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26; May 18; wife, cat mom; foodie, designer, blogger, knitter, yarn junkie, Wordpress guru, geek extreme; Mac connoisseur and Instagram addict.
Happy 2012!
I just wanted to post and wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year.
For all those who had less than savory 2011′s, may 2012 bring you everything you missed and more.
Also, for #resound11, we were asked to make a post with all of the links to our #resound11 posts. So here are all mine:
As you can see, the majority of my #reverb11 posts came from #resound11. But hey, the point is, I had a lot of fun with it this year.
Or last year, as it were. 
I am a sad panda.
Today is the last day of the #reverb11 project. That being said, the prompt for today comes from the folks over at Geekin’ Hard:
Reflect - Take a moment to think back on your reverb11 responses. Have you learned anything? What surprised you about this experience? Which of your responses was your favourite?
When I look back on #reverb11 this year, and compare it to #reverb10, this year was so much better. I admit, I was sad and annoyed when I received the inevitable email from Gwen Bell two days before #reverb11 was supposed to start about her stepping down and not doing it. But what I loved was all of the efforts to step up and make it a better #reverb11. Even though it was all done in a hurry and there wasn’t much planning involved, I definitely think this was a lot better this time around.
The variety of prompts, between all of the people writing them, was fantastic. I liked being able to pick and choose from various bloggers, such as Jaemie over at #resound11, Rebecca at Relish Life, Geekin’ Hard, and #WeVerb11. There was some overlap sometimes, but I found that if I went to another prompt writer, I’d find something I could get behind. So I want to thank them all for their wonderful contributions to the #reverb11 community.
I loved being able to rant more this time around. Not that I wasn’t able to last year, but last year’s prompts just seemed to be so forced. This year, I felt like I was blogging with a purpose, which is what it’s all about in my opinion. I could talk about anything, and I felt more comfortable about it. The #reverb11 project brought out some new thoughts for 2012, and it’s making me really look forward to the new year!
I am really really hoping that this community prospers into next year. I would hate to see it die a painful death like it almost did this time around. I may try my hand at some prompts next year, who knows. All I know is, I hope that this time next year, I’ll be wrapping up #reverb12.
Thanks for a great December, and I hope your 2012 is amazing. Happy new year everyone! <3
Today’s #reverb11/#resound11 prompt comes from Hope over at besottment:
What was the most important, or potent, lesson you leanred in 2011? Who or what taught it to you? How will you use what you have learned in the future?
(damn! another prompt setup that I didn’t find until the second to last day!)
I learned a lot of important lessons in 2011, but there was just one in particular that stuck with me, even though it came to me toward the end of the year. I know I’ve talked about it before in previous posts, but not everyone reading my blog now have read my previous posts, so I will talk about it yet again.
My photography teacher, John Perez, and I had a meeting shortly after Thanksgiving about my experience in my PHOT 109 class (advanced studio lighting techniques). I had been worried and upset about what was happening in the class, and I was extremely worried for my grade. He basically told me that I needed to stop letting the letter grade define me, because it was the work produced that speaks for itself.
When it comes to school, especially college, I have strived to do the best I possibly could each semester. But when it comes to photography classes, my focus has shifted to making sure that I provide quality work at the end of the class, rather than coming out on top with an A. If I know what I’m doing, and I am using all of the techniques I’ve learned in the class, than the work at the end will speak for itself. I may have a disagreement with an instructor, especially if they give me grades and don’t explain why they gave me what they gave me. But at the end of the day, I’m not out to impress anyone else other than those that want to hire me. Sure, you could argue that the instructor is the “client” and if you don’t make him happy, than you won’t make any other client happy. But I learned this past semester that it’s subjective. Just because your instructor may not like it doesn’t mean no one else will.
So from here on out, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
(I had started to write this yesterday, but I didn’t get home until after 1am. In my defense, it’s still Thursday on the west coast…)
Wow, it’s hard to believe that December has gone by so fast! Two more days of #reverb11 et al, and it seems like it just started yesterday.
Today’s #reverb11/#resound11 prompt comes from Jaemie over at #resound11:
Letting go can be hard. We get comfortable in our current situation. We have a tendency to repeat the same behaviors and patterns even when we know they are not in our best interest. Sometimes we hold on to relationships, dreams, feelings, or stuff just because we can’t let go.
But letting go sometimes is what we need to do.
What did you let go of in 2011? What was the experience like? How is your life different today? Do you ever regret it?
If not, is there something that you need to let go of in 2012? What scares you about that possibility? What situation do you need to create for that to happen?
Hmm…
The majority of the last three and a half years, I would like to erase from my memory. One of my biggest mistakes in life (aside from my previous marriages) was moving back to Indiana.
Granted, there were a few good things that came out of being here. One, I wouldn’t have met and married Mr. Fox (although we’re convinced that we would have been brought together even if I didn’t come here, as we discovered we may have crossed paths before), and I wouldn’t have reconnected with an old friend from high school.
Unfortunately though, my time here in Indy has been filled with as much upset, if not more, than my time spent in Arizona. Which, previously, had been my other biggest mistake. I’ve been let down more times than I can count. I’ve been chewed up by people close to me that had no right to do so. I’ve lost friends over the stupidest things (though I suppose they were never friends to begin with). I’ve had my share of unsavory people enter and exit my life. I’ve put up with a bunch of crap.
A lot of my Indiana friends give me crap about my dislike for being here. Well, yeah, I hate it. I’m sorry if that offends people, especially those who have been there all their life. I am most definitely *not* a Hoosier. I may have lived here for a few years, but I absolutely don’t belong here.
I am Jersey born and Philly phlavored. And I can’t WAIT to let Indiana go. It shall be a painless break up.
Today’s #reverb11/#resound11 prompt comes from the folks over at Geekin’ Hard:
Forgiveness - What’s one thing do you need to forgive yourself for this year?
A Letter to my Body – by Esther Fox
Dear body,
I am sorry that I’ve treated you pretty crappy over the last twelve months.
We were doing really good, you and I. I took you to the gym every morning and we spent time doing circuits and planks. Ohhh, remember those planks? They felt so good didn’t they? Oh and, how about those pilate balls? Sometimes you would kvetch about being stretched over those for long periods of time, but we worked through it. Ab crunches and free weights, those felt amazing. And the results we were seeing were equally amazing.
In 2010, much to your dismay, I stopped feeding you soda, primarily Diet Coke. You complained for a bit, and tried to get me to go back to it, but I stuck with it for over a year. It’s a shame we took that trip this past May to Philly, and I let you have that Diet Coke. It was all downhill from there. In my defense, we haven’t been drinking nearly as much of it as we were before we stopped in 2010.
I know you liked those morning walks we’d have with my mom at the gym. You were especially excited when I bought that heart rate monitor, so that we could see exactly how many calories we were burning. But unfortunately, money got tight, and we had to give up my gym membership. I know it was a mistake, but it was something that couldn’t be helped.
Body, I am making a promise to you. In 2012, we’re going to go back to the gym. Sure, we may have to start over from the very beginning, but it’s just you, me and the heart rate monitor. Back to basics. No more soda. Healthier choices. Real food. Three meals a day. And most importantly, I promise to treat you to a little TLC every now and then. I know your skin is dry and crackly, but I will fix it with some lotion. And maybe even some bubble baths, if you’re good.
For now, let’s just finish off 2011 so we can get to 2012. I hope you can forgive me for what I’ve put you through, because I am so excited to see what’s in store for us!
Love always,
Esther
