On Documenting Life

Growing up I remember my mom's countless photo albums and my brother and I from time to time would take this old photo albums off the shelves and page through them, laughing at the way our parents looked before they had us, at photos of my brother and I in our younger years, looking at pictures of family members who had passed away. We would look at pictures and remember our favorite toys and the clothes we would wear, our parents would sit and tell us stories of the people in the pictures and the stories behind the pictures.

My parents also were the proud owner of a big ol' VHS tape recorder and they proudly taped our concerts, our programs, and a little bit of everything in between. We loved watching these movies as kids and every once in a while they still get pulled out (however, now I am thinking we should get them converted to DVD as no one has a VHS player any more). 

I have always enjoyed journaling and have a box filled with old journals and talk about a trip down memory lane when I go back and read of trips and junior high, of sporting events and decisions about college. I love having these pieces of history. I continue to this day to journal a bit (not NEARLY as often as I would like, but from time to time my journal gets pulled out and I write). I also have this line a day 50 year journal that I bought a couple years ago - I LOVE it and the freedom to write two sentences a day. Now that I have written in it EVERY DAY (which actually surprises me) for a couple years it is fun to look back at what was happening on that day a couple years ago. It really is a treat. 

I take more pictures than I care to admit, and they all go on shutterfly. Every year I make a 12 by 12 photo book for our year. Throughout the year I will sometimes create a smaller 8 by 11 photo book for a special trip or event that just has WAY more pictures than I can allot for our yearly book. I make most of my pages on shutterfly, however, if you have an iPhone, I HIGHLY recommend that you get the Project Life App by Becky Higgins. I bought it when it was on sale for $0.99 however, after having it and using it some I would DEFINITELY buy it full price, it is worth every penny.

The Project Life app allows you to take photos from your phone and create BEAUTIFUL scrapbook pages that I can upload to shutterfly and just drop into my books. PAGES done effortlessly. 

I also love shutterfly because I never have to print pictures unless I want to put them in frames and the albums are nice and thin so they don't take up copious amounts of space on my shelves. They also give me a small piece of mind because God forbid a fire or something ever takes our house I would not worry about losing these albums because they are saved online and I can just reprint the books (while that would be expensive it would be worth every penny to me).

Now that we have Lucy of course it raises all sorts of questions as to how I want to document her. This is new territory for me and I am certain I have a lot to learn about documenting the life of a kid. I want to strike a balance between crazy over the top documenting and wishing I had more saved and preserved. I want to live in the moment and not always be behind the camera as well as being able to savor the memories to watch later.  I also don't want to set the standards craaazy high so that if we ever have more kids it is ridiculous to recreate for them as well.

Shortly after Lucy was born I did buy a small digital camera that we carry with us in the diaper bag and occasionally break out and make short videos. Marc and I also have iPhones that we make videos on from time to time. Currently I am compiling two movies on iMovie (I love Mac) one of what I am calling our mobile movies (which includes videos that our daycare provider has sent us) and one of the movies off the video camera. Our iPhone videos do get uploaded to youtube so grandparents and those not near us can see them. 

For Lucy, I am hoping (fingers crossed and lots of wishful thinking) to create one 12 by 12 photo book for each year of her life in addition to our family album. I have also created a book for her NICU days and her Baptism (which I hope to page through with her and be able to tell her about what happened that day and show her who was there and.....). I also have a journal for her that I started writing in while I was pregnant with her. I hope to record the funny thing she says, as well as some stories about her, and just my hopes and prayers for her. I am not certain when I will give it to her, but someday she can have it.

Who do I actually think will want to see my photobooks, read my journals, watch the videos, mostly it is for myself. I sat down the other day and flipped through some old photobooks and read through some old journals. It is crazy to see where I have been what has happened and where I am now. God is indeed good.

How do you preserve your memories?

How do you preserve your videos?

What do you do with your pictures?

Honeymoon Shutterfly Book

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It has seriously been one of my goals this year to get completely caught up on my shutterfly books AND stay caught up. It has taken me a few months to make this happen, but I am ALMOST there. I have my 2014 one going which is ALMOST up to date (read - a month or so behind but doable to catch back up), my only one now that I have left to do is our wedding one. For some reason (we have a bunch of photos that I just don't want to sort through) I have been lacking the motivation to get that one done. But I fear the longer I let it go without doing it the less motivation I am going to have to actually get it done. Soooo I have committed to getting it done in May - by the end of May I WILL have our wedding photobook done. June is dedicated to getting our 2014 album caught back up and then my goal is to just stay on top of it. Getting behind stinks.

What do you do with all of your digital photos?
Do you have a preferred way of printing them/scrapbooking them?

