366 in 2012

It is finished. I LOVE IT! I successfully managed to take a picture every day this past year as well as get them all into a shutterfly book. I just finished it and cannot wait for shutterfly books to go on sale so I can order it. I used Becky Higgins Project Life Turquoise edition for my book. I am loving her designs and the option of digitally making books rather than having to do them with actual scrapbooks. As I was finishing 2012 I was a little sad because I knew it was over, I was sad because I wouldn't have any more layouts to design, or the challenge of taking a picture every day, sooooo I have decided to continue it for at least one more year. I am taking it on a year by year basis, not committing to doing a photo a day book forever (that could get old and I don't want it to be a chore, I want to love the project). Without further ado here is a glimpse of my 2012 book. I can't wait to order it and for it to arrive so I can sit down and slowly page through it. I will probably do one more proof of it before I order it, I would hate to have stickers in the wrong place or have a typo. Either way I am jazzed.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Looking back on the year there are a few things that were important as I made my book:

• The first few weeks seemed like I was always looking for the "big moments" the major things that happened, while yes, there are a few major things that happened last year (like getting engaged) my life is really made of of small moments that leave a big impact - yes, I go to work every day and it isn't always glamorous and sometimes the messy desk is the most appropriate picture for the day
• Shoot lots of photos & shoot often - I don't always know what my photo of the day will be until the day has ended and I am looking over my photos - I shot thousands of photos this past year and in turn had to make a general 2012 album as well (or really a 2012 album is in the works - I will post it when I get it finished)
• My photos come primarily from three different cameras - I always (or 99% of the time) carry my iPhone 4s [which takes pretty good pictures], I often carry my Nikon CoolPix AW100 [which takes great pictures], and sometimes I carry my Nikon D60 [which if it weren't for operator error would always take amazing pictures] and my book is a combination of all three of those cameras 
• Play with your layouts - sometimes certain layouts look better than others 
• Work with it every week - it gets ridiculously overwhelming if you have to remember back and do more than a week at a time - every Sunday night or Monday morning I updated my album
• Go with it - not every picture will be worth a million dollars - but looking back is sooooooo much fun

Anyone else do a photo a day book?
Are you enjoying the project?
How many years have you done it?

2012 In Review

It was a marvelous year, seriously, I cannot complain. It was filled with family, friends, amazing golden retrievers, many new recipes, lots of miles run, I earned several new medals, work was wonderful, and I got engaged. Below is a picture (or two) from each month last year to give a few highlights from the year. While these are a lot of "big" things that happened this last year, I would also say that my year was marked by the every day things, my year was filled with fabulous ministry, a puppy who loves me, and not moving. I couldn't be more thankful for all that I have been given.

January:

Sarah, Vicki, & Stacy - Twins Tour comes to town

Marc, Dakota, & Sarah snow shoeing out on the lake

February:

Extravaganza 2012 - New Orleans LA
Gloria, Suzi, & Sarah

Beginning to repaint the kitchen cabinets

March:

Middle School Spring Break Lock -In
Amber, Vicki, Erika, & Sarah

Linnea is born

Best Friends sharing a stick
Dakota & Luther at Frtiz Loven State Park

April:

Mom & I travel to Florida to visit Grandma & Grandpa
and drive their car back to South Dakota

May:

Vicki, Sarah,  Stacy, & Linnea
Father Hennipen State Park

After the Fargo Half Marathon with my St-End

June:

Twins/Brewers Game
Hannemens, Bennetts, &Thomsons

Duluth Middle School Mission Trip
During the major flood in Duluth, Mn

July:

Maid of Honor in my best friend's wedding
Sarah & Hartj

National Youth Gathering - New Orleans, LA

August:

Boundary Waters - Rose Lake
Vicki, Stacy, Linnea, &Sarah

We're getting MARRIED!
Marc proposed at Fritz Loven Park

September:

Lovely weekend with family
Allison, Cubby, KT, JT, Marc, & Sarah

October:

Fargo meet up with WTS women and spouses and kid
Shera, Sarah, & Molita

Fargo Mini Marathoners
Runner Reformers
Bryant, Lindy, Sarah, & Suzi

November:

Carnival Fantasy - November 2012

More fun aboard the ship

December:

New Stained Glass at church
I feel like my December was consumed by work

What were some of the highlights from your last year?
Anything totally unexpected happen in 2012?
What are you most looking forward to in 2013?
Any major goals for 2013?

Preparing for Fall

Top: shredded health forms from 2011/2012
Bottom: 2012/2013 binders ready to be filled

     Today at work I shredded all of my 2011/2012 health forms and stuff and emptied out my binders and got them all set to go for the 2012/2013 year. There is something exciting about empty binders ready to be filled with the new year's fun. I am excited about a new year and overwhelmed by everything that needs to still happen. It is exciting to be beginning my second year in call. What are you excited about today?

Frustrating

After coming back from a major youth trip I am now finally able to see my desk again (woot woot) and am now seriously working on planning for the next year (yay)! I thought I was ahead of the game and began looking at youthworks sites, but some are already filling! I hate the feeling of being behind the 8 ball. It is only August and already feeling behind. I am excited to explore a new avenue for my middle school youth, mission trips through LutherCrest bible camp. I just couldn't believe that people (lots of people) are already ahead of the game and have their sites booked for next summer.

In exciting news I do actually really enjoy the season of planning and dreaming. I love the season of hope for the future, a season of preparing for growth, a season of tending the fields and evaluating the last year what went well and what needs help. My South Dakota roots have taught me the value of tending the field and cleaning up last year's field before beginning next years.

