No, really. There is an adventurous ride detailed in this post. And it involves tractor-trailers, lake effect snow, and bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? See what I’m doing is combining my regularly scheduled “Ask Away Friday” interview, with a “Finish the Sentence Friday” prompt. I couldn’t resist this week’s “I thought I was going to die when..” so I’ll be finishing that sentence after introducing my truly lovely Ask Away partner – Sylva Fae – Sylvanian ramblings from a little enchanted wood.
I met SylvaFae through our Ask Away Friday Facebook page and I love her About Me page with its job stories and emphasis on her crazy and busy life in the countryside with three beautiful children and their “wellies, frilly tutus and fairy wings.”
Thank Goodness it’s #AskAwayFriday! Get to know our new hosts, meet our new co-host, and grab our new logo! Be sure to check out our new Facebook page “AskAwayFriday” for a great place to meet up and send out a #BuddyRequest if you need a partner to swap with! And always feel free to contact me here or anywhere if you want to swap with me.
#AskAwayFriday was created by the amazing Penny from Real Housewife of Caroline County as a place for us to connect with other bloggers by asking them ten questions to really get to know them. The sky is the limit with the questions you ask!
Tiffany from Mrs. Tee Love Life Laughter,
Christy from Uplifting Families,
Stacey from This Momma’s Ramblings
and
Amber from Bold Fit Mom
Be sure to check out SylvaFae’s answers to my questions HERE. And here are my answers to her questions:
1. If you could escape the November blues for a day, when and where would you like to be and what would you be doing?
Ooh, that’s such a good one. I’m going to have to say San Diego. It has perfect weather year-round. I only visited once, in December, and it was 65 and sunny every day. With surfers and sharks. And dolphins too. And really, really good breakfast. Did I mention the dog beach I visited? One of the happiest places on earth to catch a winter beach sunset, and then dinner.
2. You truly are the comment queen! I’m stunned by the number of comments you get on your blog posts, how do you do it? Which post prompted the most comments?
Basically I time travel! I’m friends with a lot of other bloggers with the same desire to connect and be a part of each other’s lives. I also respond to every comment, which can be done quite easily on my WordPress app while waiting for my daughter in the school parking lot. I’m creative with time. And it matters to me. I make the time when both kids are in school, and then again when they’re sleeping and I need a break from photo editing. I try to time-manage the things that mean the most to me. The post I got the most comments on ever, was “I Had No Idea How Much I’d Need her” which was about the day we were surprised with our rescue puppy. It was featured on the rescue organization’s Facebook page, and they have thousands of fans, so I got a really high reading for that. Tens upon tens of thousands. Incidentally, our puppy’s first birthday is today!
3. You have such beautiful children, they look so angelic in the photos, what are they really like? They say the camera never lies!
It’s funny that I’m reading this now because I’ve been taking my time answering these questions and just before I got to this one, I was wondering if my daughter would listen to me when I asked her to turn off the TV and pick up toys off the floor before dinner. For the record, she did. You can mostly always reason with Scarlet, but man does she get her shriek on sometimes. As for Des, he’s a two-year-old boy, but pretty angelic still. He totally runs around and whines and acts like a toddler, but he’s gentle and non-destructive. And we’ve never had a full-on tantrum. There is time for such things, though.
4. I’ve seen so many amazing photos of your children and they make perfect models for your photography. I’m sure you get asked all the time what your favourite thing to photograph is so I’ll avoid that question, what is the strangest thing you’ve ever been asked to photograph?
Nice, I like it. I think getting asked to photograph candles once threw me. It was totally fun, though. And I do a lot of corporate work – shots of active chilled beams and the like. You probably have no idea what I’m talking about right? I once did a shoot for a woman in costume as a gift for her mother, but it wasn’t as strange as the active chilled beams. Is anything?
5. You are an amazing photographer, would you share your three favourite photographs and say why you like them.
hm… I don’t even know if I could narrow it to three favorites. Another sad fact is that sometimes I look back at photographs I’ve taken and I think that I’m sh*t and nothing ever was good. So there’s that. I’ll try this out, though:
I took that photo about ten years ago in San Diego (as with the dog photo above which is also a favorite). It’s a non-professional photo in every way, but I couldn’t stop staring at him in that cage, and harboring secret thoughts of freeing him.
