172 - Swinging Shoes

One of my favorite little people in the whole wide world is Miss Amelie. You might remember her from some photos I did back in March when her mommy was still pregnant with little sister, Lucy. 

Well, Amelie's back... and look how she's grown! She's 2 1/2, and trust me, she's just about ready to rule the world. We had a play date when we were in Seattle, and I just had so much fun running around with her and remembering the childhood joy of the playground -- the swings, in particular. =)

171 - Cinnamon Roll

Let me introduce you to the Maltby Cafe cinnamon roll -- a plateful of delicious, gooey goodness:

This is the first official "Seattle" photo that you'll be seeing. Due to some airline/flight complications, Josh and I had finally gotten in to my parents' house around, hmm, 4am, I think? Which given the time change, felt like about 7am for us. Translation? An all nighter! 

However, my dear friend Fritz (also known as Carolyn) was going to be flying out that same day, so we had one chance to connect, and connect we did! At the infamous Maltby Cafe, of course; over an infamous cinnamon roll, of course. And just so you can get a grasp on the size of this "roll", here's Fritz modeling it:

Yup, the thing is huge. The perfect treat for friends who live on opposite coasts to share and catch up over. =)

170 - Chris & Jack

You've already met our friend, Chris, and you've definitely met our kitten, Jack.... so here are a few of the two of them thrown together. It's probably pretty safe to say that Chris is one of Jack's favorite people. Following Josh and myself, of course. ;) Besides being at least a once-a-week visitor (and often more frequently), Chris watched our little cats a few times when we were away, thus endearing himself as one of the "feeders".

But seriously, our cats are awesome, and while they love everyone, Jack especially loved Chris. So we took some photos before Chris left for Milwaukee. And abandoned us forever. And broke poor Jack's heart.I'm not sure how he'll ever recover...

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Are you on your way back yet, Chris? ;)

169 - Succession Shots

On August 1st, Josh and I flew to Seattle. However, our flight didn't leave until late afternoon, and so before church we invited two dear friends, Joanna and Chris, over for breakfast. As Joanna was heading back to law school (Duke), and Chris was moving to Milwaukee to work for InterVarsity, it was our last chance to see the two for an undetermined amount of time. (We're still waiting for Chris to decide it's time to move back to Philly). 

As we were trying to grab a quick group shot with my camera perched precariously on our porch steps, I discovered I could have my camera do timed, multiple shots (in very quick succession). Meaning, we all acted very grown up. Enjoy the following results!

168 - Mexican Tomatoes

Well, they aren't actually from Mexico... but the bowl is (from our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta). And the tomatoes are just super happy, super cute, super delicious ones from our backyard. Did I mention we ate tons of tomatoes this year? Almost every meal? And that we still have some? And that I already made multiple batches of spaghetti sauce? Mmm, it was a bountiful tomato crop for us this year! All grown in our teeny tiny urban backyard garden. Hooray!

P.S. This photo is from when Josh was "harvesting" one afternoon. We were picking tomatoes about every other day -- this bowl was only about half of what he brought in that day. For more of our harvest, check out these posts.

167 - Rainbow Cake, II

Oh. Maybe I should have warned you that there's quite a bit of bright, non-natural, non-organic, non-politically correct coloring in this post. Oops! :)

I don't know how much you know about me, color, swirls, or cake batter, but here's the deal: when they're all combined I am one happy camper. Or, um, eater. Let's just say it's really quite alright to have all those "non" things listed above, because the result is deliciously colorful and wonderfully fantastic. And really good to eat, too!

Welcome, once again, to the world of rainbow cake!

For more information on what this rainbow cake thing is all about, visit my other blog. It has the full details, recipes, and more photos. These photos are just from a rainbow cake whipped together very quickly for a friend's going-away party. While I don't have as many photos as on the (older) rainbow cake post, I just couldn't resist taking, and sharing, a few. After all: colors! swirls! cake batter!  :)

166 - Sunset Silhouettes

Collegeville, PA

165 - Night Lights

I think all I can say with this one is that we live in a pretty amazing time when this is what we can do with electricity, water, lights, and gels. And of course, it's also pretty great when you have friends who invite you over to enjoy all the above mentioned inventions. =)

164 - "I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy!"

Now, if you don't know what that quote is from, you need to go rent (or buy) Finding Nemo. Right now. Because it's wonderful and a necessary part of life and happiness. =)  Plus, this next post is all about Dory, so you need a little background.


Everyone knows how friendly Dory is, right? Well, when we were having our pool party with Silvija, everyone got to meet Dory. Except, as friendly as Dory is, there was an awful lot of falling off. However, the last photo shows you who Dory loves the most (though Josh did come in 2nd, as witnessed here)...

 

 

163 - Pool Party!

I have some fantastic friends. Seriously. And I love when life's paths bring some friends back around. Like, moving them from Seattle, WA to Philadelphia, PA.

Silvija & Greg are two such people. I met them about 12 years ago when I was in some theatre shows with their daughter and came to know and love their whole family well. I haven't lived in WA in about 8 years now... but last year, Silvija came to me! 

While Greg stays in WA while their youngest son finishes high school, Silvija is managing their new bed and breakfast. Ok, so it's not officially a B&B (yet), but their hospitality makes it about as much! 

One Sunday this summer, Silvija called and invited Josh and I up for "a swim in the pool". Well, four friends later we were in the midst of an awesome pool party, delicious BBQ, and the perfect night for the hot tub.


Now, most of these were just the "for fun" photos, because, let's be honest, I spent most of my time IN the pool, NOT with my camera. However, I figured you had to see some of the fun stuff. 

There were a number of cannonballs done, but as an objective judge, Chris' entry, hurdle, form, and splash won the event (though Carolyn's came a close 2nd).

