October Photo A Day

Day 275 | Sleepy head

Day 276 | Yes this was a brand new apple.  Yes this was in mom’s purse.  Yes those are little bite marks.  Yes Abby ate all of this by herself.  Yes I have a funny puppy.

Day 277 | Hello Kansas morning.

Day 278 | At the pumpkin patch.

Day 279 | While trying to watch a movie

Day 280 | Hello October

Day 281 | Chiefs Game

Day 282 | This time my floor got the boogers.

Day 283 | Outside

Day 284 | Fuzzy sock days

Day 285 | Turning my blog into a book.

Day 286 | 12of12 October

Day 287 | On a ride

Day 288 | Dad still has 1 month to recover and he was insistent that we wash my car and that he had to do it.

Day 289 | Hot cocoa

Day 290 | Longest day ever.

Day 291 | Off work

Day 292 | New phone!  Yay!

Day 293 | Today

Day 294 | The cutest little fairy you ever did see

Day 295 | Her new favorite thing…empty candy wrappers.

Day 296 | Can’t get enough of this song

Day 297 | Today

Day 298 | Fresh air

Day 299 | “No boogie monsters under here daddy.”

Day 300 | Good morning beautiful

Day 301 | Saturday morning snuggles

Day 302 | Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand

Day 303 | Homemade Cheesecake.  Yum!

Day 304 | Speechless

Day 305 | Happy Halloween!

The Candy Inspector

She takes her job very seriously!  

(Please excuse her boo-boo on her head.  She has a cyst that we plan to take care of once dad is finished recovering.)

The Candy Inspector from Megan Bailey on Vimeo.

Happy Halloween!

October | 2012

This month is all about my favorite season.

This month mom and I went to the pumpkin patch.

This month, dad continued to heal from his bone morrow transplant.

This month we celebrated my dad's birthday (he still won't let me take any photos of him).

This month I worked on my 101 project.

This month was busy, but enjoyable.

This month was October.

emotion

Week 43

October 23, 2012

fight :: flight :: wanting :: empty :: grateful :: standing still :: fear :: joy :: drowning :: hide :: escape :: time :: vulnerable :: struggle :: tired :: on the go :: alone 

it is strange.  i am not a person to openly share my emotions.  yet i feel i have been doing it a lot lately on a portal that does not have a curtain to hide behind.  but i do not know how else to navigate through this stage.  it is yucky and messy and cannot be bottled up. 

the things i struggle with the most shouldn’t bother me so deeply anymore, but they struck me at my core and i fear, i know, it will be something i will be dealing with for the rest of my life.  how does someone deal with cancer?  how does someone deal with death.  (and four of them in one year?)

there are good days.  there are bad days.  and the bad days are usually accompanied by tiredness.  and that is what i am.  tired.  at least this tired is just lack of sleep and not because of nightmares that haunt and wake me up in the middle of the night crying.  among this tiredness, i am also in the flight stage of fear.  right now i do not want to be held to any of my obligations.  i am in an ‘anywhere but here’ stage.  what i really want is to sit in the sand on an empty beach by myself for as long as i want. 

clearly, that will not happen. 

i think what i really need is something good to happen. 

………

and then two minutes after i write this post i find this quote:

sometimes you have to forget what’s gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to what’s coming next. ~will smith

………

note: i wrote this on some down time at work, and after getting these words out i feel much better.  less stuck, at least for the time being.

The Weekend Lens

:: Cozy Friday

:: Nacho sharing

:: Afternoon napping

:: Bed head wearing

:: Fresh air

:: Fall décor

:: Sharing treats

:: Cutest fairy

:: October Fest

:: Pet sitting

:: Sunday orange rolls

:: Godfather Marathon

:: Wrapper playing

:: Project making

:: Recipe trying

new phone :)

Week 42

October 18, 2012

New phone = happy girl

Week 41

October 12, 2012

12of12 | October 2012

Hi there!

Since I didn't link up last month, you can see Septembers 12of12 here.  I'm sad to say that I did not do this months with my new phone, because my new phone has not shipped yet.  I'm beginning to get very impatient. Oh well...

01. Abby doing her normal morning routine...waiting to prewash my breakfast bowl.
02.  Today.
03.  Miss Thing was giving dad a lot of sass during lunch.  She looks calm here, but don't let her fool you.
04.  Our Halloween candy stash is getting low.
05.  Mums.
06.  This spider hung onto the outside of my windshield the entire way to work when I went back to work after lunch.  I drive 15 minutes on a highway.  He was stubborn.
07.  Hot chocolate at work.
08.  After work I did some volunteer work for Junior League.
09.  At Pumpkin Fest.
10.  At our booth.  We helped kids do a craft.
11.  Rides at Pumpkin Fest.
12.  Fall decor at home.

