Mexico Parte Uno

It won't feel much like fall over here on SOML this week, so if you're already tired of talking about pumpkin spice lattes and visits to the apple orchard, I might have just the reprieve you need. 

It was strange to leave our meager Texas fall behind last week and head to a hot desert climate like Mexico... strange, but in a good way. As you may already know, I was invited to photograph several events within a corporate trip to Los Cabos, and I mean, come on now. Pretty sweet. Matthew tagged along and we made a fun little getaway trip out of it. And can I just say I really love photographing events? It's so interesting to experience the entirety of an event as the fly on the wall, flitting about within groups of people... catching snippets of conversation... being there, but not really there. I really love it. I don't see wedding photography in my future because that's just not my thing (zero passion there!), but I have so enjoyed capturing birthday parties, showers, and this recent foray into corporate photography. Send me to an exotic locale and I'll take pictures of damn near whatever you want! ;)

Can I also say it was pretty freaking cool to turn the tables for once and be the one sending us on a cool trip? We've been to some awesome places thanks to Matthew's old job (South America, most recently, my favorite part of which was experiencing Machu Picchu!), but this one was all me, and it just feels nice when hard work pays off in unexpected ways. 

Happy Monday, my friends...

PS - We stayed at the Fiesta Americana Grand... great resort!

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Just dropping in

Just wanted to drop in and say HOLA from Mexico! Hope you're having a wonderful week... :)

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Viva Mexico

We're here in Cabo, and it's beautiful and wonderful and perfect... I won't have time to write much this week, but I'd like to drop in with a picture or two each day. Here's a simple shot out on the beach last night. This world is such a shockingly beautiful place, and I love to get outside our bubble and be reminded of that sometimes. So thankful for this trip. Happy Tuesday!

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The actual internal monologues of Cooper and Gracie

Cooper and Gracie were born into the very same litter, but could not be more different. Please see below for actual internal monologues for each, respectively.*

*because I am the dog whisperer and I know these things.
**the following is based on true-life events.
***I'm sorry that Gracie cusses so much.

COOPER

Me: "Cooper, would you like to GO FOR A WALK?"

Cooper: What? Oh GOD, really? REALLY?! Oh my God! Mom, you have got to be kidding me! GAAHHH, this is incredible! This is the best thing ever!! I AM FREAKING OUT! Can we go now? Hurry up Mom! Where are your shoes? MOM HURRY!  AHH, I cannot contain myself! This is definitely the best day of my life! Weeeeeeeee!!!!!

Me: "OK, Cooper, I see that you're interested in the walk. Let's go." (puts on collar and leash with difficulty due to the squirming, and heads out the door."

Cooper: Oh my God, it's really happening!!! This is amazing! This is the most momentous occasion of my life! I will pee on all the things! It will be fantastic! (dives into a low bush, literally, and pees in it.) Oh dear, must save potties for other bushes as well... such as THIS ONE! (pees on next closest bush.)

Me: "OK Cooper, let's keep moving." 

Cooper: OK Mom! Whatever you say! This is so fantastic! LOOK! A man watering his lawn! Hiii Man Watering His Lawn! I'd stop and say hello, but this is the best moment of my life and I really cannot be bothered with you right now! Oh LOOK, a fire hydrant with lots of urination on it! I must urinate here as well! This is MAGNIFICENT!

*things continue in this manner for several minutes, until we see another dog walking with his mommy on the other side of the street*

Cooper: OH MY GOSH! A FRIEND! Mom let's go see him, please? Please? Please? PLEASE?! MOM! MOM! Let's go!" (Tugs at leash with all his might) A NEW FRIEND A NEW FRIEND A NEW FRIEND!!! Moommmm!!

*A few more minutes pass and Cooper pops a squat to poop.*

Cooper: Mom, I wouldn't be so fat if you walked me more. I poop on EVERY SINGLE WALK, YOU KNOW THIS.

After the poop, we start to run the rest of the way home. Cooper is feeling extra fantastic. 

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GRACIE

Me: "Gracie, would you like to GO FOR A WALK?"

Gracie: What? Oh! Yes! I think I would. Yes! I think I WOULD! This is wonderful! However, I feel uneasy about it. There is lots of danger out there. Many threats to our safety. Many enemies. However, I would still like to go for the walk. But I definitely feel uneasy.

Me: "OK Gracie, it'll be super fun. There really isn't any danger. Here, let's bring your muzzle in case there are any other dogs who get the bright idea to approach us." 

*Puts on collar and leash, and we depart.

Gracie: Oh my goodness! We are outside of the house! We are outside in the world! This is my dream come true!! But oh God, A MULTITUDE OF SMELLS. This is overwhelming! I feel threatened! I smell 14 other urinations on this first bush alone! I MUST NOW SWITCH TO HIGH ALERT. However, I will add my pee here as well, and then sniff around some more.

