Friday Gratitudes...

1. So glad that Irene grows a million zucchinis…the bread I made from them is delicious!


2. Thankful that my internet/wireless router is all wonky this week…actually it’s crap, but since I haven’t bothered to fix it yet I’ve been able to get a lot of other stuff done!


3. So glad I paid $7.99 for Jimmy Buffett’s book “A Pirate Looks at Fifty” at the Key West Margaritaville…it’s been taking me back to the Keys every night this week.


4. So blessed by the Amazon.com reward points we earn from our credit card purchases…and the 6 free books I’ve been able to get in the last week and half with them.


5. My husband…who decides to bake chocolate cake on random Sunday mornings.


6. So glad to have a farmer for a father-in-law. This means he has some free time on a July morning to take my truck to have the drive shaft balanced…thanks Rodney!!


7. Really excited about our canoe trip this weekend…even though last night Wanda told us it was sure to lead to an immediate divorce, and “that’s such a shame because really you are such a lovely couple”.


8. Thankful for the awesome mail day yesterday…three books from Amazon…for FREEEEEE.


9. Remember the 365 picture of the diabetes monitoring kits? I’m super excited about the $100 in rebate checks I got in the mail yesterday for those purchases!!


10. So glad we’re just one week away from our first of many water-filled boating weekends!

365 Wrap-Up

180/365: Read. Funny story: I picked this book off the shelf to use for this shot because it was big. It's Norm's AC/DC book, and I realized when I started to edit this that there are quite a few R-rated words on those pages! Don't zoom in too close!! =)

181/365: Duramax. My father-in-law's truck that I was driving while mine was in the shop.

182/365: Texting. Had to take a picture of this text I got from my Dad Father's Day weekend. Like I've said before, if you knew my dad, you'd know why it's hilarious that he's texting. He told me the other night, "I've probably only sent, like maybe, 3 textes in my life!". Hahaha.

183/365: Jump. Inspired by {damnittoby}'s picture.

184/365: Perseverance. Wild sunflower growing between the 74 overpass and the asphalt of Hwy 41.

185/365: Free

186/365: Paper

Free...

...free to celebrate.
...free to laugh.
...free to play.
...free to joke.
...free to visit.
...free to enjoy.
...free to document life.

Enjoying our freedom on this 4th of July weekend.

Word of the Year: Mid-Year

My word for 2009 is Simplify. This word has really stuck with me this year, but there is definitely more I can do to simplify my life. I have simplified a lot of our belongings, although there is a lot more that can be taken to Goodwill or recycled. Clutter is something I’m constantly battling in this tiny little house of ours.

I have tried to simplify my evenings by limiting my TV and internet time. To go on a four-wheeler ride with Oscar and my husband. To sit in the yard and read a book. To eat dinner with Norm at the kitchen table and actually talk to each other. To streamline my workflow and spend less time editing pictures and more time living life and documenting it.

Like Ali Edwards said in her mid-year review of her word, nurture, “I am trying to live fully present in this season of my life without hurrying on to the next.” Our words are different, but we have similar goals. So often I think more about the future, about what’s coming next than slowing down and just focusing on what’s going on here and now. One day down the road we will have kids and hectic lives, and I want to enjoy the simple, peaceful life we have now. To spend time enjoying each other’s company while we can.

How are you doing with your Word of the Year? Did you pick one? It’s not too late!

Friday Gratitudes

Funny story behind this picture...Jenny called me at work yesterday afternoon and said I had to drive up 41 to the overpass over insterstate 74. She said there was a gerber daisy or something growing right out of the asphalt. So I drive up there, drive around and around trying to figure out where I can park so I don't get killed, finally park and walk about a quarter mile, and get some really odd looks while squatting in the middle of the highway grabbing this shot (and about 20 others). When I finally head back to the truck, I had to cross the end of the exit ramp from 74 and walked in front of about 10 cars coming off the interstate. One honked and I spun around to give them the evil eye...it was Aunt Loretta! I'm sure she wondered what in the world was going on!!

1. So thankful for the opportunity to second shoot with Cass last weekend. It was exhausting, but we had a blast, had a gorgeous, fun, creative couple to work with…and I much prefer second-shooting!!
   
2. So glad it’s a three-day weekend…I need it after this week!
   
3. Loving the sweet Cadillac of a truck that I got to drive while JB was working on mine. Rodney doesn’t know it yet, but we’re trading!!
   
4. So blessed to have free time to sit in the yard in the evening and read in the quiet.
   
5. So thankful for the much cooler weather we’ve had this week. Upper 90s in June and 67 on the first day of July…crazy!!
   
6. So grateful for a day off today to spend with my hubby before he has to work a long day tomorrow.
   
7. Thankful for a relaxing weekend with plenty of time to catch up on lots of editing.
8. So glad to have a hubby that puts up with me...and took me flea-marketing this morning!
9. Loved the funnel cake I had for lunch today. =)
10. So grateful to all the men and women that risk their lives for our freedom.