That’s what my little cousin Jack calls himself.  He looks fierce!

I know a girl named Jules
I’ve known her most her life
Her Mama is my husband’s friend’s
sweet and caring wife

Now, Jules is very smart
It can throw you for a loop
She loves her books and art
and she’s Queen of the hula hoop!

She took us to her library
Cuz, it is her favorite place
She painted a big, fat rock
and I could see all in her face
that special spark of learning
that was twinkling in her eye
as she took me to the place
where that big, fat rock would lie.

I had to take her picture
cuz I thought, “This moment rules”
That’s the little girl I know
That little girl named Jules.

I’m already itching for the weekend to come.  Labor Day weekend is always so bittersweet.  We will be spending it with family and friends.  Hope everyone has a nice plan for the 3 days.  I’m looking forward to sun, pool and relaxing!

I bet there are things you pass by every day and never notice. 

Can you let the Toner peeps know that I’m getting pissed that the convention always falls on your Birthday!

wink

I made Frontpage Explore!

For those of you that are not really into Flickr ahhhhhhh sarrrrry!  For me, it is a BIG deal.  Flickr recognizes 500 photographs a day as being the most “interesting”.  It’s in an area on the site called Explore.  If you go there,  you can pretty much waste a few hours looking at all the fantastic photographers.  Well, I’ve made Explore before but only made Frontpage once and that was with this photo:

Now I made it again with this one:

                                                                                                                                I am pretty psyched!  I’ve been working really hard to get shots that I have in my head actually come to be.  That is what I’m most proud of.  So if you haven’t joined Flickr, let me know and I’ll send you an invite.  You can see most of my photos without joining but Ben photos are set to private.  You have to join (it’s FREE) for that.  So go explore Explore…..IT’S FUN!

Why can’t I get a Coke in Vegas? 
Every restaurant I’ve been in has Pepsi.  I really don’t like Pepsi very much.  I used to, several years ago, but now I’m a classic Coke guy.  I only buy pepsi for Julie (aka Titi) who, for some strange reason, hates coke.  I mean, HELLO!  The only redeeming value of PepsiCo is Mountain Dew.  So I say to the waitress, “I’ll have a coke”.  Is Pepsi OK?  And I’m like, “NO!! It’s not ok”.  If you have Pepsi then it stands to reason you have Mountain Dew.  I’ll have that.  What a racket!

(If you haven’t figured it out……..that was Craig)

and this is a $14.00 meal from Jones Beach. (Thanks Joe for letting me shoot your fries!)

Today’s post was written by Craig.  Thanks Honey for your words.  They are so much better than mine.  pfft!

I love what you wrote and I miss you!

***

As I sit on this 5 1/2 hour flight to Vegas, I can’t help but think about my “Mr. Cookie” and my wife whom I left at 6am this morning.  “THAT KID!” I say to Marina almost on a daily basis.  My love for him grows everyday.  The way he holds his pencil and draws so meticulously on his pad of paper.  The way he says “DADA!” when he sees me.  The way he dips his pancakes into his egg yolk just like mommy and daddy.  How he says “Moooorrrreeee” to everything he likes to do.  His sweet temperament and the joy he brings me everyday.

Benjamin is everything I hoped he’d be — He just turned two but I can already see what kind of person he’s going to be.

Strong, kind and gentle. 

The way he says “Noooo!” and “Biiiiiig” and “JAAAH, JAAAH” (for Curious George) makes me crack up every time.  After every bath, he HAS TO slide, no SLAM the shower doors back and forth.  I say to him, “Must you, Mister??”.  He always responds with “ahhh” which means yes. We say to him, “Say YES!” …. ESSHH! is what we get. 

What can I say? I love that kid with all my heart and can’t wait to catch up on the hugs and kisses when I get back.

                                                                                                                                                           I ordered a puzzle from Big Huge Labs and it came today. I’m really pleased with the quality of it. I bought it for my Mom. She has been doing a lot of puzzles lately to keep her mind on other things besides her health. Tomorrow is the start of an unknown journey. I will be by her side the entire day. I hope for an easy, tolerable day. If you can find a second to say a little prayer, I just know it will help.

I’ve been driving a Civic for 10 years.  It is trustworthy and comfortable and I never thought I needed anything new.  Until….NOW!  We got a Subaru Outback and I freaking LOVE IT!  It is a total upgrade for me let me tell ya.  2009 baby!  It’s got leather!  I won’t go into all the features because what I think is so cool is probably totally normal for the rest of you.  For instance, it’s got the buttons to open the locks ON the key!  You see, you are making fun of me.  I won’t go on to tell you that it has a 6 CD changer that works and a radio that comes in crystal clear.  No, really, I won’t tell you about the dual temp control and fold down seats AND heated side mirrors.  Holy Crap, heated side mirrors!  I’m cruising in style now for sure.

This photo is completely unrelated but look at this little boy’s profile - CHOMP!