Our new house is definitely under construction. Rather than wait to post “Before and After” pictures, I thought many of you might like to see “Before and During” pictures. I’ll keep you updated as things change. I was going to make a book project out of this, but I don’t have nearly enough time for that. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
I obviously think that spending most of my time with my daughter is what I am supposed to be doing, at least for now. I feel that spark Oprah mentioned when I’m taking pictures of beauty, usually in nature. Who knows if it could grow into a career someday, but I feel such excitement about it and it fills me up so much that I don’t need anything more. I love noticing the veins of a flower petal or the intense detail in a leaf, especially through a macro lens. I have discovered so much of the natural world that was there all along, but to which I was blind.A dear friend and I have been working for over a year to raise funds to build a school in Cambodia. Read more about it from my blog post here.
I am extraordinarily proud to tell you that we did it!!! Thank you to each of you who contributed toward this amazing project.
“The construction cost of a rural school is $13,000. For each donation, $10,000 is used directly towards the construction of the school (matched by the Asian Development Bank for a total cost of $30,000 or above). The other $3,000 is used by AAfC for a general school account that funds performance monitoring, maintenance, the school opening ceremony and overhead. Each school will be named after the donor (or a name he/she selects) and listed on our Rural Schools Project map. The school is 3-6 classrooms, includes desks, chairs, and a well, and is built on land donated by the village or is added to an existing school site. Once a school is completed, it is given to the village. All AAfC schools are recognized by the Cambodian government as state schools, and are staffed by official state teachers who follow the Ministry of Education curriculum.” (taken from cambodiaschools.com)
See the part above in bold? I need help! We are not about to name the school after ourselves. What should we name it?
Read more about the Rural Schools Project to learn more or start fundraising for your own school. It’s not too late to contribute if you would like to. Our school needs furniture, books, teachers, and supplies.
Creativity Bootcamp got away from me after the first two days with all the packing and planning I was doing… yesterday I printed out all the class materials and comments, put them in a binder, and I plan to do all the reading and assignments on my own. But first…
Today begins a class through Big Picture Classes called Picture Color: 30 days of colorful clicks, taught by Tracey Clark of Shutter Sisters. (Love her!)
“Through this 30-day photo centric celebration, Picture Color will encourage you to turn your lens toward the colors that delight you most. With daily email prompts delivered right to your inbox, you will be greeted and inspired by a myriad of colorful shades to awaken your senses and your inner-artist as your camera clicks color after vibrant color!” Tracey says, “There is no finer way to nurture your creative spirit and inspire your inner-photographer than with the celebration of color. Get your cameras ready to capture sunny shades and vibrant values of the color that illuminates our everyday lives!”
This is the third photography class I’ve embarked upon recently and I still want to write more about what I discovered in the first class. I am soooo behind. I hope this summer allows me time to catch up with myself.
One of the many pieces of wisdom that Oprah imparted on her very last show was about being worthy simply because we were born. She said, “We often block our own blessings because we don’t feel inherently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough. You are worthy because you are born and because you are here. You alone are enough.”
Packing. Packing. More packing.
Sore muscles (see above)
Reading a library book in stolen moments
Drinking coffee
Wishing for a nap
Kissing my daughter’s soft cheeks
Singing
Skipping our morning activity and staying home
Thinking too much – as usual
Praying for a soft, peaceful rain
