Vignettes by Monique

believe

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:24:00 +0000

West Sonoma County Sunset #3 Completion of my 365 Project 07.04.09

West Sonoma County Sunset #2 07.04.09

West Sonoma County Sunset #1 07.04.09

My hometown fans 07.03.09

Pool Play 07.03.09

Arcade Games 07.02.09

Swinging in the sky 07.02.09

Attack of the killer dinosaur 07.01.09

Restful place 06.30.09

Desert hillside 06.30.09

Palm leaf 06.29.09

Gate 06.29.09

Palms and Palm Springs Mountains 06.28.09

Take a look at yourself in the mirror, who do you see looking back?

Is it the person you want to be? Or is there someone else you were meant to be, the person you should have been but fell short of.

Is someone telling you that you can't or you won't?..... Because you can.

Believe that love is out there; believe that dreams come true everyday, because they do.

Sometimes happiness doesn't come from money or fame or power. Sometimes happiness comes from good friends and family, and from the quiet nobility of leading a good life.

Believe that dreams come true everyday, because they do.

So take a look in that mirror and remind yourself to be happy, because you deserve to be….Believe that. And believe that dreams come true everyday....because they do.

This post completes my year long journey to take at least one photo a day for an entire year. I started with a sunrise on 07.04.08 and one year later I ended with a poetic nod to my humble start with a sunset on 07.04.09. Both taken only about 2 miles from each other, one year and a few hours apart. Time really does fly!!!!

More than 650 posted photos, more than 16,000 edited or unedited photos in on my computer. 55 posts on blogspot, millions of words of encouragement, endless support from my son, husband, parents, siblings, beloved family and wonderful friends.

In November of last year I posted this quote with some of my photos and it really sums up the way I feel about my efforts, “There is nothing brilliant or outstanding in my record, except perhaps this one thing. I do the things I believe ought to be done. And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act.”- - Theodore Roosevelt

Many people ask if I am going to continue, yes, but not on a daily basis, but I am going to continue to share some beautiful views and some lovely words, as well as some other things that are dear to me or catch my eye. So Stay Tuned!

So thank you to all of you for coming along on this journey, I could not have done it without all of you.

-Monique Jervan

Additionally, a super huge thanks to my mom for being my cheerleader each step of this journey. Those that know her, know she is the best, those that have not had the opportunity to meet her....are just plain missing out!

the wish... do you have one

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:08:00 +0000

What 100 degree heat looks like 06.27.09

unique grass 06.26.09

Kisses that catch my eye 06.25.09

Lakeside 06.24.09

eye for art 06.23.09

Tie Dyed Neighbors 06.22.09

HBG Pickles, so yummy 06.21.09

Name a wish,
Place it in your heart.
Anything you want,
Everything you want.

Do you have it?
Good.

Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle can come from, the next smile, the next wish come true.

But if you believe that it is right around the corner. And you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the serenity of it.

You just may get the thing you are wishing for. The world is full of magic, you just have to believe it.

So make your wish.
Do you have it?
Good.
Now believe in it with all you heart.

Thank you all for being here as my wish is about to come true. The above was a voiceover on OTH and the words just kind of ring true to me.

Enjoy the view!

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

anything can be

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:32:00 +0000

Wheel 06.20.09

Sunshine Country Day 06.19.09

Wine Glass 06.18.09

Water on the Window 06.17.09

Garden Sunlight 06.1.09

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child, listen to the DON'TS

Listen to the SHOULDN'TS, the IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS

Listen to the NEVER HAVES, Then listen close to me--

Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be.

- Shel Silverstein

what you see

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:09:00 +0000

Sailboat 06.15.09

Queen Palm Leaf 06.14.09

Distant SFO Airport 06.13.09

Structure and Sky 06.12.09

Roadside Beauty 06.11.09

Blue Door and Handle 06.10.09

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. - Henry David Thoreau

Wow, do I love that statement, because as I approach the end of my goal of "one photo a day for a year", I feel like I am looking at the same things, but this reminded me I may be looking at the same things, but I am seeing them differently. It made me feel so inspired.

Because I am nearing the end of this goal, will I end it? Most days I will say it will change slightly and that is all I will say. You have to stay tuned to find out. And I have about 20 days to figure it out.......... enjoy the view.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

Can we talk?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:35:00 +0000

Bubble Time 06.09.09

Waterdrops on garden lilly 06.08.09

Leaves on fence 06.07.09

Traffic lights 06.06.09

What is in there? 06.05.09

Moon 06.04.09

Sonoma Ridge 06.03.09

Mom's view 06.02.09

Garden view 06.01.09

Toys 06.31.09

Wall of Water 05.30.09

Clapping Seal 05.29.09

Talk about getting old. I was getting dressed and a peeping tom looked in the window, took a look and pulled down the shade.—Joan Rivers

I was kind of feeling my age today, when I started to write my blog, cool cloudy day, moving slowly, hearing the echo of my 6 year old telling everyone mommy is 42 and going to be 43. I started my usual search for quotes and this one made me laugh out loud.

