365 Photo Challenge

Internet Finds: Week 5

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I have only one thing to share with you, the 1 Second App by Cesar Kuriyama. You have to check out his Kickstarter page so that you can see the video of his 30th year of life. They are fully funded, and you can now purchase the app directly from the Apple App Store.

I can’t even tell what perfect timing this find has been. My 365 photos in 365 days project will be ending TOMORROW. Yes, you’ve read that correctly. Today is day 364. In two days, it will be one year since I got my Lasik eye surgery. Wild, huh? I feel so blessed to have such great vision.

I plan on doing my own 1 Second video based off the app. I just put together one for 2012 (I only had about 12 videos left on my phone from 2012; I could have had so much more!) and it is so cute. I haven’t decided if it will run from 2/4/13 until 2/3/14 or if I should just try to begin now and capture all of 2013. I think that’s the route I’m going, but we shall see.

Gratitude For My Vision (365 Photos: Days 258-266)

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Today is day 273 of my 365 Photo Project, which means I have less than 100 days until it is over. I started this project on February 4, 2012, which was the day after my Lasik eye surgery and also the first day I could see clearly without glasses. I am beyond grateful that I made the investment and got laser eye surgery this year. I’m thankful about everything associated with it: I’m glad I was a candidate for the surgery. I’m glad my health insurance afforded me a small discount on the surgery. I’m glad I took part in my company’s medical FSA plan so I could get tax savings on the money I spent on the surgery. I’m glad the doctor and the techs did such a good job. I’m glad Mr. O took good care of me after the surgery. I’m glad I followed all the rules and used the eye pads at night and the drops all day long. I’m glad I never got an infection. I’m glad I can freaking see now. I’m just so grateful for all of it.

Sometimes though, I think I take my vision for granted. Sometimes I think I forget just how much a miracle it is that I can see the first thing in the morning. Sometimes I don’t realize just how incredible it is to wear my sunglasses everyday when I drive (I think the real question, is how the heck did I drive without them before?). Sometimes I don’t notice that I’m laying in bed curled up with a pillow or molded to Mr. O’s chest while watching a movie, and I couldn’t have done that before if I were wearing glasses. Sometimes when I’m in the shower and about to grab the bottle of conditioner, I don’t remember just how confusing that whole process was when I couldn’t see.

Being able to see is so incredible. What I love most about my 365 Photo challenge is that every single one of these photos is a reminder that I can see…without any assistance. I love looking backward at this new journey, and I love taking these photos every day as a reminder of my perfect vision.

And before I forget, let me share my most recent photos: days 258-266.
Day 258…10/18/12: Soup with spinach in it…that I ate! (Can you tell I’m not the hugest spinach fan?)
Day 259…10/19/12: Going to see a friend perform at a comedy show
Day 260…10/20/12: Today Wolverine and I found 20 four-leaf clovers
Day 261…10/21/12: Wolverine tied my nephew’s shoe three times in one walk.
Day 262…10/22/12: Goodbye old bike
Day 263…10/23/12: Bringing my sister-in-law to the ER to get stitches
Day 264…10/24/12: Visiting at RIC for a girls’ night
Day 265…10/25/12: Spry is on AWP’s writers calendar!
Day 266…10/26/12: I got my thesis in the mail! This was one of the best moments ever. My name is literally on a book. Can you believe it?

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365 Photos: 249-257

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Day 249: A homemade muffin I brought to work for a snack 10/9
Day 250: A pay phone! When was the last time you’ve seen one of those? 10/10
Day 251: Cereal in a grapefruit container 10/11
Day 252: Oysters! I already want more 🙁 10/12
Day 253: Plymouth Rock is much smaller than you’d expect 10/13
Day 254: Ready to start cooking a new recipe (which will find its way to the blog soon!) 10/14
Day 255: Mr. O is selling this brand new container of PUMP. It’s a workout supplement. Email me if you want it. 10/15
Day 256: Trying to organize my desk at work 10/16
Day 257: A painting and card on my desk at work 10/17

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365 Photos: Days 240-248

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Day 240…September 30: My nephew looking backwards into binoculars
Day 241…October 1: From a paper I get at work
Day 242…October 2: Glass and silverware
Day 243…October 3: Red curry meatballs. I can’t wait to try this.
Day 244…October 4: Bucket at work
Day 245…October 5: Couch corner
Day 246…October 6: Baby D: “Enough with the pictures, Auntie Erin”
Day 247…October 7: Making Oobleck with Wolverine and my nephew
Day 248…October 8: Working on my Project Life layout for last week

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September Observations

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September Highlights:

