COLOR RUN

I woke this morning to the sound of rain. And for once in my life, my heart sunk. I love the rain. LOVE it. But today was race day. I would have welcomed running in the rain if it was not January. Or if it was not The Color Run. Be that as it may, the mr. and I (with my friend E in tow) loaded the truck with plenty of extra towels and headed to the race. We parked at ASU and walked to the starting line on the Mill bridge. In the rain. We waited with hundreds of other runners for the starting signal. In the rain. And we completed the 3.2 mile course - with ample time at each color station. In the rain. The rain never stopped. But neither did we. Once we crossed the finish line, we headed to the stage for the after party. FUN stuff. The mr. only participated in the initial color throw, but E and I hung out for a while at the front of the crowd, dancing like fools. It was wonderful.
The pictures below are color chaos. To help you out, I am not in the first one. Starting with the second photo, I am to the right of the guy in the maroon hat (my mr.). I have a bright pink bow in my hair, but by the third picture down, my hair is completely purple.
I was shocked when I saw this last picture. I still had some white...

BEEN A WHILE...

I broke free of the popular style of blogging - and have forgotten to just write. But in all honesty, the past few weeks have been kind of crazy. My life of late has included:

potty training L in three days 

running 10 miles without pause 

hiking Camelback Mountain in 35 degree weather 

changing my photography style and business model 

purchasing an iMac and new software 

teaching J long division 

Okay, that last one is not true. But I have been busy. And four kids just adds to that. I am a little behind (with photography), but once I am caught up, I think I will be blogging more frequently. Because I have a shiny new computer that I love to play work on. So that's all for now. I'm keeping it short and sweet today.

ACHING

I feel as if I walk around with my heart outside my body. I feel things deeply; I love this and hate this about myself. The smallest of things can make my heart hurt. On Sunday morning, I got news that a friend from high school gave birth to her twins 15 weeks early. And my heart just aches. No matter the outcome, I know this will be a long road ahead for my friend and her family. That they will become instant experts at terms only used in the PICU and NICU. That they will spend many sleepless nights thinking of what might happen. That they will not be bringing their babies home when they are discharged tomorrow (nor for a very long time after). I know how quickly things can go from great to grave. And that the of smallest obstacles will feel like mountains to climb. Though I have not experienced it myself, I have friend who has when her twins were born just as early. I remember what she went through. How difficult that journey was. So I ache to know what my other friend must face. And what grieves my heart the most is that there is no way to know what the future holds for these tiny, precious babies. Love you, Mel.

30 BEFORE THIRTY - HIKE CAMELBACK

This was a tough one. Not necessarily because the hike was strenuous - which it very much was - but because I am a complete pansy when it comes to the cold. My fingers turn to popsicles in the summer with the a/c on. And that is when I am on the opposite side of the room as the vent. It's ridiculous.

I had planned this hike two weeks ago, but missed the part where a cold front would be blowing through the night before the hike. So at 8pm last night, we finally cancelled. I was a complete grump. At 9am this morning, I was wallowing in my misery in bed. In walks the mr. with some snarky comment (which I totally deserved as I was being quite the little brat). Turns out he was just making a comment and NOT challenging me to do the hike. I read into it as the latter and was ready to walk out the door 10 minutes later, alone. After making a few last minute arrangements with the kids, I was out the door at about 11am. With the mr., to my delight. Hit the trail at noon (I may have misdirected us en route to Camelback). It was INTENSE. But I thrive on a challenge. It was a popular day to hike the mountain. We hit the summit at 1pm, stopping long enough to scarf down some granola bars. In the car and on our way home by 2pm. SO GLAD I did it today. I needed a break from the kids and knew being outdoors would do the trick.
2 down, 28 to go...
I learned that I CAN hike in 35 degree weather and live to tell about it.

INTROSPECTION

I have been doing a lot of running lately. And I add to my distance each week. Seven and a half miles last Saturday. Which gives me a LOT of time to think. A majority of my thoughts are on the new year. Goals. Desires. Priorities. Who I want to be as a parent, as a blogger, and as a photographer. I made a shocking discovery while running the other day: I already know who I am and what I want. I am a parent that spends too much time coexisting with my children. I want to be more involved, to strengthen my relationships with my children. I am a blogger that feels pressured to be what is popular in the blogging community. I want to write and express MYSELF without feeling restrictions that don't truly exist. And I am a photographer that has taken any job to increase experience. I want to focus on photographing real moments that create visual memories. What does this mean? Less time on the computer and iPad and more time on the floor playing with cars or on the couch reading books. Less time blogging about recipes, teaching tools, etsy finds, and healthy habits and more time just expressing myself. Less time photographing family portraits and more time capturing life as it occurs. I am learning to reject what I feel society expects of me as a blogging mom and photographer. Because I just don't care. I want to be ME. And what I have been doing for the past four months just isn't cutting it. I am breaking free. I am being REAL.

STUFF I LOVE - MOSAIC

2012 has come to an end. And if you are anything like me, that means it is time to close the 2012 photo file and start a new folder for 2013. But what to do with all those images from last year? Download the simple Mosaic app, pick your top 20 images, and have a fabulous book made. Easy peasy. We made three as gifts this past Christmas. They were gorgeous. And I may have conned the mr. into getting for one for ourselves (to be ordered in the near future). Honestly. I can't speak highly enough of Mosaic. Fast. Easy. Beatiful. Click above to download the app or click HERE to go to the Mosaic site.

RESOLUTIONS

Good intentions for the year - that last through about January.
I use to make resolutions. Set goals for the year and worked at achieving them. But last year, as New Year's approached, I said, "forget it". You see, I am the type to ride myself too hard. And to beat myself up when I fall short of my aim. So last year I decided that I would not make specific resolutions outside of one; be better than last year. And I feel that I succeeded. 2012 was a good year. One in which I can be proud. Which is why my 2013 New Year's resolution is the same as last year's; be better than last year. It gives room for error and mistakes, while allowing for progress and growth. If I want to be a little more specific with my resolution, I can apply it to parenting. Be a better mother than last year. Which, of course, is the plan. But I do have other goals for the year. Goals that come from my 30 before THIRTY list. Journal every day for a year. Run 1 race a month for a year. 30 letters of gratitude. And maybe a few more if I get ambitious. If I can accomplish a few things from my list, I am sure to progress as an individual should. So here's to a new year. A new opportunity for personal growth. A new chance to shine.