32 Things to do Before 33: Read a Self Help Book

One of my goals before my next birthday is to read a self help book. It took some time for me to find one that I was drawn to. I considered reading some of the popular titles that are out right now but didn't pull the trigger for some reason.

A few days ago while we were shopping in the PX I came across 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn't Quit. The title was enough for me to stop and scan the table of contents. I'm glad I did.

This book has been such an easy read. It has been helpful and I have been able to truly think about pushing past excuses and obstacles to see commitments and goals all the way through. I wouldn't consider myself a quitter per se but like everyone else I will stop, cut off or flat out ignore things that I find to be inefficient, of no value or boring.

What I didn't consider before this book is that when I cease to see things through (for whatever reason) I am robbing myself of a blessing. It may be a lesson learned, experience, a new friend or possibly something that leads to income at the end of something I didn't think was worth my time or energy.

I have always believed that nothing in life is by chance. Everything that comes into our lives has a purpose. So when God places a dream in our hearts, a thought in our minds or the desire to try something new we must see it through to the end even when we don't "want" to.

I recommend that anyone who sees themselves as a quitter, doubter, over-thinker or someone who tows the line between doing all the things and planning to do all the things but never does any of them read this book. It has given me a better perspective on sticking things out when I feel like they no longer serve my purpose.

I also just wanted to share the book I use for daily devotion again because I get asked on snapchat a couple times a week for the name and title. I use The Women's Devotional Guide to the Bible by Jean E. Syswerda.

What are you reading right now? Do you regret quitting anything?

32 Things to do Before 33: 6 Month Check-In

Today during our visit with the hematologist I realized that February is six months away. When she told us we didn't have to come back for six months (yay!) I counted out the months and it was FEBRUARY!

My birthday month! I'm not one of those people that celebrates my birthday for an extended period of time but I do believe that birthday are our own personal new years. So every year I try to start fresh and use what I learned from the year before to be a better me.

Dinner in Vegas at Prime overlooking the Bellagio Fountains on my 30th birthday

I started out my thirties with a trip to Vegas and I am determined to continue riding that high for the rest of this decade. So if you remember I made my list of 32 things to do before turning 33 a while back. To be honest, I have actually completed some of these items but since they weren't documented here we'll all agree that it doesn't count.

The young people say it didn't really happen if it wasn't shared on the world wide web so I guess we'll apply that rule here.

Is there something that you want to do before your next birthday or the New Year? It's not too late to set some new goals and dream some new dreams! 

My goal for the upcoming week is to start waking up early enough to have morning bible study, journal and workout. Those are a few things off my list that I would love to start making time for daily. Wish me luck!

32 Before 33: Learn Photography & Valentine's Day Recap (Sort of)

I've never been the type of girl that was overly excited about Valentine's Day. Even when I was younger I thought it was silly for girls to walk around school with all that crap. I mean, what do you do with a teddy bear that has "Valentine's Day 2002" sewn into the foot years after the fact?

Or even in 2003? Do you throw it away? Where does little teddy end up? So I was never a teddy bear or candy girl but I have always loved beautiful red roses. I also really love the inexpensive carnation daisy bouquets you can get at Walmart and the grocery store. They really make my one hundred year old military base housing kitchen look so much better.

Because my husband was sweet enough to buy me a camera for my birthday last week and roses this week for Valentine's Day I thought I'd put the two together. I was initially shooting in auto then I fumbled my way to a menu that allowed you to select some advanced auto options. For these photos I used the "bright photo" setting in my camera and I altered the setting just a tad. (I do realize that photographers will want to know all the numbers behind my pics - I'll start jotting them down to get some feedback from you all.)

I took these pictures in my somewhat dark but bright at the same time kitchen. For the background I used two white poster boards that were positioned in an "L" shape.

I also played around with another setting that allowed the camera to blur the background. The shot below ended up being one of my favorites.

