That first evening in Venice that image became my reality.  It had been a long day – 8 hours by air and 2 hours by canal and 6 hours of time difference equaled a very tired husband and wife.  But we ventured out of the Albergo Doni, tasted the first of many {many, many, many} scoops of gelato, and started to explore the city.  At the time I wasn’t a photographer per se, but I did commandeer our small digital camera.  And this was one of the very first images I took while on our 18-day trip, 6 years ago.  It will always be one of my favorites, because it was a moment in time when my dream matched my reality.

{on a side note, thanks to the guys over at ProPhoto who fixed the text size over on the left tab – they’re pretty much amazing!}

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In other news, school starts today!  I transferred from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I’m doing the BFA-Photography program online {because it would be a horrible commute from PA} and am excited about this new school.  At AI I was taking 1 class every 5.5 weeks, going to school for 50 weeks out of 52.  That meant 2 essays, 2-4 research papers and 1-3 shooting assignments EACH WEEK.  I felt like I was on fast forward and wasn’t quite grasping every piece of concept that I could.  Here at AAU I’m taking 2 classes at a time, and they’re set up like a typical college.  January-May, June-July, and Sept-Dec.  And it looks like I’ll just have a few assignments each week!  The tricky part will be splitting my study time between the 2 classes.  Which I don’t know why I feel overwhelmed by that — back in the 90s when I was in school the first time I was taking 5 classes at a time!  Then again, I was 18.  ;)

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Picture of the Day ::  Dean & Deluca is HUGE!  I never knew that prior to walking into their amazing shop.  We went in for a quick cup of espresso and came out 45 minutes later.  This place was eye candy for foodies.  Cheeses, meats, pastries, breads, fruits, vegetables… oh the yumminess.  As we were leaving, I turned around wanting to snap a shot of the Barista’s and caught the eye of one two of the girls – here’s the shot!

Dean & Deluca, NYC

Here are just a few of my favorites.  I’m tempted to print them all in 4×6 and put them on the wall in front of my desk so I can look at prettiness all day long.  ;)

I took a few pictures while there, but I know I wasn’t able to capture the monumental size of what I saw and felt.

It was quiet.

No ‘rowdiness’.

No running.

No yelling.

Just quiet reflection.

Last month I watched a documentary on how the memorial was made – from the concept to the completion.  Seriously fascinating.  There are two huge reflecting “pools” that are each about one acre in size, with the names of the victims etched in bronze surrounding each pool.  A lot of thought was put into how the names were arranged. For the most part, Pentagon victims are with Pentagon victims, Firefighters with Firefighters, etc.  However, if Person A from the North Tower was related to Person B from the Pentagon, their names are next to each other.  It’s a seriously intricate puzzle of names.  {If you have time, I recommend this NOVA video. It’s about 50 minutes long, but fascinating.}

Speaking of Valentine’s Day … this past weekend I did a little photo shoot in my kitchen with the hopes that one of the shots I can use for my V’day Cards. Here are the results, with the two shots mixed in.

I wish I had some funny stories to share – he gets really really chatty coming out of anesthesia; however, the nurse said she made a promise not to tell anything he said.  Which leads me to believe he said some crazy stuff!  Mom and I went back to the ‘waiting’ area prior to him getting a room.  He reached over and gently held my hand the whole 1/2 hour we were back with him – it was just so sweet and a very special time.

Update on the 31 Days of Torture Discipline :: It’s Day 11.  And I HATE January.  There have been a few ‘perfect’ days.  And the other days…well…I’ve done {or not done} at least one thing on the stupid list.  But here’s what I’m realizing.  I am SO much more aware of how I spend my time. And that is a good thing.  There have been a few nights that I’ve watched TV shows on Netflix, but I haven’t felt guilty about it.  Mostly because I have done everything during the day – devotions, exercise, ate right, did everything on my to-do list…  So overall, I can’t say that I’ve stuck to the list 100% for all 11 days of this extremely long drawn out month.  But I’m not going to let myself feel down about it.

Picture of the Day ::  Here’s one of my favorite pics from last week’s trip to NYC.  We were leaving the 9/11 memorial site and I noticed all the reflections in one of the buildings and snapped a few shots.  I realize the clarity of my main subject {Sara} isn’t perfect, but I think there are other redeeming qualities that I love.

Dad, Mom, Andrew

I’ve been pretty blessed in my 34 years.  My immediate family hasn’t had any terrible events happen to them.  No fires.  No sudden deaths. No cancer.

I’ve had friends who have had family members effected.  But not ours.  It seems like cancer has effected everyone BUT us.  We sit in church each Sunday morning, and we’re praying for someone new who has been diagnosed.

But we’ve never prayed for my family.

Not until October 17, 2010. We were in MN visiting Jonathan’s sister and her family when we got the call from my mom.  ”Dad met with the Doctor today.  It’s cancer.”