The last photograph I took of my grandfather – the last time I saw him. His eyes were watering because I think he knew, it was the last time. I think I knew too, only I didn’t want to believe it. I’m really surprised by the photos I chose. None are professional and none were taken with professional equipment. I thought for sure I’d go for one of my sharper, glossier pro pics, but I guess the heart wants what the heart wants. It’s about the moment and the meaning, after all. Isn’t it?
6. I’m most relaxed pottering around my little woodland, where do you go to feel most at peace with the world?
I don’t know.. I’ve definitely had anxiety at some point, nearly everywhere. Even some “safe places” were subject to it during rough times. However, it’s just a state of mind. All of it. The peace. The anxiety. And nowhere is safe.. sure.. but on the other hand, everywhere is safe. If you can find a safe place in your mind, everywhere is safe. I’m totally rambling, right? I feel at most peace with the world at home, with my family. A roaring fire or a gorgeous spring/summer/fall day.
7. All writers and artists are a little quirky – what are your quirkiest features?
ha! How can I tell what is quirky and what is neurotic? Ah, who cares? Well, let’s see. I LOVE rainbow sprinkles. Like.. too much. Whipped cream too. I have hundreds of pairs of socks and only two pairs of them are solid-colored. They’re my extra warm ones that I bought at the outdoors store. I have lucky underwear. I can’t NOT laugh at a fart joke or story. And if I’m telling one, even if via voice command text, there are tears of laughter streaming down my face and I can’t finish the story.
8. We both have a daughter called Scarlett / Scarlet – how did you choose your children’s names?
Well, Scarlet came from so many places but I’ll just direct you to a post HERE. Desmond was much easier – it’s from our favorite character from the show LOST. And Desmond Tutu being awesome doesn’t hurt either.
9. I see you posted a song from the Rocky Horror Show – in my youth, I saw the live show 11 times – are you a fan?
Yes! That’s the only movie I’ve seen more than 20 times, without growing to hate it. I first saw it when I was 12 and I was completely disturbed, but intrigued. When I was 13, that disturbed passion grew into just.. straight passion. I was so in love with Tim Curry in that movie too. There’s just something about the whole thing. It spoke to my heart.
10. And finally, Christmas is fast approaching and it got me thinking about traditions. Your ‘elf on the shelf’ made it’s way over to England last year. Is this something you do with your children? If not what are your Christmas family traditions?
Oh, funny that it came to England! We don’t do Elf On the Shelf. I am not for it or against it, but I admit that the constant articles about it are annoying. People, you don’t have to defend yourselves! Create your magic the best way for your family! As for traditions, every Thanksgiving weekend, we get our giant tree and decorate it. We do a Santa’s trains visit/train ride at the park in town. We go to our city tree lighting. We visit Yankee Candle headquarters. We go to my parent’s house for Christmas itself and it becomes a huge mess of wrapping paper and love. I simply can’t wait!
I was young and stupid. Isn’t that how all good stories begin? I had a new(ish) boyfriend, and we had no doubt stolen each other from other entanglements and we decided to bond by driving to Montreal. Quite randomly. In January. We had a blast, eating square pizza and sliding up and down the slushy streets, and we ignored the blizzard warnings and started to make our way back to New Jersey in my boyfriend’s terrible, old car. Somewhere in upstate New York, with guardrails and potential plummets to our deaths everywhere, he lost control of the car and slid sideways into a snow bank. A giant tractor trailer was coming towards us from the other side, horns blazing. No way to stop. Seconds away. I was strangely calm and as if I were out of my body, I watched my boyfriend expertly and calmly gain control of the car and steer it out of the way of the truck, just in the nick of time. We didn’t have cellphones then, but we saw an exit sign for a Holiday Inn and checked in there. I called my parents to tell them we were ok and my mom was so relieved, she said I could use her credit card for the hotel. We ordered video games and movies too. Sorry, Mom! I was young and stupid. That incident cemented our relationship together, when otherwise we probably didn’t stand a chance. He was a cheating boy, but that wouldn’t be a problem for awhile.
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First off, please take me to San Diego if you ever decide to leave the cold and winter behind, because I think you know how I feel about this time of the year and weather, too. But still that story at the end sounded scary, but also oddly like something that could have happened to me with one of my not so bright exes, because as you know I was totally young and foolish too back then.
That’s right. We are such twins. I didn’t have a lot of bad boys, but of course I had a few. The sad thing is I wasn’t always a nice girl.
