Around Here

We finally were able to celebrate my birthday in Kansas City.  We did a few errands and I picked up another lens.  It was a used, but in great condition and at an awesome price.  I had to get it!  When we got home, I played around with it and man, that thing is heavy.  It is a great addition to my collection and will be prefect for our upcoming family vacation.

Next week I'll be on a mini trip with D and his family in Vegas.  I so can't wait!  Warmer weather.  Some events and site seeing planned.  A few days off work.  It is going to be perfection!  Stay tuned for a photo dump!

Happy Weekend!

Currently

Organizing my room, such a tedious activity.

Questioning how it ever got this messy.

Watching Best Actress movies before the Oscars next month.

Feeling loved.

Loving my family.

Counting down the days to a mini vacation!

Incredibly grateful.

Getting through my to do list, even though it's a slow process.

Happy to get one really big snow storm, but happy to see that all that snow is melting now.

Smelling the beautiful flowers from my valentine and

Finding joy in capturing moments.

Thrilled that dad and I are looking into a photogrpahy trip to learn more about low light photography.

Looking forward to Vegas!

Planning lots of things to see and experience on our trip.

Week Eight

February 22, 2014

The second lens I've bought this month.  I think I'm done buying lens for a long long long time.

I'm so excited to get them out and capture some awesome moments this year!

Week Seven

February 14, 2014

(Take February 17, 2014)

12of12 | February 2014

01.  Sun beginning to rise on a cold, snowy February day.
02.  "I'm ready to get out of here."
03.  Visiting the doctor to get a shot.
04.  Busy day at work.
05.  One of my co-workers got donuts from a supplier.  I brought one home to share with dad during my lunch break.
06.  Watched snow flurries fall while eating lunch.
07.  Back to work.
08.  Going home.
09.  Dinner was just about ready when I got home.
10.  Cleaning up the dishes after dinner.
11.  Me and dad watching the Olympics.
12.  Goodnight world.

A Snowy 25

Week Six

February 4, 2014

This is what 25 looks like.

Project Life 2014 | Title Page-Week Four

Hello Project Life 2014!  I'm still keeping up with project life on a weekly basis, but this year I'm sharing it once a month.  It became stressful not not keeping up each week with sharing my pages and I'm wanting to not 'have' to post as often this year.  We will see how it goes.  I also decided that each week doesn't have to have a full 2 page spread.  I don't want to print off photos I don't really care for or stories that I don't really want to share.  Last year I was very caught up in 'each week needed to be 2 pages' and added things I didn't really care for.  With that being said, I also am going to experiment more with larger format photos.  Photography is my passion and I want the photos I'm proud of to speak volumes and not have them stuck in a small page protector.

Week One and Two (January 1-11).  I was able to get all of my 2013 pages into one (extremely large) scrapbook, so I put the first part of week 1 in my 2013 book and the second part of week 1 into my 2014 book.  It just made a lot more sense to me and I'm happy with it.  One thing I'm doing this year is using the craft circles from paper source as my date on my date cards.  Last year I used a date stamp, and I liked it, but I wanted something different.  Plus, I have all these circle stickers to use.  I also want to make sure that each week is labeled with the correct number.  I saw these alphabet die cuts on instagram and loved them.  There aren't any numbers so when we get to weeks like twenty eight it might get a little tricky.  

I finished week two and then found some photos on my real camera that I wanted to include, the ones of Abby and the bubbles in winter.  So I took an extra 4x6 page protector from my 2012 December Daily project and sewed it onto my 12x12 page, right along the seam.  This added 2 more sleeves and I was able to add the additional photos.  I so loved how this turned out and I plan on doing more of this throughout the year.  I also used an avery label for the edge to show that there is more underneath.

Week Three (January 12-18).  I didn't document much this week so it is short of photos and stories.  This seems to happen a lot during my 12of12 weeks.  I still need to print off my photo grid, so right now you get a white box.  Behind it is an enlarged photo of Abby playing.  Love her and her playfulness. 

Week Four (January 19-25).  This week was a whirlwind.  I love the photo of Rory playing with his Christmas toy.  He also got a laser to chase and he loves that thing.  He was out of breath chasing it around the house.  This week I also met with my girls for dinner and some ice cream.  We decided to meet once a month this year for some girl time. I'm already looking forward to February!  Unfortunately, the flu took over our house.  Mom had it the beginning of the week, I caught it at the end, and then dad got it.  This was my forth time being sick in four months.  I'm so over being sick!  Thankfully, the flu didn't stay too long and I was able to celebrate my one year anniversary with Dakota.  I can't believe I've known this man for a year.  It has been a great year too!  

Around Here

Last weekend didn't go quite as planned.  D got sick so we didn't go to KC for my annual birthday dinner.  (We plan to go this weekend if the weather holds up.)  Mom, dad, and I did go to KC and got my birthday present, which was a new red line lens.  I absolutely LOVE it!  I haven't had the chance to play with it too much, but so far it is awesome.  I plan to have a lot of dates with it soon.

We got a huge snow storm on my birthday.  I think the final snow count was 8 inches, but we got snow a few days before so there is close to a foot of snow out on the streets.  Because of the snow, I got to take a half day at work, but we didn't close down any other day, unlike the rest of the town.  My dad had to shovel out 2.5 foot snow drift just to get out of the driveway.  I'm thankful for him and that he takes me to work in bad weather.

I hope to have a post up soon to share my project life from this year so far.  I'm really loving how this year's book is turning out, so stay tuned!

I'm so looking forward to the weekend!  I hope you have a good one too!

Compromised

Week Five

January 29, 2014

I don't want to get too detailed in this post, but this week really tested me.  My happiness and credibility was questioned and it has left me feeling empty.

OLW January Goals

Instead of setting intentions for the year, I am setting 3 goals to accomplish each month.  Goals that will create moments.  Goals that are attainable.  Goals that are things I need to get done.  Goals that will make me a better person.

I never published my goals for January.  So here they are and here is how well I did:
1.  Practice yoga 13 times this month. | I wanted to create some moments of reflection and of stretching.  I practice yoga once a week, but I was hoping to have more.  Unfortunately I didn't complete this goal. I only practiced yoga 7 times this month.  But I'm definitely going to keep practicing yoga regularly this year.
2.  Turn my 2013 blog posts into a book. | I completed this and my book is ordered.  Anxiously awaiting its arrival.
3.  Eat more fruits and veggies and go to bed earlier. | I did make an attempt to go to be earlier.  My night owl instincts can make it a little difficult.  And it wasn't until the end of the month that I started eating healthier.  But, I've been making a conscious decision about picking up an apple or carrots instead of chips and I feel so much better.

February goals:
1.  Apply for a passport.
2.  Clean my room and keep it clean.
3.  Cross 4 things off my 101 list.
4.  Plan my upcoming Las Vegas trip.

Check back next month to see how I did!