Summer Fun :)

__________________

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."
-- Henry James

Changes... :)

Well, the river of change seems to be flowing a little faster than I previously anticipated. (Not that I'm complaining, mind you!) Seems the Universe is a lot more efficient that I ever gave it credit for. :)

One bit of shiny, exciting newness is this blog - which I'm currently working to personalize as we speak. (Or as I type!) It's proving to be a bit of a challenge, as I really have absolutely no formal background whatsoever in graphic design. Hmmm... When is my design-educated, computer-loving husband going to be home??

In looking forward, check back next week for shots from a much anticipated shoot at the Space Needle and Music / Science Fiction Museum! :)
________________________

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction."
-- Winston Churchill

Faces & Flowers :)

When I saw that this week's I Heart Faces challenge was entitled "Faces & Flowers", I immediately thought of my session with Sophia - way back in March. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and it was a beautiful day on the University of Washington campus...

Ah, there's nothing like Seattle in the Spring. :)

______________________

"Earth laughs in flowers."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"

fix-it Friday :)

Every Friday, I Heart Faces offers up a photo and encourages fellow photographers to "fix" it. This week, I thought I'd jump in and give it a try. (I mean, who can resist those adorable blue eyes???) So, without further ado...

This week's photo was submitted by Christina from 3 Sweet P's. She wrote: "This is a photo of my 2 year-old Parker. I am bothered by the harsh shadow on his face and the washed out colors of the photo. His eyes are a beautiful blue and you just can't see that. I would love to see what you guys can come up with!"

Before:

(My) After:

____________________

"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one."
-- Charles Horton Cooley

The Sky's the Limit :)

People, I think, are born knowing everything.

And then we forget.

Okay, maybe we don't know everything when we're born, but we do know a lot. Like how to appreciate. How to love. How to have fun. How to play. How to wonder... And, most importantly, we know that the sky's the limit.

As adults, we forget this invaluable way of thinking. We no longer listen to the child within us. Instead, we listen to our egos, feed our egos, and nurture our egos... Until our egos are the only voice we hear. The ego cares about your reputation. The ego cares if you're fat, blonde, ugly, or blue. It cares about how much money you have and how many glamorous vacations your take and how big your house is and how smart you appear...

Or, in more simple terms, the ego cares very much about keeping up with the Joneses.

Children, on the other hand, tend to ignore their egos. To a child, the voice of the ego is boring, stupid and, quite frankly, a poo-poo-head. (Nice, huh?) It doesn't want to have fun. It doesn't want to appreciate. The ego hates to play, thinks all adventures are scary, and doesn't know how to love. And the ego certainly doesn't believe that the sky is the limit.

Do you remember when you were a kid? Just getting up in the morning was exhilerating. I remember clamoring out of bed at practically the crack of dawn just so I wouldn't miss one single second of the day. It was all my mother could do to make sure I ate a quick breakfast and ran a comb through my hair before I darted outside in mismatched clothes to meet up with the neighborhood boys for another exciting adventure - visiting the local pond and catching tadpoles, climbing mulberry trees, diving into the pool in our backyard, racing our bikes up to our elementary school and back... Or, my personal favorite, playing kickball on the hilly street in front of our house. (Thank you, Matt Pride, wherever you are, for always letting me be at the top of the hill for that game.)

To children, it's the little things that are important. Happiness can be uncovered with just the tiniest bit of effort. A perfect night would be spent catching lightening bugs, with Kool-Aid stains on our shirts and chins. Or playing a (gasp) non-electronic board game with our best friend on the living room floor while munching guilt-free on chips and dip. Or, as I re-learned this past weekend, bliss can be found simply by blowing bubbles in a field on a sunny morning. (Thank you, Nora!)

Am I saying that I'm perfect? No. Of course I've fallen victim to my ego. There have even been times when I've foolishly given it permission to dictate my life. All too often I've allowed my ego to map out a temporary path to stress and anxiety, chart a course to depression and exhaustion, and pave the way to pride and smugness. I've followed my ego down dark allies and over bumpy roads all for the purpose of, yep, keeping up with the Joneses.

But thankfully I'm learning that the old saying is true - we are all a child at heart. We never fully give up our child-like ways of thinking. We just bury them for a bit. And with the proper care and commitment, we can reconnect with the pureness of our youth. We can uncover the ability to wonder, feel the fiery warmth of possibility, and remember the euphoric feeling of unbridled excitement.

It's all in the details. The little, simple details that make up life.

Remember, the child in us doesn't care what others think. The child in us cares only about what we think.

