September 23rd, 2008 by Heidi

I got this in my email [Thanks Angie!] and since I’ve not done this email in quite some time, I thought I’d add it here for all the world to see. Feel free to post to your own blog and comment here to let me know you did! Or if you want to leave your answers in my comments – that’s awesome too!

Welcome to the new 2008 edition of getting to know your family and friends.

1. What is your occupation right now? I’m a photographer and a mama.

2. What color are your socks right now? My toes are free – happy bare feet.

3. What are you listening to right now? The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Casey sleeping.

4. What was the last thing you ate? I just had an apple. I’m not sure why I get these late night cravings lately. I opted for healthy when I really wanted chocolate.

5. Can you drive a stick shift? yep – but I haven’t driven one in years.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sister.

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? For sure!

8. How old are you today? 34.

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Equestrian.

10. What is your favorite drink? Hot Cocoa or Ruby Relaxer or Pepsi …. hmm toss up. But I try to drink mostly water.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? I just did today – and I love it!

12. Favorite food? I don’t even know where to start – I love so many foods.

13. Last movie that you watched? Kids were watching Chicken Little earlier but I think the last thing I watched for me was Reign Over Me. Oh, but KPAX was on the other night, too.

14. Favorite day of the year? Thanksgiving. YUMMY!!!

15. How do you vent anger? I cry, or get loud, or type to my friends. Depends what I’m angry about.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Puzzles.

17. What is your favorite season? Spring – though in North Dakota we rarely get much of that.

18. cherries or blueberries? mmm, cherries.

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Of course.

20. Who is the most likely to respond? Nobody. Most people are tired of these questions games.

21. Who is least likely to respond? Everyone! [prove me wrong]

22. Living arrangements? I love my house!

23. When was the last time you cried? I cry a little every day at some point. I’m that emotional. Not usually a sobbing cry – sometimes a happy cry.

24. What is on the floor of your closet? a ton of crap. It’s a disaster in there!

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? I’m not sending this to anyone – just sharing with the world – but Melissa is my longest friend – 24 years!

26. What did you do last night? Processed some awesome senior images and then went to bed.

27. What are you most afraid of? Losing my children.

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese. Everything needs cheese.

29. Favorite dog breed? Corgis, of course!

30. Favorite day of the week? Saturday I think. I don’t really have a favorite.

31. How many states have you lived in? 5 – Indiana, Michigan, Colorado, North Dakota and Minnesota.

32. Diamonds or pearls? I think I like them equally.

33. What is your favorite flower? Red roses.

September 23rd, 2008 by Heidi

No, not THAT big change. I have a few years to go before that – at least I hope.

I have been growing my hair for years. It’s been long and straight at varying lengths for the better part of my life. I like it long. I like it straight. It’s heavy and thick and doesn’t hold a curl well and is too thick for fun clips and things. It’s just been easier to have it long and straight. But that’s boring. I let it grow too much, and the highlights were too grown out and I was so tired of sitting on my hair and pulling it back in a ponytail all the time. It gave me a headache and looked so blah.

So finally, I did it. I chose a style I liked and got myself to my stylist [thanks Sarah!!] and I told her to JUST CUT IT before I changed my mind. I was so nervous to just whack it off but I knew that if I didn’t just go for it, I’d back out again and be stuck with boring.

James took some snaps of me yesterday and again today after the big change.

I donated 2 ponytails of 12 inches each!

I really do love it! It’s so light and different and totally out of my norm. It’s an adjustment for sure but so far, I’m so glad that i did it!

September 19th, 2008 by Heidi

I don’t know!

So fitting, considering I have to be the worst joke teller ever! I can never remember the storyline and/or the punch line and it never, ever, comes off funny.

But really – I want to know who’s out there – who’s reading – who pops in for a quick looksie. Let me know at any time, share your thoughts on entires or images, or commiserate with my craziness!

See down there in the bottom right corner of every entry – where it either says “no comments” or “# comments”? That’s where you leave whatever you have to say, even if it’s just a ‘Hello!’.

I moderate comments so all of the ads for ways to improve my sex life do not automatically appear. Seriously – spam is so annoying, isn’t it? So you do need to enter your name – that will show in your comment. Your email address too, though that won’t show in your comment. Website is optional.

Once I’ve approved your first comment, all you other comments will be added without moderation. [so don't spam me!!]

