22 Days 'till Christmas

Today was a busy day for me, but still filled with Christmas cheer. I was a vendor at a nearby school selling my photo prints "Letters to Live By". It was five hours of watching kids and parents enjoy Christmas festivities - and of course, shopping! I enjoyed the ability to help people find a creative, yet personal gift for their family and friends. Yes, photography is a passion and creative love that I have - but seeing the faces of people as they observe my art, warms my heart so much. Especially the flash of "oh wow! I love it!" that occurs in their eyes. I want to always bring joy and happiness to others.

I'm an interesting hybrid mix of being detail oriented, but also encompass an artistic flair. I LOVE my eclectic personality - I'd rather be a jack of all trades, than a master of only one!

facebook.com/jenniferannphotography7

23 Days 'till Christmas

Today was the first ever KidStuf at my church. It's an event just where kids get to bring their parents to church. Nothing like you think of at all when it comes to church. Lots of music, singing, games, skits, and other general hilarity as parents and kids hang out together - picnic style - in the auditorium. I love it so much!! Such a great way to jump start the month of December...

24 Days Of Christmas

It amazes me how quickly the year has passed. I can't believe that Christmas is just a few short weeks away! I remember when I was a kid it seemed as if Christmas took for-EVER to arrive. Not so anymore! I feel like the countdown speeds up each year and that acquiring the "Christmas Cheer" is nigh impossible until its almost too late. (and NO, I'm not going to sing 'loudly for all to hear')

However, I will say that perhaps the christmas spirit has arrived at a decent time for me this year. I was able to take a very short Christmas trip to Disney World. And trust me - if anyone can put you in the mood for Christmas, it is most certainly the Magic Kingdom! Tonight I experienced the "Osbourne Family Lights Spectacular" at MGM Hollywood Studios. All I can say is WOW!!!!! What a light show...  So from me to you - may the lights below inspire your mind and heart towards Christmas!

October 8

Who knew that mowing the lawn could actually be fun?

When I was a teenager, cutting the grass was my "job". Every week during the spring and summer for probably 6+ years I would hop on the old red riding lawnmower and mow my parents one acre yard. Do you remember those red mowers from the 90's? The kind where you had to hold down the blade with your foot? Yup - that was the one we had! Not particularly fast, very uncomfortable, and horrible to turn. When I first started cutting the grass, I used it as a tool to practice driving, and then it merely became a way to tan. I treated that poor lawnmower with great disrespect, throwing it into the 5th speed and bouncing directly into holes. (Why I don't know - bouncing around on a semi-cushioned seat is not fun) Three hours later, and covered in dust, I would be finished and earn my ten bucks.

When I turned 20, I "suddenly" developed allergies to grass... either that or it was my excuse to get out of it, so I only occasionally mowed the lawn after that. It was about this time that old red decided to die, and my parents bought a spanking new yellow lawnmower with a nice cushioned seat, wider blade, bigger tires, and faster speeds. My Papa took over the lawns at that point (grandparents live across the street), so he would cut both yards.

Fast forward about ten years to the past two. I lost my job in January of 2010, and had a difficult time finding work for a while. So, I went back to mowing the lawn. This time it was BOTH yards and there was a pay raise. Yellow lawnmower and I tooled around the yard, typically on high speed, before it decided to bite the dust a couple of months ago. Before it went to the lawn mower graveyard, I had tried to convince my dad that he really, REALLY needed to purchase a Zero Turn lawnmower. The mac daddy of all lawnmowers. But alas, yellow was still in good condition at the time I spoke with him. About two months after that conversation, yellow bit the proverbial dust and dad purchased a Zero Turn.

Finally, my "need for speed" has been answered!!! What used to take me about three hours, now takes less than one. Granted, one cannot just hop on a zero turn without a lesson. It takes a few moments to "get it", because you are controlling everything with the handlebars. But after about fifteen minutes of playing around with it, I was good to go. Who knew that buzzing around the lawn could finally be so much fun?

October 7

It's a girls night!

Typically my girl friends and I hang out with a big group of friends - but tonight we decided that just the ladies needed on our own. A hotel room was secured and the primping began! After getting all dolled up, we had a fabulous dinner at a nearby restaurant and then went out dancing! We had a blast watching people, dancing like idiots, and enjoying some of the "scenery". It was definitely a night we all needed!

