Eden Photography, LLC

Just loved this shoot...

2011-12-11T18:44:00.000-05:00

Christmas waves a magical wand over this world,

and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

~Norman Vincent Peale

Navy Federal Holiday Party

2011-12-11T18:39:00.000-05:00

For the second year, we were privileged to be chosen to take photographs of the Navy Federal Holiday Party at the Winchester Contact Center. It was a wonderful event for the children and adults alike.

Christmas

2011-12-10T21:23:00.001-05:00

The Robbins Family

2011-12-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

Little Boys...

2011-11-21T22:39:00.001-05:00

It's been a while...

2011-11-21T22:35:00.000-05:00

I think every year just gets busier. There are just too many demands on my time, and it always puts me in less than a stellar mood because, as a creative person, I need that outlet. When I don't have time to create, I start down an unhappy path. A very dear friend of mine asked me this morning if I had posted anything in a while, and I said I hadn't. She thought I had given up...but I haven't. I just need four more hours a day, that's all.

So I'm going to repost haunted window...a photograph I took while Ed and I were out driving around on a beautiful autumn afternoon. See how many faces you can find...because there are many! A little late Halloween gift to you....

I love my husband...

2011-09-30T18:27:00.001-04:00

He does things like making my coffee every morning, and cooking me dinners like this:

Apple stuffed chicken in a wine sauce and roasted butternut squash with apples, molasses, ginger, nutmeg and olive oil. Perfect fall dinner!

Anna & Tony

2011-09-25T23:43:00.001-04:00

Anna & Tony Preview

2011-09-25T12:25:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Anna & Tony!

More of the Wedding

2011-09-18T10:18:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Terri & AJ

2011-09-18T10:16:00.000-04:00

In Honor of those we lost...9/11/01

2011-09-11T17:19:00.001-04:00

When the second plane hit, I knew exactly what was happening. All I wanted was my family - to be with them, and to know that, if we were going down, we would at least all be together. In the end, what did the victims do when they faced the inevitable? Those that could called their loved ones to express their love and say goodbye.

In the end, everyone instinctively knows what holds the most meaning - our relationships with other people. We need to be reminded of this every day we are given. Hold your loved ones close and treat them with all the kindness and goodness they deserve. What better way to honor the memory of those who lost any chance of doing that on 9/11 or any other day in any other tragedy?

Every single morning, when I get in the shower, I practice the art of living in the moment. Instead of thinking of the stresses I will face that day, I linger a few moments and really think about how wonderful that hot spray feels on my neck and back right that very second. I think about how fortunate I am to have been given this day, to be in good health, to have a family whom I love dearly and also enjoys good health, and then I make a choice about how I will spend that day. Practicing this one small exercise each morning has had a profound effect on my outlook and on my attitude. i am living a more conscious life and I am so appreciative for all of it.

Did 9/11 change me? Of course it did. It changed us all.

A busy week and a new addition to our family

2011-09-05T23:57:00.001-04:00

Please allow me to introduce Harrison, our latest grandson. He was born last Monday, and we had a couple days of worry, but he was allowed to go home on Thursday and he's healthy and hungry.

The Art of Preserving...Continued

2011-08-23T22:02:00.000-04:00

We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.

~Alfred E. Newman

Fight Back.

Happy

2011-08-16T23:54:00.000-04:00

People ask me

why I am happy.
What can I say?
I stopped trying to be
the sharpest tool
in the shed.
Once I gave that up,
I could rest in all this love.
Relaxed, I opened the door,
stepped out and discovered
the whole bliss garden
I’d been missing.

~Ingrid from MOONLIGHT AND REMEMBRANCE

Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

The process of preserving our creations...

2011-08-07T22:47:00.001-04:00

I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green.
~Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from and Old Manse

Queen Anne's Lace and a walk on a sultry July evening

2011-07-26T00:07:00.000-04:00

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions

with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm

for the battered spirit. A few of those days and

you can become drunk with the belief

that all's right with the world."

