So I’ve Been Thinking…

Photo and caption by myself 🙂

You know that indignant feeling you get when someone has wronged you? That feeling that rises up inside you and can control you in either a negative or positive way? I’ve been thinking a lot today and I’ve come to some conclusions…

What’s inside that feeling? Let’s dissect it. I think the heart of it is anger…but then again, isn’t anger and sadness really one in the same? Isn’t sadness just suppressed anger and anger is sadness that is coming to the surface? What else? I think that this feeling is like an equation…but what comes after the equal sign? That’s the real question.

Many times in the past, that feeling has gotten the best of me…made me act out of the anger inside of it…but that can be good too. I think that anger is a natural feeling and when controlled, has a very important role in life. Anger makes a person not just roll over and let someone punch them; it makes you fight back. I believe all feelings are natural…it’s what you do with them that counts.

So what do you do when that feeling comes up inside you? I’ll tell you what I have done many times but what I decided NOT to let happen today. I usually let it control me and my feelings. But isn’t that giving the person who caused it just a little too much power? In a way, isn’t that kind of unfair to them? NO ONE should have that much control over your life. If they do, you need to figure out why. YOU are the ONLY person who has that much control over your life.

You. Period.

You are all the happiness you will ever need. You are in control of your feelings and your response to those feelings. If someone has come into your life (and if they haven’t yet, they will) and you are letting their actions/non-actions control how you feel, you shouldn’t be angry at them; you should be angry at YOU. Sure, whatever he/she did may have been really bad but it’s YOUR life. You decide how you’re going to live and feel about it.

I got that feeling today and I almost acted negatively. But then…that stirring anger came up inside me and I felt it say, “NO. No one will have this much control over my day.” I put a stop to it. And you know what? I had a pretty damn good day as a result of it. And now here I am writing this post about it…hopefully helping the 3 people who read my blog. 😉

So, next time you get that feeling, remember it’s a good thing. The anger and the sadness, it’s all good. Let it be your guide but make sure you remember that what’s on the other side of the equal sign is a positive. That’s up to you. Life’s gonna throw all kinds of stuff at you. You get to decide how you take it.

Be happy, everyone. You only have one life.

 

My Loves

I LOVE Strawberry Daiquiri!

Yeah, I love a new pair of shoes just like any girl.  I love to shop and have girly pampering days…but what makes me really happy?  All that is fun, but it doesn’t set my heart on fire.  What do I really love that defines me?

• I love that feeling of the sun resting on my skin, warming me from the inside out…a happy feeling.
• I love the sound the earth makes when I’m hiking.  You know, that crunch, crunch, crunch.
• I love the way October smells.  I can’t pinpoint it but every year I notice it and it brings back memories of a simpler time when I didn’t have as many worries.
• I love my dad.  Being with him makes me feel like a little girl again.  He makes me feel safe.
• Weirdly, I love the empty spot left in my heart after my mom passed.  It’s meant to be empty and it’s meant to hurt.  That means she did a good job.
• I love Christmas music.  I have been known to listen to it all year round.  On a bad day, a chorus of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” can change everything.
• My newest love: Photography.
• I love hearts.  They make me happy.
• I love music.  LOVE.
• My favorite thing to do on Saturday morning is sit outside, listening to the sounds and sipping my coffee.
• Coffee.  Another love.  Enough said.
• I love the sound of a cat purring.
• I love that feeling I get in my stomach when I’m about to see someone I haven’t seen in a long time.
• Candle lit bubble baths.
• I love to read a book for the first time and get to that part where it’s so good that I can’t put it down.
• I love the feeling I get after I work out.  I feel exhausted but strong all at the same time and like I can conquer the world.

These are just a few of the things I love.  Some may be unique, some not so much.  But they make me “me.”  What do you love?

Help a Girl Out!

Mont Saint Michel, France

If you enjoy good photos and like to support good photography, please help me by clicking on the following link and voting for my photo. If I can get 250 votes, my photo will be eligible to be seen on a national TV commercial. Thanks so much!

http://instaprints.com/contests/national-tv-instagram-contest.html?tab=vote&artworkid=4174402
Did you know?
If you say “gullible” really slow, it sounds like “oranges.”  Really, try it!

😉

J’aime Paris!

I have been pretty non-existent in the blogging world lately.  Well, let me tell you what I have been up to lately!

I am a project manager for an international travel company and so oftentimes I get to go on some of the trips I manage.  Last week, I got to visit France for the first time!  It is beautiful there!  So much to see and do!  Wow!  I would like to share some of the things I saw and did here with you through some of the pictures I took.  One of my favorite hobbies is photography so of course, I was in heaven in this beautiful country.  If you especially like any of the pictures you see in this blog, they are all for sale and can be purchased in a canvas print from my online gallery.  I am currently experimenting and having a lot of fun editing using HDR (high dynamic range) so as you can see, all of the photos are edited this way.  Hope you like!

Rouen, France
This is a beautiful town, famous because it is the place where Joan of Arc was executed in 1431.  After spending about 6 hours in Charles de Gaulle Airport waiting for the entire group to arrive (there were about 50), this was our first stop.  We walked all around the town, looking at beautiful cathedrals and stopping for lunch.

A Special Bond

Did I tell you my mom owned 5 kittens before she died? I had recently visited her and fell in love with one of them. My husband was not excited about the idea of us taking one (we are still grieving the loss of our dog who passed away January 31, 2012). In fact, he said “No,” when I asked if we could take one.

