an unplanned day off

Our front door lock broke and jammed this morning. We had to take a day off trying to fix it until we finally realized that a call to the locksmith was the best solution. The young locksmith came, spent almost two hours fiddling with the lock, broke it, got the door open, and installed a new lock for us. The entire time his two phones didn't stop ringing every 5 minutes. There must be so many people with broken locks out there today.

But out of all the trouble came something good (as it usually does). I get to stay home for a change! I love being home. All afternoon, I've been sitting on the deck enjoying the gorgeous early summer weather. The pond is splashing. The birds are chirping. Children are running happily on the playground. A cute couple are picnicking behind our house. Nice to camp out on the deck with my laptop working away. The best place to work away, I say. Life is good! :)

favorite links

As my list of inspirations quickly grows, I realize it's time to start a separate page for them all. So here it is ... my go-to and frequently-updated list for when I'm in a need of a muse or two. Enjoy!

photographers

Amy Neunsinger
Barb Uil
Callie Shell
Helen Norman
John Kernick
Lara Ferroni
Philippe Cheng
Tara Whitney
Tosca Radigonda
Victoria Pearson

blogs

Orangette by Molly Wizenberg (writer)

baby dylan is here

Remember that baby shower for my friend I was telling you about? She just had her baby earlier today. Baby Dylan was born at 19.5 inches and 6 lbs 10 ounces. His mom had to drive herself to the hospital at 3:00 am because her hospital was away at a job training. But all went well. Mom and baby are happy and healthy. This makes June 16 a very special day indeed! :)

gilmore girls: how it all began

I'm on a roll with the Gilmore Girls today! :)

Even though the show was off the air (except for reruns on ABC Family) for a few years now, I still feel like it's a big part of my life. I have the entire series on DVD and DVR and watch every single rerun episode on TV. If the Hollywood folks are as smart as they claim to be, they will work hard with Amy Sherman Palladino and the cast of Gilmore Girls to make at least a Gilmore Girls movie to tie up all loose-ends. But really, I just want to grow old with the Gilmore Girls and never see this show ends. {sigh}

backstage with the gilmore girls

If you follow this blog from way back, you may remember how much I love the Gilmore Girls! The show is no longer on the air (except for rerun episodes), but I just found a series of interesting interviews of the cast on YouTube and have to blog them here. If you're a fan like me, enjoy! :)

baby shower to love

A sneak peek of my friend's baby shower a few weeks ago. She's expecting her first baby and is so excited. As one of the shower organizers, I volunteered to be the photographer. That's the best job in the world!

More pictures coming soon!

beach book #1: the time traveler's wife

So glad I picked The Time Traveler's Wife to be my first beach book this summer! I've been reading it ever since I had packed it for the Virginia Beach trip a few weeks ago. I'm totally intrigued by the two main characters and their unique love story and so I wasn't surprised to hear that Hollywood is making the movie now starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. This is one good read!

orangette

It's been a while since I last found a blog I love. So when I stumbled upon Orangette today, I knew it had to be a special day. I first listened to Molly Wizenberg on NPR when she was being interviewed for her new book A Homemade Life which coincidentally is now on my Amazon list and I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail soon! As to her blog, it will enchant you! That much I'm sure of. So ... happy reading!