Oyster Haven's Irish Cousin

I made the most wonderful discovery on Sunday.  It was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it truly was.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let me start from the beginning.  Okay, so my husband and I were at Oyster Haven, finishing up a week or so of work on the house.  Located on the shore of beautiful Lake Champlain in upstate NY, we are planning to open it up as a VRBO rental property starting on June 1, and it's just about ready to welcome its first guests.

Anyway, I had my laptop set up on the kitchen table, and I was enjoying gazing out at the lake as I posted this Instagram picture (with a reminder about the Rosary giveaway I'm currently hosting here at the blog).

I've got to admit that I'm enjoying Instagram enormously these days.  I think I like it better than Facebook, actually--partly because no one seems to use it as a proverbial soapbox to trumpet their political views or disparage Christians, but mostly because it showcases some of the most beautiful photos you will ever see.  Instagram has inspired me to put a lot more thought into every photo I take, paying special attention to lighting, angles, and composition.  Coming up with the "perfect" picture fills me with delight, it does.  And I can see why many bloggers have transitioned from the blog to the 'gram, because they are able to say so much with so few words--creating mini-blog posts that are easier for busy readers to digest than full-length articles.

The best 'grammers are the ones who are able to write the pithiest blurbs to go with their photos, and to use the hashtag most cleverly and effectively.  Some of the Insta-hashtags are absolutely hilarious (I'm thinking of Grace from Camp Patton and Dwija from House Unseen, Life Unscripted when I say this).  I have not figured out how to employ the hashtag the way the young whippersnappers are doing it; but I'm trying, folks, I'm trying.

In an effort to abide by the 21st-century rules of engagement, I'm trying to remember to add hashtags to my Instagram posts.  (My hashtags are pretty boring; but #givemeabreak #improbablyoldenoughtobeyourmother.)
Therefore, whenever I post pictures of our lake house on Instagram, I add #oysterhaven.

Well, I don't normally even think of clicking on hashtags to see what else is out there...but for some reason this past Sunday, after I posted my picture, I clicked on #oysterhaven, and it took me to other photos with that same hashtag.  As I scanned the first page, I saw several pictures that I've posted right there front and center, showing both inside and outside views of our Oyster Haven house.

When I first glanced at that picture on the top right, I thought it was one that I'd posted of the view of our back yard...then I realized that we don't have our outdoor furniture yet.  But can't you see how it would make me do a double take?

Here are a few more of our photos, part of the #oysterhaven collection on Instagram.  Note the arrow pointing to our view...

...and here's an arrow pointing to the photo that fooled me for a second into thinking it was one of ours.

To me, those two views were practically twins, or at least distant cousins.  My curiosity was definitely piqued.  So of course, I clicked on that photo to see what it was all about.  And to my utter delight, I found out that it was a picture of a place called Oyster Haven Bay, in Kinsale (County Cork), IRELAND!

Oh my goodness, I could not have been more thrilled to know that we had inadvertently named our lake house after a place in Ireland!  We wanted the word "oyster" in the title, since we are Pearls and oysters are homes for pearls.  And we have a little secluded inlet behind our house, so we considered calling our place "Oyster Bay," but thought that sounded too much like a body of salt water rather than a freshwater lake.  My husband grew up in a neighborhood by the lake that had the word "haven" in its name, so as a nod to his roots we therefore ultimately decided to name our VRBO house "Oyster Haven."  We thought it was a good name; but knowing that there is a seaside vacation retreat in Ireland with the same name (and with some views that look eerily like ours!) is just the icing on the cake.

Because if you've been coming here a lot over the past five years that I've been blogging, you might know that my husband's maternal grandfather (after whom he was named) came to America from County Cork at the age of 19.

You might also know that my husband's family is Irish on both sides, my mom is part Irish (a Kelly by birth), and I am an incurable Hibernophile  (dictionary definition: person who is fond of Irish culture, Irish language and Ireland in general. Its antonym is Hibernophobe. The word originates from "Hibernia", the word used by the ancient Romans to refer to Ireland).  If you are familiar with the content of and/or have read either of my two Catholic novels, you are well aware of this obsession I have with the Irish and their culture.  God love the Irish!

It warms my heart to imagine that many years ago, my husband's grandfather might have gazed out at Oyster Haven Bay, in his native County Cork.  And now, his grandson and I have a home by the water, with the very same name as that Irish cousin by the sea.