Not Pictured: After Pumpkin Fest, I went over to my friend's house for a little birthday celebration.

Gratitude

Listening to rumbling thunder in the distance.

Bright colors that come with the changing of seasons.

Hanging out with my favorite little ones, Erin and Jackson.

Afternoon naps and puppy snores.

Sweatshirts.  Scarves.  Boots.  Fuzzy socks.

Comfort food.

Being told that I have good nails from the nail salon.

New music.

Compliments at work.

To get 10 hours of sleep on a work night (even though I could have used another 6.)

To find dad in such a deep sleep that he didn’t wake up when I turned off the light or the tv.

Hot cocoa on a cold, windy day.

To play with kids who don’t have a mommy and daddy.  Or they do, but aren’t with them because of abuse or neglect.  

For my parents, and everything they have done for me.

10 on 10 :: October 2012

I have been following Rebekah’s 10 on 10 project for almost 2 years now.  I love projects like these.  I love how so many people share their day with each other.  And I love to see all the talented photos that come out of this project.  

Over the years I have followed a handful of people’s blogs that do this project, yet I have never participated.  I’m that weird one that comments and no one knows who I am because I don’t have my own set of 10 photos to share.  {Hi there!} To be honest, I’m surprised I haven’t done one of these before, but to be fair, I do a very similar one on the 12^th, seen here.  (And I absolutely love it!  Seriously, my favorite photo project I’ve done.)  With that being said, I’m going to do a slightly different approach to the 10.  Instead of taking one photo each hour for 10 hours, I’m going to do an ‘around here’ approach.  This will account for the change of seasons, different decorating ideas around the house, projects in the works, etc.  I can’t promise I will keep this up each month, but I will try my best!  

Here you go, my very first 10….

At the Pumpkin Patch

Week 40

October 4, 2012

This year it was just me and mom.  I wish dad could have come too because we had such a good time last year.  But, he couldn’t.  And that is ok, because he is healing and that is the biggest thing I could ask of him.

This year it was just me and mom.  And we had a good time.  Wondering around the patch searching for that one pumpkin.  (Or three.)  The ones we picked aren’t perfect, but they are perfect in their own special way.  

The photo with the face makes me laugh.  I'm not one known to make weird faces, especially on command.  Apparently that is what I think about getting mud on my hands.  And then last, but not least, one more.  This is probably my favorite.  

Check here to see last year's pumpkin patch fun.  I have to laugh, both were on week 40, on almost the same day.  I'm wearing the same outfit (different scarf and a jacket this time...it was cold!)  And the sky was very similar.  And this was so totally not planned.  Guess I'll have to keep up with the tradition.  Or at least going to the pumpkin patch during week 40 :)

Week 39

Taken October 1, 2012

Another photo a week late.

But that’s ok.

Life has been busy.

Just trying to have some chill time.

And bring out all my warm jammie bottoms.

(It is a slight obsession of mine.)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | October 7, 2012)

Shadow

Me and mom at the pumpkin patch having a good time.

Keys

Really don't like this photo, but it's all I have and will have to make due.

Smile

I love fall!

Unedited

Spice Just Because

Life in the Works

Current things going on in life.

Dad Update.  Dad is about the same.  His numbers are continuing to go up and he is able to eat and get out of bed.  He even comes out into the living room to watch a movie occasionally.  He acts pretty normal and is still constantly eating peanut butter cups or fudge bars.  2 weeks ago he rode to KC with me and did pretty well.  It wore him out, but I think it was good for him to get out of the house and have different scenery. 

Junior League.  Early spring I was asked by a good family friend if I would be interested in joining our city’s Junior League.  I know quite a few a few ladies in this group and I know that it is an honor to be asked.  However, to be honest, I was a little skeptical.  I am just out of college, not married, and don’t have kids.  And the majority of the league is much further into life than I am.  (They are married, have kids, have worked longer, etc.)  But I joined.  I knew if I said no now, I would never join and it was something I knew I wanted to be a part of.  And I am so excited I joined.  I have met and become closer with some amazing women.  It has connected me to some great causes.  It has made me more aware of my community.  I love that I help people.  I know this is going to be a great aspect in my life.

