Snow Day.

I awoke to the most breath taking view from my bedroom window today. Freshly fallen snow rested heavily on the branches below. Despite my longing for sunshine and warmth, winter has staked its claim and the beauty of this day was undeniable.

Home for the Holidays.

I hadn’t seen my family in a year… I missed them dearly. So much, that I booked my trip home for 12 days. 12 DAYS! What was I possibly thinking?!

It was bitterly cold so we were forced to hibernate in our living room, where my family launched into repetitious babble, each talking over one another, to the point where you realize that no one was listening to each other in the first place! I listened, mute by choice, exhausted by my futile attempts to chime in… as they continued to talk at one another. And so it went… for 8 days.

The last 4 where filled with the energy and excitement Christmas is supposed to bring, as well as the sorrow and indescribable loss that binds our family. It’s a particularly difficult time of year for us all, as we are each still grappling with my brother’s death in our own ways. I stayed with my sister-in-law (his wife), and my two adorable nephews, now ages 3 and 5. It’s bittersweet in a way, to see the life inside of them and feel my brother’s presence, as we mourn his loss.

All in all, 12 days is too long of a visit for me to swallow without my brother… he was the only one I could really talk to. We used to retreat to our own prospective corner of the house and laugh hystarically about mostly anything. He got me; we got each other… man I miss him. Family gatherings are just not the same anymore, not without my partner in crime.

Despite how annoying my family can be, the one thing I’ve learned through all this is to cherish the time you have together. Perhaps it’s not the length of time that matters, but rather the frequency and quality of time we share together. I regret not having made the effort to go home more when my brother was alive. I miss him every day, and I’m afraid now and I’ve missed too many days of the family I have left. It’s hard to face them alone, but maybe in small doses, I can feel better about our time together.

Slippery Slope!

After a day of rain filled the roads with slush and muck, ice eventually sealed the ground as evening took hold. Ice coated the sidewalks with a soft glaze, making for deceivingly slick travels for those that braved the journey. Living on top of a very steep and long hill, I have more than once embarrassed myself by sledding downhill on my bottom!

Today was the  kind of day, where most of us chucked our pride at the door. One by one I watched as people naively attempted to maneuver the sidewalks with overzealous confidence. Most took a tumble or two before they resorted to slowly dragging their feet along the sidewalk, looking like little kids that just learned how to skate!

Thankfully this year I’ve discovered YakTraxs! These inexpensive, rubber soles stretch to fit on the bottoms of any pair of shoes or boots, and are wrapped with metal coils to grip the ice. So today, I felt confident with my new treads digging into the ice, strolling up (and down) the sidewalks with ease (dignity preserved)!

Biding Time.

I’ve often wondered about the lives of people I see on my daily commutes. It’s sterile and monotonous…the train, the time we idly bide as a necessary means to fulfill our occupations. Each of us wishing we could be somewhere else, with someone else… fast forward or rewind to a time where we didn’t have to play that awkward avoid-eye-contact-with-one-another game.

This was just a girl on the train one afternoon. She looked so tired and cozy; I thought it was beautiful…little did she know that I was snapping such lovely photographs of her from across the isle. This is how I bide my time to break up the the monotony of my daily grind.

Long Lost Love.

The love between us never went away. We broke each other’s hearts, simply because we didn’t know how to make it work. A year has passed, and despite the pain and loss we felt once before, we cannot deny the feelings we still hold inside. It’s a rare thing to find this kind of love…I can only hope that this time, we manage to hold on to it.

Capture the Moment.

This is the perfect example of why I always like to have a camera in hand…you never know what you might come across. I was walking to the grocery store one morning last weekend when I captured this photo. The sky was a deep, threatening gray, but quickly parted to reveal white fluffy clouds and a brilliant blue beneath it all. It was beautiful.

Open door.

Have you ever closed the door to one possibility, only to revisit that option later in life? It’s hard to know whether or not to go down a path you’ve already been… hard revisit something with fresh eyes, when you’ve already seen what you’ve seen. However, it’s easier to resort to familiarity and a life you were accustomed to, especially when it seems there aren’t any new doors worth opening. Is it wrong to believe a walk along a familiar path will seem any different on another day?

Don’t Miss the Details.

I’ve been working on photographing textures and very detailed pictures lately. I shot this one of my eye last weekend… it was an interesting project. I have to admit, despite the countless years I’ve spent adorning my eyes with mascara, I’ve really never looked THIS closely at my eyes. It’s so interesting the things I notice, only after seeing them first through the lens of my camera. My developing love of photography has inspired me to pay more attention to details… as a result I’m finding beauty in surprising places.

Winter.

I was really, really hoping to wake up to blue skies and sunshine this morning… that didn’t happen. More rain, wind, and dirty clouds. UGH. What’s more, is the weather guy solidified the fact that winter is coming, with his 5 day forecast of COLD. I have been ignoring the inevitable…winter is on its way.

Sunshine.

I spent this rainy night indoors… trying to find some color within. Exploring the confines of my own home, I discovered sunshine on my own.