Here's Hoping for Good Things in 2012

Fireworks over Times Square in New York City welcome 2012

On Throwing in the Towel…Or Not

I think of 2011 as my crash and burn year. I lost my job and my momentum. Our house flooded...twice! After several years of go go go. I burned out. It was also a year of amazing adventures and success (just not financial success). I spoke at the Celebrant’s Collective Wisdom Conference and drove to Arizona, I tried my hand at pottery, became serious about blogging, and started taking my photography more seriously.

This has been a year of cognitive dissonance. The highs and lows of 2011 have been a roller coaster and I often felt as if I was leading two distinct lives with no middle ground. I need a change--actually Wookie and I both do.

I’ve started the last two years with resolutions and plans and failed miserably on most counts.

I’m taking a new tact this year and switching to hopes and goals. I feel that the looser frame actually leaves more room to define success and since we are in a bad place financially—and that does make for a lot of uncertainty, maybe we need to be open to an unexpected future.

After all, I never expected to be married, or a Life-Cycle Celebrant®, or a blogger. In fact, the biggest mistakes I’ve made in life have all revolved around giving up hope of something better and feeling resigned to life as it was at that moment.

I firmly believe that it’s best to always act as though what you want is possible—then you pay attention and prepare for that future. Giving up leads to stagnation and when opportunity presents itself, you’re unprepared. I admit I’ve lost sight of this ideal often enough as things have gotten harder and harder for us—but I have nothing to lose in choosing conscious optimism and plenty to lose by giving up.

So here I sit, nervous about the changes that I am sure 2012 is likely to bring, but hopeful that we will land on our feet, find a way to dig our way out of debt, and get back to a place of some security.

With that in mind, here are my personal hopes and goals for 2012:

• I hope Wookie and I find work.
  
  It may seem picky to also hope that we can do work we love, or that I find another job that lets me work from home, but I do hold those hopes as well.
  
  Wookie would love to get a [paying] job as an EMT and has been loading up on advanced courses since he completed his EMT-B. He also volunteers as the training officer for a SCUBA search and rescue squad. Everything he does is focused on teaching others or helping them in some way. For all he gives, I hope this year rewards him with the satisfaction of a steady paycheck.
  
  As for me, if I could work from home, it would leave more time for my Celebrant work—and that would mean more money to throw at our debt. I can do a lot with the time I would not be commuting. (My average commute over the years has been two to three hours a day—that’s a third of a work-day!) I also work better without the distractions of an office environment.
  
  
• My goal is to expand my Celebrancy practice. I started my zazzle shop in hopes of bringing in money for advertising. I will be updating my website as well. Realistically speaking, I will probably never be able to afford to retire outright. But I can be a Celebrant no matter what my age.
  
  
• My goal is also to market myself better for freelance work and full-time work. I’ve gained some new experience this year that can take me in new directions. I also need to remember that the work I was doing is valuable—people need the service I provide. With technology touching every aspect of our lives, people need help guides and instruction manuals. I just need to sell my service better.
  
  
• I hope we can keep our home—but if we can’t, I hope we land somewhere safe and comfortable. As long as we’re together and can take care of the cats, we’ll be fine.
  
  
• My goal is to get us better organized in terms of our home and our finances. I confess that things are a mess but if we work together we can figure it out. I just have to remember that if there are things we have to give up, we will be making room for the things we need and want.
  
  
• I still hope for us to have kids. I’m 41 and I have my fingers crossed that we still have time to make that happen.

• My goal is to take better care of myself and encourage Wookie to do the same. We’ve gotten caught up in our troubles and that makes it hard to focus on eating well and getting exercise. Wookie’s in better shape than I am, but we could both use some tuning up.

Of course, these are all personal goals revolving around my family.  I have wider hopes for the new year as well. So many of the people we love have had their lives touched by loss and illness. I hope for a year of good health and healing. And I know that there are people worse off financially than Wookie and I—I really hope the world gets its act together—that people start to see that focusing on the common good benefits them more in the long run than greed will.  (Okay, that may fall more into the category of dreams, but I can still hope for change.)

So as this year rolls out, I’ll open my heart and my arms in hopes for a better future for all of us. I try to remember that life is an adventure and that rather than throwing in the towel it’s better to always know where your towel is, because it might come in handy.

The Big Picture

This is not a flag or the pattern for a patchwork quilt, it's a graphical representation of my hard drive.

Result from GrandPerspective 
(Thanks for the recommendation Brian!)

The big golden square is represents my iPhoto library. Many of the other sections are also photos.

I take a LOT of pictures. Years ago, before digital cameras were so accessible, I shot about 30 rolls of 35mm film on a single vacation. Since I went digital, I've been in photo taking heaven. At any given moment, I have between 3-5 cameras on my person. There are cameras in my phone, tablet, and laptop. I carry one or two small digital cameras with me everywhere.

