fix-it-friday #38

I haven't participated in i ♥ faces Fix-it-Friday for over a month. For some reason, I didn't jump on the ready-made post idea for Fridays during NaBloPoMo in November. But when I saw the picture that the ladies chose, I couldn't resist. Too cute. AND LOOK AT THOSE EYES.

I've been playing around in the new (and FREE) Lightroom 3 Beta and really like the watermark feature. I did, however, actually take this picture. I just editted it. But I'm feeling too lazy to start up Lightroom, find the picture, remove the watermark, save, upload to Flickr and repost. So just know that this isn't my picture. It was taken by...

Here's the original:

And a few of my edits (done in Lightroom and Gimp):







Visit i ♥ faces to see how other participants have worked this photo.

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a year ago

A year ago tonight, I was waiting for my dad to die.

A year ago tonight, I was lying in bed curled up around my eight month pregnant belly, with the phone clutched to my chest, waiting for it to ring with the news that he was gone.

A year ago tonight, I was crying hot, angry tears as I tried to understand how the doctors could go from planning my dad's long term care one day, to telling us he wouldn't live through the night the next.

A year ago tonight, I was trying to wrap my head around the fact that I would be fatherless by morning.

A year ago tonight, I was second guessing our decision not to wake Liam and Simon to talk to their grandpa and say one last goodbye.

A year ago tonight, I felt so far away I might as well have been on the moon. The distance -the space between me and my dad- felt like a crushing weight. I have never felt such an intense longing to BE SOMEWHERE ELSE. With my dad.

A year ago tonight, I had to accept a "new normal". One in which my dad was forever absent. One in which I would never again be able to call him up at any hour of the day to tell him a story about the boys, ask his advice, check up on his work projects, or receive whatever recipe/tip/challenge/encouragement/laugh/love I needed.

A year ago tonight, my dad died. I lost my father and my friend.

I miss you, dad.

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tooshie and toes

This week, I ♥ Faces is taking a break from faces to focus on another well loved extremity... tooshies! No one can accuse them of discriminating against all the other body parts.

I posted this photo back in the summer, but I don't have time to take a new picture for this week's challenge as we have a full, full day today (we have to finish school quickly so we can start pulling out the Christmas decorations... sqeeeeee!). On an otherwise dreary day, it's nice to remember what a lovely sun/water/swimming-filled summer we had (and by "nice" I mean kinda-depressing-to-think-that-we'll-soon-be-firmly-in-winter's-icy-grasp).

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P.S. This is THE LAST DAY of NaBloPoMo! I made it! Hopefully you'll hear from me again... LIKE IN JANUARY.

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