We just got back from the most AMAZING family holiday down in California! It was a week packed with activity… Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, a surprise trip to Disneyland, Legoland, the beach, and shopping… and packed with some fabulous family time!  I have hundreds of pictures, but won’t bore you with them all so have just posted a handful of my favourites.

I feel so beyond blessed to have such a wonderful family who just love spending time together!  Love you all, thanks for such a fantastic time!

The air is so fresh, the windows are open, the breeze has arrived… the first taste of spring.

I am a list maker.  Big time.  There is something very satisfying in seeing the “to-do’s” listed systematically, neat and orderly, giving a sense of purpose and goal.  Even more satisfying is putting the single line through an item, DONE.  I am a single liner –  no scribbles, no highlights, no check marks, just a single strike through.  I will even go as far as putting items on a list that are already complete just to see them crossed off.  And as my hubby will attest, these lists are found everywhere… particularly on loose pieces of paper.  I love paper.  I love lists.  I know, I should seek help.

So this time of year makes me giddy with the list potentials.  It’s a time to reflect on the year past and to plan for the year ahead.  And so they’ve begun: lists for home organization, for finances, for personal growth and goals, for business planning…

I won’t bore you with the details of them all, but wanted to share some of the personal plans for 2012.

This past year was remarkable!  I met so many wonderful new clients, spent time with past ones, took a few steps closer to defining my style and building my business!  It was certainly a year marked with growth!  But in the midst of it all, the very root of my inspiration and passion was ignored in the busyness.  And it wasn’t until my aunt requested a handful of pictures of my kids for a calendar she was making, that I realized how FEW pictures I have of my own kids and family from this past year!  I think back to when I first discovered my love for photography when my daughter was born.  I think I shot over 30,000 pictures that year!  Yes, a little much, but I was shooting almost everyday and we can now look back on those albums and remember what daily life looked like.  My son came along a couple of years later, the shooting slowed down naturally with the busyness of two kids but I continued to capture the days. But this year I failed miserably!   Sure, there are a handful of “planned” pictures of them, but the day to day shooting has ceased.   So 2012, I am going back to the roots of my inspiration and appreciation of beauty and am making it an absolute priority to photograph my family!  Enter…

For those of you that are photography blog stalkers, you probably recognize Project 365… well this year, it is Project 366 (thanks to February 29th!).  The goal is to take a photo a day for an entire year, to document the everyday, the growth, the imperfections of this incredible life we’ve been given.  I have been so inspired by the remarkable Barb Uil of JinkyArt (remember that workshop back in July?!).  She has just released an e-book call ‘For The Love’ …

     ”A simplistic guide and adventure into opening up your world and allowing time to breathe, time to love, and time to embrace what you have.  An invitation to explore your creativity, whilst also recording the moments that your heart tells you that        you must. 

     “For The Love” is a gentle reminder to mums, dads and grandparents that we need to slow down, record, and remember these precious days.

     “For the Love” is a guide to keeping a detailed time- line of your children and their life for them to cherish forever. And to create gifts to share with others. It’s all about creating just for the love of it.”

You should read it.  It’s fantastic!!  And it’s the beginning of my Project 366 journey!  Will you join me?  If 366 days seems totally overwhelming, why not do a Project 52… an image a week.  They don’t need to be professional, they can be taken with your iPhone (some of mine will be!) or a point and shoot – the goal is not a perfect picture, but to document your life!  And then share them… start a blog, on Facebook, Flickr, wherever!  I’ll be sharing mine weekly!

One of my business goals this year is to create a blog community where we can share thoughts and ideas on a variety of topics.  I would LOVE to follow your Projects… just leave a comment each week with a link to your own blog or facebook page!

There are so many more things to come this year!  I am so excited to see where the business will go, what wonderful families I will meet, organizations I will connect with, where inspiration is found!  What a journey!  I’m ready, are you?!

Happy New Year, everyone!  Welcome 2012!

L.