Simply Grateful

This project has been one of my favorites I’ve ever done, and I tend to take on a lot! I will definitely be doing this again next year. And can you believe it’s December already? Our tree is up, our stockings are hanging over the fireplace, Christmas music is on, and it’s time to put away the short sleeves and bring out the sweaters. I hope you all have a fabulous first weekend of the last month of the year.

Day 22

When we chose our apartment, a big deciding factor was having stores and places of interest within walking distance, and boy did we luck out. We have a bakery, an indoor swimming pool, two grocery stores, a library, the post office, two thrift stores, a fabulous Japanese restaurant, three parks, and a lake! I cherish each and every one.

Day 23

This may seem like a silly thing to be grateful for, especially after all the other more serious photos I’ve shared, but it’s never silly to be grateful for something and when you live in a one bedroom apartment with three cats it suddenly doesn’t seem so silly!

This is hands down, the best cat litter we’ve ever tried. It changed our lives! There’s hardly any dust, there’s no smell, and it clumps perfectly, leaving the rest of the litter untouched. Thank you, Dr. Elsey!

Day 24

Sara 28/11/2002 It’s too bad we don’t live closer. I’d love to have you over. I know you already had yours and all that good stuff, but MASHED POTATOES.
Tom 28/11/2002 Yeah, but I don’t think we celebrate as much as you do. And that would be really nice.
Sara 28/11/2002 We will! One of these days you’ll have to come visit so you can experience the craziness of an American Thanksgiving!
Tom 28/11/2002 Okay, but only as long as I can help in the kitchen.
Sara 28/11/2002 Maybe when we’re older and living on our own and stuff.
Tom 28/11/2002 And you could come and live in Toronto so we’d be really close. ^_^
Sara 28/11/2002 That would be so much fun! Would you really consider coming? Even if I didn’t live in Toronto?
Tom 28/11/2002 You know I would.
Sara 28/11/2002 Well then, it’s settled. When we’re living on our own you’re coming over for dinner, I’ve decided.
Tom 28/11/2002 I’m pretty sure it was more of a mutual decision!
Sara 28/11/2002 Well, I’m just making it official.
Tom 28/11/2002 Well for that we should need a blood oath.
Sara 28/11/2002 FINE.
Tom 28/11/2002 FINE!
Sara 28/11/2002 Seriously though, I really hope that it happens one day.
Tom 28/11/2002 Me too.
Sara 28/11/2002 Ack! I have to go. Dinner and all. ^___^ POTATOES
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tom 28/11/2002 Happy Thanksgiving, Sara

Day 25

I’m thankful for this blog. Without an outlet for my ramblings I would’ve gone crazy a long time ago. I’m thankful for every comment, every visit, every email, and all the support I receive about and through it. Without it, I wouldn’t have friends I have today. Without it, I probably wouldn’t even have heard about this project. I love “blogging”, even though it took me several years to warm up to the term. I’m thankful that I can share my every day life with friends, and that friends share theirs with me.

Day 26

Tom’s family welcomed me with open arms. They gave me a place to live, helped me stay in this country, and supported Tom and I from the very first moment we told them our crazy plan. I honestly feel they are my parents too, and since I know it is not uncommon to have friction with one’s in-laws, I am so so grateful that is not the case with Tom and me.

Day 27

Before I moved here, I lived in a fairly small town, which was a huge town compared to where I lived before that. That town that had one streetlight. When giving directions people called it, “The Light”. (I’m totally serious.)

Adjusting to city life was a huge change (and challenge) for me, and while Tom and I both talk about moving further out so we can relax and enjoy the countryside, and I know that is where we’ll end up someday, I try to remind myself that my time here is short. And that while I can’t enjoy the crickets at night, I can enjoy the lights. I can enjoy the variety. I’m sure that when we do move back, there will be things I will miss, so I will soak them up now and appreciate them while I have the chance.

Day 28

I’m grateful for projects and how they push me to keep active, but I think this year I pushed myself to the max (Spurred, the Gratitude project, and National Novel Writing Month at the same time was extreme.) and I am looking forward to the projects finishing, one by one.

