Firsts

So I've been asked a few times for more get to know me posts, but I've been putting it off because I wasn't quite sure what you all wanted to know (because, of course, I'm a very complicated individual... ha!) So when I found the post of firsts from Julia from A blonde walked into a blog, and was all over it.

1. First thing you do when you wake up in the morning? 

Usually, no matter how cold, I go outside with Dozer for a little while. It's gotten harder with the weather here in Michigan, but the cold helps wake me up. I've also been trying to follow the tips I found here and they really do make for the perfect morning.

Photo credit goes to Anthony... I was driving the car, and have recently been banned from operating the car and the camera simultaneously. 

Where do you walk?

Earlier today, I was walking Dozer. Pretty average, ordinary activity around here. Of course, that wouldn't make for a very good story, but today we happened to run into a situation that I needed to share. First off, I was wearing yoga pants, a hoodie that said "Aspen" all over it, and had an ipod strapped to my arm while my dirty blonde hair was up in a bouncy pony tail. I looked like a typical white girl from the suburbs, but true to my mismatched nature, I mix it up a bit by walking Dozer, a large breed "dangerous" dog on a chain. (We'll talk more about this later, no animal cruelty here!)

A Look at Family Life

Good Morning! Hope your Monday is absolutely lovely. If not, you can relish in the fact you didn't have to be a part of this family photo. 

Every year, around Thanksgiving, my wonderful family takes a photo to send in our holiday cards. Every year we fail... miserably. 

To paint you a picture: No one is given any sort of advanced warning that the photo will be taken. This year, my dad was wearing the same cloths he did the day before, and Sarah hadn't brushed her hair yet. After threatening, coercing, and forcing us into one room my poor mother has to figure out how to get everyone to sit still. You would think this would be easy, but it couldn't be further from. Between the dogs, my hyperactive sister, and my adhd, we struggle. If, by some divine intervention, we can all sit still, we later have to flip through the shots and find what is often a single photo in which no one is making a funny face. (Which has almost led us to send a photo of my father, cross eyed and sticking his tongue out to his wonderful coworkers) 

This year was even better, as we bypassed the self timer method and had Anthony snap a few for us. By this I mean, we're all sitting on the couch, and in the first minute or so he's taken fifty frames. No one really noticed, and no one was ready, but we were done. We always get a laugh out of the process. It's more of a joke than a family photograph, but looking back, taking the photo means more to me than whatever the result may have been. Looking back I see the moment just after Sarah decided she would sit on my lap, and before my dad reminding us to look normal as my mom tries to get the puppy, who's decided he must sit on someone's head, to behave. So if and when you take a family photo this year, remember: no one's family is normal, you look absolutely beautiful, and it's the memory, not the print that matters most. 

*My mother emailed it to me, which is why it's so blurry- and it will probably say something different... (but knowing my family, probably not). 

So let me ask you this:

Do you take a family photo for the holidays? 

How does your picture day unfold?