2011 Abridged

My friend Jackie always does a year recap in photos so I thought what the hell...I'll do one too.

Here's to 2011:

I started the year off listening to White Dress every Sunday at Hole In The Wall. I am lucky.

I was able to see Bright Eyes play twice this year. This spring, Janeffer and I drove over 1800 miles to Atlanta to see them play at the Tabernacle -- worth every penny of it.

I was a nanny for awhile and I got to hang out with some of the coolest kids on the block.

I learned a lot from this guy.

I starting painting again this year!

I moved back to Plano to finish shooting my Ocean Seafood and Grill project.

I got my first tattoo. =)

Jordan got married! I also shot my first wedding!

My childhood closet went from this...

...to this!

Bring it 2012!

I'm ready for the next year's adventures!

Airing That Clean Laundry

2011 was a year of cleaning. It was a year of letting go. It was a year of coming to terms with the past and moving on fearlessly into the future.

I laid it all out, one piece of junk at a time, and then I went through it all. I owned it. I put each piece of bullshit out on the table and then, I laid it to rest.

Now at the end of this year, I can honestly say, that my laundry is much cleaner than it's ever been.

Me and Regina.

We're best friends...

...in my mind.

#creepin

And now I share with you one of my favorite songs by her...

Have a good day! =)

Pic of the Week: Gnarly Tree Bark

Ok dragon tree...you're a badass.

Merry Christmas!

I made this as my e-card this year.

I hope everyone has had an amazing Christmas!

Love. Love. Love.

Pic of the Week: Old Car

Remember when they made cars like this? Yeah...me neither. They just don't make cars the same now-a-days.

Fire

Happy Monday!

This past Friday I went for a walk around the neighborhood to photograph some of the plants that have been changing. The drought has done some really beautiful things to the foliage this year. That's one plus. =)

Hawk

Pic of the Week: This Too Shall Pass

I'm not going to lie...life changes have got me a bit down right now. Sometimes, it's really hard to cope with change. As much as I love it and I look forward to it, it is exhausting and can be overwhelming.

I feel like writing a poem. I know my poems aren't the best. I rarely take the time to sit down and actually work on one. They come out of my brain sporadically and very rarely do I develop them. Actually, that can transfer to all of my writing endeavors, including these blog posts. I definitely would like to be more disciplined in my writing but today is not the day I will start it.

Instead, I will leave you with this poem, spat out as we speak.

I've got these fragments

That float in my mind;

Parts of wholes that I can't describe.

I see them in the middle, or maybe it's the end;

Words and phrases I've yet to comprehend.

Eyes closed,

I try to see.

But they are gone,

Mere wisps of a scene.

Heart numb.

Mind dumb.

Next time, it will be best to let them be.

Texture

I had a love affair with texture recently.

It was a few weeks ago when the weather started changing.

I was going for an afternoon walk and it caught my eye.

I couldn't help it. I fell in love.

There's something about it's depth...

...and how it makes me think of onomatopoeia (crunch, crunch, crinkle).

I'm still not over it.

Rainy Day Creativity

One day, I hope to be able to make something as creative as this on a rainy day.

Steve Shilson from Straylight Film did a really nice job on this. I love the song and I felt he captured it perfectly.

Enjoy

Samsara

POD November: Thursday: 11/24/11

Pic of the Day started on Thanksgiving this year. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season this year!

Pic of the Day:

11/24/11-11/30/11

I'm not going to lie. My mama made the best turkey ever this year. She roasted it with rosemary. Soooo delicious. You should be jealous.

Friday: 11/25/11

My sister and her husband have been living with my parents for awhile now. Kerri picked well when she married Adam. He and Tuna have struck up a friendship that is quite adorable.

Saturday: 11/26/11

Saturday was a rough day for me. I woke up to winter and I wasn't quite ready for it. However, I was lucky enough to witness the sun making an appearance at the end of the day.

Sunday: 11/27/11

YES! YES! YES! I love fall and all the colors it brings. This particular tree was spectacular.

Monday: 11/28/11

Joni Cat makes another appearance. I think she might show up in almost every POD. I need to get out more. I will make that my goal for next month's work.

Tuesday: 11/29/11

I love this portrait of Tyler. We got together and shot some stop motion work. I'm looking forward to editing through the images and piecing together a little movie.

Wednesday: 11/30/11

Holiday season means Shiner Cheer! I may be a bit biased, but this seasonal brew is the best.

Blue Skies, Broken Hearts

Today has been a challenge for me.

