And here's yet another way that I prove how eclectic I can be...

For a while I've been talking all about the jewelry.  Well, I haven't talked much about it in a long time, really, but for a little while that was all I could talk about.  And the kid in me thoroughly believed that I was going to be a jewelry maker and live happily ever after!  Well, I've changed my mind, again.  I mean, I'll still make jewelry, but right now I have a new passion.  And it's actually not a new passion at all.  You see, I caught this bug really early in life... it's called the "shutter bug".  Yes, from early on I fell in love with cameras and photography.  This love goes so far back that I simply can't remember when the shutter bug bit!  My dad had all these old (and new) cameras just hanging around the house and I was intrigued... maybe this shutter bug thing is hereditary.  I remember being ecstatic in the 5th grade that I, little old me, was especially chosen to participate in a special after school photography class.  We made pin hole cameras out of oatmeal containers.  I loved it.  If I hadn't been hooked before then, I was certainly hooked now.  And one of the only classes I remember taking in high school with great fondness was my photography class.  And since I'm ancient, I actually remember what it was like to be in the dark room, to have your senses clouded from the pitch black, to smell the developing chemicals (I loved the smell of them, is that weird? Please don't answer.), and to slowly watch the image come to life on the photo paper.  Ah... good times... very good times.  I actually kind of miss film and dark rooms... let's go back to being old school.  Anyway, all this to say that ever since my lovely father rocked it out and got me the best Christmas present ever (my very own Nikon D3100), I've been wanting to do more with my "photography".  I put this in quotes now because one, I'm not sure you can call what I do at this point of time photography and two, see point number one.  I have so much to learn and relearn about apertures, f stops, and all those other photography terms.  Oh yeah, and about photoshop.  Can I let you in on a little secret?  Come close now... photoshop scares the daylights out of me!  It really does.  I don't know what I'm doing in there!  Someone please help!  But I am determined to give this photography another go because like I said before, I've been a wannabe photographer since NKOTB was cool.  So, hopefully, I'll find some classes to take soon.  That would be tons-o-fun.  OH, and finally invest in a good photoshop program... that's a must.  But for now, you all will have to suffer with the occasional photo post.  And really let me know what you think... Here's a couple shots for now!  Enjoy!



Here we have a lovely shot of the Indiana dunes in winter...  Had I been braver, I would have actually gotten out of the car to capture a little bit more of the water... but I was not brave... and just a little cold as well...

 



And here we have a loverly shot of some tulips in front of this cool window that is, yes, in my apartment.  I'm not so sure about this one though.  It's a little dark... and the tulips were a very pale color to begin with which just makes me think they look washed out... I don't know

 

Valentine's Day Hangover...

Yesterday was Valentine's Day... in case you'd forgotten.  To me, though, yesterday was just another day really.  Most Valentine's days I have to talk myself into being happy and saying that I'm OK with being alone on this day of love.  Yesterday was different though.  I honestly didn't care that I had no special someone to celebrate the day with.  I don't know what that was all about, but in retrospect, I'm happy about that.  It could be that I really almost forgot about what day it was... maybe... But I truly was happy and content with my situation in life.  I was even able to be happy for those who did have a valentine to celebrate with.  Now isn't that a big step?!  Although, I am still a girl, so there was this smallest glimmer of unrealistic hope that some random cute boy would have realized how desperately he was in love with me and would send me some flowers to declare afore mentioned love.  Is this a ridiculous thought?  Well, yes and no... believe me, I asked around... Women want to be romanticized and wooed, so it wasn't so ridiculous to think about that aspect of it.  But even if I am a hopeless romantic, I still have my powers of reason and logic, and I know that life is not like in the movies.  So I really wasn't disappointed when my "flower fantasy" didn't come true... and honestly, I think it was just more about wanting to get flowers... and who doesn't want that?  All this to say that I'm pretty happy with myself that I didn't give in to any desperate loneliness feelings yesterday.  My love tank was full, despite the absence of a man in my life, because I have other people who love me.  Proof in point, my carpool buddy asked me to be her "Carpool Valentine" and then proceeded to buy me Starbucks first thing in the morning... that alone could have filled my love tank for days!  Also, I got to talk to two of the most important women in my life (one, of course, being my Momma) and it meant a lot that they called me to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day.  It's those little things that bring us the contentment.  And I was content.  So,  I hope you all enjoyed your day of love yesterday with or without a significant other!  And remember to love and appreciate the people in your life every day!

Bethy's Book Nook

Wow... has it really been two weeks or more since I've posted anything?  I do believe it has!  For those of you who were worried that the blizzard swept me away, never fear... it didn't... I've just lacked motivation to write... Sad but true.... But, here we go again!

Today's Book Nook Review...
"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens

If you haven't read this book, I'm going to say this to you... Go find it and read it.  Now, I'm not usually the biggest fan of Mr. Dickens.  Don't ask me how many times I've picked up "Great Expectations" only to get half way through before finishing the thing.  I just sometimes find good ol' Chuck's writing to be slow and tedious.  But that didn't stop me from trying to read some of his other well known books, and I'm glad it didn't.  I read "A Tale of Two Cities" one summer in college and I was blown away.  Seriously.  When I finished the book, I closed it and said, out loud to no one in the room but myself mind you, "Wow!"  And that's exactly what I think of the book.  From the classic opening line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" to the mind blowing ending, I was hooked.  I won't give away the ending to you in case you've never read it, let's just say that this book makes you really think.  It's the first Dicken's book I finished.  I was pretty proud of myself for that one.  So, if you want to read a curious tale of an intriguing cast of characters living through the French revolution, read this book.  Expand your mind. You can borrow my copy if you want...

Happy Reading!

Oh... and Happy Valentine's Day... You know, there's also a good love story in this book, so... it's fitting to read on this day of love... I guess...