[image taken in 2010 using my Nikon D5000.]

[The way Loki lays on the chair, with his paws tucked underneath him.]

[The way Eris curls up, so tiny, when she's sleepy.]

[My sister's baby bump at 13 weeks, 2 days. (She'll be 14 weeks on Saturday.)]

[Florida skies and roadtrips.]

[Being with my husband & enjoying the world.]

What are you loving right now?

[Project 365]

Tuesday was a sleepy day; I wanted to spend time in my bed all day, but I couldn’t due to this thing called “work.” As soon as I got home, though, I took a short nap. It was glorious. | Wednesday brought a vintage Singer sewing machine from Husband. The machine was made in the 1950s (as far as I know), and it seems to work. I’m going to be participating in LA’s Home Ec sewing course, so Husband brought this home to get started on. | Thursday, Husband took me out to dinner to one of my favorite places: Greenlife Grocery (which is also a restaurant). I got a fruity poppy chicken wrap, and we shared some Cali rolls. (I secretly admit that I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson, since he’s in Chattanooga, so I could use him as my 365 photo. Ah, well.)

And how was your week? Are you ready for August?

A little something I wrote today. I was listening to Trespassers William’s Love You More, and it inspired me to write a little bit.

I caught a firefly upon my lip,
And as it danced and lit up
My skin,
I recalled childhood memories,
And fell to the grassy floors
Beneath me,
Pushing the bug into the sky,
And watching it light up the world
While I breathed.

March 17, 2006 — age seventeen
(part of a look at the past)

Falling from existence–the pace quickens.
I have never seen your face before.
Somewhere there is a smile hiding from me;
I felt that way once, but the clouds collided,
And time forgot to let us breathe.

Loki hates the D5000. I think it’s the sound that the shutter makes. So, when he woke up from a nap the other day, I tried to catch him while he was still sleepy so that he wouldn’t run away before the first click.

He was so sleepy that he didn’t mind at all.

Okay, so maybe he was slightly irritated.

So irritated, in fact, that he hid from me and went back to sleep.

They’re so cute when they’re mad.

[Real posts to return soon. Seriously, though, if this doesn't get you through the rest of the week, I don't know what will.]

I’ve been a sort of emotion wreck the past few days. Thinking about Granny & Pawpaw, my sister being in Florida, how slowly my life is taking to get to where I want it to be … Just to name a few things that have really pushed my spirits down. I’m in the process of attempting to focus on the good rather than the sad, but it’s difficult. With that said, I’m just going to take this opportunity to post some photos I’ve taken with the D5000. Nothing too impressive, but I’m still learning. Mostly, I’ve been trying to capture Loki, but he seems to think the camera is his number one enemy right now. Ah, oh well.

Too much cuteness for one day, right? Okay, okay. I’ll stop. You can see the rest on my flickr page. I will leave you with one more photo, though. I made these amazing almod cupcakes last night. I’m calling them the “three-hour cupcakes” for now, though. That’s another story for another day…

If you have any tips for using the D5000, feel free to email me! I’m open to some pointers.

I was looking through old photographs of mine. I used to have a passion for photography. Film photography, in particular. Life, of course, got in the way, and now I rarely take photographs.

Husband and I went to the park one day when we first started dating a couple years ago. We  lugged our cameras (mine, film; his, digital) and enjoyed the lovely weather.

Trees are one of my favorite things to photograph. They’re beautiful. They tell stories. They see love grow; they see the laughter of children; they see the beauty of every season.

Trees sway in the breeze along with your hair. They let the leaves rest at their roots. They give you shade on the sun’s brightest hours.

Trees see birth and death; they allow a place for the birds to sit while singing their songs …

They saw me fall in love with him.

trees keep growing

{all images taken by me & the title of this post is a song by Azure Ray; click above to listen to the song}

Plagiarism of any form just isn’t cool. When I found out a fellow blogger copied several other blogger’s posts and used them as her own, I became upset. I don’t even know these other bloggers, but I can understand how they might feel. It’s not at all flattering to find that someone is copying your work word for word and making others assume that it is original. Miss Musing had so many readers–me included–and it’s a wonder we didn’t realize this sooner. I don’t know about you, but I feel gypped.

The blogging community has become a source of comfort for most of us. We read our favorite blogs, and we trust these people to be real. We share stories, and we remain sincere. Well, most of us. When something like this happens, it’s so hard to trust people–and not just on the internet; in real life, too! (Ashley at Turquiose Ribbons has had lunch with Miss Musing TWICE and said she seemed so nice, and even talked about her writing!) … I even gave her a Kreativ Blogger award; I’m ashamed that I didn’t realize it was all fake. Although, I had a slight suspicion that her life seemed too perfect, I never once thought that her posts were copied.

I once had an experience with plagiarism. When I was in middle school, a friend of mine asked me to write a poem for her cousin’s funeral. Well, I did, and she ended up reading it at the funeral and claiming it as her own. Of course, I confronted her, but I don’t think she understood why I was so upset. It’s one thing when someone loves your work and gives credit where credit is due–that’s flattering. However, it’s sickening when someone claims your work (whether it be art, photography, writing, etc…) as their own.

Honestly, as a reader, I’m hurt. As a writer, I’m completely disgusted. If Miss Musing does make a new blog, I hope she comes clean.

Prompt from One Single Impression.

Your eyes held questions;
Mine, no answers.
It’s time to let go, you said.
I remember holding your frigid hand
While your breath began to slow
And tremble.
I tried to be the strong one,
Holding back tears,
But they came anyway.
You kissed my cheek as your skin
Yellowed.
Your smile gave me hope, though,
And you told me it was okay.
As your breath faltered,
Life continued to move.

[Story behind the poem: Trying. I wasn't actually there when she passed, but I did come back shortly after, and I held her cold hands. Her skin was yellowing because her liver was failing (the last thing to go); her body was cold because her blood was barely flowing; she went peacefully, though. She was ready.]