KOKUA ME PLEASE!!!

NO... it is not a drink. It is a trip. And one I plan on winning!!! I wished for it, I qualified.... and on March 31st, they will be calling ME I tell you... ME!!!

You all know I am lucky, right?!? Well my LUCK is back! And this time it is taking me on a MUCH needed vacation. To where you ask?!?! Here:

My lucky radio station: Mix 98.5 played the queue to call, and it was all about Jack Johnson on lucky St. Patrick's Day for me. At 4:30 I call, busy. call again... busy. keep on trying. and then it rings, and rings... many many rings... and then Gregg Daniels picks me up and I scream or squeal or whatever you'd like to call it, I screached "PLEASE TELL ME I'M CALLER 18!!!"... and well, I was! I qualified!!!!!!!!! Hawaii here I come!

Mind you, I didn't win the trip yet! I just won 2 tickets to see Jack Johnson in August here at the Tweeter Center, a far cry from Honolulu. BUT... there are only 25 lucky winners who win these concert tickets... and on March 31st.... they will be calling the one and only lucky winner... and if you note above on this KOKUA ad.... the last artist is GO JIMMY GO! And well I'm thinking it's a sign, that I'll have to take my Jimmy, and he'll go Jimmy go with me to Kokua in Hawaii!!! Aloha - WoO HoO - Kokua - here we come!!!

Keep those fingers & toes crossed for me that they call ME on March 31st to win win win!!!

FANTASTIC FIVE !!!!!

And No... I'm not talking about the Cartoon!!!!! I'm talking about Real Life... Real Events... My little girl is now a FIVE year old! And fantastic at five she is!!!!!

In the morning we let her open up her first gift - note the 5 bows, and the SAME birthday hat she's worn every year on her birthday!

All about PINK, and JoJo Bear had to be at the special event (of course)!

Trying to find that sweet tooth! Not a problem at all - she would have had 5 slices if we had let her!

Jolie and her now 17-year old brothers Alex & James!

Jolie & Dad get ready to go BONKERS at her birthday party at Bonkers!

WISHING for more time to play at Bonkers I'm sure!

TOO much fun to be had on the Frog Hopper! So wished I could have hopped with them, alas... I'm too tall!

Slip Sliding Away - super slide = super fun!

2 new frogs kiss and make a prince & princess!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET AMAZING WONDERFUL JOLIE! I love you more then I ever thought possible! I am the proudest mom in the world and feel so blessed to be your mom.

ALMONDS

When I met Jim, I loved his 'Almond Eyes'
The shape, the color, the look of them...

Well.... Jolie has a little bit, and then some of his almonds... She has smiling, twinkling, amazing, Almond Eyes... and I love how when she looks at me, even through my camera's lens... her eyes show pure LOVE... Happiness... I love her Almond Eyes!!! :)

D O G S

Dogs. Jolie has this fear of dogs. I am not sure where she gets it from, but it cracks me up. She gets this look of terror on her face (even if it's a poodle), and then her face crumples. She runs, usually clings to my leg, and screams "UP... mamma UP!" As if this dog, no matter the size or kind is going to eat her up! Yes... she hates dogs. A good thing for me, as I'm allergic to them... but she needs to get over this fear, but how I ask you... how, when she won't even give them a chance?


The other day while on our beach walk, many people were out and about with their dogs, letting them stroll and run free on the beach. We were having a fine and dandy time collecting shells and climbing the rocks, that is until one dog started running happily toward us! He was so cute watching, leaping and bounding at us across the sand, tail wagging so happy to see new friends... I smiled, then laughed and had to capture the priceless look of terror on my poor daughter's face. Enough said?

I LOVE THE BEACH...

I love this walkway to the beach. Even on a cold wintery gray day... you can't help but smile as you follow the path... which leads you to the softest sand (however your cozy socks, in your comfy shoes can not feel the sand)... but, you still feel the beach. The sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean air, the wonder of the beach. Oh yes, even on the wintery of winterest days, I do love the beach!

At Long Beach there is a section where the ocean trickles off into these little ponds... where the sea grass and shallow waters mix, and little path like walking trails all combine together. I love the look of the mix of it all...

The Bridge that leads to nowhere...

They can close down the bridge that connects Long Beach to Pebble Beach, but you can't stop me from going to the beach! I enjoyed capturing some closed for the winter kinda pics...

Closed down, boarded up and weather worn...

Beached traps...

FOR RENT - one cuddly teddy and beachside house with reflected ocean view....

Long Beach Surf...

Sun setting over Twin Lights...

Here is to a Great 2008!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!


I have once again vanished from this wonderful blog world... not sure who even reads these back home, or wherever you may be... but if you do... if you've missed me... and if popping on here every once in awhile, you come here looking for a new jolie fix, well here is she... my very own not so little jolie... playing hide n seek, and just when I found her I captured this pic... my little cutie patootie jolie... turning 5 (you heard me right) in March.... say it isn't so.... slow it down will you somehow please?!?!




Anyway, here is to a Great 2008 - may all you that you want - may you get it, and if you get any extras... send them my way!!! :)



CHEERS & SMILES TO YOU ALL!

