Project 52, Week 2

  I adore Tulips.  I'm not sure when my love affair began with them but it's been in recent years.  My favorite flowers over the years have ranged from Wisteria, Daffodils, Roses and Iris's but now I think that I have settled on Tulips!

  Here is a photo I took on Monday night with candlelight and Tulips.  What a wonderful combination.

Has anyone ever tried taking candllight photos before and if so, how did they turn out?

Sara

Friday Fabulousness (What I'm In Love With this Week)

So I do think that I will make this  a regular Friday event!  Here are four things I have fallen in love with this week and/or have made me think good and hard in some way....

1 - This amazingly gorgeous image made me want to photograph roses and strawberries together.  I have never thought to do that but the colors are so beautiful together.

2- Why Brown is The Best Color is such a moving article about bunnies.  Please read and if you are considering getting a bunny, don't pass one up just because it is brown. 

3 - When you first read this quote, it's a little odd but keep thinking about it.  It inspires me to not "sleep" but to stay awake and move mountains!!!

4 - I REALLY want these shoes!  I have seen several pairs of floral shoes locally but they all have heels =(

What are some things you're loving this week? I'd love to know!

Sara

Beginning of Project 52

  A friend at church wanted me to take a photo referencing the words "love bunny".  I purchased a hideous purple heart from Ross hoping to make the picture in my head but it didn't feel right so I took it back and put the photo off.  For Valentine's Day, my father got me a box of turtle chocolates in a beautiful heart shaped box.  I knew it was what I needed. 

Here is the finished project for the first week of Project 52!

  I love my beautiful bunny Cinnamon.  She has my heart.

Sara

http://ticklemywhimsy.blogspot.com/2011/12/project-52-2012-join-me.html

Since Everyone is Doing It, I Will To (Things I'm Loving This Week)

  I've seen this post on a LOT of blogger's sites and it's interesting.  I am constantly finding cute things that I like too.  So I may or may not do this once a week or every other week, or once a month. We'll see...

  Some things I'm loving this week

  1.  This adorable (light) pink nail polish I *just* (like 5 minutes ago) got from Walgreens, called Tickled Pink.  Can't wait to try it out....

  2- This blue (I LOVE blue) overnight bag from Etsy.

  3- Vogue Magazine because they put Adele on the cover!!!  Can't wait to get a copy and read the article....

  4 - An awesome blog about chickens (yes, chickens) if you're into that kinda thing.

  There they are, four things I'm loving this week.  Share some of yours!!

Sara

God Will Help Us - If We Let Him

  Even though this blog is mainly about my photography and things related to photography, it is also a place to share my life.  That's why I wanted to share with you how much the Lord has helped me and been (oh so) good to me this last week.

  The backbone to understand this last week is that I had my annual heart checkup scheduled on Thursday.  Also, the bank where I work has a special project going on where they are requiring us to work mandatory 52 hours this week.  Between those two things, I was stressed and nervous.

  On Sunday morning, a missionary that we support who is located in Saipan was at our church and spoke during Sunday School.  His thought?  God is in control.  And nothing happens in our life that God doesn't allow and already know about.  How about this week fella's?!  Or this nerve-wracking Dr.'s appointment?!  Yep, He knew all about both.  That message was the start of God's goodness (and His help).

  On Sunday, I prayed that the Lord would 1) give me the strength I needed to not stress out about the work week and the physical strength to get thru it without getting sick or being super super tired.  and 2) take my mind off of my impending Dr. visit and give me a peace about the whole thing.  I don't know about you but if I think about something I'm dreading, I can come up with a LOT of terrible scenarios, whereas if I don't think about it, I'm ok.

  Well, I have been praying those prayers all week. And God has answered both of them!! 

  It is Friday so I've (almost) made it thru this long work week (I will work 4-5 hours tomorrow and then I'll be done) and the Lord graciously allowed me to not dwell on the Dr. visit.  And when I got to the dr's office, I brought in a book and purposely when I was given any alone time in the exam room, I read it to keep my mind off o the "what if's" until my dr came back with his verdict. 

  My checkup was A-ok.  I'm good "for another thousand miles" (those are my Dr's words...). 

  God did it again.

  And the more I think about it, I believe He guided this hectic, long work week to be at this time just so I would be tired, etc and not able to really think about the visit lying ahead of me.

  Isn't He good?  His goodness is just so humbling yet exhilerating at the same time.

  Do you have a testimony you'd like to share about something He has done in your life? Please share, I'd love to hear!!

Sara

Project 365 Is Lovely but Not for Me

  What happened last year to my 365 Project has happened again this year.  It's not just that life gets in the way, it's also that I feel so uninspired.  So I'm switching to the 52 Project (One photo a week each week of the year).  I think that this will help me to be able to get an idea for what I want to photograph and allow me time to prepare myself for it. 

  My 52 Project will start this week and I will try to post each week's photo on Saturday's.

  Here's hoping this project goes better than the other.

Sara

Rediscovering Reading

  When I was a little girl my whole world revolved around reading (that and playing with imaginary friends and making up adventures - I was an only child).  As I grew older, things began crowding out reading.  The biggest obstacle to reading was a tv!!!  It may surprise some of you to know that my family did not have a tv until I turned 18.  Yes, friends, I lived for 18 years without a tv in my home.  My family and I did go to my uncle's house on the weekends to watch movies or shows and my mother and I would go to his home (he lived a mile up our road) if there was a special news story but other than that, we didn't watch tv.  It was a treat when I was able to see one!. 

  Anyway, for Christmas my dad bought a tv that we could only watch movies on.  I believe I made up for lost time.  We all did. We watched movie after movie.  And it was amazing.  I could hardly believe that I had  a tv that I could watch a movie on whenever I wanted!

  The downside to that was the fact that as I caught up on the 18 years of movies I'd missed, my desire to read slowly ebbed away.  Now, my fixation was movies.

  I did read off and on and have read off and on for the past few years but nothing like when I was growing up.  Not only did the tv take the place of reading, but my schedule becoming busier did as well.

  Anyway, one of my goals for this year is to read 12 books.  I have read one (The Hunger Games), finished another (The Lost Girls -I started this book in April of 2010) and am now reading A Room With a View by E. M. Forester. 

  Reading is special.  Reading is transportation to other worlds.  Where a movie shows you what something is like, a book makes you imagine the scene you're reading, allowing you to exercise your mind and creativity.

  As I grow older (That sounds horrible - I mean, I'll only be 27 on the 9th of this month....) the more I hear about people who can't read.  That saddens me.  I want to go out and teach everyone to read.  

  I don't think that those of us who can read realize how special and important that ability is. 

  I challenge you to read some books this year.  It doesn't have to be 12.  It can be 5, or 2.  But please, do decide to read.  It's a privilege.

Sara