Be Happy Already May 17, 2010

Uggh.  Why oh why is it way easier to be cranky, stressed, tired, and unhappy?  Why can’t I just wake up ready to face the day, remove the two blissfully sleeping cats off of my body, pat my sleeping husband and dog, and enjoy the hot shower that will be the first step of many to this Monday? 

   Before I went to sleep last night, after a wonderul weekend full of friends, sunshine, happy hour and an amazing engagement shoot in Seattle, I meditated on being thankful, being happy, and being positive.  I remember simpler times in my life, AKA college in Santa Barbara, where I was really happy, and usually in a great mood.  I was more than happy to go above and beyond for my customers at the restaurant, and even though homework and midterms had me super stressed out, I was still able to relax during downtime and enjoy my time off from work.  Fast forward to today, and I find that I start stressing out on Saturday morning about the week ahead that won’t even begin until Monday.  What is that?  I’ll tell you what it isn’t: it is not living in the moment, it is not focusing on the positive, and it is NOT the way I want to live my life.

So, for this week, I’m really going to focus on being thankful for all the blessings in my life.  The big things, and the really small things that get overlooked.  I suggest you do this too.  For just a few minutes every day this week, make a mental list of all the amazing things in your life.  Count the people you love, the friends you truly appreciate, consider your health, the fact that you have an education (think of all the people in the world without access to education) be thankful that you have enough food to eat, etc.  Get really simple here, and focus for a minute how great things really are.  Then, take a deep breath, smile, and take on your day!

Gratitude Journal Entry December 2, 2009

Are you like me?  Do you have the best of intentions to do things, particularly those things that are meant to be just for yourself, but then you don’t quite seem to prioritize them, and make them happen?  For me, those things are too many.  Working out for example.  Not my favorite thing in the whole world to do, takes at least an hour, you get all sweaty, etc.  But the results are amazing: feel better, look better, sleep better, and for me, it makes me eat better to, so as not to undo all that hard work.  Do I do it enough?  Nope.

Or reading.  I love to read.  Magazines, books, blogs (www.merakohblog.com).  Do I do it enough?  Nope.  Seems selfish, lazy even.  Lots of other things need to be done.  Who am I to sit and read?

Sometimes, okay most of the time, life gets in the way of LIVING.  Don’t you agree?  We get so caught up in getting too much done in too little of time, that we forget why we’re here in the first place.  To love, to laugh, to enjoy, to be present.  With the holidays upon us, I propose we each take time out of each and every single day to reward ourselves.  And to put ourselves back up towards the top of our to-do lists, right where we should be.

09gratitude journal, where have you been? June 8, 2009

Life can be so hectic.  I think I’ve pretty much covered all the bases, and then I realize there are many things I’ve been missing.  Phone calls home for instance.  I am always so excited for the weekend: with gardening, training for the 3-day, a shoot (or 2) almost every weekend, spending time with friends, etc. etc. etc. that I forget to call home.  I may intend to, but weeks go by, and I haven’t talked to my mom or grandma.  Monday rolls back around, and it starts all over again.  Not to mention blogging.  I try to blog as often as possible.  But often that turns into once a week.  Especially once the sun comes out.  So, I have not written in my gratitude journal for maybe a month or more.   Probably more.  Anyway, I am thankful for many things.  Sunshine for one.  I appreciate that due to the seasons we experience living in the northwest, sunshine is an exciting anomoly.  People leave work early, cancel all plans, and head outdoors.  Neighbors come out of hibernation.  Grass starts to grow at lightening speed.  My dog all of a sudden is the first to rise, whining at the door to go out and just lay in the sun.  I have to dig up last year’s sunscreen, and start to use it daily.  Winter weight needs to take a hike, and literally, so do I.  Perhaps the one down-fall of the summer and sunshine, is my beloved book club cannot find a time to meet to save our lives.  we decided instead we would start our next book, and perhaps have a double meeting in the fall.  We will have so much to share with oneanother, we might need two happy hours to get it all done

So Many Blessings February 26, 2009

I just finished watching yesterday’s Oprah, and it was on tent cities around the country.  Middle class Americans who have lost everything in these tough times.  Families torn apart when the women and children are forced to go to shelters, and the men of the families have to find somewhere else to go.  Many shelters only take women and children, I assume for safety reasons.  Or tent cities where middle-aged adults refuse to tell their grown children about the situation they are in.  Part out of shame, and part because they don’t want to burden them. 