October 6

Tonight was going to be a lazy, stay at home evening whilst resting on the couch. But, that did not entirely occur. A late night invitation from some friends to play "bingo" at a nearby restaurant, piqued my curiosity. I'm not entirely sure that I have ever played bingo before, but it was actually quite fun and absolutely hysterical! I didn't win anything, but had a blast with my purple crayon, coloring in the numbered squares. The intensity on our faces as we colored was unbelievable. I've never seen grown adults to intense over random numbers!

October 5

"There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama & the people who create it & surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy."

Don't want to really elaborate, but this was a picture post that I saw on Facebook today and thought it was very appropriate to remember. Sometimes the letting go is hard, and other times it is easy. But as a dear friend of mine always says, 'Life is about Choices'. Dear reader, choose wisely... your life depends on it.

October 4

Today garnered a little more excitement at work than anywhere else. The building I work in is currently under construction and expansion, and we knew that about two weeks towards the end (which is now) would be complete disruption of our work life. We've already been jumbled around a few places (I've been there for six months and have moved been in three different offices). This morning when I walked up the stairs, the last two remaining offices that had NOT been disturbed, had been vomited into the hallway. Needless to say, the remaining work day was spent trying to find files, chairs and various other things we needed to work with. 


The GOOD news is that they will be DONE in two weeks! And I will actually have a real office, with a door that closes - and locks. With my own desk, chair, pens, etc. LOL I truly can say I have worked in almost every type of insane environment now. 

October 3

My reading for this evening took a slightly different route. And I'm not quite prepared to comment on it, as my thoughts are still rather jumbled. But I thought I'd share the beginnings of my thoughts....

"Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily."

October 2

“God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another.” – Shakespeare  

I love to read, and anyone who knows me has seen the myriad number of books that I have on my shelves, much less the number of them boxed away in storage. Books are an integral part of my life and allow me to stretch the bonds of my imagination. They have a way of transporting me to another time and place where I feel like I really live inside the story. Sometimes the books I read are not necessarily a story about someone else, but perhaps about ME. I joined an online book club group and we have started with a book called “TrueFaced”. To be completely honest, I can’t get out of the first chapter. It’s not that the book is boring, or uninteresting, but rather digesting the words on the page quite literally boggle my mind. The tag line for the book is “Trust God and others with who you really are.” Who of us really and truly share with others the “real” person inside of us? I would beg to consider that very few of us do. The man or woman in the mirror that we look at every day, is quite different from the mask of ourselves that we wear to everyone else. It’s as if life is a masquerade and our ability or status is measured by the depths of our concealment.

How many times have you been asked, “how are you” and replied with the words, “I’m fine”, “Good”, “things are going ok”, etc. Page 20 describes this as “The Land of ‘Doing Just fine’”. Can you relate to that? I know I can! DAILY. Sometimes its because we truly are doing just fine, but most times it is the easier answer. Because after all, the person asking the question is also wearing a mask and they really don’t want to know the truth. Perhaps that is the reason why it is so difficult to live outside the masquerade. Truth is scary, unknown and requires a vulnerability that most of us, quite honestly, are not ready or desire to experience.

 

As I think through the ramifications of the mask that we wear, it reminds me of a part in one of the Chronicles of Narnia books. In “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, Eustace outwardly portrays the innards of his heart. He was a greedy little boy, who literally hated everyone, and when he found a dragon’s stash of gold immediately began to hoard some of it for himself.  What he didn’t realize was that the outward manifestation of his heart turned HIM into a dragon! It wasn’t until after he had learned and faced certain things about himself that the realization of truth set him free. Quite honestly, it wasn’t an easy process for him and despite his trying to rid himself of the dragons skin, it required help from some ONE else.

