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One {August 2017}: The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 Edition

Oh, my. I see my blog posting has gone entirely off the rails this summer. Many photos exist, so I hope to catch up soon.

In the meantime, it is time for this month's One post! At the end of August, my entire family (immediate and extended) trekked off to Wyoming to be in the path of the Total Solar Eclipse. Now, we've known we were doing this since Christmas of 2015, when we received eclipse viewing glasses from my uncle, together with a save-the-date because...science. And outer space. And total solar eclipse! And WHY NOT!? It was also my dad's 70th birthday that same week, and we have lots of small babies in the family, so it really was a spectacular hurrah and a perfect reason to get together. And it's always a good idea to head West. 

I had lots of fun taking pictures and pulled them together into this compilation - my "one" shot for the month to be sure. I've included a few closeups of the eclipse at totality because it really was very cool to see. Enjoy! Then please take a spin over to the midwest to see what captured Jessica's eye this month. 

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One {May 2017}

Hello, there. While I wish I could attribute my absence to a broken camera, an around-the-world voyage without internet or simply a lack of photos, the reality is it's been a tough spring and my time and energy have been needed elsewhere. However, this past weekend we enjoyed a change of scene as the guests of some dear friends. Their home is near a beach, where we were able to do some relaxing, or "laxin'" as a certain sandy someone likes to call it. Hoping the summer is off to a laxin' start for all. 

Please head out to Chi-town to see what Jessica found this May...

 

 

 

One {March 2017}

I'm not sure where March went, but it's well in the rear-view mirror by now. We had a snowstorm with grandparents, we got a new couch, spring arrived...but the biggest news of the month by far was a certain someone turning three! We had a long lead-up to the actual event - months of counting down, in fact - so her special day surrounded by friends and family (and cake and balloons) was a big deal. We love her so much; she's a firecracker who lights up our lives in every way. 

Please head out to Colorado to see what my dear friend Sarah is finding as Spring approaches!

 

 

 

One {February 2017}

I haven't yet made it through our winter break photos, so yet again I find myself sharing from our back yard. When it's 70 degrees in February, why not make giant bubbles in the sun? This is one of my new favorite images.

Please head over to Texas to see Adele's One Shot this month. They will soon be saying adios to the Lone Star State, so I am curious to see what's capturing her heart during this sentimental and challenging time. 

One {January 2017}

While people who live in California don't normally choose January to visit New York, my very best friend from college was out for a quick trip with her family this month. A clear highlight personally, and watching our sons "shoot pool" (which, to be clear, is about what we do) was a hilarious circle of life moment. We managed to pack a short visit with fun, laughter and love, as we always do and we can't wait for them to come back. 

Please head out to Chicago to see what Jess found for her 2017 kick-off shot! 

One {December 2016}

Farewell, 2016. When hunting around for my shot for December, I wound up down a rabbit hole of images I have taken throughout the year. While photography was on the back burner for me in 2016, it turns out my camera wasn't entirely ignored. In a liberal interpretation of our "one" goal, here is a collection of some of my favorites, taken throughout the past year.

Please pay a visit to Denver, and my exquisitely talented friend Sarah Zalan to see what she found this month.  

One {November 2016}

During a busy weekend away, these two passed out cold in our hotel room and no amount of standing over them on the bed and clicking a loud camera in their faces would have stirred them. They may be loud and crazy, during their waking hours, but they really do love each other in the sweetest way.

To see the rest of our November One images, please head down to the Lone Star State and see what Adele found this month, then make your way around the circle. 

One {October}

Earlier this month, we took a trip out to California to celebrate my mother's birthday. It was a nice round milestone, and we had a whale of a week with all of us together. It was made extra special by the fact that it was the first time my kids got to meet their two baby cousins. I have a really amazing family, and my particularly amazing mother is at the heart of it all. She has spent a lifetime showing us what love should look like and inspiring each of us when it comes to being a parent, a friend and a person. We are so very lucky. Happy birthday, Mom. I love you!

Please continue around to see what fall has brought to Jessica in Chicago!  

One {September}

This year has not been kind to the furry loved ones of the One Circle. This weekend, we said goodbye to our sweet, amazingly soft, beautiful kitty. We adopted her from a shelter in Ithaca when she was a kitten nearly 14 years ago, and after a life of love (or tolerance, when it came to the bipedal additions to our family), we lost her to kidney failure. We could see it coming, and a few days ago I asked my son if he wanted to take a picture with her. He said, "why don't I take one of you with her instead?" Photo credit, and tremendous gratitude, to my big hearted boy. We miss her, she really was the best cat and I hope she left us feeling loved. 

