Happy Birthday Steve !

When I was a teenager and found out I was about to have a child, I wanted more than anything to do it right… to make sure my child felt loved….I remember a popular writing from the time that had a major impact on me the day I read it. It was very simple, no artistic embellishment, only the words in calligraphy on parchment paper. I hung it over Steve’s crib as a reminder that every action, positive and negative, affects the little child whose life we are entrusted with….

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn…

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight…

If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive…

If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself…

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy…

If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt…

But…

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient…

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident…

If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative…

If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love…

If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is…

If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice…

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him…

If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live.

By Dorothy Louise Nolte

He’s all grown up now and I think we did a great job ! He’s smarter than I ever dreamt of being , a good man, a loving father, a great friend, has a kind heart that’s about as big as the Atlantic ocean and not a single mean bone in his body…Happy Birthday my son…

This week’s photo shoot !

Is a fantastic girl with so much energy and just about to embark on a wonderful education in New York. I took these pictures last week just before she moved to Brooklyn.

The Verdict’s in ~ The Honda will get a new tranny and a good washing !:)

I rented a car and went and looked around at cars today and then stopped by and “visited” my car at the tranny shop. I have made my decision to trust that my car has loads more life left ! So a new tranny, new drive axles, a good tune up and into the detail shop for a wash, a facial and perm and maybe one of those car smelling things of the ” new car” variety ! 

If next year I decide to ” take the plunge” , I should have a good tradein car !!

The Check Engine Light on my Honda Accord

Has always been my friend, that is until this week. In the past the code has “revealed” that I did not tighten my gas cap tight enough but this time it betrayed me and is “revealing” that my transmission is about to go : ( … So I am faced with a major decision, and it is a hard one!!!!

I can invest a large chunk of change in my car which is 11 years old but has solid engine compression test results and perhaps get by for a year or two and have a car that I could use as a trade in when I am ready to buy. The hard part is paying up all those pretty dollar bils and still be driving the same old 1997 Honda accord minus the “clunk” as it shifts into gear. Although if I do decide not to repair my car, it is in such good condition that the guy at the tranny shop wants to buy it for his teenage son!

Here are ” Eddie” and I in his Glory Days

or

I can use the money that I would put into fixing my car and put a down payment on maybe a 2005/ 2006 Honda Element with low mileage??? I’ve been eyeing them for some time now This car also appeals to me because it would be great to carry my camera equipment in …

I’m having a hard time justifying any kind of a new car because I live less than a mile from work and it just doesn’t make sense to pay so much money for a fancy car when I could really walk to work. I’m also thinking green but WOW, the Prius and the Honda Hybrids are soooooo expensive !

Soooooooooooo I’ll be spending the weekend car window shopping and by Monday, hopefully I will make the right decision.

Trampolines

Working as an orthopedic tech has me a little cautious around trampolines but they really are a great form of exercise and a lot of fun! It’s not an activity you can let little ones do unsupervised, so I pretty much stood at the trampoline for the better part of the afternoon…

and

No .. I did not get on and I think my trampoline days are over But for prosperity, I dug into the vaults and put a comparison one of me from a week before Haley was born to post with the one I took of Haley from this weekend !

Happy Birthday Jeff!

You know how certain times of the year remind you of certain people and even if you let the actual day slip by without remembering, just the month itself will sooner or later jog your memory! Well, Jeff is an August birthday person

Today, I salute my good friend Jeff! Not only a good friend, but a part of one of my most unbelievable photographic moments !

and Haley always had the best time with him !

Back to work …

Well I return to work tomorrow, almost 2 months to the day after surgery! I’m excited to see how I do and to watch the weight I gained before and after surgery as it falls off ! My job is really physical so I am sure that the weight I have gained will come off quickly between work and my water therapy classes. Fingers crossed !

I will say that after 1 full week of classes, I definitely feel a difference! When I stand, I feel stronger and surer of myself and my gait has definitely improved!

So the “pictures” that I take this week will look something like this …

and I will be running over for water therapy during lunch

Slideshow from my week with Haley

Slideshow

I went through all the pictures from my week’s worth of photos in S.F. and at the pool back in Sacramento and made a slideshow of some of my favorites. Click on the above link for the slide show. Some were taken by me and some were taken by Haley…. No doubt about it though, many happy memories..

Back Home Again

Well my San Francisco adventure is over! More fun this weekend though , we went out to the country and spent the day with family by the pool.

This week is jammed full of water therapy and physical therapy appointments, a Bowen treatment and preparing to return to work, which I feel with be the ultimate test.

Hmmm … maybe I will go and look at bicycles this week too.

San Francisco Day 3 & 4

We took Muni into downtown and went to the movies ! One of my friends had highly recomended Mama Mia and it really was a fun, uplifting, get up and dance kind of movie! It made me want to make reservations ASAP for Greece ! And perhaps find my very own Pierce Brosnan

After the movies, we met Steve at Old Navy and then walked around Union Square and up and down the streets of San Francisco! I really wanted to do some night photography in the city and Steve was really patient with my request. Do you know how long it takes a sun to go down when you are waiting for it ???

Yesterday we went to the San Francisco Zoo, and spent most of our time laughing hysterically at two baby monkeys. Then Haley turned into a little photographer at our fine feathered friend’s section, so this next photo is a Haley original I never cease to be impressed every time she names a bird. Kudos to Nana & Baba in Arizona!

We sat for quite a while looking at the Flamingos. I smiled and thought of all my dear “Pretty Flamingo” friends Haley was mesmerized because it was her first time seeing Flamingos.

A final pose as we left the closing Zoo and back to Momma’s house for brown rice and zucchini stir-fry