I Have A Dream

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I have a dream to be all that I can be, no matter where my passion lies.

I have a dream to exceed the expectations I have for myself.

I have a dream to be a great photographer one day when I grow up.  I like to think I’m always growing.  And I like to think of life as one great big growing up experience.

We can dream and keep on dreaming – or we can do something about that dream.

Now that I’ve exhausted photography books and a little two-day photography workshop, It’s time to bring out the big guns.  In other words, It’s time to go back to school.

There comes a time when it’s time to stop dreaming and turn that dream into reality.  Now is the time.

In fact, today is my very first day of school.  And on this very first day, I have a lot of things running thru my mind before I start class.  Things like – What will I learn today?  What will my very first assignment be?  What will I walk away from class holding on to the most?

Would you like to know the most exciting part for me?  I think it’s the anticipation of the weekly assignments.  I’m ready for a challenge as I stand behind the lens.  And ready to take some fun and exciting shots in the days ahead.

Dare to dream, face your fears, challenge your passion and turn those dreams into reality.

But Don’t Stop Dreaming!

Blessings – Debbie

At The End Of The Day

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As I sit and reflect over the day, I can’t help but feel just a wee bit happy.  Could empty laundry baskets have something to do with it?  Or could it be that the ironing is all up to snuff?  Maybe, just maybe it was the invitation to join the hubs for a special lunch date.  My absolute favorite part of the day, hands down.  Perhaps this great feeling has to do with all the above.  Either way, it’s been a great day and I’m ready for the weekend.

All work and no play is no fun.  So I mixed it up by taking my camera out for a spin in the yard.  I wanted to try a few settings while things down below were blanketed with shade, complements to the clouds that rolled in.

Behold!  I spied tomatoes growing in our yard!  Who knew?  We didn’t plant them.

I thought they made a great subject, so I shot them like so.

I tend to avoid dead flowers in my shots.  However, I found the vibrant yellow that popped from the flowers that once bloomed, to be a good thing.

Be bright and bold!  Live life to the fullest!  Bloom where you are planted!  It’s what the  flowers have to say.  They can teach us a lot.  No?

One last shot – I don’t claim to know my So Cal trees.  But I wonder if this is a sweetgum.  Thanks to my girlfriend from TX to provide the info on it.  It’s the leaf that first caught my eye.  Then that fruit sort of a thing begged to be in the shot too.  So there you have it.

My photography classes officially begin Monday.  I’m so excited, I’m about to pop!  I can’t wait for my first “real” assignment.    I’m thinking that assignment and much much more will make the blog, so stay tuned.

Blessings – Debbie

Where Is My Camera

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Pretty much, that’s the question I ask when I don’t have it when I need it.  So the cell phone had to do for today.

It was a beautiful Thursday morning for a hike with “the girls”.  The sun was shining, the flowers bloomed and conversation flowed from one harmonious stream of thought to the next.

Somebody discovered this impressive Dragon Fruit or pitaya (flowering fruit) cactus.  It’s impressive because it only blooms during the night and only lasts a day.  I learned that in full production, these guys can have up to 4-6 blooming cycles per year.  It was pretty exciting to catch it on our hike this morning.  Where’s my camera when I need it?  Perhaps there is a lesson in there somewhere.

Onward and upward to Starbucks we walked.  The light that awaited was an iced mocha, topped with whip cream.  I can’t imagine the goodness any other way.

It was a nice place to rest and the camaraderie in our circle of friends is priceless.

Once we were back to the comfort of our neighborhood, I had the privilege of visiting with my neighbor Rhonda.  We also put our heads together on a task she is working on.  I hope I’m able to help her out.

I also enjoyed the labor of love in the landscape surrounding her home.  Each twist and turn is pleasing to the eye of the beholder.

This passion fruit vine frames her patio.  It’s hard to express the beauty as I don’t have a picture other than this.  But it’s remarkable and noteworthy.  Where was my camera?  Let’s not talk about that right now.

The vista or “the scenic view” from her patio is magnificent.

