I'm back?

I've been missing my little space on the interwebs but not sure what I wanted to talk about so I have been putting off writing anything. But sometimes you just have to start and not think about things too much. This has been a long and hard work week but moments like this selfie captured with my friend MD, who is visiting from out of down, make me happy. 

Here we go again...

summer break

How much social media is too much? Between Facebook and Instagram and Flickr and Twitter and YouTube and Blogger and Pinterest and even more I'm sure I'm forgetting, it just way too much. At least too much for this girl. And I don't even participate in half of this. So in order to cut myself some slack and live in the 3D world I've decided to take a blogging break. At least for the summer, maybe longer. Who knows, who cares, really.

See you on the flip side!

finally Friday | quiet around here

June has been a low photo month for me. I have been making an effort to live in the moment and not get the phone/camera out for every little thing. 

We are looking forward to the weekend, however. Here's to a good one!

TGIF.

welcome summer

Let's make it one to remember!

finally Friday | almost summer

Temperatures are rising outside and time in the pool is now. I want to take advantage of being poolside as much as possible this summer.

Dad is in China right now but still want to remember him on Dad's day!

I'm a bit "behind"on memory keeping, but figure even though documenting memories is fun, living in the moment is even better.

My favorite photo from the week.

And the moment that made me smile the most this week - Roller disco king!

on the mat | always learning

I am enjoying my new role at our little shala as assistant to R&E. It's a role I take very seriously and am blessed to have such a fabulous teacher take me under her wing. The more I learn about our practice, the more I learn that I have so much more to learn! We are always first and foremost students in this practice. Sharing what we know however we can is just a small little step.

Namaste.

finally Friday | the little things

...fun selfies

...weekend dinners out

...happy mail

...birthdays

...new cute ugly shoes

...stopping to look at the flowers.

TGIF!

project life 2014 | March

I have been obsessively watching Project Life YouTube videos over the past year. And while I enjoy sharing my pages on the blog, I've fallen way behind. So I decided to video my March pages instead. One day I may do a voice over but baby steps for now. :)

on the mat | letting go of ego

Practicing this ashtanga yoga is a funny thing. On the one hand, doing the same poses every day is a good measure of progress over time. On the other hand, those same poses that were once easy can be difficult and vice versa and that can do a number on your mind. 

So, for me, part of the practice is letting go of what you can and can't do (not meaning that the physical effort to practice isn't put in) and taking each practice for what it is. Some days things come easier, some days not so much. And it's all good. 

How well a person does a pose does not reflect how "good" a yogi she is. Being present in the moment, breathing, and letting go is what it is about.

Namaste.

finally Friday

Happy June! Summer is almost here and I am ready to milk it for all it's worth.

Our first trip this summer involves the wedding of 2 dear friends. Can't wait!

Helped celebrated the birthday of my baby sis.

We are attempting a vegan diet for the month of June. Already had one teeny slip up (a sauce I used to cook with had milk in it) but overall I like having the limitations. We don't eat terribly but are addicted to sweets so no cake or cookies!

Spent some days with little peeps.

It's been a busy week but we try to stop and enjoy the moments.

TGIF!

on the mat | #ashtangachallenge

May was a good practice month. I attempted to do a daily yoga photo challenge but it fell by the wayside.

It was fun to try, although some asanas (poses) are more difficult to do when not in the middle of your practice.

Kurmasana is a pose I had much difficulty with 3 years ago in India but now, while not easy, is achievable.

And over the years I have learn to enjoy the benefits of being upside down.

Our teacher is leaving for India at the end of June so need to concentrate and make every practice count this month!

finally Friday | looking forward

The beginning of the week was amazing; yesterday, not so much. Work is a bit stressful these days. But that happens. And even though tomorrow is a working Saturday I am looking forward to the holiday weekend. TGIF

finally Friday | let the celebration begin!

May is my favorite month of the year. Warm but not too hot weather. Longer days. Our anniversary. My birthday. What's not to love?