Sitting at the kitchen table in Oyster Haven, with a

picture of Oyster Haven Bay, Kinsale, County Cork,

Ireland on my computer screen.

It just seems very fitting.  Very fitting indeed.

(A little reminder before I go: if you'd like a chance to win the beautiful blue cord Rosary in the photo at the top of the page, leave me a comment by midnight on Mother's Day!)

Wearin' 'o the Green

I got bored the other day and started playing with the camera on my Kindle Fire.  The model I have isn't the newest version, and the camera on it only works in selfie mode. Which, as you can imagine, makes it rather inconvenient for everyday use. BUT (and this is a big but)...I just discovered that once you take the photos, you can add all these different effects to them; so I messed around with a smirky self-portrait, changing the filters until I ended up with a version that gave me green hair and green eyes.  And faith 'n begorrah, I thought what better day to post such a picture on the blog than today, the very feast day of the Patron Saint of the Emerald Isle himself?  So I added the text, and voila!  This green-eyed monster of a photo became a St. Patrick's Day greeting from String o' Pearls to yourself!

(Since I'm still in Germany, this should probably read "Glucklichen St Patrick Tag!"  Or "Glucklichen St der Tag von Patrick!"  Or something like that.)

Actually, I think perhaps I ought to share some better St. Patty's Day greetings with you--vintage ones, because they appeal to me so much.  (And hey, no jokes about the somewhat vintage nature of the Grammy up there with the green hair and eyes, you hear?)

Now before I go, a little book talk:

If you like to read about the Irish, you might enjoy the novel I am currently reading, A Distant Prospect by Annette Young.  Although I am only a little over half-way through it, I ADORE this book, which features a young Irish heroine and her utterly endearing Irish "daid," who have moved to Australia after a family tragedy to forge a new life for themselves.  It is so good that I believe every reader will love it and every writer will wish they'd written it!

And of course, how can I leave without a wee plug for my own novel about the Irish?  Erin's Ring tells the story about how those plucky immigrants came to this country in waves during the 19th century and changed it forever--for the better, of course!

Okay, then.  Tonight, I'll raise my glass of green beer (or more likely, Coca-Cola Light, Germany's version of Diet Coke) to all of you, dear readers, and say, "Slainte!"  I will indeed!

Oyster Haven: Fit for a Bride

My husband and I have been working very hard to get our new house on Lake Champlain, a soon-to-be VRBO rental property we've decided to call "Oyster Haven," ready for a spring opening.

This house is a charming circa 1830's Colonial with a 1940's addition, and it features many marvelous updates in the kitchen and bathrooms.  It is truly a mixture of vintage charm and modern convenience, and we think we hit the jackpot when we found it.  We weren't even really looking, and then this beautiful former farmhouse, situated on the most glorious and expansive piece of lakefront property, presented itself as the opportunity of a lifetime.  Suddenly, we were in the real estate biz.

One of the big pluses about this house is that it is located right next door to a large conference center, which serves as a popular venue for big events like weddings.  (In fact, one of our nieces had her reception there several years ago.)  We think that makes our house's location even more enticing; because although there are rooms at the conference center for putting up brides and their families and friends, there might be large weddings where extra space is needed for out-of-town guests.  In those sorts of cases, Oyster Haven would make the perfect place to handle any spillover.

With this in mind, we decided to showcase areas of the house that would make lovely backdrops for wedding photos.  The upstairs hallway is one of those areas.

I even made over the hall closet, stripping away dirty, decades-old plaid wallpaper from the interior and painting it, and then furnishing it with a pretty basket and matching hangers.

I also found the perfect piece of framed vintage artwork to accent this space, bought at a downtown secondhand shop for $10.

A few nights ago, one of my nieces was in town visiting her mom, who happens to be my husband's older sister, and she agreed to pose in this upstairs hall, wearing my mother-in-law's wedding gown (the same gown she wore when she got married five years ago).  My baby sister, who is an awesome photographer, agreed to shoot some pictures of her.  The results...well, my friends, I believe they speak for themselves. 

Wow.  What a great place for bridal photos, am I right?  (And it doesn't hurt that this particular model is drop-dead gorgeous!)

There are other areas in the house that work well for photo shoots, too.  The living room, for instance.  With all those big windows facing the lake.