I would never get to San Diego without you!
Tamara deep down I was a nice girl (at least I was raised to be one), but totally rebelled in my late teens and wasn’t so nice quite often. So, again can truly relate!
I understand that. For me it was my 20s. I was a late bloomer with dating, and it’s not that I was very bad, but I had no problem dating more than one person at once.
Tamara, you totally described my late teens and early twenties totally, but more due to the fact that most guys I met at that age weren’t very loyal.
That is very true!
Definitely a scary experience! I’ve been in a car that was skidding on a highway, on a dark and rainy night, and I still get a little pale when thinking about what could have happened. Glad that even though you were young and foolish you both decided to get off of the road for the night.
We were so young that we thought we were invincible. It was like you could just brush it off and have a fun night at a hotel. I think my bounce back would be a lot worse these days!
I love, love the photo ofScarlet with the hat. Just precious! Happy Friday!
Thanks! I used to use a light scoop with my old camera, and it made such interesting effects.
Love the story at the end. And the Linkouture giveaway! I’m very curious about the active chilled beams now. My place of peace? The beach. Always the beach. Even in the winter.
Winter beaches are very special. And I think they are healing. I still think that the ocean gets the most sun because of the reflection.
An active chilled Beam is something my husband’s work makes. It’s a technology that cools and heats big buildings in a green way.
Ok so totally allowed to combine when you did so so well and OMG that snowplow coming toward you sounds awful but I know what you mean about being so calm in those situations…. sigh.
And that photo of your grandfather is amazing. Like incredible amazing. I need you.
I need you too. I saw Tucker’s cute clone today. He’s not as cute, but he resembles him so much. I have to take a secret photo one of these days.
Thank you for letting me combine! I think Lisa was onto something here. I can’t wait to read the rest.
Oh my goodness, that truck story is terrifying!!! Thus is youth though, to be able to hit a hotel room and order room service and videos and move on so quickly from near death experiences so quickly!
Oops, ok there is a lot of amazing stuff on Linkouture, but I love the pink pearl gift set!
Yes!! Hope you enter and win!
That’s what amazes me about it. Obviously I remember it well enough to write about it clearly, but the bounceback rate was fast.
I didn’t have a lot of anxiety in those days, as you can tell.
San Diego is great any time of the year. We are lucky to be so close and have driven there quite often. I love trolley tours (call it a quirk) and my favorite is the one in San Diego.
That grainy self portrait is exquisite. I completely get what you said about anxiety and safe places. xo
That’s so wonderful about being able to drive there. I went there in my mid 20s, and we took two days to drive to Sedona and back.
Both were amazing places.
San Diego is totally a place I would love to travel to one day. Maybe I might even retire there who knows. As for the commenting queen I truly agree that you are the queen. I don’t know how you do it at all. My schedule it totally crazy so I don’t have the time to reply to them all. Sometimes I don’t even get a chance to read them all. Maybe once I get out of my crazy job I’ll be able to. btw read that story and I would have thought the same thing as well but a higher power knew that you were destined for great things. It’s why you’re here! Here’s to a fantastic weekend!
I can understand about a crazy schedule. I am creative with my time, but I don’t work full-time. Except for the parenting part.
Take me with you to San Diego!
Absolutely on San Diego and I LOVE that grainy self-portrait of you, Tamara! That pic of your grandfather made MY eyes well up. I’m glad you and your boyfriend survived that car accident unscathed – very scary indeed and the “out of the body” experience is mind-boggling, isn’t it? I hope all of your family still believes in Santa Claus – I do. A very Happy Birthday to Athena!! 🙂
My mom believes in Santa Claus! I do too.
Thank you about the portraits. It was very hard to narrow down three, and I wouldn’t call these THE three, but they are definitely among my favorites.
I love the three photos you chose as your favorites.
Also, I owe you socks. I intend to add to your collection.
I can’t wait! I owe you a care package.
Until the movie theater closed a couple years ago, Harvard Square had a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture show every Saturday, I believe. One night my friends and I decided to go and were full-on decked out in costume. Usually they haze the newbies, but they took one look at us and were like “You guys have obviously come before.” Totally fooled them!
