Perfect Imperfections

iPhoneography

2012-01-27T02:47:49Z

Hey, gang! Another great week in iPhone pics for me. As most of you that linked up last week know, I was in Nashville over the weekend. I actually didn’t take too many pics with my phone while I was there – not as many as I’d thought I would have. However, I had a night out with the girls which made up for it a bit. :) Then of course, there’s my 5K training progress. Pleased to say that while I may have pushed back the training one day after our long weekend in Nashville, I have stayed on track and not missed any workouts. GO ME! So without further ado, just a couple of reminders for anyone joining us for the first time this week….

1. You do NOT have to have an iPhone to participate. Any camera phone will do the trick.

2. Please link back to Perfect Imperfections somewhere within your post so others know where to go to join in the fun. FYI… there are grab buttons under “blog flair” in the menubar.

Alright, off we go!

Actually did my run BEFORE leaving for Nashville. My gal pal, Mindy & me in our western wear for the Denim & Diamonds party. SO happy Starbucks coffee was in our hotel room. A crazy foggy morning in Nashville.

Weather we came home to – tornado season starting early. Beautiful, sunny morning. Wildcat’s first trip to the dentist – she was SO good!

Started a new book this week. Me this instant – reading my book. Beautiful blue sky. On the treadmill – again.

Week 3, Day 1 done! And thank goodness because I blew it going out with the ladies that night. Blue Moon. Fried pickles. A local gal pal, me and my sorority sister I haven’t seen in SIXTEEN YEARS at B.B. Kings!

The band, Memphis Jones. Our table at B.B. Kings – Shake your moneymaker. Street performers on Beale Street. Beale Street, Memphis.

My sorority sister, Tina and me. Coffee – the morning after girls’ night out. Rainy day. Week 3, Day 2 of Couch to 5K.

Good week! And it just gets better. Now I’m off to prepare for a Pampered Chef party I’m hosting for all my ladies and then Saturday I am scrapbooking all day with more lady friends. I await your linkups to see what you guys have been up to this last week. Dazzle me! :)

Have a blessed week!

morning rain

2012-01-26T15:15:51Z

It rained yesterday. And on into the night. I was actually a little disappointed because I was somewhat in the mood to capture a sunset, some stars or the moon last night; however, the rainy skies had other ideas. When I awoke this morning, my first thought was…. great. still yucky out. But the drizzle stopped and I jumped outside – or walked – with my camera in search of some raindrops. If you’ve followed me for very long at all then you know raindrops make me giddy. Today was no exception.

I super stoked to stumble upon that spider web with gorgeous drops of water all over it. The wind was blowing a bit so I had a hard time focusing but am still pretty pleased. And all before my morning coffee!

Hope you’ll come by this weekend and link up to iPhoneography! Have a great day!

matched

2012-01-25T15:45:50Z

I have no idea what’s happened with my schedule lately and why I can’t get my posts ready to go the night before these days. But it seems there is always something going on at night now and I have to prepare my post after dropping my little man off at school. Thank goodness I haven’t had anything I’ve had to do in the mornings. Last night, I met up with a sorority sister that I hadn’t seen in SIXTEEN YEARS! Her new job brought her to Memphis for training so another girlfriend and I headed downtown to have dinner with her and to catch up. She looked EXACTLY the same and we picked right back up where we left off. Such a good time! Brought back so many memories….

Matched. That’s the title of the book I’ve started this week. As you know, I’ve just finished The Hunger Games trilogy and was told by several people that this book was similar and I should check it out. So I’m giving it a go. So far, I have to admit that it does remind me of The Hunger Games. Futuristic, love triangle and geared towards young adults. Though I’m only 1/4 of the way through the first book, it did grab my attention in the very beginning and I am very anxious to read more.

I LOVE my bookmark, by the way. :) Funny how little things like a bookmark can just make you happy.

I’ve been somewhat intrigued with all these books that are geared towards teens/young adults making such a big splash – even with adults. When I think about it they are easy reads, action packed, romance without the smut (not that we all don’t appreciate a good smut novel every once in a while) and ideal movie material. Weird how things change over time. I would have never guessed that I’d be so into vampires and futuristic endeavors.

I’ve challenged myself to read 25 books this year. This is no. 4. If you are on Goodreads, you can take the challenge as well and it will help you track your progress. You can read/write reviews, find friends, search books, etc. I really enjoy this site. And there’s a great iPhone app! If you’re on Goodreads, I hope you’ll find me there.

