I call it “finding peace.” And yes, I realize this is neither the most intriguing nor the best composed images of all time. But it is me. And it is particularly relevant to my last month. I should probably clarify that January was a lovely month for me. I am clearly very excited and optimistic about 2012. I launched the first ever SOI Newsletter. I am knee-deep in huge, exciting changes for the company. But, when it comes to personal matters, it was also a challenging month for me. I grappled with some personal hurdles that I should have predicted were coming long ago. When someone asked me to jump, I said “how high?” and then I got walked all over.

But, as with anything in life, we recognize these experiences, we learn from them, and we grow. No matter how much things upset me, no matter how disappointed I was in some people, you can never let one person – or one experience – sour your perspective on life altogether. So even after we learn and we grow from these experiences, we – as we like to say around here – keep on keepin’ on. And we keep on jumping. Thank you Buddha, for constantly reminding me of that:

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

Later that day she kept asking to go out on the back patio, and I kept letting her out (and then back in again 30 seconds later – it’s this fun game we play). But later that afternoon I had let her out (upon her request) and was in the kitchen making food when I heard a noise. I peek out the window to see her playing in it. By herself. Making prints on it, scraping at it, eating it. She was finally loving the snow. BEHIND MY BACK. I grabbed my camera and ran out there as quickly as I could. And, naturally, she only let me snap two pictures before she decided my picture-taking had really killed the mood. But, tell me this isn’t the cutest.

You uhhh, you’ve got a little something on your nose there.

I was wondering how well she’d hold up in a family full of snow lovers. But you see, folks, there is hope for her yet.

Did you play in our belated snow this weekend? I just wish there had been enough for sledding. Oh, sledding! P.S. Any Philadelphians remember last year when we got like twenty inches in one weekend and a mystery artist carved ice sculptures all over Rittenhouse Square? My favorite was the 20-foot-long dragon. (Note: Not my photo linked there.) But, how cool is that?

But, then I saw Tina’s compilation at the end of the year. Twelve images. Each one representing something personal that month that – when compiled together – told a story of her year. A story of growth, exploration, and reflection. And then, suddenly, I couldn’t love the idea any more. Inspired by her candidness about the project, and convinced it would help me fulfill one of my resolutions, I immediately hopped on Amazon and picked up this bad boy.

Wireless remote shutter release for Nikon by Vivitar. $34.99

And I’ve already started brainstorming my idea for the month. Wish me luck and stay tuned!

So, last Monday my good friend Tina and I hopped in the car and headed on over to to fiiiiinally meet April’s little Charlotte. And, she couldn’t have been any cuter. And her momma couldn’t have been more smitten.

This first picture might be my favorite. It’s Charlotte’s “no more pictures!” face. Get used to it, girl.

That’s Tina, on the left. Isn’t she going to be such a cute mommy one day? And, of course, you know we had to tweet some pictures of her too…

Tina also grabbed a couple of me while I held her (see below on left), and I have to say… so weird seeing pictures of me holding a baby. So weird.

Above two images compliments of Tina Jay Photography.

And April (below), being the sweet mommy that she is. Tina and I can’t get over how incredible she looks just three weeks after giving birth. Seriously, I hope I look that good three months afterward!

After just an afternoon with Charlotte I left convinced that it’s possible there is just nothing in the world like a little baby cuddling. Thanks, April, for sharing your little nugget with us.

P.S. Since we visited last Monday, which marked three weeks for little Charlotte Reese, that means today has been officially a month. Happy one month of life, little girl!

Now, in my wise old age, I’ve learned that sometimes the best (or most achievable) lists are the ones with the bigger picture in mind. For the last few years I’ve worked to develop just a few personal goals and a few business goals – making sure that all of them are with my sights set just high enough that they are still attainable…. and yet still optimistic.

Before you make fun of me for writing in a notebook with graphing paper, just look at how cuuuuute the cover is. Now can I be forgiven?

PERSONAL

1. Organize personal goods. As a business owner I think one of the hardest things I’ve found has been in keeping my business life and my personal life separate. And, when you work so hard to keep your business on track and your business things organized, it makes it easy to let your personal life lapse.
2. Take more personal time. As with the last, it’s not an infrequent night where I’m working up until the moment I brush my teeth before bed. Heck, sometimes I get up from bed to start uploads or take care of something business-related I forgot to do. I think my most epic moment was rolling over at midnight to an e-mail from a client and RESPONDING TO IT. On my phone. While I laid in bed. On the one hand, sure great personal service. On the other…. this isn’t good for me. I know it. And, I’ve already started some things to make some changes that will be better for me (and for my clients…. I don’t think my half-conscious e-mails are helping anyone).
3. Complete five items off of my Thirty Before Thirty (TBT) list. I keep meaning to share more about this list, but the long and the short of it is that I have a bucket list and I’m running out of time to get it done. So, this year I have to start making some serious progress. Here’s to hoping I gain momentum.
4. Take more pictures. This might sound crazy, but keep in mind that this is a personal goal. I take so many pictures during my day-to-day work that the amount of personal images I’ve taken over the last few years has become embarrassingly little. It became all too easy to decide I didn’t want to lug my camera out… or clear memory cards… or [insert other excuse here]. But I’ve decided that I’m going to make a change – even if it means just more pictures from my phone.

