Dear 2011,

You were good to me - as good as a year can be and I thank you for that. You were littered with gems + fireworks except for when you were soft with tears. And I couldn't fault you for mixing it up like that because there is no joy without some sadness... I get that. I get that in a humbled way that makes my heart want to crack sometimes. I can't thank you enough for blessing me with the good fortune of being about to relocate and find an awesome job. My good fortune is appreciated. Thank you for being good to the rents, giving them enough patience to love us all. Even when I was too loud and too cranky. I wouldn't have made it through without them. Thank you for the health of my friends + families and all the new members that have taken spots on earth. Please, please bless the ones who didn't make it. And 2011? If we're being thankful - thanks for the relocation + rejuvenation. It has been the best distraction for me from the small fact that around the halfway mark of this year - amidst the goodness - I had to say good bye to some pretty awesome friends!  And I guess if we're being totally honest, as much as it hurts - thank you for giving me the opportunity to let them go with the dignity that the pals like that deserves. You're alright 2011.

I'm alright, too.

Happy trails. NOW LET'S DO SOME CELEBRATING. To you and yours - make 2012 what you need.

Resident Pot-Stirrer.

I’m a positive person by nature. Not much gets me down. I’m a Pollyanna type who likes to focus on what’s not broken, what we’ve begun to fix, and people who fundamentally get it.

I'm Percolating.

Focus On The Good.

To many times it occurs to me that somewhere along the lines - people just didn't know they were awesome enough to take that leap, take that job, take that chance, take that bus, be that gal, go for more, do that thing, demand the best, trust their guts, make it happen, be the man, do their best... it's crazy. Maybe they forgot. Maybe no one told them. Maybe they just never knew.

I'm thinking hard about what's calling me, what my heart says, and what I want to invite more of into my life in 2012. Man, how I love new beginnings.

Liberate your inner awesome.  AUTHENTICITY is a treasure.

I am Living.

I have been thinking a lot lately about so many things.  I have seen so many other people feeling the same way.   We live in a technologically advanced world.  It is both a blessing and a curse.  I am so thankful for the ability to connect and communicate with friends and family states and continents over.   We have Facebook, Twitter, Skype,  LinkedIn, Flickr, Pinterest…etc to keep ourselves in the know.  However, something comes from that.  The inability to just let ourselves Be.  We are so engrossed in what the rest of the world is doing that we miss what is going on right in front of us. So many people are busy posting and uploading images of what they’re doing this very minute that I wonder if they’re truly able to enjoy the experience or if they’re waiting to see who comments.  I find myself logging into my social media sites for 5 minutes and before I know it an hour has passed…an hour that could have been spent otherwise.  We all have real people in front of us.  We all have real lives that are waiting for us to live them.  Life is so short and so precious…too precious to be buried in computer screens and smart phones. 


I have changed the way of doing things around here.   I work when family isn't here and when they are, the computer goes off.  The phones get put to silent and I just enjoy.   I spend more time outside with the fam planning and dreaming about our future and less time getting lost in what everyone else is doing.   I have a little girlies in this chaotic world and they deserve to have fam who are fully present in the moments in their lives.   They deserves more time exploring and less time waiting for me to get off of the computer.  They deserves a family sitting around the dining room table for dinner talking about their days and fort building in the living room. They deserve so much more than the time crazed, social media obsessed society we live in. They deserves Real. We all do.

I am making it a point to slow down.  To write hand written letters and to get on the phone to talk to those I love and miss.  I am putting away the video games, using my imagination, and playing board games.   I'm baking and cooking and enjoying taking too long to get out the door on the weekends. I'm soaking in the sun as long as this weather will let us…

I am Living…and I couldn’t be happier.

Be inspired!

Oh blogger how I have neglected you!  I have a love hate with you...you see I have this other amazing blogsite and well, I love the formatting over there, A LOT better!  But in the mean time, I have been BUSY!  Love that!  Moving, weddings, school, photography, design, crochet + knitting. oh man the list extends on...but for now I will leave you with this...Just made and sent to printing in a 20X30!  I'm ready to be inspired in my inspiration room! GO!

Oh NaNa...

Alannah Jade, or as Hayden calls her, NaNa is always dreaming up big wonders in her mind.  This photo tell the story of her looking at her Daddy and in true wonderlust.....Now blog hop on over to iheartfaces and be thrilled in beautiful aww.......


As a side note, I'm updating and rebranding so I'm posting on my personal blog instead of my photog blog this week.  It works!


Click the photo to enlarge....