I Couldn't Agree More

Developed: An Adventure In Processing

For a while I stopped developing my film. Mostly because I thought the only way to do so was expensive. I had problems in the past with 1-hour offerings and so I shied away from them and when the itch struck would just give in and pay a large amount at a professional lab.

This week I remembered my love for film again, outside of the frustration of cost. I went back to the professional place and by chance/coincidence/fate I only managed to bring one of the three rolls I had wanted developed. I had grabbed two unused rolls in unmarked canisters, something I didn't notice until I was gathering my things outside of the lab.
It worked out well though. I decided I would try some different options. I would get the roll on hand developed at the professional place and then I would experiment with the other two.

The first roll developed was the one most recently completed, so I had a better idea of what I want going to see, the other two were a mystery. I figured if the other places screwed up the processing it wouldn't be that big of a loss.

I did my research, looked for places to send film into and then ran across a blog post by a person who gets hers done at walmart. She drops of her 120 film to them, writes on the package and it comes back developed well, and only for a few bucks! I'm not a fan of Walmart, but Costco has a similar system, and I had heard good things about them through a photographer I recently started following, so I decided to test my fate with the regular 35mm film.

Today I walked into Costco with my mystery rolls and asked that they be developed and keep the film uncut. I had thought about it on my journey and realized that getting them printed would be harder, because the machine might not recognize the black space, but if I just had them put onto a cd it wouldn't matter. The developing would be the same either way and if something messed up in the transfer to the computer I could always go back and get more specific about the area that I wanted as my picture.

It worked. I came home with my two cds and my pictures look just as good as the ones done by the professional photo lab. Because I don't get mine printed at the moment I didn't need the colors to be as vibrant, something I'm not sure Costco would be able to handle as I think their machines automatically color correct.

Now, here's the real doozy... cost:

Professional Photo Lab: $16 and change for one roll of film to CD
Costco: $9 and change for two rolls to CD

A couple closing thoughts.
- Going to costco will not work for when I want to develop through the sprocket holes, luckily I found a place that will do that, but it has to be sent out. They are the cheapest I've seen for send out thus far, but the charge for developing into the sprocket holes adds a good $10 to your order. Ouch. Good thing I don't do that often, nor do I really want to. That will be a special project.

- I didn't ask if Costco sends out for 120 film. They do all of their 35mm processing in the store still unlike the Walmart that the blog post talks about. Places like CVS, Target and Walgreens have been closing down their film processing and are relying on their digital kiosks now so that might be an issue. I may have to find myself in a Walmart...

For now I'm just excited that I can take and develop my 35mm film on the inexpensive side. I missed the excitement of seeing what came out.

xoxo

wildly inspired by...

M. Wriston

"There is no right place or right time. Great, crazy, amazing things are happening all the time, everywhere. You just have to be there to see them happen."

Kevin Russ

Kingston 

Three photographers I have happened upon semi recently that I am completely inspired by. Check them out!

xoxo

52 Dishes: Week 3

week 3:
I have a confession to make. I did not make something week 3. I could give you a list of excuses but they don't really matter, it just didn't happen. So I decided I would make something else this week for half credit. Because 50% is better than a 0%, or so they told us in school.

recipe

Because I was only getting half credit for this (and because there are few foods I really want to eat right now) I went for the simple. Also, I kinda wanted to make something that would turn out good, no matter what. The last two dishes were so-so... but pancakes? I've been making pancakes since birth... or early childhood. I even burned my hand once... but really I think that was making french toast. Either way, that skillet was hot.

I didn't have any syrup but I did have Nutella... what's syrup? I didn't even sit down and eat these like a lady, I mean, I rarely do with breakfast foods. Pan, to plate, to mouth... sometimes before they are fully cooled. When I have syrup you might find me stationed over the sink, pouring it directly onto the pancake and the trying to get the bite in my mouth without getting syrup on me. Because I'm in pajamas, and clearly those need to stay clean.

I don't have any learning points to share... BUT I would just like to say I didn't use Bisquick, that to make this even semi legit I had to make it with the real ingredients. I think I need to use butter to coat the pan next time, it makes the outsides just a little crisper. Mmmm delicious.