And Josh became friends with Dory, but quickly discovered she wasn't very good in regards to water fight defense... the back splash is a bit strong, don't ya think?

And while I can't take photo credit for this, let this be a warning: don't mess with me in the water. I will win. :) 

162 - Construction Site

Here are a few more photos of the construction site for Esperanza's new health and wellness center. And, oh my goodness, I know it's just a building site being razed... but oh, how I love all the angles! 

161 - Chains of Hope

A few months ago, Esperanza Health Center was awarded a $6.5 million grant to build a new health and wellness facility. Esperanza is a health clinic located in North Philly (about 10 minutes from our house) that provides health care to the Latino and under-served populations of Philadelphia. Many of the doctors, nurses, counselors, and other employees are members of our parent church (and our church plant, too), and we are all pretty darn excited because the new center is being built across from our (old) church! It's also only 4.5 blocks from our house, and is being built on the site of a long-abandoned warehouse -- great neighborhood beautification!

In Esperanza's words:

When this new facility is completed, it will provide primary health and support services, including new services such as nutrition and fitness classes, a fitness facility, and health education and outreach activities to nearly 7,000 additional patients.

They do such great work and serve a huge need in our neighborhood and community at large. I'm so excited for the facility to open. =) In the meantime, some photos through the chains...

 

P.S. 'Esperanza' is the Spanish word for 'hope'.

160 - Upwards

As I get back into things, I'll be posting photos from the past few months, largely in the order they were taken. 

However, this one is out of order because it seems to be what my life is right now: many paths, many options, many opportunities to pursue. There might be detours, but they still all move higher and higher as you press on, moving closer and closer to the goal.

A New Beginning

Well, folks, I'm back... once again. =)

A lot of things have happened in my absence... the biggest one being that I quit my job! Yes, you read that correctly: we're in a recession and I quit my job. It's kind of a terrifying thought in many ways, yet I know it was absolutely the right thing to do. 

While I don't have as much life experience as many others who have more, um, "wisdom" as we call it in our family (yes, years), or people who have kids, or those who have gone through layoffs, or other things like that, I do believe I've gone through enough life to realize that there are a few times in your life when you're faced with major decisions that will literally change the trajectory of your life and story. 

A few of my recent story-changing decisions include accepting a teaching position in inner-city Philadelphia with Teach For America in 2006, and saying yes to my ridiculously tall (and skinny) Asian man on August 10, 2008. Now, I'm adding to that mix quitting my job in 2010. 

So why is this such a big deal? I mean, it's "just" about money, isn't it? Not exactly. In a few words, it's simply that I'm saying yes to myself. I'm saying yes to following my dreams; I'm saying yes to letting myself be happy; I'm saying yes to allowing myself to nurture myself as an artist. I'm simply saying yes to things that up until now I've said no to for the sake of being responsible. 

I realize that's a pretty privileged thing to be able to say. Believe me, I absolutely recognize that it is! But after many long months of conversation with Josh, along with lots of prayer, fretting, tears, soul-searching, reflection, and advice from family and friends.... I came to the conclusion that if I wasn't in an "emergency" situation (i.e. one where using some of our savings was an acceptable thing to do), I didn't know when a situation would ever come along. It wasn't a time where Josh and I had physical needs to take care of (mortgage, bills, etc).... but it was a time of desperate emotional and spiritual need. I don't want to live my life with regrets, and trust me, having my spiritual life, my marriage, and my happiness suffer would be things I don't know if I could forgive myself for.

So... I quit. And this past month has been a time of figuring out what exactly that means... but also just a time of stepping back, stepping out, and giving myself room to breathe and recover. And slowly, I'm starting to step back in. 

I know I've been gone for a very long time, but don't be fooled -- I haven't stopped taking photos. I'm still committed to a photo a day; I've just been horrible at posting them. =) However, it's time to step back into this place, and I'm excited to do so.

I'll also have some exciting news to update you on over the next few weeks/months... such as a very important piece of mail I should be receiving this week or next from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. =)

One last thing: I'm really glad you're all along with me on the journey.

159 - Caption Contest

Newborns amaze me. If you're around me when I'm around a newborn, chances are I'll be doing the following three things:

1. Holding the baby (for hours, if you let me)
2. Staring at the child with my mouth half open, smiling, my eyes happily lit up
3. Saying something along the lines of, "I just can't believe it! He's such a real little person!"

I've done more than my fair share of babysitting in life (I started at age 10), yet I just don't think I'll ever get over the awe of a newborn. It really is incredible to me to witness those new little people. From their tiny little fingers and toes, to the first time you see them open their eyes, to the way they identify Mom so easily, to how they find a way communicate when they need something... it's simply breathtaking to watch the smallest people you know live their lives.

One thing I especially love are the variety of faces these little people can make. Jack made my day with some of his expressions, and I thought I'd share a few outtakes with you. (And tell me if you can't already imagine him as the "grumpy" old grampa everyone loves!)

However, I'm gonna shake things up a bit: YOU get to write the captions! Over the next week, leave your caption(s) for the photos in the comments section (at the end of this post), then I'll update this post with the ones I find most entertaining. I know, not the most amazing prize, but hey, nobody can argue about the cuteness of the subject. =)

UPDATE: The caption winners are listed below! 

"Did I look like I wanted to be woken up? No, I didn't."  (from Jacob)

"Mmm, let me give that one some thought..." (from Barb)

"Ommmm, Ommmm... I'm practicing yoga... Ommmm, Omm...zzz zzz zzz..." (from Jacob)

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a Michigan State fan, not a U of Michigan fan! Please don't insult me again!" (from... myself... because it's so true in this family!)