Review: Happiness Project

April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

My March book was the fabulous book The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin.  I’ll confess that I started this last fall with high hopes & ambitions of me tackling happiness in a year-long project based on months, but I got distracted by a few others things.  I started seeing such great reviews & praise for the book, I couldn’t wait to pick it up again and give it a proper reading.   The elusive search for happiness has interested me before, and I read a book about travel+happiness The Geography of Bliss in 2010.

I absolutely adored this book & had so much fun reading it.  More of a memoir about Gretchen’s own personal journey to learn about happiness and implement a plan, filled with monthly goals than a dry, how-to book.  There were so many things that inspired me and encouraged me, but it was her personal stories about career, marriage, and kids were woven throughout with hysterical tales of her striving to find happiness.  I really learned a great deal reading the book & am inspired to be aware of many of her lessons.  She organized her lessons into Commandments and 4 Splendid Truths that guided her to take on a new challenge or goal in her life each month that would hopefully move her closer to happiness by the end of the year.

After finishing the book, I checked out her website, The Happiness Project, and have been getting her daily emails with short quotes and morning inspiration each day.  I will certainly be picking up her new book Happier at Home when it comes out later this summer.   It looks to be full of more practical tips, silly advice, and hilarious stories.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY:  Excited to be meeting with some college yoga students today for Grow Soul Beautiful.

Filed Under: book, review

SS: Storm

April 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment


Sunday Scribblings #317 Storm

I love love LOVE storms!  Growing up in Texas, I’m accustomed to fierce storms quickly rolling through with booming thunder that would shake a house, a lightening storm that would dazzle and entertain before the main event would send wind whipping trees sideways.   I could just sit at the window and stare at Mother Nature’s fury and furor.  I get a bit obsessive about checking the radar and watching any big storms headed towards Houston.

Usually summer is a time filled with mild scattered afternoon storms that roll in off the coast.  We went for months last year during our severe drought without even the smallest of storms, only trace amounts of rain. I really  missed getting hit with a good old storm.  It wasn’t until I moved to Georgia that I realized that not every place has such magnificent and impressive storms- I think I only heard it thunder once in the 2 years I lived there.

Oh the storm of life- they will come! I had a fabulous Sunday School teacher tell me one that you’re either headed into a storm, in the middle of a storm, or cleaning up from a storm.  But just like real storm, the storms of life can bring cleansing and renewing, washing away the old & bringing life-sustaining water.

Lately, I keep getting the old Eddie Rabbit song I love a rainy  night stuck in my head.  And, of course, now it’s there again… so random but apparently I’m not the only one that loves a good storm and a little rain.

I tried taking some storm photos the other day, showing the trees flailing around as the wind beat them mercilessly, but those were total duds.  I haven’t been running in the rain lately, but the last time I did was such an incredible experience.  It filled me with joy to be out there, empowered by the wind, refreshed by the gentle shower cooling me off.  I don’t care to run on all-out downpours, but I hurry home from work if I see a storm approaching & hope I can get a brief run in during that pre-storm build up when the air changes smells, the wind begins to gust wildly, and the clouds quickly roll in overhead.

We’re about to head into another hurricane season here on the Gulf Coast, and I hope I don’t have the opportunity to blog anymore about one hitting Houston.

I *almost* get Storm Chasers.  I do think storms are magical and wild and unpredictable and awe-inspiring, but I think part of their magic is having them hit me.  I can see when the rain and storms are going all around me, wishing they drop some fun into my world. I can eagerly watch the radar as they approach and I anticipate how powerful and wild any given red or purple blob on the radar will be when it hits my home or office.

One of my all-time favorite songs & something that has an incredible personal significance to me is Casting Crown’s Praise you in the Storm.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY:

And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Filed Under: nature, Sunday Scribblings

Blog Make-Over

April 28, 2012 By 2 Comments

New WordPress Blog Design for Click the Good News

A few people have noticed the change in the last week, but I have a new blog design!  If you read my blog through a reader or mobile device, you can see the new design above.  I’ve been in love with purple and gray/green recently, so I’m thrilled with how it turned out.  I’d had my latest design for about a year & a half, but when I’d switched over to WordPress.  My big issue was that social media and blogs in general have changed so much over the past few years.  My big need was to get the the facebook, twitter, pinterest, RSS feed and email icons easily accessible to everybody on the right sidebar.  I’d love to connect with you all over there too!

