Another Year Comes to an End – So long 2014

Well, here it is.

Another year (year!) has passed by. This one as lightning fast as the last few years.

But I am not going to stress about it. I think I will just climb on up and take off into 2015. No use waiting around, let’s fly!

Ah, but first, we must recap the year. And you know how I like to do it? In photos, of course!

Last year, I posted one photo for every month of the year. I just read back through it and questioned several months. Did that really happen in 2013? Seems so long ago! But, no. It did and this year, I have no doubt will seem just as surreal. I think having a baby and young girls around has something to do with it. It makes me question my sanity, my memory, and my timelines.

Good thing I have this blog to keep it all straight. Heh!

I didn’t stick to my one photo rule this year. But I am making galleries of each month.

    Just click on the photo to scroll through all the photos and captions.

January
I had the honor and privilege of photographing the birth of my cousin Tasha’s twin babies. I can’t even describe what it meant to me to see these two precious babes as they are born into this world. To see the faces of all the family as they meet them for the first time. To see these first time parents cherish and count little hands and feet. It was just too beautiful for words. So, I took photos and I really do hope they always remember them.

February
I tried to photograph a snowflake. I was part of a hunter’s wedding (as photographer). I did not partake in the odd groom’s cake that “bled” when cut open, but I did eat a piece of hog meat. It was pretty good! Also? My grand baby turned six months old!

March
Jason and I visited Mayfield park in Austin. They have beautiful paths and gorgeous peacocks! A photographer’s heaven. This is the first place I saw spring start to come alive.

April
G-Baby visits the zoo for the first time. We took her to the Dallas Zoo. We loved it, but she mostly slept. Jason had surgery on his shoulder (not pictured). Molly turned ten years old. And Brandon turned the big 21!

May
My daughter’s first Mother’s Day. G-baby is 9 months old! And I got to visit with Norie Sato at the opening of the Chisholm Trail Parkway. A parkway that has the image I took of a Texas Toad made into a mosaic designed by Norie on a pillar next to the road. It is part of the public art program in Fort Worth, Texas. I keep meaning to post about it. It is the coolest thing I could ever be part of. Part of my “work” on the side of major freeway…forever? Wow…

June
We took a road trip to Oklahoma. Enjoyed a few food truck Fridays at the park. And met a baby kitty who eventually came to live with us. We call her Maya. She is probably the gutsiest cat I have ever met. I guess she has to be to live with us and four dogs. She was one of Bridget’s presents for her 8th birthday.

July
As if four dogs, and a new kitty weren’t enough. We decided to renovate our house. Top to bottom. New floors, and paint. We took down wallpaper and we took down chair rails. We textured walls. We even painted all the brass a nice oil-rubbed bronze. This was exhausting!

August
Honestly, the remodel was still in full force. My cameras were put away from all the dust and debris. But I did get it out for baby’s ONE YEAR PHOTOS and party. G-Baby is a whole year old! I didn’t post the party pics (since there is a post on that). These are few outtakes from our photo sessions (never seen before images!).

September
My baby Salem turns twelve-years old. Oh my heart. She is still my baby even though she is 80+ in dog years. Also, I took photos of the 9/11 rainbow. This was seen all over the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex on the morning of 9/11. Pretty cool.

October
I took a five-day trip with my sister. We went to Oklahoma to hang out with my mom and take her on day trips to where she grew up. It was a lot of fun to see “our history” and spend time with my big sister and mom. This is also the month my (now famous) Texas Toad print got displayed at the Art7 Gallery in downtown Fort Worth. They did a Fort Worth Public Art exhibit.

November
I got real sick. I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. And I got much better. On my last recovery day, after sitting around ALL DAY. I thought to myself. WHY? Why am I sitting here? This is my last recovery day and I should go to the gardens and take photos of fall color. So, I did. I got there 45 mins before closing. Phew. Thanksgiving I was well enough to travel and got to spend it with my sister and her family in Houston, Texas. Of course, we took G-Baby to the beach on the last day. She does not love the water, but she dug the sand (heh, get it?).

December
Lots of fun in December. One of my candlelight photos from a past service got shared (with permission of course) on the UMC (United Methodist Church) main page Christmas Eve. It received over 7,000 likes. This floored me. Such a nice way to end the year. These are photos from this year’s service and a few Christmas thrown in as well. My husband’s ex-wife makes me cookies and fudge every year. This year, she really outdid herself. And this time, instead of to the family, it gets labeled as mine. Ohhhhh yeahhhhh…. She knows! She knows!