Week four will need to be something healthy, I should get on choosing and cooking it here pretty soon.

xoxo

Currently

location: My bed... where all the real work gets done. ;)
And that I literally mean work, like writing, blogging, brainstorming and the like. I wouldn't be opposed to other types of work here though. 
which then made me think of this:



mood: Positive and aware. A little high off of it, it's been a while. 


eating: ugh... just had a wetzel pretzel a bit ago but eating hasn't been easy lately. mostly bananas, toast, some avocado rolls, some chicken for nutrients and protein and greek yogurt with honey, oh and oatmeal.


drinking: water. I have had one diet coke in the last month, and that was about 2 1/2-3 weeks ago. Guess this unknown stomach issue has some benefits?


watching: I don't watch many things. I always think about starting a series or something but I need a hands on project if I'm going to do that. Like a blanket. Because otherwise I feel like I'm wasting time just watching a show. 


reading: May Cause Miracles, going back to Gabrielle Bernstein, couldn't be at a better time. A book about Polaroid, Steal LIke An Artist (more like referencing it every once in a while), blogs


loving: how comfortable my bed is and that it's not freezing in my room anymore. I went through the coldest nights/days San Diego has seen in 23 years without a heater. I live in a room built off a garage, it's cold. But my heater now works and my room is a decent temp without it.
I do understand that San Diego's lows are not that low, but sleeping in a 38-40 degree room still isn't fun for me.

learning: About myself, daily. Sometimes I don't really want to learn these things but I know in the end it will be better. Learning through reading, learning through struggling through days. Learning. Learning through new people and situations, through falling into old habits and wondering why. So much learning.

Also, you can use your used dryer sheets to pick up dust, works like the swiffer cloths. 

thinking: I wish I could bottle this positive energy and save it for those days I hit a low. That I could save this perspective, and reach it when I need it the most. 


wishing: for some relief in the stomach area. I've been some sort of sick for about a month now and, well, I'm tired of it. I'm wishing for a full night's sleep, some mental peace and quiet. 



LIfe's been in a work, rough, lately. I have good days and I have absolutely awful want to stay in bed days... sometimes I have both in one day, depends on the hour really. It's enough to make a girl feel a little loose in the screws. But I'm figuring it out, appreciating the times that I don't feel like hiding under the covers from everything. Trying to do something, anything, even if I hate every fiber of everything, during the times that everything seems real bleak. 
I gave myself a little bit of self indulgent woe is me time, then I hated it so I tried something else.
Life can be a real piece of work sometimes. 

First and foremost I want my ability to sleep back. I think everything else can fall back into line a little easier if I can get at LEAST 7 hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep a night. I know people survive without it, but I don't have babies or any reason to be waking up. So until those days are upon me (at least give me three more years universe) I would like sleep. Because I love sleep, I don't feel guilty sleeping. 
Also, I don't feel guilty eating, so if I could get back to eating normally that would be wonderful too!

xoxo

Onward and Upward

Onward and Upward is a series where I explore my thoughts, wishes, dreams and other things. It's a little bit of introspection and a lot a bit goal sharing. Sometimes I will find questions from another blog post, sometimes from books... feel free to join me in answering the questions or even leave some that have helped you figure out your best day to day life.  


I took a bit of a break from Onward and Upward while doing The Fire Starter Sessions but here it is, back again. I really like this series a lot. I hope to find more questions and more inspiration for it throughout the year.


1) What is it that I am really good at?
Reading. Listing. Organizing

2) What do I enjoy so much that I would do it for free if I had $20 million?
Reading, photography, talking to people about life, writing, traveling

3) What would I stop doing tomorrow if I had $20 million?
laundry, my movie theater job, anything horribly boring, oil changes, grocery shopping...

4) What would I do differently with my life if I only had just three years to live?
Figure out a different want to make money faster so I could do the things I want to do like swim with the dolphins, re-visit Argentina, see Greece, go on a hot air balloon ride, stay in a cabin in the snow, stay in a house on the east coast by the water, meet as many awesome people as possible, take as many pictures as possible

5) What do others regularly tell me I am good at?
making them laugh, getting myself into interesting situations, sometimes photography, organizing

Short answers but definitely interesting thoughts.

xox o

52 Dishes: weeks one and two

This year has started off with quite a bang (and only a small part of that is a good one) and so my posting of the first week's dish got pushed back (and sometimes forgotten). But, here it is, better late than never!
For the first week I wanted something simple in taste and simple to make. I didn't want to scare myself off in the beginning, I have so many more weeks to do that.
After looking through the possibilities on my pinterest board I decided chicken, potatoes and green beans was the winner.
I went grocery shopping, stood for a good couple of minutes in front of the chicken not knowing which package to get. Being vegetarian during my prime learning-how-to-cook years has left me without a lot of knowledge on meat. I plan to change that this year.
So I picked a package and off I went home. Put everything in a nice glass dish with some cracked pepper, a little butter, some rosemary for the potatoes and some italian dressing on the chicken.
I put it in the oven and waited patiently for everything to fully cook.

recipe

I waited too long. The potatoes and green beans were decent... but the chicken, oh goodness, I dried that chicken out real good.

