music to my ears.

I'm back home in the dreary Pacific Northwest after an amazing, sunny, and warm (well, warmer than it's been here in SW Washington) four day vacation in the Bay Area. Since I've been home I've spent much time processing and reliving this wonderful weekend meeting friends and spending some quality time alone with the husband. 

The most amazing thing to me about meeting these far-away friends whom I only know through photography and blogging was finally hearing their voices. I've spent years reading their blogs and hearing my own made-up version of their voices. It was music to my ears to finally hear them in real life. I've got a lot to say about my wonderful time in California, but still haven't found the words to express how I feel about it all. So for now let me just say - 

it was sunny,

it was warm,

I could have spent the entire weekend on those beaches,

and I enjoyed just being Andrea for a little while.

frosty.

I've lacked any sort of motivation or inspiration the past few weeks - with my photography and just about everything else. It's like I'm still in the midst of the holiday hangover that is Christmas and New Years and Max's birthday. And we still have one more birthday to come - Eric's - on Wednesday (though he is in San Fran, so we won't be doing any celebrating till the weekend.)

It's been cold and DRY and luckily, sunny. So on Saturday after my parents left to head back to Seattle, I put on my 105mm 2.8 and headed outside to see if I could capture some of the frostiness outside. I had a moment of inspiration after looking over the two new (new to me) lenses my dad brought me - a Nikkor N 24mm 2.8 and a Nikkor Q 135mm 2.8.  I will have to take some time to figure out how to use these lenses on my D700, since neither is an auto-focusing lens. (Did I say that right?...I'm not known for using the correct photography lingo at times.) Anyway, both lenses are for film cameras, not digital. But there is a way to use both on my D700 - so I've been told.

Until I figure this out and get over my holiday hang-over, enjoy the frostiness. :)

six.

Thursday was Max's sixth birthday, so I decided to capture his day. His big day turning SIX!

I can't believe he's six.

Where did the years go?

a little sunshine.

On this dark and dreary NW day.

this new year. this clean slate. (december 365+1)

New Year. Clean slate. Time for Change. Yes, change is my "one word" I've chosen for 2013.

I had a big, long, rambling blog post going and then I looked at it, highlighted it, and hit delete. I think a simple list of things I would like to change will do...

~  change my eating habits

~ change my exercise habits (um, which basically means get off my hiney and do something. I'm contemplating a half marathon. Maybe...)

~ change my parenting - lighten-up a bit on some things and focus a bit more on the more important issues going on with Max.

~ change my thinking. I can't really explain this one very well, but I tend to think worst case scenario about just about everything. I tend to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I can go from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds. I'm a "reacter" (apparently that's not really a word, but I just created it.) I need to work a bit more on being a thinker first - putting things in perspective - and then reacting.

~ change the people I surround myself with. Seek out the positive, supportive influences in my life and spend more time nurturing those relationships. I tend to find and seek out the company of the people who never have free-time and are just plain too busy with everything else in life. I'm a firm believer that you have to carve out the time in your life for others around you - for kids, your spouse, your friends. If you want to have relationships that grow, you have to make the time to nurture those relationships.

~ change the amount of time I spend reading the Word. I'm looking forward to re-connecting with the Bible Study group I was part of last year. 

~ change my photo-snapping habits. 2012 was the year of the iPhone and all of the wonderful photo editing apps. I even completed a 365+1 with my iPhone. 2013 will be the year of the Nikon! I will pick her up more often - hopefully daily!
 (I'm sure I'll think of a million more things I need to change about myself in the coming months...and maybe I'll come back and add them to the list.)

Twenty-thirteen will be a year of big change. Of that I am certain.

What are your goals this year? Do you make resolutions? Choose a word to live by for the year?