Laughter is so good for the soul! Enjoy the week.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

life

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:40:00 +0000

Sunflower 05.28.09

Beer Bikes 05.27.09

Kelly's Farm 05.26.09

Swim Lane 05.25.09

Bike Lane 05.24.09

Jessica's Big Day 05.23.09

... we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really.

How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. perhaps not even that.

How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems limitless.
- Paul Bowles

the climb

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:01:00 +0000

Ball Jar 05.22.09

Iris 05.21.09

Lounging 05.20.09

Rewoods 05.19.09

MPH 05.18.09

Baseball Directions 05.17.09

Vista View 05.16.09

Birds's eye view 05.15.09

Angle in the sky 05.14.09

There's always going to be another mountain,
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's The Climb--
The Climb Lyrics by Jessi Leigh Alexander & Jon Clifton Mabe

doors

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Fulton Road Tower 05.13.09

Keys 05.12.09

Palms 05.11.09

Backstop Boys 05.10.09

UC Berkeley 05.09.09

Pimm's #1 05.08.09

Tennis Anyone? 05.07.09

Graton Vineyard 05.06.09

There are things that are known and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.- William Blake

Here's to all the doors that will be opened today and everyday in all our lives.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

Also if you are interested I started a new project, I guess because one project was not enough, the Sonoma County 12 of 12, you can find us on Flickr, we, each member of the our group are attempting each to take 12 photos on the 12th day of each month for an entire year.

If you are local to Sonoma County please feel free to join or contact me and I can explain more. Here is our link. http://www.flickr.com/groups/sonomacounty12/http://www.flickr.com/groups/sonomacounty12/

action

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:24:00 +0000

Last of the storm 05.05.09

2nd and Main 05.04.09

Zito Pitch 05.03.09

Hot Water 05.02.09

Pink Geranium 05.01.09

Plans 04.30.09

Night Game 04.29.09

Shop 04.28.09

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. - Frank Tibolt

Hard to believe that I have less than 2 months before this project is complete. I love the variety that I have posted this week, it is always fun to look back at entire week and see the images I have found.

Enjoy the views!

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:57:00 +0000

Wheel 04.27.09

Rusty old bike 04.26.09

More than 99 bottles 04.25.09

Set of surfboards 04.24.09

In and Out Burger 04.23.09

Matthew 04.22.09

Horseshoes 04.21.09

In thinking about my blog this week, I started thinking about what quote may have stood out to me, the only one I could remember this week, was from a former teen drama, “ I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry”. It stood out to me, since that was the kind of week I had been having, after having to cancel a trip to Mexico over this swine flu going on in Mexico. Seriously it is a bit crazy. And I hate that I am not going to see my friend whom I was meeting in Mexico.

Feeling that it was not the best quote for this blog, I simply typed in to the Yahoo search engine “best quotes ever”. I clicked on the first entry and here are the first ten I read.

You can do anything, but not everything. —David Allen

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least. —Unknown Author

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. —Wayne Gretzky

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. —Ambrose Redmoon

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. —Gandhi

When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean. —Lin-Chi

The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking. —A. A. Milne

To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.
—Abraham Maslow

We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. —Aristotle

Not sure if they are the best quotes ever, but I do like them. Here is the link to the remaining 50 since they were listed as the 60 best quotes ever. http://litemind.com/best-famous-quotes/

Hope you are all having a great week.

-Monique

everything has beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:07:00 +0000

Our Sun Man 04.20.09

Solar Light on Fence 04.19.09

Lil' Smoke #14 04.18.09

Japanese Maple Leaves 04.17.09

Curly 04.16.09

Purple people pleasers 04.15.09

Water Tower at Sunset 04.14.09

Swim Toys 04.13.09

Oak Branch 04.12.09

Light Source 04.11.09

East Bay Drive 04.10.09

Pink Petals 04.09.09

Waiting for a ballgame 04.08.09

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

"Keep your faith in all beautiful things; in the sun when it is hidden, in the Spring when it is gone."- Roy R. Gilson

"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes." - Frank Lloyd Wright

"To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

chase the dream, not the competition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:32:00 +0000

I love baseball, truly, madly, deeply love baseball!

