Never Ending Lawn Work

Today we worked all day long on getting our lawn prepped for Bean's swing set that's being delivered next Friday, as well as a few other projects that have been gnawing at us for months now. Thanks to Brandon's parents, we got a lot of work done. I may end up needing a backeotomy, as Brandon calls it, after hauling dirt in the wheel barrel all day long, but there's nothing quite like the feeling of seeing the product of such hard work. It feels so good and relieving when it's done. Pizza and beer never taste so good, and as long as your back doesn't fall off you sleep well. Here's Brandon and his dad, with shovels and dirt, at the end of the long day of lawn work.

Look Mommy I'm Winging

Today I recovered from my ER visits yesterday. It was a great day out, and despite being down one eye we did a lot of swinging outside and had lots of fun. Bean likes to say "me go really high," or "look mommy I'm winging." There's nothing better than a happy girl on the swing.

The ER

I admit, I'm cheating and using a picture from last night. Today I had an adventure in two NYC ERs, Roosevelt and St.Luke's. I had an allergic reaction to something in my hotel room and ended up with blurred vision and a scratch in my cornea. It wasn't the most pleasant experience, and I freaked out a few times during the ordeal, both for fear of losing my vision and feeling so out of place in an ER so far from home. All I'll say is that I am unbelievably grateful after that experience for my access to the best healthcare in the world here in Boston. The doctors at both hospitals ended up being wonderful and I wanted to hug them, but you have to share them with 200 other people with no healthcare. I'm also grateful for the love that surrounds me, and for being part of such a big supportive family and group of friends and even co-workers who care about me and came to my rescue today. Seeing the people in the ER, and especially the children, who wear their social status on their faces and in their voices and clothes just makes my heart break. And makes me wonder, how did I get so lucky?

When I got to Brooklyn I had a Hofbrau beer in a German beer hall and took this picture from across the street. There's something so awesome about the color of the brick and the motorcycle and the subway station. I've never been to Brooklyn, and I'm so happy I got to sneak in a little visit last night to my cousin Christina's house. Brooklyn is full of gorgeous brownstones, interesting people, eclectic shops and amazing restaurants.  People have their own style, and there's a close neighborhood feel that you don't get in Manhattan. The brownstones are absolutely stunning there, and there are row after row of them. Christina lives in an old brownstone that she loves, and is so grateful to live there. I don't think I'll do this house justice trying to describe it. It is the most mysterious house I've ever seen. The second I walked in I felt like I was in a living novel, something along the lines of a Jack Kerouac novel with separate rooms and a shared kitchen and baths. Everything about the house was mysterious and creative, and there were rooms covered with curtains that Christina hadn't ever seen. The stairs were dilapidated and creaky, but that and their chipped paint and unfinished railing gave it a literary air. The Romanian owners of this house have it furnished with enormous, ornate furniture supposedly from royalty in Russia. The furniture was over-sized and in better shape than the building itself, but it fit and added to the feel. I think if I lived in this house I'd write a novel, either about it or the tenants who live there or Brooklyn or one of the other super interesting things to write about out there. One of the most interesting houses I have ever seen.

NYC

I traveled to NYC for work today, for a marathon of meetings for the next 3 days. I traveled by plane, which is so much less fun than by train and so much more annoying. I couldn't sleep last night, so I was tired and groggy when we landed. And then I waited in a 45 minute cab line to get a cab, to sit in 45 minutes of traffic into the city. But NYC always fires me up. When we got close to the city I could feel the energy and my grogginess went away. There's something so powerful about NYC, it's like you can feel the business happening, the money being made, the lives being made and ruined. The city has such an impressive skyline, it's massive and sprawling, and gorgeous even in its own smog. On the way in to the city from the airports, you always pass the old World's Fair site in Astoria. It was shuttered a long time ago, after hosting two World's Fairs in 1939 and 1964. But the site still stands and it is so cool and creepy at the same time. Some day I want to sneak in with my camera and look around and take pictures. I couldn't get the old globe from the road, but I would definitely photograph that, it's so symbolic of those old World's Fairs. I wish they'd bring them back, or I could go back in time to be able to marvel at the newest inventions and engineering achievements. NYC has that feel to it - it is a marvel of human accomplishments, both scary and beautiful at the same time.

The Who, What, Where, Why and When of Original Beans

Who  Adoptive mom to one feisty toddler and knee deep in paperwork for the adoption of baby #2; faithful wife; confused daughter of one eclectic artist and one organized logistics executive; frustrated homeowner constantly trying to renovate our older house; real estate expert by day, insomniac by night.

What  Original ramblings and a picture a day from a girl with a crowded mind, dedicated to original thought, my Emma Bean and Boston "Beantown" with all of its quirks and charm that I walk though every day.

Where  Here, on this blog, on the internet somewhere in space. While it's not my favorite medium, it will do. I'd rather have a spiral notebook with a photo printer next to me at all times to print photos and write about them in the notebook every day. But I can't carry a printer around all day, I couldn't share it, and I couldn't work on it during long boring real estate calls.

Why Because I can; because no one else will ever be me, have the thoughts I have, or see things the way I do; because I want to push through all the doubts I have about doing something like this; because I need to do something more productive with all those hours I spend trying to sleep; because I want to inspire my daughter and help her to foster her own original thought; because I want to stop and take pictures every day so I don't miss my life as it goes by day by day; because my mom always pushed me to find the beauty in people and the things that happen to you even if you have to really look for it sometimes.

When Every single day, at least a picture and at least a few words. This seemed daunting to me at first, but now I think my problem will be picking which picture to use and which words to write of all the thoughts in my head.

Today's picture is of my Emma Bean. She's a spicy little toddler with a major attitude, but she's my inspiration. Emma was adopted from Florida. She was born on St.Patrick's Day in 2009 and we got the call that day that very day. We didn't even know she existed until that day. But once I got the call from our agency, I started calling her Bean. I just had this feeling that she was a little Bean, without knowing her at all or every seeing her. It was such fate. When we got to Florida and saw her, she truly was the cutest little Bean we had ever seen and the name stuck. She'll always be our Emma Bean, and I'll always believe in faith, miracles, and fate.

Books - My Rookie Post

I'm a blog rookie, these first few blogs will probably be awkward and wordy, but I'm ok with that. I'll learn and get better with more entries. My blog is an online journal, and I'm not really sure where to start. There's so much to talk about, so many thoughts crammed in my head to share about life, children, adopting, working, creating, loving, chillin. I've been thinking about doing this blog for so long and it took me forever to do it mostly because I didn't know where to start. But I had an idea - a photo a day from my Hipstomatic iPhone app or my Nikon, my two favorite pieces of technology. And a few rambling original thoughts from my head. In my next entry I'll give the Who, What, Why, Where and When, but this blog is dedicated to Original Thought, my Emma Bean, and my city Beantown.

As my very first online blog entry it seems counter-intuitive to show a photo of books, given that the internet will eventually lead the way to the demise of books. But that's why I took this picture, and why I like the rows of books outside the Old South Meeting House. I'm afraid one day they won't exist. Probably not for several generations, but there are only so many trees and as much as I LOVE, love love my books I also love my planet.