Again, it just brings life into perspective.  My husband and I still have good jobs.  Our home is safe, payments are made on time.  Our lifestyle, though monitored more carefully now, has not had to change all that much.  Hey, we are all pinching here and there.  Going out less, having more potlucks instead of dinners out.  Renting movies instead of going to see them.  Working a little extra.  But lets all take a moment to again be thankful that our bills are getting paid.  That we have a roof over our heads, that our families aren’t forced into shelters, or tent cities.  Be kind to the homeless, be gracious to those who have less than you.  Hand over a dollar, or an apple, or a blanket.  Be blessed, and bless others when you can.

Six Thousand and Counting January 26, 2009

This week, and am ever grateful for… dare I say it… TECHNOLOGY!

If you know me at all, or if you’ve been following my blog, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with technology.  You see, I am not one of those techno savvy, naturally good at all things tech kind of person.  I can work my computer, and even solve minor issues, but only after lots of on-line research, headaches, a few curses, and minor nervous breakdowns.

And yet, I know that my life could not continue, if I found myself without all of this wonderful technology.  For instance, I love my magic aka. I-phone.  I love the GPS, I love the texting feature, I love the Internet.  I make sure to never leave home without it.

And my blog.  I love my blog!  I am at over 6,000 visitors, and I love that some of them are new, some old, some family and friends, some potential clients, some fellow photographers.  I admit that when the going gets tough, the tough stops blogging.  But all in all, it is a great way to reach the masses, inform, educate, and yes, sometimes rant.  I try to keep my ranting to a minimum though, as my husband likes to point out: nobody likes  a whiner.  Not to mention the fact that there is enough negativity in this world without mine added.

I am also newly in love with Lightroom.  I had been reading about this super streamlined approach to editing and cataloguing photographs.  And I just got it a few weeks ago, have been able to process a few shoots with it, and needless to say, it is as amazing as I had heard.  Up until now, I had been relying on my in-camera work to produce my images.  But digital photography isn’t perfect, and part of the process is certainly post-edit.  I have suddenly become obsessed with hand-tinting my images, tweaking lighting and white-balance just a hair, cropping, brightening, spot-removal, and so-on.  Yes, I have created more work for myself.  But I am also now able to produce an image that has even greater punch, greater impact than I ever have before.  High contrast black and whites, and antiquing are my current favorites.  I can’t wait to show my clients, new and old, how amazing their images will be!

Gotta love technology!!!!

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” January 19, 2009

This week, I couldn’t be more blessed I am when it comes to my friendships.  I had an amazing day yesterday, so full of laughter and love.  I met up with some of the funniest ladies I know for our book club.  We read the Russian Concubine, and had a fantastic discussion about it.  Although it wasn’t one of our favorite books, it did lend to a very interesting discussion, even for the member who couldn’t quite get herself to finish it.  It was pretty slow in the middle, but had a very emotional ending.  Our next pick is Revolutionary Road, and we are really excited to read it before we see the movie.

Not to mention the fun happy hour, and a ridiculous amount of laughter.  I think we even disturbed some other patrons, but what can you do about that?  Then my husband and I headed to Seattle to have dinner with our good friend Nick, and after dinner he and his roommate John treated us to a free concert.  They are both amazing musicians, and John is a part of a band called Jubilee (www.livejubilee.org) which I have also had the pleasure of seeing.  Not only is their music wonderful, they are also a non-profit band, supporting the International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org).  What a cause!

Spending time with friends is so important to me, and sometimes I forget how great I feel after some good old fashioned laughter.  Sometimes I think I’d rather stay at home in my PJs, or that I don’t feel like driving to Seattle or wherever.  But once I go, and find my heart full and my soul happy, I can’t believe I almost didn’t want to.  Keep in touch with those you love, make time for laughter, and if you are lucky enough, work a happy hour into the mix too!