I am jealous of those people who actually create big and real scrapbooks and spend hours doing it. I know for me it is shutterfly or nothing. I don't want to own all the stuff to create big books. The other thing I really like is how thin shutterfly books are which makes them SUPER easy to put on my book shelves and tons of them fit.

Ordination Anniversary

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Today I sit back and remember this day with great humility, I am thankful for the call to ordained ministry and I am humbled to serve in full time paid ministry. It is an honor and a joy, I give God thanks and praise for all the ways in which I have been led and guided and look forward to the future. I am posting a copy of my ordination photobook today. The video tape never got started to record the service, so I created this semi-lengthy photobook to capture and help me remember the day and the details of the day.

Hope you enjoy a glimpse into my ordination day.

Thanks be to God for the call to ordained ministry.

2013 Goals - Check In

Here are my goals for 2013 in no particular order - below in blue is the updates with how I am doing on my goals:

• Earn my Walt Disney Coast to Coast Medal
• This will require me to complete two races, one in Disneyland and one in Disney World in the same calendar year. I will be running the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in Disney World
• I have finished the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland in California and I have registered for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in Florida this coming November - I dare to say this is going to happen! Super excited
• Learn how to fold fitted sheets
• Seriously, I have tried, but haven't been committed to it- my fitted sheets always just look like crap when they are folded - more like balled up sheets even if I have tried to fold them nicely - youtube here I come
• totally spaced this one out.... Time to get on it.
• Get Married 
• June 8, 2013 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church I will be getting married and couldn't be more excited about the whole thing - minus the dress wearing crap - seriously my least excited piece
• All the details seem to be coming together. Whoop Whoop.
• Make a fruit pie from scratch
• No real reason for this one other than I just want to do it
• I am waiting for yummy fresh fruit season to embark on this challenge, however I have practiced making a pie crust and made a pie crust with pie filling and that was pretty good so I am jazzed to try this with real fruit filling
• Paint one of the bedrooms upstairs
• I have the colors picked out and I know what design I want to do it - I am currently waiting until a little further into spring so I can open my windows and not get high off of paint fumes!
• Run 5 half marathons [I am tempted to say six because I think it would be sweet to say I averaged one every other month but that maybe too lofty of a goal]
• I have Tinkerbell Half Marathon, Fargo Half Marathon, Fargo Mini Marathon, and Wine and Dine Half Marathon on the docket already - I'd like to add one in Minnesota to my list
• One down four to go
• Finish going through all of my boxes 
• I haven't gone through all the boxes since I moved to Brainerd in June 2011, it's time to do some serious giving away
• This is seriously one of the best projects I have come across, I am LOVING IT - I am going through nearly everything I own - it has been super fun to be able to give away a ton of stuff I just don't need any more
• Organize my craft space in the loft
• Yeah haven't started this one! Looks like a tornado went through it right now
• Read 12 books for fun [I love reading but sometimes I get in a rut and do all my reading for work, which I don't totally mind, but I want to read for fun too] so far I am on track with reading one book per month for fun
• Emma - Jane Austen
• LOVED IT! 
• Red - Ted Dekker
• Found this to be a marvelous book and it kept me a bit on the edge of my seat
• Plain Truth - Jodi Piccoult
• I love all of her books and this one did not let me down
• 7 - Jen Hatmaker (in progress)
• Make my bed 90% of the time
• I am not horrible at this one - I am probably currently at a solid 50% but would like to increase this goal - I don't want to go to 100% because seriously some days I really don't care - however I LOVE to crawl into a made bed
• I would bet I am getting close to 90% maybe only at about 85% but getting MUCH better than I was before, I am reminded how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE to crawl into a bed that has been made - I don't really care what it looks like I just love crawling into it at night
• Learn to to tunisian crochet
• My friend Lindy has inspired me to do this - thanks Lindy
• We are actually working a blanket with this style of crocheting in 2013 which will demand I learn 9 new stitches, I am jazzed and praying I can figure it out
• so far I am totally on track with this project - although my squares are looking a ton like burritos!
• Run 500 miles this year
• bike to work 30 times
• swim 100 miles
• yes I know these are loft goals - but why set low goals
• My miles have come to a hault as the treadmill and I are so annoyed with each other that we are not even on speaking terms - I have gotten in a ton of miles swimming in turn due to the serious lack of running these past couple weeks
• I haven't yet biked to work - the roads are still an icy mess
• Finish the stacks of projects that I have begun and have never gotten to for whatever reason - and if I decide I am not going to ever finish them then I need to disassemble what can be disassembled and move on - no reason to have all these half finished projects
• slowly but surely this is happening believe it or not - although I suppose I could use a kick in the butt to get this goal done a little quicker
• Settle into married life
• or begin to... really this goal is all about making the transition to married life intentional
• obviously not started since we haven't gotten married yet
• Make a quilt
• it has been way too long since I have made one
• I have picked out a design and am beginning to pick fabrics
• Finish the three clergy stoles I have started
• one done two to go
• Shoot over 250 pictures a month on my Nikon D60
• I LOVE this camera but I get lazy and don't take it out to take the photos I should, I really do want to improve as a photographer, so I must practice
• TOTALLY have done this so far! Some months have been better than others - while I was in California I took thousands for January - February I shot probably just over 300 pictures with my D60 - March is lacking a ton so far but I did get some at the lock in last weekend
• Catch up on photobooks
• yeah, I am way behind, finish 2011, 2012, Summer 2012 Mission Trips book
• 2011 - DONE
• Summer 2012 Mission Trip book - DONE
• 2012 - DONE
• update 2013 photobook monthly
• I actually have found that I am best off to update this book every couple of weeks - so far so good
• Create and Finish Summer 2013 Ministry book (finish before the end of the year)
• overachiever moment here: I actually have picked out the style and size and have set it up with different sections so with each activity I only have to fill in the pages - Summer Stretch, Middle School Mission Trip, High School Mission Trip, and VBS
• Create and finish a wedding photobook (finish before the end of the year)
• I haven't done anything on this one yet
• Order 366 in 2012 photo book
• DONE and it is soooooooooooo much fun! I LOVE IT! Seriously. I hope to do another photo a day book sometime
• When books are finished order: 2011, 2012, Summer 2012 Mission Trip book
• 2011 - Ordered and on my shelves
• Summer 2012 Mission Trip Book - Ordered and on my shelves
• 2012 - Waiting for a good sale to order

