day 28 | free day

day 28 | free day

I have to write today that I am thankful for medicine. I got to work yesterday and I left and went to the doctor and sure enough I have strep. the good thing is that she gave me medicine & I already feel better! 
I feel so thankful! 
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

day 27 | a simple pleasure

I wanna give a big shout out to Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel for doing the awesome new design for my blog! she is awesome to work with & got it done for me really quickly!! I highly suggest you go check out her designs :)

 

day 27 | a simple pleasure

I would have to say one of my favorite simple things is just sitting on the couch with my dog under a blanket watching movies... this rarely happens for me because I am always so busy but I do love it.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will try to post tomorrow as well but I went to the doctor this morning and I have strep so it all depends on how I feel!

Happy Thanksgiving!

day 26 | criticism you've recieved

 

day 26 | criticism you've received

I have received a lot of criticism over the years, it is the nature of the horse industry. not all of it has been bad criticism, some of it has been constructive.
I think that regardless what we do in life we are going to face some sort of criticism. in a lot of ways it is about learning how to deal with it and how you handle it.

day 24 & 25...

 

day 24 | a physical trait you have

 

I think this one would have to be my eyes. they allow me to see & it is so important for me as a photographer to have that. they are also the thing I like most about myself...even if I have to wear glasses all the time.

I will say I do love my glasses, which is good I guess since I do wear them all the time. :)

 

day 25 | something you know

 

this is a hard one. I guess something I am thankful to know is that I do have really great friends around me. it has taken me a long time to figure out who my real friends are & when I did it was the best thing ever. sometimes in our twenties it is hard to figure out who is your friend & who pretends to be your friend.

day 23 | something you have seen

 

day 23 | something you have seen

I have been blessed to see all kinds of sunrises and sunsets in my life. this comes from the point of being up at the crack of dawn for horse shows. they are something that is very special to see. there is a peace that comes with seeing sunrises and sunsets.

I feel like this is something we take for granted sometimes. to be able to see such beautiful things is really incredible. 

day 22 | an expectation

 

day 22 | an expectation

there are so many expectations in life. expectations of us as people, at our job, and in life in general. some of these can be so high that they can seem unattainable. I also feel like it is good to have expectations even though sometimes they can let you down. they help us to live and to learn. I have many expectations but they don't always happen. sometimes that is good and sometimes it is bad. regardless how they turn out I am glad to have them and I can learn from them.

day 21 | something that's easy to take for granted

 

day 21 | something that's easy to take for granted

 

this is such a broad topic but I will have to say life in general. we take life for granted every day. I know that I don't always stop and think about every little thing every day but the fact that I am healthy & functioning.

what is frustrating for me is that it takes something stupid for me to snap back to reality to realize this when, I should be realizing it on a daily basis. I think our lives get so busy that sometimes we just do not think about things like this.

I am trying to make myself stop and think about this on a daily basis.  

day 20 | something about my best friend

 

day 20 | something about my best friend

 

since I don't have a significant other I am writing about Jess my best friend today!

I am thankful for her friendship & everything about her.

we grew up together & have known each other for most of our lives. we have gotten a lot closer as we have gotten older. we have also spent a lot of time apart over the past few years which has brought us closer.

when I graduated college in 2010 Jess was going to school for history at UK & was working on her Ph.D. until she decided it wasn't for her anymore but she always loved cooking. in 2011 she was off to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in California & she graduated this fall! we have spent a lot of time apart but even though she is far away she is always there for me no matter what. she just landed an awesome job at Disney World in Florida & I am so excited for her! I am super glad she is back on this side of the country now but we are still apart. it is easier to talk now because there isn't a time difference.

she has always been there for me. I have been through a lot in the past few years & she has been there no matter what time of day or what was going on.

day 19 | a book

 

day 19 | a book

 

I love to read. I wish I had the time to read more. words are powerful and books tell wonderful stories about all kinds of different things. The Great Gatsby, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and the list could go on and on. I love classic books & the wonderful thing about them is you can read them over and over again and find something new every time. I also tend to be one of those people who reads the book before seeing a movie. The movies usually ruin the book if done the other way around.

days 16, 17 & 18...

 

day 16 | something you own

I would have to say something I am thankful for that I own would be my camera. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember and finally getting my first DSLR was amazing!! it is one of my favorite things.