And I very rarely delete anything.

I know people who cringe at my photo hoarding. "Why not edit some out?" is a frequently asked question, but I like to keep them all.* I reuse pictures in part or in whole all the time. Even a bad picture can often be cropped into something useful or interesting. I really prefer to use my own pictures whenever much as possible.

And it's not like the pictures are taking up room in photo albums and boxes--though I have plenty of those and should probably get to scanning them.

As long as there is external storage, I can take and keep as many pictures as I like. A one terabyte drive  holds years of photos in less physical space than a paperback book. So I think I can hoard photos a while longer.

*(I do often delete pictures that are very unflattering to the subject, but that usually happens on the camera.)

Holiday Fun

We received two beautiful ornaments from our family in Ireland.  They are so sparkly and fun and I had to share. We've gotten many ornaments over the years. Since the Tree is has become a constant fixture, we've been able to enjoy them year-round.

These pictures were just taken with my phone. I'll probably take more pictures later. I love the way the light plays off them and in two weeks 52 Weeks of Photos topic will be "sparkles and sparkling!"

I had a lot of fun shooting our ornaments last year with amazing results.

New on Zazzle

Magical scenes of winter in miniature and sunset in the countryside...

Winter Scene 1

Winter Scene 2

Winter Scene 3

Country Sunset
Photo Print
Notecard

Country Sunset 2 Notecard

(Click the caption to view the product details.)

Holiday Cards for Sale (Take 2)

My last post had a bad link, and though I have corrected it, I thought I should post again since many of you subscribe to the blog via email. So here it is again, with more pictures that link to the cards!


I opened a shop on Zazzle.com. I hope you will check out my new line of holiday cards.

(The watermarks are for display only and do not appear on the cards.)

www.zazzle.com/lifeat30feet

Holiday Lights 2

 

Holiday Lights 1

Big Holiday 1

 

Holiday Lights 4

Big Holiday 3

Big Holiday 2

Big Holiday 4

Holiday Lights 3 

52 Weeks, weeks 12-14

I have been trying to keep up with the 52 Weeks of Photography project. Posting my photos has been more of a challenge than taking them and blogging about it has been even harder.

Here's what I've been up to...

Week 12: Landscape

I had almost forgotten to take a shot for Week 12. I remembered on the last shooting day and Wookie drove me to a great view of NYC. I shot this panoramic view with my Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Week 13: Clouds

I've discovered the secret to assuring cloudless days--have a project where you actually need to see clouds. This was the clearest week in memory. Finally, I saw this cloud by the George Washington Bridge, just moments before I performed a baby blessing for twins.

Week 14: Composition: Scale

I submitted two this week--largely because my photos are getting lonely up there by themselves. (The other participants have all dropped out due to seasonal busy-ness.)

First, I went literal...

Then I realized I was standing next to objects that demonstrated scale, at least to some degree...

52 Weeks of Photos, Weeks 4-11

I have been trying to keep up with the 52 Weeks of Photography project. Posting my photos has been more of a challenge than taking them and blogging about it has been even harder.

Here's what I've been up to...

Week 5 Exposure: Multiple (OR: Creative Exposure)
 Post 9/18

(It was decided that those of us with point and shoot cameras could opt to just re-do a previous topic, so I did another food shot.)

Week 6 Body Parts--Start shooting 9/19 Post 9/25

(They didn't specify whose body parts.)

Week 7 Composition: Fill the Frame
--Start shooting 9/26 Post 10/2

Montezuma's Castle--Camp Verde, Arizona

Week 8 Upside Down
--Start shooting 10/3 Post 10/9

I was on a flight and found it was easier to take pictures out the window with the camera upside down.
The result is this shot that looks like I took it from space! 

Week 9 Contrasting images (two photos)
 --Start shooting 10/10 Post 10/16

Week 10 Exposure: High Key
--Start shooting 10/17 Post 10/23

I am not sure if this qualifies as High Key, but I thought I'd give it a shot.
The hood ornament was on a white car. I boosted the exposure in iPhoto. 

Week 11 Monochrome
--Start shooting 10/24 Post 10/30

52 Weeks of Photos, Week 3 Perspective: High Angle

I didn't have much time to shoot this week. The challenge for Week 3 was Perspective: High Angle.

It took a few tries to get this shot. It's not easy to shoot left handed, holding the camera over my head while trying not to screw up the piece I've just trimmed; but I'm very happy with it.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

52 Weeks of Photos, Week 2 Lighting: Reflective/Reflections

Last year I participated in a photo challenge--52 Weeks of Photos onAltDotLife. At the beginning of the 52 weeks, a list of topics (one for each week) was posted. Each week participants would submit their photos and then vote on their favorites. I even won a few times.