I am super lucky in that the hubs always plans something special for my day. This year some friends are unable to attend so they invited us to dinner last night to start celebrating early.

My goal moving forward is to keep better friends with friends who are genuine and low drama. These boys are so sweet and we love them to death. They are actually getting married in July - wedding outside of Santa Fe. Can't wait!

The past 2 weeks have been super busy and stressful at work so I am happy for the next few days off. TGIF!

friendship | reconnecting

One of my goals for the month of May (hello there May!) is to reconnect with friends, both near and far. I am so guilty of taking the people I most love for granted and being lazy about our friendships. After a long day of work the last thing I usually want to do is talk on the phone, but writing a letter or even sending a text doesn't take much time at all. And who doesn't love to receive a little happy mail every now and again?

In the spirit of that we had dinner with dear BC, whom we haven't seen in months. He had a major life change recently - quit his job of 18 years and is now in what he terms, "semi-retirement." He plans of taking the summer off to enjoy life and decide what he wants to do next. What a great night we had, talking, drinking wine, catching up, eating yummy food and reconnecting. And all it took was a simple text from me asking if he wanted to have dinner. A little effort for a big reward. 

Now to decide who is next on the list :)

finally Friday

Yes, a day late on this but better late than never!

I've been doing a lot of writing lately...practice journal, morning pages, 5 things, Joe...all of which has been therapeutic and boosting my creativity. 

My favorite so far has been the 3 morning pages. My new routine (started Apr 8) has been to go downstairs for a cup of coffee then come up and write 3 pages of randomness in this cute journal. Love it so much I want to continue. I am hoping this inspiration will motivate me to give a jump to the old blog, but so far no. I guess you say yes to one thing which means you say no to another!

Here's to a great weekend.

finally Friday

The weather has been unusually cool this week - wasn't quite prepared for it, but don't mind it too much. I'm sure the heat will hit us soon!

James was unexpectedly in town this week so we had dinner with him on Wednesday night. Always good to see family. 

And the Kiwi edition may have come home with me on Tuesday as a reward for getting our taxes done. I've flipped through the cards and they are so freakin' cute! Can't wait to use them.

Happy Easter!

on the mat | moon day, you rest!

Traditionally ashtanga yoga is practiced every day of the week except Saturdays and moon days.

Why Saturday? I think way back when Guruji was teaching he actually taught every day of the week but his family convinced him that he needed to rest himself. Hence Saturdays of rest were born. But when I was in India, Saraswathi's students rested on Friday and took led Primary classes on Saturday so actually practicing on a Saturday is not strictly against the "rules."

Why moon days? From what I understand, mainly to honor the cycle of the earth. On full moon days the earth's energy is especially high and on new moon days especially low. So take rest on those days. Now moon days are non-negotiable.

Today's full moon was especially auspicious because of the lunar eclipse. While I didn't wake up in time to see the blood moon, I still rather enjoyed the sight of a full Mr. Moon early this morning. Hopefully this bodes for a good day.

Namaste.

on the mat | learning to be a teacher but always a student

My teacher asked me if I was interested in learning to teach a couple months ago. And of course I said yes! Loving this practice means I love to learn and practice it but would love the share that as well. We are starting slow...I am observing her teach after I practice on Sunday mornings. Today I actually helped her adjust a few students (one of them being my husband). And I practice adjusting her on our self practice days.

After practice on Sunday she goes over things she wants me to learn. And it's been so interesting - not only seeing how other people practice and their strengths and weaknesses but also using that knowledge to deepen my own practice.

One conference in India I remember Sharath saying that people always want to be teachers but never students. This girl will always be a student but hopefully can pass a bit of knowledge along in the process.

Namaste.

finally Friday (on Saturday!)

Somedays work is enjoyable and other days not so much. I suppose this is the way it is with almost everyone. Thursday was super busy but luckily Friday was better.

We went to the Spring Street Studio art opening and found a Photo Booth last night. That's always a good thing.

