Waiting for this moment to arise

On the cover of our wedding program, I asked them to print Blackbird lyrics. It probably seemed like an odd choice for a wedding, but it was perfect for us. We were together 4 years before our wedding day and during the planning, I kept hearing in my head, "All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise."

I love this version of the song, taken from the album McCartney, because you can hear Paul's toe tapping and Linda open a door in another room of their house where he was recording. Her with her camera, him with his guitar, in their little cottage.




They felt like home to us. My husband even had a coat just like the one Paul has his little baby in when we met eleven years ago. And that photograph on the back of the album with the baby face in magic hour has been my favorite since I bought her book of photography called Sixties as a high schooler. We listened to that record, the one with the cherries on the cover and Linda's magic hour photos inside, a million times. We listened to that record during times when our visits were sandwiched between Fridays and Sundays because we lived so far apart and didn't know if we would ever be in the same place at once.

The beatles BlackBird (répétition)

I loved what seemed quiet and peaceful about their life together. Now I realize that I've been waiting for THIS moment to arise, too. And that it has. I see how so much of their story has influenced ours. Eleven years later, we live in a little cottage with a baby girl and a dog and cat and cameras and books and music. I realize now that we already have all that we dreamed of. We have our tea in the afternoon and I can hear his toe tapping to music as he types with headphones on. Our story built on theirs and so many others. I have to think this is what love stories do for us. We build on them and dream with them.

I've been blessed to photograph many weddings now. But Saturday's will be the first one that I have been with the couple since their engagement began and I am so happy for these very special people. New love stories are being told and stitched together with different songs and light and experiences and each one I capture becomes part of my story, too. And yours.

On their wedding day.

Notes from a small weekend: on things learned

*We had friends over for brunch today who live far away. Brunch is always better when all that is left on the plates is syrup tracks and everyone lingers as a second pot of coffee brews. I love starting the day that way.

*It was a quiet weekend of laundry and movies. Rain and books. Bubble paths and princess costumes.



*We played hard which, according to science, is good for us. This morning NPR's Speaking of Faith ran a really cool piece on the importance of play for all of us. If you missed it, here's a link.

*I read this book by Dr. Chopra this weekend about finding meaning in coincidence. I've read quite a few of his books, but this one may be my favorite. I try to be open to signs in my life, but lately I haven't known what to make of them. I was blessed early in my life to get big, very clear, writing-on-the-wall kinds of signs. But lately, things have been more subtle, and completely contradictory.

*I learned that {thanks to my husband} the Ellie Krieger spicy pita chip recipe is amazing. Great with hummus or chicken salad.

*I learned that Casper The Friendly Ghost is still lovely all these years later. My girl loves it as much as I did growing up. The Pink Panther and Woody Woodpecker are on Hulu too. And I was so excited to learn that HBO made a series Harold and the Purple Crayon based on the book series. It is adorable and available free on Hulu.com.



Harold draws solutions with his purple crayon any time he is in a jam. It's very deep actually and has me thinking a lot about how we, in large part, create our worlds....the architects of our own lives. I need to sharpen my crayons and think about what it is that I most want to create in my life.

*I was enchanted by this sweet wedding story in today's NYTimes. It's cheesy, but man it's sweet. The photograph by Robert Stolarick is what caught my eye.

Love this quote from the groom about meeting his future wife years after their high school romance: “It was the first time in 16 years that she looked at me the way she used to,” he said. “Some keys unlock doors. Some looks unlock you.”

The Moment

Paulo Coelho {author of The Alchemist} has a blog which includes video chats from him. Very cool. I love this post. It is one of those posts to print out and paste in a journal.

I've been thinking about this quote from it for days now.

" We have to take risks. We can only truly understand the miracle of life when we let the unexpected manifest itself.

Every day – together with the sun – God gives us a moment in which it is possible to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day we try to pretend that we don’t realize that moment, that it doesn’t exist, that today is just the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if you pay attention, you can discover the magic instant. It may be hiding at the moment when we put the key in the door in the morning, in the silence right after dinner, in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. This moment exists – a moment when all the strength of the stars passes through us and lets us work miracles."

-Paulo Coelho
6.24.09

Check out Artists Who Blog

I recently stumbled upon a site Artists Who Blog. It's a great place to discover so many talented people and it is where I found the work and blog of Shelby Healey. Lovely.




Her etsy shop is here.

More Mary!