So if you feel like blowing off that stuffy business lunch to go and blow bubbles in a field, do it. In fact, I'll meet you there. :)

______________________

"Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto."
-- Dale Carnegie

No Worries... :)

This goes out to my nieces, Sara and Laura, who are finishing up another year of school. Take a little break from finals and... Don't worry about a thing. ;)

___________________

"Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality . Wake Up and Live!"
-- Bob Marley

And It Was All Yellow...

_____________________

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."
-- Dr. Seuss

Sneak Peek: The Remfrey Family :)

A little gem from today's shoot... Don't you just love those freckles?!?! :)

____________________

"I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind."
-- Leo F. Buscaglia

Big Plans & New Lamps...

If you look on facebook, you'll see that my status reads, Lisa Wickey Sorbe... is making big plans.

And I am. Well, big to me, that is.

Recently, a solution to a question that Chris and I have been asking for years has magically appeared. In reality, the solution has been with us the entire time we were asking the question but, being that we were looking (more like thinking) in the opposite direction, it was never really visible. But slowly, over the last few months, it's begun to reveal itself. To be more specific, little bits of blessed insight have been emerging almost daily.

And with each new amazing a-ha moment, we find ourselves moving closer and closer to our dreams.

I'm not really in the position to let anyone in on it now... And it probably has nothing to do with what you're thinking. In fact, once I do reveal the "big plans" you might even say, "That's it? But that's not that big!"

But you know what? It is big. To me. And that's what matters.


** As a side note, I've learned that treating yourself every once and a while can make all the difference in the world. Here's one (of two) of our new lamps from Pottery Barn. (Mind you, I've been salivating over similar lamps like these for years.) There's nothing like a little new light to add an extra bit of vibrance into your world... :)

Oh, and p.s. - Stay tuned for pics from this weekend's upcoming photo session with the Remfrey family!
____________________________

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.... Make big plans... aim high in hope and work."
-- Daniel H. Burnham

Out With The Old...

I have some strange attachments.

An old multiplication test from the third grade. Towels that I used in my dorm room at the University of South Dakota. Ancient birthday / holiday / just-because cards that I keep tucked away in the top drawer of my dresser. The baton that I haven't twirled (well, in public anyway) since at least the eighth grade. An endless collection of old VCR tapes, cassettes tapes, DVDs, and CDs. Clothes, furniture, books, an old shoe box full of Garbage Pail Kid cards... Even old magazines aren't immune to my irrational sense of sentimentality. ('Teen magazines from the early '90s? Seriously?) Anything that holds even a hint of nostalgia stays. If it meant something to me at all - even if it was five or twelve or twenty years ago - well then, it's worth keeping.

Now, this particular quirk of mine drives my husband crazy. Chris is neat. Orderly. And, most definitely, a minimalist to his very core. He shreds. He organizes. He cleans. He declutters. He throws away...

And I have to say that I envy him a bit. To him, the past is the past. He doesn't feel the need to hold on to inanimate objects in order to remember a particular occasion or resurrect feelings of a special event. In fact, he doesn't look back much at all. He's a forward thinker, a forward looker and, most importantly, a forward dreamer. In his mind, the past is the past and, since it's already done, why worry or think about it anymore? Sure, he has some fond memories that he enjoys reminiscing about from time to time, and he most certainly appreciates the present moment. But most of the time his attention is turned toward the future. Set in the direction of his dreams, his aspirations.

Personally, I believe that's a smart way to be.

This past week, I've tossed out, donated, and shredded more things than I can count. And with each item that I dislodged from my life, I found myself breathing a little easier. In fact, it was almost like a huge weight had been lifted from not only my chest but from my very soul. With less baggage - physical and mental - I feel lighter, stronger, and more alive and clear minded than I've ever felt before.

I'm learning that decluttering my life is an important process. Clearing out the old makes way for the new. Discarding negative beliefs clears a path for the positive. Making peace with and leaving an unhealthy situation creates room for more uplifting experiences.

And it's funny... The things I thought I couldn't live without? Well, turns out that I can.

Give it a try. Whether it's decluttering the closet, garage, cupboards, or even our minds, we can all benefit from a little deep cleaning.

____________________

"The opposite of simplicity, as I understand it, is not complexity but clutter."
-- Scott Russell Sanders

A Letter of Appreciation

Dear Jamie Oliver,

I used to fear the kitchen. Now I love it.

I used to turn to Subway, Chipotle, Arby's, and other (very) borderline "healthy" fast food restaurants for my meals. Now I turn to your website.

Ingredients like shallots, rosemary, cummin, paprika, chorizo and pancetta used to scare the heck outta me. Now they inspire me.

As a woman who spent her teen years working to help put food on the table but never really quite learned how to cook it, I applaud you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for lighting a fire under not only my grill, but myself as well.

You are a blessing and a half. Mwah!

Very truly yours,
Lisa :)

For this bit of deliciousness, click here. Enjoy!
__________________

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld