friday five :: the best of a new year :: greensboro wedding photographer

I knew the weather was supposed to get bad this afternoon, so I woke up this morning ready to get things done so that I could go to the post office and mail packages to some clients before the wintery mess began. I put on my heavy duty snow boots bought out of necessity when we lived in Erie, PA, threw on my ski jacket, and prepared to beat the snow and ice. Then, as my car warmed up in the garage, I decided to walk down to the mailbox and nearly died a cold, frozen death on my driveway that was now a solid sheet of ice. So much for Friday errands.

Thankfully, the forced time at home inspired me to write this post about some of the fun experiences and opportunities I've had so far this year. So this week's Friday Five is dedicated to just downright good things about January.

1. On Birthdays: I celebrated another birthday just a couple of weeks ago, and while it was super low-key, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Josh had class after work on the actual day, so we spent the whole weekend celebrating. We had dinner out with friends that Friday, Josh made red velvet cupcakes (and he even bought the Sprinkles brand mix... it's the next best thing to the real Sprinkles) on Saturday while I was gone for the day, and he fixed a real gourmet meal on Sunday, plus I got lots of beautiful messages, phone calls, and thoughtful gifts from so many friends and family. The whole day made me incredibly grateful for the people I have in my life these days and the things I've been able to accomplish over the past year, and I'm so excited for what this year holds in store!

2. On Dogs: Toward the end of last week, we got about two inches of snow here in NC, and boy, did Monty go CRAZY! This dog absolutely loves cold weather and everything that goes along with it, and while he usually isn't a big fan of fetching a ball, it was apparently really exciting in the snow. Josh took this video on his phone of our cute little Scottie fetching for about the 300th time that morning (please ignore by voice in the background... is that really what I sound like, people?)

3. On Fitness: A couple of weeks ago, in an effort to get healthy and try something new, I started taking a Bikram Yoga class (better known as hot yoga). Let's just say I have a real love/hate relationship with it. I feel like I'm going to legitimately pass out during nearly every class (who wouldn't trying to exercise in a 105 degree room?), but it really does have me feeling great, and I'm already seeing the health benefits of the class. I'm hoping that soon, the love will outweigh the hate.

4. On Books: Finally, after reading it for the longest time, I finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I have a bad habit of starting multiple books at once - one fiction, one self-improvement or other non-fiction, and one business - which means that it usually will take me forever to finish any of them. This book was definitely worth the read. While I'm not sure if I'll actually start my own full-fledged project, I've already applied alot of the concepts from the book to bring more joy to my day-to-day life.

5. On Learning: Last Wednesday, I had an amazing opportunity to go to the What's Next Tour in Charlotte put on by Justin and Mary Marantz. I got the chance to meet alot of really wonderful folks, and everything about the workshop was just what I needed to push forward through a bit of a funk and move my life and my business in the right direction. One of my favorite takeaways from the event was this: "Stop thinking of your dreams as opportunities, but instead as obligations". That one really hit home for me ... no more excuses!

What have been some of the highlights of 2013 for you so far?

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