January 13, 2013
Eve
For about two weeks, Mike and I opened up our home to a foster dog - a 40 lb, black lab pittie mix whom we named Eve.
It was an adventure having her in our house. Mike and I have always thought of Taylor as a very high energy dog, but he was no match for Eve's one year old activity level. She spent a lot of time in our house wrestling with Taylor and biting his neck fluff. Luckily he didn't mind too much.
And when she wasn't wrestling with Taylor she was curled up next to Mike or I. Eve was a champion snuggler. And I will never understand exactly how she could stretch her small frame to take over our entire king size bed but she managed to every single night.
It was bittersweet to say good bye to Eve. We brought her into our home not knowing anything about her. By the time she left I felt like we knew her and came to appreciate a lot of her little quirks. No, I probably will not miss her hogging the bed, but there are a lot of things I will.
It's a strange thing to foster a dog. You love them, you nurse them back to health and then once you start to understand and get them comfortable with living in a home and being around people you send them off to live with someone else. Ultimately though, i can't help but feel anything but happy that we were able to get her out of a shelter and into a home. I really hope she's enjoying her second night with her new family.We realy enjoyed having her be part of ours for a little while.
January 6, 2013
On Turning 32
I turned 32 this weekend. It was for the most part a pretty unremarkable event. There is no real numerical significance to the number 32 as far as I know. About the most exciting thing about turning 32 was that my birthday fell on a Friday.
I used the date to my advantage. I met up with a friend whose birthday is just a few days after mine. Well her and a whole gaggle of her female friends. We drank a lot of red wine, and they ordered me a slice of coconut cake with a candle in it.
I woke up on Saturday to photograph a charity fundraiser for Project Rescue, and then my parents came into town. We all headed out to an early dinner that night at a local creole joint. And I mean it was early. We originally had a reservation at 8, but decided to move that to 6 since we were all so hungry. Thank goodness we did because I was a lot more tired than I thought. I was on the couch and dozing off to football by 9 p.m. So please don't ask my parents if I am a great host. I am not. But I was so excited to go to bed that night because my and Mike's bed finally had a proper headboard and was on a bed frame, not the floor.
So I guess if I can say anything about 32, it's that I am glad I have a nice bed now because apparently 32-year-olds need their sleep. Also, dogs that spend all weekend wrestling with each other.
I used the date to my advantage. I met up with a friend whose birthday is just a few days after mine. Well her and a whole gaggle of her female friends. We drank a lot of red wine, and they ordered me a slice of coconut cake with a candle in it.
I woke up on Saturday to photograph a charity fundraiser for Project Rescue, and then my parents came into town. We all headed out to an early dinner that night at a local creole joint. And I mean it was early. We originally had a reservation at 8, but decided to move that to 6 since we were all so hungry. Thank goodness we did because I was a lot more tired than I thought. I was on the couch and dozing off to football by 9 p.m. So please don't ask my parents if I am a great host. I am not. But I was so excited to go to bed that night because my and Mike's bed finally had a proper headboard and was on a bed frame, not the floor.
 |
| Thanks Mike and Dad! |
January 1, 2013
The Post You are Supposed to Do on Dec. 31
So 2012, yeah, it was a year. It was memorable, frustrating, wonderful, exhausting, chaotic, and so many other things. It is hard to sum up an entire year in one blog post, which totally negates one of the reasons I have this blog. This blog is supposed to serve as a catalog of my year's highlights, however, I haven't been so great at filling up this space with those everyday moments.
As my photography business grew, it kind of took over this blog and became the space I used to showcase the photos I was taking. I love sharing those photos here because I am immensely proud of my photography. Putting my photography on my blog serves as a reminder to myself and my readers that I do this, and I've even gotten kind of good at it. I need that reminder, but I've decided this is not the place for it.
The past couple of months I've slowly been building up posts on a different blog, one that is linked directly to my Amy Sayre Photography website. It makes more sense there, and it's actually easier to post photos there than here. It was such a logical move, so I've moved. You can find my new blog here. I even posted a new blog post there today just to entice you to check it out.
I am not giving up on this space though. I really still want to use this blog as a way to document my personal, not business, life. I want it to be a reminder of my day-to-day activities, how I spend time with my husband, my dog, my friends and my family, not how I spend it building my business. That will be for my other blog. If I do that, hopefully writing this year end review blog post won't be such a daunting task.