Well, it's starting up again--this time without the voting. Last time I didn't manage to participate every week. This time, it's my goal to submit a photo for every week.


I didn't take as many pictures for last week's entry as for week 1. I started with this picture, which was initially an attempt to take a picture of my eye to check how it was healing. (I'd scratched it and was taking drops four times a day.)

Before you get too impressed with my ability to take a picture of my own eye, it's cropped down from this--I have several shots where I didn't even get close to my eye. 

When I saw the reflection of the window, I thought I might use the picture for Week 2.
After Hurricane Irene took over the week, between preparing and dreading, and moving things to be in the "safest" areas of the house, my photos found a new focus.
I liked this one, with light reflecting off the stop sign and the remnants of Irene in the background.

The picture I ended up choosing was a surprise I found when I downloaded the pictures on my camera.

This was before Irene hit. We were running some last minute errands and generally checking out the area and how people were preparing. I stuck the camera out the window to catch Target's boarded up entrance. 
I love how the window seems to reflect the darker skies we were waiting for.


Week 3's topic is Perspective: High Angle. I think I got a good shot today, but you'll have to wait till next time to see it!

52 Weeks of Photos, Week 1 Summer/Winter

Last year I participated in a photo challenge--52 Weeks of Photos on AltDotLife. At the beginning of the 52 weeks, a list of topics (one for each week) was posted. Each week participants would submit their photos and then vote on their favorites. I even won a few times.


Well, it's starting up again--this time without the voting. Last time I didn't manage to participate every week. This time, it's my goal to submit a photo for every week.


This week's topic is Summer/Winter (depending on the participant's hemisphere). I've been carrying cameras with me all week. (Okay that's not unusual.)

Here are the photos I considered for submission this week:

This one is in NYC just outside Port Authority Bus Terminal. I had to go into the city to meet with clients and it was a lovely day, but really this was my "just in case I don't get a chance to take any pictures" picture.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

Paul and I were invited to our niece's pool party. Paul is an AquaWookie by nature and so I couldn't pass up these rare photos of him in his native environment.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

©Cristina Kollet 2011

©Cristina Kollet 2011

©Cristina Kollet 2011

I love this picture of birds taking off next to the pool. But I think it's too abstract for anyone who wasn't there.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

 Nothing says Summer like ice cream! (But the background doesn't make this a great picture.)

©Cristina Kollet 2011

This shot was good in theory but the composition and focus don't come close to what was in my head.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

This is my new favorite picture of the two of us. It was one of those rare times when I managed to hold the camera just right. My friend Julia is a master of the arm-extended self portrait. I usually get the top of our heads or maybe someone's ear.

This is the picture I'll be posting for Week 1. We've had a very nice few days and this is how I want to remember the summer.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

An all too Brief Hiatus and the Return of my Smile

Well, after a long week of mourning, jury duty, client meetings, a very cool social media conference, and some social media tutoring, I think it’s safe to say that I hit the wall.

For the last two days, I’ve not been able to accomplish anything.  I haven’t slept well. I’ve been feeling “off.” So, contrary to my usually push-through-till-it-gets-done philosophy, I took off yesterday and today.  I have a ceremony to write tomorrow, a house to clean, and emails to catch up on. But nothing I would have done for my clients this week would have been my best effort. So while this probably wasn’t as long of a break as I need, it’s been better than pushing through.

Scattered through my week were street fairs. Wookie was working a booth for his part-time job and I tagged along. (After losing Frankie we felt the need to stick together.)  By yesterday, I had found my smile again.

There’s something about a neighborhood street fair—that sense of community that envelops you, even if you’re not a part of that community.

The first fair was Wednesday night several towns away. It was a more professional affair with carnival games and rides. Eventually, it was called on account of rain, but I had a chance to take a few pictures before we had to pack up.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

©Cristina Kollet 2011

©Cristina Kollet 2011

©Cristina Kollet 2011

Saturday and Sunday we were at a smaller, neighborhood fair. This was a true community event. There were rides for the tiniest kids. Local women were selling delicious Spanish food to benefit the local church. 

©Cristina Kollet 2011

©Cristina Kollet 2011

 The entertainment was a mix of professional salsa bands, lip-syncing women in festive dress, and local teen talent. People cheered the performers—all of them with great enthusiasm. They brought chairs out from their homes to watch. All afternoon I saw hugs exchanged as friends found each other and people stayed and talked even when it rained.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

And there was dancing in the streets.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

I think that after this week—and after losing Frankie after such a long journey with her—this is what brought the smile back to me face.