It’s amazing what we do when we’re younger, right? I once decided to also drive to NJ during a snowstorm. Somewhere around Waterbury, CT my card hit a patch of something and slid and I hit the guardrail. Nothing major, and thankfully everyone was going super slow, but it totally freaked me out and i checked into the hotel for the night. It was like a month after I started dating Sam, and my parents had wanted me to drive down right after work (at 3ish) instead of waiting until night. I couldn’t tell them I was spending the night at his place and couldn’t get my stuff from my apartment until after work, so I came up with another excuse to leave later. Should have listened to them!
A rock and a hard place! Glad you are okay.
Oops, my comment thing cut me off. I meant to say that I absolutely loved your Rocky Horror story. Who were you dressed up as?
I honestly don’t remember…the one who dressed in a maid’s outfit? (Terrible, I don’t know the character’s name!) I should try to find the pictures from that evening.
Magenta?!
Yes! I think so at least 🙂
Great questions and answers! I don’t think I have ever seen that picture of the monkey before – I love it! I know you would have some adventurous story to share to finish that sentence, too. 🙂
This was such a great prompt! I heard a rumor that you were responsible for it. I can’t wait to see how people ran with this.
I did submit it but I have no idea where/how/why I came up with it. It was actually pretty hard for me and I felt like my post was really a stretch to make it work. I has been fun seeing what everyone did with it, though!
I really love what you did with yours. You told a true story, and then gave tips.
Scary story… But loved that you made your way to my hometown first! Love your 3 photos. Especially your grandfather. Capturing so many stories in that simple photo, I bet:)
I had a great time in your hometown! Only it was so cold I thought I was going to die from that alone.
“The heart wants what the heart wants” love this Tamara because it is so true! And I am starting to envy you, my 3yo is very tantrumy 🙁
We were all young and stupid once but so glad to hear you were okay!
That’s the age that Scarlet got tantrums. So don’t envy me because there’s still a lot of time for Des!!!
my friend and I did a 180 off a ramp and almost into a guardrail in a snowstorm one time – luckily no trucks were around. yours sounds scary.
Great Q & A – thanks for sharing 🙂
That sounds scary too! I remember when I lived in California and I said I was afraid of earthquakes. The people there would think I was ridiculous because earthquakes barely happen. They thought that it was much scarier to live in New England where snowstorms are guaranteed!
We once got stranded in a Holiday Inn for 3 days during a blizzard when I was a kid. I was with my dad and my sister…we lived out in the country and had gone into town to get groceries. My sister and I were so disappointed that we didn’t have our swimming suits…it was a Holi-dome! My poor mom was home alone with 2 sick babies! That blizzard was so bad that the National Guard came to our house on snowmobiles to deliver medicine for my baby sister and brother. And this was in Central Illinois, not even a state way up north!
Wow! What a story. And I’m glad that your baby brother and sister were okay.
I think I would’ve admitted defeat and just gone swimming in my underwear.
This was fun. You have some great ideas. Thank you for sharing them.
Thanks! These Fridays are totally fun.
Welcome to FTSF! Yay! The picture of your grandfather, and what you wrote, made me cry. Real tears.
Aw!! Thank you for the real tears. That’s very touching to me. And I always love finish the sentence Friday, but as a cohost for Ask Away Friday, I don’t always combine. It seems to work.
Great answers, I love them all and every photo is exquisite. Rocky Horror – I was always Magenta! Now my FTSF question makes a little more sense – there was a mistype in the one you sent (do instead of die) I might have to revise my answer before I post, which I’ll be doing as soon as I’ve sorted out tea for my little rascals.
I am so embarrassed that I gave you a bad typo. I look forward to your post! You had such incredible questions, thank you.
Yikes – scary about the snow driving experience – glad you didn’t die!!!
What is an active chilled beam?!
It’s a technology that my husband’s work uses to cool large buildings!
yikes!! that snow sliding is so scary. I had it once when i travelled to tahoe, but was not as deadly as this.
glad that you safe…phew!
Loved those pix, tamara. precious clicks 🙂
Thank you so much!
I remember needing chains on the roads by Tahoe. That was scary too!
I would love to visit San diego, it looks perfect! I love the photo of you grandpa, I have one that is very similar of mine, eyes glazed over and full of wisdom, but it was at his end as well. Not nearly as high quality but still 100% sentimental. I ended up blowing up the pic to hang in the house, because I loved it so much.
I might have to do that with my photo. Thank you for such a great idea!