How are your goals for 2013 coming along? 
                 It is ridiculously crazy to think we are already mid-way through March!
Have you altered your goals for the year at all?

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?

Disney 2011 Photobook

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I finally got around to finishing my vacation photobook from last December. Yes, it took me a year, partially because I forgot that I hadn't finished it yet. My friend Suzi and I always make a photobook of our trips together, so we have been working on this one together. It is such a great memory and I LOVE looking through previous photobooks, I thought I'd share this one with you. I can't wait to share my 366 in 2012 photobook! Seriously jazzed every time I update it and can't wait to order it - I am still a little impressed with myself that I have managed to take a photo every day this year (some are definitely better than others but still I am impressed with myself). 

Potential

     I am excited about Saturday. I think I am going to have a seriously wonderful day. I have absolutely nothing on my plan. I have already finished my sermon for tomorrow and have my run in. I have a list of pintrest projects I want to try today as well as massive amounts of cleaning to be done. I love that I have absolutely nothing on the to-do list other than stuff by myself and with the puppies (I am currently dog sitting for a couple friends). I love that I finally have a day to just get stuff done.
    I am hoping to just be able to chill and work on all those projects that I frequently say that I would love to have the chance to do. I couldn't be more excited.

Project ideas today:

• clean
• make headbands
• finish labeling quilts for church
• make bread
• work on shutterfly books
• walk the puppies
• take pictures
• read a book in the hammock
• make muffins
• make a bag

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

One room at a time.....

There will be no pictures with this post. My house is a mess.... it is driving me nuts! I have a couple problems going on, one my kitchen will remain a mess for a while due to the demo that is happening and I need to learn to be okay with that, every other room on the other hand has no excuse. Naturally shortly after I start demoing my kitchen winter arrives, while we don't have much snow we do have the nice bitter cold weather that I have been anxiously awaiting.

Confession: I love a clean and organize space. I love everything to have it's place and I don't love excess stuff sitting around.

Confession #2: my house is not the way I want it... it is semi gross in fact. While it isn't dirty or anything along that line, it needs some serious organizational help.

So I am going to do it room by room until it is clean. I cleaned/organized my bedroom last weekend and now I love being in that space, so given that I love clean an organized why can't I get it that way and then keep it that way!? Seriously!?

My next room that needs to get done I think is my kitchen minus the tiles that I am ripping out and then I need to work on my craft loft space. I am really excited about that space but I now need to work to make it practical and useful.

I also need to go through things like my books and get rid of the stuff that I just do not need any more. Why in the world do I feel the need to hang on to stuff? Get rid of it! Thankfully a couple Christmas' ago my dad got my brother and I each a kindle (which I LOVE) and that has massively helped cut back on my books that need to go on shelves. Now to go through all the old theology and other such books from seminary and undergrad.

I also massively need to catch up on my photobooks. I LOVE looking through them and I sit down and page through them all the time, but some how I have gotten so far behind that the task is now daunting. Must catch up!

I have however kept up on my photo a day project and am finding it lovely. I even have started the photo book and am updating it each weekend so that at the end of the year it will be ready to have printed. (I love shutterfly.com for making photobooks.)