The Color of Gratitude
What are you grateful for? Do you ever stop and think? We take so many things for granted in our lives and often expect so much that when things fall short we have the tendency to become dissatisfied much more quickly than we ought to be. Me, I don't take nearly enough time to be thankful for the things I have - the little things, the big things, the everythings - and suddenly today I realized how many blessings make up the daily structure of my existence and I wanted to share some of those - and these are only the blessings of today and yesterday.
Elizabeth, Father Rick, Brother Chrysostom, and me
The Ivans and me
Chrysostom and me
zen-like hotel rooms with jacuzzi tubs, non-offensive bath salts, fluffy white towels, excellent water pressure, ceiling fans, crickets outside my window, only steps away from some amazing Panang Thai Curry and chocolate peanut butter ice cream from Kilwin's along the breezy waterfront.
a job that allows me to travel to some amazing cities, take photos of cool things, hang with some of my favorite people and pays me to do so.
weather that cooperates.
oceans and lighthouses and beaches and sunsets and mmmm good food and wine - and friends who drive convertibles who are willing to spend their saturdays driving with the top down to experience all of the above.
cats.
Elizabeth, Father Rick, Brother Chrysostom, and me
The Ivans and me
Chrysostom and me
zen-like hotel rooms with jacuzzi tubs, non-offensive bath salts, fluffy white towels, excellent water pressure, ceiling fans, crickets outside my window, only steps away from some amazing Panang Thai Curry and chocolate peanut butter ice cream from Kilwin's along the breezy waterfront.
a job that allows me to travel to some amazing cities, take photos of cool things, hang with some of my favorite people and pays me to do so.
weather that cooperates.
oceans and lighthouses and beaches and sunsets and mmmm good food and wine - and friends who drive convertibles who are willing to spend their saturdays driving with the top down to experience all of the above.
cats.
wireless internet.
Conundrum wine.
fresh flowers in the hotel room.
electricity (mostly because Aaron is on day 8 without it in Dayton thanks to Hurricane Ike that blew up from Texas and wreaked some havoc).
church. and the people who make it work.
coffee.
studio lights, hard wood floors and grandmother's tablecloths that double as props.
cousins who drive an hour from greenville just for an hour and a half dinner of shared garlic pizza and then help me load my 80 lb suitcase into the car.
mmm. garlic pizza. mmmm.
sleeping in.
friends who come and go in my life, our paths intersecting at key points, or interesecting without us knowing it only to discover it later.
friends who let me stay for a day or a week, who let me crash like I'm their long lost child, and who let me talk them into "real women" photography sessions and pay me to photograph their children and families.
friends who I can sit and have coffee with and talk about history, classical music, travel through Europe and dreams of what will be or may not be. that's why they're dreams.
ok - just friends in general. friends who, even after the moving vans have deposited us in another location, continue to enter into my life and I into theirs. who I can bounce ideas and thoughts and wants and wishes off of. Who can share in my journey and I in theirs.
I don't take enough pictures of friends, or family, but here are some from today. Missing from today's intersecting paths are my friend Suzi, who I stayed with the past week, my friend Sophie who took me Saturday for the first time to Cape Lookout Lighthouse (pictures coming tomorrow), my friend Missy who let me stay with her in Raleigh for one night and gave me Sam to photograph, and my cousin Shane who drove to see me in Goldsboro before I left for my next destination.
ok - just friends in general. friends who, even after the moving vans have deposited us in another location, continue to enter into my life and I into theirs. who I can bounce ideas and thoughts and wants and wishes off of. Who can share in my journey and I in theirs.
I don't take enough pictures of friends, or family, but here are some from today. Missing from today's intersecting paths are my friend Suzi, who I stayed with the past week, my friend Sophie who took me Saturday for the first time to Cape Lookout Lighthouse (pictures coming tomorrow), my friend Missy who let me stay with her in Raleigh for one night and gave me Sam to photograph, and my cousin Shane who drove to see me in Goldsboro before I left for my next destination.
Sam (Brian and Missy's son)
Nikki, Tom and Madison (Air Force friends)
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