Oh I can relate. My son and I landed in a snowstorm in Ottawa. Couldn’t see anything out the window and it was shocking when we bumped down on the runway. Thought we were still way up. Headed for the rental car agency where the woman looked at us as if we were nuts. We were. The 20 minute ride to our b and b took an hour and a half. The snow was blowing onto the street signs and we had no idea where we were. Cars crumpled all around us and many sliding sideways. Had to navigate by my son’s cell gps. When we arrived at the b and b the gal at the desk told us that it was a record snowfall with more snow falling in an hour than in the previous 100 years.
I can’t help think about those poor folks in Buffalo right now …
Oh dear! What a story.
My mom is from Rochester and she always tell stories about how in the winter, they could go out of their second-story window onto snow. And of course it always made me question how she could possibly have lived there. I know it had many beautiful parts. However, my grandparents moved to Florida eventually!
I love that first sunset photo! And I guess I’m not surprised that your favorite photos aren’t the most professional because you have such a big heart and emotions, you just draw lifelong connections with photos and the memories behind them. Similar thing happened to me on an entrance ramp. I did a 360 alone in my car on a rainy day. I never speed on on/off ramps anymore.
Those entrance ramps are scary!
Thank you about the photos. I knew you would understand it. I’ve definitely done ones that were technically more exceptional, but I still like these.
PS If I won the giveaway, I’d get the freshwater pearl necklace. Is it bad that the swirly metal surrounding the pearl reminds me of the 90s???
No, not bad! And you were not the first to say that.
I love rainbow sprinkles too. They make me happy. I always get a chocolate dipped waffle bowl. With sprinkles.
I’m jealous of your calm children. Mine were never calm. I wish.
I did Elf on the Shelf for Natalie even though I’m not a huge fan. I usually do posts ranting about it. Then people are like, “Then don’t do it?” and I’m like, “Well, my kid likes it, so…”
I look at photos of ice cream and rainbow sprinkles and I just think.. “YES” Without the sprinkles, it’s not quite the same. And it’s like that with cookies, cakes and candy too.
Mine aren’t always calm. Just today, I thought about putting Des in a cage. True story.
I remember your Elf on the Shelf stories! They were fun!
Your how I almost died story sounds scary. I’m glad your boyfriend at the time was abe to get control of the car. I hate being on the roads when it snows. We don’t get much snow in Arkansas so we don’t know how to really drive on it or have the proper equipment to keep the roads clear.
I hear that about more southern states than here (which are most states). If we got six inches of snow, we’d probably still be driving places. I remember hearing about that storm in Alabama or so and even an inch or two is something they’re not prepared for. Scary!
I enjoy your Friday posts 🙂 I feel like I learn something new each time, or learn it in another way. However, I also find myself coming to the end and forgetting all the thoughts I had because I formed new ones towards the end…
Let’s go with this:
The pictures are amazing. The babies are beautiful, and the picture of your grandfather is sweet. You captured a sweet moment in time. I saw the same look in my grandpa’s eyes when we went out to eat one time. The look of a man who is content with the life he has lived, but has reached a realization. For my grandpa it was that my grandma was gone, and he could see MY pain.
Everyone was eating, in their own conversation, and I was lost in my thoughts. I tried to keep myself busy with my daughter, but sadness must have been writing all over my face. My grandpa turned to me and said “You miss him, huh?” Trying to swallow the depressive thoughts back with tea, I said yes… a lot. His eyes told me I know how you feel, and he patted me on the back in the most comforting way. {Him: my husband at war}
XOXO
I’m glad you explained “him” and it’s so sad.. And so beautiful.
I have trouble with accepting/explaining that my grandparents are now gone. It’s pretty recent and so my mind hasn’t totally wrapped around it.
All of my grandparents are gone too. It’s hard for me as well. I remember going back to San Antonio, to their house, it felt wrong and weird. I needed my grandma to force us to eat something….
XOXO
I definitely miss my Jewish grandmother. Telling me I was too skinny.
And I really was!
My dad’s parents are both still alive, which is really amazing. I just meant that my four blood ones have all passed.
How fun to see you at FTSF! Although I’d see you anyway. When I was an admissions counselor recruiting in New England, I spent an afternoon at the Yankee Candle store that you mentioned. Oh my goodness. I could get lost in there for hours. I bought dozens of votive candles, and hemmed and hawed about each scent I picked. I’m much more decisive now – went to the Yankee Candle store at the mall earlier this week and picked out four candles in less than five minutes. I know what I like!