And I've been more inspired to dress up lately. Just not inspired to actually take photos of the outfits. ;)

Happy Saturday!

a little shop shop

Something about spring makes me want to shop. Maybe because I'm tired of my "winter" (used in quotes because who are we kidding, winter in Houston is balmy compared to most places up north) wardrobe and too lazy to get out my spring clothes (bad, I know).

A lot of it has to do with sales, sales everywhere! I love these style jeans and stalk them at Anthro.

And sometimes it's nice to treat yourself to some pretties. Especially when they are 40% off sale price (love those) and you have a gift card to use.

Seriously though, MUST.CLEAN.CLOSET. sometime in the near future...

on the mat | shanti

Yoga has been so good this year. Feeling strong and flexible. Injuries fading away. This practice can heal what hurts you, both inside and out. 

Sometimes I find it funny that something that can be so taxing on your mind and body bring such fulfillment to your soul. Peace, indeed.

Namaste.

finally Friday

Mom came to town at the last minute to see the boys before she leaves on her 6-month trip to Japan. Always so good to see her!

I am looking forward to a restful weekend. How about you?

TGIF!

project life 2014 | week 12

{mar 16-22}

full spread

A quiet week. I am doing my best to pick out random moments from the week I want us to remember.

left side

Lots of people pictures and writing. Our life is full of boys :)

right side

Some highlights:

My sister actually took that adorable pic of DD - social media can be a good thing. I love being able pics of the boys when I am not there. 

Joe bought Kylie's new album and it has been on repeat in my car for the last 2 weeks. Definitely some gems in it - hope she comes on tour soon!

Cards used from Midnight core kit and Plus One mini kit.

on the mat | we love our yogis!

The new moon cycle started today so to celebrate, my friend S had a potluck and movie night at her shala.

Lots of good food to be eaten (and the best part about eating with yogis is that, while everyone may not be vegetarian, no one actually brought any meat!)

Relaxed time with our friends is always a good thing.

As is hamming it up for the camera!

I took full advantage of the moon day today and didn't even do any exercise at all. But sometimes rest is what you need. Namaste.

finally Friday

This week has gone by super fast yet - a super busy work week will definitely contribute to that! And tomorrow is a working Saturday (boo) but we have fun plans every night or day this weekend (yay) so that always helps.

At any rate, hope you have a  fabulous weekend. TGIF!

project life 2014 | week 11

{Mar 9-15}

full spread, no inserts

Another week in the books. 

full spread, insert right side

Another insert for this week - we threw a "Moon Day" party on Saturday night in celebration of not having to wake up early to practice yoga on Sunday!

left side

I had fun picking coordinating cards and using circular photo templates as a change.

insert, front side

We also celebrated March birthday on Saturday night - we had 4 Marchies :)

insert back side

Our yoga peeps are definitely becoming more important people in our lives.

right side

My everyday life photos are all taken with my iPhone these days. As much as I love my Nikon, it's just SO BIG. Using it at a party or event is fine, but I have less inclination to drag it with me everywhere like I used to.

full spread, insert left side

I have recently reorganized my PL cards so I can see them all easily, which explains the appearance of all the fun bright colors this week. Stars make me happy.

Cards used from Studio Calico, Midnight and Honey Editions.

project life 2014 | week 10

{Mar 2-8}

full spread, no insert

This year I have made the conscious decision to "design" each weekly spread instead of put photos and cards in willy nilly. And I've really loved the result. I haven't been consciously taking less everyday photos but I don't take a photo of every single meal that we eat either ;)

full spread, inserts right side

We celebrated DD's 3rd birthday this week so naturally I had to include the party invite and extra photos.

left side

My title card was actually taken by JJ - it's a blurry photo but looked interesting to me. Our Amsel Adams in the making! And how could I not include Ellen's Oscars selfie - what a fun pop culture moment.

insert 1, back side

My sister's family is too beautiful to me. Love these guys so much.

insert 2, front side

DD loves watching Woody Woodpecker on YouTube with my mom, which is how the Woody theme originated. Super old school so my sis had to create her own decorations.

insert 2, back side

Collages are my friend when lots of photos from one event need to be included. Joe and I bought his first bike, like his brother, for this birthday. We love to be included in their lives like this.

right side

Not a ton of photos (besides party photos) this week, but that gives me an excuse to use the gazillion Project Life cards I have in my stash!

full spread, inserts left side

White space is making me happy. And I bought a bunch of new style page protectors, which are going to be fun to include this year.

