I am from the strawberry patch in the front yard

and the raspberry bush 20 feet over.

I am from the river in the woods when it rains,

from the half finished fort in the back and the pain it took to get it there.

I am from the wrestling ring in the dungeon and the Big Show on Thursday nights.

I'm made up of my memories and experiences because they are what make me who I am.

Poem I wrote for the "Where I'm From" assignment in english.

I got a new haircut (bangs! or side bangs, I can do either now) so I decided to just take a picture of me today. :)

it's not too late to pay homage to my country's independence day.

I do love being brazilian.

I'll be back with new pictures really soon. Sorry I haven't had the proper time to see your photos.

Yes, things are bigger in Texas!! Goodness they have pies...Pecan, Lemon Chess, Apple, Blueberry, Blackberry, Macaroon, Strawberry, Peach & my personal fave: Buttermilk Pie!

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

---- Dr. Seuss

I'm from Earth. North American

my hometown

the last time i was at the top of this monument, i was four years old; i really don't remember that trip.

i lived in bennington until i was 17, and it took a trip for a class reunion (15th, to be precise) for me to revisit.

my brother paid the man who runs the tour to let us up before they opened, and the view is spectacular. i could see all the familiar places around my home town, mount greylock off in the distance, and new york state.

it's rather peaceful up there; a slight breeze was blowing through, and the sun was making its way out from behind the clouds.

we talked with the tour guide about some places we remembered from childhood, and he even remembered my grandfather (who is no longer living).

he told us all sorts of interesting facts about the area, and about the monument.

if you're interested, check this site:

info via Wikipedia

or, just visit!

:)

I do not believe in resolutions the way I do not believe in New Years eve - I think it's silly to say, once a year, that I'm going to improve myself, my life. Instead, I want to wake up every morning with those things in mind.

I don't though, and, I suppose, if I had to have a resolution, that would be it. That I wouldn't just have good ideas and intentions, but actually act on them.

Also, these things:

-Trust God more

-Be less afraid

-Say yes (and stop hole-ing myself up in my house alone anytime I feel sad or lonely or angry or...)

-Be confident in my decisions, yet quick to admit mistakes

-Love, love, love on everyone around me (even when I don't feel like it) instead of wishing everyone would love, love, love on me

-Constantly strive to build people up, and not tear them down

-Give myself to everything I do in a way I've only glimpsed in the past, especially my day-to-day work, and even when I don't feel like doing it

-Stop waiting

There you have it. I lied. I do believe in resolutions. And, actually, in celebrations, even New Years Eve. I just don't believe in doing them once a year, or being forced into them by a calendar date. I believe in resolving to be more Christlike every day, and if that makes you feel weird (or feel like I'm weird), that's okay. And I believe in celebrating every day.

But none of that means I've been able to do those things well, or at all. So here's to 2008. A bit late, as always.

How about you? Any resolutions?

Challenge: WHERE I'M FROM

I am from a bustling city with a rich history,

America's first capital city,

Great thinkers William Penn and Benjamin Franklin,

Soft pretzels, hoagies, cheesesteaks munched at ball games,

Colorful murals on walls and buildings,

Busy streets, tourists,

The Art Museum and the Liberty Bell,

The City of Brotherly Love!

Making the snapdragons "talk".

Where I’m From

I hail from a bustling city,

The City of Brotherly Love.

But I love the sweet seashore by the sea,

Where waves from the ocean crash onto the sand,

While I vacation and read, running from the crazy life of work and responsibility.

There are many seashells on the beach, turned white by the hot, hot sun,

Some crashed to smithereens by waves, walkers and surfers.

Children make sand castles, boogie board and body surf under the watchful eyes of lifeguards.

Everyone enjoys steamed crabs, clams or lobsters at Mike’s Seafood or

Just staying in grilling corn and vegetables while listening to music,

“By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea”

I can’t wait for the fireworks to start, just after dark

With bright, dazzling colors lighting up the sky

Bringing everyone together on the beach to celebrate the 4th of July.