I’m looking forward to resting next year. I’ve been feeling so rushed about my images and so burned out on creativity. This is two years in a row I’ve done a 365 days project. I’m beat!

But I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made, the photos I’ve taken and loved, which I otherwise would not have, and for the fact that I’m 50,000 words into a fantasy story I never thought I’d ever write.

(To inspire myself along during the rough parts of NaNo, I made a desktop wallpaper for inspiration.)

Day 29

I could write novels about how grateful I am for Tom. I know I’ve said this before, but when for the first year (okay, two) after I moved to Canada I would often break down in tears because I almost wasn’t brave enough to follow my heart. So we’d be doing something fun and suddenly I’d think about how different my life would be without him. And then I’d start crying because I’m so unbelievably grateful that I did take a chance, even though it was terrifying to leave my family and my small town and pretty much all I knew for the last seven years. To sell all my belongings and take only a trunk load of things to another country. It was worth it. Every second of every minute. Entirely worth it.

Day 30

This is my family. I am grateful.

Tears of Gratitude

I was going to post this yesterday and then post another ten today since it’s the last day of the gratitude project, but I started writing this post and was so choked up at parts that I had to step away from the computer and do other things. (I cleaned out our entire storage room and broke down a bunch of boxes and pulled out our Christmas tree.) Next year when I do this project I will try to focus on smaller, little things that make me smile. But since this is my time doing this project, I figure it’s okay to go all out. I hope you’ll forgive me for sharing so much that it verges on the edge of being cheesy.

Day 14

Tom, Part I, and a few little things that mean the world to me:

He wakes me up with gentle kisses every morning.
We talk so much about everything.
He has been my best friend since I was twelve.
We have never had an argument.
He is confident in who he is, what he wants, and believes. He isn’t bullied into choices and doesn’t put up with nonsense. I appreciate this in him and admire it. I wish I could be more like that.
He believes in me. He encouraged me to leave work (with kids) this spring to focus on photography. And he refuses to let me give in or give up.
He makes me breakfast every Saturday morning.
We’re both introverts. While we love spending time with people and can be quite outgoing about it, we “recharge” with quiet time at home.
He likes video games, is a writer (and better with grammar and spelling), loves going for walks, and is logical and compassionate at the same time.
We leave each other notes (sometimes serious, sometimes silly)

Day 15

Books. And I love that technology allows my sister and me to lend each other books despite over 400 miles separating us.

Day 16

Light. I love how it can completely change a scene. I love how much it influences my photography. I love how much of it spills into our home.

Day 17

I am grateful for my sisters. I miss them so much and think of them often. I am grateful that we email, call, Skype, and poke each other on Facebook. And I am ever so grateful for the letters they send me. I’ve saved every single one.

Five things I couldn’t do without:
Kat and I have an insane amount of “inside” jokes. Often times I am watching/reading/playing something and I either think of a joke we already have, or think of something that she would laugh at. We had a rough time sometimes growing up but we stuck together. And we laugh a lot. We fought over who got to wear the Star Trek shirt, by the way. Obviously she won.
Chrissy taught me what it was like to have someone completely depend on you. She was born when I was twelve, and helping out with feeding, changing diapers, and bombing exams because she was up all night crying, taught me a lot. The experience gave me a leap in maturity that I am so thankful for.
Kimee and I share the love of photography. She recently sent me an email asking me if I would help her set up a personal blog so she could share the photos she’s been taking with me. My mom tells me that she never goes anywhere without the point-and-shoot she got for her birthday, and takes photos of everything. (Including her feet in places.) I left my Digital Rebel XTi there during my last visit in hopes that it would find its way to her when she was ready.
The girls have started playing Zelda. Kat and I feel a great sense of pride about this. It’s like we are passing a torch.
Having three younger sisters.