Cards used are from Seafoam, Midnight, 5th and Frolic, and Vintage Travel Editions.

on the mat | Happy Sunday

Yoga talk has been low over here lately - practicing itself is better than talking about practice - but sometimes having an outlet for one's thoughts is a good thing too. The time change has done a bit of a number on my sleep schedule - getting adjusted to the dark mornings and light evenings! Since we wake up between 4 and 4:30AM, we like to get to bed and sleeping by 9 but that doesn't always happen. 

What I love about Sunday practices:

-they set the tone for the practice week

-we don't have to get up before the sun rises and our bodies are warmer, making practice flow better

-we don't have to hurry to be at work so can take our time.

I've decided to join in the #100daysofhappy challenge on IG. Can you be happy for 100 days straight? I'm going to try!

project life 2014 | weeks 8&9

{Feb 16-22}

left side, part one

I say this all the time, but this year is flying by. Been a while since I posted my layouts, although I have been keeping up fairly well with the project. I am still loving the minimal look with lots of white space. 

I am making an effort to include more of Joe's POV this year and more meaningful writing. Not always easy, but always worth it.

insert one, front and back

We went to Crested Butte to celebrate a friend's birthday as well as ski, this week. Our first trip of the year! Loved using an enlarged photo as an intro to the trip.

insert two, front and back

I had fun using different sized inserts to include more photos and cards from the Vintage Travel Edition for this week.

right side, part one

But instead of including every single photo I took from the trip, I chose my favorites from different moments that I wanted to remember. That cereal photos still cracks me up (notice the strategically placed vodka bottles, which the boys did NOT drink with their breakfast, thank goodness!).

left side, part two

Taking a trip, however, will always inevitably include tons of photos so I made this week a double spreader. I know I will never make a mini album I want to document as much as I can here. Maybe someday I will transfer all my trip pages from my PL albums into an exclusive travel album.

right side, part two

More favorites of lots of people from the trip. Our friend had over 40 people from childhood friends to new friends to help him celebrate. That's love for you!

{Feb 23 - Mar 1}

left side
Photos from the last couple days of our trip. I love all the blue in this layout.


right side
Coming home after a good vacation is always hard. A bit lacking of photos because no mountains around to inspire me!

finally Friday

DD just celebrated his official 3rd birthday on Monday. I can't believe my babies are 3 and 4 now! DD still has a bit of baby about him but JJ is all little boy these days. I still seriously adore these 2 little boys.

I broke down and bought these mini Project Life kits at -gasp- full price because I really want the Amy Tan kit and buying more would get me free shipping. 

Happy Spring! We are still adjusting to the time change, but are really enjoying the longer days. 

This week has felt especially long and I am super thankful for a long weekend. Enjoy yours!

full house

We had a full house of people over on Saturday night to celebrate the moon day on Sunday as well as the start of spring and March birthdays. This is my favorite thing of the month and now my heart is full as well :)

finally Friday

Another week down. This time change has done a number on our sleep schedule. Still looking for some inspiration. But in the meantime, we still live and love and do what we can.

No rest for the weary

In anticipation of springing forward tomorrow, I woke up earlier than usual on a Saturday morning to get a quick cardio session instead of sleeping in. We have been back to working a couple Saturdays a month this year and while I love having the Monday off, going into the office on a weekend is never fun. But you gotta do what you gotta do!

finally Friday

Creativity has been eluding me lately. Haven't been inspired to photograph or write too much of anything, except daily documentation. I realize it's a thing that ebbs and flows but feel like it's been ebbing too much! 

How do you get your creative juices flowing?

