Saturday, October 24, 2009

HUGS ~N~ SHRUGS: Slow ISP's & Light

I've been scouring the net looking for theme's that my fluttering, creative, photographic, OCD type personality could get along with and use blogging because frankly... I've been feeling the "How on earth? & What on earth? am I gonna blog about theme", too much. I mean hey... the main purpose for starting this blog was to share my photography, my life, my ramblings, etc. But just how much can one share while stuck in this house most of the time, while waiting for a neck surgery that I'm sick of thinking and/or writing about? Instead, I decided to find a couple theme's that I can use regularly to help keep me on task and that I won't become bored with. With that in mind I present to you theme #1: Hugs ~N~ Shrugs! As everyone who knows me will testify, I'm a very huggy person. I'm not sure what it is about a good hug but I sure do love 'em. Hugs say, "I'm here, I care, I'm a friend"... hugs impart strength and, in general, hugs just make me feel all good inside. Shrugs on the other hand, are my way of dealing with stuff that's frustrating, scary, stressful, doesn't work... things that won't make any eternal significance in the grand scheme of things... so why fret over it. Deal with it; shrug it off as best I can and move on. Or better said: "Shrug it off baby cause in spite of life's storms, God is still oh so good!" Quickly I must share, the inspiration behind Hugs ~N~ Shrugs came to me by a photographer whose work I absolutely adore, Jasmine Star. She also carry's some theme's throughout her blog one of which is: Kisses and Disses. Special Hugs go out to Jasmine, which I truly hope someday to share in person.

Without further a-do',
Shrugs to:
  • My ISP (Internet Service Provider) Dishnetwork Wildblue High Speed ~ Seriously most days I could hug my little satellite but more & more here lately the speed and general reliability has been a real source of frustration. Don't even get me started on their support... this too shall pass. Dish knows they have no competition since dial up isn't even an option and DSL only comes 2 miles outta town (I'm 4). Sigh & shrug it off, this too shall pass!
  • The ruptured disc in my neck, bronchitis, sinus issues, flu, waiting for surgery... need I say more?
Hugs to:
  • Jesus ~ My Savior; my Lord, my best friend, the air I breathe, my hope, my confidence... my everything! Simply sung: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
  • Coffee! Specifically Folgers Classic Roast Coffee ~ umm so good! I love a snazzed out star bucks just as much as the next person once in a while... but day to day I gotta keep it real with my Folgers :-)
  • The light! I have no masters degree in light study. I can't claim a groundbreaking knowledge or understanding... but what I do have is an intense fascination and love for light. My ponder of the day: As light is to darkness so is hope to a dream, the absence of either equals sight unseen.
  • Nell Berry who has agreed to proof read and edit for me. Oh my gosh... you have no idea how massive an undertaking this is... I am sooooooo bad. Today's post took two rounds and I'm quite confident I've still forgot a boo-boo somewhere... don't hurt me Nell, I love ya bunches! (Nell's editor note: The absence of Light is dark. There is no such thing as dark. It is the absence of light. Just as the absence of God is sin, or evil.)
I found this family portrait fitting considering the theme!

Mark Twain Lake, Perry, Missouri, family, portrait, photography, barn, americana, red, white, blue, photographer, Cynthia, Cindy, Utterback

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Beeeeeep. please hold while I...

Don't you just hate, hate, hate it when a computer (or live person) answers the phone stating, "Please hold while I (whatever it is they randomly state)". You know immediately that hold could mean 2 seconds or 2+ hours ~ uggghhhh! In my case the last message was: "Hello, ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ thank you for your patience while we put your life on hold" and then the dreaded sound of your most despised elevator music… Uggghhhh! That message has been repeating over and over since July 31st at precisely 4 am when I ruptured a disc in my neck, and now I'm shouting in my end: "Hello... anyone, is someone there?… Please, I'm ready for the play button now!"

The positive side of this, I've discovered you can find lots of interesting and amazing stuff to do while on hold. As far as the phone goes, for real I just turn the speaker phone on and continue with whatever, (so long as the reception reaches). Now that life's been placed on hold, besides just twiddling my thumbs, making funky shadows on the wall and practicing Lamaze breathing (learned 22 years ago with my first child and since, discovered it's worth is of much greater value than simply childbirth… think stress, impatience, pain management), I've been reading a lot, joined the facebook and twitter universe, and I'm spending allot of time re-evaluating the photography business and the direction I'd like it to proceed, once I'm healed and the doctor gives the go ahead. With all that said, I guess hold hasn't been terribly bad as my mind likes to often perceive... I do miss my friends at WERDCC greatly and even more, I desperately miss holding my beloved camera in hand for an all day workout… yet in all this I'm thankful when I can get out for 1/2 hour here and there, to capture something beautiful and most importantly, spend time knowing and growing in my trust that my Jesus alone knows what's best and when... so I wait, on hold, and trust Him to help me as I continue down this winding road, stopping whenever the opportunity presents itself to enjoy the flowers as I go :-)

Yesterday the sun played peek-a-boo after hiding for over a week so I got out for a bit and captured this gorgeous clematis that's not even supposed to be blooming for another year.
Click the picture if you'd like to read the story.

Pink Clematis 'H.F. Young' - by photographer Cynthia Utterback, Inspiring Designs Photography