October 1

Clearly I have been neglecting my blogging - which I shouldn't, because I have so many things rumbling around in my brain. SO, my thoughts at the moment are to take from today until the end of the year and write something every day. We shall see. LOL

Today began the first day of my favorite month! I absolutely adore the month of October. The smells, sites, and feel in the air are so invigorating to me. I feel inspired by the changing leaves, and full of hopeful thoughts as the year progresses to an end. And to kick off this wonderful feeling - I ran a 5k. A few months ago a friend sent me a link to the "Firefly 5K" nighttime run in ATL. It intrigued me because I knew that out of any of the available races, THIS would be the one most palatable to my non-running friends. So, I set up and invitation and five of my closest friends ran with me tonight. It was a blast!! All of us finished in 45 minutes or less, and for me I set a personal record with finishing in less than 35 minutes. So excited! What a great way to bond with friends! :-)

Week 16 - Ameliorate

Ameliorate: to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory;improve;


This week I was privileged to see this word in action. There is a local non-profit ministry that helps men (young and old) overcome drug and alcohol addictions. These men have been at the lowest point in their life and are desperately seeking help. "A Better Way" ministries has come alongside them with a program that doesn't shove religion down their throat, but rather helps them learn self- discipline and realize a spiritual awareness that is based on a relationship - not works. They do not merely stop at the heart and mind, they continue with helping these men gain education and training in a career that fits their desires and talents. When they have completed the "program" part of the ministry, the men are educated, have a career path, and passion for life. Check out their website and all they offer. 

Week 15 - Tungsten

This week I had the opportunity to learn a little more about my camera! A new friend of mine is a professional photographer and while hanging out one evening this week, he showed me some new aspects of my camera. This is the picture that I took as a result! :)

Raw picture - no alterations

Week 14 - Spring Break

Not much going on this week. It's rather dead around here with everyone out of town on vacation.

Week 13 - Direction

This week, some new direction came to my life. After fifteen months of either no job or a variety of part time jobs, I was offered a full time job with benefits! It has been a long road of growing and learning, but I know I am a better person for it. While I don't understand the path that my life has taken for the past two years, I honestly would not trade it for anything. The lessons I have learned, people I have met, conversations I've had, and places I've been, have all culminated in making me the person I see before me in the mirror today. A girl who, sometimes unfortunately, is a lot wiser about life, but is also more confident, open, and sure of herself more than ever before. Do I wish things were different? Absolutely in some ways. But am I content with who I am? More than anything!

Week 12 - Relaxing

Oh what a lovely week! I took an awesome four day trip to Florida to lay out on the beach and hang out with my 'sister'. Even though it was a short trip, it was a lot of fun and full of rest! Pictures will do this week justice more than any words can...

Week 11 - Gardening

Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved to garden. I remember going over to my grandparents house and helping my Papa in his garden. My parents have pictures of me in my little overalls, with my hair in pigtails, smiling as I helped harvest vegetables. Truly a southern girl moment. :) That enjoyment has only continued through the years. When I was a teenager I attempted to have my own garden in the backyard at home. Unfortunately the only thing that really grew for me was a few blossoms of cotton! (For some reason I thought that would be cool to grow) As I grew older I either didn't have the time or space to garden.

So this year I determined to have something planted - whether it was in a planter or a raised bed. I stumbled upon a website called "Squarefoot Gardening" last year and thought it might be a good idea to try. So this weekend I built my 3X3 foot raised garden bed. I'm sooo excited about it! Stay tuned for pictures updates of the veggie's!

Week 10 - ARGH!!!

Ok, there is really not a nice word I can use for this week. Granted most of the week has been quite lovely, but "Not today Zurg!" But first, let me back up a few weeks. Jack, my 15 pound little dog, is crate trained and does well with it, but since I have such odd work hours I don't like to leave him for hours at a time. So I started leaving him out in the house (uncrated) a few hours at a time the past few weeks. He seems to enjoy it, doesn't bother anything, and up until Wednesday of this week, has done very well.

However, when I got home Wednesday evening my house didn't quite look like it had when I left. Apparently the dog is part Jackrabbit and somehow managed to jump about four feet in the air to pull blankets OFF of my bed. While that may not seem unusual, my bed is actually a low loft bed and is a good four feet off the ground. After removing the blankets for some reason, he then proceeded to nip at the top sheet that was apparently hanging over the side just low enough for him to grab. Needless to say, when I got home, the entire corner of my top sheet was in pieces... on the floor. Blankets were in a pile on the ground, clothes that were neatly piled on the bed had fallen off with all of his tugging, and even my comforter had a ripped section that he bit off.