I don’t remember much of what was said after that.  And honestly I didn’t really think anything for the next few weeks.  It was all very surreal.  I mean, there’s no way someone close to me could have cancer.  That only happens to other families.  I refused to think about the worst-case scenario.  And I chose to believe that everything would be fine.

His bone scans and chest x-ray came back clear.  It was caught early.  I had this image in my mind that Dad would get surgery, it would be taken out, and we’d all live happily ever after.  I knew, deep down, that the Lord would take care of us.

So tomorrow {Tuesday} he goes in for surgery.  The Doctor believes it’s confined to the prostate, so after it’s removed … I truly believe that the Lord will heal dad’s body 100%.

So please pray with my family – that the Doctor’s hands will be steady, that he’ll be alert and aware.  That my mom would be calm and have a quiet spirit.  That my brother & SIL {who can’t be here} will feel the Lord’s peace as they wait.  And mostly for my dad.  That he’ll have a quiet spirit today as he waits.  That his nerves won’t be racing tomorrow morning.  That he’ll be patient as he recovers.

Thanks for your prayers,
All of us Bailey’s

And I’m not even sorry about it!

I’m still going through my pictures, but wanted to share just a taste of them with you today…Enjoy!

Purl Soho

Anthropologie

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic

Here’s a reminder of what I’m doing/not doing for the month ::

1. No TV or Netflix
2. No processed Sugar       
   
3. Spend time with the Lord every day   
   
4. No Shopping for anything except groceries     
   
5. Exercise 5 days a week   
   
6. Use my iPhone as a phone, not as a FB, email, twitter, or gaming console    
   
7. Consistent Blogging
8. Wake up at 9am

Day 1, New Year’s Day, we spent at my parents home with my brother, SIL and their baby boy.  I stayed away from sugar and carbs, but not the TV.  We all watched Star Wars, so I thought it would be rude of me to not participate in the family gathering.

Day 2 wasn’t so bad.  I got a TON of stuff done, and wasn’t tempted to watch TV until around 7:30pm. But I didn’t.  I read a book instead.  However, I would have much rather watched TV.  I find it more relaxing than reading a book.  Hopefully by the end of the month, reading will become relaxing.

In other {much more exciting} news… My notecards are officially on display at Mommalicious!  I recommend that you go and buy some.  I hope to have a few Valentine’s Day designs coming soon!

But I am a HORRIBLE finisher.

I also lack discipline in my life.  And while I know what I have to do in order to live a disciplined life, I don’t do it.  Maybe I’m lazy?

And I also think that I don’t have a lot of time.  When in reality, I have plenty of it.  I just don’t use it properly.  There are days when I lay in bed at night and wonder, “What did I do with my time today?”  And I find the answer disappointing.

As a result, I have decided to make a change.  To make an intentional change.  For the month of January, I’m making these 8 Resolutions.  For 31 days I’m giving up things that take up my time, and doing the things that I claim to have no time for, or that get pushed aside.

Why only 31 days?  Because like I said at the top, I’m a horrible finisher!  And the thought of making these year long resolutions makes me panic.  I’m expecting that the majority of these will {hopefully} become a habit and will continue on for the rest of the year.

It’s going to be tough, I won’t lie.  Family has called me crazy and insane {lovingly, of course!}.  Some have even said that J can go live with them.

I’ll keep you posed on my progress!

So here they are :: My 8 Resolutions for January 2012 ::

1. No TV or Netflix     Unfortunately, I spend way too much time here.
2. No processed Sugar     Oh, I dread this one.  But I know it needs to be on the list.  
   
3. Spend time with the Lord every day    I wish this wasn’t on the list – because then it would mean that I was already doing it.  I want to be more intentional about this.
   
4. No Shopping for anything except groceries     No specific reason for this.  I’m hoping it will be easy.
   
5. Exercise 5 days a week    I think after Day 2 I will regret adding this one.  I detest, despise, have a deep-rooted hatred for sweating.  But again, like No. 2, will be good.
   
6. Use my iPhone as a phone, not as a FB, email, twitter, or gaming console    I’m sure I can’t be the only one who watches a movie on TV and at the same time, plays a game on her iPhone.  Or checks FB and email.  So I’m removing all apps except for Pandora.  
   
7. Consistent Blogging    Because I’ll have so much ‘extra’ time { ! }, I want to become more consistent in my blogging.  Whether it be writing thoughts or sharing pictures.  And if I’m being honest, this may end up being the toughest one.  I haven’t been too into sharing my thoughts as of late!
8. Wake up at 9am   Please do not judge me on this one!  We have no children, I am a student, I go to bed late and wake up late.  I love sleep.  I love my bed.  I love sleeping in winter in a chilly room.  But there’s no reason why I can’t get out of bed by 9.  Again. Don’t judge.  Thanks.

Again, I’m hoping that after my 31 Days of Discipline, that the majority of these will become easier and will be the norm in my life.

What about you?  Do you make any Resolutions for the new year?  Or the New Month?