Holidays = fireworks + food.

I'm on a boat., originally uploaded by victoriashade.

Happy belated 4th of July, U.S.A. citizens (and anyone else who wants to celebrate it)! We kept it quiet by doing lunch with a friend and hanging out at the house. No fireworks, which is a-ok with us since the boy isn't much for crowds and I've seen enough Disney fireworks to make everything else pale in comparison.

This picture is actually from the 4th of July three years ago. Click here from a photo towards the beginning of the evening.

To get a good photo of fireworks, a tripod and a long exposure are the ideal. Well, I was on a boat, and I just had my little Canon point-and-shoot, so that was not happening.

This photo was taken toward the end of the Magic Kingdom's 4th of July fireworks show. Not only were the fireworks set off at the theme park, but they were also set off in the Seven Seas Lagoon in front of MK. It was for this reason that our boat was sitting in Bay Lake, behind the Contemporary and near Wilderness Lodge.

It was a beautiful show and great time spent with friend, but I admit (with bias) that I love IllumiNations more.

My necklace.

My necklace., originally uploaded by victoriashade.

Posting this from my new photo journal. I love the regular Flickr account, but I post a TON of pictures there. So with this new account, I am first going back through my archives and posting only my favorite pictures. Right now I am at the beginning of 2006, and I am aiming to post five pictures every other day. I'm honing my photoshop skills along the way. Once I get caught up to the present, I will then be able to challenge myself by taking new photos (which I'll be doing all the while long, but you get the idea).

I don't think I could ever put it more simply and effectively than to say that this is my necklace. I have an unusual attachment to this piece of jewelry, and in fact regard it less as jewelry and more as a talisman. It was given to me by my mother when I was 13. A couple weeks before, I had discovered a strange lump in my neck, and my doctor decided it should be removed since it was in an unlikely spot for swollen lymph nodes. It was outpatient surgery and my first horrible experience in my life with general anesthesia. We had been driving home when my mom felt compelled to stop at a store to buy this religious relic for me. Thinking back, it's a bit bizarre - we were (and are) not religious people, and I was napping in the back of the car thanks to the aftereffects and medication from the surgery. But she did it, and she purchased me a relic of St. Padre de Pio, who was not actually a saint at that time, having been canonized only just a few years ago in 2002 (on my birthday, as a matter of fact). St. Padre de Pio was famous for experiencing the stigmata on multiple occasions, and in this relic you can see a scrap of fabric that supposedly contains some of his blood from one of these experiences.

My mother, the long since lapsed Catholic, gave this to me. Whether or not you believe in it, someone, somewhere does. That gives it power. For me, the power comes from the fact that my scared mother wanted to give me something that I could hold on to in the face of uncertainty, whether it be medical or whatever else life would throw my way.

I love this necklace. I try not to think about the inevitability of life and how I might lose it someday. It is my most treasured possession, but the fact is we truly possess nothing, not even our bodies. Everything is lent to us and it's up to us to take as good care of everything as we possibly can, but sometimes even that is not enough.

Taken on a Canon PowerShot SD110.

Photo originally taken on December 2, 2005 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Photo posted on June 27, 2009.

Are You The Favorite Person of Anybody?

Wow, how much do I love this short film?

Many thanks to Maggie of Mighty Girl for this.

My requirements for a dog

Rob, that funny husband of mine, seems convinced that I will love a dog. People, I am a cat person. But Rob has had both dogs and cats, and he seems convinced that once we have kids that a family dog will become part of the equation as well. Unfortunately, my history with dogs isn't as positive as his. When I was a kid, I was run down by a labrador. A labrador! Aren't those supposed to be one of the friendlier breeds? And I wasn't doing anything but running around with my friend in her yard. LAME. I also once walked a shih tzu and it randomly went crazy and bit a man who walked past us. Yeesh. So dogs have made me skittish ever since.

If I were to ever have a dog, here are my requirements:

1) I am not afraid of it.
2) The cats rule it and are not made anxious by it.
3) It does not drool.
4) It does not jump on me or other people.
5) It does not shed worse than the cats.
6) It does not bark much.
7) It is trained to understand and respond appropriately to "no, sit, heel," and so on.

It should probably be cuddly and not bony in order to have a better shot at me ever loving it. Unfortunately, Rob wants a big guard dog. That doesn't sound cuddly.

I'll think of more requirements.

My days at Disney.

I worked at Disney as a cast member for 5 years and loved it. I started on the College Program and then transitioned to various seasonal positions. My final position was the best, in my biased opinion - I worked evenings at the Yacht and Beach Club, driving a group around the Epcot canal waterway system to see the Epcot IllumiNations fireworks.

I got my first recommendation on my LinkedIn page. Someone I used to work with at Disney when I was driving the pontoon boats for private parties to see Epcot IllumiNations, said the following:

"I have worked with many different people while at Walt Disney World over the past years. Some very dedicated, and some just looking for a paycheck. Victoria is one of the few who truly believed in the Disney magic and whether on stage or back stage, she was always a positive force. She was always cheerful, bright and very guest orientated. She is an asset to any company that is lucky enough to have her."

I squealed the happiest of squeals when I read that. I will never stop missing Disney, and if the right opportunity ever presented itself, I would return. I miss playing at Disney too - I haven't been in several months.

That will be rectified soon. I sent the boy a Google Calendar invite for a day at Disney next weekend, after we've wound down from Easter weekend.

(Yes, this is how my husband and I roll when it comes to event planning in our marriage - the geeky, organized way.)

I love you.

Last night the boy husband went to see Mamma Mia with me at the local botanical gardens Date Night, even though he detests musicals. Today I got two free magnolia trees that are taller than me, that we drove to our house in a truck that a coworker lent me. Later this week, another coworker who happens to be an expert on landscaping is going to come over and help us decide where to place them and give us ideas for what to do with the rest of the yard. Once we finished hauling the tree home, we hit up the local diner for a late breakfast, then went home to nap. The afternoon was spent lazily putzing around on the computer and watching television. Eventually there was ice cream.

You know what? Life is good.

Matt and Maddy

It's a hazy memory how I stumbled across Matt Logelin's blog, but I am extraordinarily glad that I did. I came across it shortly after his wife, Liz, died a day after giving birth to their first child, Madeline. His writing was so raw and honest, I couldn't help but read it all. And I kept reading. I can't tell you how many posts I've sent to various people for one reason or another, or how many times I've called to Rob from my office shouting, "You have to see this picture of Maddy!"

He recommends that you start here at this post.

In the year since his daughter's birth and his wife's passing, Matt has taken his experiences and found a way to benefit families going through similar situations. He created the Liz Logelin Foundation, and I recommend you check it out.

Once you're worked your way through that, I recommend you skip ahead nearly a year to this post which contains a video of Matt and Maddy during a photo shoot. Beautiful video. The happiness on their faces is exquisite.

I also recommend the video because of the song. Amy Seeley's "Walk To The Park" is my current favorite, soothing me on this rainy day.