So, week one was a learning experience to say the least. But I figure that's what this whole year is going to be, a learning experience.

If you have any tips on cooking steak or chicken please send them my way! How do you know when chicken is done when you bake it? It looked all white and weird the first time I checked on it BUT the inside wasn't pink, should I have taken it out then?
Should I get a meat thermometer. Does any one else's mind go to the gutter when meat is said or typed so many times? No, just me? My bad.

///

I figured I could make up for my past week's mistakes in this week's dish. I decided to chose one that did not call for any types of meat and figured pasta was a safe bet...

I was wrong.

recipe

This dish, while not looking horrible... was exactly that... horrible. First, I put the rice vinegar into the steaming hot pan which was a big mistake... felt that one in the lungs for a bit. Then I must have measured horribly wrong because the end taste was a horrible kind of tangy. I had to throw the whole thing away. 

Next time I promise to 1) pay more attention to the directions and measurements and 2) figure out how to cut the recipe in half without guestimating on everything. It was a mess. 

I laughed. And offered a try to my stepmom and brother. They declined after seeing my face pucker. 

Oh well, I have high hopes for week three despite all this. Nothing like learning as I go.

xoxo

This is January

I sighed deeply before starting this post. I almost skipped January and was going to wait for February to start making set goals but I realized, despite how crazy everything has felt (and been), that January is just getting started. 

So I sucked it up and made some goals... and I put them on a pretty picture.

This month I'm mostly going to spend my time appreciating and working through, staying positive and putting one foot in front of the other. New projects will be started, books will be read, friends will be made, but my focus, my absolute focus, will be to take time to process it all, the good and the bad.

xoxo

a few photo adventure ideas

As I've mentioned a couple of times this year, one of my goals is to grow in my photography. And what better way to do that then to try new things and have a little fun. With that in mind I looked through tumblr and pinterest for examples of things I might like to do.

Not all of them will fit in the year, but many of them could.

Here's to a little visual inspiration for the days when I feel like I've run out of ideas.




Get on a train and take pictures of the world going by

take a picture of something beautiful, break it apart and put it back together

go to a ghost town

hike and take pictures of the hollywood sign... from far away and right behind it

play with bokeh

use an underwater camera

get really creative, and use the timer

'nuf said

Develop to the sprocket holes

 one place, different seasons

take a road trip and use film the whole way

xoxo

sources: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, 9- 11 unknown

around here

This is not a happy post, but it is an honest one. I feel like I should state that before going forward. I do my best to stay optimistic and positive here (and in my mind) but sometimes you get a little more than you can chew comfortably and that's where I'm at today.

A week ago tomorrow everything started out fine, I took a photography class, I made a new friend, had lunch with an old one, went on a photography adventure with my meet up group and took family photos. 

Then Tuesday came, and with it a whirlwind of yuck. Monday night/Tuesday morning, about 1:30am I got the news that one of my good friends from Portland had taken his life. I still don't know exactly what to say. Sometimes my mind is calm about it, and I know that if nothing else, he is without his suffering, but other times it just knocks the wind out of my sails and I crumple thinking about where his mind was at to decide that life was no longer worth living. 

It's no secret to those around me that I've hit hard and dark times before. During those times I would ride the bus over one of the Portland bridges and wonder what it would be like to be enveloped in the water below. It wasn't an end I wanted though, just some peace. My mind was torturing me endlessly and sometimes, when I felt like I had enough, I just wanted to be sedated, I wanted someone else to take over the thinking for me.

But even then, when I would find myself balled up on the concrete floor sobbing desperately for reasons I didn't understand, I wasn't ready to walk away from this. I didn't feel like I had hope, I felt pretty awful, but I guess I did, because I wasn't ready to call it quits.

