Life really is too short....

I just got back from vacation.  I'd been waiting on that week.  I'd been just trying to survive work and school and life in general to get to my one week vacation in Virginia Beach, and by some miracle, I made it.  And did I ever need it.

For a full week I was able to spend more than enough time with my daughter and my husband, and refocus my mind and my heart and my soul.  I centered myself.  I cast away the things that were dragging me down and came back to work this week caring so much less about the bullshit that I cared about before I left.  On some level, I felt refreshed.  Maybe just refreshed enough to get through my last few semesters of school and the next 6 or so months of work.... because being on vacation revealed something else entirely to me.

Life is entirely too short to spend any amount of my precious time doing something I do not like doing.  I spent a full week putting a smile on my daughter's face, making her the happiest kid in the world, and there are few things more rewarding or fulfilling than that.

No amount of Word documents I crank out at work will fulfill me like last week did.  I still came back to a job in which I am grossly underpaid and sadly under-appreciated.  You know, I could maybe take one or the other of those two things, but both??  I could go get a job and be sadly under-appreciated somewhere else for many thousands of dollars a year more.  Well why shouldn't I?  But you know, it's not always that easy, is it.

So here I am, back at my old desk.  Staring at an 8x12 of my daughter's smiling face, just trying to get through this day.  I will do the same thing tomorrow.  And the next day, and the next day, and the next day...  If I could allow myself to dream for a moment, what would I do?  Well, I'd quit my job, keep my daughter home, turn her into a beautiful young woman, cook amazing food, delve into photography, and take care of my house, home, and family.  I'd escape all the corporate bullshit, all the high school drama bullshit, all the fucking ridiculous bullshit I put up with on a daily basis.

But in the meantime, reflecting on my vacation is a pretty nice escape.  Here are some of my favorite photos from last week:

Okay, so that turned out to be a lot of pictures.  Well, whatever.  I got nostalgic!

I dropped off 3 rolls of Velvia film to be developed and should get them back next weekend.  I am eager to see how they turned out.  I kept my prime lens on my 35mm for the whole trip so I could practice with it.  My fingers are crossed.

On a side note:  I've been listening to Florence + The Machine a lot.  I highly recommend Shake It Out (you have probably already heard it) and No Light, No Light (freaking amazing).  Go listen and enjoy.

Stay tuned.... I'm making some recipes next week since I'm off of school for another month, and I'll also post my film shots.  Good things to get me through these next few months, yay!