It’s easy! share away! And if you have a blog too – leave me a link, I’ll check it out and add you to my blogroll list.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world.

September 14th, 2008 by Heidi

There are certain things that clue us in that we will have to work to make the best of a day instead of the day just being the best. That’s OK, we take the good with the bad and do what’s necessary.

But when you wake up with the ear of death, what do you do with that? You know, when you’ve obviously slept for hours with you ear bent over – which must not hurt at all just to be bent over because I never wake up from it. But as soon as I wake up and move my head – it is the most intense pain! Maybe because it’s so close to my brain and my brain says, “wow! That really hurts” much faster than if it were my big toe.

And it takes awhile for that initial hot and stinging pain to subside enough that I can actually get out of bed without crying. Combined with the fact that my bladder could potentially burst at any moment, this is a very tricky time.

And while all of that sucks, the worst comes throughout the day when just for the heck of it, the ear will sting and feel like it’s on fire again. There is that constant achy feeling there but the random fire is fierce.  I could decide just to go all Van Gogh and lob it off.

Why doesn’t it hurt while it’s bent over while we’re sleeping? This certainly would alleviate all this post trauma since it would hurt, we’d wake up, give a little rub and go back to sleep without further incident.

All of that coupled with cold and dreary rain for two days, a houseful of kids who tend to get bored, a bunch of photography sessions  to complete, and oh,  we won’t even talk about the chaos zone that is my house – sounds like it might turn out to be a bit of a challenging day.

Though I started this entry about 8am and it’s now 10:30 and so far so good. The kids are getting along well and we’ve had yummy breakfast and have gotten some of the kitchen tidied up. I threw away some refrigerator science projects [good thing I didn't break out the camera for examples!] and wiped down the stove.

Now if my ear would get itself back to normal so I can concentrate.

September 12th, 2008 by Heidi

When I first started this blog I said I would explain the title. It’s been awhile since then, I’ve eluded to it a time or two in other entries, but I’ve yet to sit down and spell it all out. I need to do this to clear it off my to-do list [the ever daunting to-do list] so I can move forward! It’s not like it’s something SO BIG or with a lot of secret meaning – but it has a lot of meaning to me.

Why “Just Maybe Someday”?

Honestly, I wanted the domain to be just “Maybe Someday” but it was already taken. It took some creativity to come up with the rest but I’m so pleased with it.

For as long as I can remember, my typical saying when being hopeful was “maybe someday.” Several people have told me I say that a lot, it’s even been a joke from time to time and even playful and flirty. But for me, it is my hope. It’s a phrase that reminds me that no matter what the situation is right now, maybe someday things will be different. It’s a positive affirmation. It puts a smile on my face and reminds me that there are so many possibilities out there.

I’ve not led a wonderful easy life. It’s not been so hard either, but full of speedbumps of all sizes – molehills to mountains. And “maybe someday” has really gotten me into a different headspace and down a better path.

Maybe someday I won’t feel so sick.
Maybe someday I’ll see you again.
Maybe someday we can live next door to each other and drink coffee every day.
Maybe someday I can get out of this place.
Maybe someday I’ll be done with this degree.
Maybe someday I’ll find a way out of this abuse.
Maybe someday I’ll find someone to be mine forever.
Maybe someday things won’t be so hard.

And then the good stuff too..

Maybe someday I’ll see the ocean.
Maybe someday I can photograph the world.
Maybe someday I can wake up every morning to the gulls on the beach.
Maybe someday I’ll have a personal chef.
Maybe someday I’ll love going to the gym every day.

It’s a phrase that fits into almost every situation, good bad or indifferent. It comes out of my mouth without effort. It’s happy and it’s good and it’s hopeful. If there is nothing else in all of my days to carry me through, it’s my wish that I always have hope. Even when things are hard as heck and feeling consuming, I will somehow be hopeful for something better.

So now in my blogging life, maybe someday is still my phrase, but it’s also my space. It’s my space to share my hopes and dreams and aspirations as well as my hard days and challenges and disappointments. It’s my space to get it all out, share my world and my life and my loves. It’s my space to share and be hopeful.

Thank you for joining in and sharing with me.

September 12th, 2008 by Heidi

Look at those eyes and nose I scooped up! Talk about some freaky eating!