Oh so you’ve been there! I wonder if it was as nutty then as it is now. It’s pretty much INSANE. It’s like a million square feet and there’s a whole toy store, candy store, restaurant, theater, other restaurant (no lie), Santa’s land, Christmas tree land, candle land, make your own candle land, discount candle land (you’d love that), kitchen land, gift store land, ornament land, train land, and more.
Much more.
I love this letter that Santa Claus wrote for Scarlet! That is just so adorable! Cannot believe Christmas is creeping up on us so quickly again!
Thank you! Santa was so very nice last year. I’m not sure he’ll be as nice this year.
How fun, I love that SANTA gave the tickets to WDW. So fun! I hope you are starting to feel better! I had the crud two weeks ago and am still hacking up a lung. Blah! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Santa was nice to us all last year!
Sorry about the crud. I find that it generally lasts two weeks it its entirety for me.
Oh my!That car story, I had a similar experience. Driving my mom’s 1970 Chevy Caprice Classic (it was mint green) during a Minnesota winter. I spun out on a turn right in front of a semi truck! I seriously thought I was done for!
Great swap, by the way. I’ll join you in San Diego, ok? My safe place is my family, as well!
Scary!!! Whoa. This is why I fear winter.
And yes, about San Diego!
Oh, HOW SCARY!!! Thank goodness that boy had great reflexes (and knew what to do) even if he did turn out to be a cheater in the end!! You were destined for bigger and better things anyway! –Lisa
Ha.. Better instincts with driving in the snow than being loyal to his girlfriend.
I love the photos you chose…they all have such depth in the eyes…like you can see into their souls. One of the baby photos Des really favors his daddy! I guess I hadn’t really realized that before because Des has such dark features 🙂
Yes, he does! To me, he looks just like my grandfather. It’s eerie.
Oh wow that really IS a life or death situation! Crazy how sometimes in the most stressful moments our bodies react by being calm. I notice that with me too, it’s like it shuts off the brain’s emotional reaction so that our body’s physical reactions can take place. Glad you were okay!
It is strange because I can be anxious about small things, but completely fine with large.
Oh my gosh, crazy story!!!! Thank god he had such awesome reflexes!! I love that photo of your grandfather, it really captures a feeling. And that photo of Des looks just like your husband!!
You’re not the first to say that! It’s funny because I usually don’t think he looks like Cassidy.
So many things I could say about your Ask Away Friday post – but the picture of your grandpa is so beautiful and touching, I’ll stop there. I almost died on graduation from high school night with my then boyfriend (now hubby) – we were missed by inches by a speeding car that then flew into a gas station and took out three gas pumps! Everyone was ok, but all I could picture was graduation night tragedy.
Ugh, that’s terrible. And it happened to my little sister’s friends. On graduation night. It was awful.
It’s really about the moment and the meaning! I love it. I can say that too since I’m not a pro-photographer. I just take photos that capture the moment. Before marriage and a kid, I’ve almost been hit by a vehicle many times that I lost count. Those were the times when I really believed that something called an “adrenaline” exists. Geez.
Yes, adrenaline is very real! And I am so glad you are okay.
OK _ so I didn’t know there’s a WP app, but I’m promptly downloading for commenting. And is it weird when I teared up reading your note from Santa? (I’m a sap) Sorry you’re tired of the Elf articles, I’m publishing one this week – but it’s a bit different than most. (You don’t have to read it!)
The app rocks!!
And no, no about the elf! I don’t like the literal articles about it. Like you see them all over the news. I don’t mind blogs about them. I can’t wait to read yours!
I’ve never seen Rocky Horror Picture Show in its entirety. I’ve seen bits and pieces. I didn’t go to SD very much, although when I went, I always had a blast! How scary about the car!
I only went once and it left such an impact on me. It was December. When life here was pretty cold. I bet if I went in the summer it would still be magnificent.
There us so much to love in this post. I am glad you didn’t die in a snowstorm – the world needs you! Glad to see you linking to FTSF. 🙂
It was very fun to link to this! I can’t wait to read yours.
Ooooooh!!!! I LOVE the questions AND of course, always your answers!!! Those shots were amazing… I started to well up with your grandfather’s picture. Wow. You caught his soul in that picture Tamara….
