Everyday Epiphanies

Clarity.

I finally ran today.
While I ran.. my mind drifted.
(Although the first two minutes I'm always left wondering why I'm running in 25 degrees... but once that heart rate starts getting up there and the blood starts pumping through my veins, I know 25, 15, or 10 degrees isn't really that bad.)

Heres what kept popping back in my mind.. "Simple, Simplicity, Less is More.."
Great concept.. and if I recall a few years ago I bought this Simplicity book combined with a few lighted candles, I was about to be in the great search for some kind of zen, some kind of balance in my hectic life... I read, I repeated the words, "Less Is More.. declutter.. blah blah"

And what happens?

I'm working a great day job at the scrapbook store, making brand new projects weekly and creating classes, and adding more clients in the photography business, oh and my family with hubby on shift work. I was basically a single parent.

There goes my "Less is more concept".

Fast forward, 2010.. no day job. Great time to rekindle with my "inner peace". But the newly found partnership in this photography business was taking off.. How could I possibly slow down now? I'm gonna take it and run!  We said "yes" to every client. Literally. Up until New Years Eve! I remember spending a better half of my New Years Eve in our studio with an infant!

Now. I am here in 2011. In search of the infamous "Less Is More Concept".
Then I stumbled on Ali Edward's blog who happened to write a blog post of what goes on in her day. I figured it must be crazy, right? Cause of all she does in a 24 hour period! But reading through it..

Something clicked.

She plans, yet rolls with the punches.
She makes time to exercise, it's a part of her day, like a lunch break.
At the end of her work day, she closes the door and doesn't look back.
She says "No" a lot.
And most importantly, she realizes that family time, is just that "family" time. Everyone included.

So what's new here?
It's the change in mindset.
It's the idea, if you desire to live a simpler life, you will achieve it.
Desire, is a powerful word. (It was my Word of The Year once) and I remember flying with my own photography/scrapbooking voyage.
It was that same "desire" that lead to 2 5K's, and running the farthest I've ever ran in my life, 10 miles.

Over this "quieter" start of the new year... I love how things has shifted, mostly my focus. I found new ways to capture my life, I'm "there" for the kids, I've been heading to the gym, I'm running again, I actually sit down and watch a movie during movie night at the house... This is the "me" I want to be. I put in hours of work during the day and call it quits when my teenager comes home. I don't bother walking by my "office" in the evenings cause I know what will happen. So if I need something downstairs, one of my kids will get it for me. I'm slowly learning to divide the two. Work & Home.

I realize I'm doing something I love. It's fulfilling to me and it doesn't literally have to "fill" my life.

I also have to add, I'm so glad we have a dog. Yup, who knew a four legged creature could make me a happier, worry less, play more kinda person! He really helps me to "remember" to enjoy life. I take him out twice a day Monday-Friday (hubby has the weekends). And it's nice to get out and watch him romp around in the snow, enjoying that single moment.. Dogs have no deadlines, no worries, no stress.. I feel like I need to be around that or else I'd be stuck in my basement constantly worried about what's the next big thing.

The thing is, I have a tendency to "want it all" to be "bigger and badder" than last time. But all of this can be achieved without losing myself in the process. Everyone wants to achieve balance in their life. But not everyone is willing to give up the "clutter" in order to do so. I don't know what's on your everyday "To Do" list, but there are just some things that can wait till the next day. Do what you love. Do what makes you happy.

[from Ali's blog]

Great READ right here. Enjoy!

 

Chuck It.

Sometimes I wanna take my worries and... Chuck It!

Sometimes I have to remember that no matter how many unexpected turns this life takes me, some of which I simply don't have control of ... I have to remember I am in control of my actions, reactions, and outcome of my day.

Fully noted. And with that said, I did just that.
Took my day and grabbed it by it's cojones and let things be.

*****

Got to talk to my good friend Anna today :) I miss her so much!
It felt really good to connect with her again, I swear, it seems like yesterday she was sitting in my living room scrapbooking. I just know one day we will be able to hang out again..

*****

So I decided last minute, that today will be my rest day. I seriously thought that I pulled a muscle or something in that fierce Turbo Jam Class.. but Rudy gave me a little 101 on muscles, exercising body parts you normally don't, burning, gaining muscle mass.. etc. And the ache is "good" thing I guess. I was looking forward to a good run, but instead we took our baby out.

Me in my fierce Baby Whisperer Stance of Kai and I out for our walk.
What no leash? That's right, I just use a stick! That boy knows better than to stray from his Master :)

*****

Wednesday is around the corner.. 

I say bring it!

 

2 Tired.

Muslces hurt.
Tired beyond tired.
Sick children home.
Dog and I stayed outside for 2 hours! It helped that it was a little warmer today (25 degrees).
Woke up at 3 am, been up ever since.
Turbo kick class, simply kicked my you know what.

But I got my "Bandy"

A sweet gal and a long time friend of Paula's, Sharon made these amazing "Bandys." I met her at Paula's baby shower, sportin hers, and I eyeballed it all afternoon and I knew, I WANTED ONE.. like yesterday! I finally picked it up today and I LOVE it! Needless to say that handmade gift made my day!