These photos were taken at night; but if taken during the daylight hours, a bride could pose in front of the windows, with the view of the lake in all its splendor behind her.  Instead, my beautiful niece is posed like she would be for a Christmas wedding (my favorite kind--my anniversary is December 27!).  The tree will go up in that corner ever year, ready to become a backdrop for any winter bride.

Many thanks to my sister and my niece, for making this happen.  (And thank you to my niece's little guy, who waited patiently with his Nana until his mommy finished her modeling gig!)  Hopefully, these pictures will help to "sell" our house to prospective renters!

Theme Thursday: Close Up

I have not participated in the Theme Thursday link-up in a dog's age.  But I thought I'd join Michaela et. al. today (one day late), because I have the perfect photo to fit this week's theme: "Close Ups."

Here he is, our newest family member--our second grandson and our sixth grandchild overall (I'm calling him "Little Dude" here at the blog).  Is he gorgeous, or what?  When my husband and I flew down to meet him on the 10th, the day after he was born, I snapped some pictures of him in the hospital.  I zoomed in on his perfect little face and somehow ended up with this utterly amazing shot.

I already posted this picture earlier today on String of Pearls, in color.  But since this Theme Thursday link-up is all about photography, I thought I'd play around with it a bit and see what it looked like in classic black-and-white.

When you're finished swooning over Grammy's little darling, head on over to California to Korea to see more close ups from my fellow blogging shutterbugs.

Check out My 'Grams!

Well, a few posts back I said that it seemed as if the blog was dead (or dying), having been replaced by other newer, hipper forms of social media--like Instagram.  But some of my loyal friends here at String of Pearls (fellow bloggers Nancy, Madeline, and Erin, among others) reminded me that it really ain't so.  Blogs still have their place, they insisted; so I've decided that as long as they do, I'm going to try to keep this one up and running.

Because a blogger's gotta blog.

But you know, I did get on board the Instagram train not too long ago.  And I have to admit that I sorta-kinda like it.

I've always been a bit of a shutterbug--but not a good one.  I've never learned how to use any of the fancy settings on my camera properly.  I usually just set it on "auto," tell whomever it is I'm trying to capture for posterity to say "cheese!", and click away.  I historically have been the least "artsy" of photographers.

But Instagram has awakened in me an interest in photography--that is, an interest in the photograph as a true art form--that I never knew I possessed.  I have suddenly become obsessed with taking still life-style photos (What?!  No people?!  No grandchildren?!), and then playing around with the different effects Instagram offers us amateur photographers to achieve results that make our pictures look as if they belong in the pages of a glossy home decorating magazine.  (Well, maybe not quite, but...)

Here are a few of my recent Instagram offerings.  (Indulge me, won't you?  Tell me they look uber-profesh.)

Some items I bought to decorate the lake house we bought
 in the Adirondack region of NY .  (VRBO, here we come!)

These are a few of, my favorite things: coffee, and an
engraved "Grammy's Coffee" spoon with which to stir it.

Transferware dishes are another favorite.  So are fake flowers
(even a brown thumb like mine can't kill these silk mums!).

On my nightstand--a very dear friend.

That last photo is special to me--not just because it involves one of my all-time favorite saints, a Doctor of the Church known as "The Little Flower"; but also because this particular book about this saint--which I just ordered for myself, and it's not even my birthday--is so very lovely to look at.  It's a thing of beauty, with the compelling artwork on its hard cover, and it is a pleasure to hold it in my hands. 

I love real books.  I'm about to head to the airport to board a flight with my husband (leg one of a two-leg trip out to OK to be there for our youngest son's graduation from his Army school), and I've decided to bring my Kindle Fire in my carry-on bag, instead of my trusty laptop.  (The key to stress-reduced airline travel, I've learned, is packing light--a skill I'm trying desperately to master.)  There are some eBooks loaded on my Kindle, and I might just break down and read one of them on the flight--even though you KNOW how much I prefer an ink-and-paper book to an eBook.   (Actually, my publisher did a blog post about this very subject recently, if you'd like to read it here.)

Okay, it's nighttime now.  We arrived safely in Atlanta, and I'm lounging on the bed in our hotel room.  I'm using my Kindle Fire to finish up this post.  It really is a handy-dandy little device, I must admit--perfect for taking on trips.  You don't even have to remove it from your luggage at security!  There's a lot to love about a Kindle, even for someone with old-school tastes like mine.

