Quiet. Peaceful. Inviting. I love nighttime. My sleeping family and the darkness that shrouds our house and our world invites me to think, to work, to produce…

Motivation overflows within my being… Thoughts enter and leave my mind at a rapid rate. Finding a focus for an extended period of time eludes me. Next week, I will attend my very first yoga class. Learning how to clear my mind –or stop everything swirling around in my head all of the time–greatly appeals to me.

This summer, I enjoyed reading about the benefits of yoga. As I progress on my yoga journey, I will come back here to share my thoughts and experiences on my blog.

Blogging calms me down each night before I fall asleep. Something about writing makes my heart sing! Sometimes I view writing as a form of therapy. This summer, I read and I read and I read… I believe that people who write also read voraciously. I am one of those people.

I distanced myself from my blog and thus blogging over the summer. For once, I felt a need for privacy. This new season and thus a new beginning is drawing me back out again… A desire for change provided me with an impetus to take some new steps in my life.

Presently, I feel recharged and enthusiastic, passionate and alive. Self-reflection and “disappearing” for a while re-energized my spirit and made things feel whole again.

We all experience transitions in our lives. I feel I am in the midst of one now. Moving from one place to another… Excitement prompts me forward.

I plan on blogging frequently again and documenting the little steps along the way. After the kids fall asleep, tucked snugly in their beds, I will write. There will be stories to share and moments in our lives to record. I think of my blog as my little corner of the world.

A place to share small joys and great joys, struggles and triumphs… My new way of seeing the world. Photos of my family and the things we do. My thoughts on life and the crazy new adventures we will have. Nighttime brings out my best. I may be zapped of energy come morning, but each night, I feel accomplished: I clean the house… I read books and articles… I think… I write… I record a couple more pieces of our life.

I am thankful for this time!

Does anybody else out there have a million and one thoughts going through your head all at once?

What is your favorite time of day?

What is your “thing” that makes your heart sing?

Reflective, long, lazy summer days… Relaxation and friendship. For the first time since becoming a mother, I appreciate and need/crave time away from the kids…time to interact with adults and do adult things. I LOVE my little kid/baby world, but the adult world is calling me, too.

Two words to describe my summer would be relaxing and fun. Of course, I did not accomplish everything on my “to-do” list (or even anything on my “to-do” list!) that I wrote back in June, but that is okay. I am learning to let go… I am learning to truly enjoy life.

While playing the role of the world’s biggest homebody (I LOVE being at home!), I also packed in some delightful entertainment! Meeting friends for lunch. Traveling to IKEA with a childhood friend. Taking photos with other photographers “just for fun” on the beach. Visiting wineries with friends. Shopping in Michigan City. Lunch at the Stray Dog in New Buffalo, MI (an awesome place!). Michigan’s Adventure. Craig’s Cruisers. Mini-golfing. The zoo. And countless trips to Lake Michigan…of course!

This year, I really started to love South Haven, MI. I also started appreciating Allegan, MI more, just walking around downtown, noticing (through a photographer’s eye) all of the beauty and uniqueness of this little town that we call home. Recently, I discovered Montage, a charming little market store that boasts delicious cheeses and crackers, homemade (to die for!) hummus, many gluten-free items, and wine! Lots and lots of wine! What a classy establishment! They’ve only opened shop for the past five months or so… Mmmm…!

So many joys: sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feelings will always bring me back to the Summer of 2010. Book club – friendships, both old and new - yoga – decaffeinated green tea – sunsets at the beach - heart-to-heart “girl talks” – girls’ day at the salon - Montage - watching my baby daughter take her very first steps, two days shy of turning 10 months old - yummy food - Eat, Pray, Love – Bittersweet – laughter – crickets chirping at night while I type on my computer – Reilly’s 6th birthday and party – Addie’s Glamour Girl party – our wonderful babysitter Erin – cuddling with my baby every morning in my warm bed - fireworks – new connections to my hometown – limitless free time every day… LOVE summer!

I also cannot forget…my sandy kids, the sandy bathtub, the sandy floors, the sandy clothes and towels, the sandy car, my sandy self! But oh, the beauty of the beach and the sunset! We even spent some afternoons at the beach, too, soaking up a little sunshine and watching my kids make new friends while building sand castles and swimming together… Reilly and Addie learned to swim on their own. Reilly learned how to ride her bike without training wheels! She was so proud! We were so proud of her!

