Reverb 10 - Prompt #25

December 25 – Photo – a present to yourself.  Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you. (Author: Tracey Clark)

Photo Credit: Clarissa Rucker Photography

Can I start by saying that I love this prompt, Tracey Clark?  Can I follow that with, "Holy Cow, I take a lot of pictures in a year?!?!" 

The one I chose (above) was taken by one of my awesome friends who just happens to be a phenomenal photographer with a delicious eye for documenting what are sure to be some of your favorite memories.  Her name is Clarissa Rucker, and while I usually strive to protect my peeps by using aliases instead of their actual names, I want you to hunt her down and hire her.  Then, try your best not to keep her in your life as an amazing friend.  Go on.  I dare you!

I think this photo best captures me because I'm smiling, and that's kind of my trademark.  It's taken on the water, which is where I'm usually at my happiest and most serene.  This photo makes me smile because it was literally the most perfect day, and I mean that in every sense of the word.  It was a day of calm.  It was a day of play.  It was a day where I was surrounded by wonderful friends. It was a day of laughter and smiles.  It was a day where you just knew God planned the weather just for you and the activities you had planned.

This photo also captures who I want to continue to be in the future.  I want to be a genuinely happy girl who surrounds herself with good people and who makes the time to just have fun.  I want to be a girl who appreciates a day like that day, and who remains so thankful for every day like that I am privileged enough to experience.

As for where, this was taken at the lake, where we spent an entire day at the lake house of one of my work colleagues and friends.  His place is beautiful and it's really impossible to be there and not feel incredibly blessed.  I was so thankful that day - I had needed a day like that for a really long time.  It felt so amazing to cut loose with friends.  We sang songs on the radio, layed out in the sun, rode jet skis, and just enjoyed each other's company!  My friend's parents even cooked out for us, which was extremely unexpected but was the cherry on top of the day!

I believe this photo reveals about me that I am a believer in sunshine after the rain.  Granted, you can't see the metaphorical rain that occurred before this picture was taken, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  There was rain.  Buckets of rain.  But, as you can see by this picture, if you just hang in there, the sun will shine again and light your way to the things that are most important in your life.  So, thank you, Clarissa - for being an amazing friend to me and for capturing this memory for me.  I appreciate you more than you know!

Until next time,