For Pam...

I got two new things this week that I am very fond of. First, I bought myself for Valentine's Day some adorable little black heels (on sale at Target, of course). Second, I got my much needed new camera and 85mm lens. Naturally, once I had taken the camera body and lens out of their boxes and reveled in the newness of them I had to take pictures of my new shoes. Then I took some pics of my beautiful girls too. Savai always seems to disappear when the girls and I are having our photo shoots. Of course, before I could even get my pictures loaded onto my computer and correct them in Photoshop Pam had to outdo me and take a picture of every single pair of her shoes and she has quite a collection. The weird thing is that Pam did not know what I had planned for my latest blog and I had no idea what she was doing. I guess our love of shoes has connected us psychically somehow.

Aren't they lovely?


Miss Amélie being coy. I know that she may appear to be unhappy right here but really she is just in model mode.
Dirty, holey tights - the true sign of a happy girl!

And let's not forget crazy Miss Milou. I think that this picture captures her essence perfectly. She usually is moving too fast to even see her adorable little face.

Fact

Or at least the truth according to a girl from New Jersey - the French lived in caves up until the 18th century.

I got to be right now, cuz I can't get much wronger

I guess that I will start with my commentary on the Grammy Awards...Kanye West never seems to let me down with his acceptance speeches, Tina Turner was hot in her tight silver outfit, I love Cyndi Lauper - always have, always will, I hate the Foo Fighters - always have, always will, and Amy Winehouse has the best friggin' hair ever, plus I love her voice and her skinny little legs. I think that that about sums it up.


Today, well, today was just one of those days. It started out great. I got up early, ordered my new camera and a lens online, did my makeup, put on my new cute $4 shirt from Target, curled my hair (loved it). Then...a sick little munchkin, canceled but much needed therapy, crazy mailings at work, no childcare for French group, basic life frustration, only a few tears and really it wasn't all that bad. Today will soon be yesterday and it wasn't that bad but it was just one of those days where really maybe all you are supposed to do is just sit on the couch, watch Toy Story and knit baby hats. What is is as Byron Katie says. And I'm not quite there yet but I am trying my darnedest to learn to love it.

And happy birthday Jessie - my oldest friend and my due date twin, who was born on Shilo Road, and decided to jump forward early into this life while I wasn't quite so sure and waited it out just a little bit longer in my warm, safe shelter.

The Real Superbowl - From a True American Household

Who likes Tom Petty?

How mainstream and boring can music f----ing get?
We are watching the SUPERBOWL M-O-M!
Anyway, I would rather see Janet Jackson bare her boobs than watch this crap.
Direct quote from two minutes ago "these guys should be in a retirement home" and just now "they are like totally in diapers".
I personally think Justin Timberlake has a lot more to offer the world with his SNL "bleep in a box" than TP having an MI with all those young juggle boobs flirting with him.
Well, Justin Timberlake is hot and Tom Petty has needed a haircut since before I was born.
Bless his heart, and yours, too!
Go Giants!!!!!!!

Pokey Sans Gumby

Sunday Mornings

Sunday mornings are a unique experience for me. Most of them these days are spent getting the kids ready to go and then driving them to their dad's house. This is not the unique part. It is on the drive back from Bozeman to Livingston when I feel like I am in another world. I can listen to whichever song I choose on the ipod and I can do it in total silence! I can hear myself think if I want to or I can sing at the top of my lungs. This is the complete opposite of the drive to Bozeman just minutes earlier when I have three little beings all contributing their opinions to the playlist and often fighting with each other and my almost teenager right next to me talking incessantly the whole way about world domination and how his plan to take away personal freedom somehow makes him a kinder, more reasonable dictator than say, Hitler, or Mussolini. And I feel that I have to play the part of eternal optimist against his perpetual pessimist. Someday I will have to transcribe one of our conversations word for word because they really are almost unbelievable.
So, when I head back towards my home, kidless, it feels surreal. It is so different for me to be all alone and sometimes hard for me to get used to. Then I enter Livingston. That is always surreal, no matter what. But especially if you have the space to really observe everything you see as you drive into town. This wonderful little town is such a contradiction and I find myself feeling joy as I watch the train cut through the hills and look at the mountains covered in snow and then drive past our old-fashioned burger joint and look to see which cute little houses are for sale now. But with the joy there is always the same question that pops into my head of "where am I and how did I get here?". Maybe I would feel that way after being anywhere for more than five years. But some of it has to do with the inability to describe the essence of Livingston. I have struggled with that since I got here. It is a wonderful and bizarre and confusing and sometimes maddening place to live and if I ever figure it out I will let you all know.
Boston was another such place for me, full of great sights and history and beautiful buildings and some really rude people who drive like they are out to kill themselves or as many other people as they can. There are of course some really nice people in Boston who drive like that too. I have some wonderful memories of Boston (Waltham, Cambridge and Leominster to be more precise) but for some reason overall I have more of a negative reaction to it than anything, which I still hold onto when it comes to football. I have a very strong dislike for the Patriots (maybe mostly because Patriots fans are outright obnoxious and it was hard for me to live amongst them) and so, I will be rooting for the Giants today! I seem to have very intense relationships with the places where I live and, just like any relationship, some of them are more cut and dry than others. I won't even begin to get into my relationship with France!

As for my photos - here are a few of my mom and her doggies from Christmas Eve at her house.