I ache with the thought that he couldn't live one more day. I don't know what happened exactly leading up to this, but I know how he was, how stubborn and decisive his brain could be. I guess he was convinced that this was the only way. I wish every minute that he would have reached out to us. 

And with all of that, with the processing there I thought it was enough. But come 7 pm Tuesday night I got another call and a voicemail. My mom was crying. I hoped illogically it was about my friend, even though she hadn't known him, that maybe the idea of someone my age doing that just made her sad... but I knew that wasn't the case. I didn't want to call her back. I wanted so badly not to call her back, but I knew nothing would change and I'd have to hear it eventually.

Tuesday, at about 5pm, my grandpa passed away. There, on the phone, with my mom on the other side, I had nothing to say. I was angry, upset, sad, whatever else you want to call it. I was frustrated. I punched the steering wheel (I was still in my car, in front of my house), clearly that did nothing, and the pain was insignificant, so I pulled it together, gathered my stuff and when in the house. All I wanted was a shower and my bed.

After spending Tuesday in a emotional daze, Wednesday was a breeze. I think my brain tapped out and opted not to feel anymore. I worried about that, should I be grieving differently? But there's really nothing to be done. If there's anything I've learned through my life it is that my brain processes when and how it wants to. 

Today it hits me again. Today it's all a little overwhelming (there's so much more going on too... but I think those two things are enough for here) and I find myself on the brink of tears randomly. I need more sleep, I need sufficient food, but health ailments have found their way into my life as well and so things are all just a lot a bit screwy.

Despite all this I'm still positive about this year. I know that there are still awesome things in store for me and I just have to work through this. January will go down as a tough month, I just have to be a little tougher.

xoxo

Photo Adventure #1: Belmont Park

my two absolute favorite pictures from the day...

I'm patting myself on the back for the last one. Not for the actual picture, but the fact that I went up to this guy and asked if I could take a picture of this tattoo of his. I saw him walking by early in the day and saw these tattoos (there's one on each arm) and I thought it was just about the most awesome thing I was going to see all day. But I didn't muster the courage to ask if I could take a picture.
I saw him again later and I knew, just knew I would kick myself indefinitely if I didn't get a picture of at least one of his arms. So I walked over and asked in my nicest voice and he said yes and I putzed around with my camera so I didn't get a perfect exposure because I didn't want him to have to stand there forever (lesson learned, have correct settings in place before you ask) but I got this picture and for this, it was good enough. Stoked. High five me.

One photo adventure down, at least eleven to go!

xoxo

Resolutions and Their Corresponding Goals: 2013

This year my word is endeavor, and I have several resolutions that go along with this word. Resolutions are great, but they are pretty broad. I know that at the end of the year I'm going to want to have something to show for what I planned twelve months before. In the past I've written resolutions and they've sounded pretty and I had every intention of working with them throughout the year... but as I said before resolutions are broad and when something is broad and undefined it is hard for me to stick with it. I need something I can measure, actions that I can take.


... create something bigger and more beautiful than I could dream would be possible with this space.
See what I mean about resolutions being general? What does that even mean? Well, it means more posts, more great content, a blog that I love looking at... posts that I hope to find in my bloglovin reader. It means being present and keeping a calendar of posts and planning ahead. It means enjoying what I'm putting out into the world. It means being even more honest.
- two posts per week NOT INCLUDING the 52 in 52 updates. 
- working through the Blog (Design) Lovin class and applying what I learn to this space
- go on more adventures and do more new things so I have things to share

...grow leaps and bounds in my photography by completing projects, scheduling meet ups and taking classes or asking friends for help.
I read once a story about a guy giving advice to a starting photographer. He told the novice that in order to be good, he had to take thousands of pictures and that he had to spend time taking pictures each day. The story was more powerful, and the number was far more intense than thousands, but the idea behind it stuck with me (and if we're being honest, intimidated me). I think there's something important here. While I'm not signing up for a 365 day challenge, I am going to:
- take at least two photography classes and or workshops
- take at least 365 decent pictures (not one per day, 365 total)
- shoot and develop 6 rolls of film
- go on 12 photo adventures (at least 6 with my meetup group... if you are in S.D. and want to join us, sign up!)
- do 6 photo projects (ie: adventures in self timer, make a light box, write with light, etc)