Before I sign off, here's another quick reminder about the giveaway.  Leave me a comment by Oct. 31, and you'll be entered to win a copy of Erin's Ring.  And maybe you'll put it on your nightstand...and take a picture of it...and post that picture on Instagram...or maybe not.  But I'd love to hear from you!

Seeing the hand of God...

...everywhere I look.

Is it any wonder that I've been having trouble keeping up with this blog, when I'm surrounded by such breathtakingly beautiful scenery as this?  Talk about a distraction!

Sunset--July 10, 2014 (This is just an iPhone photo, not retouched in any way!)

Looking at this utterly otherworldly splendor, how can anyone doubt our Creator's existence?

This is the view from the back yard of my husband's childhood home, which he and his seven siblings have decided to keep until the last one of them has passed on from this world.  (They won't give up Heaven on earth for anything less than Heaven itself!)  None of them can conceive of parting with such a one-of-a-kind piece of real estate, and who can blame them?  My husband and I feel lucky that we live less than five hours away by car, so that we can come here and soak it all in on a somewhat regular basis.

[Sigh]...within a couple of days (after a weekend trip to attend the wedding of my older brother's only daughter this Saturday), we'll be back home.  And I'll try to get out of vacation mode and get back to business.  In the meantime, I hope your summer has given you many glimpses of God's loving and powerful hand in this glorious earthly home of ours.

The First of Many Wedding Photos

I'm back after a pretty long hiatus...but as you know, we had a BIG EVENT in our family this weekend.  Our middle son got married!  It's late, and I really need to get to sleep--but before I do, I thought I'd share one of the photos I took at the reception, which was held in the most bucolic and magnificent setting imaginable (King Family Vineyard in Northern VA).  As my oldest son's wife noted, the surroundings were reminiscent of the English countryside--gently rolling hills, stables, horses and cows grazing on the hillside.  What a lovely backdrop it made for the photos of the wedding party!

I was going to leave my camera in my car and fight the urge to snap away as usual.  As the mother of the groom, I thought I ought to be off the clock for once and just relax; after all, there were professionals on site to take care of that sort of thing.   But I just couldn't help myself, and my husband encouraged me to do it.  So I joined the pros, who were incredibly nice people.  They were very  patient with me and assured me that I wasn't bothering them.  (Thanks!  You guys are the best.)

The photo I'm going to share here is quite special, because my new daughter-in-law is holding a picture of her parents on their wedding day, and my son is holding a picture of my husband and me on ours.  The idea is that when their own children get married, they can be photographed holding THIS picture, and that way it will include their parents and both sets of grandparents.  As my son, a proud new husband, commented about his lovely bride, "She has lots of good ideas."  Indeed she does!

There is nothing better than seeing the look of love and joy on the faces of these newlyweds.  Life is good.  So very good.

The Internet, and How It's Changed Everything

Yesterday, I did a bit of a mini-rant about Facebook and the etiquette it often seems to demand.  Sorry about that, Facebook (and Facebook friends).  You know I love you.  And at least right now, I just can't quit you.  I can't do it.  I'm not that strong.

It's actually hard to imagine a Facebook-less, social media-less world these days.  Goodness gracious, it's hard to imagine any kind of life without the Internet.  (I just re-read that last sentence.  Yikes!  I can't believe those words are coming from a lady who likes to convince herself that she was born about 100 years too late, and fancies herself just the type of old-fashioned gal who would feel right at home in Jane Austen's world.)

My husband and I just went on-line this morning to order handcrafted, one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts for our sons that we never would have been able to find without the world wide web.  You could trek all over kingdom come (and you'd probably come home empty-handed) if you physically went in search of what we found by merely typing in a few key words, which led us to the wonderful world of Etsy and a host of other obscure sellers that offer the most interesting and unique gift items.  Shopping will never be the same.

And then there's the way the Internet has changed forever the way folks do big parties and weddings.  It offers an inexhaustible wealth of ideas for making any event that much more special and memorable.  When our boys were growing up, we might have a "theme" for their birthday parties (which was pretty much always either dinosaurs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or sports), so we'd get the paper goods and goody bags to fit the chosen theme and I'd decorate the cake accordingly.  We'd have pizza and play pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, eat cake and ice cream, and that would be about it.  If we weren't doing an at-home party, we might take the pack of little boys to Chuck 'E Cheese for a treat.  When I see the kinds of birthday parties parents are throwing for their kids these days, through the blogs I read, I'm in utter awe of the creativity and work that is being put into them.  They make the parties we threw seem a little lame in comparison.  But it's so easy these days to find interesting ideas out there on the net, and then to incorporate them into your own parties.