Please head out to Chicago and see Jessica's one shot for this month. I suspect it will sadly be on a similar theme. 

One {August}

This summer has flown by, and we've had a lot going on, but these cute faces certainly help keep it all in perspective. Two kids, one giant love. Please click around and visit my amazingly talented friends, starting with Jess Remus in Chicago. I am hoping for some summer Michigan magic. 

One {July 2016}

Summer is halfway over but we're still having fun in the sun. Since this blog circle is all about friendship, my image for this month is as well. These amazing kids have been friends since birth and although they don't all live near each other anymore, they certainly make the most of the time they spend together. 

Please head down to Texas and see what Adele found for her one shot in July!

One {June 2016}

One for June: the value of a life. While we were in Italy, I was honored with the task of remembering a beloved man. A scattering of his ashes are dedicated to the rainbow waters of the Ionian Sea. To witness the impact of the loss of one person on a family is painful and powerful - a reminder to treasure life and all the joys and sorrows that come with it. 

The sorry news these last few weeks undermines all of these sentiments, as ones, tens and hundreds at home and abroad have been ripped from their futures and families at the whim of a stranger. We must do better and we must be better. I wish I knew how.

Please continue to Washington and and see what spoke to Krista's heart this month. 

One {May 2016}

With my big kid in school and increasingly of an age where he's not so keen on being in front of the camera, the sad reality is that I have far fewer pictures of him as of late. I hope to fix that a little over the summer. In the meantime, the small kid is making up for it. She is hilarious at the moment and very theatrical. Her most recent game is to make sad, serious faces at the camera and then a few second later she's cracking up at how funny she is. See below, then click on over to see Krista's beautiful work out in the Pacific Northwest and  around our small One circle blog for the special moments that have stuck with each of us this month. 

One {April}

We took a quick trip upstate to visit Grandma and Pa over Spring Break, where I learned that one way to get a picture of the two of them together is to stick them in a tree where they can't get down. 

Please head out to the PNW, where my friend Krista creates images that are almost as beautiful as her heart.

One {March 2016}

It was hard to choose what to use for this month's One circle - we had a 2nd birthday and Easter Eggs and a lot of scooting...but this lovely Good Friday in Central Park resulted in my favorite photos. We brought the "cape and eyes" and wandered around enjoying the warm weather, eating ice cream, running at the speed of light and looking out for bad guys.  

Please head around to Texas to see what Adele has been up to this month - something amazing from her ski trip, perhaps? 

One {February 2016}

One for February, snuck in while he wasn't looking. My sweet boy, chatting away with his hand in mine. 

Please continue around our circle, starting with the incredible Adele and her adventures down in Texas.

One {January 2016}

There is something unusual about marking the passage of time with a monthly project. Other monthly events - paying bills, attending certain work meetings - are habitual and pass without much notice beyond the flurry of "oops, need to send in the rent check." Which, come to think of it, I DO need to send in the rent check.

But our One Circle is the opposite of routine for me. Not only is it something I have in the back of my mind throughout the month as I go through my photographs, but as we kick off our fourth year of this adventure together, I can look back on 36 images that encapsulate this time in my life and consider the journey - how quickly and how slowly the time has passed, all at once. And at the heart of it, this project serves as a testimonial to the beautiful friendships that have grown with me and helped sustained me along the way. Here's to 2016, ladies. I love you all. 

Please head out to Colorado to see what the amazing Sarah Zalan has found to share this month. She is always able to find beauty, even in the hardest of times.

 

One {December 2015}

Another year in the books! I am thankful to be sending December on its way in the presence of family and dear friends. A life filled with love and health has been our great fortune and it is with a grateful heart that I excitedly anticipate all that the new year brings.

I wish you and yours a very happy New Year - may your 2016 be filled with unexpected delights and sweet surprises! 

And speaking of dear friends, as we wrap up our third (!) year of our One circle, please ring in January by taking a spin around our little circle. I'm so lucky to have these people in my life. Start in Chicago, with my hilarious and talented friend, Jessica. 

One {November 2015}

I'm having a hard time deciding what to share for my One post this month - we've been busy and there are a lot of fun pictures hanging out on my hard drive, just waiting to see the light of day. However, we did have a new experience last week, so I am going with more of a "one" moment.

We were very fortunate to attend a party with ring-side seats to the staging area for the Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. They are very big, they are very fun and they inspired excitement and huge, wonder-filled eyes in my small people. Seeing the world from their perspective can truly be a joy. 

Please head out west to see what the lovely and talented Krista has in store for us this month!