One of my things I like to do is take a stroll down memory lane and see how far this little blog has evolved over the last (nearly) 5 years I’ve been blogging.  This was my first layout on WordPress back in 2007- small little photos, no fancy header, and nothing fun going on.

After almost 2 years of blogging in February of 2009 I added a background and a slightly fancy header.  I started adding buttons to the sidebar for all my static pages where I was collecting thing- my first two were the Houston Wine Bars list (which I still love adding to these day) and my Blogging Vizslas list (which I’m still happily adding new friends too).  I was getting too many sidebar buttons, so I grouped them all onto a FUN STUFF page and TRAVEL page that are accessible by buttons on the sidebar now.

In August of 2010, I made the move from Blogger to WordPress and my first design was straight out of the box with no customizations. I was happy I could do a few things & add great plugins and buttons myself, while exploring all the added functionality that WordPress gave me.

I was really happy with my most recent design, but I wanted something a little more modern & fresh.  Since launching Grow Soul Beautiful, I’ll be presenting myself & my current blog to tons of new people, especially until I can get GSB fully launched in September. I wanted to make a good impression, have a new brand, and probably get some business cards made.  My biggest need was to get connected on social media and have a way for people to follow the blog through RSS feeds.  So, as usual, it took waaaay longer than expected, and I”m just happy to have it finished up at this point & my Facebook/twitter pages matching.

All these buttons are gone off the sidebar now & replaced with two simple ones that go to a fun stuff or a travel tab, where all these buttons and links to my blog passions have moved.  I’ve got a few things to clean up and some coding issues behind the scenes, but I’m thankful to have a new look- hope you like it!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed to Galveston for a shrimp boil with friends!

Filed Under: blogging, flashback

Twist & Turn

April 27, 2012 By 1 Comment

For the 2nd part of my shutter speed assignment for my class, I wanted to attempt catching the puppies in motion doing their tricks- much like I did with almost 5 years ago with Zoe’s Tricks and Zoe Rolling on St. Patti’s Day.

I started out with Mia since Zoe was still a bit under the weather.  I struggled with getting far enough back with my 35mm and finding the balance of showing some motion blur while keeping enough of the photo in focus to be interesting.

When treats are involved, Zoe *must* be a part of the action too.  Mia wasn’t doing too well with remembering “roll over”, but Zoe jumped right into her various tricks.

I only got that semi-decent one of Mia rolling over because she stopped mid-way through her roll and was just laying there on her back.

Then I had the brilliant idea to play the jump game where I held a treat in my hand and focused on that, only having to snap as Mia snatched the treat.  It worked out pretty well her still having some motion blur, but I think I would have been better to try to stop motion on these instead of doing some blur.  Either way- a fun afternoon experimenting with the pups in the backyard.  Regular blogging will resume tomorrow :)

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Sometimes over-sleeping and missing your run is a good thing!

Filed Under: mia, photography, Zoe

Leaping Vizsla

April 26, 2012 By 11 Comments

My next weekly assignment for my photography class was a study of shutter speed.  As the husband was out of town all week, I decided my easiest model would again be Ms. Mia with all of her jumping into the pool.

I had my 85/f.15 on which is a long lens, so I had to back up across the pool & thought the rocks of the waterfall would make a nice background as well as keep her semi-contained before she jumped towards me.

She still stalks around, waiting for the initiation splash so she can launch herself after the water droplets.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t always look where she is jumping, which is very bad in a crowded pool.  We are trying to break her of this habit, but it’s going to be tough- she loves the splashes.

I got tired of that game & mostly wanted to avoid falling into the pool with camera as I tried to balance on one foot kicking water & still aiming my camera to catch the perfect shot.  I sat down by the stairs to visit with mom, but the splashing game continued.

She loves to bite and catch the water- she’d do this for hours on end if somebody were there splashing for her.

I loved capturing her silly faces and snarl mouth while playing around with some super high shutter speeds.

This was my one favorite keeper shot from the session that I’m submitting for the class- I love seeing her ears flapping around & all the water droplets suspended around her as she catches some air into the pool.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I love having my mom nearby & with a pool- we’re going to be in it a lot again this summer!

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Filed Under: mia, photography
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