... dream bigger and reach higher than I ever have allowed myself to do before in all aspects of my life. 
This is in reference to work, play and travel:
Acquire a job, two at most, that fulfill(s) and challenge(s) me. It must also pay the bills and have some left over for savings and traveling. It must also be something I am proud to put on my resume. 
Try things that I use to say I couldn't do. Try them, and then try harder, and then learn more and don't get discouraged at beginner level skills. Keep trying.
Go to places I have wanted to go to for years. Go back to places I miss or felt I didn't get to explore enough.
- update and redesign my resume... none of this boring stuff, it is going to look good, going to have the best information, and is going to be aesthetically pleasing and different than the traditional. (This does not mean it will be on pink paper, nor will it have a scent...)
- apply for out of state jobs in cities I've wanted to live in
- apply for jobs out of my obvious skill set that I know I could handle and grow in
- save up and visit New York... my friend Chelsea is in the process of moving there and I didn't give it my all the first time I went a few years back... so here's to saving up and doing it right the second time around. 

... learn to love cooking through a year long project.
- 52 dishes in 52 weeks... 

... build new connections and strengthen old ones with friends and family.
This one is going to be difficult to define in specific goals but I know what I mean. For instance, I'd fallen out of touch with a good friend of mine for several months (completely my fault, not hers) and just recently started talking to her again. I'm sure our lives don't have the same room for each other that they use to but the friendship is worth keeping alive, so I plan on spending an hour a month (at the least) with her. This can mean talking on the phone or actually hanging out in person. 
Another example would be the aforementioned friend moving to New York. We have had at least an 8 hour drive between us for the past several years but this is going to be way more than that. We recently worked out some kinks that come with every decade long relationship of any kind and I want to continue to be intentional about our friendship. That means emails, lots of emails... and some phone dates... and saving up money and visiting NY. 
I won't list out all my friends or instances but this gives me an idea of what to strive for with not just friends but family. 

And if I'm lucky, and if the universe is willing, I endeavor to create a new relationship unlike any I have had before. One filled with starry eyes, mutual affection, appreciation and lots of laughter... oh yes, and adventures.
I very much believe that a lot of this is up to the universe and timing... but, I also believe in constant self improvement and growth as well as making space for something great. So what I can do to best open myself up to the opportunity is:
- continue to clean up the cobwebs and garbage left behind from previous situations that just did not pan out. Acceptance is a big part of this, acceptance that things didn't work out and appreciation for the lessons learned (even if some of them seemed to be dirty rotten jerks at the time).
- continue to improve and challenge myself... continue to learn about anything and everything I have an interest in. I don't know if I could actually ever be boring (just ask my friend Rachael...she'll testify to the outrageousness that can be my life), I don't ever want to seem stuck... that's more for myself than anyone else.
- continue to love and respect myself for who I am and accept who I am not. If I don't why would anyone else? 
- go new places, try new things, accept invitations from people I barely know... get out there. I'm not going to bump into someone in my bedroom unless I've already met them out in the world and invited them there. 

xoxo

52 dishes: An introdution

This year I decided my 52 in 52 project was going to be a little different. I wanted to really challenge myself in a way that I hadn't in the past two years. While 52 in 52 pictures made me even more likely to take pictures, I was never a stranger to wanting to pick up my camera. This year I work on something that created a bit of resistance.
I have two great weaknesses when it comes to self improvement, one, exercise and two, cooking. I will get on an exercise kick and go balls out for a while (well... boobs out?) but then a week will go by with nothing and every week thereafter will see less and less exercise. But this year I'm not doing 52 in 52 workouts. This year, cooking is my focus. I, Corey, pledge to cook 52 new dishes throughout the year of 2013. I will post the pictures as well as a link to the recipe I used (if there is one) and I promise to make a good portion of them challenging and new to me.

No two weeks will be the same, though I can have pieces of it that are. For instance, one week I am going to set out to make my own tortillas. I will probably end up having a burrito or something that night which won't disqualify burritos from the running for another week.

I plan on stretching my skills and trying things I've been meaning to try since I signed up for pinterest and made a "delicious food and drink" board. I will cook different types of meats, I will learn to use a crockpot and I will dive into some new baked goods. I don't have a specific type of food, it doesn't have to be a full meal, sometimes it will be, but the main rules and regulations are that it  has to sound delicious and seem feasible for my novice cooking skills.

Just to stay in the game I also have pinned (and then added to my goodreads) some books on cooking. I will reread (and possibly rewatch) Julie and Julia when I feel like I just don't want to get back in the kitchen.