Me: "OK Gracie, this is called a WALK, not a SNIFF. Let's move on!"

*Gracie reluctantly complies.*

Gracie: OH MY GOD A MAN WATERING HIS LAWN! STRANGER DANGER!!! He must be eliminated! How dare he exist on the same Earth as us! This is terrible! I will definitely bite you, mister, don't come another step closer! I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU BUT I DEFINITELY HATE YOU!

Me: "Gracie, that man is across the street and THAT IS HIS YARD. He has every right to be there. Chill out, jeez!"

Gracie: Mom, I don't like him, I don't like him one bit. Oh! Some poop on the sidewalk!

*Things continue along these lines until we round a corner and encounter an orange tabby cat lounging beside a bush, just a couple feet away. Gracie lunges at it, and I struggle with her, holding her back with all my might as she writhes around, trying to get free of me.*

Gracie: A cat! OH GOD A CAT! Die mother *ucker DIE! How dare you lounge around like that! I will kill you for this!!

*Ninja Cat decides it's a good idea to attack Gracie and comes at her like a spider monkey, standing on its back two legs and batting at her with his front paws.*

Gracie: WHAT THE *UCK IS HAPPENING!! I knew these bastards were bad news, I KNEW IT! Mom, let me at 'em!! THIS IS THE WORST THING IMAGINABLE, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! Deathcon Four! MUST ELIMINATE CAT-THREAT! RAAAHH!!!!

*I get Gracie under control and cat does the reasonable thing and runs up a tree before it gets ripped in half. We return home, my heart pounding out of my chest and Gracie's view of the world as a terrible place reinforced.

THE END.

(they really are very different)

(read Gracie and Cooper's sibling "love story" here)

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To build a home

We're going on month six since we signed the contract on our new home, and month five of living with my mom. The house is slowly but surely coming along... well, mostly just slowly, but there has definitely been significant progress in the last couple weeks. They bricked the outside, mostly drywalled the inside, and poured the driveway. Now all we have left is a million other things that go into piecing together a home. But it will be beautiful, and it will be worth it, and I already envision our future there. Just waiting on that future to begin...

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Life Lately

Day 15 of Blogtember: life lately.

I've sort of written a couple life lately posts in the last week or so... shame on me for not thinking ahead to today's post topic! But life, lately... is good. Really, really good. I am happy. Our house isn't ready yet, or anywhere near ready, but they started bricking the outside last week, and dropped off all the drywall, which was encouraging. Then it failed a few insulation inspections and it rained for like 50035973513 days, so of course more delays, more delays, more delays.

But I have my little family and I have my passion for the work I'm doing right now, and we've been blessed with our first set of incredibly beautiful fall mornings, and that is just a breath of fresh air.   There have been movies and popcorn and cuddling and date nights and coffee in bed each morning and new rules going forward to show love with conduct instead of just words. It's a good plan, and it's been working, and our lives are happier for it.

Hope you have a great Monday!

*Prior Blogtember link-ups are missing at the moment, but should be back online soon!

COMFORT

Today's Blogtember prompt: React to this term: comfort.

Oh, comfort. My life has not been comfortable in some areas lately. I'd rather not go into detail, but trust me on that one. There have been moments where everything comfortable for me has been threatened, has felt destroyed, has been in question. But so far I’ve learned that the times I’ve been most uncomfortable have also been the times I achieved the most growth in my life and in my relationships. Comfort is not something we should seek exclusively. Where is the adventure in that? Where is the becoming-better?  If you find the only decisions you’re ever making are comfortable ones, there may be some reevaluating in order.

It’s interesting that I would pick this particular prompt for this particular day in September, some weeks ago when I made the list. Interesting, indeed.

Comfort is a nice feeling, but you’d never know what it means to lie in a truly soft place unless you’d also experienced the opposite. Be grateful for discomfort in your life, as well as comfort, because they really are two sides of the same coin, you know?

That's about the best I can come up with, for a Friday. :)

Tell us about what comfort means to you in the linkup below today's featured SOML sponsors... :)

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Miss Shanna writes a fabulous blog called Because Shanna Said So, and if you haven't heard of her yet, well... you might want to check and see if you're under a large rock! ;) Shanna is a wife and mama to two beautiful girls, an Austinite, and her blog features stories from her life and lots and lots of fantastic fashion inspiration. First get to know her a little better here, then browse some of her style posts here. You will fall in love with this lovely southern lady, I guarantee it. 

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Stunningly pretty Anna writes a blog called Happy Medley, and her story is quite unique. This lovely lady was born and raised in Russia, but her family moved to the states when she was a bit older - with only 8 suitcases to their name! Anna learned English, met a fellow Russian guy and started a family (how cute are they?), and she now writes a life and style blog full of "ideas for a happy and simple life." Drop in and say hello! :)

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HAPPY FRIDAY!