L-O-V-E

I love this little girl so much! When I look at this picture... I get a flutter in my heart, a smile on my face, such amazing wonderful feelings, that I am her mother. A mom. Me. WOW. I am blessed. She completes me - truly - she does.

This morning we were driving to work/school, and I glanced at her in my rear view mirror. Her big brown eyes gazing out the window - smiling eyes she has.... and we played our NO SMILE game... which of course we were ALL SMILES! :) anyway... I love her more then I thought LOVE could be LOVED.

Time flies by too fast it seems... we've had a spectacular crazy jam packed of fun in the sun kinda wonderful summer... Just today I was thinking about this site.... how I've lost my BLOGGIN ways. I haven't stopped taking pictures, and I haven't stopped keeping in touch... just kinda stopped popping on here. I do want to start up again... and figured I would say hello. I'm back. :)

Hoping you all have that flutter and smile in your heart feeling every kinda day - someway - somehow.... the best kinda feeling when you feel that smile deep in your happy heart!!!

CHEERS & SMILES to you all!!!!

Fantastic At Four!!!!

One...Two...Three...Now FOUR!!! :)

My not so little Jolie is now 4 years old!!!! Can you believe it?!?! I surely can't. I'm in denial! She's growing up way too fast, I just want to stop time and love this age forever. She amazes and delights me every single day ~ her love for life, her curiousity, her amazement at the littlest of things, the joy she brings to Jim & I, to everyone around her, she is a happy go lucky little wonderful soul, and I am so proud to be her mother! I love her more then words could ever say, and you know I can say a lot!!!

Jolie's 4th birthday party was a blast! We had it at the Beverly YMCA Gymnasium, the kids got to tumble, jump, bounce and play (as did some of the adults). It was a tad overwhelming with 19 kids and 30 adults/teenagers!!! But it was so worth it as Jolie was just beaming the entire time, loving every bit of ALL of her friends mixed together and playing! After gymtime, we packed into their party room and enjoyed appetizers, pizza & yummy birthday cake! Jolie got spoiled with wonderful presents!!! I am a tad sad I didn't capture all the pics I would have liked to have taken, but watching jolie LOVE every bit of it was priceless and I'll never ever forget her fantastic 4th birthday!!!

Here are a few memories from her fun fourth birthday:

HAPPIEST 4th BIRTHDAY WISHES TO MY BEAUTIFUL WONDERFUL JOLIE!!!!

My First Photography Show!!!

I finally did it! I put together some of my favorite photographs, professionally mat them, framed some, and participated in my very first craft show! It was a surreal kinda day as I proudly displayed my very own work, and then got so many wonderful compliments from strangers (my biggest fans are my family & friends, so to hear it from strangers kinda reaffirmed to me that my work is likeable and good).

I had quite a few people ask if I had a web site to display some of my work, and I figured I had this site, so I decided I will add some of my photographs here. I did put together quite a few prints that are ready (a lot of 11x14 matted prints, and a few 8x10 matted prints). So, if you see one you like, email me at: wojoboston@verizon.net and make me an offer that I can't refuse!

In my photography I like to capture serenity and simplicity. I like to take pictures of things that makes me smile, that make me stop and appreciate the beauty of it all.

I hope you too smile and enjoy it as well. Enjoy...

Halloween Everyday!

Jolie wants it to be Halloween every day! She keeps on asking if she can go trick or treating yet? And I keep on saying, no not yet... but we are getting closer, only a couple of weeks away now!

The question was, what did Jolie want to be this year?! Her first year of life I made her a Beautiful butterfly. Her 2nd Halloween she hated me when I made her Bob the Tomato (from Veggie Tales). Last year we were undecided and ended up making her a Retro Fairy. This year she picked out her very own costume. I knew it was the one, when she squealed in delight while we were shopping in Costco, and she spotted the last remaining Tinkerbell costume amidst a rack full of others. It was meant to be… a Disney Fairy she shall be! Actually she’s been a fairy almost every day since spotting that costume. If she had her way she’d go to sleep as Tinkerbell, and go to school as Tinkerbell... If only she had real fairy dust and could sprinkle us with some of it, and we could fly away to some kind of Fairytale Neverland… oh yes… somewhere warm and tropical would be nice right about now… Alas we are stuck in New England... But NO complaints here, this fall has been just picture perfect wonderful… and I can’t wait to celebrate Halloween with Jolie again tonite after work and school!


Happy October, Happy Fall & Happy Halloween to you all!!!

Fall Already?!?!

WOW!!! Those summer days just flew by... and now the leaves are falling... the days are shorter... the weather colder... and Jolie is getting older... Crazy how it just flies by!

Life is going wonderfully well for us... can't complain at all! Jolie is just amazing as usual, she brings such a joy to our lives every single day! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful life, sure there are days that I complain, that I want more, that I want less.... but then there are days like these fantastic fall days where life is just GOOD.

New England in the Fall is the place to be! One of my favorite seasons is Autumn... crisp clean air, quiet empty beaches, long lazy strolls, leaves changing colors, hay rides, apple picking and yummy cider donuts...

The other day Jolie & I went apple picking (she just LOVES her apples), and then she had the challenging task of picking the perfect pumpkin! Too many to choose from so we ended up with not ONE but THREE...

Wishing you happiness, joy, laughter, smiles & much LOVE!