Day Four-Stargazing

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Four

A picture of your favorite memory

I don't actually have a picture of my favorie memory but I can definitely write about it! I love stargazing but living in the city does not allow many opportunity to do so. The city lights drown the glow of the stars but believe it or not, my favorite memory happens to be stargazing in the city. When I first started dating my boyfriend, we often went stargazing. One particualr night, while in the city, we saw the most amazing sky. Although the night sky was not covered in twinkling lights as it would be in the mountains or camping, we witnessed the most incredible shooting stars, one right after the other! My guy, a warm summer night, and shooting stars-this memory is as close to perfect as you can get!

Day Three-The Doctor

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Three

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

This is a tough one to answer because I am continually finding new shows that I love! Currently, I love "Larkrise to Candleford," "Glee," "Raising Hope," and "Bones" but if I had to pick one my favorite TV show it would be "Doctor Who." It's quarky, cheesy, intellectual, and a guilty pleasure all at the same time! It is also the longest running TV show of all time (the first episode aired in the mid 1960's). If you haven't had the opportunity to see "Doctor Who" and you are someone who understands British humor and doesn't mind a little sci-fi, you should definitely join the cult following of "Doctor Who."

Day Two-Kayla

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day 2

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

We're only 2 minutes apart in age and we've shared nearly 20 years of friendship (That's 7,240 days or 10,512,000 minutes!). Kayla has been my best friend since preschool, we've spent almost every birthday together, and we have shared a lot of memories. I think she definitely qualifes for the person who I've been closest with the longest!

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day One-Me!

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day 1

A photo of you with ten facts about yourself.

1. I am 5 foot nothing

2. I have my own photography business

3. I've torn my ACL and miniscus

4. I went to the National History Fair in Washington D.C. when I was in 7th grade

5. My middle name is Nichelle

6. I wish I had red hair

7. I golf

8. I was in gymnastics for most of my young life

9. My favorite season is Autumn

10. I have Scottish heritage



Spring!

Whether you celebrate Easter or just Spring, what a beautiful day! The sun was shining and there wasn't a drop of rain. I am so so glad spring is finally here!

Wedding Gift in an Envelope

I am the type of person who likes to put a lot of thought and care into gift giving but when the situation calls for no gifts . . . I usually run into a problem. I recently was invited to a wedding where guests were asked not to bring gifts because the bride and groom would be moving and did not want to "lug" a large amount of gifts to their new home. I was being forced out of my comfort zone, what do I get someone who does not want a gift? Money, a gift card? Boring!

Just giving cash or a gift card does not let the recipient know that you put extra time and effort into their gift. When you give a gift that shows meaning, thought, and makes the recipient remember your efforts, you have succeeded! So how was I supposed to make cash and a gift card meaningful? Just add some flair!

I wanted to give the bride and groom some cash they could spend on their honeymoon to Hawaii and instead of slipping some dallar bills into a card, I "dressed" up some currency. I found origami tutorials online and spent some time folding three dollar bills into a Hawaiin shirt, a dress, and a suitcase--all very "suiting" for a beach get-a-way!

Next, I created a boarding pass folder and added some tropical scrapbook cut-outs as well as a cute saying--"Cash, to get you through the honeymoon . . ."

I slipped the money origami into the boarding pass and had a creative way to give a cash gift!

I also wanted to send the bride and groom off with something to help set-up their home. I took the classic route and bought a gift card to Sears but added a ribbon and a gift-tag.

To complete the wedding gift in an envelope, I created a hand-made card (it just didn't seem right to hand-make everything and ultimately stick it in a store bought card).

The card was nothing too special but I hope it will stand out from the rest of the cards the bride and groom will open. The most difficult part of designing the card was coming up with a quote or saying to include inside. When it came down to it, the only quote I loved was from a line in the movie "Moulin Rouge."

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

And finally, some snapshots from the beautiful wedding!

Where does your imagination go when you grow old?

Do you remember the days when the backyard was a vast world waiting to be discovered?  It seemed that each day, the backyard was fresh with new creatures to discover and new adventures to embark on. 

Do you remember when your toy box could keep you entertained for hours? Time would fly as you became lost in a story unraveling before your eyes. Barbie and Ken were once again and G.I. Joe the hero. 

Do you remember the magic of winter? I now dread the cold weather but when I was young, the sparkling snow meant the playground was better. 

Do you remember the last few days of school before summer? The sunshine and rays outside the window of a classroom always seemed a misfit pair and clock always dragged on until the final second of the final bell on the final day.

Do you remember the games you would play with your best friend on the weekends? Water fights in the summer, snow forts in the winter, and sleepovers in between. 

Do you remember the day that your backyard lost its intrigue?

Do you remember the last time you opened your dusty old toy box?

Do you remember how to make a snowman?

Do you remember what it feels like to have a sunburn?

Do you remember how to play?

There are a handful of kids that live in the house behind me. A few days a week, they play outside, in their backyard and I always get distracted watching them make-believe. Kids are so fascinating! I loved teaching gymnastics because it gave me the opportunity to revisit a piece of my childhood. 

One day while I sat watching the kids play on the trampoline, warding off pirates and saving the damsel in distress, it occurred to me that I have completely forgotten how to imagine! I can try to create a world of my own and fantasize I am whole new person on a whirlwind adventure but I am no longer the expert imagineer that I once was. Does imagination disappear when we grow older? Or do we seize to put into practice the part of our brain that can transport us anywhere and allow us to play? 

I think it may be a little bit of both. As we grow older, our responsibilities increase and we no longer have time to practice imagining, until one day, it is gone. But “gone” is such a depressing thought  . . . maybe our imagination is just playing a game of hide-and-seek with us. All we need to do is find it and ask it to come out and play!