Happy Halloween!

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

I love everything about Fall... The changing of the leaves and the brisk feeling in the air. The start of the all important "Sweater Weather" that makes me want to run away from it all, cuddle up in the coziest pair of sweats I own next to a warm crackling fire and either read a really good book or watch a really great movie with a cup of hot cocoa in my hands. :) MMMMMmmmm

That... and well, of course I also love the mischief and gratuitous blood and carnage that is Halloween as well. Happy Haunting everyone! :)

I'm Alive!

Yes, I am alive... and kicking...

Although, at the moment I am stuffy, drugged up and not to thrilled to be working. But then again, that's me most days. Tee hee!

Well I would like to be able to report that in the past couple of weeks I have traveled the world... found my prince charming... and lived happily ever after. But alas, it has only been two weeks and I have a whole life ahead of me, so I can't possible report such silliness (Although I have spent quite a bit of time recently with a prince who happens to be quite charming and adorable so I guess that's always a plus).

I did however have a funny experience driving home last night from a rather enchanting evening. I was heading off the exit of the freeway near my house and was in my own little world... thinking about the evening's events... contemplating Halloween and what my plans were for the holiday to come... Boingo blaring through the speakers.... When out of the corner of my eye, I happened to notice a rather large SUV driving beside me with very darkly tinted windows and for some reason, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Now keep in mind, there really was nothing out of ordinary about this vehicle. I'm not one to shudder at the site of any vehicle... unless of course it's being be driven by someone I happen to detest, which is a few and far between occurance. Even then, it doesn't tend to be a hair raising experience, So to suddenly get the heebie jeebies about an ordinary car came as somewhat of a surprise.

Anyways... After attempting to just pass off the feeling and drive on, I began to notice that this massive vehicle with tinted windows was traveling right next to me at the exact speed I was traveling. So I glanced over again... Just in time to see the rear window start to go down... which of course, due to the heebie jeebies and the fact that it was 11 PM and I was a single girl going home to a very empty house, kind of tripped me out.

The window continued to roll down... and at first I couldn't see anything but black beyond the window...

And then...

Out of nowhere...

popped up a little pug dog to get a snort of fresh air.

Tee hee... aaah isn't it amazing the games that one's mind can play? :)

Yes... it was one of those "Laugh at Yourself" moments... all the way home... and even as I'm typing this.

They

"Who made up all the rules?
We follow them like fools.
Believe them to be true...
Don't care to think them through.

I'm sorry... So sorry
I'm sorry... It's like this
I'm sorry... So sorry
I'm sorry... We do this

And it's Ironic too,
Cuz what we tend to do,
Is act on what they say...
and then it is that way.

I'm sorry... So sorry
I'm sorry... It's like this
I'm sorry... So sorry
I'm sorry... We do this

Who are they?
Where are they?
How can they possibly know this?

Who are they?
Where are they?
How can they possibly know this?

Do you see... What I see...
Why do we live like this?

Is it because it's true
that ignorance is bliss?

Who are they?
Where are they?
How do they know all this?

I'm sorry...So Sorry
I'm sorry, It's like this

Do you see what I see?
Why do we live like this?
Is it because it's true
that ignorance is bliss?

Who are they?
Where are they?
How can they know all this?

I'm sorry... So sorry
I'm sorry we do this."

- Jem

Talk Like a Pirate Day!!!!

Yup... I took the quiz at http://www.fidius.org/quiz/pirate.php and the results are in...

Ladies and Gentlemen... From this day forth, every September 19, I shall be known as

"Mad Bess Rackham"

Here is the description that came with my new name:

"Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!"

Nikki & Damian

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

Going through life one meets all kinds of people that influence them in one way or another... most of these come and go with time.

But then there are those few special people we meet that touch us in ways that are indescribable with words. And no matter where life takes us, our paths continue to cross along the way.

To My Dear Friend Knikki...

you truly are one of the most amazing and beautiful people I have ever met and I never stop admiring you. I wish all good things for you as you take the next step in your own journey.

Love you both!

XOXOXOXO!

Nikki & Damian
September 16, 2005

Mary

I have been going through a lot of pictures lately trying to get photos from my parents in order so that I will be able to pass on some record of my past.

In doing so, it's brought on a lot of memories... and then in the car the other day I was listening to one of my favorite Boingo albums and the lyrics to one of the songs really hit me... again... so I decided to share. Sheesh anyone else I know out there feel like they can relate to this song????

"Oh mary wasn’t happy with the life that she led
She was a simple girl without much to say
So one day she just upped and left her dreary home
And she left all her friends behind to wander all alone
And at first she was afraid, she was so far away
From her home but slowly she got to like it anyway
Oh mary won’t you please come...