It was a joyful season! The perfect hiatus in a working woman’s life. Time to put my feet up, sit out on the deck, read a good book (or many good books!), and enjoy a glass of wine from time to time…

So random. So me.

Life… Soul searching made me dig deep and think about the future. Goals and dreams. My wishes. God’s will. Many times this summer, I found myself asking, Why?

What do I want? What are my talents and interests? How do I utilize my own abilities and ways of creating in this world? (I am not talking about photography…). I must create. A deeper essence lies within each one of us. Introspection leads us to questions about our own existence and our purpose while on this planet. That is what has been on my mind this summer.

I ask questions, and I believe the answers are slowly coming. When the time is right… The words “It is not the time” is the answer I have received. I think I had it all wrong, though. What I wanted was not what I was truly meant to do – or be – in life. This realization stopped me in my path this summer. Peace feels so much nearer now – now that I am “letting go” of it all – and I feel relief.

Letting go of something we love with our whole selves challenges us to grow…to move in a new direction… What I see ahead of me is not the path I thought I would travel in life, but I believe I am being led to ask new questions: Really? Who would have thought? The whole time…right here in front of me…and my heart was elsewhere, my will my own, which, of course did not work.

Today I marvel.

Tomorrow marks a new beginning. Another school year. In a way, I will feel a million miles away… To reach our true destination takes time and God’s will.

The possibilities are endless… A glimpse into this new season reveals me chasing after dreams, along with my children. Spontaneous and free-spirited, I ask why not? every day. This is how I live. I believe in more. I believe in dreams. I believe the people I will see tomorrow do not know me.

I want to live… I crave rich and varied experiences, meeting new people and visiting new places… I want to explore… I want to be free…

I want the freedom to __________. I want to fill in the blank. I do not want it to be filled in for me. I want the freedom to fill in the blank differently at times, whenever and wherever I please.

More adventure, more depth, more openness, more love, more peace… New people, new places, new foods, new ideas, new technology… Different settings, different perspectives, different flavors, different worlds, different minds… I want MORE!

Already! So sad but so exciting! What to say about our little (or not so little) baby? Jolie grows and changes constantly! She started walking a month ago. She feeds herself, and she tries more real people foods all of the time. She can wave bye-bye when we say, “Bye-bye!”–so cute! She giggles and cuddles…and tries so hard to keep up with her big sisters. The only one who can seem to get Jolie to laugh her head off is Addie. And…just like Addie, Jolie loves adventure! She wants to be a big girl already!

A couple of days ago, I found her on the top bunk bed in her sisters’ bedroom! She had climbed the ladder all by herself and then started making noises so I would come and get her! I walked in and found her on the top bunk, grasping the railing with a huge smile on her face once she saw me! We did not know she could climb the ladder! It scared me but amazed me at the same time!

Here is just one from last week:

One more:

We think she is pretty cute! She keeps me running all of the time, which I love! I have enjoyed her so much since she has been born. I cannot believe she will be a year old one month from today.

What a blessing to live where we live in the summers! Lake Michigan is within a half hour drive of our home, and we try to enjoy the beach as much as possible each summer.

One evening last week, after a long and productive day, I headed to the beach with Addie and Jolie. I thought it would be a nice way to wind down after lots of running around!

The beach represents peace to me. Its calming qualities nurture my heart and mind and make me stop to reflect and appreciate all of the beauty in this world. I feel like I am a million miles away from our busy lives while I sit or walk on the beach, especially in the evenings. Witnessing the sun set over the lake calms my soul and inspires me to do more in life than simply exist. Our daily lives are so busy…

Taking time away to enjoy just one part of the natural beauty that abounds in this world signifies (for me) the value of truly enjoying life and savoring the moment.

We arrived a little later than usual; thus, the sun had already dropped. Addie and Jolie contentedly played in the sand and on the shore’s edge for several minutes. For many moments, I simply lived in the moment, filled with overflowing happiness at watching my children play. It felt wonderful. I reveled in the quietude of this evening. For only a short block of time, 30 minutes or so, the three of us enjoyed the peacefulness of the beach.

My baby!

Without the light of the sun, taking these photos made me stretch myself beyond my usual shooting style, a challenge I embraced. Crazy high ISOs and consequently some grain…but the moments…and the softness of the scene…all portray the serenity of Lake Michigan and the beach.

A beautiful evening!