Last night, just for the heck of it, I was sitting at my laptop and I typed in "Rehearsal Dinner ideas."  (My middle son is getting married on December 7, for those of you who are new here or who haven't visited this blog recently.)  Even though I've already got the decorations, centerpieces, and favors I worked on boxed up and ready to pack in the car for the trip down to VA (in less than 3 weeks!), I was curious to see all the great ideas I might have missed out on and would probably kick myself for not thinking of doing.  (Why do I torture myself?)  My search took me to a whole bunch of Pinterest "pins," and sure enough, I saw so many cool ideas, I could never use them all in one lifetime (unless I decided to become a professional event planner).  It's incredible how many beautiful and creative ways you can make a rehearsal dinner or a wedding that much more amazing.

When my peers (who are now called "grandmas") and I were getting married back in pioneer days 1980, we didn't have an easily accessible central source that would lead us to a multitude of great ideas, the way young brides do these days.  And we couldn't check out, with the simple click of a button, a slew of different photographers to see who would be able to best capture our big day.  In our small town, there were a couple of professional photographers to choose from.  Websites were something even the Jetsons hadn't heard of yet, so it was necessary to actually visit the photographers' studios and peruse photo albums filled with samples of their work before you signed your name on the dotted line to reserve their services.  Back then, there wasn't a whole lot of creativity going on; most of the shots were very typical--like the walk down the aisle shots, and the families and wedding party lined up on the altar shots.  Very posed and very conservative.



I must say, though, that our small town photographer managed to snap several practically Pinterest-worthy pictures--ones that he set up, with no input from the happy couple (who were just 22-year-old babes in the woods, utterly oblivious and more than happy to put the whole picture-taking responsibility completely in his hands).  I think this one, which he took as I was bobby-pinning my veil in place shortly before the bridesmaids and I left my house for the church, is rather artsy.  (Yes, I do have a bobby pin in my mouth here.)

And then there's this one from the reception--which the photographer told us was his signature favorite shot.

My husband thinks this is a ridiculous picture and he doesn't like it at all.  Whenever he looks at it, all he sees is his hairy wrist and the tux sleeve that was too short for his extra-long arm.  Nowadays when I look at it, I think to myself, "Hey, I think I've seen this exact kind of shot on Pinterest!  Our photographer was really ahead of his time!"

Okay, this post has rambled on for awhile now, and what was my point?  That the birthday parties we hosted for our sons weren't quite up to today's Pinterest standards?  That modern photographers do a better job than the ones we old dinosaurs had for our weddings?  Hmmm...

Oh, that's right: my point was that the Internet is awesome!  And I'm sure our boy's upcoming wedding, which is being planned by a super-enthusiastic and super-creative duo (his future wife and his future mother-in-law) is going to be awesome, too.  And speaking of dinosaurs, I really hope the dinosaur-crazy groom and his lovely bride will have their digital-age photographer create a Photoshop masterpiece like this one (which you've probably seen already in your cyberspace travels, right?).

Now THAT would be AWESOME.

Theme Thursday: Secret

It's been a little while since I joined Cari and her fellow shutterbugs for a Theme Thursday link-up, so I thought I'd hop in on the action today...I believe this is what is commonly known these days as photo bombing?

My #3 son is getting married in about two months, and I've been busy working on making flower girl dresses and addressing rehearsal dinner invitations--so understandably, I've had weddings on the brain lately.  And that led me to feelings of nostalgia, which led me to breaking out my own wedding albums.

Back in 1980, a wedding shoot was a whole different animal than it is today.  It was all very simple and straightforward, with not a hint of Pinteresty creativity.  The package we got from our photographer included about seventy proofs (4 X 6"), out of which we were allowed to choose twelve shots that were made into 8 X 10" prints.  There was nothing particularly artsy about most of the poses: aside from the pictures of everyone coming down the aisle before and after the ceremony, they were mostly of the wedding party lined up on the altar, and then the parents with the bride and groom lined up on the altar, and various other groups snapped in line-up fashion.

There is one candid moment that our photographer happened to capture on film that I find to be rather sweet, however.  There we were, kneeling side-by-side shortly after we'd recited our vows, and my newly minted husband leaned over to whisper something to me (I wish I could remember what it was!), and I in turn smiled at him like the deliriously happy bride I was (as I played with the new gold wedding band on my finger).  I love this picture, and I'll always be so grateful that the photographer happened to catch my husband in the act of sharing a secret with me on our wedding day.