- Ada Louise Huxtable

Sunday....preserving day!

2011-07-24T10:38:00.000-04:00

Our garden is bursting with the harvest, and today Ed and I plan to preserve as much of it as we can. He's in the kitchen now, making pickles from our cucumbers. We have plans to make and put up jalepeno jelly, as well as salsa, and spicy pickled green beans. Last evening, in this terrible season of heat and humidity, we spent time in the garden picking green beans. I got chewed up by mosquitoes, and our backs weren't what they used to be. But the idea of preserving our own, homegrown, organic green beans is a great motivation! I'm so excited today to be canning!

The Way We Were...

2011-07-19T21:49:00.000-04:00

About five years ago or so. This is one of my favorite portraits of us. It says everything.

My Beautiful Daughter

2011-07-19T21:42:00.000-04:00

~ All the time we wondered and wondered, who is this person coming/growing/turning/floating/swimming deep, deep inside ~

~Crescent Dragonwagon

My Bank of Wild Grass

2011-07-17T22:33:00.001-04:00

I walk without flinching the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips.
~Violette Leduc, Mad in Pursuit

A series of photos can reflect the happiness and freedom of summertime

2011-07-17T22:26:00.000-04:00

The Essence of Summer

2011-07-17T22:00:00.001-04:00

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;

and the landscape lay as if new created

in all the freshness of childhood.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

When a photo tells a story...

2011-07-17T21:22:00.000-04:00

Time Out

I can't believe I waited this long...

2011-07-16T18:24:00.002-04:00

I've had the most irritating LG phone for the past two years. Last year it quit working altogether, so it was replaced (for $50 of course). Shortly thereafter, this "new" replacement began quickly draining the battery, until it finally allowed me about three short conversations before it died. I got so ticked, I just threw it in the bottom of my purse. Of course, people trying to reach me weren't too happy about that, especially since I picked up my messages about once or twice a week, at best. So Ed had an upgrade, and we could switch and I started thinking about maybe purchasing an iPhone.

So I bit the bullet Thursday night and bought one. The process was easier than I thought it would be.

I am totally and completely in love with this phone! Naturally I began downloading photography apps as soon as we hit the road. I have always loved Hipstamatic photos and the app for that is amazing. Here's a bunch I've already taken:

Sophie Relaxing

2011-07-13T00:29:00.000-04:00

And enjoying the sunset on our deck...

I'm a Southern Girl

2011-07-10T22:10:00.000-04:00

And what does a Southern girl make on a hot July Sunday morning when company is coming for an afternoon in the pool? Cornbread Salad! If you want a refreshing, make-ahead dish that is as pretty as it is delicious, by all means serve this.

Preparation

YIELD: Makes 10 to 12 servings
COURSE: Salads

Ingredients

1 (6-ounce) package Mexican cornbread mix
1 (1-ounce) envelope buttermilk Ranch salad dressing mix
1 small head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Mexican four-cheese blend
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
5 green onions, chopped

Prepare cornbread according to package directions; cool and crumble. Set aside.
Prepare salad dressing according to package directions.
Layer a large bowl with half each of cornbread, lettuce, and next 6 ingredients; spoon half of dressing evenly over top. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients and dressing. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

The fruits of July

2011-07-10T22:05:00.000-04:00

Put to excellent use by my best friend, Phyllis, who brought this luscious pie for dessert today.

The Blooms of July

2011-07-10T22:03:00.001-04:00

The Garden Matures

2011-07-10T21:53:00.002-04:00

The abundance of green tomatoes in the garden have not gone unnoticed

2011-07-10T21:52:00.000-04:00

What to do with all the zucchini?

2011-07-10T21:49:00.000-04:00

Bake these incredibly delicious loaves of Zucchini Blueberry Bread. I substituted 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce for the oil, which makes for a healthier bread. I made one regular sized and six mini loaves.