The rest of these pictures have what I assume photogs refer to as noise? (Cause that was a question...) I can't remember what setting these were done on or what I may have done differently but they came out like they had been filtered.

Over the weekend I picked up a tripod. I'm still on the hunt for a wireless shutter. They have been sold out every where that I'm willing to drive to. I may have to break down and order it one on Amazon but I kinda want it right now so I'll try one or two more places before Amazon gets me for $35. 

My ultimate goal is to be shooting in manual mode so I'm trying to ease my way into that from the beginning. I actually took pics of the Valentine's Day dinner I made but I wasn't happy with how they turned out. I made garlic butter salmon, steak and salad. It looked delicious in real life but not in my pics. Any tips for me? 

32 Before 33: Learn Photography

Today was so busy. I chaperoned a field trip for Savannah's class. It was our first field trip. I think she had a blast. We both did.

After the field trip was over I came home to pump, eat lunch and take a break before school pick up. During my break I decided to research cameras. Something about having another baby made me feel like it was time to invest in a grown up camera. I also want to be able to create pretty pictures for this blog.

I took a photography class my senior year of high school. The only thing I remember from that class was struggling to develop film in the dark room. We did some pretty cool lessons in that class though. We once made a camera out of a box. I recall being impressed.

After going back and forth between Nikon and Canon I decided to go with Nikon. My budget for a camera was pretty modest. Like with anything else I wanted to get the most for my money so I decided to get a bundle that included the camera, a bag and two lenses. (As I'm writing this I realize that Best Buy didn't give me my free Shutterfly 8x8 book. They will see me tomorrow.)

At my price point I feel that this was a great choice for a beginner. 

The camera also came with access to the Nikon School and image editing software. I plan to get a tripod and a shutter remote soon. One of my goals for 2016 is to send out Christmas cards so I need to perfect the whole tripod, distance and remote use thing. 

It took me some time to get the courage to spend this much money on myself. I'm looking forward to learning a new hobby. Hopefully the images will get a lot prettier around here.

Have you invested in yourself lately? Know of any photography groups I should look into?

32 Things to do Before 33 : BIRTHDAY Countdown

Remember when I did the 31 things to do before 32? Well I didn't actually do it but I blogged about wanting to do it. My year got kind of thrown off when I got pregnant and I forgot all about my little list of things to do.

Thank God for do-overs. And birthdays.

Here I am again celebrating another birthday (on Super Bowl Sunday, #keeppounding)! I'll be 32 on February 7th and I am very excited. For some reason I get excited about my birthday now more than I ever did when I was younger. This year is especially special because the Carolina Panthers are playing in Super Bowl 50 (and Beyoncé is back in the halftime show!)! 

I was born and raised in the Carolinas so I'll be watching the game and celebrating my birthday at the same time.

Anyway - I thought I would create another list of things to do before my next birthday. A mix of some of my old goals and new goals too - here is all I want to do, see and experience before turning 33...

1. Watch the sunrise
2. Learn photography
3. Go to a concert
4. Learn to braid
5. Journal 

6. Get a massage

7. Paint my nails every week

8. Cut my hair

9. Volunteer for a good cause

10. Speak in public

11. Be kind and Give grace

12. Complete 32 random (or not so random) acts of kindness

13. Social media fast

14. Plant a small garden in containers

15. Read a novel

16. Read a self help book

17. Complete Bible Study

18. Color more

19. Paint a picture

20. Fix sewing machine and use it

21. Send a letter (or two or three)

22. Mail out Christmas cards

23. Discover a new place

24. Stand next to the ocean (or an equally beautiful large body of water)

25. Join a Pilates class

26. Practice Yoga

27. Take a dance class

28. Run a 5K

29. Take my husband on a date

30. Host a Thanksgiving dinner

31. Pray more. Worry less. Love hard.

32. Watch the sunset

Have you ever done a birthday bucket list before? What would be on your list?