An LL Bean Christmas.

We Mainers love our LL Bean. And the flagship store in Freeport? Well, it is totally awesome! I can't believe it has taken me 15+ years to visit it. This series of shops (a village really) is open 24-7 ... year round. And on a recent trip back from Nashua, NH to Bangor, ME ... the kids and I took a break from the highway and shopped at LL for the first time. Good stuff ...

There is a trout pond with live fish!

Stuffed majestic animals everywhere. Museum quality and very educational.

An aquarium where kiddos can get an inside peek of what it looks like to live underwater ...

And Isaac FINALLY got to see what a Grizzly Bear looks like (he has been SO curious about them for a year now) ...

He was mesmerized and quite impressed.

And you could literally hang out here all day. There are two cafes for all your stomach needs ... as well as this (above) "family room" for relaxing, game playing and reading by the fire.

Or one could hang out and read with LL Bear ...

When we were done shopping (for Uncle Jamie, Daddy and Uncle John) ... we were treated to an unexpected and totally "Maine Christmas" treat ... a horse-drawn carriage ride through some of downtown Freeport ... courtesy of LL Bean.

What a great impromptu evening of shopping, learning and enjoying the spirit of Christmas. I highly recommend a stop to downtown Freeport, Maine ... and especially to the LL Bean Flagship store. And if you head another 1.5 hours up Route 95 ... you can pay us a visit as well :)

Oooohhh ... and LL Bean gives free concerts in the summers ... so plan accordingly.

Love,

Jodi & Family

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New Friends that Feel Like They Have Always Been in Our Hearts.

So, a little while back I hosted an Annual Pet Portrait Fundraiser Contest to benefit the Humane Society. It was a wonderful success for both my studio and for the Bangor Animal Shelter. Money was raised, animals were helped, people were proud of their award winning pets ... etc. All good stuff to be sure. BUT, what I didn't expect ... and am forever grateful for ... is the number of amazing people I met while organizing the event and while photographing peoples' pets ... and how many lifelong friends I believe I am now blessed with because of those efforts.

Topping the list of amazing new friends are Robin & John Kingsbury (Miss Robin is pictured below with my kiddos). You may remember seeing their dog Sir PAL (Piss-A-Lot) on my Flickr page. I love these people. Truly. Already. And hopelessly. And they are just as in love with us. How cool is that?

They invited us to their family camp for the 4th of July ... and it was as if I had always been there ... like I grew up knowing the place. Their extended family is so much fun. So loving, welcoming and talented. Robin's Aunt is an incredible artist who has the nerve to suggest that she "is just a nobody". Excuse me?! Well, no one is a "nobody" and I can't think of one other person I know who shares her artistic talent! But that's a Mainer for you ... hardworking, talented people who are more modest than they should be. Anyway, I love her already too. And her husband, Skip ... seen here being goofy :)

The kids had such a great time too! Isaac could barely stay out of the water ... and I caught Meaghan GENUINELY smiling on at least two occassions! And if that weren't enough ... my usually quiet and conservative husband talked up a storm and actually drank 4 beers. I have never seen the man drink more than 1 since he was in high school. So he was quite comfortable.

And it is so easy to be comfortable with these great folks. I love them, love them, love them. Good, good stuff.

And here's the thing ... the world is AWESOME. And I have learned that when I open myself up to the Universe ... am content with myself ... and approach people in an authentic and loving way ... that I found the most AMAZING people to share my life journey with. I can name at least a dozen people that I can call my friends now ... whom I have only known for 2-3 months ... and with whom I have the best times with. No expectations, just enjoying eachother ... endlessly. And I am so happy with it all. (I only hope that I give them all something in return as well ;)

I distinctively remember putting it out to the Universe that I wanted to meet and fall in love with some new friends ... as I was feeling a bit empty from some shallow and sometimes harmful friendships of the past ... and the Universe responded ... bountifully! What a lesson for my kids too --- become your best self --- love with wild abandon --- put all your desires out to the Universe (God/Source/etc) --- then reap the rewards of your love and trust.