High and Dry January 13, 2009

You know, this weather is getting out of hand!  First the fall floods, then the snow, and then the record flooding again!!!  I am ready for some good ol’ won’t ruin anything or stop the mail from getting delivered Washington rain.  You know, that wet stuff that typically falls from the sky on daily basis this time of year.  The kind of rain that you can still go for a hike in, or go for a run.  The kind that we are all so used to it hardly even phases us.  Funny, being from California, I never thought I’d say anything like that.

I am a little late on this week’s gratitude entry, and basically I just have to be thankful that my home is high and dry.  Yes, we got stuck for a day or two with both the snow, and the valley flooding.  But my floors are dry, I didn’t have to pile all of my belongings up on counter tops, and I’m not spending the next few weeks wondering how on earth I’m going to repair the damage.  I know some of you are, and my heart goes out to you.  Specifically my brother and sister-in law out in Snoqualmie, and my dear friend Kristen and her family.  I’ve seen the pics on facebook, and man, it doesn’t look good.  But not all is lost, and in a few months, this will all be a really annoying, and yes scary memory.  Makes you think about the truly important things in life: health, family, security, friendships, comfort, simple pleasures.  Getting back to the basics.  Step to the side for a moment and let the rat race go on by you.  It isn’t always about getting more.  Sometimes its just about taking joy in what you already have.

Still Snowing… December 21, 2008

Wow, this is crazy!  I have never experienced snow like this.  It is both beautiful, and a bit scary.  We have found ourselves stranded at times, and so thankful at times that we have lots of food in the pantry, just in case.  We couldn’t get down the hill late last week, and although we made it at other times, it seems like the risk just isn’t worth it.  I made the major mistake of trying to run a few errands yesterday in Woodinville.  Traffic was insane, parking lots were completely full, and there weren’t any shopping carts to use once you got inside!!  A trip that should have taken two hours turned into nearly six.  Luckily I had my best bud with me, and we used our time to talk about everything from the economy, to communication issues in marriage.  Ever notice how good you feel after just talking with a really close girl-friend.  I find I feel renewed, with a better perspective, and ready to face the world.  There is nothing that compares to a good talk with a good friend.  That is what I am thankful for this week: my best friend who totally gets me, and wants to talk about it.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow December 15, 2008

 On this lazy Sunday, I am so thankful for the snow!!  There is something so peaceful about a blanket of soft, fluffy snow on the ground.  I love the cozy feeling of a warm fire and a hot cup of tea.  I love not getting out of my pajamas all day because there is nowhere to go.  I love sleeping in, and waking to this beautiful view of the lake.  Kona thinks snow equals play, and she literally whines at the door not because she needs to go out for a potty break, but because she really really really likes to run and play in the snow.  It is one of her favorite things!  Kona is the pup, in case you’re confused   I hope everyone has had a wonderful, lazy, snowy Sunday…

 

“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.  And since we’ve no place to go…

                                                      LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW”

Grateful for a full belly December 2, 2008

You know, out of all the things I think we overlook every day, it is the satisfaction of a full belly.

Now, I can also admit that over the holidays, I allow my belly to get a little too full.  I go for seconds, I have dessert before I am ready, I eat way too many appetizers, and often have too much bubbly.  At Thanksgiving this year, which is often quiet as my husband and I stay home, sometimes with a friend or two over to share in the meal, we had more than enough.  Our plan was to have leftovers, but after we had finished, and looked back at the buffet, we had to take a moment to be thankful for the bountiful hot food still sitting on our kitchen counter.  I know many go without that spread, and many more go without hot meals for far too long.  I am so thankful that not only could we afford this meal, we had a warm, comfy home in which to prepare it.  I am also thankful that purchasing this food is as easy as hopping in the car, and heading down to the friendly Duval Safeway.  Again, seems simple, but for far too many people, a grocery store full of food isn’t even available.  We have much to be thankful for, and a full belly is just one…