As I was lying awake at 1:00am, 3:00am, 4:30am and 6:15am I was thinking about how much I dislike caffeine. When I finally got up at 7:00 and made myself a super strong cup of coffee, I began rejoicing in the fact that we have such a wonderful little drug.
Last night I went out with a bunch of girls and while they were sipping mochas, espressos and lattes, I had myself a nice little cup of chai tea. I thought,mmm, this will be nice and soothing on this rainy night, And don't get me wrong, it was nice and soothing at the time, but when I couldn't fall asleep, I began to wonder if it had a bit of caffeine in it. And yep, sure enough it does.
I lovemy morning coffee. My parent shave always been coffee drinkers. Not just any coffee drinkers, it always had to be the best and the strongest. So from an early age my mom would drive nto Vancouver and load up on Murchie's coffee, particularily, the Turkish blend. So when I turned 16, maybe 17, I began the morning ritual of a good strong cup of coffee. Now, up until fairly recently I've been able to drink coffee, or caffeinated pop, and most certainly tea, almost right up until I go to bed.
So what happened? My grandfather could never drink coffee after 3:00pm or else he couldn't sleep, and I always thought, "that poor old man, it must be awful to be old and notbe able to drink coffee at 5:00 at night."
Anyway, ths is a truly rambling post and if you've stuck it out his far that you deserve a cup of coffee!
Point is, I'm feeling old! And tired. But I'll stop whining now.
Have a great day!
larajane
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
I took my position. I found my spot, and I waited. I was among 100 strangers who were also waiting. This was me yesterday. This is part of my job.
We were waiting for the bride to arrive.
The husband-to-be was nervously peeking out the side door checking the parking lot, adjusting his tie, and pacing. We were in a crowded little hall with so much character I could cry. The old hardwood floors, the stained glass windows that had been opened to let in the fresh scent of a warm fall afternoon, the dimmed lights...beautiful. Not exactly a dream for a photographer as the light was really dim and the use of flash was inevitable, but it was nice.
This summer I've shot a fair amount of weddings. It's funny how weddings go, they are all pretty much the same, just different characters acting out the parts. Of course there are many different details, but the order, for the most part, remains.
I stood there looking at all the pretty dresses, at the women who had spent the morning getting their hair done,the guy sneaking a drink from his flask. My senses were being filled with the scents of expensive perfume, mixed with alcohol and stale cigarette smoke when she arrived.
She looked beautiful, the groom sighed a heavy sigh of relief and so my day of work began. I love my job.
Brooke snapped this one of me as we were testing out light in the hall before the ceremony.
We were waiting for the bride to arrive.
The husband-to-be was nervously peeking out the side door checking the parking lot, adjusting his tie, and pacing. We were in a crowded little hall with so much character I could cry. The old hardwood floors, the stained glass windows that had been opened to let in the fresh scent of a warm fall afternoon, the dimmed lights...beautiful. Not exactly a dream for a photographer as the light was really dim and the use of flash was inevitable, but it was nice.
This summer I've shot a fair amount of weddings. It's funny how weddings go, they are all pretty much the same, just different characters acting out the parts. Of course there are many different details, but the order, for the most part, remains.
I stood there looking at all the pretty dresses, at the women who had spent the morning getting their hair done,the guy sneaking a drink from his flask. My senses were being filled with the scents of expensive perfume, mixed with alcohol and stale cigarette smoke when she arrived.
She looked beautiful, the groom sighed a heavy sigh of relief and so my day of work began. I love my job.
Brooke snapped this one of me as we were testing out light in the hall before the ceremony.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Ignorance is Bliss
Where did this week go? And how is it already Sunday afternoon and I am having to think about clean uniforms and school lunches already?
Both my babies are now in school full time and I seem to have no trouble filling my days. It's great. I am loving this time in my life.
With the kiddos in school, my runs can now happen in the morning (which works out great since races all seem to be in the morning) and I can shower and get on with the rest of my day.
Friday night was a typical fall evening (I know tchnically it's stil summer) but the cool crispness of the night was begging for me to come out and play. It was 7:45 when I decided to lace up my runners and go for a run. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go, all I knew was that it was a beautiful night, it had been a crazy week, and I needed to get out there and just be.
In more recent months I haven't been plugged in when I run. No music, just the sounds of nature.. and cars. But on this particular evening I felt like cranking the tunes and zoning out. It was a fabulous run. I felt great, energized and full of life.
So yesterday I'm talking with some fellow Augustonians and apparently there is a cougar in the area, and not the 40 yr old ones looking for younger meat... a real cougar. It was spotted the night before my run on the corner of McKee and Blauson, and then again the day of my run. Ummm hello? Coyotes... fine, bears, make me a wee bit nervous, but a cougar?