Thank you Source! And thank you to all my rock-awesome friends. As Robin said, "There are no coincidences" ... and I am forever thankful that she and I crossed paths at the exact moment in our lives when we were meant to.

Love you all. You know who you are. If you don't --- then I need to remind you how much I love you! Thanks for all the lovin' in return. That is why we are here on earth --- for no other reason than to love one another as best we can.

Rock out the love ...

Jodi & family

For more pics of our fun day on the lake ... see here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thishandmadelife/sets/72157624432962080/

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First GeoCaching Experience. Totally Awesome.

So, I was chillin' on Facebook Monday morning (Memorial Day), when I saw that a local friend of mine posted that she and her family were going GeoCaching for the first time that day. I SO wanted to try it too --- after having learned a bit about it while reading up on Letterboxing over a year ago. The weather was perfect for it ... and we had no plans of any other kind for the day ... so I just downloaded a GPS app for my iPhone, plugged in some coordinates, and headed out to discover hidden treasures throughout Bangor.

I was so surprised by how easy it was to get started. I just searched for local caches on geocaching.com ... downloaded a $2.99 iPhone application ... grabbed some bottled water and my family ... and travelled 3 miles to our first cache site.

We spent an hour searching at our first site ... and though we were glad to have discovered a new park that we had never even known about in our 12+ years of living in the Bangor area ... we never did find the cache! Since then, we have learned a few hints about its locale, and will return to find it before any "muggles" discover the booty!

Our second geocache search (and ultimately our last for the day) was a success! Our GPS brought us to within a 100 foot radius of the stash (located in one of our favorite Bangor parks) and within about 20 min, Halis discovered the stash tucked away in a log. It was super exiting for all of us!

We each took something from the stash, and replaced it with loads of cool goodies for the next person to find. (If you want to GeoCache in Cascade Park, you will find some fun toys, Charlie Brown pinback buttons, bookmarks, etc!).

I SO look forward to finding every stash in our city ... and discovering so many little nooks that we never knew about prior to GeoCaching (which seems to be one of the greatest benefits to this "sport"). What a great way to enjoy the outdoors, do some exploring, role play the whole pirate/Indiana Jones thing a bit, and get some fun booty ... not to mention spend some quality time with your family.

Geocaching is simply awesome. Try it! Maybe we will see you "on the trail"!

Love,

Jodi

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Wordless Wednesday : My Birthday Walk.

Thank you my men ... for an awesome birthday! I love you both so very much. And Daddy, you have such original thoughts ;)

Love,
Jodi/Mama

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Bangor Car Show 2009.

I am having a blast of a time hanging out with my neice and nephew tonight ... (and Isaac of course). We all went to the Bangor Car Show today and I took many many pics of vehicles ... most of which whose names I have no idea of. But the above photo is my favorite ... because I tend to love faces way more than cars.

I will post the rest of the pics tomorrow via Flickr. Will share when done.

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Love,
Jodi

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Swimming is Good. Always & Everywhere.

Isaac, Meaghan and I are so totally in love with the water. Halis says that we would all swim in a puddle if it seemed large enough. I know he is right. We stayed at the coast this weekend - Belfast to be exact. The three of us swam in the hotel pool for hours. Literally. Then, after the 11am checkout, we all headed to the working pier in downtown Belfast to find some shells before heading home. Although I have never seen anyone swim in that area ... and even though we were fully clothed ... the water proved too enticing ... and the three of us jumped in for a swim. Sure - we were stared at by several tourists (especially when Isaac decided to swim naked) - but we loved it. The thing is, I think I am part Mermaid ... and so does Isaac. And I simply can't say no to a good swim. Thank goodness we live in Maine - as there is so much water here :)

More Belfast photos to come.

And stay tuned for a shop giveaway this week!

Love,
Jodi

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Views From the Bangor State Fair 2009 : Part III.

Love,

Jodi

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Views From the Bangor State Fair 2009 : Part II.

Enjoy!

Love,

Jodi

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Views From the Bangor State Fair 2009 : Part I.

Enjoy.

Love,

Jodi

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