Happy NEW YEAR to you all! I treasure every one of you! I wish for you a most blessed year, full of love and kindness.

And… Happy Birthday to my husband – the New Year’s Eve baby. He is the big 4-0! Finally, he is in the 40’s! Wow.

DSC_5292cvrtCMAS2014 copy

My Year in Blog

Do you ever have those days? I’m too busy to talk, just read my blog? I found a image on Pinterest for that.

And basically, this post is for those who can’t read my blog and just want a yearly recap.

I’m linking up to….Mama’s Losin’ It….and the prompt I chose……

    1.) This year in blog posts…choose a favorite post from each month of 2011 and share.

I always do a year in blog posts. It is AMAZING to look back on the journey. You can click on the links or the photos and it will take you to the post.

I started out blogging every day in January, but the one post that has stuck with me is a writing piece called Bass Tower. I have been so involved in photography, sometimes, I forget that I can write when something possesses me when I have time. The story haunts me, because it’s just the beginning. I encourage you to read it, and let me know what you think. It features two of my favorite things. Snow and the apocalypse.

In February of this year, we had more of my favorite stuff SNOW with the not-so-favorite-stuff ICE. It led to many days of not being able to get out of the driveway which may be why we totally lost it decided our dog was the TOP PET (model that is). Oh my poor Anna! But goodness, I love her expressions.

March is when we visited the hill country and took a side trip to Fredericksburg, not to antique shop, but to climb Enchanted Rock. I really and truly thought I was going to die and as pretty as that rock is……I ain’t climbing it again. I am AFRAID of heights. When am I ever going to listen to myself?

Our spring is full-blown heading to summer in April and that is why we took the kids to their first Drive-in Movie. A little celebration of almost summer. This post was Freshly Pressed on the http://wordpress.com home page for a day. I loved that they picked this one, because it is a reminder of old times, and ones our kids can still be a part of.

A lot of stuff happened in May, my daughter turned seventeen, and that was awesome. But the most craziest thing was the snake in the house. Yes, you read that right. A snake. IN the house. The hallway to be exact and I stepped on it. Yes, I have nightmares. I post about the tragic event and those Zombie Dreams in the Unapocalypse.

I blame Jason for this event. Here is why…. about two weeks earlier there was a snake bigger, but just like this one, on the back patio at the back door. Of course, I ran and took pictures of it. Jason says, he is leaving the snake alone. He doesn’t mind it being there as long as it doesn’t come in the house. SEE! His fault!

In June, I posted the vintage portraits I took of the girls for their mom. It was most definitely the most popular post and everyone loved the old-fashioned photos.

I really bombed blogging in July. I only posted three times. I am going to blame non-ending rash of over 100-degree days (IN A ROW!). I think my brain fried. But I learned Photoshop. At least that stuck in my brain, probably, it melted there.
Photo By Lindsey MIller

August was just as hot as July (maybe hotter), but I managed to make a post Smile. Or, at least, the people (and animal) in it. I turned forty too!

The youngest

I love smiles.

Summer is still strong in September, but we caught a day or two break from the heat. I started posting my California vacation pictures. It is HARD to choose one post, but I have to pick Point Loma Lighthouse. The sea and I…we have this thing going and I don’t ever want it to end. Put me in lighthouse forever, and I will be so happy.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

I almost got my blogging mojo back in October, but come to find out, it was just a warm-up for the next two months. We celebrated our anniversary of being married one year. We said good-bye to summer (yes, finally in OCTOBER). And I took the girls for photos at Hall’s Pumpkin Farm. I was hot and I thought the photos would be terrible, but I could be wrong (sometimes).

I blogged thirty days in a row for November. I am not sure how I did it, or what made me decide to do it. I just did. And I’m glad. It’s not easy to blog every day (and do photos like I do), but I accomplished it. The most popular post was my Weekly Photo Challenge for Windows. I must admit. I love reflections. I love glass. And I loved doing this windows post.

Now, we are in December! I am choosing a recent post – Weekly Photo Challenge: Between. I like this post because it combines my two greatest loves. Photography and writing with vision and purpose. I am constantly seeking the flow of what I do and this is as close as it gets.

At the end of year, I like to look back, then I can move fresh into the new.

How are you ending your year?