We spent a few chill days on Indian Rocks Beach.
Paddle boarding, bike riding, relaxing, and exploring. Oh and taking refreshing (make-shift) outdoor showers. It was a nice little trip to hang with some of our Florida friends, and embrace the beach life.
I love the beach life. Forever and ever amen.
I have to be honest, I rarely photograph newborns anymore. But when your best friends little sis (so, like basically your little sis;) has a baby, you make an exception.
Welcome to the world Wells Peter! You are so loved, and so so cute.
Meet Jade...
Jade is a gentle soul with a love for people and veggies. She is a full time medical student and the founder of Project Somalia. Her happy spirit is contagious, and I loved photographing her in her beautiful, modern bungalow that she shares with her husband in the heart of phoenix.
Subject: Jade Bavishi | Free time: reading (studying) on her hammock + tea time
We spent the day at the Ringling Museum a few weeks back and boy was it pretty.
A few years ago my sister told me about this place and that we "had" to go. Well, we finally got to it, and I'm glad we did. The whole property was so beautiful. The trees. The flowers. The water. Oh, and the house. If you ever find yourself in Sarasota you should definitely make a stop here. There's so much inspiration to be found in The Ca'd'zan.
I've taken a few weeks away from the blog, and honestly it wasn't on purpose. My schedule had been full, making time for my family is a must, so something had to give. There are certain things in life we need to keep at a high level of priority and my family is definitely one of those. Now, keeping up with laundry? That's a whole other story.
I've been pondering more and more on what my top level priorities really are. Is it work? Is it family? Is it keeping up with friendships? Is it keeping my house clean? They say we make time for the things that really matter to us, and when we are "too busy" or "don't have the time" for something it's really because we're not that into it. I don't think this is ALWAYS the case, but as I sat and thought on my own priorities, I definitely saw truth to it.
Here are some questions I've been asking myself as I write out my to-dos and plan for my days/weeks/months ahead:
Does this bring me happiness?
Please understand that this doesn't mean each and every action needs to bring you happiness. Maybe a priority for you is keeping a clean kitchen but washing dishes doesn't "bring you happiness"... this would be the time to just roll up your sleeves and clean that ish. Because guess how happy you'll feel when you're chilling on your couch with a cup of tea, watching Netflix tonight with a CLEAN kitchen? Pretty darn happy. When asking the question "does this bring me happiness?" think about the goal that your action is working towards, not every single step it takes to get there.
Is this important to me?
Spending time with my family = important. Spending time scrolling my phone = not important. It's good to remember that just because something is a habit does not mean it's important. "But Al, I have to check this because if I don't..." What? the world will stop spinning? You won't be completely up to date with news that will be there tomorrow? or won't be there because it's THAT irrelevant? No. You don't have to. You want to, because it's a habit. (totally talking to myself here, but if it felt like I was yelling at you there may be a reason for that;)
Does this provide value to others?
Now, it doesn't always have to provide value for others if it's just a "you" thing. Like say, using a foo foo exotic coconut flower mask on your face every week... because hey, if glowing like a Tahitian princess is your thing, you should do it whether it adds value to others or not.
But, if it does involve others why not add value?
Does this provide value to me?
Whether it's taking the time for a dinner party with friends, keeping a clean kitchen, or using that exotic face mask and sticking cucumbers on your eyes... Get your Tahitian Princess glow on, baby.
Is this "big picture"?
Will what I'm doing/working on now matter in 5 years? For example: Re-editing the same photo 11 times (just to come back to how it was at first edit) is not my big picture, but hanging with Mila and B, even if we're just on the couch watching a movie, is my big picture.
It's building relationships now that will matter to me in 5 years.
Is this helping me or hindering me from where I want to go?
This is a biggie. Are the actions you're doing today (like, right now) helping or hindering you? It's easy to say "it's ok if I don't work on *blank* today, it's just one day. I'll start on *blank* tomorrow...". But once you realize just how much you CAN do in one day, it'll be harder to let the days pass you by.
What questions do you ask yourself while setting priorities and goals? I'd love to hear!
Have a beautiful weekend!!
Last month B and I celebrated our anniversary. I can't believe we've been married 5 years already, because it honestly doesn't feel like it. Time flies, but I'm beyond thankful I get to fly through life with him.
Now, I'm no expert on marriage and I know being married 5 years isn't crazy, but with any relationship (and friendship) there are things you learn on the journey.