Moments

Day 11 of Blogtember is simply a memory you'd love to relive.

And you know, I've been thinking hard about this one, and the conclusion I've come to is kind of eye opening. If I could relive a memory, it wouldn't be one of our amazing trips to Hawaii or New York or South America, or the time I lived in Germany as a child, or even a moment on my wedding day or something obvious like that.

No. I would relive a family dinner, sitting opposite my Grandma and listening to her stories. I would relive a long, tight hug, and the way she smelled and how soft her skin was. I would relive the laughter when she scoffed at a photo I took of her, and said she looked "too old" or "too wrinkly." I would relive moments with Edd, the time he told me he always wanted a daughter, the time I almost crushed him with an uncharacteristic-for-our-relationship hug when he came home from the hospital after another surgery, another scare, another close brush with death. I'd relive simple moments with people I love. And it's so eye opening to realize that those are the moments I'd choose, because they happen every day, and we take them for granted. Inspires me to slow down, experience, and enjoy the people in my life and the important things. Because people really are the important things.

Read a little more about Edd here

Read a little more about my Grandma here

What about you? What memory would you relive? (And don't worry, no one will judge you if you chose that trip to Disney or something!) ;)

Love letters to two dear friends

Blogtember topic for the day: Write a public love letter to someone in your life. (It doesn't necessarily need to be romantic.)

Today I found that there are two ladies I really wanted to write to - both are so special to me and have been so impactful in my life. Here are my letters...

Dear Megan,

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAUTIFUL! You're 27 today, an age I know you've dreaded for some silly reason, but don't worry, I'll be there with you in just a couple more months. I bet it won't be so bad. :)

I wanted to thank you today for 11-ish years of loyal friendship. You and I have known each other through so many clunky and awkward stages of life - the end of high school, all of college, several boyfriends, big life changes like marriage and moving and the death of loved ones and redefining who we are after school and after we both worked at that same little restaurant for weirdly lengthy amounts of our life, and moving into new homes and thinking about babies and planning for the future and worrying about getting older. We had so many Friday nights and Saturday or Sunday mornings together, bitching about nasty customers and loving on old people and rolling in the tips and late nights at Chili's and the movies when we had to be back up in four more hours for the next shift. We've been friends through all of that, though you've always been more constant and reliable than me, which is part of your personality as a Caregiver, I now see. Thank you for being my friend through it all, even when we got on each other's nerves, which is bound to happen over the course of 11 years... ;) One thing is for sure, I never stop loving you, respecting you, and admiring you for your wonderful heart. Cannot wait to see what the future holds for us both. It's always nice to walk through life with a friend, isn't it? Hope today and year 27 are beautiful, just like you. :)

Love, love, love,

Jenni

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Dear Kristin,

I'm not even sure where to start on this letter - it's funny, because we've had our ups and downs in this weird online/offline friendship, but one thing that remains constant is that I always have so much fondness and warmth in my heart for you, and I'm always so thankful you're my friend. You've said before that you feel out of place in this world, like an outsider sometimes, but I disagree, and I think you belong very much and add so much beauty, specifically to anyone who is lucky enough to be close to you. You've inspired me endlessly with the warmth of your beautiful home and spirit, the way you care for people (the way you've cared for me), the care you take for the small details of your world (you know how God-awful I am with small details, so I find this particularly inspiring), and the fresh perspective you always give me and which always surprises me in pleasant and helpful ways. On more than one occasion you've given me advice that was exactly what I needed to hear and saved my life in different ways, and I've appreciated our relationship of accountability, even when it seemed like I didn't. For people like me, accountability can be extremely annoying but nonetheless extremely important. I've loved growing closer to you over the last year in particular, and I hope that only continues. I respect and admire you more than you know, and I'm so proud of all you continue to accomplish. 

Lots and lots of love,
Jenni

A self portrait plus a life update

Eek, happy Friday the 13th! ;) Today's Blogtember topic is simply a self portrait. Here it is, folks! This is the way my face looks most of the time. Half covered by a camera. ;)

I thought I'd also take this opportunity (you know, an easy day in the challenge), to write a little about what's going on in my life at the moment. As many of you know, we are waiting on our house to be built, and in the meantime living with my mom. (read a little more about that here if you haven't already.)

Well, it's been five months since we signed the contract with our builder, and over four months since we've been living with my mom. We were thinking our house would be done by early to mid October, WORST case scenario - but currently the house is only about 40% finished. The build has been going at an absolute snail's pace. To add insult to injury, a house directly across the street from ours, that was started only about a week before ours and ISN'T EVEN SOLD YET, is about 2-3 weeks from being completely finished. The bastards. Yes, we are bitter about it.