So back to 2012. How about some highlights? Yes. Let's do highlights via this very popular internet survey:
1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Get married.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
For the most part, a big fat no, I did not keep my resolutions. And yes, I always make 5 resolutions/goals with my friend Jenny.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, my friend Kristin gave birth to her daughter Autumn in March. I took photos of her in May. She is adorable.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Mike and I lost our two cats Leroy and Itchy. They were 18 and 19-years-old respectively, and we miss them every day.
5. What countries did you visit?
Panama, and I know NYC does not count as a different country, but I took a very memorable trip there in January to see my friend Sean sing at The Met.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
More free time. The fact that I'm not planning a wedding this year should help with that.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Oct. 6, 2012 - the day I got married, because, duh, I got married.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Losing 15 lbs and sticking to a diet with Mike. (He lost 40!) We did it simply by making smart choices and being committed to feeling better about ourselves and our health.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Letting the stress of planning a wedding, holding a full time job and running a part time business get the best of me and taking out my frustrations on Mike. Sorry Mike. You put up with a lot in 2012, and I promise I'll be nicer to you in 2013.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No injuries, but I suffered a couple of colds I could have done without.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A king sized memory foam mattress with wedding money. I have never slept so good.
12. Where did most of your money go?
My wedding. I hate that that is my answer.
13. What did you get really excited about?
Going on my honeymoon, and with good reason. It was awesome.
14. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Into the Mystic by Van Morrison. It was my and Mike's first dance.
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? Happier
– thinner or fatter? Thinner
– richer or poorer? Probably poorer since my wedding savings is gone. But I still have no debt, so I'm doing pretty good.
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Travel, but that wasn't really possible in the year that I took off two weeks to get married and go on a honeymoon. But I still did go to NYC and Panama, so really, I should just shut up.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worry about my wedding. Everything turned out fine. All of that lost sleep was totally worthless.
18. How did you spend Christmas?
At home. Mike and I welcomed 12 of his family members into our home on the Eve of Christmas Eve, and it was a complete success.
19. What was your favorite TV program?
Parks and Rec, with Modern Family being a close second.
20. What were your favorite books of the year?
I plowed through A Visit From the Good Squad. I also loved The Poisonwood Bible, and Loving Frank had me staying up way too late to finish it. To that, I will add A Year in Provence, which made me want to live in and eat everything in France. Oh and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kailing. I read it on my honeymoon and it made me want to be Mindy's best friend.
21. What was your favorite music from this year?
I know it's totally lame to admit this, but I have to say Pink Floyd. Yes, they have been around longer than I have, but I never really listened to their music until Mike and I attended "The Wall" tour at Wrigley Field this summer. Then I became obsessed.
22. What were your favorite films of the year?
Um, I could probably give an answer to this if I thought about it for a while, but I don't really want to. I don't see a lot of movies and usually when I do I'm a year behind. So I'll save myself the embarrassment and not answer this question.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31 and held a small gathering at my house. It also served as a psudeo housewarming party because Mike and I never had one when we moved into our house in 2011.
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting a king sized bed sooner.
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Layers and accessories, tall boots and scarfs. Basically, I want to wear this every day.
26. What kept you sane?
Sleep and my dog.
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
To stop waiting on perfection. I realized while wedding planning that I was having a really hard time committing to a venue because nothing seemed perfect. And then I realized I do this a lot. I stall decisions. I hold off on doing things, on calling people, on sending birthday cards, on buying a pair of shoes, on talking to Mike, on speaking my mind because the moment that presents itself isn't "perfect." I use this idea of perfection as a crutch and an excuse to say no to a lot. So I've committed to stop waiting for perfection in 2013.
So that is it. My 2012 in a nutshell. I am sure I left out or forgot some things, but in a nod to my last answer, I am going to publish this now and not wait for the perfect answers to come to me.
As my photography business grew, it kind of took over this blog and became the space I used to showcase the photos I was taking. I love sharing those photos here because I am immensely proud of my photography. Putting my photography on my blog serves as a reminder to myself and my readers that I do this, and I've even gotten kind of good at it. I need that reminder, but I've decided this is not the place for it.
