Dreaming Big....workshop

Last weekend I went to San Antonio, TX for a i heart faces photography workshop!  It was inspiring to say the least.  It was exciting to be around other women who share a passion for life through their lens.

It was a wonderful weekend in which I nurtured my soul as a photographer.

The workshop set up stylized photo shots......first, little red riding hood= amazing!

And a shoot with a true beauty......

Is it wrong that now all I want to photograph are gorgeous 

"anthropologie-esque" women who know how to be in front of a camera?  

It was crazy fun....

and the extra bonus is I get to check off #30 "take a photography workshop" from the 

40-before-40   list!   

Outside my comfort zone....

This is me....at a pulpit....giving a sermon.

I know...weird!  It was a surreal experience, for sure.  But now that it is behind me I am so glad I had the opportunity to push myself.  For me, this is REALLY outside my comfort zone.  First of all, it is public speaking.  yuck.   I have always have dreaded it all the way back to communications class in high school.   Really, really dread it.    

Second, I am speaking in a church to a congregation (3 times!) about my "calling" to AIDS Walk Africa and our adoption.  Speaking about my personal journey and spirituality.   I am almost too tired to explain all of that..(more here:gentle-nudges)...but for me this is big.  I have for so long struggled with my own spirituality, the constraints of organized religion and the literally interpretations of the bible.

It is only recently that I have come to understand the role of religion in my life, for my family and my own personal growth.  It is good where I am at today...the struggles aren't completely gone, but I am at more peace with it than ever.  I feel much more at peace about religion and understanding its place in my life...I am even embracing it.  

So, standing in front of a congregation talking about my spiritual calling was meaningful.  The process of writing the sermon was cathartic, it opened my eyes to how God has worked in my life despite my resistance.  It is remarkable really.....how god "nudged me" for years about Africa, about adoption and how those journeys were all intertwined.  How I received the call when I finally could hear it.   Certainly, I continue to be a work in progresss, but am grateful for the presence I feel in my life today. 

Today was  way outside my comfort zone.  And so I am officially crossing off:

#38:Do something outside of my comfort zone  &

#13:  Service the church

from my "40 before 40" list.  

2 for one....double bonus points

I am smiling as I type this.....just makes me happy.

P.S.  Isn't my church (St. John's United Church of Christ) just so pretty? The wood, the organ pipes.  There is so much more to show that isn't in this shot....there are stained glass windows surrounding to "ooh and ahh" over.   Not that a church being pretty matters....well, to most.  it does to me and I love that part of going to this church.

40 before 40

40 before 40!

I am excited to be turning 40 on July 19, 2013.  I love where I am at in my life and want to embrace it.  Because I am super visual I really enjoy seeing things right before my eyes.  And so I have decided to try and accomplish 40 things before I turn 40.

Why try to accomplish these goals in the next 2 year and 3 months!?  I think more than anything, because it will just feel good.  There is also the fact that as a full time stay at home mother that it is easy for your "sense of self" to get lost in the everyday tasks.  In addition to giving to the growth and development of my family, I also want to nurture my passions, ideas and hopes.   The "40 before 40"be just that a way to focus on myself and not let those ideas get lost in the everyday shuffle of life as a Mom.

I have scraps of paper with the 40 scribbled...and will be entering the 40 onto an individual page in this journal.  I love owls and this owl is looking straight into my soul, asking "have you been thinking about yourself and your 40 before 40?

Actually, I have been thinking of the 40 for a long time, wrote the scrap paper list months ago and have started making efforts toward them already.  I will journal about the 40 in the owl journal and hope to keep track of some of my progress here as well.

And so, I present to you Jennifer's 40 before 40:

1.  re-establish transcendental mediation practice
2.  learn to ride a horse
3.  host an open studio show with art friends
4.  complete Ethiopia series
5.  have a totally unplugged weekend
6.  long family weekend at boat house
7.  surprise Andy
8.  Run 10K race
9.  go Latin dancing
10.  girls weekend- uninterrupted
11.  finish Studio space
12.  transfer videos to DVD format
13.  service to the church    3-20-2011  service the church
14. reach out to those in need with the kids
15.  alone time with each child for 24 hours
16.  locks of love hair donation
17.  host neighborhood party
18.  get lean, fit and to goal weight
19.  take kids to Disney
20.  go on a ski trip
21.  N.Y.C. to see a Broadway show
22.  visit Washington D.C. with Jud & Drew
23.  spa day with the ladies
24.  finish baby books
25.  complete wooden puzzle and learn to sew a pillow (puzzle post to come)
26.  explore a new art medium
27.  grow a garden with the kids and eat from it
28.  take all the kids on a bike ride
29.  make pickles and learn how to can them
30.  take a photography workshop  
31.  redecorate bedroom
32.  declutter the house and have a garage sale
33.  take bob the bulldog to training
34.  art show in Madison
35.  sponsor an ET child
36.  make a favorite recipe binder
37.  go on a yoga retreat
38.  do something outside my comfort zone    outside-my-comfort-zone
39.  grow out nails
40.  write the children's book with Mom
Then celebrate the first 40 years... BIG!


Of course, this list could change....most likely will here and there.  But to start these are the 40!