Day 365...The End

THE END

I made it through this project without posting a single selfie.  I didn't post a pic of me with my kids, parents, none of it!  Haha.  I figure if you know me on Facebook, you get enough of this face.  

So here's the deal.  Today is the last day of my 365.  Admittedly, there were several bumps in the road.  There were a few weeks here and there where I had to make up for missed days.  If you've followed me closely, you'll know that there are seven missing days, and some days where I stretched my own rules a bit.  

But this is the reality...365 was an enormous challenge.  It was something I should have thought through more thoroughly at the beginning of the year knowing that my dad was terminal.  That isn't the only reason for my stumbles, but it was a huge factor.  

I realized yesterday that though it's been over eight months since he left me, I'm still grieving greatly.  It's taken a big bite out of me.  But it's a new year now, and I have great hopes for healing and great hopes for a lot of fun things in my future.

Thanks very much for any of you that followed me.  I appreciate the fact that my blog was viewed more than 10,000 times.  I appreciated every wonderful comment anyone has made and all the support and love I was shown this past year.

I feel that although I did leave a few missing pieces, my goal was accomplished.  I learned more than I ever thought I could learn in one year.  I'm proud of many of the shots I took and posted.  But anyone who knows me knows that it doesn't stop here.

I'm looking to the future, and hopefully by tomorrow night I will announce PROJECT 2015.

Thanks so much.

Love and Peace

Christina

Day 364....The Sun is Setting...On My Project

THE SUN IS SETTING...ON MY PROJECT

So the sun came out today, for the first time in weeks, literally weeks.  So no matter what happened today, I knew my post would be the sun.  I'm still quite behind, but I could take a photo of the sun (setting or rising) every single day.  

When I pulled of the road to take this one, I was thinking, you know, I don't even care if is an attractive sunset or sky or anything.  It's the dang sun and that's all that counts.  Ha!  

So how crazy is it that I have TWO days left of this project?  I mean, really, I fell behind, and I have days to fill in, but I am going to call it a success.

What for the announcement of the project for 2015...more fun ahead!

Day 363... Rising on the Edge of the City

RISING ON THE EDGE OF THE CITY

This is one of those scenes that certainly isn't as beautiful in a photograph as it is in person.  I took this one because when driving in to the city on morning where the SUN is going to make itself known, it casts beautiful colors around spilling them on things.  This steam comes from a building that is right on the river.  And whenever I see the steam, it's entrancing.  And I thought it was especially amazing this morning how the outer edges of the steam lines sucked the color out of the air and turned the outlines pink and orange.  

If I were into taking video, I could see standing near the billowing steam for a long while taking video shots of it because there's just this magical billowing of it that keeps you staring at it.  I think this particular "smoke stack" constantly pumps out some sort of vapor that almost always can be seen in photos of the St. Paul skyline.

DAY 362...The Rail Corridor

THE RAIL CORRIDOR

There are certain images that I take (and see) that I know may not be interesting to others.  But sometimes I just feel like I'm in a place that just evokes a certain feeling, emotion, or something that is unique to me.  That's the way this scene is.  It's a new scene in the city.  The light rail has only been in operation only a few months.  But every time I cross the tracks and look north, I think it's kind of a cool scene with our Capitol in the background.

And now in the winter with all the colorless scenes around us, it was kind of fun to have a little pop of color from the nearby parking garage, and the yellow light from the train headlight as well as the banner marquis at MPR.

The project is very nearing the end.  It actually freaked me out when I realize I have four days left.  I mean, I really have way more than that technically since I'm missing several days, but my full-time job has deadlines I can't argue with.

I already have a new idea for next year's project and I'm really really excited to get started on something fresh and new!

Day 360...Time to Get Your Winter On

TIME TO GET YOUR WINTER ON

When you live in a state that is hellishly cold at times or you're battling with snowbanks and icy sidewalks, you sometimes take the attitude, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."  So the hardy Minnesotan will find seasonal activities as a way to look forward to winter.  As you can see, you can often identify one of us by our lack of clothing while standing in near subzero temperatures, or rather than going inside to warm up, we just plop down somewhere outside and warm up with a little fire.  No problem.

We don't have gorgeous mountain peaks and expansive ski runs, but we make believe we do and we love it!  This is certainly going to be my continued attitude to make it through the winter by trying to find wintery outside things to do.

Day 359...The Gorgeous Cousin

THE GORGEOUS COUSIN

I honestly feel so sad right now because I only have one week left of my project, and I'm two weeks behind in posting.  As usual, I have been taking photographs, but haven't had time to really focus on good stuff and posting.  I had this big idea how the whole thing would end up and figure the days after Christmas would be a big wrap up and I could celebrate in grand style knowing I finished well.

That might not happen.  I will finish no matter what happens and back date just so the order of the blog isn't confusing and I have 365 days.

So today, the day before Christmas, the great Christmas Eve, one would think I would be out in the dark of the evening taking in the last days of the holiday splendor and the lights.  A sweet guy even offered to take me and drive me around to look at Christmas displays with stops for me to shoot.

But there's that pesky thing again, the full-time job.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the job.  It's paid for my new camera and lenses.  Thanks to the Universe for the job, seriously.  But it is getting in the way of my daily project.

So my gorgeous cousin is in town.  She from NOLA.  I mean, she's actually from here but went to college at Tulane and stayed in New Orleans.  I don't see her often but adore her every second I see her and adore every hug she gives me.  This time around, we promised to get together for a photo shoot which I was absolutely honored that she asked me to do because LOOK AT HER!  I can't get over how beautiful she is.  She has perfect skin, perfectly chiseled face, and some curves that many women would die for!  Her blond hair certainly rounds out the perfection.

I chose this shot today not because it was the best of the bunch but I thought it was oozing with cool.  It was pretty urban, and it was outside.  She looks fantastic.  Maybe I'll cheat later this week and add a few more that we took by the railroad!

Love her!!!

Day 355...My Crazy Relatives

MY CRAZY RELATIVES

My dad comes from a large family.  He had eight brothers and sisters (originally none but one passed at age 13).  Since I was a young girl, I remember vividly the Christmas Eve gatherings and Grandma Guertrude's.  There were cousins everywhere.  I have two other cousins born in the same year I was.  We went to the same high school.  And a year older, year younger, a few years older and younger, we had many.  And we stuffed the families into Grandma's tiny little house.  There was always a beautiful tree in the front room, and we even had Santa Claus come.  

As the years passed, Grandma ended up moving out of her house into a little condo for the elderly.  She lived independently until her passing in 2001.  But when she moved, she lived in a little one-bedroom place and the party got moved to my Uncle Mark's house (pictured above).  I always wondered what it would be like after my grandma passed away, if we would all still who up every year and keep the tradition going.  I can honestly say, it is one of the longest lasting traditions of my life, and I look forward to it.  It is the one time every year I see some of the people I would otherwise not see.

So now that I've paid more attention to my photography, I have it in my mind a little more each year to concentrate on getting some good family shots of everyone while they're still gathered.  The family shot above is my Uncle Mark and his wife and his (and her) kids.  I could write a whole long page of their interesting and amazing family!  But today, it's just about the photo and what an ecclectic, beautiful, and fun bunch of people they are.