I am literally taking notes watching The Mary Tyler Moore show's first season on Hulu.
FREAK OUT!
First, it is beautifully done. Ted Knight. The Love Boat Captain. Ed Asner. You can't lose. The blocking and sets make you feel like you are watching live performance.
But Mary's clothes and the furniture in her house are just beyond. I can't get enough of it. I love every outfit she wears in the pilot. I wish I could find more still images to share with you. Here's a few.





What I couldn't find in photos are the super cute boots she wears, and the cool trousers worn with a crisp white shirt, heels and gold necklaces. The masculine cut in a feminine way. Very cool. The fashion is its own character, like in Breakfast at Tiff's or Sex And The City.
And to have a platform on the floor separating the room that doubles as a bookshelf? Eames chairs? The tulip tables?
So cute.

Let's pretend we are still at the beach with...

A vacation in a pot:

Poppytalk had a great post about making a Beach Garden in a pot from Sunset Magazine. Just lovely.



Beach Reading:
I am reading Shakespeare Wrote for Money, Nick Hornby's collection of columns for The Believer Magazine and sequel to The Polysyllabic Spree. I am always a little sad when I finish his books. He's the kind of guy you wish you could have over for dinner.

I'm only a few pages into Their Eyes Were Watching God and I'm already underlining beautiful passages. For example, the powerful first lines of the book:

"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men."

My husband has peaked my interest in Kazuo Ishiguro's novels {Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go, A Pale View of Hills etc.} I will let you know.

Pat Conroy's South of Broad comes out August 11th. I spent enough years in Charleston to recognize a character or two in his books, so it's worth a trip to the library to see the latest installment of elite life at the tip of the peninsula.

The new Victoria and Coastal Living Colors issues are beautiful eye candy. Also, this month's O has a great spread on books. Here's a link to their summer reading list. I've noticed several summer reading lists have included Dreaming in Hindi and Are You There Vodka, It's me Chelsey.

Beach House Style
When I go to yard sales, they hardly ever look like the "Tag Sales" where Martha Stewart finds cool beach glass and milk bottle vases. When frustrated by an unsuccessful attempt at finding cheap vintage, eye candy is always available at Farmhouse Wares.

I have been visiting this website for North Carolina's Cottage Chic Store for years.


It is great for window shopping.

What are you reading this summer? Any beach products you can't live without?

Sand In My Shoes

As wonderful as it is to finally be home, I've been thinking about this song while sorting out the laundry and wondering how to keep the kind of peace I find in these colors after the sand has been washed out, when the air is not as welcoming.

Every weekend should begin and end with salt water, warmth and moonglow.

An Athem for Wherever You Are

La Blogotheque has a series featuring a few "take away shows" where bands show up, give an impromptu performance of one song and then take off.

I love Sigur Ros, so I was double excited to see this edition.

As my 4-year old notes whenever we listen to Sigur Ros in the car, "I don't know the words. They don't speak English Momma." {It's in Icelandic} But she still nods her head and tells me, "Can you turn it up?"

And you can still enjoy this song which has become an anthem for my somewhat tearful, yet triumphant, completely normal day.

Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

If the scene in the cafe makes you long for Paris, check out these awesome photo prints from Simply Photo at Etsy. I love them.

Magpie Food

I'm told that magpies are attracted to shiny things. I must be part magpie. Here's my bird's eye view {forgive the pun} while shopping yesterday in a store that starts with "A" and ends with "ologie".


click on the mosaic to enlarge.

Window Shopping

I have been eyeing this market bag forever from Moop.



Dreaming of a summer closet full of skirts from Orangy Porangy beginning with opal blue diamonds and ending with jane hoodie skirts.

Reading about the inspiring family life as a live aboard {every sailor's dream} told here at Zach Aboard.

Enjoying affordable redecorating over at Eddie Ross. This is my favorite post of late.

Picking up Rosie Flo Coloring books at Morris Bookshop for my neice -a 6 year old artist - who has a birthday coming up.

I found the loveliest...

...posts about morning tea and summer evenings from Curious Bird. {a new-to-me favorite blog}

...real life Under The Tuscan Sun story {except in France} in progress over at Stephmodo.

...story about loss, guilt, and chickens here at Mommy Coddle.

...ode to Paris on Simply Photo -though once you click, scroll down the page a bit.

...coastal wedding story board on Snippet & Ink.



...prints from Anne Harwell available at Etsy like these two that arrived for me yesterday:
.

