Thank You, 2011

It’s that time of the year again where I recap the year and make resolutions. I wasn’t sure I’d even make it this year because this last bit of the year has been so packed with Christmas and visiting family and friends, and then New Years tea parties that I just didn’t think I’d find the time to go through all these photos and remember what I did. But then I took a look at the goals I set for 2011 and my heart swelled. I was so shocked when I pulled out my list and was able to mark off almost everything.

✔ Make at least one new healthy recipe once a week.
✔ Take at least one photo a day.
✗ Read 52 books by the end of the year.
✔ Prepare to run a marathon.
✔ Write a book.
✔ Take a vacation to somewhere new.
✗ Learn 2000 kanji in my Japanese study. (I’d say I learned about 350-400?)
✔ Stay joyously happy, grateful for every moment, and unabashedly in love.

On top of that I quit my day job to pursue photography, did the food photos for a cookbook, beat my record time for running two miles, started a regular workout routine, met online friends in real life, and had my photography published in a magazine. 2011 was an amazing year for me, and I have so so much to be thankful for.

January

I start the year hopeful and with many projects and goals. I begin the Spurred project, my second year long photo-a-day project, and re-launch my writing website Minus The Papercuts- in honor of the fact that Tom and I met on a writing forum ten years ago. I release my first Photoshop action set for photographers, The Black & White Collection.

February

Getty Images requests a batch of photos of mine to sell, Tom tries to convince to me quit my job to focus on photography, and I try making a batch of vegan bread in our bread maker but fail miserably. (This is important to me because I have yet to make the perfect loaf!) I fall ill with bronchitis at the end of February and have it through the beginning of March, but I manage to take my daily prompt photos from the couch or bed, determined to make it through. My hair is as long as it’s been in years.

March

When the earthquakes and tsunamis hit Japan, I host a print & postcard sale and all proceeds are donated to relief efforts, we visit the Niagara Falls butterfly conservatory, I break up with my jeans for a month and wear skirts or tights or anything-but-jeans (and love every minute of it!), begin doing yoga, and wrap up work on my second action set.

April

With Tom’s encouragement I finally quit my job working with kids to work from home on photography full time. It is scary, thrilling, and lights a fire under my butt to work hard and push myself to my limits. I release my second action set “A Colorful Morning“, I bring home my new favorite lens (Tom excitedly inherits the 24-70mm), we discover a new Asian fusion restaurant with vegan options, and I cut my hair off and Tom is unexpectedly recruited for a new job that he loves.

May

I bring home Bruno, our strawberry plant, and Tom puts up shelving for him in the kitchen, and Tom and I spend a lot of time recreating vegan versions of our old favorite meals. We can make a mean “tuna” casserole, grilled peese and soup, and I have officially fallen in love with our homemade black bean burgers. Seriously, I eat them all the time. All. the. time. I begin an at-home fitness routine (high intensity interval training) and devote myself to being the best I can be. Tom’s great aunt from Ireland visits and we go to a local conservatory to explore.

June

June is spent mostly outdoors. We enjoy the Milton Strawberry Festival, Tom and I find ourselves featured in the local newspaper, visit Springridge Farms to pick strawberries, hike 6 miles at another conservatory with Tom’s new boss and his wife, we successfully recreate Okonomiyaki, I photograph lightning for the first time, and and I’m recruited for the photography to an upcoming cookbook.

July

I mark another lens off my “ultimate dream team” wishlist, Tom and I spend a short weekend in Traverse City shooting a wedding, spend a few days with my family and friends before heading home and leaving behind my first digital SLR (the XTi) for my younger sisters, and then spend the rest of July working my butt off working for editing wedding photos, working on the cookbook, working on my third action set, and promising myself when this is through I’ll take a vacation.

August

Tom has a birthday, Atlas becomes a new member of our family, and the next few weeks are spent caring for him during his three week illness and subsequent quarantine. He quickly wedges his way into the hearts of Morn and Pumpkin, and finds his forever home here with us. Soon we can’t imagine our home without him in it.

September

I am honored to be one of the photographers at the wedding of a childhood friend and old roommate, grateful to see old friends and to see my family so soon after our last visit, and now have over 65 photos requested and available through Getty Images stock photography site. Tom and I celebrate one year after a successful transition into a vegan lifestyle, and I am slated for a photo and food feature in Chickpea Magazine. I’m still going strong with my work out regime, have broken my lifetime speed record for my mile, and feel better than I have my whole life.

October

Tom and I celebrate three years together, we carve pumpkins, dress up the cats, and I am offered the cover shot for the cookbook. I jump up and down and spend the day dancing around the kitchen in an apron and gloves.

November

As if I wasn’t swamped enough, I take on writing 50,000 words in the month of November, as well as a 30 Day Gratitude photo project, while still trying to manage my Spurred prompt project. It is a busy month but Tom and I both reach our 50,000 word goal, the Gratitude Project becomes an instant favorite with me and is already slated for next year, and I realize there is only one month left of Spurred. It’s the home stretch.

December

Tom and I bring home a new Christmas tree, spend a weekend in New York meeting online (and fabulous) friends in real life for the first time, spend Christmas Eve & day with Tom’s family, and host my sister and friends for five days and have a superb vacation playing board games, talking, catching up, and devouring pots of tea by the gallon.

This year has been so incredible for me, and while writing this up I realized that most of these notes are photography related. And that caused me to realize I worked my butt off this year and I am so proud of my accomplishments, however small or big they may feel at times. I gave 2011 my all and took off my training wheels, jumped into the deep end, and really did my best. And really, that’s all I could ever want. I hope I carry over the same passion, drive, and faith in myself in the coming year. And I hope 2012 is ready for me.

Goals for 2012

Learn that it is okay to take breaks.
Shoot 12 rolls of film.
Organize my hard-drives and become a digital minimalist instead of a digital pack-rat.
Keep up with my fitness regime.
Do something that scares me (photography related).
Take a vacation to somewhere new, again.
Learn 200 more kanji in my Japanese study.
Stay joyously happy, grateful for every moment, and unabashedly in love.

And once again, I wish you all a year full of joy, love, kindness, good food, cats, and PHOTOGRAPHY!