I have a new favorite food! [for those that don't know, this happens quite often!] While I love almost all food, I pick new favorites from time to time and stick with them for awhile and gorge myself until I feel sickly. Thank you Campbell’s for the new Select Harvest line! This one is Minestrone but the several that I have tried are all so yummy!!

This time of year, soup is a must. It’s getting chillier every day but not quite cold enough to want to crank the heat up. I’m trying to postpone that, I’ve had enough of the utility bills right now. Soup helps. And very yummy soup helps even more. And even better, this very yummy soup doesn’t derail my workout either!

September 11th, 2008 by Heidi

Today our girl is 2 years old!! Last year I made her put on this had to celebrate her day. She didn’t like it then and I’m pretty sure she still doesn’t like it now. I don’t think that pets should wear clothes but on a day like today, wearing a hat for a couple minutes for photographic posterity is a-ok!

We sure love this girl!!

September 10th, 2008 by Heidi

That’s me! But before you think I have my head on all wonky and my ego is busting out, let me explain.

Two weeks ago all the kids went off to school and I’ve been left home with two Corgis and four cats. [Hello Heidi's Zoo!] All of a sudden, these two Corgis and four cats are bored. There isn’t enough action going on around here. I spend a fair part of my day at the computer doing the work at home thing. So the biggest excitement that they get from 8:30am-2:30pm is when I get up off the exercise ball [it's my chair] and do anything.

It makes me laugh that I have dogs follow me to the faucet for a drink, to the garbage can to throw something away, to the otherside of the table to get a paper, to the basement to check on the laundry. But the best part, they follow me to the bathroom. It’s like having a toddler again. I always have the dogs follow me and they scratch and whine at the door until I open it. There is almost always a cat or two waiting by the time I come out also.

And today, I didn’t shut the door quite tight enough. I was enjoying a soak in the tub when the door popped open and in came Ruby, Casey, Hazel, Thomas, and Millie. Jellie was on my bed. They sat there and waited for me to get out. Then they followed me around until I sat back down here again.

And now, two dogs at my feet, one cat asleep on the cat bed next to the table, two cats on the back of the couch near me, and one on the floor.

It’s quite comical really. Annoying at times as I feel I’m always stepping on someone. But I can feel the love and it’s quite nice.

There are times that I can’t wait for 2:30 to roll around and to get the kids home. Who knew I’d be voted most popular in the house, especially by a bunch of animals.

September 8th, 2008 by Heidi

It’s been cold and gloomy and haven’t felt much like being outside. Last night Hannah and I drove out to the farm to get Connor and Dillan in the middle of a bit of rain. I brought the camera knowing we were bound to get some good sky out there in the country!

This is as we were leaving – right around the corner from the farm. Thisfield used to be filled with lots of mama Quarterhorses and their babies. These days it’s full of red angus cows. They break up the landscape a little bit and adds that little bit of added interest. Of course the rainbow steals the show!

Casey the Navigator.  This is what we call him when we’re driving. He loves to keep his back feet on the middle seat and his front feet on the center console between the front seats. He just stares out the window – radar ears doing their thing. He’s got excellent balance and looks so so cute! I can just lean over for a snuggle. Hannah took this picture from her seat. And when she turned around to the backseat, she found Ruby in the carseat having a little stretch! Too funny!

September 2nd, 2008 by Heidi

When did my baby get all grown up? I can’t believe she’s on the verge of 14 years old. Today she had a checkup and her teenager booster shots. And after months of deliberation she also received the Gardasil vaccine. Hannah is 2 follow-up boosters away from being O-N-E-L-E-S-S. Four shots in all, her arms are quite sore. She didn’t exactly take them like a champ, though the doc and the nurses all said it was a horribly burning vaccine. She cried, I knew she would, she’s just that fearful and sensitive. It’s painful for me to be with her at times like that, I know it’s painful and it’s just something that needs to be done, but I hurt when my baby hurts. I cry when she cries. She swam and dove today anyway, despite her sore and burning arms. She really only had 30 minutes in between shots and swimming and she just didn’t want to do it. But the good mom that I am, I reminded her that Michael Phelps would do it. And she went.

Really, it’s hard for me to look at my daughter without wondering where the heck did the time go? She’s almost 14 for crying out loud! She’s such a joy. But once she was oh so small!

Kids just grow up so fast.