Lately | July

     It's summer. And there's a new sheriff in town. His name is Jack. And at the moment our regularly scheduled summer program has been put on hold. I am trying to just let it ride and accept this summer may be a wash when it comes to tent camping and boating, our all time favorite summer pastimes. And remind myself that this time next year he will be one... omg ONE. But we've got time before that reality sets in. And by then I might start to feel like I have this +1 mini person in our life down...maybe. But I do know "they" say kids at that age can be on a boat and as of late I believe everything "they" say. However, I have a confession, "they" are the driving me crazy. Sometimes I just nod my head when I'm reading what "they" say to do and then do what works for us... shh don't tell "them". Because sometimes "they" save me when I am at a loss, I don't want to jinx myself or anything. ;) 

     Anyways. Since I am grounded on some level this summer I have been perusing the internet a lot ... Pinterest you devil, I love you. Instagram, my all time favorite companion. Bloglovin' keeps my blog obsession organized on some level. Our phones are a funny thing. Everything in this day and age we could ever need/want/dream of is basically at our fingertips. So because I have been a pinning/bookmarking fool and because I FINALLY found my Kindle charger and want to make sure I take note of a few of the things I'd like to read now that I've found it, I thought I'd share what I've been dreaming of doing, reading, seeing, listening to, etc. Lately....

READING                                                                                                                                                                    

I am usually a really fast reader. This summer I suspect I'll be a little slower, so while my GoodReads list is growing by the minute, I'll just share the top 3 books that are catching my eye right now!

WATCHING                                                                                                                                          

Because let's face it I have been spending a lot of time on the couch, with Jack. Feeding him, burping him, just staring at him haha. Let me just say, for the record most of what I find on TV sucks haha. I find myself choosing what to watch on onDemand and Netflix. I have found a few shows I look forward to, but in general I have the TV on for noise/company and not content.

  • Crossbones - not sure the station or time it's on, I watch it on onDemand. It's new and interesting. Maybe not the BEST show I've seen but it'll do.
  • House of Cards - OMG. If I didn't like anything else on Netflix (I actually LOVE Netflix) I would have Netflix for this one series only. Kevin Spacey is amazing. As is the entire show & cast. I highly recommend this one. 
  • True Blood - The last season ever. It's my guilty pleasure and always has been haha. 
  • Fixer Uppers - HGTV. I just love everything about this show. The hosts, their (life)style, their design values. I kind of want to be them. I watch it over and over when there is a marathon on, even if I've seen the episode before, which is likely because they have only done one season so far. 
  • Game of Thrones - Ok really if you have HBO and haven't watched this, I have no words. It's good. Really good. Like I don't think of myself as someone who would get hooked on this kind of show, but seriously, it's really, really good. 

LISTENING                                                                                                                                                                            

Beats Music is my jam lately. Because I have a free trial. But I like it! I also like Pandora and Spotify and iHeartRadio. They each have their own niche of how you can listen to music. I like variety.  Here are a few of my fave stations/albums/artists I've been listening to lately. 

  • Lana Del Rey 
  • Country Music... If I were to list all of my faves, I think I'd lose you after number 20. I just love country!
  • Of Monsters and Men
  • Amos Lee - one of my go to guys, I love his old and new stuff

DREAMING                                                                                                                                                                      

I really have high hopes to do a few of these things on my Pinterest list this summer.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer!

Photo taken at Dillon Beach last year. Contax 645|Fuji 400H

May 2014 Favorite

     This month has been full of baby, baby, baby. I don't think I've actually slept in 7 weeks. Our bodies are amazing that they adapt to a lack of sleep in order to take care of these new little beings! Kind of a gamble on mother nature's part, if you ask me haha... but it seems to be going mostly in her favor so far. I admit I miss going out and photographing freely, but I'm learning to look at the familiar and everyday in a new way. I ordered the Hoya close up filters for my Contax/Zeiss lens and was pleasantly surprised to see they fit my Canon 50mm as well!

     I ventured into my backyard with my new filters attached for the photo on the left, I love tri-colored sage and have it growing in bunches all over my yard, it makes a great low filler for a garden bed and is so pretty blooming or not.  

     The only thing I can say about the photo on the right is - WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT BABY'S ELEPHANT KNEES?? Ridiculously adorable. One (of many) of my very favorite parts of baby Jack at this stage. He's losing those elephant knees now that he's 7 weeks old and getting a little filled out, so I'm glad I captured them before they were a distant memory. 

     I hope you've had a wonderful May so far. The summer is right around the corner, hot weather, bar-b-q's and lot's of activities! It will be an interesting one with new baby in tow! 

     Until next time...

April 2014 Favorite

     I'm behind, sooo behind. But with an excuse to top all excuses.

     I knew April would be a special month. As it happens we didn't get too far into April before our little dumpling arrived, the 4th to be exact; 10 days early, 21 hours of labor and after 3 of those hours of actively trying to get this little guy to make his entrance into the world we moved on to.... one emergency c-section and finally our little sunny side up* baby, Jack, arrived. It's been a wild ride. From having major surgery (which I was not prepared for ... or ever even crossed my mind might be in my future) to caring for a little human being around the clock while recovering from said abdominal surgery to dealing with all the craziness that sleep deprivation and out of control hormones bring on. (I couldn't have made it this far without some truly amazing and supportive friends, fam and Chris, he's pretty much my hero/angel/rock). It's fleeting moments like in the photos above that make it all clear. In the haze it hits me, OMG I'm someone's  mom, life will never be the same! Life as I know it is gone. And for a moment I panic. And then the haze clears in the moments when I get a glimpse of baby Jack's  growing personality or I stop to take in a scene like the one above. I realize it's not about losing something, it's about watching a piece of my heart and soul sleep in my arms, cry, smile in his sleep and adding another layer to who I am as a human being and it's about the gift of gaining so much more in my life, more than I could ever imagine. 

 

My favorite photos for this month were taken on my iPhone and posted on my Instagram.  

 

     *A little side note - I was sunny side up as well, however my mom delivered me au natural... my respect-o-meter exploded when she told me this. Oh and she went on to birth 5 more kids au natural.... seriously. She is lion, hear her roar!