One kitty in particular had already stolen my heart. I spent the weekend of March 16-18 taking pictures of her and playing with her.

After my mom passed away, I told my husband, “You know, you have to let me have this kitten now.” His simple reply was, “Yes.” So, that’s that! I now have a sweet kitten! Not just any kitten though. This kitten is special. This kitten was loved and brought into this world with the help of my mom. She was there the entire time mama kitty was giving birth to all these kittens. We were looking at her calendar after she passed and she was documenting important moments in their lives, just like a mother would do with her baby. We share a special bond. We were both loved by my mom. Enjoy the pictures – isn’t she cute?

P.S. I named her Debbie in honor of my mom.

Sister, Sister, Italian Greyhound

My sister and I just returned from a relaxing weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia. It was so relaxing and so beautiful and so…yummy.

We gave up any hopes of eating healthy on Friday afternoon. My favorite yummy treat? A French Toast with Maple Syrup and BACON cupcake! Weirdest dessert I’ve ever eaten but sooo yummy!

There was a jacuzzi that we utilized both nights we were there. My sister, Margie’s little Italian Greyhound, Nike, also joined us at the cabin. He’s the cutest thing that has ever lived but a HUGE pain in the ass. The first night while we were soaking in the jacuzzi, he sat outside and cried. So we put him in the jacuzzi with us. That’s right – 2 girls and an Italian Greyhound in a Jacuzzi. It must have been a funny sight to behold.

We went on a hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains and found a waterfall! We kept going and going and finally made it to the top of the mountain…that probably worked off that french toast bacon cupcake, right?

We also had fun just looking for things to photograph. We both have a passion for photography so this was the perfect weekend with the perfect weather with the perfect scenery.

Funniest moment? I invented a new word. If you’ve ever seen an Italian Greyhound, you know that they are tiny little things…and they have…tiny little things. We were driving somewhere and I mentioned Nike’s little “shlong” and my sister said, “I don’t think you can call it a shlong.” Thus, our new word. Shlort. See picture for definition. We get a lot of joy out of making fun of this cute little animal.

Also, thanks to a little tip from my wordpress friend, Malia’s blog (Self Professed Product Obsessed), we both tried out our new skin regimen, Monistat 7. You heard me right.

Margie (left) & me (right)

Well, too bad it’s over. Sucks to have to go back to reality after such a nice, relaxing, word-inventing, picture taking, hiking in the mountains, dog-walking perfect weekend. The weekend may be over but “shlort” will stay with us forever. 🙂

Dear Me: I Love You

The picture you see is a doodle I made last night.  I looked in the mirror at myself and the negative inner dialogue started.  I had to stop myself though.  I decided to invite “Positive” inside and push the negative out.  I started telling myself things like, “You can do this.  You will succeed.  You are great.  You are beautiful.  You are successful.”  I wrote this out and took a picture of it so that I could constantly remind myself of these words.  My inner voice is terrible and unloving sometimes.  I had to silence it last night with positive words of love to myself.

How important is it to love yourself?  It’s the first part of loving others.  Believe in what the Bible says or not, you have to agree that “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” is a GREAT verse (Matthew 22:39).  Have you ever noticed that we tend to focus on the loving your neighbor part but not the loving yourself?  This seems like the key to the entire verse.  How can you love others if you don’t love yourself?  I battle with this too so I’m talking to myself.  I just wanted to share what I’ve been thinking about lately.

Love yourself so that you CAN love others effectively.  Take time for yourself – just a little bit each day.  If you never give yourself any time, you will begin to resent others when they ask for help.  Do something that makes you happy.  Write in a journal, read a book, take a walk, go to the gym – show yourself love so that you can show your love to others.  It’s important.

Dear Me: I love you.

Bathroom Pictures

I despise it. Stop it, ladies (and yes, some gentlemen)! There is nothing flattering about your pretty face with a toilet in the background. I’ve even seen photos of girls in public restrooms and you can actually see the stall in the background with someone’s pants around her ankles! Do us all a favor and crop that shit out! Better yet, just stop altogether. There are so many other places to take a photo!
Let’s also not forget the lovely close ups of a girl on the toilet with the hand towel in the background. This should be embarrassing to you. Why subject the world to one of the most vulgar parts of what we, as human beings all do? However, you still don’t seem to have gotten the message.
Well, here it is. I will lay it out for you. Pictures at parties, in you car (hopefully not while driving), in front of the Eiffel Tower, dancing, performing, sleeping…I think you get the picture – these are OK. Pictures of you in the bathroom, on the toilet, 2 or more of you in front of the bathroom sink with the toilet in the background, etc., NOT OK. Got it? Good.

Amateur Photographer

That’s right! I am now an amateur photographer selling my photos on BigStockPhoto.com! My gallery of 47 images can be viewed at the following link: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/profile/JaneEmily

As of yet, none have sold, but that is not the accomplishment. To me, the accomplishment was taking 47 photos that were considered good enough to be accepted by a stock photo site. I can’t tell you the feeling of achievement this gives me. I bought my camera for this very purpose a little over a year ago and now it has finally come to fruition.

This is only the beginning. I plan to upload my photos to many other stock photo sites and hopefully make a nice little side business out of it. I have a lot to learn about photography. I’ve got a few books to read and I hope to take some classes to learn more.

UPDATE: Just sold my first image! No longer an amateur! Officially professional now!