 

day 17 | a room

my room would have to be my room of choice. it is my safe place where I can be by myself and enjoy some quiet time. it is a peaceful place which is very nice.

 

day 18 | a choice

I am thankful for choices in general. the ability to make choices, good or bad, and learn from them. I think this is one of the important things in life.

day 15 | an annoyance.

 

day 15 | an annoyance

 

this seems like another one of those posts that would be better off as a list...

 

people who are late

those who like to make fun of my horses

incorrect grammar

people who talk to you only when they need something

spiders

winter weather

girls who let guys treat them poorly

dirty tack at the barn

dirty car

staying up way too late & the exhaustion that follows

I could go on with more...

day 14 | a blessing

 

day 14 | a blessing

 

life in general is a blessing that most of us take for granted on a daily basis.

I think that some of the blessings I have learned in life have come out of moments that have not been so wonderful in life. I feel like we learn a lot about ourselves in moments of disappointment and heartbreak. it may not seem like it at the moment but looking back I feel like we learn so much.

 

day 13 | an ability

 

 day 13 | an ability 

I think this is better as a list...

I am thankful for the ability to:

walk

eat

breathe

ride my horses

dance

take photos

laugh

have friends

drive

cook simple dinners

the list goes on & on... 

day 12 | an opportunity.

 

day 12 | an opportunity.

 

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to photograph for several different people and in different situations.

on Sunday I was able to photograph a friend of mine who is a pianist.

he is having a concert in December & is releasing another CD.

it was really cool to go and photograph him doing what he loves.

I could have listened to him play for hours.

I am so excited to get the photos done for the poster & CD cover.

day 11 | something you were taught.

 

day 11 | something you were taught

 

I feel like something that I value that I was taught would be the value of friendship and what it means to be a friend to someone.

I have experienced both sides of this; being a friend & learning the value of friends.

I feel like this is something that we have an issue with in our world of social media.

the value of friends & friendship is not the same as it used to be.

to me, a true friend is someone who: is there when you need them, wants to be around you regardless what is going on in your life, is someone you can trust.

those three qualities are so important.

there are those people who only walk into your life when they want to be a part of something or need you for something.

I have had my fair share of those, I think we all have.

days 9 & 10...

I apologize for the lateness of these two days. I had a very unfortunate and horrible Friday night so I am just now getting on here.

day 9 | a photo

I don't want to say just one in particular but as a photographer photos in general have so much meaning to me. they hold memories. they have meaning. they are life for me. I love creating memories for people & working on projects.

day 10 | a memory

my most fond, good memory would be the first championship I won on my horse.

it was one of the greatest moments ever, especially after being reserve the year before. 

the competition was in my own backyard here in kentucky & would be the last time I was able to show my horse.

this day holds several memories to me :) 

day 8... words...

day 8 | words

 

words are very powerful. they can make or break someone in seconds.

I am not the best with words.

writing is not my strong suit & I am dyslexic, which is why I blog.

it actually helps me to get my words right & to make it a bit better.

words in the strongest form for me are in lyrics.

song lyrics are very powerful as well.

I connect with those the most as I used to sing growing up through the first part of college.

always choose your words wisely.

you never know who you can hurt with them.

 



day 7 | a job

 

as much as my job at the photography studio was not the greatest job. it had good points about it, I learned a ton for my own photography.

but it also had downsides like every job.

I am thankful to have had this job for everything that I learned while I was there & I was able to apply many of the things I learned to my own small business.

we all have those jobs that aren't the greatest & we all know that jobs all have pros and cons.

right now... I am just thankful to have a job.

the thankful project... day 6...

day 6 | a failure

 

sometimes it is hard to think about being thankful for a failure that we have had in life and goodness knows I have had many!

some of my largest failures have come in the dressage ring with my horses.

some of them have come at the worst time possible.

some of these failures have come at huge championships, others at national shows.

they always push us to become better & focus more.

 

 

 



the thankful project day 4 & 5

 

 

day 4 | an experience

there is not one specific experience to be thankful for but more or less experiences in general. I think that these are the most important things we have in life. experiences are the ways that we make memories.

I have had all kinds of experiences in life from winning championships, to photographing weddings for people.

 

day 5 | a talent you have

I would have to say photographing & riding. I can't choose just one but both of those talents mean so much to me and they are a daily thing in my life.

I love being able to photograph and to have the talent to be able to see different things through a lens. I love riding so much and I have been doing it my entire life.