut tire on and us off on our way.

 

Franklin Institute of Science

Last year I read about the King Tut exhibit coming back to the US and mentioned it to Shelby...she definitely wanted to go. Well, I finally got my act together and we headed down to Philadelphia to see the boy king before he takes off on the 30th. My dad and a friend, Jean, from Church came along. What a great trip. We went into the planetarium and watched a show on the Pharaoh's stars and then headed in to see the Tut exhibit- very well done. I do not remember much from the exhibit when it was in NYC in the 70s or from when I saw it in Cairo in the 80s so it was like all was new to me (I actually did remember a few pieces when I saw them.) I was a little disappointed that the golden mask was not there but that does not leave Egypt anymore. We all loved it and was sad when we reached the end. shelby posed with the skull made from a CAT scan done a few years ago.

From there we headed in to an exhibit on the human heart- very cool. Shelby also liked the Pendulum staircase.

 

 

 

Shelby's Big Heart

Shelby wanted to go through the big heart and so off we went... let me tell you, the heart can be a little cramped. I wish they had museums set up like this when I was a kid

 

 

Gotta Love This Guy

OK< How cool is my dad... Here he is, 83 years old and he had to play all the games in the heart exhibit at the science museum. This one was sort of like a heart healthy dance dance revolution....you move your feet to direct the blood pumping through the body. He did it twice and wanted a score and boy was he upset when he found out they don't give you one.

 

 

 

Look at how intense his face is as he steps from one area to the next. You go Dad!!

Janet of the New Knee

Today my sister Janet had her left knee replaced. I was able to be up with her in the hospital along with her friend Sharon and cheer her on. First off her surgeon looked like a Norwegian God (Janet's description- not mine)and then the orderly was good enough to invite into her bed-right side- and cuddle, no kissing though, germs and all (again, Janet's words.) Can you tell that she is going to have a fine time in the hospital? Oh yeah and her roommate's son is good enough to bite (yes, I am stealing her words again.) Now, she is on some heavy duty drugs so I will have to check with her again after she is sober and see if she still feels the same way. The good news is that she went through the surgery with flying colors and will hopefully head for home on either Sunday or Monday, we'll see. I just can't wait to see her dancing up a storm again with no pain in her left leg.

2 Big Days

The beginning of September is always busy in our home. Kyle's birthday falls on the 2nd and then there is the start of school. This year my baby boy turned 20! I am not sure how that happened since it feels like he only joined us a couple of days ago but I did the math and sure enough it was 20 years ago. He has grown into such a wonderful young man.. I am so proud of him and better than that I actually like him! This was a hard birthday for him, he and his girlfriend of 4 years broke up over the summer and it is hard re-adjusting your plans and dreams when that happens. But he is doing well and working his way through it all.

 

Happy Birthday Kyle!!

Shelby started her junior year of high school this morning. She was so excited she could not sleep last night. I am thrilled that she loves her school so much but would appreciate a quiet night in the house without her wandering around. She is happy with her classes and is very happy she got the Italian teacher she wanted. I hope she ends the year feeling the same way

 

Photo Walk

Last year, in June a friend of mine, (hi Barbara,) went ot something called a bubble battle. Somewhere in the internet world she found an invitation for people to bring their bubble blowers and meet in a NYC park at a certain time for a huge bubble battle. A ton of people showed up and had a great time.

I was thinking abou that the other night and I started searching online for bubble battles. I didn't come up with any new ones going on but I did find a link to a photo walk going on in Bedford, NY at someone's private gardens this November. How cool!!

I sent in an email and there was room for me so I am going to head up to these gardens on the first of November and hopefully get some great shots. They have 52 acres of gardens and an arkload of animals roaming around. So, be ready for some garden shots coming in November.

Check out their online invite at http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/169824

Uppercase Living

I have done it... I just signed on to represent this company in a home sales business. Pretty scary and exciting at the same time.

What is it? well the home page of their website says,

"Words to live by for the homes we live in
Words inspire. They educate, express, or entertain. From a syllable to a sonnet, the right expression touches us deeply, makes us happier, more informed, even leads us toward a better life. Uppercase Living brings the incredible expressiveness of words into homes, transforming them into more wonderful places to live."

For the past couple of years I have been exploring companies on the internet that sell "wall words." The prices have always seemed extravagant and so I have never purchased any. Still I collected quotes that I thought I might one day splurge on.

Last week as I was blog hopping I went to Stacey Jullian's site and saw a photo of something she put in her laundry room and she mentioned that she got it from Uppercase Living. I went to their website (www.uppercaseliving.com) and got excited. Their prices were so much better than any I had seen before but their product looked great.

So I tried to find a consultant that was in my area and there were none- I was put in touch with someone in PA. Gears start turning and I start thinking, "Hmmm, maybe this would be a great way for me to start a business and earn some money to help with those pesky school tuitions?" Jay and I talked it over and I decided to give it a try.

SO if you have read through all of this musing, and are still awake... and maybe interested in learning more- Go to their Website- WWW.uppercaseliving.com and you will be asked to register- My Demonstrator's ID is 514047 and the registration token is blogspot.. I hope to hear from you!!