I can honestly say that the past few years I have turned into a pretty good gardener. I am totally into it! I am borderline obsessed with gardening. (We can talk more about all my obsessions at a later date) It is funny because just a few years ago I knew absolutely nothing about gardening and I would joke that I could kill a silk plant. I think actually may have knocked off a few silk plants in my day!   I really have to thank Julie Cleary for helping me learn about gardening in the beginning. I guess it all started when I had a vision (I have a lot of those too!) for pretty flowers all around the studio. I had tried in the past to plant some flowers with what little I knew with limited success. I then hired Julie to do the planting and planning. Little did she know that I would “catch the bug” (I had to put that pun in there) so big and bad in just a few years that poor Julie would be out of a job. 

It is just so cool to watch what you plant grow into something so beautiful. It’s fun to pick the different plants with all their diverse shapes and characteristics. I like putting different color combinations together and coming up with something a bit unconventional and unusual, but pretty (nothing to new here). I just love digging in the dirt, getting all dirty and sweaty making it all happen. It is therapy for me. 

 

 

Eight years ago when Steve and I got married and bought our home in Northville we had no idea how much gardening our house would require. We bought it in the winter and once spring hit we realized that we had bought a small jungle. It is a lot to keep up with at home and at times a bit over whelming. (Our home is on almost an acre of land.) The house has given me lots of areas to play with and learn about gardening. As I mentioned our lot is quite large and we have flower beds all around our house and many, many pots and containers of flowers displayed around our home. (At last count we have 25 different containers of flowers and that is just at our house.) However it is really a joy for me to go out and “play in the dirt”.  

Last year I started a vegetable garden at home. I had pretty good success last year, so this year I had to make it bigger and better. We even spent last weekend building a fence (a fortress) for the vegetable garden as last summer we had deer that found my tomatoes and they were having quite a feast on them. I totally turned into Elmer Fudd and I had to get rid of those deer! It was downright funny what I did to get them to stop eating my stuff. So this year I had to have the big, bad fence to keep them out. (Look on my personal Facebook page for pictures of the fence.) This summer I have planted several kinds of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers and acorn squash. Wish me luck with the squash as I have never had success with them. 

For those of you have kept up on my blog the past year you know that a year ago this week I had to have emergency neck surgery. It was a very sudden things and quite a surprise to me. I was unable to lift or work in the yard for 6 weeks last summer just when everything was getting planted. I had a very hard time with that (I do not sit well on the sidelines) and once I could start working in the yard I never really caught up with all of it.  

So this past couple of weeks while I have been getting ready for “flower day” I have really been having a ball. Last Sunday as I was driving home from my 5^th trip to Home Depot that weekend singing Bob Marley and I realized that I was just about as happy as I could be. I had a smile on my face I could not wipe off. I honestly did not want to. I was so glad that I was aware of how really happy I was there in my car all sweaty, filthy dirty singing away (like a fool) and loving every moment of it! I was doing exactly what I preach. I was living in my moment and finding happiness in everyday things. The great weather, music, God’s beauty in the earth and me all stinky dirty! It was a perfect moment for me.

I am healthy, happy and aware of it. We all have problems, stuff happens to us all and some days we are just better at dealing with it then others. I have been on a mission the past few years to stay in my “happy place” and be mindful of all I have. It is my personal mantra. I have so very much to be thankful for. I get to do a job that I love. I have a wonderful man at home with me. I have a family I adore and that loves me back. I have so many amazing friends from every walk of life. My clients are so good to me and in my mind they are an extension of my family. I guess this little post about my “Flower Day” has now turned into a post about tending our personal gardens. What I mean is the garden in our minds. We all choose what we put in there and what we let grow. What we need to weed out and how we need to water it and make it grow. 

 It’s so funny when I start writing these blog posts of mine it amazes me how I start with one thought or idea and then many times I end up somewhere else. Honestly, writing this takes a lot out of me and it many times takes hours of time. I now know why I have to be in the proper frame of mind to write my blog. I have to be able to be completely honest with myself and be able to be open to just write and see where I end up. As I write this I realize that my writing is an extension of exactly who I am as a person. Authentic is the word that comes to my mind. Like it or not, I am at times I am too brutally honest and I sure do put it all out there. I feel bad when my honesty scares or hurts people. I am sure I do that more than I know. I don’t want or like to hurt people. I just work hard and play hard at all times.

I live my life with passion. I really put everything I have into everything I do. Love me or hate me it is for the same reason. I am a “real” and “authentic” person who lives my life with all the gusto I have and I would not want it any other way. 

I am writing this on an airplane with Steve flying to Disney World for the week to celebrate our 8^th wedding anniversary. We were married in Disney World and return there as often as we can.  Being at our favorite hotel (The Grand Floridian where our wedding reception was held) really brings back great memories for us both. It brings us back tour wedding weekend, a wonderful time that was shared with so many dear friends and family members. The very first trip Steve and I took together when we started dating was to Disney World. We have so many fond memories and it is fun or us to relive them and make more great memories on additional trips. We are looking forward to a week together doing just that.

This trip is going to be extra special as a few weeks ago we found out that we have good clients that are going to be vacationing in Disney World at the same time we are. I mention this because I am going to be photographing them while we are on this trip. I promise to share that story and some of the images in my next blog post. I am looking so forward to photographing them and creating many fond memories for them this week. I just can’t wait to photograph this beautiful family in one of my favorite places. I get to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom with an adorable little girl and I feel like kid I am so excited. I have the best job in the world and I know it. Until next time, be well and don’t forget your own personal “Flower Day” and tend the garden that is in your mind. You will be so glad that you did!