Day 18

My parents trusted me implicitly growing up. It really helped shape the person I am today, and it wasn’t until high school that I really realized that not every parent is like that. A few things stand out in my mind when I think about it now. For example, when I was nine years old I was allowed to ride my bike twenty minutes to the civic center every morning to be there for 6am swim practice. I never had a curfew (but I like to think I was always home at a reasonable hour), and my friend Riley (who is a boy) was allowed to sleep over. Oh, and then of course there was that one time that I drove four states away with a friend to visit a girl I met online. Before you think my folks are completely irresponsible, I was in my early twenties for that last one, and I’d known her for years. (We met on the same writing forum as Tom and I, and she wrote in the same stories! Her name is Anna. I would share a photo of her and I, but she is in her pajamas and I’m dressed so I’m not sure she’d appreciate that!) I think my parents trusting me gave me faith in myself I might not have had otherwise. I am so grateful for the trust that I have in myself, to always do the best that I can and be the best that I can be. (I hope that makes sense.)

Day 19

Today the internet went out, and it was surreal to realize how connected I usually am. Even for things like looking up ingredients or replacements, or directions or phone numbers to business I want to call. I realized that I am grateful for that connection, but also to be reminded that it is okay, if not necessary, to take breaks sometimes.

Day 20

This one is really personal for me, perhaps too personal for this blog, but it is important to me and I really feel I’d be doing myself a disservice if I left it out. My dad and I were really close when I was growing up, but then my parents had a rough divorce and when I was sixteen or so we had a falling out. Last year we started talking again when I called and asked him to come home for my wedding. He lives in Alaska, but he calls me at least once a week so we can catch up or video chat on the computer. I am so grateful that I let go of my anger, stopped being so stubborn, and gave him a second chance to be there for me.

This photo is one I took last year before the wedding. I did take a photo today as well, but this is the one I wanted you to see first.

Day 21

I am grateful for my body. I love you, body. I’ve always been a runner, but in the last year or two I’ve really started to go out of my way to take care of my body. I’m eating better than I ever have in my life, I’m still running, but I’m doing yoga and other strength training exercises. A month ago I broke a personal record by running a mile in 6:59 seconds. Two days ago, I broke another personal record by running three miles in twenty-one minutes, each mile taking me roughly seven minutes. That’s faster than I’ve ever run my entire life, even when I was thirteen and had no fat on my bones. I love how flexible I am, my strength, and stamina.

An Abundance of Joy

With the internet going down, my Spurred project, and Thanksgiving, I’m a little behind in sharing the Gratitude project with you! But that’s okay because it gives me lots to share this week. I hope all the readers who celebrate enjoyed their Thanksgiving weekend. I’m trying to hold off until after the 1st to put up our Christmas tree and pull out or Christmas decorations. When do you normally decorate?

These photos and accompanying words were pulled directly from my 30 day journal, so when I say “yesterday” or “today”, I’m really talking about whatever day I was writing for.

Day 7

Things I appreciate about Morn:

He was my first rescue.
His fur is soft and smooth.
Headbutting is his way of saying, “I love you.”
He is the most gentle cat I’ve ever met. He is gentle with people and other animals, and he always lets the other cats win when they play even though he’s the best hunter.
He lets me put funny hats or scarves on him and never runs away.
He spends hours in your lap.
He is obsessed with Tom.
His natural face makes him look grumpy, even though he’s not.

Day 8

Though our wedding ceremony was only last year, it’s been three years since Tom and I promised ourselves to each other. And I love that a card was on my desk this morning.

Day 9

I’m grateful that I grew up in another country. It shaped me and even though I believe it has caused some inner turmoil at times it is a very important part of me. I do not feel I have a ‘right’ to the Japanese culture because I am American, and yet I do not feel ‘American’ completely either- which I later learned is what it means to be a TCK.

“A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of [their] developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.”

Day 10

The view from our apartment is beautiful. There are some days when I wished it overlooked a lake instead of a city, but then I realize that a time will come for that. So I should enjoy the beauty of the city now. Sometimes Tom and I will just sit at the window and watch.

Day 11

Things I appreciate about Atlas:

He is very smart.
He meows and squirms in excitement if he thinks you are about to pick him up.
He bathes you by licking your hair.
He has a “favorite spot”, which is on the back of the chair.
He loves to explore everything, even the dishwasher.
He watches TV. But actually watches it.
He is a survivor, and because of it his tail flops forward instead of back.
He is clumsy. He doesn’t land on his feet if he falls, he trips over himself, and he stretches out like a person so you can pick him up and put him in your lap instead of jumping.

