a year later

I was so excited to take pictures of Jake and Ivy again, almost a year later!  They've both grown so much since the last time I saw them and I think I've grown so much as a photographer. The last time I visited my parent's home I rummaged through my old desk and pulled out my old photography notebooks from my high school days.  I slowly began re-learning all the nitty gritty details and have spent many many hours taking picture after picture using every setting combination on my camera. I've gotten a lot of good practice chasing my cats around the apartment trying to capture their every waking moment of cuteness. 

Here are a few of my favorites from the photo shoot!

New Name

I hope you don't mind.

I changed the title of my blog.

:)

It's still me.  And I'm still here writing about the things I love.

Thanks for reading along!

i love the smell of dryer sheets in the morning

When I was little I never minded vacuuming the house or dusting the furniture...and I often did these things without being told. I loved surprising my mom when she got home from work. I couldn't wait to point out all the things I had perfectly cleaned for her. 

My family still jokes about how different my twin sister and I are when it comes to cleaning.  One of our favorite phrases growing up was, "Looks like a bomb hit Kate's room again!" But I would always come to her rescue when she was told to get her room cleaned up right now. She would be sitting on her bed, sniffling, and wondering how she would get things put away before dinner. I would quietly knock on her door, sneak in without being seen, and secretly help her put things away. I'm sure my parents knew it was always me who cleaned it...

Now as an adult, when my home is in order, my life feels in order...even when it's not.  I can deceive myself into feeling like everything is the way it should be and it puts my mind at ease. 

Last week amidst the chaos of my life, my sweet husband came to my rescue and cleaned the apartment for me while I was at work. The giant pile of laundry had been folded and put away, the floors vacuumed, the bed made. It was such a wonderful surprise. And I'm still finding surprises, like finding my dress pants folded in my pajama drawer :) 

New Day New Dress

Last night my husband took me out on a date.

I knew it was a real date because he let me choose where we got to eat.

There was a card waiting for me when I got home.  It said it hoped my heart was happy today and it was...because I got to spend the evening with Martin laughing and enjoying his company.

I know life has its ups and downs. And I know it's about how we react to situations that make our lives what they will be. I am pulling every ounce of strength I have to be positive and know that this is my life...and I can't let it be effected by a few bad apples. It's a new day and there are so many things to be grateful for.  I'm done dwelling on the negative and I'm ready to look forward to all the happy things in my future.

Thank you readers for your kind words, they mean the world to me :)

{My dress}

smile when your heart is breaking

Truth time...today was the hardest day of teaching I've ever experienced. I got home and completely broke down, crying until there were no more tears left to cry.  But after pep talks from everyone closest to me and advice that will get me through I can wake up and go again tomorrow. And maybe I'll need a little encouragement everyday this year, but that's what my family is for. 

This evening I took a long, long, long, hot shower to calm myself down (sorry neighbors if you no longer have any hot water)and when I went to take out my contacts I saw this in the case.  My eyelash had formed the perfect smiley face. It was looking up at me telling me that life was going to be okay.

And of course this little guy makes me smile everyday, especially when he sleeps in my husband's underwear basket.