Featured Member

I just found out I'm this week's featured member over at the Gratitude Project home page. I'm feeling a bit humbled and grateful for the recognition. Very cool...thanks Brenda.

Yes, we can...

Yes, we did...

Today, Barack Obama, becomes the 44th president of the United States. Obama does not erase the past. He writes over it. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. Obama freed their ghosts.

The excuses are gone. Anyone can be anything! This may be my Gratitude Project #4 (I'll decide later in the week) because this election and today's inaugural are truly historic in bringing a whole new level of hope.

I'm still trying to get the words together that convey everything that is going through my mind. I can see why Cam has been putting off my assignment to write down his thoughts and feelings about the election and Obama in general. It is definitely easier said than done LOL

I'm glad to see Bush go. It's not personal George. I'm sure a lot of the things that frustrated me about Bush as a president were beyond his control...at least I'm willing to give him that benefit of the doubt.

The economy can't be laid completely on his doorstep either...but as president the buck stopped there. As it should? I'm undecided. The outsourcing of jobs to other countries has to stop and, for right or wrong, I believe that has increased during Bush's tenure.

Given the crisis that we're in and the hardships that so many people are going through, we can't allow any idle hands. Everybody's got to be involved. Everybody's going to have to pitch in, and I think the American people are ready for that. ~Obama (Jan. 19, 2009)

Vice President Bidon being sworn in.








President Obama being sworn in.








A speech heard around the world.














God of our weary years...
God of our silent tears...

The new guard.

Like many, I'm in a wait and see mode. I like Obama's charisma. I like that Obama has a large stake in the writing of his speeches...it lends a more truthful air to his words than that of some of his predecessors. I think he has selected some good people to advise him.

Obama has a long road to hoe ahead. According to our local paper:

• The national debt was $5.7 trillion in 2001 when Bush took office compared to today's $10.6 trillion.
• Unemployment was 4.7% in 2001 compared to 7.2% today. (The good news...this figure is still a fraction of the 1-in-4 seen during the Great Depression.)
• The Dow average has gone from 10,588 when Bush took office to 8,281 as of Friday, Jan. 16th.
• Obama is the first president to take over during wartime since 1969.

I don't like talking politics or religion. I don't want people cramming theirs down my throat. In return, I won't cram mine down yours. I don't think it's the business of anyone but myself and I'm not going to threaten relationships because of it. So no worries that this blog will be filled with politics, however, I'm not going to say this will be the first and/or last political post, either.

For now, I'm going to bask in the change today brings.

Gratitude #3

This week's Gratitude Project photo is a new magazine subscription!

I love getting magazines. I enjoy having the tangible in my hands. That being said, however, I'm letting my scrapping subscription lapse. I get the same if not more inspiration online. I'm also really trying to use what I have and not buy all the new stuff which is really hard this time of year with CHA just around the corner. My favorite scrappy designer, Karen Russell, announced here that she's taking a break from designing so I may have to stock up!

Anyway, back to THIS subscription -- Mark had some airline miles that he had to use up by the end of the year. We couldn't use them for flights but we could for magazine subscriptions. So Mark got a couple magazines for himself and asked what I would like. I opted for Wine Spectator not knowing exactly what it would be. So far I like it and I'll likely learn more about wine than I would ever think to ask!

So a new magazine is my gratitude for this third week and all it cost was Mark traveling like a crazy man for more years than I like to recall!

Gratitude Project

I found this website on the 2 Peas Forum and thought it sounded like something I needed to do for myself this year.

This will actually be my second photo...I'm calling it Shadows. I know, I know not terribly original but I love it.

It's Robbie and I holding hands as we walked home from the park. A bulky jacket does not make a good shadow LOL I look like a line backer.

This photo speaks to me on a couple levels. 1) Robbie is still young enough to want to hold hands with me which is huge to me right now as he's my last baby. Of course, moments after I shoot this he was off -- "I walk by my own Mom." 2) I fell into a bit of a shadowy area emotionally near the end of 2008. This photo offers up the promise that all shadows aren't sad or bad.

My first photo will be the one from my Shimidedes post...I'm calling it New Growth. It may be a bit cliche "New Year = New Growth" and all but I need to pull myself out of that shadowy area. It's time to refocus on the good things.

I plan to make a special album for this project and will post that as it develops.