Ingredients

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

I love summer

2011-07-10T21:35:00.001-04:00

Ed and I had such a great weekend. We hit the road Saturday morning with no real idea of what we wanted to do, other than visit a farm market or two (support your local farmers!), and we ended up in Chambersburg and Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. That farm country is beautiful, to say the least. Our favorite part of the trip was taking off down back roads and seeing the countryside.

We did pick up a few things; crabapple and lavender jelly! An Amish woman sold these to us at the Farmer's Market in Chambersburg. We have loads of lavender in our gardens and next spring, I'll be canning some of this gorgeous jelly.

For Anna and Clint

2011-06-27T21:27:00.000-04:00

A few more of the wedding...

2011-06-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

I spent six hours editing today, and probably have two more 6 hour sessions to go, but I know Anna is anxious to see more, so Anna? This is for you.

Jessica, the Senior

2011-06-26T13:13:00.000-04:00

Girl Talk

2011-06-26T13:08:00.001-04:00

A field of flowers

2011-06-26T13:06:00.000-04:00

A June Saturday with the relatives...

2011-06-26T13:01:00.001-04:00

I love cross processing photos, and kids in a field of flowers or by a picket fence just seem the perfect little subjects for this old fashioned method of editing.

A riddle in nine syllables...

2011-06-20T20:53:00.000-04:00

My Grandson

2011-06-17T23:21:00.000-04:00

It is as grandmothers that our mothers

come into the fullness of their grace.

~Christopher Morley

A Beautiful Family

2011-06-17T23:18:00.000-04:00

A few more of the wedding...

2011-06-15T00:10:00.000-04:00

A lovely bride

2011-06-12T01:55:00.000-04:00

A gift from my husband...

2011-06-06T21:41:00.000-04:00

This evening, after dinner (a big pan of homemade lasagna, which was my gift to him), Ed and I had to run an errand. "But, first," he said, "I want to take the camera and show you something." I'm always game for a ride with the cameras, and we usually spend more than a few summer evenings exploring the beauty of the valley. This evening, it was this:

We're not sure what they are, just huge puffs like dandelions, only much, much bigger. I love their structure and I love that I was able to catch the late sunlight right though the pod in the first photo.

So we were back on the road, watching the last of the golden light in shimmering green fields of new corn, and James Taylor came on the radio with "Fire & Rain." And Ed sang. I love when he sings- it's a very rare thing. Last summer we drove half-way across the country in three days, and I must have sang along to at least 300 hundred songs on the iPod. Ed never so much as hummed. This evening, I was more than happy to join him.

The Blue Robe

2011-06-01T23:36:00.001-04:00

The Blue Robe

By Wendell Berry

How joyful to be together, alone

as when we first were joined

in our little house by the river

long ago, except that now we know

each other, as we did not then;

and now instead of two stories fumbling

to meet, we belong to one story

that the two, joining, made. And now

we touch each other with the tenderness

of mortals, who know themselves:

how joyful to feel the heart quake

at the sight of a grandmother,

old friend in the morning light,

beautiful in her blue robe!

Garden

2011-05-31T21:32:00.000-04:00

We've gotten everything planted (and by we, I mean Ed), and actually have a great crop of spinach and radishes we're already enjoying. The lettuce will be ready in a few days. The tomatoes, beans, corn, zucchini, butternut squash, summer squash, cucumbers, peppers, and pumpkins are all coming up nicely. Ed's goal is to grow a giant pumpkin this year!

Preciousness at 1:00 a.m.

2011-05-31T20:51:00.000-04:00

Everyday Beauty...Tuesday

2011-05-31T20:45:00.001-04:00

Sunset, viewed poolside

After a day in the pool...and despite liberal applications of sunblock

2011-05-31T11:00:00.001-04:00

Monday...and beauty right at the kitchen window

2011-05-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

I was so excited to see this lovely Luna Moth on my kitchen window screen. I don't think I've ever had an opportunity to see one this close up. I would have gone outside, but I was afraid I'd scare it away. I didn't realize how chubby these lovely moths are.