And are you as glad as I am that today is FRIDAY!

project life 2014 | week 7

{Feb 8-15}

full spread, no inserts

Still keeping things simple and clean. I really love the look of lots of white space.

full spread, inserts right side

Valentine's day was this week, so I included the cards we gave each other, as well as ones we received in the mail.

full spread, insert right side (without cards)

V-day is such a contrived holiday, but we celebrate it insomuch as we give each other little gifts and go on a date. This year, I added fun photos of us from years past. I want to include more old photos in Project Life to give more depth to our everyday stories.

left side

My favorite photo from this page is actually the blurry one - "baby" J took it of my sister, mom, and me. I guess he's no longer a baby anymore! 

insert, front and back

For this Valentine's day I decided to pull out some favorite, already printed photos of us and put them in our album so they can be enjoyed, rather just in a drawer.

right side

This year I am also making an effort to include more things that are important in our life. Like, I want to remember that this year Joe has started Cross Fit and rediscovered his love for skateboarding.

full spread, inserts left side

Seriously still love this project.

Cards used are from Seafoam, Midnight, 5th&Frolic editions, Polka Dot Party mini edition and Studio Calico.

#smd50cb

We went west for a long weekend to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday!

Traded in walking boots for skiing boots.

Although we probably spent more time relaxing than skiing, the conditions were amazing. Every day was sunny and clear except Saturday.

I actually took less photos than I normally do when on vacation but that's ok. This year I am focusing more on living in the moment than documenting every one.

Seriously beautiful days out in Colorado.

We were only gone 5 days and now I feel like I am "behind" in life - tons on laundry to be done, groceries to be bought, house to clean. Ready for the weekend already!

project life 2014 | week 6

{feb 2-8}

full spread, no insert

My goal for our February Project Life was to use all black and white photos but that didn't quite work out here. Some images, to me, just look better with some color (like the one of the hubs' skateboard). 

left side

The photos I have been using as my title cards this year are usually random ones from the week. This week I wanted to remember that I had to commute to the Woodlands (about 1 hour north of where I live) for work.

We took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese on morning because the zoo was rained out. My favorite 2 photos were 4x6, the rest I included in a collage. 

full spread, insert right side

The first insert of the year!

insert, front and back

We went to Oxheart for dinner with our dear friends E&R on Friday night. Reservations must be made one month in advance. Some of our friends don't see the value in paying $$ for vegetarian fare, but we thought it was delicious!

right side

The aforementioned photo of the hubs' skateboard was actually taken by the hubs and the writing was taken from his FB. I am definitely trying to get more of his POV into the album this year, as it is supposed to be about our life, not just mine ;)

And we've been spending lots of time with our yoga friends this year. I really love them all so much. Yogis are good peeps!

full spread, insert left side

I've been using a combination of computer and handwritten journaling. The computer print is much easier to read, but I'm working on my writing!

The cards used were from the Midnight, 5th and Frolic and Vintage Travel editions, with a random card from a Studio Calico kit (I don't subscribe but I buy them when I "need" something, usually a stamp, in that month's kit!).

good to the last drop

Still got my coffee addiction going strong. I guess there could be worse things...

project life 2014 | week 5

{jan 26-feb 1}

full spread

This year seems to be whizzing by. And I still totally adore this project. The immediacy of having our memories in a tangible place makes me so happy.

left side

Items of note from this week:

Joe's parents stayed with us most of the week. I didn't take as many photos as I normally do but luckily cell phones are easy to share pics!

The Grammys were on Sunday. Daft Punk won 4 awards for their amazing album and 33 couples got married on the show. Loved it. {Photos taken from Google}

right side

Other than the visit from the parental units, this was an ordinary week. I am still using lots of white space and minimal design.

Not seeing the boys as much as usual these days. J is in school 5 days/week and F 3 so I squeeze in time whenever I can!

a good start

Being able to start my day on my mat makes me happy. When practice flows well, I am even more happy. But even on days when I'm not feeling my best, I would rather have practiced than not. 

