Kaitlyn

My daughter, Kaitlyn, is becoming quite the artistic photographer. She was inspired to "up" her supply of self-portraits to upload onto her newly acquired MySpace page. She had so much fun, that she continues to connive her brothers and sisters (and myself...more than I'd like to admit) to help her take photos of herself or her subjects, or think of new ideas and scenes to shoot. We started with playing "dress-up"...

Heres' her future self as an archaeologist...

Or a lounge singer...

Or just a goddess...

Then we started playing with PhotoShop. That was VERY interesting...show a teenager a couple tricks on the computer...turn her loose...and you get stuff like this...


























































Above are the "Before" and "After" shots we took. She had so much fun with those, she decided to try to be the Photographer instead of just the Subject. She wrangled her brothers and sisters into her schemes - and came up with some truly awesome pictures...

Then she started taking ones of herself...







































Pretty cool, huh? Who knew the fun you could have with a camera and a computer? Keep posted for more way cool artwork in the fabulous stylings of Kaitlyn....

VOTE!!!

I'm copying this from a friend's blog...she sent it out and spoke of how inspiring it was. I watched it and felt truly humbled.

Its a video by CatholicVote.com. It's amazing. Now - I'm not Catholic, but I believe people of faith can unite in times of urgency...to put aside doctrinal differences for those basic, fundamental beliefs that all people who believe in God stand for. Please watch this video. Talk about it. And...

GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61wj4tJICcc

Please...our country is at stake...

Lion Country Safari

Okay - this is our substitute for shoddy work on Nicolette's birthday. Since we didn't get any pictures of her at Build-A-Bear, we took advantage of a partnership between Jungle Island, an animal park that we have annual passes for, and Lion Country Safari, a real drive-through safari park up north. It turned out to be lots of fun...and fairly affordable, since our passes to one got us into the other and we only had to pay $4.00 parking!! (Yeah - I love a bargain!!)

The safari is WAY up in Loxahatchee, Florida, by West Palm Beach...and it was REALLY great. You drive through the park in your own car with a CD narration of what you're seeing. The safari takes about an hour and a half, and you travel through several habitat representations.


Now, I have been to some AWESOME zoos...moving around like we have has given us a lot of opportunities to visit zoos and wild animal parks all over the country. We've visited San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park...both legendary. We've visited the Los Angeles Zoo MANY times...which has become QUITE a destination. We've been to Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago...historical AND absolutely AMAZING!!! Dallas Zoo was BEAUTIFUL. And now we have those annual passes to Jungle Island here in Miami...which isn't a ZOO as much as a highly commercialized wildlife sanctuary. But the Lion Country Safari was something I had never experienced before...even in some of these WORLD-CLASS zoos, it was still 4 or 5 animals in a pen. Even at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, with their MASSIVE expanses of land, you travel through the park in a tram, and sometimes the animals are so far away it is hard to see them. But here, at Lion Country Safari, you DRIVE RIGHT THROUGH THEM. Herds of Zebras are frolicking and running and splashing through the ponds and the antelope bound right in front of your car and the giraffes were lounging right next to the road and we were only 2 FEET from about 10 HUGE White Rhinoceros. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.





Now - you're not supposed to roll down your windows. And I think we were the ONLY people following the rules - so some of my pictures have the unavoidable glare of the glass...but I did my best.


After the safari, you can go over to Safari World, the little theme park attached to the safari. They have carnival rides (like a Merry-Go-Round and Ferris Wheel), miniature golf, a boat tour around the islands that house the monkeys and apes, a splash park to play in your bathing suit, petting zoos, and lots and lots of animals. The kids FAVORITE activity was feeding the giraffes. It was a totally new experience for them, especially when one named "Bobby" tried to eat Brigham. Brigham did not know what to do about that long black tongue licking him all over!!

All in all it was a great day, and I got TONS of pictures, so I feel marginally better about the "Nicolette birthday fiasco". I highly recommend it should you ever visit the Palm Beach area of South Florida!!

The Best Thing

The best thing about having a husband that works at the DELICIOUS Grand Lux Cafe are the perks....


