Sunrise in Alaska

Hawaii has nothing on us. NYC skyline... bring it on. Hands down, I am blessed to live in the most beautiful place that I have ever seen.

After taking Kailyn to school on Friday, I ventured out to take some pictures for my new photography class and ended up refreshing my soul.

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It was an amazing morning. The air was a little chilly, and I'll admit that I was thankful for my warm truck with a cup of coffee waiting for me! But I was excited for the excuse to get out by myself and enjoy the quiet as the world wakes up.

There is something about hearing the wings of an eagle as it soars overhead looking for a meal. Or wondering what that sound is and finally realizing it's the ripples of a duck swimming away because you've startled it. Seeing the steam begin to rise off the water as the air warms a little faster than the water. The colors, the smells... it is all almost overwhelming and you can't help but feel alive and thankful. And such a small piece of such a big world. But a piece just the same.

Photography Class

So I was having some weird headaches a few months ago. Still get one every so often, but the scariest part to me was that I had white lights floating around so densely that I could not see. Which led me to the doctor, who believes that I have occular migraines. Great. They are not the worst headaches I get, by far, but they aren't really fun either.

Since we are trying for Baby #4, the doctor says there is nothing that can be done about said headaches. I can just take preventative measures. No more chocolate. No more coffee. I didn't hear any others after that.

Hmmm... makes me think the headaches really aren't THAT BAD. I mean, there's not much worse than a life without coffee and chocolate. OK. There's a lot worse, but for me, those two things really help me be tolerable to the rest of society. Really, I am CRABBY when I am tired and without a chocolate fix. So not healthy but so very true.

The other thing that she suggested was that I take time to myself each and every day. Whether it's a 30-minute walk, quilting, reading a book, taking a class.... anything that involves just me doing something that makes me relax. Sounds great and easy in a dream-world, but a little trickier in mine.

What I have done is tried to set myself up so that these things are available when I do have time. Brian fixed the treadmill. I finished my craft room. I read at least 20 minutes each night. And I signed up for a college class.

I COULD NOT WAIT for the first night. I'll just leave it at this: our Tuesdays are just short of CRAZY. When I got to the classroom, I was so excited to be back in a learning environment. And in a "fun" class.

I was looking forward to the relaxing atmosphere of a freshman/ sophomore level class again. Whatever!!! We have an assignment, a quiz, and 2-4 hours in the lab... every week! There's also a research paper! I was a little put off by the amount of time this class would require, but finally decided that it would be worth it to learn how to use my Nikon.

Here are a couple of pictures from my first "shoot." No edits yet, he just wants us to get in the habit of trying new things and taking lots and lots of pictures. The major hurdle that I need to get over is learning to step out of the picture to be able to take a picture. Especially with little guys, it's hard to not be an active participant in the play!!!

Christmas... Before & After

Christmas morning with three little ones is so magical.... with minimal regrets I took only before and after pictures. For the majority of the middle, I sat back and enjoyed my family and the blessings that they bring.