When I was a little kid, I can remember being in the family room with the A’s on TV, I think it must have been when Reggie Jackson was on the team and they were in the playoffs. I remember it was exciting and then it was over, so it must have been at the end of the season. Like I said I was little, so I guess I just moved on to whatever was next and never gave it another thought.

My next experience was at a San Francisco Giants game, no longer a kid, my dad coaxed us into the car and said “let’s go to the game”, I figured how bad could it be, there would be sunshine and I was sure there might be ice cream, so I was in. It must have been 1993, they had this new guy on the team named Bonds, and these other guys Williams (he quickly became my personal favorite at the time), Clark, Thompson, Clayton and Lewis to mention a few. I don’t remember who they played, I think the team wore Red (being new to this, I did not know I needed to know all this stuff). The Giants were down in the game and this Bonds guy came up to plate and hit a home run, THE ENTIRE PLACE WENT NUTS! All I can remember thinking is, “Why have I not been to a baseball game before?” I was hooked!!!!

That day began my love for all things baseball. I love the numbers, coming from behind to win, a pitchers duel, hitting streaks and even losing a close one. It's baseball, sometimes it is very pretty and some days it can be downright ugly.

I was walking around the park on opening night last week and I saw this quote on the wall, it said the following about baseball:

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. ~A. Bartlett Giamatti

As a lover of all things Spring, Summer and Fall, I could not agree more. I am always sad at the end of the season. For me it means the dreaded winter is coming and the boys of summer have gone. Talk radio becomes boring to me, I mean do they need to talk about Football that much, if it was so great they need to play it more than once a week. They need day/night double headers, long road trips, umpires with changing strike zones, training camp where everyone shows up, rain delays and a day where every player in the league wears the same number (much like MLB did on 4/15/09 to honor Jackie Robinson). I would love to see a bunch of #42 running around and the QB trying to figure out who is who. That is a game I would watch. How about it you new coach guy for SF?

Back to my beloved baseball, about a month after the season ends, I feel like Rogers Hornsby when he said, “People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” I do that, I have a huge picture window in my office and I often look out into the rain, counting the days till pitchers and catchers report.

During opening week, you see the dream of as the long baseball season come into view. Let’s all sit back and enjoy the view of our favorite pastime. We will win some, we will lose some. But we always remember that we “Chase the Dream, Not the Competition!”

Here are my opening night views and snaps! (all photos taken 04.08.09)

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

PS—As some of you know I have been doing some volunteer work with the San Francisco Giants Community Fund and the Jr. Giants Program for the past 4 years. One of my favorite activities is the Jr. Giants Glove Drive.

There are thousands of kids in the program that cannot afford a baseball glove, on May 16th, before the game vs. the NY Mets, a large group of us will be collecting donated gloves or $10 donations. If you can make it out to the game please help the kids out! If you cannot make it out, but want to contribute contact me. I would be happy to give you the information as to where to send your contribution. GO GIANTS!

Just say "NO" to rational hesitation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Poppies on the track 04.07.09

House of Books 04.06.09

Door Knob 04.06.09

Healdsburg Home 04.06.09

Colorful Shack 04.05.09

West Olivet Crossroads 04.04.09

Tall Gate 04.04.09

West Olivet Vineyard 04.04.09

Poppy field 04.03.09

Pretty in Pink 04.02.09

Passing time 04.01.09

So things have been crazy these past few weeks, but I did have this strange aha moment in the ER while I was sitting with Hubs. I was sitting there drinking my Grande Non Fat No Foam Latte (yes I am one of those that has a few requests for my cup of coffee), thinking it would be a long night. I had run out things to read, those hospital warnings signs can only take a girl so far. I looked at my coffee cup and there it was "The way I see it #76", the words of Anne Morriss

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life”

Wow, Ms. Morris is so right about being committed to something; our heads are sometimes the barrier to our own lives. I just love the "rational hesitation" line because we have all done that at times. So let’s not do that anymore. Okay? and thank you to Ms. Morriss for sharing her wisdom.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

PS I do have to say, this is one of my favorite times year, I think it must be the sunshine and all the baseball. My next post will have some of that. Stay Tuned!

just say "NO" to rational hesitation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:29:00 +0000

a view like no other

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:16:00 +0000

Get Well Soon 03.31.09

Healing Garden 03.30.09

Wheel of lights 03.29.09

Visitor 03.28.09

Helipad takeoff 03.27.09

Gauge 03.26.09

Pain Scale 03.25.09

How it all began 03.24.09

Sunset Barn 03.23.09

Sunshine Yellow 03.22.09

Looking out of a hospital window is different from looking out of any other. Somehow you do not see outside. - Carol Matthau

As some of you know my Hubs was just in the hospital for 8 days, battling a staph infection, we have no answers for where it came from, we just had to spring to action to MAKE IT GO AWAY! He is home now and life is slowly getting back to normal… slowly…normal… I like how that sounds.