Thursday is a special day of the week.  A time to connect with neighbors and friends, which turns our day into extraordinary.  I consider myself blessed.

Blessings – Debbie

Dog Days of Summer

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The dog days of summer finally reached us So Cal folks.  But, we’re not complaining.  It’s just that the ac runs a bit longer during the day and…well, it feels like summer minus the humidity that we’re accustomed to on the east coast.  Not bad at all if you were to ask us.

I don’t know about you, but certain seasons evoke memories of seasons past.  The thought of summer brings to mind the good ol beach days back in “the day”.  I think of flip-flops, sundresses, cool drinks, sunglasses, bonnets, vacations and so on.

And for me, when the heat of last week rolled in,  all I could think about was getting my nail tips done in yellow.  Yes, that’s what I felt like doing to celebrate this brief hot spell. It’s the little things, right?

When hubby noticed my yellow nail tips, he asked “what’s the occasion?”  Why, “it’s SUMmer” I replied.  It’s the time of year for sunflowers that boast the brightest yellow and to me, the essential part of summer is all about yellow.  At least that’s how my thinker thinks.

So today, I used a pottery purse that I made last year as a prop.

I snapped a couple of pictures for memory’s sake.

Summer without yellow would be like autumn without orange.  This could be a clue for an upcoming nail color.

In other news:

Nutella would be proud.  I used this pic (the one I took yesterday) to make a puzzle on my computer last evening. Although I prefer working on a real jigsaw puzzle, this was still fun.

Nutella in the house has been my dearest food friend for the last two days.  So much so that I don’t see this product in our home when the jar ends.  It’s going to be a sad day when it’s over.  Sad let me tell ya.  As “they” say “everything in moderation” – but I can’t seem to get a good moderation grip on this guy.  So sad.

There are more fish fry.  And life will go on happily ever after as I plan to make that a brief memory.

Blessings – Debbie

I’m Not a Breakfast Person – Or Am I

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It’s Tuesday already.  But the thing I can’t get away from, is that the weekend and Monday went rolling by so fast.

We celebrated the beginning of our weekend (Friday evening) by enjoying a nice little dinner outing with friends.  It was one of those meals where dinner was sandwiched between appetizers and dessert.  It was an evening we walked away filled with a happy heart and tummy.  What a great way to kick off the weekend.

As Monday morning rolled around, hubby said,  “I could use another day with you.”  I wish I could say that he was able to take off the day.  But alas, he had meetings to attend and there was work to do.

Speaking of work, my chore was to do a little food shopping.  So the list was made, the shopping complete and the cupboards were stocked with all things good.

But something creeped into the home and into my tummy for the very first time.  An item that, for whatever reason at that very moment, begged to come home with me.  And at that very moment, I turned into a compulsive shopper.  I just “had” to have it.

Can you guess what fills this Tbsp?

Is nutella not the greatest thing ever?  Go ahead, you can say “I told you so.”

It gets a little tempting tricky, but measuring it is key.  I don’t even want to discuss the trouble I would be in if I didn’t carefully measure it out.

There is (no more, no less than) two tablespoons slathered over this slice of bread.

With a banana on top.  I ate it open-faced, just like this.

I consider this an amazeballs type of meal.

And I can see breakfast in my future!  I’m not a breakfast person, but let me tell ya, this gets my attention.

Happy Nutella Day!

Blessings – Debbie

Oh Snap

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Good Saturday afternoon!  I’m having a great week in our little corner of the world.

Oh Snap – It’s what I do.  I’m known to stop what I’m doing the moment something catches my eye.  Especially when my camera is in tow.  I could use a shirt that says – Caution!  I make unexpected stops.

So today I thought I would share a couple of pictures that have not made it to the blog this week.

The White Rose – So pure

And the Dragonfly – Last weekend, while visiting (on the phone) with my mom.  I snapped a few pix of this dragonfly.  I love his/her bold color splashed in front of the greenery.

