Continuing August

     I am making an effort to keep up with own goal for the summer: A picture for every day of August. It is proving to be a true challenge. I have missed two more days, in addition to the one that I missed already. I am trying, whenever possible, to substitute another favorite picture from a different day. Funny, those few days that I have missed are the ones I already have the greatest trouble remembering. As my "accountability" comes from posting on this blog, I felt the need to confess. I am finding this goal of mine challenging, but in the end it's worth it.
     For the previous 10 days of August...

{August 12th - 21st}

{August 12th} Brother #2 turned 13 today. 

As in, I now have 2 teenage brothers. 

Nine days in, and we all are surviving so far :)

{Substitute for August 13th} This is one of the pictures I am substituting - a picture that I actually took on the 11th. I know it's way too bright (problems of constantly having to adjust manual camera settings)  but it's still one of my favorites from the day...

{August 14th} I actually took this one on the 14th. On this beautiful 14th day of August, I headed off with my awesome youth group to the Adirondack Mountains. This youth group camping trip is an annual tradition at my church, and one of the highlights of my summer every year. 

{August 15th} Words don't do this justice. 

{August 16th} Yes, that's me and my friend, kayaking. So peaceful and perfect that day. And if you wonder about the look on my face, no, I was not angry. Just concentrated :)

{August 17th} Sadly, this was the day we packed up and all had to head back home. The only good part was that I got to then spend 3 more hours in the car traveling back with my friends, listening to music, talking, and playing games. So in case you couldn't tell, this is a picture from the car ride, complete with dirty socks and everything (a token of camping).

{August 18th} Another exciting day. The coconut oil, in case you were wondering, was a photo from the birth that I was at most of that day (photographing).

{August 19th} Ok, this may be another one of the days where I didn't take any pictures. Again. So I am posting two photos from the 20th.

{August 20th} Throughout the summer, my mom watches a friend's kids one day a week. Which means for one day a week there are nine of us kids around the house instead of five, and because some of those kids are the same age as Brother #1, we spend a lot of the time playing card games, board games, etc. Or rather they do, and I join them every once in awhile.

{Also August 20th} Forts in the living room are a common site at my house, especially during the summer, with friends to help build and play. 

{August 21st} And finally, we have a favorite evening past-time of mine:

 Photo-editing with a cup of chamomile tea, of course :)

I have another exciting 10 days ahead to finish up the month, so stay tuned! If any of you have also been inspired to set your own, personal photo-taking challenge and would like to share, please feel free to comment or talk to me about it. I would love to hear how you are documenting your summer! And eventually, I will post about my business again. I have lots of favorites from my sessions this summer, coming your way soon:)

Summer

     I come to you today, not as a photographer, but as another person running the marathon of... summer. For me, living in a household with a large family, the pages of the calendar fill up months before we ever hit summer. Camps, vacations, family-get-togethers, sports programs, church activities - you name it - we do it. All that is in addition to the normal running of the household and both my parents' work schedules. The transportation and the running around the city is in and of itself time consuming.
     Don't get me wrong - I love summer, and always have. The busy and the crazy and the hectic are just a part of life some days, and you have to go with it. Yet to me it feels as if the busier we are, the faster time goes by. I try to remember the past few years and what I did over the summer. It all slips by me so fast, that sometimes it just goes right overtop of me. I try to reach out, grasp hold of time, hold on and make it slow down just a little. But time keeps right on rushing through that race and I am dragged along with it. Before I know it, school starts back up again, normal routine returns, and time and life have dragged me through another summer at break-neck speed.
     You may wonder what all this has to do with photos, and why I am writing my thoughts out on a photography blog. I write this here because out of these thoughts has come my own personal summer photo challenge. At the end of July, with summer half-way down and me feeling as if it had just started, I purposed this challenge to myself. The challenge is this - to take a photo for every day of August. It does not have to be limited to one photo, it only has to be a minimum of one. And it can not be a photo that I am payed to take (for a photo session). I did this because I feel like photos capture time for me. At the end of the summer, I do not want to look back and wonder where time has gone. I want to have something to show for every day that passed, and I want to use photography as a tool to live in the moment that I am capturing. Sometimes taking a picture is just what I need in order to slow down long enough and realize what is happening around me. Maybe, just maybe, you feel that way too.
     This challenge is my own personal challenge, but I also want to invite you to join me. I realize that it is now August 11th, so taking a photo for every day of the month is a little bit unrealistic at this point. However, if you are inspired, set your own personal goal. Aim to take a photo for every day until school starts. Or, if every day is a bit too much, take one every week. I am keeping mine in an album and labeling them, and I will also be posting them on here as an accountability measure. I can't guarantee that my summer will slow down by doing this, but at least each day won't slip past me and be forgotten by the next week. At least I will have something captured each day that I can hold on to forever.


{My First 11 Days of August}

{August 1st} Kitten and Brother

{August 2nd} I always rearrange in my room at least once during the summer... 

these are some favorite "new and improved" corners :) 

{August 3rd} "Risk" is a favorite at our house

{August 4th} Sleepover and ice cream date with my amazing Buddy <3

{August 5th} One last evening with my cousins before they headed back home 

(Getting everyone to look and smile at once was somewhat of a failed challenge here)

{August 6th} My parents headed off to my dad's 5-day work conference in DC, 

taking the opportunity to see family and celebrate their 20th anniversary. 

{August 7th} I have a confession to make: I didn't actually take any photos on August 7th 

(I promise you didn't miss much - I was literally just home all day). 

So I am substituting a[nother] picture of my cat, which I took on the 6th and edited on the 7th. 

Editing is half of making the picture anyway, right?

{August 8th} My lovely grandparents, who stayed with us for a few days 

and helped "hold down the fort" while my parents were out of town.

{August 9th} After my grandparents had to leave, we went to stay out at my other grandparents house (Papa was out of town for the weekend, but Nana hung out with us for a few days)

{August 10th} I photographed my first wedding as a 2nd shooter (working with a primary photographer). It was a long day, but oh-so worth it :) I decided that for my pic of the day, 

a self-portrait was in order, since this is literally what I looked like all day.

{August 11th} Baptism Day. The two oldest of my brothers were both baptized, and it was a special day for my family. But while at service, Nana (my grandmother) made a spur-of-the-moment decision to make this her baptism day too, something she had wanted to do for years. I have pics of all of them, but this was my favorite for the look of pure joy on her face. It doesn't get any better than this.

     And that, folks, is all for now. My first 11 days of August, in a nutshell. I look forward to bringing you the rest of August as it plays out, hopefully every week... or every 10 days... or so.