Day 12

I am grateful that I live in a place that experiences the seasons. When I lived in Japan I lived on one of the islands of the coast, and our seasons consisted of warm, sticky, and typhoon. While sometimes I gripe about how cold it is, and how I have to take extra care when I photograph, I love the snow falling. I love autumn and summer and spring.

Day 13

Yesterday a home in a friend’s neighborhood burned down. Nobody was hurt, but it had just been purchased by a gentlemen a few weeks previous and he was in the middle of renovations.

Every single day I wake up I go through a list of things I’m grateful for before rolling out of bed. The apartment Tom and I share is one of those things.

Ever So Grateful

Day 4

Unfortunately I no longer have my 400D (XTi) so I had to take a photo of my camera with a point-and-shoot. (I also took one with my Canon AE-1, but for the sake of sharing in a timely matter that will have to wait.)

Aside from Tom and I pledging our hearts to one another, this is one of the most amazing wedding gifts I could have ever received. (With the trip to Ireland is right up there with it.)

This is something I use every single day, most often several times a day. Simply put, my life would be drastically different if photography wasn’t a part of it. And I am ever so grateful that I have the ability to capture my favorite memories and moments, to learn more about the art, and to share everything in such an easy way.

Day 5

I think having friends that you met on the internet is becoming more widely accepted and understood these days, especially now that the internet is now “cool”. I’ve said this before but it’s truly worth repeating: I am continually thankful for the www, and the friendships that I have been able to form over the years because of it. While some of these people I’ve yet to meet in person, (and others I have, and one I married) they are relationships that are very dear to me.

Day 6

I’m grateful that there are so many alternatives out there for Tom and I. We can still enjoy our classic favorites like “eggnog”. I’m aware that eating this way ten, or even five, years ago meant a lot less alternatives available. (It was hard enough getting vegetarian meat substitutes in my small town, let alone something like soy nog!) I am grateful that it is easy for us to still enjoy the traditions we grew up with.

Have a great(ful) weekend, everyone. =)

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 1

A few days ago on twitter Jade mentioned the 30 Days of Gratitude project, and while I’m pretty swamped for November already (there are only two months left of the Spurred project and I’ve decided to attempt NaNoWriMo) but this was just too close to home for me to pass up.

I love the idea of taking time out of the day to remember what we are grateful for. And what a fabulous way to prepare for the coming New Year then to take a whole month to reflect on what we appreciate, what we can sometimes take for granted, and what really matters. (I know, I know, my internal clock must be off- I start getting all “end of the year”ish around this time.)

I am grateful for so many things, and even more grateful for the opportunity to capture them with this project and to share them with you. I will post a few photos every few days so you can see where I am with the project, and you’re welcome to join in, as always.

Day 2

November 2nd is my mother’s birthday. I know this isn’t a very flattering picture of either of us, but it’s one of my favorites. This was taken after one of my theater performances (and that is why she is crying). I am so grateful to have such a caring, inspirational, strong-willed woman to look up to. I truly would not be the same without her.

There are many reasons why I admire her, but one I’ll talk about with you is how she quit her high paying job back in 1999 because she wanted to be a web designer. I remember at the time I thought she was crazy, I knew more about the www then she did, and everyone told her it was unwise when she had two children to support, but she did it. And she did it. She built a business with her own two hands when nobody thought she could and now she knows more php then I do! (There are times when I ask her for help, seriously.) She built an auction software for non-profits, and just when her coding business was booming, she decided she’d had enough, and has switched to making movies and play productions for children.

She always follows her heart and her passions and never gives up. She has taught me so much. I would not be here, today, trying my hardest to do photography, if it weren’t for her example.

We make our own future. We just need courage.

Day 3

Things I appreciate about Pumpkin:

He is tiny.
He likes enclosed spaces.
He let me carry him around in my coat when he was a kitten, and helped me pick out ripe fruit from the grocery store.
He is relaxed, mellow, and loves other animals.
He is scared of loud noises, strangers, and the broom.
He knows how to “sit”, “touch”, and “stand”.
He loves sleeping with us, and being sandwiched between two people for a hug.
He loves being a part of what we are doing, and consequently sits with us during breakfast.