Looking forward to a more meaningful post tomorrow!

Enjoy your Tuesday!!

Weekend.

Finally got to see my girl, Keri.
What is it with going months without seeing her?
Last year, she was a stay at home mom, I was working at the scrapbook store and photography.
This year, I'm home during the days, she has a day job, but my weekends are usually booked for sessions.
So, we've flipped flopped.

But we make it for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions :)

I got to meet, Belle.

So did Isabel, who did NOT want to go home without her.

And of course, celebrated the birthday girl.
She's Seven!
When I met her, she was 2?
Wow! Time flies!

And here they are..

As fab as can be!

We had a great time..doing girl stuff.
A nice little getaway from all that "boy stuff" at home.

The weekend.. came and went.
One by one, my kids are dropping like flies..
Getting sick.
Me.. I'm sitting here in pain! Pain I say!
Did way to much jumping & punching in Turbo Jam on Saturday, I literally cannot go up the stairs, get up from the sofa, or move! That's what happens when you roll out of bed, swallow some energy chews, and do this class. I was a jumping fool, punching and kicking the air like there was no tomorrow.. when I think it was that boost of caffiene that got a hold of me! Later that night, I could feel what my body really did... and i was to over exert itself!

Other than that, quiet weekend at home, ready to start my week. But looks like some sick kids are headed my way.. as I hear them sniffle and cough in their beds as I type at 11:45 pm!

Must get some rest... cause you know, Mommy's do NOT get a day off :)

Snow, Work, & Evolving...

Nothing like a good shovel (our driveway and the neighbors)  in the morning to get you going!
I'm so thankful that it finally snowed again.. all that hard ice/snow out there was getting old.. I prefer the soft fluffy kind :) And it finally warmed up! By warm I mean 15 degrees.

I spent the better half of my day updating our website with our latest shoots.
Okay, more like all day! This is really a full time job!
Between all the emails, the paper 'ghar-bhaj' the not so fun stuff, updating facebook, updating studio blog, working on the website, not to mention trying to create new, fun, & fresh stuff.. you're looking at a whole week gone by :)
Like I've said before, you really gotta love what you do... or else this will not be fullfilling for you.
Luckily, I actually like this little office time.
But I have to say, I'm dying for some creative outlet.
We are looking at some fun filled shoots ahead, but Paula and I decided to book them after "baby" Pepin arrives, cause, I love Paula and all, but that girl is not quick on her feet at the moment :) I know exactly how she feels, those last couple weeks seem like the longest :)

So I've enjoyed this 'quiet' time to:

• Organize. Backup, burn, and backup again.
• Be Inspired. by other photogs
• Keep Learning. purchased tons of tutorial videos and "How-To's" Even several years into this, there is still SO much to learn!
• Develop. new products, new ideas getting ready to come to life.

I have a genuine love for art, creative souls, thinking outside the box, trying new things, learning & failing. All a part of the never ending growing process of being an artist. As I sat and watched a few documentaries on some photographers around the world, the words, Evolve + Truth come to mind. We are constantly evolving, but in this process, we always remember to stay grounded, to stay true to ourselves, and our passion.. because it was that same passion, that led us on this journey after all.

 

I was so excited to go on my run today and the plow-team on base failed me. Two thumbs down!
The sidewalk and pathways were not plowed at all.
What was that? A couple of inches is not biggie?
Yeah, you trying trudging through it :)
Foot sinks in, slides back, and up.
Foot sinks in, slides sideways, and up.
I wasted most of my energy trying not to fall with an 80lb dog who thought he was in Snow Heaven! That boy loves snow btw.
So my, would've been 4+ miles, was cut in half.
But.. hey, Kai LOVED it.. all that romping.
Look at him now.. Snoring :)

10pm.
I'm out!

Discovery!

If you've been following my blog, or if you know me, you know that I.. acutally like to wash my dishes. Something about it calms me.. yeah, I know weird, right?

Well, we got our dishwasher fixed a couple weeks ago.
Not sure what happened to it in the first place, we've lived in this house for 6 years and we rarely use it! but water would start dripping out when hubby would try to use it. So I would use it to dry extra amounts of dishes or the dog's food bowl. So it started getting yucky in there since there is nothing rinsing it through.

Well.. these past 2 weeks, I've been using it after dinners. And I... LOVE IT!
Clean up is such a breeze! You literally shove all the dirty dishes in, shut the door, and we are done! I get to sit and relax with the kids, watch The Bachelor, or whatever!

Now I'm not a complete moron! I do know that it does, but I just never really bothered to use it. But now that I have for the past couple weeks, I feel like a whole new person :) I look forward to relaxing after dinner. I just had to let go of the idea that I can let others help me clean up, well in this case a machine...

Now the laundry, I'm willing to give that chore to anyone. As for vacuuming, I think I'm still the best one for that job, cause it's all about getting the corners too!

Today I...

