New and Old and Just Plain Fun

I've had a lot of projects going on lately. I have a big family, as many of you know... five kids and one handsome boyfriend.

I work full time and do photography when I can....(like sleeping) plus managing my website, participating in photography groups I belong to, and my journals. I enjoy writing, but do precious little of it anymore. I started a new journal recently which Spencer from over at Spencer's Place is going to lend me some help with as I'll be on vacation soon for a week. (More on that later.) The journal is Poetry Dance, (click on the Ladybug stamp below and you can get a peek) And we're doing weekly poetry assignments and bi-weekly challenges. Tomorrow the new challange starts.






I've also been working on my website (as mentioned) and while it has a way to go, I am fairly happy with it these days. Kat gave me the idea of the hosting service so I owe her a big Thank You! If anyone has the time to have a look and let me know what looks good and doesn't... kind proof it and give me some honest feedback I'd appreciate it. My mom says it's wonderful... but she loves me too much to be constructive. lol. :) Anyway... the website is

www.dawnallynn.com,

drop me a line if ya have any comments, good or bad. :)

The vacation I mentioned is Hawaii... my mother is treating my kids and I... (whooohoo!) so I have three weeks to lose wieght so I can fit in a bathing suit (uh-oh) and then from the 22nd to the 27th of September I'll be in photographers Heaven. Heh.

Well, the day grows long and I have more journaling to do... just wanted to throw something out that wasn' an assignment, and before Friday again...lol. Hope everyone is having as much fun, and far less stress than I am!

Round Robin Challenge "Labor"

It's Round Robin time again ... and as always I think a lot about what I want to post for each challange long before posting time might come along. I like it when my photo means something for me, and I like the photo to have really been a challenge.

This week the topic was "Labor" and was chosen by Robby of "Robbie's Ruminations" . I had a hard time at first, but ended up realy enjoying this challenge. As always, I am gonna tell ya why. :)

Have you ever noticed how the things we love leave marks on us? The calloused fingers of a guitarist, blisters on the soles of a runners feet, stretch marks on the belly of a mother, and even those tiny creases left over from a life of joy which we call "laugh lines". Our pleasures often leave evidence of their existence.
My father has endured a lifetime of hard work and hard times, a lifetime which has left evidence of it's own in it's wake. Swollen, painful joints and a rash of scars are part of who my father is these days. But his hands are a wholly different matter.

My father has made and sold pottery for more than thirty years now. His fingers are knobby and stiff, his palms covered in callouses, the skin thickened and stained from contact with the molds and clays. Yet what his hands proclaim is that my father has worked more than thirty years doing something he has loved.

Though he doesn't write, draw, or wield a camera as I do, my father and I share a deep love for creating. My father expresses his romance through the business he's built, through each piece of pottery he turns out. Sure, he grumbles now and then ... but the truth is that he couldn't walk away from it if he tried. For though it is a career, a job, a living ... it is also a labor of love.

Which is why I chose this photo of my fathers hands to represent my entry for this weeks Round Robin Challenge.

Who I am in Black and White

I had ideas of what I wanted to do for this weeks Round Robin Challenge, but (of course) things happened and none of the projects or photos I hoped to do panned out. So, I went through my exisiting photos to see if there was one, maybe, that would fit the theme of "Who I am in Black and White."

Well, this one is certainly Black and White. And it IS me. And, yeah, there are elements of it which are exactly who I am.

I am someone who often puts up a mask. Sometimes it is a smile when I am crying inside. Sometimes it is one of bravery when I feel very frightened. The truth of who I am is that I do not like for anyone to see me as frail, needy, or unhappy. Often this is a good thing, because I find that the mask often helps me to actually feel the way I am pretending to feel. (How's the quote go? Fake it 'til ya make it?) Sometimes, though, I just feel lonely, sad or scared behind a mask I chose to wear.

I am also someone who is very creative. I love to paint, write, draw, whatever. I love to invent. Inventing myself, or reinventing myself, is dang near a hobby.
I am also one who likes to dream. Awake or asleep I enjoy the hope and vision dreams bring me.

And, deny it though I may, there is an element of darkness about me. I used to roleplay in games, and I always chose the wicked character. I tend to think it's because I play a good guy in life all the time. I also think it comes from feeling like I get stepped on sometimes. (Wanna see wicked? Watch me flip out when someone treats me badly in public... ohboy.)

Oh, there's more. Lot's more. I can imagine sitting here writing for the next six hours about all the things that this photo says about me, light and dark. But perhaps the most important thing I can say about myself that this photo doesn't... what I would have liked to share if I'd taken another photo, is that I am someone who is glad to be alive. Thrilled to be able to express myself. And greatful to have so many loved ones around me in the journey. :)

Happy in my Photo Gallery!

Well, this isn't a big deal as things go, but it made me feel good.

I was recently invited to show my photos at a website which had used one of my photos for a story. ( I have my stuff available at a Stock Photography site.)

I hadn't visited the site before, but I really enjoy dropping by. It's called VerbSap, and it has some great stories there. (You can even submit your own, but so far I have not had the nerve.)

Anyway, I don't get to show off real often, but I am pleased as punch and wanted to leave a link for my J-land friends to visit. :)

VerbSap Art Gallery

While you're there, have a peek at a few of the stories, among other things. It's a neat site. ;) The main site addy is VerbSap.

No photos to post today, my sweetheart dropped my laptop, so I am sans my photofiles. Ah well, at least I still have him, clutzy fingers and all! :)

Nobody Knows me but my Dog

...and though this little quiz can tell you some of it.... there's still a ton you don't wanna know... lol.
QUIZ : Dawn's Drivel
Found this link in SINS journal (octoberoots, Tidbits ... thanks for the cool link) and you can make a quiz of your own when you're done. :)

Do not stand and weep

Most you have probably already heard, but for those who haven't, our dear friend Kat, who writes the AOL Journal entitled "From Every Angle" suffered the loss of her sister and nephew today in a car accident.

I have been sitting here, wishing I knew something I could do for her, and at a loss, because there is nothing.

I know Kat because I frequent her journal a great deal. She is a wonderful photographer, a sweet person, and has a gentle soul. My heart breaks for her.

If you get a minute and the inclination drop her line. I know from experience how much words can mean when you've lost someone.
Love ya Kat.

Do Not Stand and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that swiftly blow.
I am the diamond glint on newly fallen snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the soft and gentle autumn rain.

When you wake from sleep in the early morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft, starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.