How My Light Is Spent

Plateworthy (my husband - a literatura academic) walked into our home office on Monday night to find me reading in quickly fading evening light. He says to me, "Alright Milton, you gonna turn the lights on?"

So I ask him, "Is that how Milton went blind? Not some congenital thing?"

"Sure," he says. "He had to dictate Paradise Lost. The whole thing. Some other things too like (he says this smiling as if to make his point) the sonnet that begins 'When I consider how my light is spent' about his blindness." I love that he remembers this sort of thing -entire passages- even though Milton is not his area.

Then in seconds, he pulls Milton's Complete Poems and Prose from the shelf, flip flip and bam, there it is, Sonnet XIX, and it is lovely.

I love that he brings beautiful words into my life. It's like that line in Wonderboys, "She was a junkie for the printed word, and lucky for me, I manufactured her drug of choice."
I really get that. And a phrase like "how my light is spent" is something I could chew on for a few days. Warm chocolate chip cookies I never knew were there.

How my light is spent.

What an image, a phrase, a challenge.
Not just about blindness, but about how life is a brief light.
In.
Flicker.
and then
Out.

How will I spend it?
How will I share it?
What will my life illuminate?

I don't conserve my light either. I don't limit my attention to things that are good or beautiful. I don't always spend my light in ways that make me or any one else happy or the better for it.

But I should.
Because I am so damned lucky.



**if you enjoyed this piece, check out the albums of Orchestra Baobab. Perfect summer music in every way.

More Inspiration Fodder

Since I have the journals out, and since we're all mourning the loss of Blueprint and Domino, here's some eye candy for you...

Cut out from House & Garden, this one inspired me to paint our bedroom cerulean blue when we lived in Georgia 8 years ago. Now I just settled for a door this color, but I still love it. It's like Greece, and England all in one.


I adore this house from Cottage Living, I think.


House & Garden. Love the tone on tone matching vase and the close bunching of the flowers.

Love this. I think it's a paint ad, but I just see the movement.

Good grief. So sweet. I think I found this in Working Mother. The story was something from a husband's perspective about his wife and how she was her happiest, most mellow with her children.


My sisters and I would cut out old magazine pages and paste them onto these coloring book style scrapbooks at our grandparent's house. This page I kept. Love the movement, the 1950s fashion, the simplicity of it.

In the foreground I've posted a quote from a famous fashion photographer about photographing people in O Magazine. In the background, I have pulled this page from the Garnet Hill catalogue (which always delivers for great copy) because I've been thinking of getting a lemon tree for the house.

When I went to the Vatican in December of 1998, the lemon trees had all been moved inside and lined a hallway. The smell was amazing and the light came through the french doors all along the corridor making them look like shiny jewels.


I believe this one came from H&G (House & Garden). When I pulled it, I was more interested in the color contrast of pink and black, the roundness of the boxes against the square books than anything else. Very French, no?


This appeared in some Cookie or Wondertime. Not sure. I just thought it was awesome that they took a wall, put in shelves, painted the background and voila! dollhouse wall.


This one was from Real Simple with a great quote about how it's best to be in a modest cottage with books, family and old friends.


I pulled this years before I knew I would be photographing weddings, but it is perfect bridal inspiration. Love the lines- chin, swoosh of hair, eye line. Got to be a Chanel ad. It's text book perfect.


This one inspired me to line up plastic clear containers for all of the brio trains, crayons and little people.

This may have been from Organize and inspired me to get wire baskets for the fridge. I'm still hunting for the perfect wire rimmed basket like Kate Capshaw's character uses to get mail in The Love Letter. Speaking of Kate Capshaw...

I could not love this portrait of her and her daughter any more than I do. J'adore times 12.
Super photography inspiration, my friends.
The Gap often has killer photography. I still think about their 2001 commercial with Carol King and her daughter Lois Goffin singing a medley of So Far Away {} and Love Makes The World Go Round. I love that ad. So much clean space, hardwood floors, a black piano, her daughter singing, "So far away. Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore? It would be so fine to see your face at my door. It doesn't help to know your just time away," and Carol answering, "I can't stop believing love makes the world go round." I'm sure I rushed out to buy jeans as result. :)

But the most inspiring thing I have seen or heard in a long time was from President Obama today speaking to graduates at Arizona State after the University chose not to award him with an honorary degree. He said, "I come to embrace the notion that I haven’t done enough in my life. I heartily concur. I come to confirm that one’s title, even a title like president of the United States, says very little about how well one’s life has been led — and that no matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, always more to learn, and always more to achieve.”