The past couple of months I've slowly been building up posts on a different blog, one that is linked directly to my Amy Sayre Photography website. It makes more sense there, and it's actually easier to post photos there than here. It was such a logical move, so I've moved. You can find my new blog here. I even posted a new blog post there today just to entice you to check it out.
I am not giving up on this space though. I really still want to use this blog as a way to document my personal, not business, life. I want it to be a reminder of my day-to-day activities, how I spend time with my husband, my dog, my friends and my family, not how I spend it building my business. That will be for my other blog. If I do that, hopefully writing this year end review blog post won't be such a daunting task.
So back to 2012. How about some highlights? Yes. Let's do highlights via this very popular internet survey:
1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Get married.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
For the most part, a big fat no, I did not keep my resolutions. And yes, I always make 5 resolutions/goals with my friend Jenny.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, my friend Kristin gave birth to her daughter Autumn in March. I took photos of her in May. She is adorable.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Mike and I lost our two cats Leroy and Itchy. They were 18 and 19-years-old respectively, and we miss them every day.
5. What countries did you visit?
Panama, and I know NYC does not count as a different country, but I took a very memorable trip there in January to see my friend Sean sing at The Met.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
More free time. The fact that I'm not planning a wedding this year should help with that.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Oct. 6, 2012 - the day I got married, because, duh, I got married.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Losing 15 lbs and sticking to a diet with Mike. (He lost 40!) We did it simply by making smart choices and being committed to feeling better about ourselves and our health.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Letting the stress of planning a wedding, holding a full time job and running a part time business get the best of me and taking out my frustrations on Mike. Sorry Mike. You put up with a lot in 2012, and I promise I'll be nicer to you in 2013.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No injuries, but I suffered a couple of colds I could have done without.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A king sized memory foam mattress with wedding money. I have never slept so good.
12. Where did most of your money go?
My wedding. I hate that that is my answer.
13. What did you get really excited about?
Going on my honeymoon, and with good reason. It was awesome.
14. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Into the Mystic by Van Morrison. It was my and Mike's first dance.
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? Happier
– thinner or fatter? Thinner
– richer or poorer? Probably poorer since my wedding savings is gone. But I still have no debt, so I'm doing pretty good.
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Travel, but that wasn't really possible in the year that I took off two weeks to get married and go on a honeymoon. But I still did go to NYC and Panama, so really, I should just shut up.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worry about my wedding. Everything turned out fine. All of that lost sleep was totally worthless.
18. How did you spend Christmas?
At home. Mike and I welcomed 12 of his family members into our home on the Eve of Christmas Eve, and it was a complete success.
19. What was your favorite TV program?
Parks and Rec, with Modern Family being a close second.
20. What were your favorite books of the year?
I plowed through A Visit From the Good Squad. I also loved The Poisonwood Bible, and Loving Frank had me staying up way too late to finish it. To that, I will add A Year in Provence, which made me want to live in and eat everything in France. Oh and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kailing. I read it on my honeymoon and it made me want to be Mindy's best friend.
21. What was your favorite music from this year?
I know it's totally lame to admit this, but I have to say Pink Floyd. Yes, they have been around longer than I have, but I never really listened to their music until Mike and I attended "The Wall" tour at Wrigley Field this summer. Then I became obsessed.
22. What were your favorite films of the year?
Um, I could probably give an answer to this if I thought about it for a while, but I don't really want to. I don't see a lot of movies and usually when I do I'm a year behind. So I'll save myself the embarrassment and not answer this question.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31 and held a small gathering at my house. It also served as a psudeo housewarming party because Mike and I never had one when we moved into our house in 2011.
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting a king sized bed sooner.
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Layers and accessories, tall boots and scarfs. Basically, I want to wear this every day.
26. What kept you sane?
Sleep and my dog.
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
To stop waiting on perfection. I realized while wedding planning that I was having a really hard time committing to a venue because nothing seemed perfect. And then I realized I do this a lot. I stall decisions. I hold off on doing things, on calling people, on sending birthday cards, on buying a pair of shoes, on talking to Mike, on speaking my mind because the moment that presents itself isn't "perfect." I use this idea of perfection as a crutch and an excuse to say no to a lot. So I've committed to stop waiting for perfection in 2013.
So that is it. My 2012 in a nutshell. I am sure I left out or forgot some things, but in a nod to my last answer, I am going to publish this now and not wait for the perfect answers to come to me.
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