Anabelle

2011-05-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2011-05-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

After a visit to a couple of our local Farmer's Markets, we came home with loads of fresh strawberries, rhubarb, corn on the cob, and raspberry jam. I set about making a prize-winning recipe I found online:

This pie won the blue ribbon at the January Manatee County Fair in Palmetto, Fla., and one of the 2007 Belmar pie-baking contests. Makes one 9-inch pie.

Ingredients
3        cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2   cups sugar
3        tablespoons cornstarch
2        cups rhubarb, sliced (fresh or frozen unsweetened)
1/2     teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1        teaspoon lemon juice
         Top and bottom crusts for 9-inch pie
1 1/2   tablespoons half-and-half or milk
1        tablespoon cinnamon sugar

Directions
In a large bowl, mix strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, rhubarb, lemon peel and lemon juice. For fresh fruit, let stand 15 minutes. For frozen, let stand 60 minutes.

Roll out both crusts; place one in a pie pan or an iron skillet. Top with fruit mixture. Place remaining crust over fruit and crimp the edges. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape. Brush with half-and-half and dust with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 375. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover the crust with aluminum foil if it browns too much. Cool before serving.

Friday, Friday. How I LOVE you!

2011-05-27T23:52:00.000-04:00

To be fair, this was not taken today, but early in the spring. This bird hatched several beautiful little ones in the pergola in our backyard. Ed took this photo, and I love it.

Thursday is extra beautiful...

2011-05-26T22:48:00.000-04:00

My mother is a poem
I'll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.
~Sharon Doubiago

My beautiful daughter and my grandson, due in August, getting a hug from my other grandson.

Wednesday's not so bad either...

2011-05-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

Tuesday's Everyday Beauty

2011-05-24T22:24:00.000-04:00

The most beautiful thing...

2011-05-23T22:01:00.002-04:00

On Marriage

Kahlil Gibran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Beauty on a Monday...

2011-05-23T19:25:00.000-04:00

Ed received a little gift the other day of fresh rockfish, and this evening I breaded it with seasoned eggs and Panko breadcrumbs and fried it in a little canola oil. I steamed some fresh broccoli and carrots, and had just plated everything when I noticed how pretty it looked in the evening sun.

Wabi-Sabi

2011-05-22T21:48:00.001-04:00

I found a wonderful article on the Japanese Philosophy of Wabi-Sabi right here. It's all about seeing and appreciating the beauty in the every day, and I absolutely love this. The older I get, the more I see the value in frugality and in living a much simpler life. I'm a huge fan of the beauty of everyday and so, in keeping with that, I think I'll start doing a photograph of the day to document what I found in the course of a regular day that I find beautiful.

Or maybe I'll post nine, like I have today. Our David Austin English roses are in full bloom, and so are our peonies. I can't think of a more beautiful bouquet - I cut one for the house and one for my desk at the office, which will make my week much more enjoyable and beautiful.

May Flowers

2011-05-21T12:17:00.001-04:00

"May and June. Soft syllables, gentle names for the two best months in the garden year: cool, misty mornings gently burned away with a warming spring sun, followed by breezy afternoons and chilly nights. The discussion of philosophy is over; it's time for work to begin."
- Peter Loewer

Can you live without television?

2011-05-18T00:10:00.000-04:00

Here's a really great article on why you shouldn't watch television. The only reason we have television in our home is because my husband wants one (he likes football and golf) and I've compromised. He said he cannot live without television (even though he complains that there's nothing worth watching on), and if he must give it up, I'll have to give up the Internet. Since a computer and the Internet are such integral elements to my work (and keeping in touch with friends), I cannot imagine my life without it. So we compromise, as do all successfully and happily married people.