  • Mr. O and I celebrated our birthdays. What was really nice about this year is that we kept it pretty simple. For my birthday (it was a storm outside like usual) we picked up some Pho and ate some ice cream cake. For Mr. O’s birthday, we went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, then came home to relax and play some games.
  • Mr. O and I had a joint birthday party/my graduation party and it was nice to have our friends over for a cookout. It was also pretty nice to see our friends and family mingle. Ideally, I’d like to have a cookout every year in September. That way we don’t need to make a big deal of planning a night out with friends, get babysitters, spend loads of money, etc. People can just come over for the night with their kids and eat lots of yummy food.
  • Spry Literary Journal continued accepting submissions all month. Linsey and I set a goal for the amount of submissions we hoped to receive in our first month of our first reading period. We were so fortunate to receive a number that was far more than our estimate. We love the faith writers have in new literary journals. However, we’ve only gotten a small number of creative nonfiction submissions, so if you write CNF, send us your work!
  • I’m doing a great job keeping up with my 365 photo project. As of today, I am on day 240. Nuts.

Stinky September Moments:

  • I don’t have much to complain about this month. I had a head cold that lingered, a few cranky/miserable days and work was a bit nutso, but overall, nothing particular stands out which is nice.

Other Mentionable Moments:

  • Baby Dylan was born. One of my closest friends had her baby boy on 9/26, and I am so in love with him.
  • Mr. O’s mom retired! Congratulations! She had the best surprise retirement party last weekend. It was a great night.
  • Wolverine has been trying harder in football. He’s had a game every weekend, so we spend a few nights a week at practice and then the weekends practicing/playing another team. Go football!
  • Mr. O and I went to see Gabriel Inglesias at Foxwoods and the show was great.
  • After a brief hiatus, my girlfriends and I reunited for our monthly girl’s night.

I’m looking forward to____ in October:
What I like most about October is pumpkin coffee and hot apple cider. Oh, I also love to see the kids in their costumes and I’m pretty pumped because we will have Wolverine for trick-or-treating this year. I can’t wait to decorate our pumpkins. I’m hoping to continue getting quality submissions for Spry, especially in creative nonfiction (my favorite). We are about to hire an intern, so I hope that process goes smoothly. Wolverine has a few more football games. Mr. O and I are going away for a weekend, which is our birthday gift to ourselves. It will be nice to spend some quality time with my love away from our apartment and normal surroundings.

Overall Thoughts:
September was a nice month. I’m a fan of birthdays, so it was nice to celebrate me and Mr. O. It went by quickly. I spent much of the month worrying about work and Spry. I feel like I’ve been on a go-go-go type of outlook. I don’t have much to say about September. I always get a bit anxious this time of year, because I don’t like when it starts to get darker at night; I don’t like when it gets colder. I wish it could stay warm and bright outside. But I do love cuddling up to Mr. O and stealing his body heat, so I guess I can’t complain. What was nice about September, was this it was a normal month. There were no crazy or dramatic moments, and the calmness of the month was nice.

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Want to know more about my experiences in 2012? Check out the previous months: January and February and March and April and May and June and July and August

365 Photos: Days 231-239

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Day 231…September 21: Happy Birthday, Mr. O!
Day 232…September 22: Mini Golf with Wolverine and my nephew
Day 233…September 23: Football game
Day 234…September 24: This fish was in the parking lot at work on a Monday morning. It was tiny.
Day 235…September 25: Mr. O writes notes to me on political flyers we get in the mail.
Day 236…September 26: Mr. O and I at Wolverine’s practice
Day 237…September 27: Baby D. I love him!
Day 238…September 28: Mr. O’s mom’s retirement cake
Day 239…September 29: I love you Mr. O

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365 Photos: Days 222-230

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Day 222…September 12: Practicing how to tie shoes
Day 223…September 13: Mr. O’s shirts
Day 224…September 14: Wolverine is practicing his cutting skills with a butter knife
Day 225…September 15: Today was my graduation party (and also me and Mr.O’s joint bday party)
Day 226…September 16: Lined up helmets while the team takes pictures
Day 227…September 17: Flower part at work
Day 228…September 18: Do you notice what is wrong with this picture
Day 229…September 19: Fro Yo!
Day 230…September 20: One day until Mr. O’s birthday!

