A Happy Thanksgiving :: Personal

Today was a good day. A great day, really. At 9:15 last night I decided I wanted to have a real Thanksgiving - complete with cranberry, and pie{s}, and homemade rolls, and stuffing. At 9:20 I made a shopping list and by 9:32 we were on our way to the store where I sorted through over-picked shelves to fill our cart with turkey day goods. Except for, well, a turkey. Colton and I can't put away a full bird on our own and the single cornish game hen in the freezer was screaming to be the perfect substitution anyway. I awoke this morning to the ocean breeze and the sound of waves crashing against the sand. And I was thankful. For today, for this home on the beach, for this handsome man sleeping beside me, and for this crazy adventure of a life I've been given. Sometimes I want to stay in bed longer just so I can soak it all in. But then, on days like today, Mimosas and the Macy's day parade call my name and I get up from beneath the covers to make green bean casserole. Because for me? For me making green bean casserole sounds like the most wild and bizarre adventure around.

After eating our miniature turkey we took a much needed walk on the beach. And again, I was thankful. For the sand on my toes, for the endless abyss of ocean, and for the warmth of the sun on my face.

Today was definitely a good day.

I hope you've had a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Michelle

Before I Board :: Personal

I'm feeling a hundred different emotions right now. Some excited. Some scared. Some I'm just entirely unsure about. But the one consistency amidst all of these feelings is gratitude. This whole thing is surreal. Hawaii, photography, Making Things Happen. In addition I cannot even begin to express how much change five short days could bring about in my life. I'm so thankful for, and so undeserving of, everything.

I know I'm being vague, and I'm sorry. I'm about to board a plane back to Colton and I could not possibly be any more ready. While I knew this post would be short, I felt it was important to write down what this moment in time was like. The emotion, the sense of being overwhelmed by thankfulness, and the eager anticipation for the future.

I cannot wait to be home.

Michelle

Aloha and Aloha :: Photography

Aloha from Hawaii! {Ironically, after typing that - and saying it aloud in an annoyingly chipper voice, I had flashbacks of the Hawaiian Island weeks on Wheel of Fortune back when Pat Sajak's toupee didn't look quite so incriminating.}

After one of the busiest, most eventful weeks of our life and roughly a hundred hours of traveling, I have finally made it to the {absolutely fabulously} incredible island of Maui. The sun is heavenly - as in God definitely put it here himself, and the breeze is actually infused {again, most likely by God} with aromas of Banana Boat coconut oil. Tomorrow is the start of the Making Things Happen intensive and I am overwhelmed with everything I'm feeling about what these next few days holds. I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from Lara Casey, Fred Egan, and Jory Cordy as well as the handful of workshop attendees who are all extremely talented and successful individuals. But I'm nervous. It's like I'm going to summer camp only instead of sharing a cabin with the other awkward, Keds wearing, jumper sporting twelve year olds, I'm rooming with all the cool camp counselors who have awesome wilderness names like Rabbit's Claw .

Ugh. My stomach just dropped thinking about it.

I'll keep you posted as to how it goes. I'm hoping for the best, nervous about who I'll sit by, and wondering if I'm going to cry midway through the day because I missed the stuffed animal on my bed at home. But success or failure, I promise I'll tell you how it goes.

Here's a peek of the session I did today at the Fairmont Wailea with the ever adorable Emily Scott.

Happy Monday and Aloha! {See, 'cuz Aloha means bye, too, in Hawaiian - the language I am quickly becoming fluent in.}

Michelle