pick me, love, and various disclaimers

i wavered back and forth today about acknowledging the day and ignoring it.  the weekend was much too busy to spend much time on making a special deal over the day...and i had forgotten to try and get together the handmade card swap this year (boo!)  so...i had mostly decided to ignore the day.  until i heard this poem being read on the radio this morning, "pick me" by jonathan b tucker. 

the poem grabbed me by the collar and slammed me into a wall.  it was easy to relate to as most of us have either seen jerry mcguire or gray's anatomy.  the rom-com cliche of of wanted to be loved for yourself and having the person you're interested in choosing ....well, you.  so...read the poem - it's by a young dc poet and i would love to see performing. 

so...back to the day.  as many have said, to me the day is to be lived all year 'round.  never pass a day without telling those that you love about your love.  gather up lots of kisses and hugs to sustain you through the tough times.  remember that tough times may call for extra love but it is easy to forget that good times still call for that love.  love yourself.....yeah, i tried and there is not a way to say that without sounding dirty...so do that too if you are so inclined.  do something completely cheesy and hokey (and other funny made up words) to take yourself out of your comfort zone. (i wrote a letter)

the girls....this weekend.  there is some of my love on paper (so to speak) - this shot is untouched except to open the raw file in lightroom.  sure, it's a bit blown out and the circles under their eyes are showing and stuff...but, it cries love to me.  love for each other and love for me to pose so sweetly.

hope you have the beautiful day of your dreams. 

Pink torture

I get downright giddy with little signs of spring but not as much with the always there allergies that come with it. Of course my entirely stuffed head could also be the product of sleeping with a box fan and the windows open too, just sayin.

The weather is calling for some serious playing but there are so many odds and ends to be done before the movers get here Saturday morning. I'm sure the guys will have big incentive to get things done in a hurry as it's Valentine's Day. I'm not the one for a big mushy VD - I've always felt it was a holiday to make everyone in love feel guilty because they haven't gotten the "right" present and to make anyone not in a relationship feel inadequate. Damn Hallmark.

The only time I really loved the day was when i was a kid and the week before we got to take those white paper sacks (do they make them anymore?) and decorate them with paper doilies and construction paper hearts. Mom would buy the cards which, back then, had to be punched out and then you went through the careful process of who gets what card. We always had the rule (thank goodness) that everyone got cards. But...who wanted to send the yucky boy the "be mine". I still love those old retro cards. If you were lucky, you got the kind that a lollipop was attached. Moms would bring in homebaked cupcakes (not the grocerystore kind) and there was always red punch. The local dairy called their version "Jungle Juice" which different than the orangeade. Yum - I still love that stuff.

I've been guilty of breaking up with someone right before VD because I didn't like him and I didn't want silly presents from him. Tell a girl you want a dozen kids with her and that shakes her up - especially when she's only 16! He turned out to be a stalker. His best move? He had a long stem red rose and a "poem" delivered to me while was I sitting on the front porch with my sweetheart. Oh the drama. Now I just laugh. You know those guys right...the ones that think "poetry" is song lyrics? That only counts for Bob Dylan.

But...all this is really doing is keeping me from packing some more boxes. In the meantime, I've been torturing the tulips I bought to cheer me up.