I read somewhere that the world would be a happier place if we all practiced yoga and I seriously believe that.

my heart

Yesterday was Hallmark holiday. I always make fun of it, yet, love receiving tulips and love from my love. (The mugs I got for us from Etsy. So cute!)

We went for casual Indian food for dinner and wine and dessert at a sushi place. Perfect date night in my book!

project life 2014 | week 4

{jan 19-25}

full spread

I love the design of this week's spread. Lots of photos but lots of white space with a bit of color as well.

left side

Joe ran the half marathon this week and we practiced a lot of yoga. I've been taking less photos lately but being more deliberate in what I photograph. 

right side

Joe's parents arrived on Saturday this week. So good to see them. And I stole a photo of the boys' new haircuts from my sister's FB account. Love those cuties!

good for the soul

Even though Saturday was a working one, this weekend has been great so far.

On Friday night, we went to dinner with E&R to Oxheart, a new-ish restaurant we've been wanting to check out. They love it and now, so do we!

While we see them almost everyday in practice, having time to chat and catch up and plan is so so nice. I can't imagine our lives without them.

We have another friend, S, who just opened her own yoga studio. And we are so happy for her and our yoga community in general. Houston is such a big city and now we actually have different choices for places to practice ashtanga? Yes, please!

Do not try this at home without adult supervision. 

Our yoga has brought such a diverse group of people together...and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

finally Friday

This has been a very long week at work, mostly because of the added driving. We opened a satellite office up north, which requires an additional hour commute, 2 days per week, every other week.

Driving up and being there has been fine, but the drive home has been killing me. Been so tired every day! Complaining is not something I like to do a lot, but sometimes you gotta just vent. 

And although I am working on Saturday, we have some things planned this weekend that I am looking forward to. There's a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel...

TGIF! Happy weekend!

project life 2014 | weeks 2&3

{Jan 5-11}

week 2, full spread

This is my 3rd year of memory keeping with Project Life and I still adore it.

left side

This year I am making more of an effort to capture random moments and do more meaningful writing.

right side

I obsessively look at Project Life photos on Instagram and am always attracted to the layouts with white space and less stuff. So I am working on adding more white space to mine.

{Jan 12-18}

week 3, full spread

There is something about physically printing photos out that is so satisfying. Who wants to look a pictures on a computer screen?

left side

Also trying to take more photos of things in our life, not just people. Although I love people photos!

right side

I think almost all these photos were from a Saturday. And that's ok too.

Happy Birthday AYH!

My dear friend R started teaching yoga out of their studio this time last year. She started with 3 students and is now probably up to 20+ with a waiting list! So happy and proud to be part of this yoga community.

I haven't been talking much about yoga on the old blog...think my last post about it was in March of last year! This is mainly because I feel that yoga practice is just about that - practice. Talking (or bragging) about which post you can or can't do really doesn't matter. What matters is to get on your mat everyday (except Moon days and Saturdays, of course!). But it is still a huge part of our life. It's hard to describe why sweating in a room full of warm bodies makes me happy but it really does.

One thing I can say - didn't miss a practice day in January! That is a goal this year - no missed practices. This is most difficult when traveling, so we will see how it goes!

Namaste.

project life 2014 | the beginning

January is seriously flying by! I guess life goes by quicker and quicker the older we get. -Sigh-

One of the reasons I love memory keeping and Project Life so much is that I want to REMEMBER all (or at least some) of the little things that made up our daily lives. I'm finding these days I am less motivated to take photos at big functions (or at least as many photos) and more wanting to take a picture of our farmer's market veggies. But it's all good.

title page

The only way for me to do this project is to keep it super simple. Print our my favorite photos, use some cute cards and add a few little embellishments here and there. Voila, it's all done!

