My Job

My job is to be with you. To feel you move and listen to what you need. To be patient with the time you need to take.

February's Theme

This print perfectly captures the theme of our month. Big changes are happening!

(via Cup of Jo)

Lady in Blue

My sister's boyfriend, Jeff, is a very talented artist and he's started practicing portraits, since he doesn't often draw them. This lady in blue is my sister and I can definitely see her in this drawing. It also reminds me of Joni Michell's, Blue.

I think there's something romantic about having your portrait drawn, don't you?

Keep it up, Jeff!

In the middle of the night I call your name

I think Oh Yoko by John Lennon is one of the best love songs ever written. It couldn't be more sweet, straightforward and passionate.

I heard it tonight, for the first time in a long time, and my heart swelled. I thought to myself how terrible it would be if I had never heard this song. Listen to that piano, listen to John's voice.

If you haven't heard Oh Yoko before, you can listen to it here.

(Photo from the New York Daily News website)

One more month

It's exactly one month to the day that my sweet sister comes home. It will be 14 months since I've seen her by then! Too long, I say!

Here is a picture M took shortly after she arrived in South Korea. I was going to post a picture of her, but I don't think she'd like that. Plus, she's got skills with a camera (as you can see below) and I like to brag about it.

At the Drive-In

This past weekend we were in Peterborough, home of the Petes, Trent University, the Otonabee River and the Mustang Drive-In.

After a long hot day in the sun, we headed over to the Mustang to see Shrek 3 (or is it 4?) and Iron Man 2. The thing is, when you're at the drive-in, it's about the novelty of watching a movie in the middle of beautiful field, with the stars overhead and the crickets calling, the quality of movies isn't so important.

During intermission we went to buy sesame snaps and on our way back to the car we sang this song:



Apparently it comes to mind when we're at the drive-in. Strange... Does this happen to anyone else?

Needless to say, it was a great night.

The future is lookin' good

I found this handsome gentleman on The Sartorialist last week and I immediately thought two things:

1. Wow, this man is gorgeous.
2. D is going to look just like that when he's older.

On infidelity...

When asked for his thoughts on infidelity, Paul Newman replied, "Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?"

Well said, Mr. Newman.


This is a photo of Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, dancing at home.

(Photo found on Smitten)

I only have eyes for you

D took this picture of me yesterday. I think my look says it all.

Paris

Oh Paris, how I miss you.

All About Nie

A couple of weeks ago I discovered nieniedialogues.com.

But first, let's start at the beginning.

I was re-reading some of my favourite posts, from one of my favourite blogs, A Cup of Jo. (You might even say that Joanna and her blog inspired me to start my own). Joanna got married this past summer and while she was on her honeymoon, she invited some of her favourite bloggers, writers and friends to post their secrets to a happy marriage marriage while she was away. Quite clever, wouldn't you say? It's a really sweet idea and some of these posts bring tears to my eyes. So, while I was re-reading these posts recently this photograph caught my eye:


This picture is Nie Nie and her lovely family dancing together in their living room. This photo tugged deep at my heartstrings because it's an image I have seen over and over again in my head. For a long time now, I've carried the image of my own dancing family in my head. I can see my husband, my beautiful children, our living room, everything. I even know what album we're dancing to. This picture of Nie Nie struck me because it is exactly what I want.

Naturally, after seeing the picture and reading Nie Nie's secrets to her happy marriage, I wanted to know more about her. I clicked on the link to her blog and discovered a whole world that I did not expect to find. Most of the blogs that I read or have found are written by people who are living their lives and sharing the details of their days or the things they buy or the music they're listening to, etc. And Nie Nie is sharing too, but the difference is that Nie Nie is going through something that most people only fear but never have to face. Not only is she going through it, she's sharing it with thousands of people, daily.

My original intention was to post the picture I found of the Nielson's dancing together and share how amazing it felt to see a photogragh so closely resembling my heart's desire. But after learning all about Nie, how could I not talk about Stephanie herself?

This post has taken a long time to put together because everytime I started working on it again, I would look at the nieniedialogues and get lost for hours in the archives. Needless to say, I am now a regular follower of all things Nie.

Like most of us, the thing I love most about Stephanie Nielson is the joy, positivity and fun that can be seen on her blog everyday. She treats being a mother and a wife with reverance, honour and dignity. Before her plane crash, she was inspiring thousands of people by just being herself. Now, "AC" (after-crash as she calls it), Stephanie's life has become inspirational because of what she has endured and continues to endure day after day. But as always, Nie Nie writes with a sense of grace and humour that I find truly humbling.

I could keep talking about Nie Nie, but I think you should just go to her blog and see for yourself.

I'll always love you, Joni.

Joni Mitchell was one of the first (if not the very first) musicians I became interested in, all on my own. I was 14 years old and I saw someone singing "Both Sides, Now" on a made-for-TV-movie and I was hooked. I needed to know who wrote that song and where I could find more music like that. Once I discovered it was was Joni Mitchell, I saved every penny I had, literally, and when I had saved up enough money for her compilation album "Hits," I begged my mother to drive me to the mall so I could buy it.

From that day forward, Joni has always been there. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, listening to Joni Mitchell always makes me feel better. And if that mood was already a good one, then it just gets better.

It's safe to say that Joni Mitchell has had an effect on the kind of woman I've become.

Every morning

I take the TTC to work everyday. The 501 along Queen St. to be specific.

Every morning at Sumach St. an older couple get on the streetcar together. Then, one stop later, the man gets off the streetcar after smothering his wife in kisses and handing her lunch for the day. Then he stands on the sidewalk and waves as the streetcar continues down the street.

This makes me feel so happy. I look forward to seeing them.