My rock and my inspiration     f/4.2, 1/320 sec, ISO 400 Nikon Selfie     f/3.5, 1/125 sec, ISO 560 My family and I spent some much needed time together this past Memorial Day weekend. We made tons of wonderful memories. I am forever grateful for my family. Week Ten's theme, Friends

Our speedy Kat running a mile race    f/8.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 100 Finshing Rebecca's first 10K     f/9.0, 1/320 sec, ISO 100    Me and my runner girls   f/9.0, 1/400 sec, ISO 100 On Sunday, May 18th my family and I participated in a local race. Rebecca ran her first 10K with me and a friend--Amazing! And Kat ran the one mile, faster than ever--Spectacular!! My husband cheered us on, saving himself for his first triathlon on June 8th. We haven't always been active, but I am so proud of us for changing that. Week Nine's theme, Family

Mother & daughter   taken with iPhone When I chose this theme, I envisioned a scavenger hunt armed with my camera and the search for everyday magic, but I had difficulty finding the time to actively do this. But Rebecca and I did find these heart- shaped leaves on our way home from one of our training runs together.... extraordinary for so many reasons. Week Eight's theme, Active

Seeking comfort  f/4.0, 1/30 sec, ISO 1800  As I grieve the loss of my dad, I have been struggling to find peace and comfort. The emotions I am feeling are strong and painful, so my natural inclination is to protect myself from them. I find myself trying to numb the pain in various ways, including a few too many desserts here and there. And this is not really bringing me the comfort I need. I just end up frustrated and angry with myself each time I overdo it with the sweets. "True comfort never results in a shame spiral." ~Brené Brown More than ever, I need to remember that I find my true comfort in other places: Being creative Making art Photography Cooking for my family Running Writing Time with friends and family Taking action Sharing Listening to music Practicing yoga A warm cup of tea or coffee Organizing/cleaning my home A deep breath A good night's sleep Week Seven's theme, {Extra}ordinary

Honor f/8.0,  1/250 sec, ISO 200 With the recent death of my dad, it has been challenging to continue on with life as usual. With the stress of things, I had considered walking away from my 40 in 40 photo project, but after some consideration I think that would be a mistake.  My recent rediscovery of photography had been giving me a new outlet for expressing my feelings and I can use that more than ever right now.  In the one single month that I've had both my new camera and my dad, photography was also strengthening my connection to him. My dad had been an avid photographer for years and getting the new camera for my birthday brought photography back into the forefront. It was fun and exciting to share my photos and discoveries with him. So even though it's difficult and bittersweet, I am going to push myself to continue my photo project. Last week I never decided on a theme, since I had no idea what to expect from the week. But then the theme picked me: Honor. Honor