I love the picture of Santa’s notes too- just so captivating of the precious moment of Christmas. it should be on a card!!!
And wow- what a story about almost having the truck slam into you guys!! I love that your mom was so understanding and you ended up having a blast together- as innocent and reckless young loves do. I’m glad the cheatin’ guy stuck around long enough for you to enjoy the relationship…and that you guys were okay. 🙂
I was going for that – catching his soul. It was important to me.
And it’s funny that the cheatin’ guy wasn’t good for much, but he was good for manuevering the car to safety! Credit where it’s due.
Great set! I love your choice of photos to #5, very up close and personal. I had seen your selfie before, somewhere and think it is great. You are a great photographer, no matter if with professional gear or a cell phone camera.
Your Christmas traditions sound like fun. I was saying to David that this year we are going to have our tree way earlier so we can enjoy it longer. I don’t think it will happen Thanksgiving, but you’ll never know.
Thank you so much. I think most of those pictures were taken with my old film camera. It’s funny to think that it’s how I got started, but I have no recollection of settings. I think I used P mode!
One year we got our tree the day before Thanksgiving. Usually we get it the day after. Just down the street. No rush, no crowds.
Happy birthday! Did you have a dog cake? Somewhere warm all the time sounds fantastic right now. Sooooo cold here.
I did give her an iced dog bone. She loved it!
I thought about doing a bacon cake, but I don’t actually know if bacon is even that good for dogs.
Candles threw you? If they’re the pictures I’m thinking about, you’d never know … they’re gorgeous!
I appreciate that! It just took me by surprise because before then, I had only taken photos of people. Now I actually do houses and other inanimate objects.
The almost accident sounds terrifying! I enjoy a good blizzard but only if my family is safely tucked away inside.
Exactly! And now with the craziness in Buffalo. So many stranded motorists! I can’t imagine why they left their houses, but I guess they had no choice. Or thought they had time!
I don’t miss those North Eastern (aka Nor’easters) style blizzards every still drives in! In the Midwest most people opt to stay home. I do remember being trapped on the college campus one time for 4 days, in Boston. It wasn’t the roads were that bad, they had no place to move the snow to. Gosh someday I would LOVE to see San Diego. I have been to SFO,LAX even Santa Monica 2x- but never to SoCal.
Santa Monica! Never been.
I remember being trapped in New Jersey even. I think up here in New England, they are more equipped.
Oh I love the photo of you behind the lens, that one is one of my favorites. It is so well, you. You are so organized with your photos, that is one area I really could use help in. So scary about the car and snow, but it sounds like it was a little exciting too! Ah San Diego is wonderful and the weather is amazing most times of the year.
I actually could use some help too. I’m running out of memory in my storage. I need to figure out a solution fast!
Oh, I love your ask away friday Q & A! I love your self portrait. It is stunning. I actually see your Des’s eyes in your Grandfather’s eyes. Your photos are amazing, Tamara. Sounds like you have a fun Thanksgiving planned. Enjoy!!
I can’t remember if I put it on Facebook or here, but I put a picture of my grandfather at two years old next to Des now. It’s uncanny! I must have done it on Facebook only. I should do it here.
LOVE that you choose heart photos! I don’t think I could narrow it down to three. My fave is your self portrait — it’s perfection.
Great story!!! I had a similar experience… like eerily similar because mine turned out to be the wandering eye type too! And he should have know his Mustang was not the right car for January blizzard driving! that should have been my sign.
I could swear this was a Mustang too! And I borrowed it once and it had a little remnant of marijuana in it, and I got pulled over. And I’d never smoked in my life!
“that’s not mine officer.” 🙂
The worst part was that I got the giggles, not because I was high, but because it was so ludicrous that anyone would think I had been. I was such a goody-goody back then.
There’s a story somewhere in my blog about the time my brother farted when I had company. I was 15 and could have boy company outside. Of course my little brother would be in and out. He came out to say, “Hey you want to see me throw this penny over the roof?” As he tried to throw the penny which didn’t hardly make it, he farted at the same time. I was horrified!!! I vowed to pay him back. But I only met the really serious one who he married and by then I was 40 so I wasn’t going to fart then that would have only embarrassed me. So I just told her the story 😉 Hope that starts you day with some giggles. They are in San Diego by the way. Well off a San Diego but that’s where we fly in to. It is beautiful. The fly there in July from our HOT July is a nice change. They don’t have the humidity that we have so the hot is a nice hot and you don’t need the AC at night.