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365 Photos: Days 213-221

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Day 213…September 3: Mr. O bumped into me after going to the batting cages and broke my sunglasses
Day 214…September 4: Hulk says that it is one more day until my birthday
Day 215…September 5: My birthday cake! Happy 28th Birthday to me!
Day 216…September 6: Clifford before bedtime
Day 217…September 7: Thank goodness for this random photo that is of nothing because it’s the only one I took.
Day 218…September 8: Hand holding after the game
Day 219…September 9: Water to keep me hydrated
Day 220…September 10: The bed always looks so empty when Mr. O goes to work.
Day 221…September 11: My shadow at the Boylston Botanical Gardens

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365 Photos: Days 204-212

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Day 204…August 25: Thank goodness for Chipotle
Day 205…August 26: My new best friend
Day 206…August 27: Somebody was cold on the ride home from DC
Day 207…August 28: I vow to be on this list for 2013 or 2014 at latest
Day 208…August 29: Thirsty football player
Day 209…August 30: Practicing football in the yard
Day 210…August 31: Finally tracked down some Floris Apple!
Day 211…September 1: Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs.!
Day 212…September 2: Wolverine and his football team

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365 Photos: Days 195-203

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Day 195…August 16: Starting Project 137- one bean in the bowl
Day 196…August 17: Pho for lunch
Day 197…August 18: Wolverine’s night goggles
Day 198…August 19: Cake batter Rice Krispies
Day 199…August 20: Mr. O’s cookies
Day 200…August 21: Tacos
Day 201…August 22: Finally got Sharp, my colleague David’s book, in the mail
Day 202…August 23: Wolverine and I in DC
Day 203…August 24: Wolverine’s hand versus a tiger’s paw

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365 Photos: Days 186-194

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Day 186…August 7: Wolverine in his football uniform
Day 187…August 8: News brief at work
Day 188…August 9: Growing green onions at home
Day 189…August 10: Reading Real Simple magazine
Day 190…August 11: Mr. O, my nephew and Wolverine build some tracks in the living room
Day 191…August 12: I held an alligator!
Day 192…August 13: Cucumber soup my mother made and shared with me
Day 193…August 14: Onions for Mozambique
Day 194…August 15: Card I received in the mail

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August Observations

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August Highlights:

  • Mr. O, Wolverine and I went to DC and VA on a road trip for our summer vacation. This was a fantastic trip, because not only did we get to do fun things with Wolverine (the National Zoo, Smithsonian’s Museums of Natural History and American History), but we also spent a few quality days with one of my closest friends who lives in VA. She just had a beautiful baby girl last month, so it was so nice to be with mommy, daddy and baby (and puppies!).
  • Wolverine started playing football this month. He is such a little stud. He’s the youngest guy on the team, and he has a lot to learn, but he’s trying hard. It is so damn cute to see him at the water breaks, because he takes his helmet off and his face is all red and his hair is sweaty. He’s going to break so many hearts when he gets older.
  • Spry Literary Journal began accepting submissions! I can’t even describe how I felt when we got our first submission (and it was a GREAT submission too). It was incredible to read someone’s work after all the effort we put in to this journal. If you are a writer, please consider submitting your work to my literary journal.
  • We went to Mr. O’s work “picnic” in the middle of the month. When I say picnic, I really mean carnival. It is always so much fun. I held an alligator while I was there!
  • I’m doing a great job keeping up with my 365 photo project. As of today, I am on day 210. TWO HUNDRED AND TEN!?!

Stinky August Moments:

  • I’m no longer a graduate student. Weird, I know, because all I did was complain about school while I was in it. I just miss it.
  • I’ve felt pretty busy and disorganized this month. I expected things to slow down a bit after graduation, but that didn’t happen one bit. In fact, I feel as if I was working even harder to catch up, and stay on track (or close to the tracks at least).
  • I only spent a few days with my friends from VA! I know I mentioned this as a highlight, and it truly was. It is just hard to leave such incredible friends. Especially when they have a new addition to their life. I love babies. So now, I’m saying goodbye to three people (and two dogs), not just two people. Sigh. It’s hard to live far away from your friends.
  • Dr’s appointments. Between my primary care, my dermatologist and my dentist, I feel like all I’ve done is go to appointments this month..

Other Mentionable Moments:

  • My parents and my brother and sister-in-law celebrated anniversaries this month.
  • I cancelled my graduation party because of a horrible weather forecast, and then the day ended up being pretty nice. Oh well, I rescheduled it for September and combined it with my and Mr. O’s birthdays… So it will now be Erin and Mr. O’s Birthday and Graduation Extravaganza!

I’m looking forward to____ in September:
September is a fun month for Mr. O and I, because we both have birthdays in September. We’re going to a comedy show at Foxwoods, which will be fun because we both like to eat and gamble. We have our party which I just mentioned. I’m hoping to get a lot of submissions this month for Spry too!