Like when he calls and says he's on the way home, and I say: "What'cha bringing?" and he shows up with THIS...



Yummy Crispy Caramel Chicken...spicy, yummy, late-night heaven...


He just wants to come home and chill in front of Sports Center for an hour...or two (depending on the day).

(Notice the messy mix of toys, shoes, and ironing that he's oblivious to as he gazes into the world of testosterone-fueled glory)

And even after my most noble attempts, I can't finish it because there is SO MUCH FOOD...but don't worry - it heats great for breakfast, too!!

Nicolette's Birthday

I am officially the worst mom EVER.

The 24th was Nicolette's birthday. For the last year, she's been completely unsatisfied with being a toddler...insisting every day that she wants to "grow up". Her birthday FINALLY rolled around, and we had the day planned with a visit to Daddy's restaurant and then on to make her very own Build-A-Bear (just like her BIG brothers and sisters)...and I....I....(I can't say it)....*sigh*....I FORGOT THE CAMERA!!!!

I know! I know!! How can any self-respecting mom, journalist, and scrapbooker make such an egregious error on the MOST IMPORTANT DAY in her youngest child's year?!?!

What makes it worse is that it isn't the first time. In fact...I have forgotten the camera for EVERY SINGLE ONE of Nicolette's birthdays since she was 2. So, although I take pictures of her the next day with her spoils, I don't have a single picture in three years of her blowing out candles, ripping off wrapping paper...and especially not this time of her creating (with absolute joy) her very own best friend.

I could cry.

Here are the pictures of her "morning after my birthday". And as you peruse them, feel free to mutter under your breath: "Loser".

Here we see Nicolette with her new best friend from Build-A-Bear Workshop, Ballerina Bear (whom requires kisses and hugs every night and morning from mom...despite all her failings as a mother. Above is her listening to her new Dora radio from Yaya and Papa.

Here we see three of Nicolettes presents from Yaya and Papa...her new favorite headwear...Dora ponytail holders, her new Dora radio, and a thing with a ga-gillion pieces that is kinda like "Littlest Pet Shop", but is "Cabbage patch" instead. Did I mention the ga-gillion little pieces?

Ahhh...Florida!!!

Well - we got passed by again!! Thank Goodness!!!! Although I am so sad about the loss and devastation in Haiti, the Turks and Caicos (that got a direct hit with Ike at full Cat 4 strength), and Cuba. I guess now its all eyes to the Gulf...

You gotta wonder how much longer our luck can hold...Southeast Florida is the most likely place to suffer a direct hurricane hit IN THE WORLD...but these last few years, we've made it through. This is the scariest its been! Everything has just...swerved by.

Some people say its the change in climate from global warming. Some say we're just gearing up to get CLOBBERED (after all, we're due, right?). Technically, the worst part of hurricane season historically starts tomorrow...September 10. How could it be worse than last week, with three named storms and three maybes crowding the Atlantic ocean?

Whoops. I probably shouldn't have said that. Uhhh...I gotta go find some wood to knock on (houses here are built out of concrete)...check out these cute comics until I get back...

I Don't Like Ike

There. I said it.

I guess in 5 days we'll know for sure, right? Will it shift north like Hanna? Or south and into the Gulf like Gustav? I mean - how lucky can South Florida be, right? No major hurricanes since Rita in 2005...everything going into the Gulf towards Texas, Louisianna, or over to Belize last year. Remember that? Belize got hit with something like three or four Cat 5 Monsters. It was practically leveled.

Kinda like poor Haiti now. There are people on tops of their roofs screaming for help there. They've been there for two days, and rescue workers can't get to them. In three storms, in three weeks, they've lost over 130 people. The mountainous island is so deforested that the muddy hills are just falling back into the ocean, taking peoples lives along the way.

So I don't wish for Ike to go South...poor Haiti. They've had enough. And Ike is a Cat 4 - a Monster Storm. Organized. Lethal. And moving fast. But I don't really want it HERE, either.

Look at the 5-day track. If you squint, you can see my house. Its between the last dash and the letter H on Wednesday. I'm waving at you!! See me?!?!

"HI!! Send your prayers!! And a helicopter!!"