While I love the lens (50mm F1.4) I used to capture both of the shots in this post, there are still more lenses on my wish list.  The problem?  I still don’t know the exact (telephoto and macro) lens/lenses to buy to do the job I want to do.  I hope to get those questions answered in my upcoming photography class.

Until then, I’ll continue snapping whatever catches my eye.

Blessings – Debbie

When Girls Get Together

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It’s a great day when girls get together.  And this was one of those days.

We hiked…

Many thanks to Terrell for the idea this week!

What a pretty place.

We stopped for pictures.  What a beautiful mommy/daughter moment…

…friends need pix to remember too…

…it turned into a photo shoot…

…fun times were had by all…

…I gotta tell ya, a smile does a heart good…

…and so does coffee by the water…

…we enjoyed our visit…

…and the view…

…and hiked some more…

…we spied cuteness.  I had to take a pic.

When all was said and done, a few of us thought it necessary to have a little lunch outing to top off our day.  My salad from Nordstrom Cafe.

Would you like to know something really neat?  I got to ride in an electric car for the very first time!  I’m still thinking “how cool is that?!”  The first thing I recall is how quiet it was when she started it.  Many thanks to Rhonda for such a sweet ride!  P.S.  How cool is my edit job on the license plate?

I give this day a “100%” thumbs up.

Blessings – Debbie

Pass The Tissues

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The tissues are piling like snow drifts and I’m *achoo* sneezing in groups of five instead of three.

This is the scene next to me as I recline on the sofa.  Why do I need a fan when it’s 74 in the house?  Good question.

I mentally told myself I was almost better this morning, but my body is telling a different story and so is my squeaky voice.  The truth is in there somewhere.

I believe hubby knows the truth.  He called to see if a bowl of chicken noodle soup sounded good.  He also asked if my favorite pumpkin muffin sounded good to me too.  And it did.

Soon he was home with a yummy bowl of soup.

A baguette

and my favorite pumpkin muffin in the world.

And some good stuff from the drug store to help me get some rest.  Once again, I told myself, I feel better already.

Achoo x 5.  Please excuse me while I grab another tissue and prop my feet up for another nap.  I’m getting better, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Blessings – Debbie

My Happy Place

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Hubby and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary last evening.  This is a shot of us after dinner.

And after 13 years, I never thought it could be possible for love to continue to grow as much as it has.  I love him more today, than all my yesterdays.  And I feel so blessed that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

He has a way of making me smile and he adds light to the darkest of night.

For our anniversary dinner last evening, he took me to Jake’s in Del Mar.  This was the view from our table last evening.

It is such a fun atmosphere and one of our favorite places to go.

The next two pictures were all I could get of the sun as it peaked thru the clouds.

It was pretty to see that shimmer across the pacific.

Shot from our window seat.

After two yummy hours of dining.  We took a little stroll out by the beach.  We took a few pix of us.  And as we walked hand in hand back to the car, I felt at peace and at one.

And no matter where we are, my Happy Place will always be right here with him.

Blessings – Debbie

News Flash

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Hello Friends!  It’s been a week and by all indications, it seems I’ve been away.

Indeed, we did step away.

The hubs, our buddy and I went on a little road trip.  We enjoyed a little disco music to pass the time.

I still remember “Hot Stuff” as one of the songs from the day.

I took a shot of the prettiest truck on the road.

This is a sample of our view during three of those miles.  It was a very painful 3 miles as it took an hour and 1/2 to conquer those 3 miles.

Cars began to over heat and drop out one by one.  Our car protected itself by automatically cutting off our AC supply.

A sampling of the views along the way.

Hubby was on business, I was along for the ride and time with the hubs.  I love that he wants me with him when possible.

We did get a chance to meet up with old friends (Gerald and Eileen) we had not connected with in 9 years.  It was a total blast.  I’m pretty bummed that I didn’t take a single pic that evening.