When I reinvented my life in 1998 and moved back to Virginia with my daughters, we found ourselves too busy for television. I didn't even have one hooked up for many months and guess what? I loved it! I never missed it. Less than a year later, when I met my husband and we eventually began to live together and got custody of his daughter as well, we made a decision to not have television in our living room on the main floor of our previous home. We had one in the finished basement, and even one in our bedroom on the upper level (I did eventually get rid of that, thank goodness!), but we just decided we had enough on our plates with all the kids, our jobs, our gardens, and each other, to waste any of our valuable time on t.v. My son came back home to live with us during this time as well, so we had four teenagers living with us and, for a time, my father-in-law, and then my best friend. We never missed having that constant noise in the background, and I have to say that our kids (and we) had a great time. Their friends were always over and we actually visited with each other. No distractions...I'd put on some good music (classical many times), and we would sit in the living room and talk and laugh and have absolutely great times. Laughter was a constant in our home, and there was a sense of peace and happiness that everyone loved and enjoyed. We had a remarkable time in those days and Ed and I often talk about how wonderful it was. I truly think we gave our kids, ourselves, and their friends a lovely gift. Some of the kids' friends still want to come over to spend the night and listen to classical music and just visit. I love that.

My father in law gave my husband a big-screen television last year (very nice!), and we have really enjoyed actually being able to see the picture when we do watch it now. I actually love it (thank you again, Jim!), but more for watching a movie now and then or the National Geographic channel. Yeah, yeah, I'm old. But most days, especially when I'm at home, I use it for listening to the music channels. I just have better things to do, like enjoy the life I've been blessed with.

If you can't live without it, it's a great idea to consider at least cutting down on it, especially if you have children. Give them the gift of your time, your thoughts, your attention. Most of the junk on television is a total waste of time, not to mention an insult to one's intelligence. Read a book. Grow a garden. Take up a craft. Volunteer. Take a class. Take a walk! Get out there and LIVE!!!

Vote for GiGi!

2011-05-16T17:55:00.000-04:00

GiGi's mom is my former step-daughter, Jill, whom I always just adored. My parents sent me this information - GiGi, who by all accounts is an incredible artist, won this contest in Texas. Now they are voting for the People's Choice and I'd love to see her get that! Please cast your vote here:
Vote for GiGi! She's in first place today!

Two of my favorite pals...

2011-05-14T23:49:00.000-04:00

She Walks in Beauty

2011-05-14T23:19:00.001-04:00

She Walks in Beauty

by Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

Our Guests

2011-05-14T23:14:00.000-04:00

Our Favorite Models...

2011-05-14T23:00:00.000-04:00

And again...

2011-05-14T14:41:00.000-04:00

Anabelle

2011-05-14T14:38:00.000-04:00

The Peonies

2011-05-14T12:42:00.000-04:00

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready

to break my heart

as the sun rises,

as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers

and they open —

pools of lace,

white and pink —

and all day the black ants climb over them,

boring their deep and mysterious holes

into the curls,

craving the sweet sap,

taking it away

to their dark, underground cities —

and all day

under the shifty wind,

as in a dance to the great wedding,

the flowers bend their bright bodies,

and tip their fragrance to the air,

and rise,

their red stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness

gladly and lightly,

and there it is again —

beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open.

Do you love this world?

Do you cherish your humble and silky life?

Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?

Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,

and softly,

and exclaiming of their dearness,

fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,

with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,

their eagerness

to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are

nothing, forever?

from New And Selected Poems by Mary Oliver

(c) Mary Oliver

Tulips from our Garden

2011-05-10T21:36:00.001-04:00

Tulips

By A. E. Stallings

The tulips make me want to paint,

Something about the way they drop

Their petals on the tabletop

And do not wilt so much as faint,

Something about their burnt-out hearts,

Something about their pallid stems

Wearing decay like diadems,

Parading ﬁnishes like starts,

Something about the way they twist

As if to catch the last applause,

And drink the moment through long straws,

And how, tomorrow, they’ll be missed.

The way they’re somehow getting clearer,

The tulips make me want to see—

The tulips make the other me

(The backwards one who’s in the mirror,

The one who can’t tell left from right),

Glance now over the wrong shoulder

To watch them get a little older

And give themselves up to the light.

