Page two: I am just a man.

Meet my narrator:

"My name is Benjamin Button. I am not a knight in shining armor. i am no prince charming. I am just a man, a man with a big heart & a hardy laugh. Adeline tells me that my eyes sparkle when I smile - but she always says that kind of thing. I work hard, I help people when I can and I devote my world to making a happy place for my love to live."

page one: this is a story.

And so begins my storybook. The moral I have decided to teach- courage and perseverance, and- love.

"This is a story about a girl & her shadow. Both of their names were Adeline. Adeline was a happy girl, loved by all for her heart of gold & pearly smile. When she looked at you- your world stood still. & when she touched your arm- you were on fire. This is the story about the love of my life."

Once upon a time.

My dream? I have many: to be a businesswoman, a bride, a marathoner, a mother, a painter, an artist and an author. That last one is what this post is about. I've had it in my head for the last couple of months that I am going to let the world know my name by writing and illustrating my own children story books - a fairy tale, if I may. Today, with the rain patting the skylights at my parents house, I begin. Hopefully you guys can watch my story grow. Hopefully- I can watch my story grow.
Anyway, bon voyage, I'm starting my once upon a time.
Lots of love, always; annebelle

dance.

dancing and flowers. how lovely.
here is a sneak peak into my technique. i do not usually come up with illustrations from my mind, i draw inspiration from favorite photos. and this was a favorite indeed.

hail to the victors valiant

"ohio girl gone Mad." this is the sign that i saw flashing during the first quarter of "the game." but as the daughter of a michigan-bred mother and a wolverine-grad father, i was put in blue on game days and stared at the michigan flag that graces our porch during the football season proudly.

as a friend of mine-cough jeff- SO KINDLY reminded me, it has been 2926 days since michigan came out the winner of this game. but win or lose (and right now theyre winning) im a michigan fan through and through. 

lets go blue!

thanksfilled

happy thanksgiving, to all. and welcome, OFFICIALLY, to the christmas season.

novemberness

fall flowers and fall florals. a lucky girl to have these on my table.

flash flood.

 

 i grew up in the midwest. and ive always been warned by the news about flash floods and severe storms. tonight, i found out why. 


its pouring in oxford. and when i heard rain dropping INSIDE the house.. i had to investigate. it took about two seconds for me to survey the situation.. look at all my wet belongings.. and realize that every single one of my windows and the ceiling were leaking. 


temporary solution: duct tape and kitchen rags. 
keeping it classy, always.

bows&backs

There was a time, about a three month period actually, that i wore a ribbon in my hair every day. because, you know how when youre describing a person to someone, you say a few key characteristics? like "oh, (insert name) she has blonde hair and blue eyes." or "oh, (insert name), she always wears blue!" Well I wanted to be the girl who always wore a red ribbon. for a while, it worked. At the end of my junior year, everyone was describing me at the cafe as the waitress with a ribbon... then i got my haircut. Anyways, these are in memory of the happy days when i could wear a red ribbon every day of my life. 

buenos noches my loves. 

sketching.

  

learning to sketch. these are some of the ones from my notebook. 

cincy classic.

a classic cincinnati couple. helene adkins, a family friend, lost her wedding ring in a lake ninety days after her fairy tale wedding to united states serving husband bill.


they cannot afford another ring on bills military salary. but a fairy godmother (the richter & phillips co.) gave them another chance. "like" this link and make their dreams come true.

jack-oh-lanterns.

we spent our saturday eve carving the most lovely pumpkins. i obviously am the more talented carver (left) but ben's techy pumpkin (right) is a skillfully designed power symbol. 
happy halloween!

butterfly, you float on by

so effortless. beauty transforms to beauty.

taken outside my mothers classroom the last few weeks. i could not pass the chance to put the beauty onto my blog. afterall, i try to catch lifes simple magic. there is nothing more simple or magical than what you see here.

a gift for heaven.

a new angel entered heaven last night.
and it became a brighter place in his company.
sorely missed, but forever loved.
our Ray of sunshine.

birthday magic.

twas the lovely ally's birthday yesterday. a very special occasion indeed!

september breeze.

fell in love last night.. creamy chicken and mushroom fettucini was quite the success. im getting the hang of this learning to cook thing.

but i woke from my perfect evening this morning to a breeze that screams fall is here. labor day marked the end of summer and this is my obligatory "fall" post.

so far, its been the best fall of my twenty one years. hello september, im actually glad to see you.

brother begone..

hillsdale college is located in hillsdale, michigan. it is the home to 1300 undergrads.. one of them, as of yesterday, being my little brother.

my parents celebrated their twelfth of twenty college move-ins yesterday when we dropped him off. it was a beautiful day filled with painters pallet blue skies and crayola crayon green. in fact i was a little jealous as we walked around campus.

in any case.. the family's baby moved in yesterday. to begin life beyond loveland. congratulations!

conch shells and limes

in twenty four hours.
i again grace this beach.
for sand, sunburn, and smiles
happiness awaits.

in these moments.

to practice zen means to realize one's existence
moment after moment,
rather than letting life unravel in regret of the past,
and daydreaming of the future..

to "rest in the present"
is a state of magical simplicity,
although attainment of this state is not as simple as it sounds.

- peter matthiessen, from 'nine-headed dragon river'

t(amino)eddy on the town.

tamino, of cincinnati opera's the magic flute, has been traveling around town this week on his way to premeire at music hall.

what a joy it has been for me to travel with my very grand friend teddy and take photos for our facebook campaign.

it really put a new spin on this classic tale for me. take a look at our facebook page to watch t(amino)eddy make his trip.

i hope to see you at music hall for our last performance of the season.