During the summer ONLY, I flee to the beach, enjoy a few months,

RESTING,

Getting ready to head back to the City of Brotherly Love

Where my other life awaits me.

bennington vermont, as seen from the battle monument.

the white rocks on the mountain are a place i used to hike to as a kid; we lived at the foot of that mountain. i guess there's a bypass that cuts right through the woods now. a shame, really. it's such a peaceful spot.

My nephew Sam Griner reading great poem inspired by George Ella Lyon's "Where I'm From," in poetry cafe with Shelley Kunkle's 7th-grade English class at Wawasee Middle School, Syracuse, Indiana, Nov. 23, 2011. George Ella Lyon saw this in Facebook and her comment was "Wow!" See also www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html and www2.ferrum.edu/AppLit/texts/WhereImFromPoems.htm.

facing north,freeway 101,story rd. overpass

A very old #Road #Grader. #Hipstamatic #Watts lens #BigUp film #IGersOfLouisiana #iPhone4S #iPhoneography #iPhonePhoto #iPhoneOnly #iPhonePhotography #iPhoneology #iPhoneographer #iPhoneArt #InstaGood

22 Likes on Instagram

8 Comments on Instagram:

ourladyofcraft: Love Ben Watts/Big Up!

samnason: Is it meant to be hitched to a truck?

skotjay: @ourladyofcraft yeah, it's turned into a favorite of mine.

skotjay: @samnason a wagon or a truck. It's very, very old.

skotjay: #PureHipstamatic

skotjay: #WhereImFrom

skotjay: #AuthenticLA

skotjay: #skotjay_Watts lens #skotjay_BigUp film

I'm from the front pew of a wooden white church

A courthouse clock that still don't work

Where a man's word means everything

Where moms and dads were high school flames and

Gave there children Grandmother's maiden name

Yes, it may not sound like much

But it's where I'm from

~"Where I'm From" by Jason Michael Carroll

You may not be able to tell from this angle, but the courthouse tower has a clock face on each side...and they don't match, nor are they for the right time. I took this picture at 7:55 p.m. and the Broad St. clock reads 6:10.

PS I love this song because it almost perfectly describes my life and town. :o)

View On Black

A town with an identity crisis ;)

i just love the blue color/glow

my hometown

#Hipstaroll_Week41 #Hipstamatic #Loftus lens #Pistil film #LaserLemonGel flash

56 Likes on Instagram

12 Comments on Instagram:

skotjay: @olivesandpickles there you go! I found a few and tagged them! And thanks! #hipstamatic_trees

skotjay: @findingfluffy It's definitely very peaceful. Sometimes too peaceful. I think the family and I are ready for some city sounds, in much the same way that people born and raised in the city yearn for quite  @imjustabill Thanks, man! @lolalovesink I eat many lunches on the water. It's definitely pretty, until it becomes too hot 

juliatreiber: very pretty. just looking at the photo is quite relaxing! :) awesome job with this Hipsta combo.

skotjay: @juliatreiber Thanks, I'm really quite liking it.

skotjay: #PureHipstamatic

skotjay: #March #2012

skotjay: #WhereImFrom

skotjay: #skotjay_Loftus lens #skotjay_Pistil film

static.flickr.com/88/267283806_7d89c2726e_o.jpg

Coryell County Courthouse. #whereimfrom

drove down to Kentucky w/dad last night to have dinner w/grandmother and one cousin while dad was at their adult version of "divorced kid dinner" with my grandfather and other aunts/uncles.

it's the prettiest drive, through horse country and the bourbon trail, where we used to live when I was little

my parents built that house before I was born. and when I say built, I mean, did most of the actual building themselves. we left when I was two, but I've always loved it.

my aunt and uncle still live on the adjacent property, so it's nice to go out every once and awhile to visit my roots.