Our Grateful Project | May 2015

I just have to say that I so love this project… If we don’t keep up with it next year in our blog circle, I might just turn my P52 into a Gratefulness project instead. I love our theme for two reasons. First, all month long I am finding myself thinking in terms of actively looking for the things I am grateful for, so I will have something to post each month, and I am just so much more aware of those quiet, joyful moments that otherwise might just slip by unnoticed. And though generally what I find to shoot are just the little things, I am realizing just how much those little things add up to a really good life. I feel so lucky! I have so many people (and pets—LOL!) whom I love and who love me, and we’re healthy and happy…

And second, each month when I look back through my images, I get to relive it all, which just reinforces to me how grateful I am for all the wonderful moments in my little corner of the world. (And an added benefit? Is that, for this project, at least, I have relaxed my self-imposed rule of posting only images I’m proud of on my blog. I have decided that I want to include all of the good memories, perfect images be damned—even the grainy, unflattering front-facing iPhone shots are to be included if they are part of a cherished memory!)

This month, I am thankful that we got some unexpected late rain. We are in such a horrendous drought in California, and though this storm won’t make much of a dent in it, it poured steadily for several hours: At the very least, our garden got a good dousing, and it was so cozy to stay inside and watch it storm outside!

I am thankful that Tom and I got to go on a perfect overnight date to Santana Row (my Christmas gift from him!), where we visited the spa, ate a wonderful meal, had drinks, slept in late, shopped, and even got to visit my sister and her girls who were there shopping in the morning. It was an absolutely perfect date! And to top it off, that silly little photo in the lower right corner? That was included because Tom insisted I ice my (still troublesome) knee even in the hotel, and so he made me a makeshift ice pack and we just snuggled and chatted while I iced… I love how he loves me!

And we celebrated Emily’s Sweet 16 a bit late since her actual birthday was on a crazy busy school night, and she picked Benihana’s. She had always wanted to go with us, and Tom and I hadn’t been in at least 20 years. It was fantastic! Our chef was awesome, and the food (and showmanship) just amazing. All of us had such a fun night!

One other thing I am grateful for is peony season. I know I am a little nuts about them, but every May(ish), they come into season for a few weeks and they are very affordable at Trader Joe’s. I love how you can never quite tell by the buds what you’re going to get—they are so unpredictable in color, size, and shape, and they keep changing as they open up. I have them in the house pretty much constantly for as long as I can get them. And an added bonus? The cats leave them alone!

And lastly, I set my phone up this weekend to timelapse-video a peony opening, just for fun. I totally need to perfect my methods, but it was fun! This is 10 hours condensed into 8 seconds. I’d have liked for the flower to open even more, but it was getting dark there at the end so I had to quit! (And I must admit—I was having withdrawals without my phone for an entire day…)

Please join me in continuing around our little circle! Next up is Kimberly.