We're still making the best of the situation, but it's hard to feel in-limbo for so long. Hard for us, and hard for my mom to have perpetual house-guests, I'm sure. The stress of the whole thing is really starting to take a toll on Matthew and I a bit, and we're ready to have this weird living/waiting situation behind us.  However, at this point I just know the move into the new place is going to be the biggest stress-ball of all, since it will likely be taking place during the absolute busiest time of year for my photography business, not to mention immediately before/during the holidays. Sigh.

But we are blessed, we are blessed, we are blessed. I know it's true, and I really am happy despite our less-than ideal situation. Life just isn't ideal sometimes, now is it?

Other than all that, I am just plugging away at the upkeep of this blog and my business, which I'm so proud to say has really taken off for me lately. I wake up every morning completely EXCITED to jump into my work. It's pretty much the best thing ever!

So those are the two things that have been consuming my life, as of late. The build/wait on our home, and being the best small business owner I can be. Life isn't very exciting right now, but that's OK. There are seasons of life. I think this one we're currently in coincides with the actual season - it's just a long, hot summer. But after summer comes fall, and that's my favorite season of all. :)

Link up your self portraits below today's featured SOML sponsors! Happy Friday...

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First up is something not normally featured here - an e-course! This particular course is led by Melyssa of the Nectar Collective and Erika of Chimerikal, and it's called EVERYDAY HAPPY. These girls summed up the course best here:

"Everyday Happy is a positive, soul-renovating experience that delves into the core of who you truly are. It utilizes journaling, spirit-building, and community exercises to access the most radiant version of yourself and help you unlock your happiness potential. This course is unique — it builds positive self image, reconstructs your habits, and connects you to other participants in a thoughtful, like-minded community." 

Sounds pretty darn amazing, right?! Get to know the coaches here, take a look at the FAQ page here, and reserve your spot ASAP if you'd like in on it. Spaces are limited and the course begins October 1st.

Website

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Next up is Marolsha, an Etsy store you've probably seen mentioned here on SOML a time or two before. Marolsha stocks the prettiest and most inexpensive jewelry - perfect for gifting (to someone else, or to yourself!). I absolutely love the vintage and timeless feel of this perfect little shop. Take a look, and get ready to fall in love.

Shop

How has social media changed you?

Day 8 Blogtember topic: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

This one is difficult for me because blogging and social media has changed my life so much that I hardly know where to begin. For the sake of this exercise, I just went back to the very first post on my very first blog - if you’re wondering, it was on July 6th, 2008. It’s interesting, because I found that my writing voice and style has actually not changed much at all since then. But boy, so many other things sure have.

Blogging and social media have had many both positive and negative effects on my life. For one thing, they’ve caused this addiction in me to share my experiences with others. I used to live my life in a solitary fashion - you know, like most people do - but now, if I can’t photograph it, instagram it, tweet it, blog it, share it with the world, it almost feels like it wasn’t even worth doing. It’s such a strange thing, and when I put it that way, it sounds sort of negative (not to mention pathetic). But I find that in my life, this is a good thing. I am naturally disinclined to change, grow, experience new things, and get out of my comfort zone. Blogging and social media have helped me be less that way. Because, you know, my blog would be boring as hell if I remained a sad stagnant hermit covered in dog hair who mostly never leaves the house.

A second way that blogging, in particular, has changed me, is that it’s given me confidence I never, ever had before. I specifically remember being at the grocery store one day, a few months after I started Story of My Life and after I had picked up a few dozen or maybe a couple hundred readers by then. I remember noticing I had this extra spring in my step, and a stronger sense of self than I had ever had before. I remember noticing that and then immediately attributing it to my blog. People cared what I had to say, my great passion for writing was being affirmed, and I was connecting with people in a way I was missing in my “real” life! It just generally felt really nice. To have found a niche, a hobby, and something I knew I could excel at.

Social media has also caused me to be really freaking ADD/all-over-the-place, which I discussed in this post (the response to it was pretty incredible… so many of us suffer with this!). Since I already talked about it, I won’t go into anymore detail on that one. I’m getting a LITTLE better about this though. Re-training myself to focus when I really need to. It’s not easy.

And finally, this conversation would be so incomplete if I didn’t mention the way that blogging and social media have had an incredibly globalizing effect on my life - meaning, it’s brought the entire world right here into MY world. The things I have learned have been countless. The relationships I’ve made have been priceless. The art and talent I’ve been exposed to have been inspiring and invaluable. Basically, it's all made a giant world feel so much smaller and less intimidating. Maybe that’s the optimist in me talking. But I think it mainly just comes from a place of genuine passion for social media and other humans and their endless abilities to share and create.

What about you? How has blogging and social media changed you? Speak up in a comment or in the linkup below!