Belated pictures

Taken while wedding planning - David raiding my bucket of Mardi Gras beads. I shudder to think of where those things have been. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to flash the world in order to accumulate mass quantities.

Taken the same day.

Not sure what this was, but I liked the result.

My music therapy girls.

So cute.

Sunset on Lake Lanier - the park below Mom and Dad's.

Dad and David

Picture of the sun

Pretty plants. Red leaves are my favorite.

Having a wonderful time...

I hope to post Halloween pictures soon.

Better things to do

I'm watching Charade, which stars Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. This has inspired me to create an all-time favorite list of actors and actresses. Yes, I have better things to do, but I'm simply not inclined to do them at the moment.

Let's start with the classics. Since I've already mentioned him, I will start off with:

Cary Grant - He's the good-looking, polished image of class (Charade), but also manages to portray bumbling comical characters with the same effectiveness (Arsenic and Old Lace). He never bores me.

Gregory Peck - I don't think I could ever tire of his rich voice, or the handsomely etched features that cover some of Hollywood's most notable roles. His portrayal of Atticus Finch alone is enough to put Gregory Peck at the top of my list.

Humphrey Bogart - While not as striking feature wise, there's a rough charm to Bogie's characters that make his performances some of my favorite on the big screen. Everyone should see Casablanca at least once. "Here's looking at you, kid."

James Stewart - because of his roles in "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Harvey." However, I hate seeing the occasional western, featuring Jimmy Stewart as a cowboy. For me, he's only ever your average, loveable, boy-next-door George Bailey.

The occasional Yul Brynner...mostly for the voice. Oh, and the occasional Gene Kelly, simply because I'm a sucker for tap dancing.

Oh dear. This is already becoming too long. Perhaps I will simply stick with my favorite classics for now and forego explaining why I prefer Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Morgan Freeman, Val Kilmer, Matthew Broderick, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Anthony Hopkins. Oh...the occasional Christopher Plummer, Gabriel Byrne, and Christopher Walken. Jeremy Irons, Sean Connery, and Michael Wincott can just talk to me for a while.

The girls list is considerably shorter...

Audrey Hepburn - No one comes close to Audrey Hepburn. She redefined fashion and beauty in ways that had never been seen. Her roles are energetic, graceful, and enchanting, and she was a renowned humanitarian. Ms. Hepburn has always been at the top of my list.

Ingrid Bergman - From the time I was very young, I wished that I was as beautiful as Ingrid Bergman. She's the picture of the classic Hollywood woman...with a gentle Swedish accent and kind features. I'm also quite fond of her name.

Judy Garland - One of the best known entertainers of all time. As a child, I thought she was beautiful. I loved watching her dance and sing, and wished that I were capable of the same. "Meet me in St. Louis" will always be one of my favorite musicals.

Once again, I will stick to the classics and spare readers from my ramblings about Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, and Julia Roberts.

I have no idea why I just wasted time on something so frivolous, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I suppose that's all that matters.

The stuff dreams are made of

This is a list of thoughts and dreams that have made me smile over the years. Many of them have changed, and I expect many more changes as life progresses. There are still many places that I would like to see, but know are improbable. As time passes, these visions will probably fade and become closer to home. I am already seeing this to a certain extent.

Walking between whitewashed, thatched houses in a small Irish town

Owning and operating a small, warm cafe with a hefty dose of European influence

Living in a cozily refurbished carriage house in downtown Charleston

Revisiting dear old London and once again having tea and wonderful bread pudding in downtown Oxford

Finishing attempted projects in a timely fashion

Having my home and yard look as if they could be featured in a Home and Garden magazine

Viewing the Taj Mahal at dawn and dusk

Watching my kids achieve their dreams

Becoming a model or singer/songwriter

Falling through a wardrobe and discovering that Narnia really exists

Visiting and exploring the Holy Land at peace with itself and the rest of the world

Writing a novel or having my photographs published

Taking in the Northern Lights

Walking along the shore on Prince Edward Island in very Anne fashion

Experiencing the best of the Orient

Seeing New York City (especially Rockefeller Center) during the Christmas season

Creating family traditions that won't fade away

Roadtripping out west - especially Montana and San Francisco

Seeing New England in the fall

Paris la nuit, or milling around streets in the rain

Being old and content...carefree and surrounded by family

Attending the jazz festival in New Orleans

Wishing life were a Thomas Kinkaide painting - honestly...does it get any closer to perfection than that?

To be continued at a later date...

Time's are a changing

I was so glad to see the arrival of the weekend, but I already feel as though each hour is creepy by at a snail's pace. Family came down to Milledgeville today, so we lunched and walked around campus. It was really nice to see people from home and brought a welcome change to the day. It feels as though months have passed since I've seen them. Fall is making me restless, but I feel hopelessly confined in this town. I like Milledgeville, but I'm trying to think of ways to spice it up a bit. Kristin, David, and I will be going to Macon tomorrow afternoon, which is (surprisingly) incredibly exciting. Going to Little Tokyo with sisters last week was beyond exciting. I'm learning to appreciate the little things again. I wish I hadn't seen all of my movies a hundred times.

I'm learning and discovering new little happinesses every day. Having a child in the house is challenging, entertaining, and beyond rewarding all at the same time.