In other news:

  • We turned on the AC (in the house) for the first time (this year) a week ago.  It’s still hard to believe that when we do run it, it only runs a few hours during the mid – late afternoon.
  • I’m officially signed up and ready to take a college course this fall.  I’m pretty excited as it’s not just any course but a photography course.  I even have my parking permit and I look forward to the first day of class.
  • Regarding my class:  Over the weekend, I printed out the map of the campus and located my building and place to park.  I also printed out a map of my building with all the room #’s.  Makes me happy that I’ll know exactly where I’m going the first day of class.  The Bonus = Hubby is going to give me a test run to the campus before I go it alone such that I’m familiar with the area.  He’s the Best!
  • I bought a boat load of my favorite varieties of K cups today.  And no, they were not on sale.  I’m just a little fearful for when September rolls around.  As some of you may already know, Green Mountain will lose its main patent on K Cups.  So what’s the concern?  Well I noticed I couldn’t find my favorite blend at the place where I normally buy it.  I also researched over the weekend and learned that it is on backorder in some stores.  But I put my fears to rest when I discovered it at a shop today.  I piled it in the cart as if I wouldn’t get another shot of it for months.  I feel better about that, but I wonder, did I get enough?  Or did I buy too much?  As I hear the price of this stuff is going to plummet when the patent ordeal is over.  Time will tell.
  • In the last week and 1/2, we visited our new favorite sub restaurant 4 x’s – Might I add, their egg salad is amazing!
  • Last week, during our travels with friends, we visited Cold Stone 3 x’s.
  • In the last week, our dining experiences ranged from Mexican to Seafood and everything in between.
  • We went with a digital phone in the house.  It’s sweet and clear and only 30 bucks a month for unlimited long distance calls.  We like having a home phone, especially when the deal is sweet.  Bye bye AT & T!

So, hello Monday evening!  I’m looking forward to a great week.

Blessings – Debbie

We’re on a Food Roll

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Well if it isn’t already Tuesday.  Good Day!

Since this post is all about food, perhaps it’s a good thing I’m/we’re getting some of my/our cravings out-of-the-way such that we can get back on track.  That is a good thing, right?

We (the hubs and I) had some pretty amazing dates over the weekend.

We found the best sub shop in the world.

In fact, our subs were so good, we went back the following day.  And we’re already planning our next trip back to the place this week.  I already know what I’m having.

We also filled our sweet tooth cravings with Cold Stone.

It’s pretty obvious where this post is going.

To be completely honest, we have not embraced the healthy way of living 100% the last few days.  Although we did go to Panera for lunch yesterday and we both had a salad.

We’re trying to balance the good with the bad and the ugly.  I’d say we’re doing a pretty good job.

Another random foodie note.  We have the most yummy sweet treats growing in our backyard.

This is one of the figs I picked and enjoyed.

As of today, I’m looking forward to a dinner date with the hubs and our friend.  It’s going to be a fun time, I already know it.  But I’m not sure what we’ve decided on.  It’s between Mexican and BBQ.  Either way, it should be good!

In fact, we’re going to carry on with dinner dates this week, we already know the time and place where we will be meeting up with friends tomorrow evening.

And the day after that, I “think” we’re going back to the sub place with a friend.  I’m telling you, we are on a food roll all week…

To be continued.

Blessings – Debbie

When the Sun Goes Down

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It commands attention.  It’s hard not to sit and watch the sky as it changes color.  So last evening, I found myself taking in the last bit of sunshine.

But lately, there is something that drives me nuts when the sun goes down.  I’m learning that I’m not as young as I once was.  I can’t stay up with the hubs like I used to.  Last evening I turned into a pumpkin before 9 pm!  And I hate that!  I do!  I also hate the word hate but I really do hate not being able to stay up with him.

I think I managed to hang out with the hubs until midnight once last week.  And it was a big deal.  And I was able to sleep in with him last Saturday morning.  And that was a big deal.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a brilliant idea.  Yes, I would take an afternoon nap and sail thru the night with the hubs.  I had it all planned out.  We would stay up late, sip coffee and watch movies.  While the idea was great and the afternoon nap was wonderful, the plan failed.  And I hate that too.

One of these days I’ll be able to go the distance with him.  I just wish it could be every day.