Overall Thoughts:
August was a nice month. I was busy, which made the month go by quickly, but overall, it was a good time. I felt crappy for about two weeks of the month which is never fun. All in all, I’m kind of glad to start a new month. I’m done with August. The only thing that stinks about being done with August is that the nights are getting darker earlier (which bums me out) and the weather is getting chillier. I love summer. I like fall too, but I hate winter and I can never enjoy fall because I’m always bummed about the upcoming winter. Oh well. Here’s to September!

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Want to know more about my experiences in 2012? Check out the previous months: January and February and March and April and May and June and July

365 Photos: Days 177-185

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Day 177: 7/29… Wolverine and Fenway both want each other to stop what they are doing and play with their toys.
Day 178: 7/30… Snacktime at work
Day 179: 7/31… Dying hydrangea.
Day 180: 8/1… Halftime at Wolverine’s first day of football.
Day 181: 8/2… Sunflower.
Day 182: 8/3… The only pic I have from this day. Weird pic where I think my fingers were moving as I grabbed the phone?
Day 183: 8/4…Family date night at Dave and Busters. We won the jackpot.
Day 184: 8/5… Making dumplings with Mr. O.
Day 185: 8/6… Grateful for my AC on a muggy summer night.

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365 Photos: Days 168-176

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Day 168: 7/20… Looking for clovers at school.
Day 169: 7/21… I graduated today!
Day 170: 7/22… In case you didn’t notice, these peppers may be hot.
Day 171: 7/23… Making dinner. I was spoiled while at school.
Day 172: 7/24… Flowers from my brokers at work on my first day back.
Day 173: 7/25… Another graduation gift from a coworker- an azalea plant.
Day 174: 7/26…Tank Concert. Not the best pic.
Day 175: 7/27… Trying to get Fen to sleep on the floor, not the bed.
Day 176: 7/28… Outside with Fenway.

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July Observations

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July Highlights:

  • I graduated from the best MFA program in the universe.
  • My last residency was incredible. I loved meeting the incredible incoming class. I loved spending time with some of my mentors. I loved teaching my seminar and giving my reading. I loved it all.
  • I am very happy with my graduation speech. It went so smoothly and I think I did a good job of involving the whole class in my speech. I’ve been toying with posting it here, but I’m not sure if I should.
  • Wolverine’s birthday party was a blast. The weather held out all day, which meant no rain until the party was over! Our water slide also worked the entire time. Mr. O put a lot of hard work into patching the holes on the slide, and the kids loved playing on the slide.
  • Announcing Spry Literary Journal. (Ha, I didn’t quite announce it yet, but the big announcement should come tomorrow!)
  • I’m doing a great job keeping up with my 365 photo project. As of today, I am on day 179.

Stinky July Moments:

  • My dad had a heart attack while I was away at school which was very scary. Because of this he and my mother couldn’t come to my graduation. I’m very lucky to have a great boyfriend who videotaped the whole thing so that they could watch me graduate from the comfort of their living room!
  • Everything happened at once. Between school, work, the literary journal, another editing project I’m involved in and my personal life… everything happened this month. Oh, well. All good stuff.
  • Running into people I’d rather not see.

Other Mentionable Moments:

  • My fantastic friend gave birth to a healthy little baby girl. Welcome to the world Isabella.
  • Wolverine, my dad, Lauren, Kerri, Linsey and both of my grandparents all celebrated birthdays. Those same grandparents also celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

I’m looking forward to____ in August:
August should be busy! Mr. O, Wolverine and I will be road-tripping down to DC and then heading to Virginia to visit some great friends and their new baby girl. We are also hoping to go camping this month. We’re going to a carnival and my brother’s annual cookout (which I’ve missed the past two years). August 15th will be the first day my literary journal will be accepting submissions.

Overall Thoughts:
July was incredible. I’m so happy and proud of the fact that I graduated from my MFA program. At the same time though, I will miss it terribly. I’m so grateful that my dad is okay and I hope his healing process is smooth. I’m glad that Wolverine loved his actual birthday and his birthday party. I’m tired, but happy.

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Want to know more about my experiences in 2012? Check out the previous months: January and February and March and April and May and June

365 Photos: Days 159-167

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Day 159- July 11: Dr. Suess quote
Day 160- July 12:  Lunchables for lunch
Day 161- July 13: Early graduation present from my boss
Day 162- July 14: Alcoholic slushy
Day 163- July 15: My seminar!
Day 164- July 16: Stone seat at school
Day 165- July 17: Dinosaur and octopus
Day 166- July 18: Spiderman cave
Day 167- July 19: Lobsta dinna

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