I’m looking at these photos I am posting and it is funny how many of them I just do not recall even being REALLY present for. I remember them, but I had so much more on my mind at the moment. But I am proud to say I did stay on track, when I could have easily slipped. But during his naps or long walks to the cafeteria, I was able to still see some things, small, but they still caught my eye.

If you look at the date, you can see I have less than 100 days left for this project. I had actually planned on being in Arizona when starting my last 100 days countdown, but life had other plans. I am thankful those plans included seeing Hubs feeling better.

Here are my photos for the past several days.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

PS- I was driving home one night from the hospital and I drove by this carnival, I pulled over to capture a few images, it was so surreal, people having fun, lights blinking about and me in an exhausted state. Very strange moment!

influences

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Historic 03.21.09

Palm 03.21.09

Fence and Field 03.19.09

Hinge 03.19.09

Air Tower 03.18.09

Red leaves 03.17.09

Palm Leaves 03.16.09

Vines on Brick 03.15.09

Petaluma Farm 03.15.09

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influences of each.-- "Henry David Thoreau

fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:07:00 +0000

Purple Flowers 03.14.09

Creek Crossing 03.13.09

San Francisco Color 03.12.09

Wedding Model 03.12.09

Hotel La Rose 03.11.09

Free Taste 03.11.09

Sunset Rider 03.09.09

Distant Moon 03.09.09

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” -- Coco Chanel

lather.rinse.repeat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:28:00 +0000

Backyard Primrose 03.08.09

Fence 03.07.09

Guitar Strings 03.06.09

Wood Road Tree 03.05.09

Occidental Road Barn 03.04.09

Books Shelf 03.03.09

Morning Waterdrops 03.02.09

Wine Bottles 03.01.09

We sometimes find what inspires us in the strangest places, this week while battling a bout of the flu; I found mine on a bottle of shower gel.

Feeling rather lousy after a week of the flu, looking for a little rejuvenation, I reached for my favorite shower gel, Philosophy Empower Mint and was reminded of how important daily rituals are where it shares this message:

empowermint

philosophy: become invisible. require no applause. never show off. no people pleasing. take your directives from above, not below. be accountable for your mistakes. consider integrity and perseverance the keys to your success. strive to act on the higher good of yourself and others. most importantly of all understand the value of daily rituals… wake-up, say a prayer of gratitude, potty, brush you teeth, work-out or work-in, breakfast, shower, prepare yourself, prepare your children, and begin the most important day of your life, daily rituals are as important as daily prayers, when we lose them we lose our empowerment and in time we lose our way.

Have an amazing week.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

the purge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Last Chance 02.28.09

1st Skate 02.27.09

Warning 02.26.09

Pump it Up Adventure 02.25.09

Dreaming of Spring 02.24.09

Tire Reflection 02.23.09

Rainy Day 02.22.09

Tube Rider 02.21.09

“The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing” – Oscar Wilde

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.” – Albert Einstein

“Some people are like Slinkies - not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.” – Anonymous

“There are two types of people - those who come into a room and say, "Well, here I am!" and those who come in and say, "Ah, there you are."” – Frederick Collins

“Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.”—Barry Switzer

My selected quotes may tell you a bit about the kind of week I have been having. Dealing with very frustrating people and situations, it can be amazing to watch people be so selfish or self-centered. So as I post this, I hope to purge the garbage I am dealing with at the same time. I hope for better days.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

listen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Fence at dusk 02.20.09

Sunset over Santa Rosa 02.19.09

Spring Blossom 02.18.09

Oil and Water 02.17.09

Captain Matthew 02.16.09

Lockers 02.15.09

“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.”

Don't stop believin'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:17:00 +0000

Bike Rack 02.14.09

Class Buddies 02.13.09

Flowers 02.12.09

2225 Mailbox 02.11.09

Zito Ball 02.10.09

#3 02.09.09

Some will win, some will lose,
Some were born to sing the blues.
The movie never ends, it goes on and on and on and on
-- lyrics from Journey's "Don't stop believin' "

The lurker

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:49:00 +0000

Blossom 02.08.09

Power Lines 02.07.09

Mustard Field with Trees 02.06.09

Thorn 02.05.09

Parking Spot 02.04.09

Fence 02.03.09

When you start a blog like this, you always know that not only your friends and family are checking it out, but it is open to the world to see.

