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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 {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 {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 {October 2015}

As I was told this morning, October is GREAT because it has two fun things. Halloween and his birthday. My "One" shot this month features the birthday boy on his big day, plus a bonus shot of my little family because I love it so much. 

Please head over to Georgia to see a beautiful image by my talented friend Kim Lane - we're so excited to have her back in action after a bit of a hiatus!

One {September 2015}

Ye ol' camera has been taking a bit of a rest this month but we still made it out for a shot or two. I may have taken more universally intriguing images, but the One Circle always forces me to go with my heart. I'm also fairly certain that if you ever wanted a big brother, you wanted one just like this.

In fact, I asked him this evening if he remembered what it was like before she was born. He told me: "yes, but it wasn't as fun because she wasn't here to play with me." Fairly solid 180 from "When the baby comes, can I flush her down the toilet?" 

Head out to Washington to visit my incredible friend Krista, then continue around our little circle to see what else caught our eye this week! 

One {August 2015}

I have some faux woes for my One shot this month - an abundance of personal pictures that I adore. So how to pick just one? It helps that my summer project will bring more of them to light, but this shot below steals my heart. It isn't a masterpiece, but it was taken on a "Critter Walk" with grandpa this past weekend. Big brother invited little sis to join in on his special time with Pa...she may as well have been brought up to the big leagues. Our littlest one is deep into the incredible transition from small baby to giant personality and watching the kids' relationship blossom this summer as a result of her growth has been a highlight of my life. They adore each other, and occasionally torment each other, but I hope with all of my heart that this foundation of sweetness and love will carry with them throughout their lives. There's really nothing like a great sibling - I should know, I have two!

Please continue on to Chicago where you might see some more sibling love, or perhaps the glorious shores of Michigan in the summer...in any case, it will come from the mind and heart of the always creative and talented Jessica Remus.