Tuesday

Life is a Rollercoaster Ride...

Traveling without a road map...that's what this past year has been. And I've gone off road and off course and off the rails...but I suppose the wonder of being human is that we can heal, we can fix, we can learn and we can change. And make the ride a little bit less bumpy. As the holidays come barreling toward us, I wish you peace, happiness, health and, more than ANYTHING ELSE, I wish you self-love. Without that, it's difficult to feel true love for anyone else. Love and be good, no-be GREAT to yourself and all else will fall where it may...xoxoxo

Monday

It's the Most Wonderful Time...AGAIN!!!!???!!!




SO....it's that time of year again. I was thinking of going for a Danish theme on my tree this year but the offspring practically rioted three years ago when I did a blue, silver and white theme. They like putting their beloved treasures upon the tree. And, as they are my beloved treasures, I shall abide by their wants.

Saturday

More Long Branch Street Art...




More Broadway street art. I always thought I'd love a cool mural in my house, but then I realized you can't take it with you when/if you move. The lesson in THAT, of course, is that everything is temporary and eventually we'll all have to let go of everything we love/admire/cherish. Depressing yet liberating, no?

Thursday

Long Branch NJ Art on the Street...OR Edgy Librarian Photos

I've never been a, well, a girl who follows too many trends. With regard to reading, films, plays, etc. I gravitate toward the original, the different, the outsider effect I suppose it could called. I was lucky enough to recently work with Andrea Phox, photographer extraordinaire, again, using the incredible backdrop of the Long Branch, NJ Broadway arts district. So many talented artists have used the area (soon to be redeveloped) as an enormous gallery.
Please check Andrea's blog out for more AMAZING photos!!! www.blog.andreaphox.com and tell her Tara sent you!!! Enjoy.

http://networkedblogs.com/gcIV0

Saturday

Escape from NJ...








If anything should do a heart good, it would be escaping from this seemingly endless Jersey winter and getting away to Florida for a week. Right? And we had a great time. It was a week of quite good weather (Florida being the only state without snow on the ground), miles of walking each day-which had the benefit of knocking a couple pounds off me-and general escapism. Universal Studios is so much fun. We stayed at the Hard Rock which makes vacationing ridiculously convenient...everything is walkable, unlike the Happiest Place on Earth where transportation is always a concern, and walk we did. I actually got back to the room one night, lay down just to relax for "a minute" and didn't awaken until the next morning. Perfect. I'm a girl who is always on the quest for a good night's sleep. The daughters had a great time. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is amazing...and now I know what Butter Beer tastes like. I hit one of my favorite roller coaster (Dueling Dragons, which pre-dated but is now part of Harry Potter) and got to feel that delicious sensation of being completely out of control and flying through the air. I also got to see my gorgeous cousin and her two daughters, which was SUCH a happy reunion for me. We did have to drive back (1,000 miles) through a wicked ice storm but even that was manageable. SO, with having all that fun and being out in the sun for a week and generally being happy, why do I feel melancholic for things over which I have no control? Yeah, kind of a bummer end to a great time, and I guess leaves things kind of untied, as far as blog posts go, but this is just where I am...kind of down, at least at the moment. xo