Girls at Hoover Dam

2011-05-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

Ed and I met these young ladies at the Hoover Dam and I've been so busy I've neglected to get their photos up (as promised). So here you go, girls...you're all lovely and I hope you like it.

TriSec

2011-05-02T20:01:00.000-04:00

We have some photos uploaded to our website here - Choose Website, then click on Online Ordering at the bottom to view the galleries. On the top left of the screen is a drop down menu with links to each event. We are still posting photos so don't forget to come back and see them all! Email me with any questions. Thanks!

To the families of 9/11....We did not forget

2011-05-02T00:28:00.000-04:00

No man suffers injustice without learning,

vaguely but surely, what justice is.

~Isaac Rosenfeld

In a Church...

2011-05-01T20:54:00.000-04:00

At the historic Dunker Church at Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD

Kennedi

2011-05-01T12:04:00.000-04:00

The Mellott Family

2011-04-27T23:32:00.000-04:00

TriSec

2011-04-26T22:33:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid I've caused some confusion by making the event but not yet posting the photos. If you attended TriSec, I apologize. I am still in the process of editing the photos and will have them up hopefully by the weekend. Feel free to email me with any questions. I took the event down to prevent any more confusion.

We so enjoyed meeting so many of you and had such a great time.

Full Moon over Las Vegas

2011-04-25T21:32:00.000-04:00

The Indian

2011-04-24T17:14:00.000-04:00

Williams, Arizona...The Cowboy

2011-04-24T13:33:00.000-04:00

Self Portrait

2011-04-24T13:20:00.002-04:00

The Hoover Dam

2011-04-24T03:07:00.003-04:00

Mother and Daughter

2011-04-23T23:54:00.002-04:00

I couldn't help but notice this mother and daughter who sat in front of us on the shuttle bus during our tour of the Grand Canyon. They were with a party of five others, whom I presume were all family. They all spoke Chinese, and the rest of the group sat on the other side of the bus, laughing and chatting in their foreign tongue. These two though sat alone together and displayed such a tenderness between them. They were so gentle with each other and so affectionate; I first noticed that the daughter (a middle aged woman who appeared to be in her 40's) resting her head on her mother's. There was a a sense of reverence in the way the daughter leaned into her mother - a respect and gentleness I've seldom seen between American mothers and daughters.

I continued to watch them, fascinated by their gentle communication and slight hand gestures and the way they would pause to look at each other. What a lucky pair to enjoy such a loving relationship.

Oddly enough, on the plane bound to Vegas last Sunday, I began reading an autobiography that was about a Chinese girl whose mother died shortly after her birth, leaving her and her four siblings in the care of their wealthy businessman father. He became smitten with a 17 year old Eurasian, who was both beautiful and extremely cruel, and he married her. She was beyond selfish and merciless to his children. The story of this young girl's life was shocking, heartbreaking and haunting. I highly recommend the book:

The cruelty and selfishness of some is beyond comprehension to me. The resilience of others astounds me in equal measure. You won't regret this fascinating story, plainly told and gleaned from Adeline Yen Mah's incredible memories.

The Grand Canyon

2011-04-23T22:09:00.000-04:00

"To stand upon the edge of this stupendous gorge,

as it receives its earliest greeting from the god of day,

is to enjoy in a moment compensation

for long years of ordinary uneventful life."

~Stoddard, John 1898

neVer forgeT...April 16, 2007

2011-04-17T00:19:00.001-04:00

Four years ago today, I drove to work at 9:30 in the morning, cursing the sudden bone-chilling cold, fighting the strong winds that pulled my car left and right, and watching the snow flurries dizzily flying. Not long after, we would receive devastating news from my daughter, a student at Virginia Tech. We dropped everything and headed south to Blacksburg. That night and the day ahead would draw from us more tears than we ever believed our bodies could produce.

