in defense….

of new year’s resolutions. i’ve read/heard quite a few people say that they don’t really believe in making resolutions. i respect their choice, however, i do believe there is power in making resolutions…at least in my life. i’ve made resolutions in the past, which have had a major impact on my life and it’s betterment : ) one resolution that i made about ten years ago, which stuck, is my daily morning devotion/reading/prayer time. i used to be sporadic in my commitment to it. now, it’s pretty much non-negotiable and not because i feel “obligated”, but because it’s the best way for me to start my day. focused on what’s really important to me. i would be a mess without it. another less vital resolution that stuck is taking vitamins daily and not sporadically. i am sick FAR less than i used to be AND there are many other slightly lesser benefits….energy, better skin, less cravings (this one surprised me) and just a general overall better feeling.

this year, i’m off to a good start with making the changes i need to. one of my resolutions was this: i want to eat moderately, but well. savoring mealtime and not eating unconsciously. sort of a “why french women don’t get fat” attitude. last week, i made a menu plan to support this resolution and we’ve done well at sticking with it. we had roasted vegetables and pasta and potato soup so far from my list and tonight we’ll have layered hamburger pie. i also want to make sure to use the fresh fruit that i bought in abundance last week. i think i’ll just cut it up for a simple salad. it is gratifying to stick with a plan….spending less, not wasting, eating more healthful and savoring meals instead of just scrunging something up.

over the weekend, i had a photoshoot with an adorable family (i’ll be sharing sneaks in the next day or two), we went to the high school basketball game, church, had a soup cook-off with jamie (i kicked his butt! thanks to jennifer’s recipe!), spent time in my studio (with no agenda!), sat and relaxed in the hot tub twice and ate at gringos with my sister. love lowkey weekends. we invited several couples from church to the loft for the soup cook-off and ended up sitting and talking for quite a while. i think one of the things that we love about the loft the most, is that there is no t.v. it forces people to just hang out and not be distracted from good conversation. although we’ll probably eventually have a t.v. there, for now, we’re enjoying the lack of any kind of technology. i often want to hang a sign up at the loft that says, “no cell phones”. i have a love/hate relationship with my cell. 

i can finally share something that i’ve been dying to share!  i mentioned several times that i had a couple of photography projects in the works. it appears that one of the projects is public knowledge now….it’s on facebook, so that’s pretty public! my sweet friend cara just saw it and sent the link! thanks cara!

the wedding of phil and monae is featured on the cover of wedding essentials! so excited about this! it’s my second cover for the magazine, you may remember the first-

wow, that’s tiny. i guess i saved it really small! but if you know princess lastertron at all, you know that she is small but mighty! i am so grateful for the opportunities i’ve had to work with the absolute cream of the crop brides and grooms! it’s been absolutely dreamy!

another totally random thing: i was really touched by conan’s last show. i am a conan fan and always have been. i find his humor hilarious. but when he spoke one last time, i was so proud to be a fan! i loved what he said to young people about not being cynical. i hate very little, but i do hate cynicism. so to hear him use his platform to say that, made me super happy! he was so right in what he said! i’m sure good things will come his way….and until then the $33 million should help him get by!

finally, i want to share some images from the game saturday night. our nephew trev had a good game and i’ll admit that i was a little partial in the shots i took-

going back to the high school gym brought back lots of memories. i was pretty sentimental remembering watching my own boy play many a game. it was particularly emotional to see coach williams and niehaus coaching such a winning team. coach williams first year coaching was when jared was a senior. we really, really like both of these coaches. they invested in these guys in a big way.

how can you not love a coach who gives his own kid a hug before going to the locker room?

i regret that i didn’t take more photos while i was there. i took most of the seniors on the teams senior photos and i really should have taken more shots. that just gives me a reason to make sure i make it to more games this year!

time for a workout. have a great day and God bless!