I use some great tracking software, just because while doing this project I wanted to also learn some interesting stuff about unique visitors, length of visits, what photos people are looking (clicking on), etc.

It also tells me where visitors are coming from, which I find very cool. I have visitors from all over the world. The UK, Norway, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Australia, Romania, Greece, Japan, Mexico, India and of course here in the US. I can tell how people find me, perhaps is following a link from BlogSpot or LinkedIn or if they Google my name.

I can also see what kinds of browsers they use and what kind of connection speed they have, DSL, Cable even dial up (sorry my photos are so big, that must feel painful waiting for those to load, but I thank you so much for being a part of this journey).

I check these on a daily basis part of making sure this project is moving along and the site is working. But I have seen this funny, as in intriguing, pattern with one of my visitors.

I have a lurker!

What is a lurker? They are a person who does not want to say who they are, but wants to hide in the background. For an accurate official description see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lurker

Well in this day and age there is no hiding. So here is what I can tell you about my lurker.

They often Google my name to find my site. I guess they have not figured this whole bookmarking thing out, oh how fun it would be to have a browser that was not full of bookmarks
They have a cable connection (Which I have questions about, do they like cable more than DSL and how is that working out for you?)
They live in area of Petaluma, CA, which is about a stones throw from where I dwell
They lurk often, which I find funny. I have 4 peeps in Petaluma and I speak to them on a regular basis, so it is not them.

What is a person to do with a lurker? Do they not know they can join the party and do not have to hide in the corner? They come so often, it feels rude to ignore them. It’s is like they are coming to my home and not saying hello to the host.

Like they say “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” And with new my software updates are coming soon I may soon know even more about you.

So please lurker person, say hello, you can do, I know you can. This could be the beginning of a great friendship, if I only knew who you were.

Allow me to start, my name is Monique and this is my blog, come on in, you may recognize the view but let me show you around a bit, it is really fun here.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:05:00 +0000

Hot Air Balloon Monday 02.02.09

Business Park Reflections 02.01.09

Bedtime Boy 01.31.09

Gazebo 01.30.09

Bike 01.29.09

Red Lantern 01.28.09

Hooks 01.27.09

Mendocino Ave 01.26.09

Grain Window 01.25.09

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. -- Scott Adams

This post takes me thru day 214. I attempted to focus on things that seemed a little more random, not as organic as I have usually seen on a daily basis. More of a focus on reflection, angle, lines, etc. Of course I could not resist that smiling face as he was getting ready for bed.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

true talents

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Pink Beauty 1.24.09

Puddles Reflection 1.23.09

Someone to watch over me 1.22.09

Umbrella 1.21.09

Barlow Lane 1.20.09

Mendocino Ave 1.19.09

Geyserville Landscape 1.18.09

Bike @ Sunset 1.17.09

I have been following a fellow blogger Brett on a photo journey on his way to turning 42. He has put together an amazing, amazing set of photographs. He will reach his goal this month on the 14th. I would suggest checking them out on a daily basis. He is amazingly talented and inspires me to keep going on my own journey. Here is his link.

http://365to42.blogspot.com/

Earlier this week he posted this list and I wanted to share it with everyone that checks in on my blog.

Daily Reminders

1. There are at least two people in this world who you would die for
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t like you
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep
6. You mean the world to someone
7. You are special and unique
8. Someone that you don’t even know exists loves you
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it
10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look
11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude comments.

I also wanted to share a really great video, just one of those great feel good stories about another talent that amazed all those that witnessed it. Here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZJhfP50bxE

Or Click below for the video.

Hope you are all having an exceptional week.

Monique Jervan-Chilton

219-211.8

daydreaming

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:51:00 +0000

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.-Edgar Allan Poe

Monday January 19th marked a 200th day of my photo posts for this blog.

This quote struck me that those “who dream by day are cognizant of many things”, when I used to think about this project in my dreams it was a much different dream. It was one of just pretty visions that pass by my eyes on a daily basis. But I have become aware that is has become so much more as I live this dream each day.

My awareness about how much discipline and effort it takes has surprised me, how you have to remain committed to your vision, your promise, your dreams. How you have to be accountable to the pledge you make to yourself to stick to your idea. That if you really want something, I mean really, really want something, it is possible but it may not come easy or without effort. The effort is worth the reward.

In my very first trip to Eiffel Tower, I took the stairs, because I believed that if I were to take each step one at a time, it would make the view so much sweeter once I got to my vantage point. Anyone can take the elevator to see the view, but when you have to exert effort in the climb, it is then that you truly can take in the view, because you have also taken in so much on the journey.

I am a daydreamer, this is a great dream.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton