january first, two thousand and fifteen...it's time to "recalibrate my course".not because I've found myself in a bad place, but because it's the only way I know to grow.and the only way I know where I'm heading on my journey is by seeing where I've come from.professionally, 2014 included:65 photography sessions,17 weddings,1 editorial wizard of OZ session,and 3 custom design clients,with travel to colorado nine times, michigan once, illinois twice, indiana once, bisbee once, tucson twice, sedona once, prescott once and california four times.and this last stat blows me away...102,677 of you have looked at or read something on this blog in 2014.this is the first moment where I've actually sat down and counted/looked at stats for the year.just. wow.I have two strong reactions to that...one, I am overwhelmingly thankful to all of you for choosing me to be trusted with your photographic memories...it honestly is a joy and a privilege.and two, that explains why I felt like I needed a rest! ;)professionally those are crazy cool achievements for me that wouldn't happen without all of you...so, thank you.  seems small words, but thank you. :)a common thing I hear from time to time from you all is that you feel like you know me...I guess largely in part to that last stat.maybe that's because that in my life, professional life and personal life are so closely intertwined.seeing what I get to see, and meeting the people I get to meet is both part of my professional AND personal life.I love getting to share work AND life with those of you who allow me to...again, thank you. :)2014 was a good year professionally and therefore it was a good year personally.sometimes uphill, sometimes challenging...but good nonetheless. :)it's become sort-of a tradition to share what I've learned over the year...here's what I've learned (in no particular order) and what I hope to continue to learn and make a part of what makes me me.

1. it's good for me to "unplug" and "be still".

life for me, at times, seems to be over-stimulated, over-complicated, and makes me feel like I need to always be "on".it leaves me feeling like I need to do more while I don't even really feel like I've done enough.maybe it's a negative part of being a people-pleaser or being someone who is visually stimulated...whatever it is,it is good for my well-being to literally "unplug".to turn off social media, to turn off my cell phone, to turn off the tv and netflix and to let my heart and mind find the rest it needs in being still.it is good for me to be still to:listen to His voice...to allow it to be louder than the ones that typically run my day. (matthew 11:28-30)to question my actions...am I intentionally living? am I living wholeheartedly? on-purpose? (galatians 6:1-10)

2. it's my choice to be happy/joyful.

it sounds trite and overly simple...but it's something that is hard for me to actually do on an hourly/daily/weekly basis.choosing to be happy.a lot of the time I choose to be stressed, frustrated, and unmotivated. I choose.I've fallen into the trap of thinking that I'm a "victim" of my circumstances...the trap of thinking I'm stressed because of my calendar, or I'm only frustrated because I can't complete my to-do list or I'm unmotivated because I can't find enough rest and I'm feel tired...being all of those things is my choice...and it's a choice that's not best.I get-to choose how I respond to calendars, incompleted to-do list's or lack of rest...happiness/joy is always on the table and mine to choose.I need to choose it more often. :)

3. it's good to see the good in others and make much of it. (philippians 4:8-9)

call it loading people up, over-complimenting...whatever.I do it and I do it intentionally...I don't really care that it makes people gag and wonder if I'm blind to the negative in the people I'm around. :)the world is negative enough on its own and doesn't need my contribution to it.finding the good in people and pointing it out is a good habit and one that I need to continually grow in.

4. living life slower is better in literally most things.

I read the 1000 gifts book over vacation...my review of it is that it's a bit "wordy" and somewhat hard to read because of the wordiness, but the content that I've gleaned is life changing if I let it.the points that resonated the most with me were to:*desire to live a more thankful life and in more specific detail. *to be more patient and less hurried - in soul and life."hurry empties a soul...getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. but a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing...through all that haste I thought I was making up time. it turns out I was throwing it away...in our rushing, bulls in china shops, we break our own lives...haste makes waste.""on every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur."I don't want to continue to live a life being an amateur. I am going to work at patience and being intentionally thankful even if it kills me. ;)and if I'm being totally honest in this category, my husband wins all day and twice on sunday. ;)I often joke that he is the tortoise and I am the hare...no surprise that slow and steady win the race in most things.it would be good for me to stop teasing him and start learning.I'm thankful he is patient with me...I need to learn to live more life like him. :)last thought on living slower and more patiently...God talks a lot about loving His faithful people, not "get-it-done-as-soon-as-possible" people...I need to take note. :)

5. I need to create good habits.

I like this anonymous quote:"watch your thoughts; they become words.watch your words; they become actions.watch your actions; they become habits.watch your habits; they become character.watch your character; it becomes your destiny."2015 needs to be a thought changing year, I'm thinking...good habits will only come when started with a good thought.

6. do more of what makes me happy in 2015 because life is short.

be with my family.cook new recipes.exercise.create just to create.read more.go on hikes.listen and play new music.be with people I love.last thought because I started this post on vacation and am ending it today...tom talked in church today...and oddly enough (although not really odd, considering God usually finishes teaching me thoughts once I finally listen) talked about stress.his nutshell definition of stress = the wear and tear of living.he then quoted James 1:2-3 "...consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."I'm learning that I can't control what life holds...how much or how little will be given to me, but I can choose joy.my goal in recalibrating for 2015 is going to include choosing more joy and happiness...I want to have endurance in this journey...choosing joy is part of the process. :)happy new year, 2015. :)