BUSINESS

1. Network more. So, while I love to talk (true), and love to write (even more true), when it comes to meeting new people or being immersed in a giant group or people I tend to clam up. I’m not sure what it is that makes me suddenly become a wallflower, but I do know the only way to get over it…. exposure. So, this year is all about going to networking groups/places where I don’t necessarily know many of the people there. I already have a few lined up for the upcoming months so, erm, wish me luck.
2. Buy less things. This is a “duh.” It’s easy to get caught up in the shiniest new toy or most fun, unnecessary gadget and buy it since it is technically a tax write-off. This year is all about settling down and saving up to buy the big ticket items I really want rather than needlessly buying the gadgets that I don’t really need.
3. Complete full-scale client communication system. I’m not really saying much more on this other than it is new. It’s amazing. And it’s coming. If you are an upcoming or future client, get ready. Big, amazing changes are on the way and I couldn’t be more psyched.

Alright, so now I’ve laid it all out there. What about you… are you into making resolutions or are they totally for the birds?

It’s something I’ve pondered for a long, long, looooong time. It has been on my “30 before 30″ (also known as TBT, more on that later) bucket list as long as I can remember. It was something that has always seemed so crazy, so daring to me. But, now – now that it’s done and looking back on it all…. I realize that really it was nothing. Truly the tiniest little sacrifice I could make and it will probably take 9 more like me just to help one person in need. But, nevertheless, I’d like to believe my small little bit counts for something.

A few weeks ago, I donated almost fourteen inches of hair. I can’t pretend that the only reason I chopped it off was for donation, but I have to admit that having that as a reason made me feel pretty good about the decision, even if I was positively terrified when it was actually happening. Because, in the end…

Hair is hair. It comes back. Though it is pretty gross when it isn’t attached any more, in my opinion. Sorry for the disturbing visual.

Image taken with my point-and-shoot (Canon Powershot G12).

I hope that, if nothing else, my tiny little donation will do even just a little something for someone in need. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the carefreeness of short hair, the ease of washing it, and the shock on people’s faces when they realize it’s all gone! So, if you see me out and about…. yes, it’s still me. And no, I haven’t decided if I miss it yet or not. Like the magic 8 ball likes to say “try again later.”

Very grainy, not well-lit image taken with my iPhone.

But, someone recently told me I looked French…. which I’m taking as a compliment and running with it.  What about you? Have you done anything lately that terrifies you?

On Christmas Eve, I even downloaded “Where Is Santa” for my iPhone (which is totally free, by the way), and we checked in on Santa. Unfortunately, it told us he was in Bangladesh, which I believe confused my nephew a bit. But the app was awesome and even provided an “estimated time of arrival” to our house.

On Christmas morning it was all about the presents, and boy what presents he received!

Does it surprise anyone that I bought my nephew an indestructible digital camera for Christmas? Better yet, I love that he immediately tried to look through it like it’s an SLR camera instead of looking at the live view screen (see image on right). So cute.

…and my favorite of the bunch [below]. I believe they were hiding from the monsters on TV. Ridiculously adorable.

Have you ever spent Christmas with a wee one? Were you as enamored with the whole thing as I was? There is just nothing quite like it, in my opinion.

But, like any Cancer (the astrological sign, not the disease), I firmly believe in new beginnings. So much so that I’ll use any excuse to call it a new beginning. And, hey, look at that – it’s November 1st. Here’s to catching up on my blogging.

Name: Adele Young
Aliases: puppers, munchkin, puppernutter (kind of like “fluffernutter”)
Age: 20 weeks
Color: tan with white markings
Favorite Things: new toys, ropes, antagonizing Kira, barking at steaming pots
Defining Characteristics: super sharp puppy teeth, “milk-dipped” paws, one rogue sideways ear
Special Traits:  ability to walk on hind legs, no fear for things that are potentially harmful, can (or will at least try to) eat absolutely anything that crosses her path

We got her from Hope for Hannah Rescue. She is an 11-week-old, 13-pound, sweet, incredibly loving Corgi mix. And, she looks nothing like a Corgi. At least I don’t think so. She and her brothers were picked up from a shelter in Georgia where they were scheduled to be drowned the next day. Apparently that’s how shelters put down dogs when they can’t afford to euthanize them…? Isn’t that absolutely horrifying? And, especially if you knew how sweet, adorable, and loving these dogs are. I have so much thanks in my heart for the people who saved her and that we were able to contribute to rescuing her. She is beyond perfect.

Meet my dear sweet Adele (and yes, as you can faintly tell, that’s Kira standing over her):

And, our biggest concern was whether she and Kira would get along. Kira is a bit of an alpha dog since she’s been an only child her whole life. But, I’d say things are looking good so far…. (*fingers crossed it stays this way*).

[Please excuse the image quality below. Image taken with my iPhone.]

So what about you guys? Do shelter puppies break your heart into millions of pieces like me? Or, do you have an obsession with your dog/s like we do? It’s borderline ridiculous; we’d really do anything for them.

Now, with the storm behind us, many are saying how it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. How too many precautions were taken. I beg to differ. Here’s my proof. There is really no such thing as being over-prepared for these things.

And, I must admit, when I woke up on Sunday morning to birds chirping and the sun rays shining through my window, I was oh-so-thankful to be moving forward. So thankful that I almost felt guilty. But also oh-so-thankful to have been among the lucky ones. If you were in the seat of saying “Irene wasn’t so bad” then you too were one of the lucky ones. Trust me.

Here’s to a weekend full of party cloudy skies and beautiful sunsets.

How’d you fair with Mean Irene? Were you as completely surprised by the whole thing as I was?