proud of me...

this week i have been to the gym everyday but one
and on that one
i was taking a yoga class
for the first time in a couple of years
and it was
so
awesome.

i have been eating healthier
{and less}
and drinking more water...
i feel pretty damn good.

now i just have to keep this momentum going.


a saturday in february

it is a sunshiney but brisk saturday morning
and the house is so quiet
sleepover kids out cold on the couches
16 watching movies in her room
the sun is streaming in the windows
making me want to grab my camera,
my pen, some paint, something, something,
something to document how i feel at this very second.

and i am aware of the many things running through my head
i am trying to take note of the things
that me feel excited, that make me feel fresh and invigorated
and inspired
so that i can use them as a jumping point for what i want
2012 to look like for me.

i'm still grappling with what my word for this year should be.

2011 i didn't choose a word, i think i was just trying to get through the year...
2010 was play::expand
2009 was dare...and this was one of my biggest years for creativity...it was the year
i started really taking pictures, had an art show, shot my first wedding, created a website,
baked an apple pie...:)
2008 was focus...because i knew there were things i wanted, things i needed to be
doing to be happier...i just had to find my focus.

but this year?
i think this year is
leap
i thought about yes, i thought about jump
but leap feels right to me.
in a way, i have rested the past two years....yes, i was creative
and i did a lot of weddings and family sessions and that kind of thing
but i played it safe....i did what i already knew how to do...
i did what had worked for me in the past.

but this year...i want to leap.
i want to push myself,
SHOVE myself out of the comfort-zone-nest i have gotten so familiar with
and
LEAP.

so i said yes to the new job...and i said yes to joining the gym although it terrifies me...
and yes...maybe we should think about building a house on our back lot and selling it...yes...
leap...
and see what happens.


i am reading...

have you seen this trailer?

i saw the trailer
and then stopped by the bookstore
when i should
have been getting groceries
and the book
was there
in front of me
for 9.99

yeah.
its a kids book but so what,
i've got kids.
maybe they'll read it.
or maybe i'll start it saturday morning
while i'm still
laying in bed
in my underwear
waiting for the house to heat up
and maybe
just maybe...
3 hours later
i'm in the same place
on the last ten pages
begging the kids to stop interrupting
because "I ONLY HAVE THIS MUCH LEFT
AND I HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!!!"

maybe.
{and maybe, i just bought the second book in the series.}

a new year...

this is probably the longest i have ever gone
without blogging...
our internet was involuntarily shut off
over christmas
as we dealt with other bills and had to let some
slide
but we are back now
and i have to say
the break {was not easy} but was kind of therapeutic...
and now i'm ready to jump right back into things...
i'm ready to take on 2012
and make it
my year.

and so far,
it's been pretty good!
my husband and i joined the gym,
i got a new position that eliminates my hour long commute...
and it's something i love doing!
i just dropped off some work for a new art exhibit
that is going to run for two months...
and to push myself a little out of my
comfort zone,
i added a couple of paintings that i attempted...
{and am still a little tender about...heh}

this was the mini write up i provided about myself
{do you know how hard it is to write about yourself in the third person??}
does it sound too weird?  i was going for quirky...but am scared i blurred the line
and yes...because i'm still shy, i changed my name below...i can't help it.

Feb/March exhibit featured in the ...  series will be Pulling Myself into Focus by  photographer "gkgirl". The exhibit is a collection of photos taken over the past few years by the photographer. Inspired by words and blogs and nature and rust, she attempts to find out more about herself by observing what she is drawn to from the other side of the camera. She is a self taught photographer who enjoys long blocks of unaccounted-for time and permanent markers.

so far, 2012 is pretty damn good.
:)

breath in, breath out...

this is a hectic time of year
for everyone i'm sure
but again this year,
i'm feeling particularly stressed
because not only is it Christmas
and i am
not
prepared...but it is also my
wedding-editing-crunch-time of year
and i am extra stressed...
{feel free to go vote for her...she'd really appreciate it!}
and responsibilities for the office party
and you get a bit of a time bomb waiting to blow.

so reading things like this
and this
and thinking about what my perfect playlist would be
makes me feel better,
makes me feel less
alone...

deep breaths...concentrate on the important things...
the little things,
the things that matter,
the things you can control.

let go of the rest.