This is Our Life: Project 52 [Week 6 & 11: Good Morning & Play]

Wow, I have been seriously neglecting my personal "this is our life" project!! I will try to get back on track, but as wedding season approaches I can't make any promises. :)

For week 11, the theme was "play", but this photo also covers week 6, which was "good morning". Two birds with one stone, right?

Our weekend mornings are often spent playing with the puppies, as Clara wakes us up bright and early and is in play mode for 2-3 hours. Her favorite game includes whacking Einstein in the face with any toy she can find, though she also loves playing fetch with the smallest, squeakiest toy she owns.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. This snow is pretty but I'm wondering when spring will actually arrive. I'm craving green grass and beautiful sunsets for some outdoor photo sessions! :)

This is Our Life: Project 52 [Week 4: A Different Perspective]

Week 4 in my project 52 had the theme "A Different Perspective", which interestingly enough, applies perfectly to another post that I was working on in my head. On Friday, I traveled to Kansas City to listen to Justin & Mary Marantz speak and teach at the final stop of their "What's Next" Tour. I left feeling exhausted, but incredibly inspired and ready to continue on my journey with a new perspective.

Not only are Mary and Justin incredibly talented photographers, but they are also kind, humble, and inspiring individuals. I'm so very thankful that I had the opportunity to attend and learn from them firsthand. Mary began the day talking about fear and how to move forward toward your dreams. She said several things that resonated with me (like 5 hours worth of things!!) but one major one was that sometimes, we are our own worst critics. We feel "who am I to want this?" and wait on permission to go after our dreams (which will never come, unless of course, we grant ourselves permission). Mary encouraged us to stop thinking of our dreams as opportunities, but instead as obligations. She asked, "Who sacrificed so you could achieve your dreams?" and told us that we OWE it to them to live the life we've been given. We were all given some time to write a letter to someone in our lives who sacrificed and made it possible for us to chase our dreams, and for about 15-20 minutes the room was filled with soft music, the scratching of pens, and sniffling as people wrote letters to their loved ones.

That day I wrote a letter to my mom, and I plan on mailing a copy of it to her (after I transcribe it into something legible!) but I wanted to share a bit of it here on the blog.

Mom,

Thank you for raising me to believe that I could do anything I put my mind to...for always believing in my dreams, and for never making me feel foolish. I know you sacrificed a lot for me - as a young adult you put your dreams on hold so that you could raise a little girl and I will always be thankful for that. You gave me confidence that I could do anything I wanted in life, pushed me to never give up, taught me to always give 100%, and you helped shape the strong work ethic that I have today. I hope that I have made you proud by doing work that matters, documenting people's journeys so they can look back on their lives and have tangible proof that they were beautiful, geniune, and loved.    ~ Jen

Mary challenged us to stop waiting on someday, as "the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that there will always be more time". I refuse to live a life full of regret. In 40, 50...60 years, I want to look back and be able to say that the work that I did mattered, and that I left everything out on the table.

"The world is better when you're in it, and in it all the way." ~ Mary Marantz

*This post is mainly about Mary's section but I also wanted to say a huge, huge thank you to Justin Marantz for being willing to share his photography genius with everyone who attended. I learned so much and I am so excited to apply his techniques to future sessions and weddings. I hope someday I can attend their Walk thru a Wedding workshop, as I know I would continue to learn a ton from them both. Also thank you to Ashley, Liz & Ryan, and Jeremy for putting your lives and businesses on hold to help Justin & Mary put on this tour, the experience was invaluable to me. Also a huge thank you to all of the photographers who attended the KC stop, it was wonderful meeting you all - especially Christine (you are an amazing individual and it was an honor getting to know you! I hope our paths will cross again, I know great things are in your future!).

This is Our Life: Project 52 [Week 3: This Makes Me Wish I Could Freeze Time]

Week 3 of my project 52 has the theme "this makes me wish I could freeze time". There are obviously a lot of things that I could post about for this week's theme - hanging out on the couch with Josh and the pups, reading a good book on a cold winter day, or enjoying an evening out with friends. However, Josh snapped this photo today of me doing one of my favorite things - petting my two furry friends while they snuggled on the couch, and I knew it would be perfect.

I know that our life isn't always this calm, or relaxed, and that the pups don't always spend this much time in close proximity (Einstein is becoming a bit crochety in his old age). In fact, shortly after this photo was taken, Clara jumped up and started biting Einstein's face and he wanted off the couch immediately to go explore the backyard...where he could be ALONE (thankyouverymuch!). Peaceful moments like this are never quite long enough.

This is Our Life: Project 52 [Week 2: This Makes Me Laugh/Smile]

I'm a couple of days late on last week's photo project, partly because it was really hard to think of what I could photograph that makes me laugh. There are so many things that make me laugh, such as the fact that on January 15th we STILL have our Christmas tree up (seriously, we are so lazy right now!!), or that Clara chases Einstein under the bed every morning (she is such a morning person, it's almost painful), or Dan when he tells me "your mom" jokes.

Finally I settled on taking a photo of a photo that makes me laugh. This weekend, my sister Bri and her husband Colby celebrated their marriage with a reception in their hometown (they were married in Las Vegas this fall) and had a photobooth area. We all had a great time trying on the props, and this photo is one of my favorites because it includes me and all of my siblings being completely silly. Also, is it just me or is my sister Rachel totally channeling Slash from Guns & Roses with that hat and glasses?

It's kind of hard to read, but the chalkboard says "DONE AT 6" (all one word though), which is my parents' license plate.

This is Our Life: Project 52 [Week 1: Evening Ritual]

I wanted to do a 365 project last year, but somehow never got around to it. So, for 2013, I am going to be following Paint the Moon's "This is Our Life" project (see more info HERE). After looking through my files from last year, I realized I had taken very few personal photos. Granted, we don't have children (just the puppies) but it's nice to look back on the past year and reflect, so this year I thought would be a great time to start documenting the every day moments (but only once a week, as I have to be realistic about my time commitments!).

The first week's theme is "evening rituals". We have many, but one that has been a regular occurrence since Clara joined our family in April 2012 is documented below. Sock hunting, one of her favorite things to do since she figured out how to launch herself into the laundry basket. This is a nightly ritual, though I neglected to take any photos of the disarray she leaves in her wake as she drags them all over the house.

What are your evening rituals?