Like clothes (or any hobby, really), it's easy to get caught up in all the new product available out there to buy. I've got enough stuff to make scrapbooks for me, my family and friends and still have left over. The goal this year to use up what I have and not buy buy buy.

week one, full spread

I also want to have more white space in my layouts this year. I obsessively look at Project Life photos on IG and the spreads I am most attracted to have lots and lots of white space.

week one, left side

Still doing this weekly, but using a full photo for the title card this year. I also would like to include more meaningful journaling, instead of just adding what happened in the photo. The writing is the most difficult part for me.

week one, right side

Since the first week of January was a shorter, I decided to dedicate this whole page to my friends' birthday night. So even though I said I won't be taking as many photos of big events, I happened to take quite a few this night. And that's ok too!

project life 2013 | the end

I lost steam sharing Project Life on the blog, but am still full steam ahead on the memory keeping. I can't believe we are through the 3rd week in January already!

NYE

New year's is always one of our favorite holidays to celebrate with our friends. Sometimes expectations can be high but we dancing the night away always works for us. I decided to simply print our a few of my favorites from the night and call it good.

I love creating title and end pages for my albums. For the end of 2013 I went super simple, with some favorite photos of us from the year and cards from the many core kits I own. 

Another one for the books!

finally Friday

Has this felt like the longest week? Friday really couldn't come soon enough!


We have been eating lots of greens from a local(-ish) farmer over the past few months. Learned from an FB friend, once a week fresh veggies are delivered by him and enjoyed by us! I bought a family share and it's more vegetables than I would normally buy at the grocery store.

We are learning to eat different veggies and eat more veggies, which is one of our goals for this year. More real food, less stuff from a box! My goal of not eating dessert (i.e. sugar) during the week seems to have had a welcome side benefit as well...5 lbs lighter without a lot of effort. You really are what you eat. 

project life 2014 | new process

I am in the middle of finishing up our 2013 album. Taking a trip at the end of the year is fabulous for everything but staying caught up with Project Life! Even though we were only gone for 4 days, I obviously took more photos than a usual week. After much deliberation, I decided to print all of my favorites and include them all in the album. While I love the concept of mini albums for travel, etc, the execution never seems to work for me. Hence my 2011 India photos all still in a box! So into Project Life they go. Yes the album will be a little fat, but at least they will be in there for us to enjoy in the future.

For this year, I am making the leap and doing everything on my Mac! Since the hubs works from home the majority of the time, I find myself fighting him for time on our main computer. Then it dawned on me that my laptop could be used for more things than blogging and surfing the internet!

Currently I am using iPhoto to organize my pics and PSE12 to edit them. Unfortunately many of the cool actions I used in PS doesn't translate but I'm hoping this will force me to learn Photoshop a little bit more on my own. 

The photos will automatically go into smart folders by date, which is making things so much easier. I've got a pretty good system going so far and am actually caught up with 2014, almost 2 weeks in. Yay for learning new things!

unexpected

We saw this last night and it touched me in a most unexpected way. Emma Thompson was wonderful as Mrs. Travers and now I want to see Mary Poppins again!

finally Friday

The weather this week has been more crazy than usual. Hard freeze on Tuesday, 70s today. That's Houston for you!

Having the holidays in the middle of the week has also thrown off our equilibrium. I still feel like I'm on a boat, although it's much better now. Now just working on this hacking cough/allergies that aren't allowing me to get a full night's rest.

And we're still recovering from our NYE, birthday festivities. I am happy to report the hubs and I are doing better. Baby steps, I suppose.

TGIF!

rough start

2014 has already been full of some highs and lows.

Been good for the past 6 days about eating less sweets. Baby steps!

Been spending good time with friends.

However, anyone who tells you marriage is an easy thing is lying. Ours is being tested right now...

Happy happy

Another year has begun. The possibilities are endless. Resolutions will be made (and broken).

This year, in order to keep myself on track, I have decided to make 4 small goals each month, rather than one large thing to keep myself to for the whole year. I am not a good goal setter but there's no time like right now than to start.

1. Dessert that is not fruit limited to weekends only.

2. Clean clutter in bathroom (i.e. try to get rid of 100 items)

3. Use the dSLR at least 3x/week and in MANUAL mode at least 1x/week

4. Plan a date night with the hubs

Now that it is written it will be done. Here's to a great start to 2014!