I've been learning how to be nice and have compassion for that negative voice inside of me -- you know that one that criticizes everyone and everything and beats you up for simply trying to live?

Instead of letting my irritation build for the past 12 hrs, I decided to practice the art of awareness and the discipline of letting go.

There is a great simple meditation that I like to use where you imagine a clear blue sky and as you become aware of your thoughts, you visualize them as clouds moving through your field of vision. You acknowledge their existence but the thoughts are no longer negative or positive. They are simply clouds, floating on about their day.

Our minds can be our biggest foe or our greatest ally. This past summer, a teacher of mine lent me a book by Sakyong Mipham called Turning The Mind Into An Ally. It went into depth about how the mind is a wild horse that needs to be tamed.

Mine was wild today and I was thrown off constantly. What made a difference though was that I kept getting back on it.

Instead of feeding the criticism and getting mad at myself for even having those types of thoughts, I simply said to myself, "Jillian, you know that voice is not yours but don't beat yourself up about it. Let it say it's piece but don't buy into it. Now, let's move on."

Having patience with yourself is vital to a healthy mind.

I managed to sort through my knitting basket, watch a movie and a half and write a blog post.

Win!

That Life, you know, It's a Trickster

After a year and a half of soul searching, my life has lead me to a registrar job at St. David's emergency room. I cannot even begin to express my excitement. I have no idea what the job is going to be like but I do know intuitively it is where I am suppose to be. That feeling is worth it's wait in gold.

As for photography, I have been experiencing a bit of limbo with it. I have definitely come to terms with the fact that I am not interested in being a working photographer. I could do it, but it is simply not what I want to do and the sooner I can accept it, the more productive I can be.

I've struggled with the thoughts of being a journalist or finding a career in the world of media, but that as well is not of interest. I can see myself working in journalism at some point, but it's obvious to me that it won't be until later in life. So, once again, the sooner I can accept it, the more productive I can be.

My seemingly aimless floating (I say seemingly, because, really, there is always direction) is finally over.

The ER job presented itself to me and I am going to run with it. I am a firm believer that you make the best of what life presents to you. I needed a job. Life said, here is a job. I said, ok life, not what I expected but I am down for an adventure.

We shall see how this goes. It's 3 12-hr shifts, leaving me 4 days a week to work and develop other things. Maybe a successful Etsy business? I think I'm headed in that direction...

And with that I say, cheers to figuring out how to successfully live! Life is filled with one big turn after another.

Pic of the Week: Fall Trees

If you know me at all, you know that I love trees.

I went up to Dallas this weekend and the leaves were just starting to change. I love it. I cannot wait to get up there next week during Thanksgiving to photograph them. Autumn is by far the best time in North Texas. I may be a bit biased, but really, with colors like this, how can anyone disagree?

Pepper

Jill grew this pepper.

She is a badass.

That is all.

Hudson - Against The Grain

The stop animation makes me want to eat colored pencils for breakfast. So good!

Pic of the Week: Halloween

The pictures after Halloween are always the best.

Joni Cat

Lights

I took this at the Bright Eyes show a few months ago on my friend's powershot. I like it.

Sandals

These sandals and I travelled many places together. I got them at Old Navy a long time ago for only a few dollars. I thought they were ugly when I first got them but something kept me intrigued.

I wore the hell out of them and the rattier they got, the more I loved them.

I saved them from the trash once. I was up in New York and my uncle threw them away thinking they were garbage. I was pissed. He told me I needed to let them go. I said hell no and I dug them out and put them back on my feet and our romance continued.

I recently donated them to charity. I hope they made it through the screening process but even if they didn't, at least they had a good run.

Yup...these were a good pair of sandals -- one of the best pairs of sandals I've ever owned.

They will be missed.

Charlotte

POD October: Tuesday: 10/25/11

This month has been a month of ups and downs. Trying to figure out how to live is a battle. Oh well...at least I have my camera to help me. =)

Pic of the Day:

10/25/11-10/31/11

I'm learning how to balance myself right now. I'm finding out that it isn't too hard. It just takes practice and things definitely get easier if you put in the work.

Wednesday: 10/26/11

Wind chimes swing and sway,

Light and sound depict the wind.

Where did the day go?

Thursday: 10/27/11

Todd Bot and BB carved pumpkins and toasted the seeds!

Always a classic Halloween activity.

Friday: 10/28/11

I've been really excited about the cooler weather. Some years it feels like it will never come. It's always a relief when it starts to happen.