Ha!!!
I’m sorry but I am so sick today and this just made my day.
Jeez I’m so late to this party – I’ve had a busy ass weekend. Something about the weekends you plan to do nothing on that the most crap gets piled on and next thing you know you’re running from one place to another. I was jipped! I was supposed to be LAZY this weekend and read blogs instead I was from one place to another non stop lol.. Rip Off! Thank goodness for the 4-day weekend coming up since I managed to work from home Friday #winning! I love the name Desmond! It sounds so sultry – when he’s older he’ll rock that name for real, I think Des keeps it adorable for his younger years 🙂 Man can you imagine when all the girls come a knockin’ for that boy? I’m not ready for mine! He’s going to be a handsome devil and I’m not prepared for it lmao. We don’t have any Christmas or holiday traditions since both my family and Mario’s were so informal. It’s hard trying to decide what “traditions” we should take on – I guess all trial and error? I’m thinking family video game marathons since that’s what both my ‘boys’ love but I’d lose my sanity. I know you posted something today so let me get to that. Muah! -Iva
I always think of Desmond as a sexy name. Which is weird, because he’s my son!
I can’t even imagine either one of my kids dating, but it will happen!
Glad you made it, late to the party or not. Always welcome. Pretty much messed my whole weekend because I’ve had this terrible cold since the end of last week. Although I did make it out for a haircut. Priorities!
Lol priorities indeed! I definitely made time to get my hair straightened this past weekend. I’m tired of doing it myself! It’s weird because he’s your son but if you separate the two and just think of the name, it is a pretty sultry name. He’ll appreciate it when older. 🙂 I can’t imagine it either but alast, it’s the cycle of life and it will inevitably happen. Glad I’m always welcome to the party and hope you feel better love!! 🙂
The funny thing somebody said to me once was, that she knew it sounded weird but that she could tell that my son was a hottie. That he had a sexy energy. Mind you, he was seven months old at the time.
However, I have a friend with a two-year-old and it’s a bit of the same. You just look at him and you can see a stud. He just always has tousled hair and he’s always playing with instruments and looking a little aloof. Girl magnet.
I really loved her questions. I love that you ended up picking non professional photos. I think it definitely says a lot about your heart and how it relates to your work. 🙂 I’ve heard great things about San Diego. That pictures is pretty awesome. You know I love my sunsets. I think that self portrait of you is so cool. I agree with you about it being about perspective in terms of how we feel being what makes or breaks where we are in life, no matter the location. Perspective is mostly everything.
I guess it’s because I don’t have the same connection to client photos, mostly, that I do to my own personal family members.
Maybe I could’ve put three of the professional ones too. I definitely have favorites from that!
1. I like that rare but telling moment a photo can capture an angelic kid’s impish side, too.
2. You have to love and honor those spaces you can escape to for some solitude. Mine was always the disc golf course. For a while, that became noisy too, but it’s tranquil again, mostly.
3. I’ve never seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Do you think this could be cultural?
Cultural? Nah. Maybe you just had more fun things to do in 8th grade than I did.
Sounds kinda fun, though. All I was doing was sucking at football and crushing on Nikki Morgansen.
Me too! Wait, what?
I knew it! She picked you over me.
I often have that effect on women.
That self portrait really is the perfect picture of you. I don’t know if I have a picture that I feel REALLY captures me. There is a picture of me in Spain laughing and my hair is long and straight and I look so happy. I WAS so happy. So I like that one. Maybe that’s mine.
Maybe it is! And if I ever meet you, I’ll take a picture of you that I hope will be a picture that you love.
Snow is so beautiful yet so scary to drive in!
Yes and we are expecting it this week and my family has to rearrange their plans to avoid it!
I loved loved loved your quirks vs/ neurotic comment. Seriously, I don’t know where to draw the line between my quirky tendencies and neurotic…everythings. Your snow story scares me but I’m very impressed with your calm state. I am so so so so so envious of your non-destructive gentle Des and I love Scarlet’s reasoning nature. Also, I loved your picture on facebook last week when everyone was being cute in the morning. Agdfghdfk! AWW!
Oh yes! The parade morning. Everyone was too cute.
Des is very careful. It’s why he didn’t learn to walk fast, and is just in his nature. I wonder if it will last.