Posts from the ‘Personal’ Category

Jan 19

Around Here: January

Winter is really here! Our walks are much cooler these days. I do not love winter, as there is much less light during the day, however, I enjoy the changing seasons. I am using this time to work steadily on my project, which I hope and plan to finish this year! There is finally some light at the end of this tunnel I have been wading through for some time! Below are some items that have occurred around here in January!

-continuing to work steadily on my long-term photography project, and one portion of the deliverable remains to be completed!

-celebrated Doug’s recent well-deserved promotion! Yay! I am so happy for him.

-working with my Mom to finish planning the final details of my sister’s baby shower! (I found the most adorable baby shower invitations!)

-helping to plan and coordinate a fun summer family trip together near the water.

-burning candles all over the house!

-enjoying date nights with Doug!

-enjoying cooking with Doug and trying new dinner recipes using our slow cooker.

-still enjoying my yoga class!

-I am reading Sally Mann’s memoir, Hold Still Sally Mann. It is a fascinating read, and I enjoy learning about the lives of artists I admire. If you are interested, here is an interesting interview with Sally Mann about her new book.

-started the documentary, Making a Murderer. (Here is the trailer).

-started the final season of Downton Abbey.

-watched the second season of Transparent.

-enjoying playing Mexican Train Dominos. (Doug is really good at this game!)

-started using my new Fitbit and I’m aiming for 10,000 steps per day, and making this goal most days.

-finished outlining some of my personal goals for 2106.

-decided on my one little word for the year for 2016.

-finished making my Happiness Jar for 2016.

-continuing to make more progress on our ever-growing to do list!

Victory is pictured below during our 2.6 mile walk together at a park near our house this past weekend! She was a trooper and she walked the entire way! We are making progress!

Happy Tuesday!

Jan 15

Things I Love: Winter 2016

It is officially winter with the colder temperatures, and I wanted to share some items that I love! Winter, along with the cold temperatures and short days, is not my favorite time of year, but I am making the best this season this year, while focusing on finishing my project. The cooler weather provides more time to do editing work for my photography project and it also provides time to catch up on things inside our house that I would otherwise put aside. Below are the items I am loving during the winter!

1. Mantra Bands – A friend recently told me about Mantra Bands. I love them and I sent several as Christmas gifts this year. I have the one that reads, “Be Present,” which is my word and mantra for this year. Thus, I am constantly reminded of my word for the year!

2. Athletica Down Vest — Doug got me a vest from Athletica, and I love it. It has come in very handy, especially since the beginning part of winter has been unseasonably warm. It is very comfortable and keeps me warm without simultaneously being too warm!

3. Goody Hair Ribbon Elastics — I recently discovered these hair ribbon elastics, and I love them. I find them to hold my hair much better than regular hair rubber bands.

4. Clinique Face Primer — I have been using the Clinique Universal Face Primer, and I love it. My makeup, when I wear it, goes on so much more easily, and it prevents flaking in the dryer, cooler months.

5. Fitbit – As part of my Christmas present from my parents, I got a Fitbit, and I love it. It helps keep me on track with my movement, and I have been reaching 10,000 steps on most days!

6. Hold Still Sally Mann — After the Holidays, I started reading Sally Mann’s new memoir, and I am enjoying this book. I love reading about other photographers and artists’ lives. I like Sally Mann’s work and it is really intriguing to read more about her life and her artistic process. I recommend this book to any artist.

You can view other things I love here!

Happy Friday!

Jan 12

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Fun Tangible Images

I am a big supporter of printing personal images, therefore making them tangible. I am currently in the process of having archival fine art prints made, which we will frame and hang around our home. It will be really wonderful to soon finish this project!

I have printed photo magnets, which we’ve placed on our refrigerator/freezer, which has brought great joy, along with my quotable magnets, which I love. These photo magnets have also made great gifts, too! These magnets are also really easy to update with more recent images, thereby keeping the images current. Also, they are always a conversation starter, when we have guests over. Below is a snapshot of the top portion of our refrigerator/freezer. We have photo magnets and quotable magnets all the way down to the floor on our refrigerator/freezer! If you would like to showcase some personal images in your kitchen, and if you are interested in having photo magnets made, check out Sticky9!