After the initial shock of seeing my FAVORITE set of sheets in pieces on the floor, and of course, snapping a few pictures, poochy learned really quick that momma wasn't happy. Dog's definitely know when they have done something wrong, and seem to try to apologize in their own way. The entire evening Jack was very quite, remorseful looking, and obedient with his little tail tucked down. So, back to the crate he goes - for a few weeks at least, just so he knows he did something wrong! :)

Blankets on the floor, the "string" is actually part of the border at the top of the sheet. 

The rest of the ruffle border is on the left, and of course the pieces of sheet he ripped off are on the floor. Clothes on the right. Ugh

And the little stinker is in the background... grrrrr

Week 9 - Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, my birthday was this week... on the first actually. I love having my birthday on the 1st of the month. It's always made me feel kind of special - you know, being #1! :) But I will admit, having a birthday on the first does include a downside - most of the time your birthday cards arrive in the mail late. Of course, that does tend to prolong the sense of birthday joy! Regardless, my birthday week was quite enjoyable. My family took me out for a lovely steak dinner at The Village Cafe. It was quite delightful - and very tasty! My "goody bag" birthday present had all sorts of fun things PLUS a gift card to get my car windows tinted! Woo hoo!!

The next evening my friend Jennie took me out for my FAVORITE food - Lebanese! A restaurant called "The BeiRut" opened up in PTC last fall and it is fabulous! No more having to trek to the other side of Atlanta to find my fav food. (If you even THINK you might like Mediterranean food - please go try it! It's amazing and I guarantee you will love it.)

Because my birthday was in the middle of the week, and my friends and I were all working the most random hours, we decided to have my "party" on Sunday. Several of my dear friends gathered and cooked me a delicious, southern style dinner on Sunday evening. It was a treat! Such an enjoyable and full week for me as I turned the big ******* yeah right, like I'm going to tell you how old I am! ;)

Delicious Birthday "Cake"!

Week 8 - Celebrations

Nothing very interesting in MY life this week, but it was a fun week nonetheless. One of my best friends celebrated his 29th birthday on Thursday. His family had a small party for close friends and family members and we celebrated his last year in the twenties. Since I'm a few years older than him I GREATLY enjoy the fact that he will be joining me in the thirties decade next year! :) The "after" party consisted of a few of us going back to his house and playing his new Wii game - Disney Sing It. We took turns belting out the songs from our favorite Disney movies. It was both hilarious and fun! We ended the evening with a sing off between four of us singing "Can't wait to be King" from the Lion King. The birthday boy won of course! The next night a small group of us went to Atlanta for an evening of music and dancing. It was tons of fun, and lots of memories were made for sure!

In addition, my grandparents celebrated their sixty first anniversary this week. The whole family gathered on Sunday for lunch in their honor. All the kids, grandkids and even the lil great-grandchild were there to help celebrate. Congratulations Granny & Papa!

Week 7 - Clarity

"Don't surrender your loneliness so quickly. Let it cut more deep. Let it ferment and season you as few human or even divine ingredients can. Something missing in my heart tonight has made my eyes so soft, my voice so tender, my need of God absolutely clear."

by Shams al-din Hafiz


No words of my own, no pictures... just a learning heart.

Week 6 - Wobble

As described by the Miriam Webster online dictionary, the word 'wobble' means: to move or proceed with an irregular staggering motion or unsteadily and clumsily from side to side. It is also the name of the newest hip-hop DANCE. And yes, during week six of 2011, I learned to 'wobble'. Why you ask? Well, for fun of course! :) There's always a story, so let me tell you about it...

Last November I had the awesome privilege to sing on stage at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta as a part of a choral group for Messiah Rocks. It was one of those didn't-even-dare-to-dream, dream come true! This choral group began with my friend Brock and grew to about sixteen of us. He was asked to sing as a part of another group, which fell apart due to various factors. He was then asked if he had any friends who sang/danced and could learn the music in about five days. And that is how S3! (Singers of Southern Soul) was born. We are a group of new and old friends who are passionate about the arts - and love to "paint pictures on silence." (You can find us on Facebook by searching for S3!)