December Daily.  I am so excited to be doing this project this year.  I absolutely love Ali Edwards’ projects and this year seems to be the year that I embark on all of them.  Not purposely.  (I did her Week in the Life project in April and her 31 Things project in May and June, however, it is not completed yet…Oops!)  I have been thinking about this project since end of August.  Ali Edwards collaborates with Studio Calico to create a kit specifically for each year.  It went on presale in the middle of September and I purchased it right away (ahem, the night of).  My brain has been raking in things to incorporate into this project.   I want it to have some planned, prepared events, but also have spontaneity.  I know that there are some things in life you can’t plan or prepare for.  I’m trying to give myself time to think of some cool pre-thought ideas while leaving room for the unplanned events that are bound to happen. 

Photo Projects.  I am still doing my 12of12 and 52 week photography projects and I plan on continuing them in 2013.  I am still working through my photo-a-day project; however, I don’t think I will do this again next year.  It was fun and so awarding to see my life on a daily basis, but it is too much to keep up every single year.  I do plan on doing this project again, just not this coming year.  Maybe I’ll do it every 5 years?  Or the first year of a big event; first year of marriage, first year with child….we will see what I choose to do when the time comes. 

101 in 1001.  Still working on my 101 in 1001.  Absolutely love this project and have already started making a second list.  Over doer much?!  I think so.

Books.  I am still working on turning my blogs into a book.  I started this process in early August and it is so hard to catch up.  I should have thought of this when I first started my blog, but I didn’t know I would continue with it like I have.  I have created a nice little system to help me catch up and stay caught up for the coming months.  Hopefully it will help me stay on top of it next year!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  I really enjoy this project and this year I tried to make a commitment to not miss one week this year.  And when I did, I unload a bunch of photos all at once, but it is still accounted for.  However, I think next year I will not be so strict on myself.  If I don’t get a week done, no biggie.  I’m not going to go over and beyond just to get my 5 photos that I might not have taken if it weren’t for this project.  But, I do like this project and have ‘met’ some great people through it so I hope to continue hunting next year. 

Gratitude.  I have created a gratitude journal for 2013 through paper coterie.  I hope this will make me become more aware of everyday events.  I think it will help me with a lot of life events that have happened in the past; not to feel sad, but grateful for my time with them.  I want to catch and remember the little moments.  This is like a photo-a-day project, but in words.

Project Life.  I plan on doing Project Life next year.  I am SO EXCITED for this project and I can’t wait for the next year to start just so I can start this project.  Again, Ali Edwards does this project; however, she didn’t create the idea.  But she is how I learned of Project Life and has been the one who has inspired me to do my own.  (Along with a few other people who I’ve discovered their blog through their project life.)  I plan on sharing my book each week.  I hope you will like following along!

Trips.  My high school girl friends are planning a trip (to visit another high school friend, the only one that lives over 1 hour away.)  I am excited!  I need this!

September Photo A Day

Day 245 | Up bright and early to have breakfast with the girls

Day 246 | Finding goodies in mom’s purse.

Day 247 | The best way to fall asleep.  Rain tapping at the window and thunder rumbling in the distance.

Day 248 | Warm day

Day 249 | The Vow.  Finished this a few days ago.

Day 250 | Birds

Day 251 | Celebrating Audrey’s wedding

Day 252 |  Perfect day for a ride

Day 253 | Night night

Day 254 | My first Junior League Meeting

Day 255 | Hello scarf season J

Day 256 | Me.  Week 37.

Day 257 | She wanted to cuddle tonight.

Day 258 | Looks like Virginia?!

Day 259 | Saturday morning snuggles with my girl

Day 260 | My love.  Those cheeks!

Day 261 | She has been very cuddly lately.

Day 262 | “I think I’ll make a bed out of the newspaper.”

Day 263 | Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand

Day 264 | Catching up on over due projects.

Day 265 | No Kleenex, no problem.  Receipts work just fine.

Day 266 | Opie!

Day 267 | Beautiful night after a fun day with friends

Day 268 | Me:  Getting ready for work.  Abby:  Walks into my room.  Shoves her face between my knees.  Rubs her eye boogers all over my legs.  Then decides to lay down.  Gee thanks, I love you too baby girl. 

Day 269 | She jumped up on the sofa and immediately did this… (Last night)

Day 270 | Walk

Day 271 | Really?  Twice in one week?  More boogers?

Day 272 | I spy a cowboy.

Day 273 | 5K/10K.  E got 4^th in kids run!

Day 274 | (From Friday) Surprise puppy play date.

Right Now