kinfolk vol 7 || a giveaway + some thoughts

Today is a milestone day for this special little corner of mine. It has been two years since I clicked 'publish' on my first post on this blog & a couple of months over that since I started blogging. In a way, it does not feel like two years. But that is the strange thing about time. It changes you. Slowly, but surely. You don't usually realize it while it is happening, till one day, when you turn back & peer down the small dirt path behind.

I have changed a lot since I started blogging. I am not that girl who used to spend an hour adding 20+ effects to a photo on picnik. I am not that girl who used to post almost everyday in order to get more followers, & not because she really cared about sharing her thoughts. I am not that girl who thought Blackadder ITC was the most amazing font ever & used it in her blog design. I am not that girl who used to use colour selection & thought her photos looked amazing. I am not that girl who used to get frustarted because her flash kept popping up & she had no idea how to stop it. I am not that girl who thought she looked 'professional' just because she had a dslr around her neck. I am not that girl anymore.

Sometimes I just want to delete my blog archive. I blush every time I think of all those silly blog posts I published, once upon a time. But I won't delete them. They show how much I have grown & changed, in both photography & blogging. And though there is SO much more to learn, I don't ever want to forget how much I have already grown & how I started out.

I want to say THANK YOU to all the wonderful, lovely, sweet, & brilliant people who have followed me along on this blogging journey. This is going to sound totally cliché, but I would not be here writing this post right now if it wasn't for all your sweet comments & encouraging notes, emails, messages, letters, & cards. I really mean it! There were times in the past when I considered deleting my blog because I thought it wasn't 'good enough', but you wonderful people kept me going. I just love you all BUNCHES! <3

And here's a little giveaway for all my lovely friends (& also for the ones I haven't met yet :)...
a Rafflecopter giveaway hugs,
e

p.s. this giveaway is open internationally. ends 4/2.

just breathe

"this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -- psalm 118:24 

It is so easy to get caught up in that endless monotone of busy. You rush off, from one thing to the next, & sometimes you forget to simply step back & just breathe. Look out the window. Feel the wind. Close you eyes for a couple of seconds. Gaze at the stars. Watch the sun come up. Listen to some music. Smile just for the joy of being alive. Relax. Let go. Rejuvenate. Refocus.

Don't let busy take over. Take a few moments & absorb yourself in the wonderful beauty of God's creation. And when you go back to your tasks, don't let the joy escape. Hold onto it.

hugs,
e


p.s. thank you all so much for the lovely birthday wishes! you are sweetest. <3
p.p.s. the music playlist above was created by yours truly & contains a whole set of favourite tracks which I find both relaxing & inspiring. the mixtape is entirely made up of movie scores, but please keep in mind that I have NOT seen ALL of the movies these tracks are from. some, I simply found via the names of the composers, & thus do NOT, in any way, promote the movies they are from. just wanted to make that clear. :)

goodbye 2012

endings are most always bittersweet. you get to turn a page, open a new book, start fresh... but that also means leaving the old behind. it's natural. it's the passing of time. we change, we grow, we learn. sometimes we aren't quite ready to admit that another year has passed, & sometimes, for one reason or another, we wish time would freeze. but it never does. that's why we need to make the most of the time we have.

twenty-thirteen is a new year. let's make the most of it. this year, let's resolve to spend more time being thankful for the things we have, rather than wishing for those we don't. this year, let's focus more on the little things that matter. let's not complain about our 'ordinary' lives, but embrace them with joy. most importantly, let's resolve to remind ourselves that little is much when God is in it. His plans are great & unfathomable.

goodbye 2012. I will treasure your sweet memories forever.
hello 2013. I look forward to what you hold with anticipation.


hugs,
eve victorie