But let me tell you, this morning was a big hit.  It’s so easy to jump out of bed with a full tank of rest and energy.  I was ready bright and early to hit the trail with the neighbor girls.  Today was the first day for me to join the group (there were 7 of us today) for a weekly hike to Starbucks.  I’m already looking forward to next week.

Can you believe I didn’t so much as take a picture this morning?  The moments passed.  The conversations were great and…well?  It could not possibly get any better than that for a Thursday morning.

I’m already looking forward to seeing this great group of gals next week and the week after that and…It just does a heart good.

Blessings – Debbie

Hey ~ Hey

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Happy Wednesday!

I’ve been such a busy girl this week.  I’m going thru more stuff and getting rid of more things.  I made a run with stuff today and it feels quite liberating to let go.

I picked up my new frames last weekend.

I like them, but there is a bit of an adjustment.  The distance is perfect, but reading presents a bit of a struggle.

While it’s not too bad, I feel it’s just my eyes getting used to the new prescription.  I’ll give it a couple of weeks to adjust.

I’m a busy girl today so I don’t have the free time this afternoon to post much.

Looking forward to the hubs getting home from work and chilling with him this evening.

Blessings – Debbie

The Blessings

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Don’t you just love a good experience when the blessings fall?

This morning, while on my hike, I received one of those beautiful showers of blessings.

As you know, I am passionate about exercise.  And today the neatest thing happened.  I ran into my neighbor (Rhonda), the gal I met months ago.  She’s the one who was traveling to Panama and Spain for hiking trips.  Yeah, she’s pretty amazing.

Photo from the hubs and my sunset hike this past weekend.

Anyway, I bumped into Rhonda again on my hike today.  I’m so glad I did!

She has a group of neighbor gals who meet at her house once a week for a 3.25 mi hike to Starbucks.  And I was invited to join the group. I can’t wait!  New friends, a hike and Starbucks – Oh Joy!

She also hosts some sort of class once a week in her home (on the deck overlooking the lake and mountains) where the instructor comes in.  I think she said Tai Chi?  I hope to start that group this week as well.  I’ve never done Tai Chi but she said, no worries come on over.

There are so many wonderful perks and blessings all in one.  I don’t have to get into my car and drive for anything, she’s my neighbor!  I adore her and connect with her.  I look forward to meeting more neighbors and making new friends.

The gals also meet at 7pm at her house every night for an hour or so hike.  Since I prefer spending my evenings with the hubs, I don’t think this is something I would be interested in.  But I think this is awesome to have such a great group in the hood.

Where it stands now, my heart is overflowing with joy at the thought of connecting at least once a week for exercise, fellowship and Starbucks.

I’m so thankful for the blessings that came my way today.

Photo from my hike this morning.

Blessings – Debbie

Truth be Told

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When one is in doubt, there could be more.

One of my readers had question the other day about the way I look after my 3.5 mile hike.

It reads –

“I love reading your posts but I always wonder….do you hike all dressed up? and how do you look so pretty after a 3.5 mile hike? 🙂  I’m all sweaty and red faced…lol…just wondering ;)♥ “

Um, for starters, I apologize for making it seem I look anything other than this.

Today, I huffed and puffed with an elevation gain 1,347 ft.  I perspired and got all red-faced.  As you can see, my hair even got a little yucky and sweaty too.  I was a hot and sticky mess.  We will not discuss how I smelled when all was said and done.

But I bet you can guess how it went in my brand spankin new hiking britches.  Total bliss.

The hike was amazing.

Here are a few of my favorite pots in the neighborhood.

I have no idea what these were used for, years ago.

This almost looks like a cannon.  Boom!

I would know what this is, I’ve used one a time or two.  Just not for a pot.  One day…

This neighbors garden woos me.

It looks like the perfect home for fairies, gnomes and trolls.

It’s amazing how the scenery changes from one place to another.

It’s a beautiful and perfect distraction from the way I really look.

Do you have a question?  Feel free to ask in the comment section.  I will do my best to answer in an upcoming post.

Blessings – Debbie