It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Today started like any other day, the alarm clock went off, I got out of bed, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the office to get some work done. Life has been so chaotic with the purchase of our first house, working two jobs, putting the house together, and now the transition of leaving DermStore and solely working from home.

There isn't a day where I do not feel blessed to live the life that I do. I have an amazing husband, beautiful family and friends who love me, a baby niece or nephew on the way, an astonishing house that I truly only dreamed about living in, a job that pays wells and allows me the flexibility to be do things that a normal 9-5 job wouldn't. You could say, life couldn't get better.

Today Josh had the day off for Presidents Day. Although I still had to work (Bummer!), I broke away from the computer and pulled Josh with me for a walk. I was wanting to get a breath of fresh air and walk around the plain block that I drive all the time. I just wanted to get the blood flowing and burn a few calories in the process. Since we have moved in, we haven't been able to really explore the neighborhood or our surroundings. Little did I know that our walk today was going to open that opportunity for us.

We stumbled upon what could be the perfect little bike ride, beautiful views, and the strong Sacramento River. We are literally 1 street over from the river. Our neighborhood is full of beautiful cherry blossom trees, and the sound of nothing but the birds chirping and the leaves whistling as the breeze gently blows through them.

All of these incredible things just make me feel more blessed, and thankful that on days like these, I can take off on foot and enjoy nature as God intended. How can I not smile after this?

It's Kind Of A Funny Story

Today was a day of realization, and even a bit of motivation. I've been thinking a lot about my blog lately and how I have completely fallen off the bandwagon. My original idea of a "photo of the day", is a bit, shall we say... cumbersome. Some days, you might smile because of something someone said or did, etc. It isn't always "tangible", and therefore, impossible to capture with a photograph. I have continued to ponder this blog dilemma for quite some time now...

Tonight Josh and I watched the movie, It's Kind Of A Funny Story. The story revolves around a 16 year old kid who is stressed to the max with all the drama that comes with high school: college decisions, applications, grades, pressure, girls, etc. The list could go on forever, but we have all been there so no need to elaborate for further understanding. This kid feels that he has it so rough, he is contemplating suicide. As he thinks about jumping off a bridge, he pictures his mother, father, and younger sister. Instead of jumping, he rides his bike to the nearest Psych Ward and admits himself. He ends up being in the ward for 5 days. In these five days, he meets all different people, with all different problems, stories, and lives. To make a long story short, at the end of his 5 days, multiple people emotionally touch him, and as a result he ends up touching almost every single patient and changes the outlook of many.

While I can't completely put myself in this kid's shoes, I can definitely take something away from this somewhat cheesy but otherwise great movie... never let a moment go by without appreciating who and what you have in life, take the time to make someone else smile, and never underestimate the small things.

As I sat here with the credits rolling, I thought to myself "what a great story line; A life lesson that should be shared with others." As you might predict, this is where my brain connected my long-lost blog to the movie. I came to the conclusion that this blog is a "small thing", a small thing that I enjoy; why should I let the inability to define every day with a photograph get in my way of not doing something that I enjoy? Along that same line, if there is something that makes me smile, but isn't tangible, why shouldn't I share it?

The realization today is this: no matter what, a smile is a smile and therefore, always worthwhile to share with others. From now on, my postings may or may not be "tangible" photographic memories. They will instead be memories that I will "photograph" in my mind to keep with me at all times.

Smiles!