Excuse me for a minute...I've got to grab a hanky...

Okay, then.  It's no secret that you'll find some interesting photos over at Clan Donaldson, so maybe you should head on over there...I'll just be here poring over these old albums...

Oh, and by the way: apparently the best kept secret is that I'm giving away a paperback copy of my novel Finding Grace.  If you're interested in winning a free copy, go to yesterday's post and leave me a comment!  :)

Theme Thursday: Askew

I'm doing a dual link-up today: I'm on day 4 of a blogging challenge over at Conversion Diary called  7 Posts in 7 Days, and I thought I'd also jump in on Theme Thursday with Clan Donaldson.  It's my birthday, so I can do that.  Right?

Today's Theme Thursday topic is interesting: askew.  I thought about breaking out my Nikon and trying to photograph something crooked or off-center to post here, because above all this link-up is supposed to be about photography.  But instead of doing that, I'm cheating once again and unearthing some old photos, from way, way back when I was a whole lot younger than I am today.  (I was born in 1958, so you do the math. Young I am not.)

I've always thought grade school pictures were some of the best examples of things that are askew that you'll ever see.  Hair, teeth, and/or clothing are often askew in them.

Here's yours truly in second grade, bangs askew.

And in third grade, teeth askew (chipped and crooked).

My hair is askew again, too, if we're being honest.  I had pin-straight hair 364 days out of the year, but on school picture day, my mother insisted on pulling out the pink sponge rollers and giving me "luxurious" curls.  Oy.

Some of my boys' school pictures rival their momma's.  Here's son #3 in first grade.

With that hair, he's a chip off the old block.

And here's son #4 in second grade.

His hair is impeccable.  But his front teeth are a bit of a mismatch.  (Something's askew here!)

At our boys' Catholic elementary school, they had a picture re-take session, for those parents who didn't think the first shot had come out good enough to justify buying one of the packages, but we never did those. It's the imperfection--the askew-ness--that I love about these photos in the first place.  (We never didn't buy a package.)

We get a good laugh when we look at our little-kid selves, all askew in all our unsophisticated awkwardness. (One of my husband's sisters wants to make a "wall of shame" in their family homestead, where she and her siblings post all their most unattractive school pictures.)  But to me, imperfect images such as these are so endearing and sweet.  They're so REAL.  Because let's face it, we don't walk around ready for our close-ups most of the time.  Usually, there's something slightly askew.

There is with me, anyway.  What about you?

Theme Thursday: Self-Portrait

I was lucky enough to tag along with my husband on one of his working trips last month (one of the perks of being married to an airline pilot...if you're into the whole terrifyingly unnatural FLYING thing, which I am learning to finally enjoy in my old age--or if not exactly enjoy, at least do without feeling the need to write teary "good-bye/I hope I was a good mom/have a great life" letters to all of my children before I board the airplane).  My favorite captain was headed to San Juan, where he would lay over for a day at the oh-so-cushy Caribe Hilton Hotel right on the beach...and back at the ranch, the old nest was going to be as empty as ever...so I thought, What have I got to lose?

Best.  decision.  ever.

When we first arrived and got settled in our room, my thoughts as I looked out the window at the beachy nightscape went something like this: Why in the world do people spend thousands of dollars to fly here and stay at this hotel?  I mean, it's nice and all...but not THAT nice.

For the record, I was wrong.

It WAS that nice.  The next morning, the view out our window looked a lot more like a proverbial slice of Heaven than it had the night before.

And what was even nicer was that my husband and I were able to spend a whole day in Paradise, and it didn't cost us a dime for the air fare or hotel room.

We had to get some digital evidence of our magical day, to prove that it had actually happened and wasn't a figment of our imaginations.  Too embarrassed to ask anyone to snap some pictures of us standing near the beautiful, turquoise-colored ocean, we decided to take a couple of self-portraits ("selfies," I think the youngsters are calling them these days), with my husband holding the camera at arm's length.

Here we go.

Let's try that again, shall we?  (You're not trying to tell me something, husband of mine, are you?)

Much better.  Perhaps we should quit while we're ahead?

Third time's the charm.

