Project 52 {4}

Happy weekend friends!

January just doesn't seem to slow down! This week was a very hectic work week (two photo shoots plus day long media meetings). As much as I groan about being so busy, the truth is I quite enjoy it. 

One of my favorite parts of the day is the five to ten minutes before my train arrives in the morning. I grab a latte to go and have a moment to myself before starting my morning commute (I love living and working in San Francisco!) With that in mind, here's this week's installment!

Photo by K. Mears

Check out my fellow Project 52 friends: Styleberry Blog, Wicked Kate and What We're Sayin.

Project 52 {3}

Happy weekend friends!

I'm ready to put this week behind me, anyone else? Sometimes, it's best to just look forward, even if my participation in Project 52 stemmed from the idea of being present. I'm just going to let it go this one time. Onwards and upwards!

Because it's been a tough week, it was difficult to come up with an appropriate installment of Project 52 since my theme is "makes me happy." But I was able to look past my challenges and come up with something I feel is quite suitable. Have a look!

Photo by  K. Mears

There are many others around the blogosphere doing Project 52, here are a few you may want to check out: Styleberry Blog, Wicked Kate and What We're Sayin.

Project 52 {2}

Happy Friday friends!

Here's this week's installment of Project 52. My dear friend is visiting from Michigan this weekend and we had an amazing day enjoying the city. The best part was that she reminded me of the importance of long chats and laugh attacks! There's just something about friends that you've known since you were a kid.

There are many others around the blogosphere doing Project 52, here are a few you may want to check out: Styleberry Blog, Wicked Kate and What We're Sayin.

Photo by K & J Mears

Butternut Squash Soup

Photo by K. Mears

After watching Food, Inc. over the holiday break, Jay and I have become very committed to buying most of our produce and meat from our local Farmers' Market. We have a weekly Farmers' Market just blocks away, so it's hard to admit that we don't visit it nearly as much as we should!

Visiting the Farmers' Market is such a great way to truly know what is in season. Just this past weekend, I was surprised to find butternut squash at the market. I typically think of butternut squash as more of a fall season item, something that appears around Thanksgiving. But I suppose it must be in season if the Farmers' Market is selling it, right?

Since I found the squash, I couldn't' resist the opportunity to make some soup! I found a really simple recipe here on the Sweet Fine Day blog. The recipe calls for apples, which I didn't use this time around, but it sounds like an interesting addition.

The recipe makes 4-6 servings, so it's a good one to make on a Sunday evening and eat throughout the week! Enjoy!

New Year, New Project

I've been reflecting for awhile on starting a new project for 2012, so I was thrilled when I came across a great idea for a personal project on Styleberry Blog. It is called Project 52.

The premise of the project is that you select a theme and post a photo every week (plus small description) for the full 52 weeks of the year. Shawna, the author of Styleberry Blog, did her 2011 Project 52 on the theme of motherhood. She's a professional photographer so her images are really beautiful. In fact, she's going to put all of her images together to create a coffee table book. I think that's a fabulous idea and I definitely would love to do that as well!

For my Project 52, I've chosen the theme "makes me happy." It's so easy to get ahead of yourself and overlook the things that make you happy right in front of you in the moment. This project will give me a gentle reminder of all the things that are worth being thankful for right now, both small and large. I tend to hang on to the past and be in a rush for the future, but this year, I want to focus on being present! I think my project will be a great tool to help me achieve better balance and will be a fun collection to mark 2012.

So since this is the official first week of 2012, here's my first official installment of my Project 52 (I'm hoping my photography skills improve with time and practice). Hope you like it (also, check out Styleberry Blog's 2012 Project 52)!

Photo by K & J Mears

Happy Holidays!

Photo by J. Mears

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays! Jay and I are super lucky to be able to be in Michigan with our family and friends for a full week. We are definitely in relaxation mode and we are savoring every minute of it!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and quality time with your loved ones! See you in the new year!

Weekend Wishes, Holiday Edition

Image source unknown

Happy Friday friends! Today Jay and I experienced a bit of a Christmas miracle!

We started our journey from San Francisco to Grand Rapids, Michigan last night knowing that we had a very tight connection in Minneapolis. Our flight left San Francisco on time and arrived in Minneapolis on time, but two planes were blocking our gate when we arrived because they were getting de-iced. So there we were, on the tarmac, as time ticked away and our 40 minutes turned to less than 20.

The flight attendants were fantastic (our first stroke of luck) and told anyone who's final destination was Minneapolis to stay put and allow those with connections to exit first. Jay and I took that as our cue and raced out of the plane. We were at gate F and we needed to get to A with just 15 minutes left of our layover. We ran for it. It was more of a walk-run since we had just woken up from our 3.5 hour red-eye sleep, but we gave it our all.

We were beginning to think we were doomed and that we weren't going to make it. We had been running for awhile and were exhausted, only to find that we were still two terminals away. But that's when we saw him. A tall burley man, beard and all in overalls and a fluorescent vest. He asked us where we were headed, we told him gate A. He directed us to the tram and hopped on with us. Then he asked what gate we were running to, and we told him A2. And that's when we got our Christmas miracle. He reached for his radio and called out, "alpha two, we've got two runners, can you hold the doors for a few more minutes." And they did!

I don't know his name, but I'll never forget his random act of kindness. His kind gesture made such a difference in my and Jay's day. Had he been indifferent, Jay and I could still be sitting in the Minneapolis airport right now trying to make our way home through who knows what kind of standby situation. But instead, we are home with our family soaking up all the fun that comes along with the holidays!

Have a wonderful weekend with your family!