31 kindly subtracted 10 to make 21 years this month. Yes, that's right I turned the big twenty-one. It's really quite odd when I think about it. It feels like just yesterday I was watching my mom write letters on the typewriter on the kitchen table or talking to my dad on the phone while twirling the long beige phone cord around my fingers and toes. I still remember the moment I sat on the veeeery edge of my parent's bed bouncing with excitement as my dad brought home our very first Packard-Bell computer. Or when I unwrapped my first American Girl doll in the living room in front of our old tv that (shock!) had an antenna and volume and channel nobs on the front instead of a remote.

I didn't know what I wanted then and I think I'd be lying if I said I really do now. But what I do know is that right now God's given me a job that I deeply love and a subject at school that gets me excited every class. And in both those cases it's photography! I could honestly see myself doing this forever. I know I'm not the best photographer alive, but I'm ok with that. I'm doing what I love for people that I love and I LOVE that.

So, for all my readers and my past and present clients: thank you for making these past few years so special. Thanks for supporting me in my business and giving me so many "happy sigh" moments at my job. You really are the best.

Love,
Lydia

Have you ever had a number that just seems to follows you around?
Well, apparently the number 31 and I have a close friendship these days. It's seriously everywhere. Every time I look at the clock it's 11:31, 2:31, 7:31, and on and on. Haha, sweet. I just looked and I have 31% battery life left on my laptop. See what I mean?

I'm not superstitious so I don't look for a "meaning" in this friendly little number, but I do get quite a bit of enjoyment out of him. If you follow me around long enough in the day you may even hear me yell "31!" from around the corner or down the hall. That's because I like acknowledging his presence. It's like a on-going joke with myself.

I guess maybe that's why I keep a folder on my computer of random favorite photos I've taken throughout the years. I like remembering things that have made me smile. They're not "blog worthy" photos or even really something my clients might enjoy, just a little something that made me happy at the time. I'm a huge advocate of taking in the "little things" and remembering them. Like driving to a wedding and seeing a man walking down the street wearing a kilt. :)

Or seeing this while walking into a church.

Yeeeah, I'm one of those girls who keeps old ticket stubs and name tags and stickers. I love when I arrive at a wedding reception for a wedding I'm shooting and see my name on a place card. If I don't slip it into my bag as a keepsake, I definitely take a photo if it. It reminds me how thankful I am for my job and how much I love what I do.

Because lets be honest, it's so much easier to complain about little, insignificant things than be thankful for them. That's why I'm starting with the number 31. I'm thankful for it because it reminds me that there's a million other things throughout my day I just don't stop and take time to notice and thank God for. Like a hug from my brother while I'm editing, a green light when I'm late for a meeting, or a lovely cup of tea after a hard day of school.

"Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants." Psalm 119 says that by God's appointment the earth stands fast. So, because he wills it I receive all the "little things" from Him and as a gift. He's in complete control of even the smallest things and has been from generation to generation. Praise Jesus! That is no little thing.