So here are 5 things I've learned after 5 years of marriage:
1. Spend the time
B and I don't always have a ton of time to spend with each other, so how we spend it matters. Between work and school and family and friends, time can be hard to come by... so making sure our relationship is at the top of the list is so important. And like many things in life, it's about quality over quantity.
2. Communicate.
This one is pretty obvious right? Don't stuff things. Get them out. Work them out, and come out the other side stronger. You don't have to agree on everything, but what you don't agree on should be worked through.
3. Compromise.
Which brings me to.... compromise. No one wants to think they'll have to do it, but they will. And will need to do it in love. Being bitter is for miserable people. And you don't want to be a miserable person, do you?
4. You CAN go to bed angry.
Despite the popular "never go to bed angry" quote that every bride will indeed hear before (and after) she gets married. I disagree. Now, this thought process could heavily depend on personalities, but for us? Sometimes it's late, and the argument isn't getting anywhere, and you're tired, and you know what? You should just go to bed. Have a little grace on each other and agree to get some sleep. Because you know what else? it will all look better in the morning. And you may even wake up realizing you were arguing over nothing! (um, what a waste of energy) And if you were arguing over something, you'll at least be rested, and the smart remarks *raises hand in guilt* will be less likely. ;)
5. Date each other.
Explore somewhere new. Go on hot dates. Plan a trip. Or even just go to the grocery store together! Whatever dating is to you, do it! I'm not sure why some people stop dating, but the whole point of "dating" is finding that someone you want to do it forever with, not get married and be all "mission accomplished" because that's definitely not the point and because... how boring!!!
So there you have it. 5 things I've learned over the past 5 years.
Photography by the lovely Lily Kweon.
Have a beautiful weekend!
xo
As you may have seen at the end of January I shared about my new series, Project: Free Time. Now, here's the thing about that project... it heavily relies on my (and others) free time to make it happen. Ha! Who knew!? Well, I'm happy to say that I'm here with the second entry!
Meet Elijah...
Elijah is a musician, entrepreneur, and all around cool guy. Something he likes to do with his free time? Hang with his adorable wife! And if you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Whit, you know what a gem she truly is. I'm in no way exaggerating when I say these two are the best of people.
Subject: Elijah Atkison | Free time: Bike rides around town (with his pretty gal:)
Find more about Eli's work at: Fosterson and Worship Support Network.
Hope you're all enjoying this beautiful spring!! With all the good weather and pretty colors lately, I don't want it to end!!
xo
I'm currently working on a little review of our cruise experience (should be up next week!), but today I thought I'd share some snaps I took of Mila on the boat. I found this sailor dress the week before our trip and had to get it. I mean, she was going to meet the captain after all so why not dress for the occasion? (so "mom" of me, I know.)
We went out on the deck right as the sun was sinking into the pacific. I wanted to get some nice portraits of her, but she was too excited, yelling "HI, OCEAN!!!" and was running around in circles. It was also pretty dang cold. So cold, we only lasted like 5 minutes. Maybe 10. Even still, these moments stuck with me. Maybe it was seeing Mila's face of pure joy, or seeing her handsome daddy all dressed up, or that being on the ocean at sunset is magical in itself. These pictures, as blurry and grainy as they are, are so beautiful to me mostly because of the memories they contain.
I'm really thankful to be her mama.
Upon meeting the captain Buddy told Mila to say " Aye Aye captain", so I think our absolute favorite moment of the trip was when she walked up to the captain and greeted him with a very confident "Hi Hi captain!!". That will forever make me laugh.
Have a beautiful week, friends!
xo
We were on a little road trip driving towards home. I looked over at B and couldn't help but feel lucky. Even though life can throw the weirdest curve balls, and things don't always go as planned, I get to have him by my side.
Here are some words that ran though my head during our drive, and some blurry pictures too.
Maybe it's all of the Dr. Suess books I'm reading these days... because honestly, I haven't written a poem (if that's what you call this?) since that one literature assignment in middle school.
I'm not sure why I decided to share this. Maybe it's because we celebrated our anniversary last week and I'm feelin' extra mushy? Or maybe it's because I feel like the world needs to share a little more love? Either way, I hope you didn't mind all the extra cheese in todays post. I'll be back to the normal amount next week. Promise.
Have a beautiful week friends.
xo
It's Thursday! And I'm throwing it back to some shots I took in 2015 of the adorable Angela.
These images make me want to start a new book, and sip yummy tea, and have some serious chilllll tiiiime.
Speaking of chill time, I'll be taking a little break from the blog next week as I'll be spending some quality time with my guy in honor of our anniversary.
xo