Thursday, January 15, 2009

With the rag top down so my hair can blow......


IMG_2438web, originally uploaded by dodder55.

This is a test



I was looking through some old family photos and wanted to post this one for all my Minnesota crew! I took this photo on a 90 degree, Florida day as the waves cautiously danced around my boys feet. I also posted this photo because I will be visiting a beach near you very soon.
It's gonna feel like the winter monkey is off my back as soon as I hop on that plane. Sniff, sniff....is that salt water I smell?

Hey, at least the sun is out today!

Peace,
BD

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Pumped Up!



The title of today's post is completely unrelated to the recent news about Roger Clemens once again denying any relationship with performance-enhancing drugs. On a much lighter side, I experienced 2 things today that rocked my world!
1. Shannon's HOMEMADE Chicken Noodle Soup
2. that Shannon had opened the BIG bag of Skittles that Santa brought for WAY BACK on Christmas Eve!

I've been sick (flu-like symptoms) since Saturday evening and my stomach's security entourage (my nose) has pushed away any foods that have attempted to entice my tumtum. The thought of eating some hearty meal makes me gag. 2 days ago, my lovely wife stopped at the supermarket to pick up some canned soup (brand to remain nameless) in hopes that 16 oz. of chicken broth, 5 chicken chunks, 33 1/2 noodles and 3 orange specks (aka: carrots) might provide some much needed nutrients into my system.

Well, I tried to slowly sip away at the broth, giving time to the "other" ingredients to dissolve in my mouth. Shannon gets an A for effort however she gets an A+ for pulling out her homemade Chicken Soup from the deep freeze yesterday. Yes, my appetite is slowly coming back but oh if I could have had Shan's soup 2 days instead of that canned stuff.

Also, this afternoon after spending some much needed time on the computer I stopped by our pantry in hopes that a treat might fall from the shelves. After doing a Spearmint Gum double take, I noticed that the hugmongous (sp) bag of Skittles had FINALLY been opened. See, I've been waiting for that bag to open since Christmas Day.... Hope you are having a great day!

Just a photo to share with you my Skittle Bliss!!! Trust me, this is better then seeing the rainbow of colors that I made in my mouth by chewing up 76 skittles at one time.

Peace,
BD

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Friday, January 09, 2009

I'm a cookie, your a cookie, wouldn't you like to be a cookie too?



All of this while making and arranging cookies today....Here is some BD random thoughts that often tend to float through this brain of mine. I often wonder how I sleep at night? I just posted this over on my Facebook page (if you aren't a friend of mine over there...get on it...I'd love to add you) and thought it was worthy of sharing with all of you as well......

I'm thinking pretty deep on this but that's often where my mind has been going lately. As I was scooping the cookie dough from the bowl to place on the plate i realized that i was never able to duplicate a scoop of dough as it headed for the cookie sheet. Much similar to the way in each we were all created differently and uniquely. The "amazingness" of our Creator.
The real mental processing came about as I removed the baked cookies from the sheet to place them on a rack to cool and take shape. Some of the cookies stood firm on the rack, others just looked as if they were sitting on the cushions of a 30 yr old couch. Their shape took to the cooling rack as if they were part of the rack. How often do we become part of society? How often to we stand firm in our beliefs and not allow the cooling rack to mold us into something that we're not.
Finally, I began to place the final product (warm but cooled cookies) on a serving plate. Being that I'm a photographer and being that this might possibly be the first time I've made cookies by myself (actually my boys helped) I arranged each cookie on a serving plate in anticipation for THEIR big photo shoot. The criteria by which i used to place each individual cookie on the platter was as follows....
size
number of chocolate chips per cookie
shape of this delicious treat
and most importantly, appearance

I arranged the platter to only discover my "dislikings" for some of the cookies because of their defined differences from the rest of the platter. It was at that very moment that challenged my thinking around how I look at other odd shaped, not so perfectly formed cookies in our world. Do i dismiss them and not give them a chance to be in the photo or do I embrace them and point them front and center? How would I arrange myself on a platter? There might be certain days where I would allow others to move me to the bottom of the platter, hoping to not expose my inadequate characteristics or look, yet there are days where i stand firm and confident wanting to be front and center. How often do we hide behind the strong, how often do we allow ourselves to be controlled by the controllers, how often do we allow our negative self inflicted emotions to nudge us to the bottom. If we are to, "love others as ourselves," how does that influence how we arrange a plate of cookies. More importantly, how does that encourage us how we look at our world and those that live within this world. Do you love yourself? Are you proud of who you are? Do you take joy in knowing that you are different then others? Or, do you find yourself becoming someone that others might want you to be? Do you find yourself having internal confidential conversations with yourself that find you wrestling in your identity?
Yes, random thoughts and maybe a little all over the place. Yet, all of this from making cookies today.....how do you look at life?

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Sneak Peek!!! / Edina Family Photographer





TO VIEW YOUR SLIDESHOW CLICK HERE, ENJOY!

I'm not sure if many of you know but I'm an IOWA boy. I spent 21 years being raised on corn, beef and frozen grapes (not really an IA thing but it's true). Now that I live in Minnesota it's somewhat rare to run across another fellow Iowan. Even more rare in the land of 10k lakes is to meet someone that also attended the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). This morning I had a killer breakfast, had some time with my boys and what...met another proud Iowan and UNI'er. I say Bender, you say Dancer...I say Hudson, you say University (dorms and roads surrounding UNI-land). After our short time traveling down reminiscing lane we got to business and started taking some photos. Thanks K family for allowing me to share in taking some portraits of your precious little boys. Here is a sneak peek of our time together this morning. Have a great night!

Peace,
BD

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Saturday, January 03, 2009

Santa DID come in '08



Sutton leaving Santa a little treat on the back of his suit



Shaeffer chanting "BIG ONE, BIG ONE" in his little 2 yr old voice....Precious!


I'm a tad behind on posting the recap of the Dodds Family Christmas. I'm aware that the suspense has probably killed a couple of you off by now. I fully understand that seeing a plate of cookies, a glass of Vitamin D milk, clementines and a couple snacks for the reindeer left you to wonder whether or not the big guy made a stop on Riverside. Well he did and the excitement was extremely hard to contain. Pictures truly don't do the "excitement" justice. Sutton & Shaeffer had a challenge catching their routine nights sleep on Christmas Eve due to the wonder around what was about to happen in their living room. Santa definitely delivered a "perma-smile" on the boys faces much to our surprise. Here are just a couple photos I grabbed while enjoying watching S&S fall deeper into magic of Mr. Claus. Oh to be a kid again!!

Peace,
BD

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