Have a great day!

morning sunlight

2012-01-24T15:53:55Z

Okay, so yesterday did not go according to plan and truthfully, this morning isn’t either. I really had planned on being way more productive yesterday and so far this morning and things keep popping up – distractions really. Yesterday, I had to take the Wildcat to her first dentist appointment and because she was so very good, I rewarded her with eating lunch out. Then I figured while I was out, I’d run a couple of errands. So by the time I finished all that it was time to pick Keegan up from school. Then homework. Then dinner. Then bath & bedtime routines. And quite frankly, I ran out of steam way earlier last night than intended.

And this morning….. I had intended on taking Keegan to school, running since I failed to squeeze it in yesterday, finish laundry & unpacking along with getting started on cleaning the house. So far, I’ve managed to get Keegan to school, take some pics, process said pics, play on Facebook & Twitter. {SIGH} But I am happy with the pics. Many of these are SOOC (straight out of the camera). And you’ll see, I got carried away playing with bokeh. Couldn’t help myself. So bear with my bokeh….

I finally reeled myself back in from the bokeh frenzy. I couldn’t help it. The morning sun was just to perfect. This bush, grass, whatever it is was actually on my neighbor’s property but very close to our fence. I didn’t think they would mind if I used it for a few pics. I’d been eyeing it for a good while. These were fun for me – except it was cold!

Don’t forget: Google Friends Connect will eventually be going away for all blogs not on the Blogger platform. Be sure to subscribe via RSS or email. And if you haven’t “liked” me on Facebook please head over and do so. If you’re already a fan, be sure to like or comment on posts so the updates continue to show up in your feeds.

Hope y’all have a blessed day!

monday ramblings

2012-01-23T15:30:35Z

Morning, y’all! First of all…. WOW. LOVE all the linkups for iPhoneography over the weekend! Thanks so much for keeping iPhoneography up and running. I truly love hosting this linkup and seeing your snapshots of life throughout the week. Because we were out of town this weekend and got home late, I didn’t get a chance to get around to your blogs but I’m hoping to do that today and catch up on comments, etc. I just didn’t get any downtime over the weekend like I was hoping. However, we did have a great time. It was nice being back in Nashville and seeing some old friends. I didn’t take as many pics as I’d have thought but I did get one that I just love…..

My sweet hubs and I just celebrated out 9th wedding anniversary this past week so this pic will go in our anniversary book since we failed to get one that particular day – sick kids and such. And we rarely get pics of just the two of us so this was nice to have. So we took advantage of a weekend away and enjoyed ourselves. His company hosted a Denim & Diamonds party – awards, dinner, dancing. We had to dress in western attire which was somewhat weird but fun. Many people went all out. Anyhow, we had a great time! I think we’re all a little sleep deprived and struggled getting up and going this morning but we’ll recover. :)

Hope to be back tomorrow with something to show off – if time allows today. Unpacking, laundry and Presley’s first dentist appointment today. Y’all have a great week!

iPhoneography

2012-01-20T14:24:11Z

Welcome, friends! So excited about last weekend’s turnout! We had some new participants as well as some new inquiries about linking up this weekend. Exciting! So for any of you that might be linking up or stumbling across this corner of the blogosphere for the first time here are our weekly reminders….

1. You do NOT have to have an iPhone to participate. Any camera phone will do the trick.
2. Please link back to Perfect Imperfection somewhere within your post so others know where to go to join the fun. FYI… There are grab buttons in the menubar under “blog flair”.

That’s it!

I took quite a few pics this week. I was blessed with some amazing views, that’s for sure. So here are my snapshots from the last week….

Our temps dropped way down & was complete with snow flurries & wind advisories. Sleeping Wildcat. Sunrise. Started & finished the last book in The Hunger Games Trilogy.

Representin’. Keegan enjoying his good behavior reward. Must have – morning coffee. Week 2, Day 1 of my 5K training.

Me trying to quench my thirst after being on the treadmill. Sick Wildcat – ear infection & bronchospasms. :( AWESOME dramatic clouds. Beautiful sunset.

Loved the light shining in on my plant. One of my favorite pieces of jewelry. Week 2, Day 2 of my 5K training. Another gorgeous sunset.

Sunrise. Morning sky. Happy girl with new “Bear Kitty”. My western hats – heading to Nashville with those babies.

Now it’s your turn to show me what you’ve been up to this week. I will be out of town this weekend – in Nashville for a big weekend with my husband’s company. However, I will have my iPad with me and hope to a little downtime to hope around. If not, I’ll catch up first thing Monday.