Anyway, here I am, in one piece, thanking God for watching over me that night.
So, if you are from around here and you run around here, be careful!
Much love,
larajane
Both my babies are now in school full time and I seem to have no trouble filling my days. It's great. I am loving this time in my life.
With the kiddos in school, my runs can now happen in the morning (which works out great since races all seem to be in the morning) and I can shower and get on with the rest of my day.
Friday night was a typical fall evening (I know tchnically it's stil summer) but the cool crispness of the night was begging for me to come out and play. It was 7:45 when I decided to lace up my runners and go for a run. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go, all I knew was that it was a beautiful night, it had been a crazy week, and I needed to get out there and just be.
In more recent months I haven't been plugged in when I run. No music, just the sounds of nature.. and cars. But on this particular evening I felt like cranking the tunes and zoning out. It was a fabulous run. I felt great, energized and full of life.
So yesterday I'm talking with some fellow Augustonians and apparently there is a cougar in the area, and not the 40 yr old ones looking for younger meat... a real cougar. It was spotted the night before my run on the corner of McKee and Blauson, and then again the day of my run. Ummm hello? Coyotes... fine, bears, make me a wee bit nervous, but a cougar?
Anyway, here I am, in one piece, thanking God for watching over me that night.
So, if you are from around here and you run around here, be careful!
Much love,
larajane
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Shack
I know this book is so 2007 and I am sure I am one of the last people to read it, but quite honestly, the kidnapping/murder scene in the first few chapters really deterred me from reading it all these years. So what changed?
Well, a few weeks ago I was having tea with a great friend and we were chatting about life, relationships, God... and books. She said that The Shack had absolutely changed her life and the way she thought of God. She said it had taken her months to read because it was such an emotional book.
So I asked around, and sure enough pretty much everyone I spoke with had read it. In came the mixed reviews. Some said they didn't like how God was portrayed as a black woman, others thought it was just okay, and others thought it was just not biblical. So, that is when I decided to read it, I needed to form my own opinion. So I went into it very open minded (and fully prepared for the first 3 chapters)
So, my thoughts. I enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and I found it to be a refreshing take on faith and grace. A few things I pulled out of it that I like.
1) Each relationship we are in is unique. I LOVE this! So obvious really, but so special. Whether it be a parent, spouse, child, friend, or colleague... because we are unique our every relationship will be to.
2) God is always with us. Through the good, bad and ugly. His love for us is soooo unconditional... amazing.
3) The power of forgiveness. We need to forgive to be healthy and at peace.
4) We must live in the present. Memories are powerful. They can stir up great joy, or terrible sadness, as well as every other emotion in between. While it is important to remember where we came from and to learn from our past, we must be able to bring ourselves to the present and live in the moment, while looking towards the future. To play the "what if" or "if only I had..." game in our minds over and over is not how God wants us to live.
5) And finally, I really didn't have issue with a big black woman being God in this story. I can't think of a more loving and nurturing kind of person I would feel comfortable with.
Much love,
larajane
Well, a few weeks ago I was having tea with a great friend and we were chatting about life, relationships, God... and books. She said that The Shack had absolutely changed her life and the way she thought of God. She said it had taken her months to read because it was such an emotional book.
So I asked around, and sure enough pretty much everyone I spoke with had read it. In came the mixed reviews. Some said they didn't like how God was portrayed as a black woman, others thought it was just okay, and others thought it was just not biblical. So, that is when I decided to read it, I needed to form my own opinion. So I went into it very open minded (and fully prepared for the first 3 chapters)
So, my thoughts. I enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and I found it to be a refreshing take on faith and grace. A few things I pulled out of it that I like.
1) Each relationship we are in is unique. I LOVE this! So obvious really, but so special. Whether it be a parent, spouse, child, friend, or colleague... because we are unique our every relationship will be to.
2) God is always with us. Through the good, bad and ugly. His love for us is soooo unconditional... amazing.
3) The power of forgiveness. We need to forgive to be healthy and at peace.
4) We must live in the present. Memories are powerful. They can stir up great joy, or terrible sadness, as well as every other emotion in between. While it is important to remember where we came from and to learn from our past, we must be able to bring ourselves to the present and live in the moment, while looking towards the future. To play the "what if" or "if only I had..." game in our minds over and over is not how God wants us to live.
5) And finally, I really didn't have issue with a big black woman being God in this story. I can't think of a more loving and nurturing kind of person I would feel comfortable with.
Much love,
larajane
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