Monday, December 31, 2012

Photo-A-Day: December

"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" --Dr. Seuss

Not only did December seemingly get here before June this year, so did the new year the way the last twelve months flew by. Was it the same for you?

Yet as this year closes and another begins, milestones are noted and memories are catalogued. And in particular, my photo-a-day challenge comes to an end. Wow. So hard to believe it really got done. I surprised myself, really. Didn't have much confidence going in, I guess. But, the results?

366 days (Leap year, remember?) minus 4 equals 362 pictures. Well, many more than that actually since some days I took multiple pictures and chose one from the lot, but I did it. I only missed those four days total. Two because (ahem) I forgot. And two because I misplaced my camera. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat of the car, and we couldn't locate it for awhile. Good intentions are good but life happens! Other than that, I looked forward to the moment each day that I picked up the camera. Some days I pocketed it as I went for my walk. Some days I was in the right place at the right time and had it handy. Some days--particularly on our fantastic November trip--I couldn't stop snapping photos. And then there were the late nights, just before going to bed, that I realized I had *almost* forgotten and so hit the deadline just before the night turned to the next day.

I found I loved the challenge. It was a great deal of fun. And as I snapped today's photo, the last of the last, I found myself feeling a bit  nostalgic. "You mean it's over already?"

Well, not really. I have all these things to carry with me from the experience like inspiration on:


Detail. PatternsTexture. ContrastSerendipity. Surprise. Ideas. Visualization. 
Light and Shadow. Wonder. Nuance. The UnexpectedFocal Point. 
Potpourri. Travel and Story. Fairy Tales.

Along the way I learned about nurturing the creative side, waking up to beauty in the simple things, the value of trying something new, perseverance. All lessons that will carry over into a new year's writing projects, too.

I'm still contemplating what might be my challenge for the new year. It will involve writing, of course, and reading. It should incorporate stretching--as in reaching for a new level--and passion. We'll see what ideas gel in the next few days.

In the meantime, here is the final photo-a-day gallery. You'll see that there was much to celebrate this month, including the birth of our second granddaughter, born 12/12/12, and special family time. Hope you enjoy. And thanks for stopping in with wishes to each and everyone for a wonderful, creative, and happy new year!

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5 comments:

  1. Love the final photo-a-day gallery! What wonderful wintry scenes :) Congrats on the new granddaughter. I thought my belly baby would come in December, but she'll be showing up in January, which will make the start of this year extra special!

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  2. As always, the pictures are extraordinary. Congrats for seeing this project through. A photo-a-day seems pretty daunting to me.

    Did 2012 pass quickly for me? No, it dragged, as I was contemplating retirement in Oct. 2011 and officially told my boss in April 2012 that I would be retiring ... On August 1, 2012. No, the year just limped along for me.

    But here's to a new year, with more freedom and time to explore the things that are dearest to our hearts.

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  3. Congratulations on your new grandchild! So much fun and wonderful memories for years to come. Thanks for sharing your photos, too!

    2012 sped by so quickly for me. Work was WORK (not the fun kind) but I got a LOT of writing done, too (which IS fun for me). Now I'm looking forward to the SCBWI Winter conference in New York in February. I'm hoping it will really motivate me!

    Peggy

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  4. Jess--thanks for your thoughts AND best wishes on the upcoming birth of your little one. How exciting. She will be a precious blessing, that's for sure :-)

    Cathy--The photo-a-day idea truly was daunting at first, but now that I look back on it, I realize how special an undertaking it was. I'm so glad I stuck with it. And yes, here's to a new year! Hope it is one of great inspiration and achievements for you :-)

    Peggy--You're going to New York for the SCBWI conference???! Congratulations! What a wonderful opportunity. Please let me know how it goes. If only I could tag along.... :-)

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  5. Such a great idea and the photos are wonderful. Can't wait to see what your new challenge will be for 2013!

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