Capturing a Moment in Time

I love capturing a moment in time. My memory is not as sharp as it once was, but a picture capturing some special moment brings vivid images to my mind about how I felt when the picture was taken.

One thing through the years that I’ve always enjoyed is picture taking. Yes, the medium has changed from snap cameras and more elaborate cameras with zoom lenses and different speed film to what we have today ~ advanced smartphones with the ability to take top notch pictures digitally as well as fully digital cameras with lots of options for a more professional look.

Many of us use a digital medium to store those pictures as well. However, the old photo album holds a nostalgic place in history. Family albums of pictures from trips taken, those first steps of a child captured to the delight of all. Now mine are all stored away – not easily grabbed and looked at; not easily shared.

Flickr and Amazon are two I use, and I love that as I take pictures with my camera, they appear on my TV screensaver almost immediately.

However, there are times when I simply want a printed picture to hang on the wall. Yearly school pictures of my children, grandchildren; family photos when we get together once every year or so. Those are ways I continue to connect with family and the past I love to reconnect with.

News came today that Costco is closing down its Photo Centers come mid-February. This is one of the only places left where you can take your digital media in and walk away with pictures in short order. They also offer canvas, poster, and other size pictures that allow you to commemorate other events such as family picture Christmas cards.

When other photo labs left the business, maybe as long ago as ten years, I wasn’t too worried at the time knowing times were changing. However, occasionally I would have to be reminded that holding a picture in hand is something that’s a part of who I’ve always been. I do it less, but it’s still there in my memory.

Printing pictures on photo paper from my printer is costly. More costly than a photo lab. It’s doable, but it’s definitely not the same.

I like…printed pictures.

Rainy days and Mondays…

A favorite song of mine since childhood – I loved the Carpenters. That song – the lyrics – always touched me. The Carpenters had a way of combining great lyrics with a mellow tune that brought out the feelings of the words.

Today is a rainy Monday in Utah – in Ogden. I’m feeling especially nostalgic since rainy days as a child meant I was dealing with personal feelings, usually following some confrontation with my Mom where I didn’t quite measure up. I would run in the rain and cry and try to figure out a way to deal with what was going on. Growing up in a single parent household was a challenge, and I didn’t want that for my own children. Yet, as I found myself raising five children on my own, I found that rainy days allowed me to reflect on what I wanted most for my children.

Sharing the Lyrics:

“Rainy Days And Mondays ”
by The Carpenters

Talkin’ to myself and feelin’ old
Sometimes I’d like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin’ around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

What I’ve got they used to call the blues
Nothin’ is really wrong
Feelin’ like I don’t belong
Walkin’ around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

Funny but it seems I always wind up here
with you
Nice to know somebody loves me

Funny but it seems that it’s the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me.

What I feel has come and gone before
No need to talk it out
We know what it’s all about
Hangin’ around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

I think I’m a more well-rounded individual now due to my childhood challenges. We learn, grow and stretch when we are confronted with issues, problems, tearful times. The Carpenters, Bread, Lobo, and many other musical groups and singers touched my life as a child and helped me identify with feelings that I needed to work through. Thanks to great lyrics, I think I’m a successful contributing member of society today!

Emotions of Loss

Depths of despair
  Deep felt memories
Remembering those we love
  Relying on time to heal our wounds.

Sadness can engulf us
  Soul trying to accept
Loved one in a happier state
  Loss for us extremely great.

Pity for those left behind
  People try to understand
We deal the best we can
  When the time to say goodbye has come.

All around us people 
  Are going on as if the world is unchanged
Family is the key to life
  Forever in my heart you belong.

We’ve lost someone very important…someone we can’t replace in our lives. Tell those you love how much they mean to you today..and every chance you get. We didn’t get to say goodbye!

Spending time..

My favorite ways to spend time during the summer…

Reading a good book…
Listening to good music…
Talking with someone I love…
Kayaking across Causey Dam…
Falling in love…
Hiking mountain trails…
Running the streets of Ogden after dusk…
Enjoying a cool glass of ice water..
Writing an email to a close friend…
Riding the rides at Lagoon…
Camping…
wading in the Ogden River with my son and granddaughters…
wearing a swimming suit all day every day…
and…

Reading all night long in a sleeping bag with a flashlight and a paperback or on my Kindle!

July in Utah

With Independence Day on July 4th and Pioneer Day on July 24th Utahns have several opportunities to set off fireworks in July. Another Ogden favorite is the  Lindquist Family Pops Concert & Fireworks held on the Weber State University campus. Attended by 1000’s of people each year, the lawns are colored with patchwork quilts as families mark their spots and then enjoy the festivities and fireworks show.

July is also my birth month. Something about summer fun – and fireworks – and my birthday…that keeps me happy all during July!

Happy Birthday America…and Happy Birthday to me!

How Old…

When my five year old son asks a question – it usually includes: How old..

Mommy – How old do you have to be to play this game?

Mommy – I think you have to be 17 to learn to read and 18 to be able to drive a car. Son – you can already read.
Son: I can? Me: yes, you read to me all the time. Son: but I can’t drive a car yet.

Mommy – How old you do have to be to watch this movie?

Mommy – How old can I be to walk to school by myself?

Mommy – How old do I have to be to be a policeman? They are real life heroes, and I want to be one!

Mommy – How come you get to do that – is it because you’re old?

Always full of questions – and he’s trying to learn how to quantify them in some age or time. I love his questioning mind, so when I answer him – many times my response is full of “it depends” answers. I then explain it in terms I think he will understand, and give it a lot of thought. He’s an information sponge – thank heavens for inquiring minded Five Year Olds!