Happy Tuesday!

Jan 8

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2016 Word of the Year: Present

“The present moment, if you think about it, is the only time there is. No matter what time it is, it is always now.” -Marianne Williamson

Many people write new year resolutions. I still write down my goals for the year, but I have found it more helpful to have a word, an intention, to focus on throughout the year.

This year, after reflection, I decided the word present would be my word for 2016. Last year I chose the word flow; in 2014 I chose trust; and in 2013 I chose the word create.

Present defined: present ˈprez(ə)nt/ noun 1. the period of time existing now.

I decided that I want to truly be more present in my life. Often times, I find myself wandering too much into the future, while consequently missing the present moment. Time already goes by quickly enough, and I really want to enjoy each moment and practice being in the moment. I also hope that this will also hone my ability to focus, at times, more easily, too. Biscuit first taught me the importance of living in the present. That was one of his gifts to me, and I hope to improve this year with this practice. I even bought this bracelet to remind me of my word this year. This practice is applicable to all areas of my life, and in a few months, I will share how this practice is going here on the blog.

Are you considering selecting a word for yourself (or letting one find you)? There is no right or wrong. The main thing to remember is that this is your word.

And what do you do with this one little word? You live with it. You invite it into your life. You let it speak to you. You might even follow where it leads. There are so many possibilities.

Happy Friday!

Dec 23

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Happy Pawlidays!

“Dogs truly are able to see into our souls and remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.” -Unkown

Happy Pawlidays! Thank you so much for a wonderful year! I am very grateful to you blog readers and subscribers! I am very much looking forward to new series and exciting adventures in 2016! I believe 2016 will be a terrific year filled with many possibilities! Thank you so very much for reading and following the blog — it means so much to me.

Below is the front and back of our Pawliday card along with our matching envelopes using custom stamps and seals of our beautiful little Victory! (You can view our previous Pawliday cards here, here, and here). This is my way of sharing our Pawliday card with all of our blog friends! Thank you for reading this blog for however long or short you have been visiting! I truly enjoy creating content for the blog to share with all of you. We hope that you have a splendid Holiday!

We are en route to visit family, and I am taking a brief break from the blog to enjoy some down time. I will return to the blog in early January 2016. Meanwhile, if you are in a blog-reading mood, you are warmly invited to visit the archives — the links are shown below.

Dog Related posts

Dog Rescue posts

‘Dog-Centric’ Artists Interviews

For Artists posts

Photography posts

Personal posts

Victory Related posts

Happy Pawlidays!

Dec 22

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Around Here: December

It is difficult to believe the Holidays are upon us so soon! December has really zoomed by very quickly for me! Below are some items that have occurred around here in December!

-continuing to work steadily on my long-term photography project.

-we decorated for Christmas, and we love our Christmas lights!

-completed and sent our Pawliday card!

-completed our Christmas shopping!

-took Victory to visit Santa again!

-burning fall-scented and Holiday-scented candles all over the house!

-enjoying date nights with Doug!

-celebrated an early Christmas together in D.C.

-still enjoying my yoga class!

-I am behind on my reading again this month from working hard to tie up some loose ends concerning my photography project, in addition to getting ready for Christmas. (I plan to get back to my regular reading after the New Year).

-watched the first season of Transparent.

-started the second season of Red River.

-Victory had her grooming at the vet last week; and we both gave her bath this past weekend, and Victory looks really great and her fur feels very silky and smooth!

-we are traveling to see family over Christmas! We really look forward to some down time over the Holidays!

-reflecting upon this past year and thinking about my one little word for the year for 2016.

-working on my goals for 2016.

-making a new Happiness Jar for 2016.

-continuing to make more progress on our ever-growing to do list!

Happy Tuesday!

Dec 18

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Victory: Visits Santa Again!

Victory is ready for Christmas, and we are as ready as we can be for Christmas! We had a busy weekend, which included taking Victory to visit Santa this past weekend! Victory was such a good girl on Santa’s lap again! Victory wore her new Christmas ruff, and she coincidentally ended up matching Santa this year! Notably, Santa even remembered our fur girl this year from last year’s visit!