Kids these days have so many photos of themselves, don't they?  When I look at the Facebook pages of my nieces and nephews, I am amazed by the thousands I see posted. My husband and I dated for three years in high school and then four years in college, before we finally got married about six months after our 1980 college graduations; yet from that seven-and-a-half-year time period, there only exist about as many photos of the two of us together as you see on this very page.  I wish now that we had more!  If only easy-peasy digital photography had existed back when we were a little more plastic-looking and a little less long in the tooth!

But I'm grateful to have these "selfies" from a wonderful day that I won't soon forget.

(BTW: the reason my sunglasses are so gi-normous is that they are actually made to slip on over a regular pair of glasses.  I'm wearing not one but two pairs of glasses in these photos.  So...now you know just how cool I really am.)

I just love linking up with Cari for these Themes on Thursdays, and now I'm going to head on over to Clan Donaldson to see what's shaking.  You should do the same!

Theme Thursday: Animals

Linking up with Cari over at Clan Donaldson for another installment of "Theme Thursday."

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were down in VA to attend a surprise party that our third son's newly-minted fiancee threw to celebrate his 27th birthday (which didn't turn out to be a surprise, exactly, but was a whole lot of fun--and dinosaur-themed to boot!). While we were there, the soon-to-be-betrothed couple took us to see the venue they've chosen for their December 2013 wedding.

Their reception will be held at a well-known vineyard in Northern VA, an establishment that is surrounded on all sides by breathtakingly beautiful mountain vistas.  This vineyard sometimes hosts polo matches, and back behind the events center there's a barn that houses some beautiful horseys (sorry--horses, that is; I've been hanging around with a pair of almost-two-year-old twin granddaughters as of late, and that's what they call them; and while we're at it, horseys say, "Beigh, beigh.").  I couldn't resist taking some pictures of those gorgeous animals.

I LOVE horses, but only at a distance. Or when they're safely tucked away in their stalls, looking at you with those big brown eyes, hoping you've got a sugar cube or a carrot you'd like to share.  I love to look at them and feed them, and maybe give them a gentle rub on their snouts.  (Is that the right word?  Snouts?  I'm not much of an equestrian, as you've probably surmised.)  But the idea of hopping up in the saddle and riding one of those huge, muscular beasts fills me with fear.  One of these days, I'd like to get up the nerve to go horseback riding.

I never used to think I had a bucket list, because my life has been almost fairy tale perfect, and I don't feel the need to say "Oh, I must accomplish this [or that] before I die!"  I've already checked off every important item on my list.

Marry my high school sweetheart: check.
Become a mother: check.
Become a grandmother: check.

And then there's that item I never thought I'd be able to check off, because it seemed like a pipe dream (and it certainly wasn't necessary as far as making me feel fulfilled).

Write a novel: check.

But riding a horse might just be on my list now.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy the twins when they ride their little wooden one.

"Yee-haw," as my little granddaughters would say.  Now head on over to Clan Donaldson for more animal pictures!

Theme Thursday: Mom

I know, I just did a "Theme Thursday" post two days ago; but I was really LATE for that one, and I'm right on time today!  So I'm linking up with Cari and the gang over at Clan Donaldson for this week's picture sharing party.  The theme?  MOM!  How perfect, with Mother's Day just around the corner.

I absolutely love vintage photographs--black and white head shots from the 40's and 50's especially.  They have a glamour about them that seems to be missing from our modern color photographs.  Whenever I look at pictures of my parents and my mother- and father-in-law from that time period, I think, "Did everyone look like a movie star back then?"

As a for instance, here is a gorgeous picture of my mother when she was no more than 20.

Of course, she was a beautiful woman to begin with, so it wasn't just the professional magic of a 50's portrait studio that made her look so movie star-esque (I mean, check out those cheekbones!).  But isn't she something?

Most of the pictures of my mother from her youth are in black and white, but here's a rare color snapshot.  She was a fresh-faced twenty-something here, a busy young mom without a speck of make-up on her extraordinary face.  This is my father's favorite picture of her.

My mother got married at 20 and had five children by the age of 27.  Here she is, looking like a Hollywood starlet, surrounded by her brood.

We must have been a handful, but she was still smiling, still looking as glamorous as ever.

With her high, sculpted cheekbones, sparkling brown eyes, and mega-watt smile, I think my mother could have been a movie star--or a model.  But she wanted to be a mom, and I'm so glad she did.

For more photography celebrating moms, head on over to Cari's.