So, enough with the pretty pictures. There's work to be done.

Whatever You Love, You Are

I'm reading Molly Wizenberg's thoughtful, delicious, heartbreaking memoir, A Homemade Life {me reading is brought to you by finally giving up cable and TiVo}.

In the book, she mentions a Dirty Three album called Whatever You Love, You Are . It was the phrase that led her create her wildly successful blog Orangette and the book too, I suppose.

It has me thinking about this question of what I love. I'm working on a list which, after my family, is quickly followed by the almond macaroon cookie I had at Magee's on Saturday that was pass-out amazing. But then again, the question isn't who you love or what nouns you love, but what en general you love. Hmmm.

What do you love?
And, in turn, who are you?

It's like a fortune cookie game. If only they were almond macaroon fortune cookies.

Shop Around The Corner

If you are ever in the Lexington area (which now is the perfect time because the ponies are running at Keeneland ) people may tell you to check out Joseph-Beth Booksellers, the large independently owned bookstore/cafe. And, it is great. But the real jewel for bibliophiles is the lesser-known Morris Bookshop on Southland Drive. Just like a good writer, the owner has made thoughtful choices about what to feature and the children's section is my favorite in the world. It's hard to get out of there without spending money.


On today's visit, I picked up the Pollan and Leibovitz books photographed here. The other book, a memoir called A Homemade Life, was a gift from my dear friend Jen. I am really enjoying all three.

The author of A Homemade Life is a year younger than me which makes me want to get in gear and write that book I've always thought I would have written by now. I can't summarize it any better than the book flap which says that she, "recounts a life with the kitchen at its center. From her mother's pound cake, a staple of summer picnics during her childhood in Oklahoma, to the eggs she cooked for her father during the weeks before his death, food and memories are intimately intertwined."
Lovely and savory, it even includes recipes.

A Place of My Own, by Michael Pollan {of Omnivore's Dilemma fame} is about his quest to build a room of his own where he can go to create. The cover image is the work space he built. I can't wait to dive in. I am most interested in his discussion of how a space makes us feel differently about ourselves and our possibilities.

The Annie Leibovitz book At Work is so great. I love reading how she troubleshoots technical problems, like shooting against those pesky windows in the oval office or working with fans, just as much as I love the details she shares about what she was feeling when taking iconic images. I've been reading {her partner and literary giant} Susan Sontag's journal that I checked out from the library too and it's nice to look at them together, such different artists. I have a lot of trouble relating to anything Sontag says, but Leibovitz I can hear.

This is my favorite quote in At Work so far from the chapter titled "Being There":

"As much as I love pictures that have been set up, and as important as those pictures are to me, I'd rather photograph something that occurs on its own. The tension between those two kinds of photographs is at the heart of what I do. It's not a conflict, but sometimes it's useful to remember that things are happening right in front of you. You just need your mind and your eye."

It's hard not to gulp down this book, but I'm trying to slow down and sip one chapter at a time, to let it settle in and think about each story.

Morris Bookshop had all of the delighful Charley Harper ABC/123 books and games today and I wanted to take them all home. They don't look the same online or on television as they do in person. They really are beautiful and interesting on the printed page.

I settled instead on two children's books by M. Sasek, This is Paris and This is New York, which I really bought for me under the guise of getting them for my girl. There's an entire series featuring different cities.





Every page is like that moment with the curtain goes up after intermission and the stage has morphed into a new scene. There are stories within stories.


From This is Paris:
"You find these bookstalls on the embankment of the Seine. You can buy old maps and pictures here as well as second-hand books."

I love this page. Perhaps I'll make cropped note cards from it.

I think this drawing was done via time-travel and that is me standing there on my first date with my husband, looking for the collected poems of W.H. Auden. Most definitely.


Also from This is Paris: "This is the Jardin du Luxembourg. Jardin means Gardens. Here you can hire your own toy sailing boat."


From This is New York. The page reads: "Harlem is uptown. The police close many streets in New York so that children can play there."


From This is New York: "People walk uptown or downtown - dresses travel uptown or downtown and buses too."


From This is New York about skyscrapers. "New Yorkers adore to watch them grow." A page much more powerful now than it was when this book was published.

I hope your weekend is filled with things that inspire you.
Happy Easter. Happy Passover. Happy Spring.