#6 ~ Thankfulness Challenge

#6 ~ I am thankful for my neighborhood

I am so lucky to live in the neighborhood that I do. I have amazing neighbors that really look out for me, my family and our home. They are not only neighbors but I am also lucky enough to call them friends. We have neighborhood block parties. We meet up at the park. We play on sports teams together and lend a helping hand to each other when needed. It's almost like having extended family live on the same block as us and I am so very thankful to have them!

#5 ~ Thankfulness Challenge

#5 ~ I am thankful for my home

 

From Pinterest

  I am so thankful that not only do I have a home, but I have a home that I love. I mostly love it because it is where my family lives. It is the place that we create memories and have some of the best moments. It is the place that I brought my son home from the hospital to. It is the place that I have had profound conversations with my husband and with friends. It is where I laugh. Where I play. Where I have cried and where I love and where I am loved. It is where I lay my head down to sleep and where I dream.

#4 ~ Thankfulness Challenge

#4 ~ I am thankful to live in in Arizona

I am so thankful that I am able to live in such an amazing place. I really love living in the Desert and everything that goes along with it. (Well most everything...the spiders and snakes I could do without!) I love being able to wake up to sunshine every morning and I love the beautiful sunsets that we get almost nightly. The scenery and beauty of the landscape is so beautiful that my jaw has dropped more than once looking at it. The cactus, the desert, the Grand Canyon, the mountains. It is all so beautiful and I am glad that I am able to make the state of Arizona my home.

#3 - Thankfulness Challenge

If anyone is wanting to join in please do...There isn't any linkup.

Just pull the badge art (at bottom of this post) and put it in your post.

#3 ~ I am thankful for my wonderful amazing son! 

I am so lucky to have given birth to my beautiful baby boy. We had some hard times in the beginning with his club feet, but that is really the only thing that has been hard about being his mom. His personality is sweet and welcoming. He is genuinely nice and polite. He loves to give hugs and kisses. And I just love to be around him. I consider myself to be the luckiest woman in the world to have been given such a precious gift.

Thankfulness Challenge - Will you join in??

November is the month of thankfulness and so I decided to do a post each day dedicated to something that I am thankful for. And since I am starting a day late you get two things today!!

If anyone is wanting to join in please do...There isn't any linkup.

Just pull the badge art (at bottom of this post) and put it in your post.

#1 ~  I am so thankful for my wonderful supportive husband. 

We have been through a lot in our marriage and I'm lucky because he "gets" me. He understands my needs, loves my wackiness and accepts me for who I am. He is handsome, sweet and kind...and it is my dream that our son grows up to be just as wonderful as his father.

#2 ~ I am thankful for my job.
I am so very lucky not only to have a job, but to also have a job that I love. (Not 1 job that I love, but actually 2!) I work in the creative field and it is so amazing to be around co-workers that are not only fun but also understand what it is like to work in this field. When you spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week at work it's so very important to find something that you love...and somewhere that you like to go and I am so thankful that I have found that in my lifetime!

 

 

Edit Me ~ Week 24

I love, love, love the photo for this week's Edit Me Challenge. And making it extra special is that it was provided by one of my blogging buddies Branson. (Who by the way is a super amazing woman that rocks as a photographer and is so encouraging and lovely!!)

This week's edit was an easy choice for me...this photo just screamed out for a really good black & white treatment. And for anyone that knows me, they know that I LOVE a good black & white photo!

 

My edit for this week's challenge!

My editing steps:

1) Upped the exposure just a tad in camera raw
2) Desaturated the image
3) Curves layer to adjust the b&w
4) Used MCP Actions High Def Sharpening to really bring out the texture in the tree bark & the grasses
5) Added some grain to the photo to give it some extra dimension & interest

So what do you think?

If you are interested in joining in, head on over the the website for the weekly Edit Me Challenge and download the photo and join in the fun! Or just check out all of the other amazing edits...

Have a great week and happy hump day to everyone!!

Doing it the hard way

My mat at boot camp.

Anyone that knows me knows that I want to be thinner.

That I want to be more fit. And healthier.

And that I've tried just about everything to make it happen. I've done crash diets. I've done fad diets. I've done wraps. You name it...I've done it. Even crazy ones like HCG. And yes the weight comes off. It sometimes comes off fast and makes me feel all awesome & stuff.

But...

And it's a big butt (yep...pun intended) none of it ever stays off. It just comes right back and sometimes even with a couple of extra pounds that it brings along for the ride. You know...just like those people that come to stay with you for a while, but instead they take up residence on your couch, eat all your food and never pay rent or utilities. Those kind of extra pounds. So it's awesome...I lose 15 but gain back 18 or 20. Yay me! :(

Setting up for boot camp.

Well, I've decided that I need to make a change. A big one.

I need to do it the hard way. 

You know...the right way.

The way with a good diet. And exercise. And lots of water.

So as a way to get this thing going I've been going to an outdoor boot camp 4 days a week for the past couple of months. I've been drinking more water. I've been eating less fast food and trying to make healthier choices.

And the weight...well, it's coming off. Not as fast as I would like. But it is coming off and I'm hoping it continues to keep coming off. And this time that it stays off.