It's the Little Things You Do Together

There's this song in the musical "Company" that might be the catchiest thing ever.  Stay with me- I know I'm talking about a musical.  But I'm also talking about Elaine Stritch, and the revival of it where the actress played the triangle... and mostly, I'm talking about those tiny moments in life that make everything worth it.  That laugh with a friend, sibling, parent, significant other, cousin, puppy, whatever.  Those seconds of your day of pure, unadulterated joy.  They are fleeting, and they are wonderful.  Those moments you capture in your brain and keep with you.  The feeling of his hand on yours.  The smell of a rose.  The taste of a particularly well-made meal, or your first meal in hours, or even days.  The cool feeling of a glass of water or a shower after a hot work out, or a sweaty day outside in the heat at work.  Those moments.

Those moments you cherish.  Love them.  Honor them.  Make more of them.

It's those little things that make your world beautiful.  Then, they make the whole world beautiful.

Here are a few captured moments of Danny and I having a silly, fun moment while visiting my family at the beach this summer.  They were taken with my phone in a moderately dark room, so they aren't good quality.  They aren't the most attractive photographs of either one of us, as a matter of fact we look pretty distinctly unattractive in a few.  But, they make me happier than the most photoshopped, angled, styled photo of myself I've seen, because I know what was happening.  We both look joyful, full of an unquestioning felicity that swells my heart every time I look back at them.  

I love this man.

Beach Haven, New Jersey, USA

Photographer Feature: Susan Gayley

  I am a psychology major with a minor in marine science.  I recently did a independent study on psychology as portrayed in photographs, it was specifically on dogs and human relationships.  I am an animal trainer, currently working with dogs, and one day hope to be training marine mammals, like dolphins and whales.  I love taking photographs of animals and capturing those special moments between humans and animals or animals doing cool things and even just being themselves interacting in nature.

 This photo was taken in Sea World Orlando at the Dolphin and Whale show.  

This was the end of the show and each dolphin was doing different trick.

  This photo was taken in Sea World Orlando at the Shamu show.

 This photo was taken in Sea World Orlando at the Shamu Show.  The large killer whale on the left is the mama and the smaller whale on the right is the baby.  This baby was 2 months old and the 16th born in Sea World Orlando.  The spots on the baby killer whales are brown and change to the white when they are 3 months old.

This photo is of my Bichon, Gigi.  

She was very much enjoying the last bits of yogurt from my mom.  

This was taken at a dog show in Flemington, NJ.

  This photo was taken in my parents backyard in Lanoka Harbor, NJ.  

This Rhodesian Ridgeback pup is three months old and enjoying a fun game of Frisbee in the summer.

 This photograph was taken in the Florida Keys.

Orlando, Florida, USA

Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey, USA

Flemington, New Jersey, USA

Things from Long Ago

These photographs were taken at the beach in early September.  I totally forgot that they existed.  

WOW.  

I miss the warm weather.

I miss being able to wear sundresses, and walk on the beach in bare feet.

Right now, I have to walk on the beach in boots and a heavy coat.

Bring on the snow, December.  Bring it on.

Beach Haven, New Jersey, USA

Pinecones and Fuzzies

The colors of fall.  So pretty, so serene.  I'm

These are some photos I've had lying around on my hard drive for forever, so I thought I'd finally share them with all of you!

I'm back in Beach Haven now, working on a Christmas musical!  It feels so great to be singing and acting again.  The holiday spirit has become ingrained in my soul.  

It's marvelous :)

Speaking of which... Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow 'Muricans!

Beach Haven, New Jersey, USA

At Island's End

At the end of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, there is a bird sanctuary.   It's a state park where the birds are free to roam without any human interruption.

During the summer, it is closed off just a few feet down from where the houses end, so that the birds have their privacy.

But, during the fall, many parts of it are open to the public.

The coast line seems to stretch on forever in the distance, broken only by the trees and beach grasses that make up the dunes.

People and their pets were all over the area, enjoying the sunny October afternoon.

A vast number of the people out were fishing.  I almost ran into wire a few times!

Tide pools littered the beach, full of interesting shells and deceased wildlife.

The ocean wrapped around hills on the beach in curves, creating peninsulas where you could walk fifty feet or so out into the middle of the water without getting even your feet wet in the sand.  Couples were all over the place, holding hands, staring warmly at each other.  It was lovely.

The best part though, was when my feet did get wet.  It was almost 65 degrees Farenheit outside- warm for a late fall day, but the water was even warmer!  The cold came when the wind hit my wet ankles.

Seagulls, terns, and sandpipers were everywhere!  But they were much more skittish than on most other beaches, since they weren't accustomed to humans.  It was really hard to get a photograph of them at any kind of close range where they weren't attempting to fly away!

Some of the little tidepools were surrounded by large rocks, which had probably, at one time, been part of jetties.  These rocks had obviously been on the beach for some time.  Barnacles, moss and other sea life coated them, making them green and slimy.

There were shells everywhere too!  Hundreds of them, untouched all summer long.  Shell collecting is really popular on Long Beach Island, and finding shells like moonsnails is really unusual.  I picked up more than thirty just that afternoon!  It was magical.

Even some of the types of shells more commonly seen in the bay were on this beach.

This puppy ran up to me out of seemingly nowhere and jumped into my arms!  It was so cute and sweet, yipping playfully and licking at my face.  I love dogs, and I have never had one, so I cherish moments like that.  Unfortunately, it did have a family who were about one hundred feet away on the other side of the hill.  For a moment there, I thought I had been sent a new friend.

 

All in all, it was a perfect adventure.

Holgate, New Jersey, USA

The Mighty Monarch

Ooh, pretty butterflies on butterfly bushes.  

I definitely walked all over a person's lawn while taking these photos, but this sight was too gorgeous to resist.  Tresspassing has to happen sometimes, when beautiful photos are on the line!

These are definitely old at this point... I took them in mid-September, which doesn't feel like very long ago, but was actually two monthes ago.  Wow, time flies.  This blog is almost a year old!  Ridiculous.

ALSO.  Kudos to all of you who caught the Venture Bros. reference in the title.  I'm so excited for the season 4.5 finale it's preposterous.  For those of you who haven't ever watched the show, check it out.  It's a bit of Adult Swim brilliance wrapped up in more cultural references than South Park and The Simpsons put together.  But, like, seriously.  Venture Bros and Archer on FX have replaced the aforementioned as the funniest shows on TV, in my opinion.  If you value my opinion, you should check them out...

"Butterfly kisses.  I learned them in prison."

Beach Haven, New Jersey, USA