Please feel free to send me your favorite recipes... keep them beginner and novice at best, maybe throw in a tiny challenge but not too many ingredients. I am trying to stay within a good budget while doing this project. My wallet wants to be happy that I am eating at home instead of getting take out all the time.

It's the start of the project and therefore I am really excited! I hope to refind this excitement for 51 more weeks and then even beyond. I have high hopes for a habit this could create!

xoxo

My Word for 2013

I spent about a month thinking about my word. I didn't start with this one but right before it was too late it came to me and it stuck. I had an idea of what I wanted it to feel like but sometimes my feelings are too complex (let me get my monocle, I'm just sooo complex) to put into one word. I tried a couple on for size over the last few weeks, I thought about explore, then perambulate. I thought about audacity, and "just do it" (sorry Nike) and engage... Finally, at the end, after a couple emails and text message discussions with friends, I landed on endeavor.
And even today, when thinking about the introduction and reading over other people's word choices (Briana, Elise, Susannah) , I wasn't 100% sure it fit. But I went back through my feelings, consulted the dictionary (well, the online dictionary) again and decided yes, this is right.
I have a hard time committing to something for a year, especially when I want so much from that one thing and I need it to encompass just about everything. But I think endeavor gets it, I think, this year, endeavor gets me.
I wanted a word with power, one that didn't sit on the sidelines and let things happen to it. Some years those words are okay, I feel like that was much of last year... letting things happen and then learning how to appropriately process them.
But this year is about doing, and while doing is an alright word it wasn't strong enough, or even very specific. You do something when you brush your teeth or take a shower... you are doing something when you breath, when you think and when you read.
Endeavor has more substance... it means I'm focused in what I am going to be doing, and I have a goal to meet, and I'm setting out to meet those goals with great effort.

This year I endeavor to...

... create something bigger and more beautiful than I could dream would be possible with this space.

... grow leaps and bounds in my photography by completing projects, scheduling meet ups and taking classes or asking friends for help.

... dream bigger and reach higher than I ever have allowed myself to do before in all aspects of my life. 

... learn to love cooking through a year long project.

... build new connections and strengthen old ones with friends and family...

And if I'm lucky, and if the universe is willing, I endeavor to create a new relationship unlike any I have had before. One filled with starry eyes, mutual affection and appreciation and lots of laughter.

xoxo

Day One of the Book 2013

Here it is, the first picture of the new year. I spent most of the day in bed, not nursing a hangover, I didn't drink last night, but trying to get as much rest as possible to get rid of this pesky stomach bug I've had for the past week. It's not like the one I had 3 days before Thanksgiving, that one was brutal but fast. This one is mild but what it lacks in ferocity it makes up for in duration, I'm not actually getting sick but I feel really off and food just doesn't sit right. So, the past three days have seen me and the bed as besties.

Today, at about 3pm, I decided it was time to get a couple things done. I looked outside while shaking out my rug and saw the sunset and immediately went back in for my camera. I then proceeded to stand on my patio chair to get the best view/shot... this is just the beginning of the kind of dedication I plan on putting towards growing as a photographer this year.

Last night was a lot of fun. I stayed at home, in bed, for most of the day... up until about 8pm. I had been invited earlier to a little get together really close to my house by a friend I haven't seen in a long time. I had two other offers for things to do on new years but this one was closest to my house (good if the tum decided to act up and I needed to get back home to bed... also good to minimize the time spend on the road) and seemed the most laid back.
I have to admit, I wasn't sure I was going to go until I sent the text saying I was leaving the house in 30 minutes. I looked quite presentable while also comfortable and I made my way to the place I had never been to see a person I hadn't seen for months.

It was a great decision for the new year. While I'm not going to go into it too much right now, one of my goals for 2013 is to get out more and also meet new people. I spent the night doing both. I laughed a lot, learned a new game, and watched the ball drop with people I barely knew but who welcomed me immediately. I'd like to give a little shout out to the universe and say thank you for that.

Tomorrow I go back to work, definitely rested and hopefully all better. It's going to be a year of challenges that I put myself up to and I couldn't be more excited to start.

xoxo

Dear 2013,

I can only hope and dream about the wonderful things in store for me and you this year. Last year was a bit rough but you are new and full of possibility and I am stronger and more sure than I ever have been before.

I just wanted to write to let you know I'm ready.

Let's do this.

Love Always,

C

source