I will never forget it.

Last night I sought stories online about it. I looked at the photographs again. Tears streamed down my face before I even realized I was weeping. I took the time to look at the faces of those who died. I read about them, their lives and their families. I was happy to find a photo of the survivors, all of whom radiated happiness and that was good.

I remembered being at the convocation and counting thirty two people on the floor of the auditorium as the University President, The US President, the Governor of Virginia and Nikki Giovanni spoke. I could not wrap my mind around the terrible fact that so many people, most so tenderly young, were gone so suddenly and violently.

They woke up the day before, right here on this campus. They went to class. Yesterday, as I showered and got ready for work, they were having a normal morning, probably also cursing the return of the cold.

Haunting me the most were the stories told by police of wading through the worst carnage and hearing the shrill noise of cell phone after cell phone ringing and ringing and ringing. Parents - calling to make sure their children were safe. Parents who were not, that day, as fortunate as we were. Students... children...who could not answer.

I still feel immensely grateful that my daughter survived and I still feel immeasurably guilty that thirty two families will today, and every April 16th, remember the events in a very different light. My prayers are with them.

My daughter, now deployed, ran 3.2 miles somewhere halfway around the world, in a desert, to honor the dead. A friend wrote on her wall that he ran in Afganistan. Another ran in Texas.

They will never forget. I will never forget.

April....Come She Will...

2011-04-16T23:41:00.000-04:00

Everything is blooming most recklessly;

if it were voices instead of colors,

there would be an unbelievable shrieking

into the heart of the night.

~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

Tulips...

2011-04-16T23:24:00.000-04:00

Tulips

By A. E. Stallings

The tulips make me want to paint,

Something about the way they drop

Their petals on the tabletop

And do not wilt so much as faint,

Something about their burnt-out hearts,

Something about their pallid stems

Wearing decay like diadems,

Parading ﬁnishes like starts,

Something about the way they twist

As if to catch the last applause,

And drink the moment through long straws,

And how, tomorrow, they’ll be missed.

The way they’re somehow getting clearer,

The tulips make me want to see—

The tulips make the other me

(The backwards one who’s in the mirror,

The one who can’t tell left from right),

Glance now over the wrong shoulder

To watch them get a little older

And give themselves up to the light.

Now this is how to treat our active duty military...

2011-04-08T22:45:00.002-04:00

Click on this link to read about how Navy Federal Credit Union is relieving the burden on our active duty military, while the government's elected and well-provided for officials sit on their butts and still get paid for, apparently, not doing anything much.

Go Navy Federal! If you're not a member, become one! Go to Navy Federal's Website to see if you qualify for membership.

I'm proud to be employed by Navy Federal and I love spending my weekdays doing my part to ensure our members receive world class service.

Little boys...

2011-04-04T22:03:00.000-04:00

This is Mason, grandson of our friends, Jeff and Donna. This boy is beautiful!

Mason and his grandfather

Busy hands

2011-04-03T21:03:00.001-04:00

We've been so busy that I haven't really had a day just to take care of things around the house. Last Saturday morning I did manage to clean out my closet and later in the week, give away quite a few items of clothing. It was great to know that things I no longer wear have a new life. Today I spent the day cleaning our master bath...clearing and wiping out cabinets, drawers and the linen closets, and scrubbing out the big jacuzzi (not an easy job-hard on the old back!), along with all the grandbabies' bath toys. I got rid of things that weren't being used, scrubbed my hairbrushes and comb, organized my nail care items and the kids' items, and ran the whirlpool with detergent and bleach and toys. I rinsed everything with a white vinegar mix and put the toys out in the sun to dry, along with our bed linens, fresh from the washer. I polished mirrors and did laundry, carefully folding everything fresh from the dryer and putting it away. Ed and I watched The Shawshank Redemption, while I sat and ironed four of my blouses, two of his dress shirts, and the fresh smelling pillow cases we'll sleep on tonight. I cleaned out the kitchen junk drawer and all the drawers and countertops in our wet bar. Ed grilled enough chicken breasts to make the base of at least three meals this week, saving me time and energy after long days at the office It feels really good to start the week ready to go.