Hope y’all have a FABULOUS weekend!

cold

2012-01-19T00:23:51Z

As I stood by the window sipping my morning coffee and searching for some inspiration to pick up the camera, I couldn’t help but notice my neighbor’s weeping willow tree and the way the sun was bouncing off the branches. I do so love that tree and don’t mind at all that many of the branches fall over our side of the fence. In the spring & summer it makes for a very pretty backdrop. Back to the sun & the bare branches….. It looked almost as though the branches were covered in ice the way the sun danced on them. I finished my coffee and headed out to the backyard to get a closer look. While it was downright cold, the branches were not even frosty. But the morning sun was quite beautiful. And inspirational.

I actually meant for this to be more of a sunburst but it was just too cold for me to stand out there very long and I didn’t get my settings right on the first try. Still love it.

As I was walking back to the house, I found ice in my bird bath. Thought this would make a great texture. Here’s another….

Obviously, I didn’t spend much time outside in the cold. Itching for warmer weather. What inspired you today?

In case you haven’t heard, Google Friend Connect will no longer support any blogs that are not on the Blogger platform. My GFC widget stopped working long ago. Anyhow, if you follow me via Blogger or Google Friend Connect you may want to consider subscribing to my RSS feed or email so you can continue to get the latest posts. Also, head over to my Facebook page & “like” me if you haven’t already done so. Be sure to click “like” when you see a new post linked up or a comment I may have left. And certainly don’t be afraid to leave comments yourself. If you fail to do this, you eventually won’t see the status updates. Let’s get it hoppin’ over there!

Hope you’ll meet us back here tomorrow for iPhoneography!

edit me

2012-01-18T15:21:21Z

It’s been a good while since I’ve participated in any kind of photo challenge. I have some pics i snapped this morning but haven’t had time to process them so I thought I’d hop over to see what the Edit Me pic was this week. Very pretty – makes me long for summer because of the water and green trees all around. Here is the original shot we were given…

And here is my edit:

I’m in this whole “less is more” mindset lately so I really just wanted to enhance the colors that were already there. I did that by bumping up the saturation & vibrance and then applied a summery haze to the shot. Very simple but now the colors really speak to you. All my edits were done in Photoshop CS4. Hop over and see the other edits. See ya’ll tomorrow!

pears

2012-01-17T02:21:50Z

I know – not very inspirational regarding the post title. Kinda matches my mood lately. Definitely lacking in creativity these days. But my pears did catch my attention today and so I snapped a few of them. Love this particular color of green and seeing them lined up in the window seal.

I finished the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy. As a whole, I really liked the series. Carefully considering what I’m going to read next because my house suffered last week having my nose stuck in three books the whole time. But I am enjoying getting myself lost in books once again. Especially since many of my girlfriends are also reading a lot and we’re all discussing books – The Hunger Games currently. I see a book club forming all on its own….

I also started my second week of 5K training. Yesterday, was tough. I haven’t slept well the last 2 nights – the kids keep wandering into our room at all hours for some reason or another. So considering it was Monday, there was no school and I was just plain tired, I had a very hard time hopping on that treadmill. But I did it. And it hurt a little bit but was glad that I didn’t find an excuse not to follow through. I also have a few people to be accountable to now that are also in training with me and that helps a ton. Left on my own, I usually sabotage whatever goal I’ve set.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Til tomorrow…..

roller coaster

2012-01-15T23:42:15Z

Motherhood is like riding a roller coaster that never seems to stop. Even after you’ve raised your kids, the ride is really still not over. Lord knows I’m constantly calling my mom for advice though I am now a mother of two myself. Though none of us really like to admit it, there are certainly times we’d like to jump off the roller coaster – bring all things to an abrupt halt. Motherhood is not always fun. Definitely not easy. And the unknown can be truly dreadful. How could you possibly predict that your nearly three year old would squirt a whole tube of lotion all over the carpet & you’d be on your hands & knees cleaning it up at 8 months pregnant? Or that he’d try to flush a whole tube of toothpaste down the toilet and you’d have to pull the whole toilet to get it out? No one prepares you for those moments. But motherhood has its moments where the stars seem to align and all is right in the world. Peaceful. Happy.

One of those moments for me is when my two little ones are doing some together and enjoying one another. When the love between the two of them is unmistakable. Just moments before I snapped these pics, Keegan leaned over and put his arm around his sister and gave her a sweet kiss on the head. I had to capture at least part of that moment. I may have missed his arm draped across her small shoulder and even the sweet, gentle kiss he placed upon her head but the pics remind me. They do truly love one another.

This was a moment I was proud to be on that roller coaster. Motherhood certainly has its ups and downs. But if we never had the downs, how would we know just how wonderful the ups could be?