i have a dream

It’s a day off for me…yippeee!  Amidst all of the working I am doing (since I feel I truly never get a day off) I am taking some time out to blog and reflect.  The paint store can wait, the groceries can wait, the cleaning can wait, the editing can wait, the lessons can wait…ok must stop.

On Friday in my class (for those who don’t know I teach Kindergarten full time all day everyday and LOVE it) we talked about Martin Luther King Jr.  I read a story and spoke to the children about the importance of our “day off” that was coming.  I wanted them to understand that while we can have fun and play and just enjoy some time to do whatever we want, that there is meaning behind this day.  None of them knew (or remembered) who Martin Luther King Jr. was so I started with a blank canvas in terms of telling his story.  As we spoke about the life of Dr. King, the students had many insightful and pointed questions.  They could not imagine that at one time others were unable to have the same chances and opportunities because of the color of their skin.  The students had a sense of pride as they learned that Dr. King stood up for others and wanted everyone to be treated in a fair and just way.  They grasped in their own 5 and 6 year old way (and believe me that is pretty deep) the importance of one voice that cried out for peace, equality, and honoring each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.  We talked about Martin’s childhood and how he used what he had learned as a child to help better the world around him.  We of course touched on Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech and  the March on Washington and how people stood together for justice.  We learned that his speech changed history and allowed men and women everywhere to know that there indeed is hope, opportunity and life to be lived to the fullest and that each and EVERY person is entitled to the dream of a better tomorrow.

What is your dream for a better tomorrow?  We ALL have dreams.  Some of us work on making our dreams reality, some of us hang back doing nothing to further our course convinced they will never happen, and some of us are stuck somewhere in the middle.   Many of us have dreams that for some reason or other we have held back from.  Perhaps someone is saying “you can never do that” or “you’re not good enough.”  Perhaps it is we ourselves who hold us back from the dreams that grow deep within.  Held back by fear, doubt, or the voice inside that will not be silenced.  From the smallest of hopes to the largest desires our dreams are within our grasp if we but reach out and take hold.  Taking hold might be the hardest step.  It is easy to have a dream but to make it come true…well that’s where it gets more challenging.  That is something I am working on in 2012—taking ACTION and hold of my DREAMS.  I call my dreams GOALS.

So on this day we remember Martin Luther King Jr. for his inspiration, his life and his legacy.  Many of us will never know what it feels like to be treated in ways of those who came before but if we reach out to our fellow man and show him dignity and respect then we can help Dr. King’s message live on.  We are ALL God’s children and we are ALL worthy.  I would like to end with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. King: “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”  What powerful words.   I whole heartedly embrace them.  Have FAITH  that anything you can imagine can become reality…DREAM BIG!

The photo above is one I took of sweet lil’ Miss Nora yesterday. I wonder what she is dreaming about…I know Nora is going to dream BIG!

~ xo mel ~

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30 is the new 20

Have you heard?  30 is the new 20.  I have been saying this for awhile now and am proud to welcome Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton into the ranks of those in this sweet decade of life.  The 30′s are great because you have (hopefully) learned from the mistakes of your 20′s yet you still have the sense that the world is your oyster with many possibilities yet to achieve.  With age definitely comes wisdom and Kate is I am sure wise beyond her years.  I hear Kate had a very low key celebration.  My kind of girl.  I didn’t celebrate my 30th with any big hoopla or pomp and circumstance either.  Just proceeded quietly into them.  Much more on Kate to come in the days ahead.  I have pretty much adored her since she came onto the scene.  She is one of my favorite style icons so you know I already have a post with that ready to share sometime soon.   Kate made it UBERcool to be brunette and now she is making UBERfab to be 30.

Birthday Blessings Kate!

  ~xo mel~

 

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do more

DO MORE . That is what this life is all about isn’t it?  An opportunity to be our best selves each day.  A chance to literally DO MORE in every sense of the word.  Whether that be personally, professionally, in relationships, within one’s own spirit.  Doing more is always a goal.  I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with all of life’s possibilities and the chance I have to do more each and every moment.  I honestly can say it is a journey I embrace with fervor.  Sometimes I feel accomplished in my quest and other times I feel failure staring me down.  Either way it is one heck of a challenge and I am up for it.   That being said one of my goals has finally come to fruition.

After a long and much anticipated wait for return (anticipated by me anyway) I am finally back with a NEW BLOG in tow!  It has been a long time coming and has pretty much felt like forever since I have done this.  I used to be at my computer several times a week documenting my online diary of sorts, sharing my images and thoughts.  I could make excuses such as busy lifestyle, two jobs, waiting on everything to be just perfect, however I am going to stop all of that and just welcome you here—to my page—to my thoughts—and to a piece of me.  First blog post on the new blog…HOLLAAA!   Let me just say right now I am honored that you even choose to read this and that while some of us have met and some of us have not I am so very blessed to have each person take a vested interest in my journey- both photographic and life.  As those who kept up with me before know this is not just a place where I share my photos, it is also a place where I just pose random thoughts to the internet.  So thank you dear readers.

Right now I must give mad props and a huge THANK YOU is to my awesome, patient, talented, uberFAB, incredible blog designer Matt Hudson.  He rocked this design like no one else could have and was so wonderful to work with.  Matt took my ideas (and let me tell you there were so many of them) and streamlined them into one cohesive look.  I think he perfectly captured my modern with a splash of vintage vibe and I am so very grateful to him.  Thank you Thank you Thank you Matt!  Anyone looking for a design should definitely contact Matt through his design company H2 designs.  You can also find him on facebook.

As I close this first short but sweet post I want to leave you with a photo of one of my main sources of inspiration.   Her name is CHALENE JOHNSON.  I have so much to say about Chalene but I will leave that as well as other “do more” thoughts for another time.  Promise i won’t be a stranger!

I took this photo when I attended Camp Do More this past summer in California.  Oh dear friends soooooooo much to tell you about.  Stay tuned!

~xo Mel~

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