After we sang for Messiah Rocks (www.handelsmessiahrocks.com) our group went on the back burner during the holidays. Then, in January, one of our members had a new gig for us - to be a "Flash Mob" at an upcoming event where he was the host/talent. So our group "Flash Mobbed" an award event at the Georgia Aquarium. We had a blast singing songs that had been re-written to fit the evening AND were still 'under the sea'. To end the evening we taught the entire party the "Wobble". If you have never heard of it, you should watch it on YouTube. Not only is it a fun dance, but you for SURE will burn a lot of calories while ya dance! The smiles and laughter from the crowd was awesome as they watched us dancing the wobble...

"Flash Mob" - Group Picture (can you TELL we dressed up as tacky tourists?) 

Singing "Surfin USA" 

Group pic from "Messiah Rocks" - this is how we normally look!

Week 5 - 'Sisters'

This week was pretty much devoted to family. My 'sister' and her husband came down from Ohio for a visit. Jessica and I met at a conference for school when we were sixteen. We both happened to be singing in a random group next to each other and struck up a conversation. Later that same year we went on a 'mission trip' and were randomly assigned to be roommates. I was in the dorm first and when I opened the door, and saw that it was her, we both screamed with excitement. Amazingly enough, we each had letters addressed to the other that we were going to finish writing and send while on the mission trip. From there a friendship was born that developed into sisterhood. Neither of us had a sister, and we both wanted one, so our families kind of "adopted" us into each others lives. We've gone on vacations with each other's families and by ourselves, talked for hours on the phone, written stacks of cards and letters (well at least on her end), swapped gifts for occasions or just for fun, yelled, screamed, cried, and laughed over the years. We truly have shared 'life' with each other - and that, more than blood, is what makes us 'sisters'.

This week's visit was mostly spent with my family, as they had not seen her in a few years. My brother of course was thrilled, because I think sometimes he likes Jess more than me for his sister! LOL They went to the GA Aquarium (and were duly impressed) and the Coke museum, where she lost her husband to one of the myriad number of assembly lines as he watched the coke process from beginning to end. My dad's side of the family all came over on Thursday evening for dinner and we wound up taking tons of pictures and discussing baby stuff. (I get to be an auntie in June!) Friday was kind of 'our' day to chill, so we went shopping and had a great girlie time getting massages. Fabulous!

Jess and Papa 

Jerad, Jess, Jonathan, Mom & Dad 

 Pointing out her baby belly! :)

Week 4 - Insanity

Nothing particularly interesting for this week... other than the fact that I hardly saw my home except to sleep in! Work was very busy with planning, preparing, and executing 2 rather large events. Which of course, I totally loved! Events and Jenn are like two peas in a pod... :)

Not the best picture, as it was from my phone, but this is the table decor that was used. I had a blast catering!

Week 3 - Cabin

With all of the snow that the Atlanta area and North Georgia received last week, my weekend away cabin trip was in jeopardy. However, by Friday afternoon the 'all clear' was given and myself, along with a few close friends, packed our duffle bags with lounge clothes and our cars with food, and headed to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia. The original cabin we were supposed to get was pretty much inaccessible. The mountains had received anywhere from 6-10 inches and since the weather is just now getting into the forties, it for sure was not melting much. So our rental agency placed us in an adorable little cabin by the river. The cabin was cozy and the view was gorgeous. AND there was still about five inches of snow on the ground. But this was REAL snow, not the ice crap that we had back home. This was powder that shaped wonderfully into snowballs, snowmen, and snow angels!

Friday evening was spent unloading cars, cooking dinner, playing on the Wii, and then the girls chillin in the hot tub. I think that was my favorite part, being able to sit in the hot tub while looking over the rambling river with beautiful snow everywhere. Saturday was another day of lounging in comfy clothes, eating more food, taking naps, reading books, watching movies, playing games, singing at the top of our lungs and of course - relaxing in the hot tub. We also took a trip to "town" - which means the Apple place. I don't remember the name of it, but they have not only the best apple juice/cider/fruit but also the best fudge. Plus an array of country items to look at, comment on and enjoy. Sunday was more of the same along with a realization that we brought way to much food.

Our lovely "electronic free" weekend was over, and Monday found us heading back to the city. Once out of the mountains we texted, called, and "four-squared" our way back home. If you've never taken at least a few days without cracking open a computer for email, sending a text, playing 'words with friends', or checking your Facebook - you are sorely missing out. It makes me want to unleash myself from the technology of today... well, almost.

