Really Tasting LIfe

So I was reading one of my favorite magazines the other day and ran across an interesting article talking about really savoring meals and snacks. The author poses an interesting question, "When was the last time you ate M&Ms one at a time?"

May seem silly, but she goes on to talk about how we're always on the go and we rarely take the time to really enjoy a meal or snack and in turn, do a lot of mindless eating.

I've been thinking about that whenever I eat ever since i read the article. How often do I take a handful of chips or candies or dried fruits or whatever and don't taste it. I don't taste the chocolate melting into my tongue. I don't enjoy the warm cheesy macaroni when it enters my mouth. Instead I usually eat very distractedly, often thinking about the things I still need to complete on my to-do list.

What good would it do so many families if, instead of sitting down for dinner with the goal to finish quickly so you can go on to do your own thing, we sat down with the purpose of actually sitting there, catching up with those who mean the most and really enjoying the meal God has provided for us.

When I was in college, I spent a summer living with 7 girls in one big house. It was part of a program that focused on faith in our lives and one of the things we were committed to do was to sit down together each night for an hour and eat, taking turns talking about our days. At the beginning of the summer it seemed so long and I wasn't sure what to do after 10 minutes, but after a few weeks I began to really look forward to those dinners.

I loved having the time to converse and learn from my household sisters. I loved learning about them through those meals and slowing life down, if even just for that hour.

We can't make it an hour at our house right now because we have an almost two-year-old who wouldn't sit still long enough to let it happen, but we can usually make it a half hour. When it happens, I know that is by far the best part of my day. I love just enjoying that quiet time with my family - no phone calls, no emails, no TV - just us enjoying each other's company.

One beautiful fruit from that time is on those days my husband and I seem to have more understanding and patience with each other because we know what has been good and what has been challenging throughout our own days.

Our family is working to truly enjoy the food as well as the company we enjoy it with. I challenge you to take pleasure in the little things in life like daily meals and enjoy all the gifts God has given us ....right down to that M&M.

Learning Something New.....

So I'm finding that trying something new every day can be quite challenging when you are very pregnant and supposed to spend more time resting than anything else:). I'm glad I combined it with learning something new, which is a lot more feasible within my home.

Yesterday I learned the word zoophagous, which means:

1. flesh-eating, meat-eating
2. animal, animate being, beast, creature, fauna, brute - a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
3. carnivorous - (used of plants as well as animals) feeding on animals; "carnivorous plants are capable of trapping and digesting small animals especially insects"

Interesting:).

Today I figured out how often you need to clean your dryer lint (apparently every 6 months), why it is important and how to do it. Apparently the dryer sheets can leave a film on the vent and increases the risk of fire because the holes are blocked, even if they don't look like it.

You can tell if any holes are blocked when you run it under water. If the water pools above the vent instead of draining out, it's blocked.

It was very simple to clean....you take a toothbrush or soft bristle brush, run it under hot water and use dish washing soap to scrub clean the holes.

In the end, keeping that and your vents clean help decrease energy use and, most importantly, keeps your fire risk a lot lower.

So it's not an earth-shattering lesson, but it is a practical thing to know how to do.

And now, back to work. I have a few more weeks, pretty much until the baby's born and then I am finished with it.

More soon....

My Favorite Ad Campaign

I usually don't pay much attention to ad campaigns in general, but one I have thought is far and above any I have ever seen is the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. When I first save the 'True Colors' ad, I was working in a newsroom cutting all the commercials from the Superbowl during the Superbowl for our station's web site. It stopped me in my tracks and I watched it over and over again because I felt it was so powerful.

I remember always not feeling like I quite fit into the image of beauty because I didn't fit the tiny, blond-hair blue-eyed version of beauty. It didn't help that my best friend was gorgeous and fit that stereotype (although she was still insecure about herself - most girls are not immune). It wasn't until I spent a summer working for a camp for homeless kids with people from all over the world I began to realize how many forms of true physical beauty existed and how many other forms did as well.

