life is full of phases. as we leave one part of ourselves behind, we develop something new. as this year comes to a close, i reflect on where i have been and where i am going. i can’t wait to see what’s in store for me. i’m growing in new ways. and allowing myself to choose my destiny. instead of doing what is expected, i’m deciding what path to take. i can’t wait for january. don’t get me wrong, i want to savor this time and the holidays, but i’m ready to embrace a whole new future.

“Manhattan was invented in the late 19th century when socialite Jenny Jerome asked a bartender to mix a special cocktail for elected Governor of New York, Samuel J. Tilden at the Manhattan Club in New York City. And the cocktail was named after the bar.”

Sipping this cocktail with historic roots makes me feel so grown up and connected with the past. My preference is to not have it in a cocktail glass, but on the rocks. cocktail glasses seem too snooty.

So next time you want to order a drink for me… get this lady a manhattan on the rocks.

There have been so many thoughts swirling through my head these days. With the day-to-day complications of life, it’s a wonder that I keep rising again each day to do it all over. I wonder what it’s going to take to hit a breaking point, but so far, I just keep taking it. I’m strong. Is it egotistical to think of myself as one of the strongest people I know? Can I be my own hero?

Not many people know the struggles that I have overcome, but I am a tough cookie. When people look upon me with sympathetic eyes, I get angry. I don’t want people to pity me. I just want people to realize that if I have the courage to keep going, anyone can do it. I’m a confident, strong woman. I have an amazing capacity to love. Through all of the heartache and complications of relationships, I continually forgive and continue to love.

Wait scratch all of that… do I want people to know that I’m a giant marshmallow? Isn’t it better for them to see my cool, calm exterior and assume I’m a bitch? Perhaps that way they won’t get too close and I won’t get hurt…

The Danish architect of the iconic Sydney Opera House, Jorn Utzon, has died at the age of 90, after suffering a heart attack.

Mr Utzon, an award-winning architect, put “Denmark on the world map with his great talent,” said Danish Culture Minister Carina Christensen.

Having won a competition in 1957 to design the building, he left the project before it opened in 1973.

Mr Utzon never visited the completed landmark, after disputes about costs.

He had quarrelled with the Australian client and the costs overran by 1,000%.

Even decades later he declined invitations to return to Australia, but did design, with his son, a new wing which opened in 2006.

In 1998 he told Associated Press news agency: “It’s part of education - I can’t be bitter about anything in life.”

Most of the interior of the opera house was not completed according to his plans after government-appointed architects took over the job.

The Sydney Opera House planned to dim the lights on the sail-shaped roof on Sunday to mark Mr Utzon’s death.

The chairman of Sydney Opera House Trust, Kim Williams, said: “Jorn Utzon was an architectural and creative genius who gave Australia and the world a great gift.

“Sydney Opera House is core to our national cultural identity and a source of great pride to all Australians. It has become the most globally recognised symbol of our country.”

Mr Utzon also designed the National Assembly of Kuwait and several prominent buildings in Denmark.

Danish Minister of Culture Carina Christensen paid tribute to him, saying: “Jorn Utzon will be remembered as one of the Danes who in the 20th century put Denmark on the world map with his great talent.”

Mr Utzon won several international awards, including the Alvar Aalto Medal for architecture and France’s Legion of Honour.

In 2003 he won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize for his design of the opera house.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7757042.stm

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i have always wanted to visit the sydney opera house. the architecture is unique and i’m sure breathtaking once viewed on the large scale.

My life is changing… The past few years have been a departure from my dreams. I strayed from my goals. I allowed other people to lure me, push me and try to get me to conform to societies standards. Some of these people I trusted with my life’s choices and they led me down the wrong path.

Today I have registered for classes to finalize my degree in interior architecture and design. This is a huge step in getting back on track. I am living life for me and am willing to accept whatever comes my way. I cannot believe that I will be moving to San Francisco in two months. I am ready for this new adventure.

Be gentle with my fragile heart
It’s cracked and scarred from years of misuse
Those missing sections you see are where people ripped pieces away
Discarding them as they left
It’s been battered and bruised.

My heart is beginning to heal.
There are band-aids on the cuts
My beat is stronger, brighter
It’s confident and controlled
Just please be careful with my heart as it continues to grow.

RAWRRRRRRRR… i’m gonna get you.

i remember going to the pumpkin patch as a kid. this is my brother (far right), my grandmother (far left) and me. i don’t think i liked the hay poking me.

jamie-a-gogo is ready for action.

every once in a while i need a reminder.

I sat quietly reading my book when an ocean sized love came on my ipod… I was instantly hypnotized. Mesmerized by the vision that came to me.

I was standing in a grassy field, the wind blowing. Each side of my hair pinned loosely together in the back. The rest was messy long loose curls. I was in a flowy white dress. The sun was shining down with few clouds in the sky. I looked around my new surroundings and there he stood a short distance away. A smile crept over my face for I knew what this was… I was here to be wed. No one else was around except for him and the minister. I walked towards him. Looked deep into his piercing eyes. And there before God we spoke to one another. Made our lifelong promises.

When I came out of my daze, it was then that I recognized his face. I knew that this was how it was supposed to be. Just the two of us in a grassy field the wind blowing and sun shining.

(i found this from last summer and things are coming into focus.)