Our little cabin!

View from the back porch

Saturday evening sunset

Well, we didn't have anyone to take a group picture - so I took one of our autographed cups! 

Week 2 - Snow!

If you ever want to shut Georgia down, just let it snow! It began on Sunday night (1/9) with sleet and freezing rain, but quickly turned to snow. Anywhere from 1 to 5 inches fell across the city and suburbs throughout the evening wreaking havoc everywhere. The city had three inches that fell in ONE hour! For northern states, thats not necessarily odd, but for Atlanta? HA! It shut down interstates, caused I-20 to be a parking lot for tractor trailer trucks for two days, and generally kept people from going anywhere. Schools were closed all week (buses were either stuck in ice or couldn't get to all of the kids), many businesses were closed for several days and everyone was encouraged to stay home until Wednesday.

Facebook was entertaining with all the parents and teachers discussing the fact the kids were out so long, because by Thursday there really was no snow left on the south side, although north of Atlanta still had some treacherous areas. (Ice was the main problem) I think even the kids were ready to go back to school by then. I enjoyed the two days at home chilling with the dog, taking pictures, and watching hours of "Pawn Stars". While it would have been nice to have more than an inch or two, it was still fun and definitely pretty to look at!

There was a pleasant "crunch" beneath your feet when tromping through the snow. I don't think the cows liked it though...

A bit of color against the bleak background.

My road... not exactly fun to drive on!

You even hint at the word "snow" and for some reason, bread and milk just fly off the shelves. This was at Walmart the Sunday afternoon before the snow hit. I went just for fun to see what the shelves looked like. 

Week 1 - Yellow

On the evening of December 31, when everyone was out having a good time and celebrating the ending of a year and the beginning of a new one, a five-year-old child was fighting for her life. Elizabeth had cancer – but she was determined to win. She had recently been given the “all clear” from her doctors, but on the last day of 2010, something went wrong. Her sweet heart, so caring of others and bravely beating through the chemo, could not go on and a few hours before the chimes rang 12 times, she passed into the Light.

Her family is connected to me through my former church. Both her parents and grandparents volunteered in various aspects of the children’s ministries that I was an associate director of, and I saw Elizabeth’s bouncy little self every week in preschool. I remember her “command” of the toddler room very well as she both played with, and directed, the other children. Her face was always full of expression, from both joy to pouting, laughter and surprise.

Her funeral, while one of the most difficult I have ever attended, was truly a celebration of her life. Laughter through the tears was evident throughout the church as we watched her short life through pictures. Her joy in life was infectious and can best be described by her favorite color… yellow. Personally, I do not own anything yellow, as it is not a good color on me. However, the night before her funeral saw me frantically going from store to store searching for something yellow. If there was one day I vowed to wear yellow, it was to honor and remember a child’s life. And I was not the only one to wear yellow that day. The church was full of people wearing the bright cheery color and the stage was filled with hundreds of yellow balloons. It was a comfort to wear and see the fun color and know that she was happily sharing her joy even after death.   

After all of the sweet pictures that made us smile, beautiful words kindly spoken, music to soothe the soul, numerous hugs and many tears, it was time to let go. As hundreds of us stood around the tiny casket, we each took a balloon and together released them into the clear blue sky. They soared high and, upon catching the wind, dispersed into a cheery assortment of yellow dots bouncing their way into the heavens.

I will forever think differently about the color yellow. For it is strong, caring, can bring a smile to the grumpiest of people, full of laughter and brings so much joy to others. Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your meaning of joy to us all...

My Fifty-Two

While “my fifty-two” doesn’t sound quite as interesting as “my 365”, it was the number I settled upon as an endeavor for the year. That endeavor is to post either a picture or blog about what that particular “week” meant to me. Quite obviously it is February, and I am woefully behind, but fortunately I have the past six weeks ready to upload. 

“My Fifty-Two” is the personal resolution I made for the year: something to challenge myself to see what truly encapsulates a week for me. Days go by and before we know it months have passed and we will once again sit at Thanksgiving wondering where the year went.  I want to know and remember where my year goes, both in the big events and the small or mundane that occur in “my fifty-two”. So... here we go!