Well in time she found that
The mountain that she had been taught
Her whole life, that she must avoid
And though at first it hurt, and no one could comfort her
She finally came to appreciate it
And she like it, she like it - oh wasn’t she surprised
And though still alone, she grew so much inside
Oh mary won’t you please come...

And after a time, she became so sublime
She could look in peoples eyes and read their minds
Though her hands would sometimes bleed and occasionally
She would long for her past and the memories they bring
She decided to return to her old home town
And her heart was burning with all the things she found
Oh mary won’t you please come...

So, mary came back and at first no one recognized her face
And her friends were all a little bit afraid
When they heard what she had to say
They all slowly backed away
And her family took her aside and put their arms around her
They said mary won’t you please come back to us now
There is still time to repent for all your sins
And mary started to cry when she realized
That she’d never come home again in her life

Oh mary won’t you please come
Mary won’t you please come home..."

Flaming Gorge Trip

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

You ever have those shots you get that aren't by any means good... in fact they might even be downright bad, and yet they touch you in a way that you just can't get rid of them?

This one I almost deleted several times while on my trip to Flaming Gorge this weekend. It wasn't even in focus for the most part... and yet I couldn't bring myself to delete it from my memory card.

I decided to mess around with it in photoshop a bit tonight and while I was playing with it, I came to the realization of why I didn't want to delete it... yes... it was a moment... and no, I don't feel like sharing...

I'll just share the photograph and let you interpret it how you would like. :) After all, that's what photography is all about right?

The trip was nothing less than amazing... The water was beautiful, got to relax and work on my tan, spent quality time with some of my favoritest people in the world... and yes, I even caught air while on the wakeboard.

With the exception of a few passing clouds and a moment of melancholy or two, the weekend was absolutely perfect. :)

Footprints

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

Feeling a bit introspective today... alright, been feeling that way the past week.

I find it amazing that each path I take in my life... each step I make... although leaving only an impermanent mark on the world... affects my life so completely and becomes the essence of who I am at this very moment

"If You Love Someone..."

"If you love someone, set them free...

If they come back to you, it was meant to be"

-Unknown

One Big Crazy Family

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

I came across this one the other night and had to share it. This was actually taken by my dad on a trip to Disneyland way back when we were one big happy family.

If I remember correctly, it was the last trip we took as a whole family. I'm the geek in the goofy looking glasses. Ha Ha! Even funnier is the pre-pubescent kid in the front driving that is my brother. He's going to kill me when he finds out I posted this.

This is proof that I had a somewhat normal family life at one point.

Aaah such is life! :D

My Sun Girl

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

In May of this year my boyfriend Jason and I took a trip down to St. George to visit his daughter.

One of the days we were there, we took a drive up snow canyon and didn't get more then a mile in before we ran into some fabulous dunes.

Talk about a great place for pictures... I caught this one of Abby. It's amazing how I still look at her every once in a while and remember her being so tiny... once just a tiny little punkin who loved to play with my hair while she fell asleep and then to catch an image like this where she's out discovering the world on her own.

Sniff Sniff... ok.. Stopping now

Water Babies

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

Sunset

Sunset
Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

This pic was taken in 99' I believe on a camping trip up near Monte Cristo in Utah.

The sunset that night was absolutely beautiful and I this shot came out nice with Brady's "Kung Fu" profile in the foreground.

Girlfriends

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

I just thought this was an adorable picture of my daughter and nieces. We were walking along behind them and it was cute to see them walking along holding hands.

Daddy's Little Girl

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

I took this picture of my brother-in-law and his daughter while they were on a trip visiting the U.S in fall of 2003.

I think there is something magical that exists between a daddy and his baby girl... and that's what I was trying to portray.

My Fascination with Photos

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Originally uploaded by CurlyQT.

I have always loved photographs. When I was a small child, I would sit for hours looking through our family albums, or the albums of friends.

I am of the opinion that photography allows a person to share their relatively small perspective with the world around them. Share the little details that stand out to them. Details that perhaps you or I would miss at first glance.

The more pictures I see... the more I realize that beauty and wonder exist in everything around us. In the imperfections of an old building to the eyes of a child... any child.

So anyways, enough rambling. I was going through some older pictures I had taken and found a few that I had taken in 2003 of some of my family on a couple of outings. They were taken in color but I decided to change them to black and white later on. I just liked the feel of them better that way. ;D

Have fun!

Buon Giorno!

Hey all!

In an effort to share with you all the current goings on in my life (for those of you who care to know), and perhaps for my own personal therapy, I have decided to start this blog. This is my place to share a little piece of me with you, the in the form of pictures I have taken, random thoughts and disorganized rantings. So in case you had any doubts on my level of sanity before now, hold on... cuz I am taking crazy to a whole new level! :D

Toodles!