After that realization, I didn't stop struggling with how I looked, but I grew to appreciate who God made me and how He made me and become more confident in who I was at the time.

As part of the media and specifically as a photographer, I have experienced first-hand how much the media can influence young minds and how much decisions made, specifically in editing, lighting and creating photographs, can really affect what people see and how they see themselves.

There are three YouTube videos posted on here. The first one, 'True Colors,' is my favorite and gives me chills when I watch it because it gives me hope that there are people actually pushing to change the status quo ... people in a position to actually affect it most.

'Onslaught' highlights how much what we are exposed to everyday can shape not only our minds, but the minds of our beautiful children as well and to me is a good reminder to be ever vigilant about what I allow my children to be exposed to.

Finally, 'Evolution' highlights the "amazing" tricks in Photoshop and sheds light on why no one can truly live up to the models they see in the magazines - no matter how hard they try.

Dove Film 'True Colors'



Dove Film 'Onslaught'



Dove Film 'Evolution'

Five Years Ago....

Five years ago I began a journey with my husband I never could have predicted much of the path. We smile when we think about how much we couldn't understand about marriage until we were married and know there's so much more we will learn in the years to come.

We never imagined five years would lead us through two graduate degree programs, four states we have called home, five pregnancies, several of which ended in miscarriage and unimaginable feelings of loss, bigger fights than we had ever imagined and more love than we can express. So many people spend so much time preparing for their wedding, but not their marriage, which is a big mistake. The wedding lasts a day, the marriage lasts the rest of your life.

I remember when we began dating thinking, "I have never been this close to someone in my life. He's my best friend and I can't imagine it getting better."

Then I remember on our wedding day thinking,"I knew nothing when we started dating, but now I really know this person. I know what to expect. I know what I love and hate. I can't imagine it getting any better."

Five years later we laugh at how much we couldn't have predicted or known. I still feel like I can't imagine a better life, with all the ups and downs, but I now know this relationship is a journey, always changing, growing and evolving. I pray five, 10 and 15 years down the road we look back and seen we've grown that much more together.

So this day is to honor my husband for who he is and how he challenges me every day to be a better person. I look forward to many more years of anniversaries together. I pray we continue to grow together to serve God and each other through our lives and actions.

PS: I didn't make the quiche yesterday due to several factors, so I switched gears. Instead I learned how embed a search engine on a web site specific to that particular site. For what I do, it's a very helpful tool:). Today I am not sure what I am going to tackle, but it will be something fun.

Making The Most of Each Day

I was surfing the net and found this CNN story in CNN's "Young People Who Rock" section. Although the photo is weird - why in the heck does the woman have a mustache?!?!? - I like the idea she has and think it is not just for those facing what they feel is some milestone in their lives.

I am personally going to turn 30 in less than a year. I don't face it with dread, but the last few years have been very weird for me because I remember when my parents were my age and younger. I remember saying, "My mom is 27," when I was in kindergarten.

Instead I think how blessed I am to have had almost 30 years on this Earth and pray I am blessed with many more with my family and friends.

I do like what this woman is trying to do though. She has decided to try something new each day until she turns 30. I would think it would be so addicting in a good way you'd want to keep it up past then, but whatever:).

I really like this though because it makes examine all the big and little things in life and really appreciate them.

On that note, I am going to try to follow her lead and try something or learn something new everyday. I don't ever want to stop growing and learning and when I left grad school a few years ago, I knew that if I didn't seek out opportunities to learn and grow, I would experience so many less things in life.

God has given us one life to live - shouldn't we embrace it and make the most of where we are and what we have at the time? I challenge you to join in and try it until at least the end of the year. What have you got to lose?

Today: I am going to learn how to make a homemade quiche. My husband and I have really enjoyed quiche lately and it's about time I learn to make it - doesn't look that difficult:). Guess we'll see. I'll report back with the final product - even if it fails miserably.