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,

Happy Labor Day!

Holy Hiatus, Peeps!  I apologize for the delay in posting, but I have been a very busy girl!  Busy with what, you ask?  Busy with lots, I say! 

I have a home improvement project in the works, and I can't wait to share that with you (it's been a process, so I will hopefully have that post up in the next week or so).  I have been SLAMMED busy at work, trying to get things ready for three huge projects that are all going on at the same time!  I've been preparing for Beach Blast 2K10, which is a friends-only beach trip that will commence in T minus two days (we depart tomorrow)!  I've been transitioning my clothes to introduce my fall attire back into the mix.  And, I've been.....wait for it......wait for it.......dating.  I know, put your shocked faces on!

That brings me to the actual topic of this post.  Dating is an interesting concept, especially to someone who hasn't done it since she was 19.  Yeah, that would be me.  After the dissolution of the last major relationship of my life, I took some time to reflect - on both relationships and myself.  I observed other couples I admire, took time to let myself think, and jotted down what I'd discovered was important to me, and also the things that my last relationship brought to light about myself.  I discovered the qualities and habits I need to work on that will make me better able to deserve the next person I invest time and love in. 

So, here are some interesting findings that I came up with that kind of surprised me. 

1)  Respect is a big deal to me - much bigger than I originally thought.  Not only is it important to me that I be respected, but it's important for me to continually be respectful of the other person. I also want to meet someone that I genuinely do respect for whatever reason - I think it helps lay the foundation for an entire journey together.

2)  Effort is key.  Here's a fact, kids.  Love takes work.  Lots of work.  Anyone who doesn't agree is honestly very naive or crazy.  Not to be harsh, but that is one thing I know for sure.  I always put forth effort in my relationships, whether it be with friends, family, colleagues, or romantic situations, and I would love to meet someone who operates the same way and is willing to do the work.  The work isn't always pretty, but it makes everything worth it in the end.

3)  I want someone who is as focused on the experience as me.  During my self-reflection, I came to realize that what really speaks to me can't be labeled as a "thing."  What really makes me happy is the experiences - the journeys from here to there, or the memories that you make.  Gifts are nice and all, but I want someone to go on adventures with me.  I want someone to discover new things with.  I want someone who is willing to listen to what I want to do, be open to it, and then find a way to want to do that too.  And I can do the same for them.  I want to be out of my comfort zone, and I want to really live.

4)  Giving back is HUGE.  I have always made it a personal policy to donate my time and even money to causes that speak to me, and I never really realized how important that quality of service is to me.  I don't do it because I want recognition.  I've always had the fundamental desire to help people, and giving back has also been the perfect way to give thanks for all I have in this world.  I am so lucky, and so blessed, and if I can do anything to make someone's life better, I want to do it.  I'd love to meet someone with that same mentality.  It's an exceptionally humbling and worthy experience, and it shows a degree of selflessness that is very appealing to me.  It's enough to melt your heart when you see someone who really gets it.

5)  Appreciation and gratitude go a long way.  I feel like we all know someone who truly complains all the time about what's going wrong in their lives.  If someone buys them dinner, they complain about the way the steak was prepared.  If they get a promotion at work, they express their discontent for the longer hours and additional responsibilities. There are very few things that completely turn me off to a person more than lacking appreciation.  I was raised to say 'please' and I was also raised to say 'thank you,' and I feel that is extremely important.  Life is too short to wish for what others have or to waste your time away with complaints or resentment.  I often get overwhelmed when I think of all the things that have been done for me throughout my life.  As I stated before, I am so lucky and so blessed - and I am so happy!  My heart could burst for the amount of blessings that have been bestowed upon me, and I am so grateful - it would be nice to meet someone who feels the same way.

So, this is the interesting and exciting thing about dating - you get to meet new people, and ask them questions, and learn things about them.  You get to see the different ways they handle high-pressure situations, and you can see how they react to the things you say and do.  For the first time in a long time, I'm completely out of my comfort zone and I am nervous!  And, in all honesty, I think that's a good thing.  I feel cautious, and maybe even a bit cynical, but moreso than that, I am very excited about the experiences I'm having and the memories I'm making!  I'm finding it fun to walk down a path that I'm not used to, and the control freak in me is being forced to keep quiet and I'd have to say that I'm finding that refreshing.  On the one hand, I'm used to planning everything and taking care of everything (it's just my nature), and dating has really slapped that hand.  I'm not in control but, for the most part, I actually don't mind - how crazy is that?  (I know it's scary - pray for me.)

So, here's to new experiences!  Here's to making memories!  Here's to meeting people, and being brought back to square 1!  Here's to being uncomfortable, and stumbling, and most of all - learning to be okay with that!  What can I say?  It's a fabulous place to be!

Until next time,

Chicken Wing Summer Anthem

Enjoy, Peeps!


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Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing