OBX 2012 - The Sand Break

Just in time to make our return to the OBX, I've finally made some time to make it through last year's photos of the trip. Part of me is glad it took so long because the trip down memory lane was really enjoyable. It was so crazy to see how much my little munchkin has already changed. Those cute chubby cheeks have thinned into the face of a toddler that makes me smile more every day.

The count down is 34 days until our return to my sweet serenity. While I'm not a person that likes to sweat, there's something about the sound and breeze of the ocean that feels like home to me. I love that my daughter is a water baby and really look forward to the years of family vacations to come.

As always, I picked a few of my favorites below, but you can see the full album here.

East meets West, our trip to LA

FINALLY, we were able to take the trip I've been talking about for years. Now ideally we wouldn't have done it with an 18 month old, but it was great to be able to introduce Alexandra to her west coast family. Even a month later she's still talking about the trip, especially the fur-enhanced members, Lily, Tucker, and Lola (go figure!).

It was so nice to get to spend time with everyone and finally get to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean. If you've never been to California, LA is a great place for a first trip. I just loved the fact that one minute you're downtown, next traveling up the Pacific Coast Highway (you'll know it from all the movies), then make a right and you're going through one of the gorgeous canyons on your way to the lake. There was something for everyone all within a reasonable drive.

We were sad to leave, but promise to come back much sooner than this first trip took. Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. You can see the full album here.

Easter 2013, the year of the hunt

Crazy how much things change in a year. Last year Alexandra was 5 months old and I'm not even sure she was crawling yet. This year she was a lot more involved and had a TON of fun! I actually think she enjoyed the egg hunt more than the Easter baskets. I can't believe she's wearing the same dress as last year. Below are a few pictures from the day, you can view the full album here.

 

It's been two years...

...must be time to try and start this blog thing again. As I sit here reading my posts from years ago, I'm glad to have written them. Many made me smile, others reminded me that I'm still dealing with the same old sh!t. Either way, it was nice to be able to look back on, and funny to see it following this familiar two year cycle.

So in version 3.0 of this blog I'm going to try and focus more on my photography and actually sharing the pictures I take. For the thousands of pictures I have on my hard drive, very few make it outside of my computer, even less to a piece of photo paper. This needs to change. Some posts may be new work, others may be old favorites. Regardless, it will be one more step forward to building my confidence, and portfolio.

On that note, look at this face! Every day is better with that smile.

Trying this again

It seems that around this time each year, I get this great idea of starting a blog. I start off pretty strong and then fizzle out as the year goes on. I seem to come up with a whirlwind of excuses why I don't have time to write anything and really who is paying attention to what I write, but me. So something else gets prioritized and next thing you know it's been a year and a half without a blog post...oops!

I'm not going to make any promises that this time is going to be different, but with everything that's going on right now and the busy year ahead, I can promise that I won't run out of content. The reality is, as the days get busier and blurrier, it'll be nice to have someplace to remind me of everything that's happened.

Let's talk it out

Something my husband still struggles to understand about me is my need to "talk it out." In his mind I'm bitching about the same thing over and over again, being indecisive. I know part of him just wants to grab me on both shoulders and shake me until I shut-up. What he doesn't see is the whacked out thought process going on and how many times I've already had this discussion in my head. By the time I've made my way to his ears there's been at least three renditions of the thought process, and now I'm just vocalizing it to see if it sounds as sane outside of my head as it did inside. You'd think that talking to another human being would be better than talking to myself, but clearly he thinks not.

My mother has had years of practice with this and knows the difference between a pause for comment, and a pause to catch my breath and continue. After almost thirty years of being my sounding board it's her turn to take a break, and part of his husbandly duties to humor me. I have a gut that has served me well, not only at meal time, but in life in general. I KNOW what it's telling me. I don't always listen, but I do always KNOW. If I come up with an idea, thought, or decision and don't KNOW, then I keep talking. As annoying as it may be, this process has never failed me, and I'm not about to abandon it now.

Tonight I KNEW and I'm in a better place because of it. WE'RE in a better place because of it.

Open mouth insert foot, and leg it's attached to

So, we've all had those moments where before your brain can start filtering your mouth you find yourself halfway down the road to, "No seriously, tell me how you really feel." Well that was me today and really the only excuse I have is that I was so tired I didn't know what I was saying until it was too late. I wasn't saying anything I haven't said before, but typically the comments are reserved for the ears of my husband, in the safety of our home, while sipping (guzzling) an adult beverage. Any other day I slap a smile on my face and become the sunshine princess that everyone knows and loves. Not the case today. Today I felt the need to air ALL of my frustrations about my boss to a coworker. The horrified look on her face said it all and as quick as I could I just.stopped.talking. It was like a train wreck and I was watching from inside. Twelve hours later I still can't believe I lost control. I mean seriously, how does the control freak loose control?

Clearly I have some issues that need to be addressed before I have another attack and this time on said boss. That will be the express train to unemployment and waiting tables. The longer I work in customer service, the more I can relate to cartoons. There are so many times when I'm sitting there with a smile glued to my face while imagining a baseball bat bonking the person in front of me repeatedly on the head. Or maybe their head just explodes mid inanely annoying request. When necessary I can fake interest like the best of them, but lately I catch myself in a blank stare wondering if they can see the daggers coming out of my eyes. Perhaps I need a career change. At the very least I need a vacation.