Maya's proudest moment

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Have you figured it out?
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No?
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I'll give you a clue - it's not the rollerskating.
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Now do you see it?
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How about now?

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Yessiree, our very own Divine Miss M (no, not that one) has lost her very first tooth and she couldn't be prouder. In fact, she's been showing it off to everyone she meets, and if they know enough about American kid culture to ask* she's also letting them know that the Tooth Fairy brought her a page of sparkly fish stickers** for her tooth!

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* There is no tooth fairy here in Israel.

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**In a fit of genius (if I do say so myself), just before my older child lost his first tooth I sat him down and told him about the tooth fairy (remember, Israeli kids don't know about the tooth fairy). I explained that she brings WHATEVER SHE WANTS. We don't get to pick what she brings, and it's always something small, because "teeth are small". See this way the tooth fairy avoids all those frantic late night searches through her purse looking for the right change (and I suspect she ends up saving a bit too).

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From a distance, the world looks blue and green

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I took this last summer out the window of my father's airplane as we traveled to visit my beloved and much missed aunt for what I knew would be the last time. She's been on my mind a great deal lately as the family prepares for both my cousin's wedding and the first anniversary of her death, with no small amount of accompanying drama.
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This photograph, together with the song, helped me to see beyond the current friction and emotion to the greater picture. My aunt would have loved this shot, I wish she could have seen it, though not nearly as much as I wish she were here to see her son walk down the aisle. Perhaps somehow, in some way, she will. From a distance.
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I'm offering this image for both this week's Window Views and Thematic Photographic's distance theme (as well as last week's aviation theme, which I was too distracted to get in on, so I might as well go for the trifecta now). It obviously struck a very deep chord in me, I hope it strikes one in you as well.
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As a minor aside, I would very much have liked to give credit where it is due and show you a clip of Julie Gold singing her wonderful song herself but I couldn't find one so I went with the much more well known Bette Midler cover. If you do ever get the chance to hear the original on the Four Bitchin' Babes' Buy Me Take Me Don't Mess My Hair album it's well worth the listen, she's got a gorgeous voice (you can hear a tiny clip on the page above, barely enough to whet your appetite).
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Spaghetti Race

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Head over to Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying this week.

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Birthday Cake for Breakfast

What? Doesn't everyone eat chocolate-frosted carrot cake for breakfast? No? Well too bad, it's my birthday and my kids can serve me cake for breakfast if they I want. It was good, too.

So.

Forty.

I've "changed area codes" as they say here in Israel. I'm now further away from my college years than it took to reach them in the first place. The music of my youth has become the stuff of nostalgia, the muzak you hear in an elevator.

So far forty feels pretty good. Better even than thirty-nine. This past year I learned, finally, to really accept myself and love myself for who I am, and ironically that gave me the impetus and strength to change a few things that needed changing, not the least of which were (are) physical. I'm committed now to a leaner, healthier me and am well on the way to getting there (20 pounds lost so far and still going). I'm not dieting, I'm implementing an overall lifestyle change - really internalizing those healthier eating habits, making exercise a part of my daily routine, making smarter choices and just as importantly not beating myself up on the occasions when I make an equally conscious choice to ignore the smart choice and do what I damn please - like eating a big piece of birthday cake for breakfast.

I feel good about myself, and good about life in general. It's had its bumps in the road, and some of them have been whoppers, but I'm not losing sight of how good things are overall. I've got an amazing husband who I still love now as much as I did when I married him eighteen years ago, two terrific kids, a comfortable, safe home. Heck, I even have a jacuzzi now. I sure didn't see that one actually coming to fruition. Life is good. (spits three times and throws salt over shoulder to appease any capricious fates that may be listening)

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have coffee to drink and a shopping trip to embark on - it is my birthday after all. (God help me, I'm going bathing suit shopping on my birthday - not sure it's smart, but the sale that's on now is too good to pass up so I'm risking my self-esteem and heading out to the land of the three-way mirrors).

Roar, sort of

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Saw this on a nearby home a while back. Both the knocker and the door were painted the same flat boring shade of off-white, no contrast at all. Bar a tiny bit of rust it was a monochrome shot just the way it was, but I converted it to true black and white and upped the contrast a bit to give it some definition and keep the knocker from fading completely away into the background. I wish I could remove the ring from the lion's mouth though, the poor thing looks completely worn out from holding it there for all eternity.
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Summer Stock Sunday - Happiness is a Spongebob ice cream

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Whether it's yours

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Or better yet if you've already finished yours and have now persuaded your little sister to share hers too

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Happy Fourth of July to all the Americans out there. I hope you're having a wonderful celebration - and that you're immortalizing it in photos!

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Growing up the Fourth of July was one of my very favorite holidays - we always spent it with dear family friends at their lakehouse in the Finger Lakes of Upstate NY, having the kind of fun childhood is meant to be about. Those days are gone now but their memory returns with every jump into a freezing cold lake, sight of a boogie boarder, or taste of homemade strawberry ice cream.

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What will your family's Fourth of July memories be made of?

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