• had every intention of making the most of my day, and I sort of did.
• started my day at 5:30 am and prepped dinner at 6 am. (yeah, what?)
• didn't feel as tired, but I did have a pretty uneventful weekend.
• folded so much laundry, I think socks are coming out of my ears :)
• enjoyed a new tutorial on some editing tips from Erin Cobb.
• made a list of Business Strategies for 2011 for R&P.. I'm already thinking cute little bunnies.
• am thinking BIG! Big Canvas', Huge Collages, Wall sized photos. New ideas, New Products.. in Production.
• tried a new recipe for Chili and smelled the aroma of Chili, all day!
• took it easy, no need to stress about things that can be done tomorrow.
• felt inspired by other photographers who turned their cameras on their own families.
• put up my sheer curtains, in hopes that Spring will come soon.
• am bum, that I didn't push myself to go out for a run, even though it was -5 degrees.
• realized that taking photos with my iPhone is a creative outlet, and not me being lazy because I don't want to lug around my big camera.
• drank 2 cups of Americano.
• dusted my ceiling fan while standing on a ledge over looking our stairs, because I'm daring like that.
• am still in shock that I will SEE and HEAR Jasmine Star.
• got a call from Paula.
• my brother got married in a small celebration at Kaka'ako Park, sad I didn't make it, but I will see him in May.
• am feeling so appreciative... of everything. My life, my hubby, my children, friendships, learning new things, growth with experiences, opening up to people and letting people in.

Just taking note of the little things I did today... it's always nice to look back.

*****

So I've been playing around with taking photos via iPhone, a lot. Well, every single day to be exact. And you know what? It's so much fun! It's just another creative outlet. I started doing it out of convience in capturing the everyday. Then, realized after read this ARTICLE  that I found on someone's status... that we as artists are constantly evolving, learning new things, new techniques, and we see things in a different light, all the time. Our minds are constantly racing with ideas. And sometimes you have to step out of the norm, or that box and try new things. 

Sion Fullana: “Look around you and fall in love with tiny details.”

With that said.. I take my phone everywhere, much like my dog... and as we stood on top of a hill, I tried to find creative ways to capture all the details.

I wanted to capture my dog and I, as tiny shilouettes on top of the world :)

Take One: (no good, I look like a stick or a tree stump)

Take Two: (nope, looks like we morphed into one another).

Take Three: okay that's more like it. That made me happy :)

 

Zero.

Zilch.
Nadda.
Diddly-Squat.

Referring to our weekend & the weather.
It's been extra cold this weekend. I think we finally warmed up today, reaching 0 degrees!

To sum up our weekend, we really just stayed warm indoors and relaxed.

Well.. the most exciting thing to happen this weekend was this:

Signing up for J.Star's class!  And the fact.. that I'm really going to Vegas. Wow! It didn't seem real till signign up for all those classes tonight.

 

Chaotic.

Morning Mess.

The day did not go as planned.
Tired as heck and grumpy.
I have been so fatigued these past 2 weeks. By 6pm, I am literally done for the day. Hubby thinks I've been pushing myself in getting back to running.. and that could be so. But I really think it's more. Gonna make an appointment next week to make sure all is well. I've always had issues with being anemic, just never really looked into it. I'm not a big fan of doctors. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I went. But this time, I'm a little worried at how excessively tired I've become. So we'll see.

Izzy ended up staying home today. She was coughing all night long and I know she didn't sleep well or at all. So we cuddled most of the day. I literally had to force myself to get out and meet hubby at the gym.. only to run outdoors!  Yea? What? We did a little run today. I swear training sucks. Why do I have to follow what the digital coach says anyway?

I'm looking forward to Friday, the weekend in general, to be home with the family just chillin'. Nothing planned and to top it off, everyone has Monday off... an extra day, to do absolutely nothing.

Wednesdays + Currents.

Wednesdays are my complete downfall. It was such a blur...

It's a day when all the energy from just Monday + Tuesday take a toll on me, and all I want to do is lay down! So I spent the better part of my morning fighting the urge to take a nap. Instead I lay there helplessly hoping for a spurt of energy.

That energy finally came at around 11 am when I was supposed to already be in my 11 am Spin Class.. but didn't. I made a quick run to the commissary craving a good salad with Balsamic Vinegar dressing topped with Rotisserie Chicken.

I forced myself to meet hubby at the gym around 3pm... and I'm glad I did. I needed that and I got calibrate my new sensor, worked out on this oh so confusing eliptical. No really it was. It was this new machine that I spent most of my time trying to figure out rather than use it properly.

Currents:

listening: Nat Geo Network, watching Border Wars with the kids.
eating: nothing at the moment, but just enjoyed a toasted wheat bread with peanut butter.
drinking: water.
wearing: comfy-getting-ready-for-bed-clothes.
feeling: tired.
weather: windy.
wanting: to scrapbook, but it's too late.
needing: to get to bed.
thinking: what a bad mom I am for letting my kids stay up to watch Border Wars.
enjoying: this, everyone safe & healthy under one roof.
wondering: what it's like to be a border patrol police guy and the abundance of drugs that come to the US via Mexico. I know right, I should be counting those fluffy sheeps and head to bed.