It's hard to believe we're almost to the end of February. Is it just me or does time seem to be speeding up - like warp speed? Maybe it gets faster when you have kids because Nora has changed so much lately, it's hard to believe! So with the new year comes new goals: I'm super pumped for 2018 and what it has in store, and I'm excited to share with y'all what I hope to get up to this year. Herrrrre we go!
1. Take three photography classes - I'm about to wrap up my first class (Mastering Manual Exposure) this week! I've learned so much in just a few short weeks and am totally hooked. I know I want to continue to take more classes and keep on learning. My next class will probably be an editing class and beyond that, who knows! But what I do know is that I'm excited. I took my class through Click Photo School and I highly recommend them! Here's a few photos I've taken for my class that are straight from my camera (no editing or filters!).
2. To continue with the photography theme: I want to shoot (at least!) four practice sessions. The only way to truly hone my skills is to practice, practice, practice! Of course I practice on Nora and Jonathan all the time, but actually going out for a real shoot is what's going to further my skills. I had my first practice session last week while we were in San Diego. I took newborn photos of my new nephew, Jordy (see my last blog post for some of my fave shots from our shoot). We had so much fun during the session and I can't wait to do more. Calling all Oki friends, who's willing to let me practice on you?!?!
Seriously, how beautiful is my sister-in-law?! She's totally glowing!
3. Take {at least!} four trips to mainland Japan. The past year and a half we've done a lot of traveling, but most of it was outside of Japan. This year we really want to focus on mainland Japan. We haven't finalized our list yet, but we're thinking: Hokkaido, Tokyo, Nagano and Kyoto (again, we didn't see enough the last time we went!). We can't wait to explore more of mainland!
4. Visit one new place in Okinawa each month. For a tiny little island, Okinawa has a lot to offer and we have only scratched the surface. We tend to stick to the places we know (creatures of habit, I know!), but now that Nora is more agreeable in the car, we can venture farther out and take longer trips. So now we're making an Okinawa bucket list of must-sees on the island before we leave. Oki friends, any places we have to see and visit while we're here? In January we hiked in Onna, visited the Cosmos fields in Kin, and saw the cherry blossoms in Nago.
View from our hike in Onna
5. Heal my knee while keeping active. Goodness this whole getting old business is the pits! I've been struggling with knee problems for the last few months - so frustrating. We thought it might be a meniscus tear, but the MRI didn't show a tear (which is good news, but a bummer that we still don't have a definite answer). Probably just a severe case of tendonitis, but man is it causing me trouble and just pissing me off in general. Because most of y'all know me pretty well, you know that I have to move my body regularly. I'm just a happier person and better mom and wife when I exercise. Since I haven't been able to run, I've starting going to spin class in the mornings. It's definitely a struggle to wake up at 4:45 in the morning, but it's the perfect way to start my day. I want to make sure I keep that up and also add in a yoga class on the weekend as well. Some of my problems could be because I need to limber up my legs again, and what better way to do that than yoga class?! And I need to commit to physical therapy. I've been creating all sorts of excuses for not going, but I'd rather do anything I can to avoid a cortisone injection or scoping my knee. It sounds like dry needling to could be a good option, anyone out there have experience with dry needling (particularly in the knee?).
That's what I'm working on for 2018. I'm going to put out a 5 year goal as well. My palms are sweaty just thinking about sharing it, but what's a big goal if it doesn't scare you, right? In 5 years I want to do a shoot for a children's brand. I love to shop small and I follow so many small kids clothing businesses on Instagram. It would be my DREAM to shoot for one of their releases. Eeekkk! What are you working towards in 2018 (and beyond!)?
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