Shown below on the left is Victory when she visited Santa last year; and shown on the right is Victory when she visited Santa this year! As you can see, Victory was a bit more comfortable with Santa this year as opposed to her being a little more skeptical last year, when she met Santa for the first time! We are making progress!

Additionally, you can view Biscuit visiting Santa here!

Doug and I typically celebrate Christmas together in D.C., a little before Christmas. This weekend, we are going to a Holiday party and we are going to D.C. for a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and we are going to see the National Tree, an annual tradition! We took Victory with us last year to see the National Tree and we had a ball! We got Victory’s grooming completed this week, and she is getting her monthly bath this weekend so that she is ready and looking her best for Christmas!

Happy Friday!

Dec 14

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New Practice: Inspiration Days

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” -Mary Oliver

I have somewhat recently started a new practice that I have coined, “inspiration days.” What is an “inspiration day,” you might ask? An “inspiration day” is a day I clear once a month where I do not have anything on my agenda and I am free to do what I would like for a day, non-work related, which helps create space thereby sparking inspiration and creativity. For example, on “inspiration days” I have gone to the museum, a really long walk, and read some inspiring books, uninterrupted. Each “inspiration day” provide a new experience, which helps spark creativity and new ideas. The “inspiration days” come in really handy when I am trying to work through a problem that I cannot solve. Usually, most of the time, out of nowhere, it seems, the answer presents itself, after taking a step away. Therefore, in an effort to finish the final leg of my long-term photography project, I have implemented “inspiration days” to help keep inspiration and the creative ideas flowing. No matter what, I believe, “inspiration days” can be fruitful for anyone. We all need to take a step back every now and then, right?

Happy Monday!

Nov 30

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Around Here: November

Well, it is difficult to believe that we are well into fall on our way to winter and on our way to the end of this year. Below are some items that have occurred around here in November!

-continuing to work steadily on my long-term photography project, and I am nearly finished drafting the draft copy for the project! I continue to edit images for the second portion of the project. I hope to be done sometime later in 2016, nearly 4 years after beginning this project. It will be very gratifying to finish!

-continue to prepare filings with the U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress.

-I got a new computer, which I desperately needed!

-my parents came to visit us.

-I was quite sick in the early part of the month, and we consequently had to reschedule our trip to North Carolina. We plan to go in the early spring along with our fur girl!

-burning fall-scented candles all over the house!

-enjoyed cooler evenings and walks together outside!

-enjoyed time together on the deck, while the weather was still nice.

-enjoying date nights with Doug!

-enjoying my yoga class!

-I am behind on my reading this month.

-started the first season of Flesh and Bone.

-started the second season of Orphan Black.

-giving our fur girl her monthly bath — Victory is getting better about bath time, but it still takes both Doug and I to bathe Victory! Victory’s fur feels so smooth and silky after her bath and brush out! You can see below how much her beautiful fur coat is coming in! She looks so regal!

-we had a great Thanksgiving, and it was nice to see family!

-My sister announced at Thanksgiving that they are having a baby boy!

-while in Michigan over Thanksgiving, we met Chrissy, a relative of our fur girl, who came from the same horrible hoarding situation as Victory. A photograph of the fur girls are shown below. I will share more soon on our visit!

-we finished and received our Pawliday card and card packaging, which are almost ready to be sent out!

-started Christmas shopping!

-started decorating the house for Christmas!

-continuing to make more progress on our ever-growing to do list!

Happy Monday!

Nov 23

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Hearts: Biscuit and Victory

Just before our dear Biscuit passed away, I noticed a heart shape, shown on the right below, in the area near his neck where he had been shaved for his surgery, a sign to us that everything would be ok even though we were heart broken because of our great loss.

While we were away on vacation, while Victory took a nap, I noticed that Victory has a heart shape paw pad that is solid pink, the only one of her paw pads that is pink and it is in the shape of a heart. I truly believe that our sweet dear Biscuit sent us a gift, our Victory, another perfect sheltie family member who Biscuit selected for us. It is always interesting to see how everything is connected and intertwined. We believe that Biscuit is always with us; and we believe Victory is the little fur girl that is meant to be part of our family as well.