Susan James Photography
Summer Specials
***August 2010 {Only}

***One price includes everything listed! Also includes one immediate family!

Session 1: $150 (regularly $300) – includes sales tax

***30 minute on-location photo session (within 30 minutes of the photographer’s home)

***Time and talent of the photographer

***All digital editing (there is not any additional charge for removing blemishes, scratches, etc.)

***Online proof gallery including 15-20 final edited images from the photo session

***Disk of 8 full resolution images with a copyright release and a list of recommended places to print photos

Session 2: $200 (regularly $400) – includes sales tax

***One hour on-location photo session (within 30 minutes of the photographer’s home)

***Time and talent of the photographer

***All digital editing (there is not any additional charge for removing blemishes, scratches, etc.)

***Online proof gallery including 20-30 final edited images from the photo session

***Disk of 15 full resolution images with a copyright release and a list of recommended places to print photos

Session 3: $250.00 (regularly $500) – includes sales tax

***90 minute – two hour on-location photo session (within 30 minutes of the photographer’s home)

***Time and talent of the photographer

***All digital editing (there is not any additional charge for removing blemishes, scratches, etc.)

***Online proof gallery including 20-30 final edited images from the photo session

***Disk of ALL OF THE FINAL IMAGES PRESENTED IN THE ONLINE GALLERY (25-40+ images) resolution images with a copyright release and a list of recommended places to print photos

Last week, on Monday (July 26), I took the girls to the beach in South Haven while Dave was off negotiating. Single mom! Again! Oh, how the girls and I love the beach, though!

We had a great time! Little Jolie tired out after almost two hours. She just wanted to be picked up and held. I loaded the girls up with lots of sunscreen.

The girls had fun!

Bright lighting is something new! Usually we hang out at the beach at sunset, but it was great to be there during the day like most other people!

My three girls!

Reilly and Addie:

It has been a wonderfully relaxing summer! Family, friends, sushi, red wine, book club, reading (lots of reading), shopping, cleaning, decorating…and yoga! I love summer!

That’s where I’ve been this summer. Lots to do! I’ll leave it at that. I’ve been keeping quiet! This weekend was quite eventful. Here is a little update for my regular blog readers:

Friday night Addie participated in theater try-outs for a small production in the Grand Rapids area. It was fun! I was so proud of my little girl! She was the youngest one there at the age of four. She was not shy at all to get up there and say her lines in front of the “judges”! She did need a little prompting, though.

In the end, they gave her a few very small parts. Theater camp will run this whole upcoming week with a final production on Saturday. Even though Addie only has a few lines, I know the overall experience will be so good for her! I am so impressed that she really wants to do this!

Also this weekend… I took the girls to the beach, and I visited friends from Benton Harbor and toured a few wineries with them…and then enjoyed a delicious dinner at their house once we were done! It was awesome! Betsy and I have been friends for twelve years! We used to teach together at RV.

Here are a few photos from our winery experience. I really did not take too many. I should have taken more! I learned that I really missed my macro lens. That would have been so much better for the occasion! At the wineries, I focused on some non-people photos.

Below is one of the wines I bought after tasting it:

Raindrops: The next two were taken while I was riding as a passenger while touring the different wineries this weekend. The first one shows the windows on a winery we visited that was shaped like a barn.

The next one (below) shows the top of the winery/barn building. It also looks like a mountain! I loved, loved, LOVED  the fact that I was in the car, staying dry! This was a really cool place: The Round Barn.

Finally, the last one shows the moodiness of the dark, rainy scene. I am NOT a fan of the rain! It does make for some pretty nature photos, though, especially right after it rains.

Better luck next time!

Cheers to wineries and old friends! The beach and my girls! And…the biggest news of all that had us all cheering this weekend: Jolie started walking…right before turning ten months old! Watch out, world!

Low key and beautiful. Laid back, yet fun. Where to begin? Last night our niece Emily stayed the night. My girls were so excited! Reilly, Emily, Addie, and I visited Crazy Bounce, and then we headed to the beach to watch the sunset. This was the first time Reilly just stood still and actually watched the sun totally set. It was pretty awesome!

I only took a few pictures. My girls have reached an age where they no longer spend the majority of their time out of the water. Reilly knows how to swim, and Addie is not far behind her, so all they want to do is jump into the lake and swim, swim, swim! I talked them into a few photos right before the sun set.

Addie and Emmy:

Addie, Emmy, and Reilly:

It would be fun to get all of the cousins to spend an evening at the beach together! We will have to plan another beach night soon with everybody!

Tomorrow we plan to head north and visit my dad and then maybe watch the fireworks in my hometown…if it is not raining! Another fun family day!

Happy Fourth of July!