Tuesday or Wednesday we'll travel to Newport News to see my daughter, an Officer in the USAF, who flies in from North Dakota. From there, she will be deployed. I've intentionally put this deployment as far away from my thoughts as possible because I'm having a hard time dealing with it. She's my baby - the tough little thing who has traveled the world (3 trips to Europe so far), earned an engineering degree, run marathons, graduated from the Va. Tech Corp of Cadets (and was a Company Commander), volunteered...the list is endless... and here she is doing the thing she has wanted to do since she was small. She seems pretty prepared. Me? No so much.

So today, I stayed busy. I kept my thoughts on mundane tasks and with each item checked off my mental lists, more time passed. When I get upset, I tend to clean and organize. It makes me feel like I an control at least a small part of my life. I think it will be easier for me when she's safely arrived at her destination. Of course, I have no idea how I'll know she made it or that she's safe. I have to trust that she's a remarkable woman, and that this will be an enriching experience for her.

Prayers for her, and for all our deployed troops (and their parents and families), are always appreciated. Maybe I should offer out my services as a maid for the next six months.

Two Dogs Dining

2011-03-29T20:59:00.002-04:00

Our Birthday Girls...

2011-03-26T22:05:00.001-04:00

Ava, 5 years old

Anabelle, just turned 1
The difference between watching your daughter grow and watching your granddaughter grow is that you have the time to spend with them you did not have when your children where young.
~Julie Butler

Nothing Gold Can Stay

2011-03-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.
~Robert Frost

Joy Lives Like A Jonquil in Winter...

2011-03-22T22:47:00.000-04:00

Joy Lives Like A
Jonquil in Winter

Joy Lives

Like a Jonquil in winter,
just beneath the surface
and still very alive.
Invisible sometimes, yes~
here memory assists
(of a pitcher filled with
sunny blooms
on the old farm kitchen table.)
Inaudible, maybe, yes…
we supply our own song.
And then, as promised, yes,
full fragrance, color, light
rise through the pregnant darkness,
lifting higher into Yes.
Joy lives, poised
in all that is possible, yes,
and the sweet splendor of the now.
That is to say, oh yes
here and forever-more.

Ingrid Goff-Maidoff
from the Chapbook, CALLING FORTH THE RICHES
also found in Joy, Light, Beautiful Wisdom
& THE JOY BOOK

Christine Lease, 2011 recipient of the President Award for Service Excellence

2011-03-21T21:05:00.000-04:00

I also could not be more proud of my great friend and colleague, Christy Lease, who surprised no one when she was bestowed with the Presidential Award for Service Excellence. No one deserves this more. Christine is not only one of the best assets Navy Federal has, but the most genuine and sweet person I've ever met. I love her dearly!

Christine Lease and Vice Admiral Cutler Dawson, USN (ret'd), President/CEO of Navy Federal Credit Union

Navy Federal Gala....Megann rocks the house!

2011-03-21T20:44:00.001-04:00

Megann Wither is a great friend and colleague...we work together and I just adore her. She has an amazing voice and she did us proud last Saturday night at the 2011 Navy Federal Gala at the Marriott Wardman in Washington, DC. She still puts chills on me each time I listen to her! Oh, I'm also in this, or at least my back, doing what I love to do - taking photos!

In loving memory of Rhonda Williams..

2011-03-20T19:24:00.003-04:00

March 6, 1983-March 17, 2011

The lovely bud, so young, so fair

Called off by earthly doom,

Just came to show how sweet a flower

in Paradise could bloom

My beautiful Mother

2011-03-15T00:15:00.000-04:00

A daughter is a mother's gender partner,

her closest ally in the family confederacy,

an extension of her self.

~Author Unknown

Our Bride...

2011-03-14T23:52:00.001-04:00