365 Project: Day 100

I woke up this morning to find my car encased in a block of ice. The doors were even frozen shut. I'm looking out the window at it right now. I don't want to go outside in this mess. I hate winter, I hate being cold, I hate snow, and I hate scraping the ice off of my car. I can't wait until Spring. 

This is Day 100 of my 365 project and I feel like I have just barely made it. I have been so incredibly busy and exhausted lately that this project has sadly started to fall through the cracks. There are just not enough hours in the day to get everything finished and eat and be social and sleep and maybe even shower once in a while. However, I love this project and I am going to try my hardest to finish it. I may not be able to take a picture every single day, but I will take 365 pictures by the end of it.

It amazes me the response I get when I'm not posting every day. I get emails, comments, I'll randomly run into people I know who ask me why they haven't seen a new entry lately. I had no idea that people were really paying attention to what I was doing. But, I must admit, I miss it too. I promise I will try harder. 

365 Project: Day 44

I'm feeling really exposed lately. Its sort of cold and lonely out here. I think most of you would be surprised to hear this, but I'm a really private person. There are very few people that I truly confide in and I don't let my feelings out very often. That's why I keep a journal. I'm much more comfortable keeping things to myself and writing them down where they are protected from the world.

Since I started this project I feel myself slowly opening up. But all of a sudden it has occurred to me that I have exposed myself. I am letting people into my life. Writing for this project has been more of a personal challenge than I ever imagined it could be. It wasn't even part of the original plan. But once I started taking pictures, I felt the need to explain them. And because I have chosen to do so on the internet, there are potentially millions of people who can see me and who can read about what I'm thinking and going through in my life. I find that incredibly invasive and honestly, very terrifying. I have this nagging urge to retreat and pull back into my shell. But the fact that I am afraid only proves to me that this is worth it and I have to keep going. If for nothing else, then for the sake of personal growth and pushing my own limits.

Off the Beaten Path - New Fine Art Prints Available!

I hope everyone is having a splendid Monday!  I am counting down the days until my Christmas vacation.  I can't wait to sleep in, open presents, eat a delicious meal (that I am preparing, by the way), and watch A Christmas Story for a full 24 hours!

There is a new addition to my Etsy shop today. I took this image while standing on the edge of a pecan orchard at the peak of winter.  My fingers were so cold I could barely even push the button. 

"Off the Beaten Path"

I could wander through these winter-worn trees all day.

Quote for the day:

"If a path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads."

 -- Anatole France