It could be that part of my planning joys is in knowing that I am not going anywhere next year, I am not moving, I get to continue to walk alongside the same people, I get to keep my roots planted. I have led a very nomadic life since graduating high school and so there is great comfort in building longer term relationships and remaining in the same place. I love that I just rolled over all my leftover mission trip money (very small amount but some none the less) from this past year to the 2015 youth gathering - knowing that there is a very good chance I could be here then! I love it!

Total side note: I rearranged my desk yesterday and there is something liberating about rearranging stuff. I am not yet committed to keeping it the new way but I am already liking it better because I can see out the window and I am not staring directly out my door. I love being able to look outside even if it is into a parking lot, I am loving not looking out my door and having to stare at everyone who comes in the office, people are more than welcome to come in my office but I don't have the strange need to look up every time our office door opens. It is glorious.

A view from my newly arranged desk looking out the window.
Sorry about the not amazing photo- it was taken on my phone

The Chaos in my world

Here is a video glimpse into what my world is like at moments, the video is of Dakota & Nala playing. I have my brother's dog, Nala, while he is out east interning for the FDA. Normally the dogs are amazing but sometimes they go crazy in turn driving me crazy.
I am prepping to leave for the Synod Journey to the ELCA National Youth Gathering tomorrow and know I will miss my sweet puppy like crazy!

366 pictures in 2012

At the beginning of 2012 (which really doesn't seem all that long ago, but in reality is months away, time is one of those things that boggles my mind) I challenged myself to take at least one picture a day and put them into a shutterfly book (I LOVE SHUTTERFLY). I am absolutely loving this challenge. This could by far be my most favorite challenge I set for myself in 2012. I love taking pictures, editing them, and making shutterfly books! I am realizing that I am going to have to make another 2012 book to contain more of the pictures in more of a traditional photobook type format. I have taken way more photos this year than I did at this point in 2011, which was part of the goal. Part of the challenge is what to take pictures on days that I would consider 'normal' and nothing 'extra-ordinary.' Sure I have gotten lots of pictures of my sweet Dakota, which I am totally okay with, and I have some funny pictures of things like my messy desk or some new recipe I tried. The other challenge is what to choose as my picture of the day, some days it seems like I take a ton of pictures and have a hard time deciding what exactly to claim as my picture of the day. I LOVE this project. I am not yet committing to doing it another year but so far this has been amazingly fun and even better I have made it to April without missing a single picture! Which I was 99% certain by now one of two things would have happened, either I would have missed a few days or I would have given up or forgotten about this project and neither have happened.

Dakota and her BFF Luther carrying a stick together

Photos

It probably seems a little strange that a blog titled 'photos' will have no photos in it. But I am going with it anyways, why?! Because I can, it's my blog.

I LOVE taking pictures, I could spend hours upon hours taking photos, my problem is I go in spurts, I take lots of photos of one particular thing or event and then I forget to pull my camera back out for days at a time. So this year I have decided to take the 365 days of photos challenge. It is the 5th of January and it is already something on my mind of if this is really do-able. I want to give it a chance because I want to push myself to photograph the every day, but I am struggling with what to shoot. I need to continue on and push through this already bump. I think I am going to attempt to post my week in photos on Saturday or Sunday pending on time and when Saturday's photo gets taken. I am excited to see what I can come up with, but on mundane days, where I seem to fill my days with getting stuff done in the office and cleaning my house, and looking forward to a new episode of Grey's, I am just uncertain when to pull out my camera. I want fun pictures, I want to be a photographer whose photos tell a story and are more than mere objects on my desk or in my house, I don't want to take boring photos any more.

This year I will push myself, this year I will conquer this challenge (allowing myself some grace - I am sure there will be days in which I will forget to take a picture) - this year I want to enjoy taking photos every day. I want to capture this year. I am excited by 2012 - looking at it from the start it doesn't contain anything monumental (graduation, ordination, or even a big move), but I am excited to see what it contains.

Now dear 2012, how to photograph you?

Empty again.

Christmas and New Years was awesome to say the least, my family (Dad, Mom, and Brother) all came up and we spent nearly a week together. My brother stuck around for a little while and has now left for a few days to spend some time with his friends but left me with is dog (Nala, who is the highest needs dog I have ever met) and my friend Suz and her puppy (Louie) came to stay for a few days. Together with a group of friends we celebrated new years at my place. It was all fabulous, we played games and ate raclette (look it up it is swiss and amazing)!!! My house is now empty minus an extra dog for a few days before brother comes back. I am lame and am way excited to do things like: laundry, clean my floors, get all the dishes put away, clean the bathroom and living room. I love sharing my house with others but after just over two weeks of company, while I am super sad to see everyone go, I am jazzed to have my house all to myself and am able to clean it up and get it back into shape.

2012 is looking like it should be a good year, I have some fun stuff in the works.
Some of this year's highlights:
-Extravaganza, New Orleans, February
-Bring Grandpa and Grandma's car back with Mom, Naples to SD, April
-Craft fair with my friend Jess May 12
-Fargo Half Marathon, May 19
-Sour Grapes Half Marathon, Brainerd, June 9
-Boundary Waters Canoe Trip with friends, August
-365 days of pictures (I am not sure how this will turn out, but I am going to attempt to take at least one picture a day and put them all in a book)
-Oktoberfest (not sure distance yet) Run in Fargo, October

This summer will be nuts with work and trips here, there, and what feels like everywhere. While there is a piece of me that isn't over the top excited about it, part of me can't wait for the fun to begin, enough of this planning stuff, let's get on with the trips.