Wooing Snow White with wine.

Wine...ahhhhh wine.... So much a part of the good things in life and the elixer to make dating more comfortable. Although this is not a picture of a first date, wine and any sort of libation is mart of many a first date to calm butterflies or even to help one get through a bad date. LOL. Anyway, it may be part of the wooing but it's not what keeps the princess interested in the prince. Princes out there! Step it up! It takes more than wine to woo we princesses!

Here's what KT has to says about this pic:

This image brings to mind the cozy excitement of slowly but surely drawing closer over the course of sharing a bottle of wine and conversation. The feeling, the urgency created by watching an hourglass run out of sand cannot be found or felt when wine is present. As the decanter draws down, we feel how slowly time can move and we relish each sip of wine, paired perfectly with a flirtatious remark or a personal revelation that tells us that our partner trusts us and sees a future for us together. This can be a first date, or a ten-year anniversary. The effect is the same.

Life, relationships and great wine grow better over time, bearing unexpected fruits and flavors. And if it's so wonderful we overindulge just a little. It's still worth the morning headache to lose ourselves for a little bit and be wooed with wine.

KT much more romantic than my comment above. Thank you for that. Think maybe I'm a little cynical this morning :-/ hmmmm... need to fix that! Perhaps with a glass of wine ;-)

"Cinderella didn't lose her shoes. She took them off herself."

Choice, something we learn we have and, when we do, how freeing it is. Everything is a choice even if we don't realize it at the time. Cinderella loses her shoe trying to run away so the Prince doesn't find out who she really is. My Cinderella up above choses to stay and continue to be who she really is, a woman who loves to dance and who shakes it all by herself.

"At the ball, shakin' it all by herself."

The friend who responded to this peace is one who I just reconnected with in about the past 2 years. As with everyone, we reconnected through Facebook. I remember this summer watching her dance. She dance with sheer love and joy of music and movement and without any notice of those around her. I was not surprised at all when she chose this one. When I took the photo of the woman, I too saw that love and joy the way my friend dances. This woman in the photo didn't need a prince to lead at all.

To my friend- you do not need that prince to lead anymore- let a new prince follow you.

Here is her take:

I love to dance. And while it is fabulous and satisfying to have a great dance partner, there is something special about dancing and getting lost in the music... all by yourself. You can do your own thing, turn or spin when you want, speed up, slow down, maybe throw out that surprise move. There is a special joy that I feel when dancing by myself... in my zone... lost in my groove. It is a joy I create myself... on my own. Sometimes, we think we need or must have someone to dance with us to have a good time. I agree finding and having the right dane partner is important. But even more important is being able to get out there and enjoy the music, even if you are shaking it by yourself. Good music should never go to waste... right?

"Through the looking glasses... Alice had a rough day"

Our dear Alice, falling down into that weird Wonderland. Bet she wished she had something stronger in that teacup! Well, I venture to say that many women today, after a long, hard day in their wonderlands of work, need a couple of glasses to drink through. And depending on how many, looking through them could be like beer goggling, a little askew but soothing too. A once-in-a-while form of relaxation for the next work day. Let's see what my beautifl, talented writer/designer/cheese goddess friend Julianne has to say about this Alice:

You can't see your reflection in a glass of wine. You see distortions, like fun-house mirrors, your fingers large and bloated and nearly floating in a pool of white bordeaux. So it's not a glass to look into and see yourself, it merely holds the elixir to see the world differently.

Alice in Wonderland was my favorite story growing up. I was attracted to the weirdness of it, the strange caterpillars and white hare who was always running late, the grinning cat whose smile would remain after he was gone. The Queen of Hearts was an evil librarian who would cut off my head if I kept a book too long, sending her soldier deck of cards after me. And then there was the food-- the cakes that begged to be eaten, the drinks that commanded you to imbibe, the strange tea party that was better than any birthday I was invited to (we, after all, were forced to play croquet with wooden mallets, not flamingoes, and that was dependent on if my friend even owned a croquette set). I imagined that this was how England was, all the time, only King Arthur and Robin Hood would make appearances as well.

Alice wasn't a princess. She was a girl who fell down a hole and had adventures. She didn't sleep in a glass coffin built by dwarves, she didn't lose a glass shoe, she didn't need a prince to be her alarm clock or return her fancy footwear. She was a little girl with a father and a sister, not so removed from myself. Her story seemed real to me because I could relate to her much more than I could the other Disney leading ladies. As I grew up, so did those leading ladies -- Ariel took more control of her destiny than her predecessors, and Belle went so far as to tame that mean ol' Beast. But it was always Alice that I wanted to be, following the unknown into a world that was topsy-turvy, where she had to rely on her own wits when surrounded by strangeness, and who managed to get herself home at the end of it all. And she got to eat all the cake she wanted.

Cheers to the looking glass, the one that I use as a grown-up Alice, to show me the oddity of the world whenever it says "Drink Me."

Cheers Julianne! Until we drink again!!

"The little match girl got herself a job... playing with fire."

The first page of my book. It starts with the independent princess getting a job or, in this case the match girl because how many princesses start out as a true tiara wearing princess anyway? The majority of today's princesses do not go to college to get their "MRS. degree" like several of the characters started out doing in the movie Mona Lisa Smile. We don't live in that time period anymore where aspiring to a separate independent career was like playing with fire, at least in my opinion. But what does someone else think of when she/he sees this page of my pending book?

A close friend of mine, a bold, vibrant, sleep deprived mom of 3 kids under 4 has this to say:

This image evokes many meaningful emotions for me: pride, excitement, love, courage, joy.

Pride: I'm actually proud of this photo! I'm proud that I can call a talented artist my friend. It's a beautiful photo, composition, and piece of art. It's well thought out and everything "works." And seeing how the little match girl grew up, I'm proud to be a woman.

Excitement: How can fire NOT be exciting?? The use of color and exposure is as exciting as the subject matter too so that brings a more interesting element to the photo.

Love: It takes a lot to choose this kind of path of life. I'm referring to the match girl- as well as you. Both are artists who are driven by sheer love for your kinds of work- not by money and typical practicality (although it would be fantastic if they were synonymous!). Thinking back to what we went through when you took this picture, I'm also reminded of our special friendship and how I truly appreciate how you were there for me, unconditionally. And that is anotherr kind off love I will truly cherish.

Love you too T!

"Once upon a time... a princess grows up."

I chose the image of the little girl with the combo tiara and pink cowboy hat to be the cover of my book because I love her unconventional crown and her determined gaze into the camera. I spotted her at Adams Morgan Day 2-3 years ago wearing along pink tutu with cowboy boots along with her crown. How could I not take her picture? She's the brave little fashion plate I wanted to be when I was little.

My extremely resilient and adventurous friend, Caitlyn chose this picture to respond to. It totally fits her child-like fun loving side and now she has taken on one of those "grown up" roles that so many women have over the centuries... that of mommy. Caitlyn, your little Connor is so lucky to have such a fun loving, strong, resilient, adventurous, and beautifl woman to be his mommy!! With you I can only imagine the amazing man he will become!!

Here's her response:

The image reminds me of being a little girl and being told by my strong, amazing mother that I could do anything and be anything. I grew up knowing I had the unconditional support and love of my biggest fan and that has kept me motivated throughout my life. Often, little girls are told they can't do this or that and I simply cannoth imagine what a loss it is for those girls, the women they become, and the world around them. We can do anything, be anyone, create, jump, laugh, and reach all the dreams that we create for ourselves! That first photo captures the essence of female potential for me.

Caitlyn- you are one of my inspirations that anything is possible! Thank you for that.