Appreciation of changes over time

I want to appreciate you without judging.  Join you without invading.  Invite you without demanding.  Leave you without guilt. – Virginia Satir

Appreciation – Week 6 in 49 Weeks ‘til I’m 50 – Ready, Set, it’s all about A FOCUSed plan to get there!

Today brings us to the third “A” in A Future looking forward to being 50 – Appreciation.  As we age, there’s much to appreciate about the past, the present and the future.  What we did in the past to take care of ourselves, brings us to how we can approach our current lives.  Are you as fit as you’d like to be?   If so, great, if not, there’s no time like the present to begin something to change the way our future looks.  We’ve spent nearly 50 years being a certain way and we can choose how we spend the rest of our lives. 

Last week I mentioned that I had gone to a Wellness event.  If you’re anything like me, you can’t go to an event about wellness, and not come out of it without at least one thing to try or do to improve yourself.  That is unless you’re perfect.  If you are perfect, congratulations, perhaps you should be writing a blog on how you got there!  But…I’m not that person. 

I decided to commit to a couple of changes after the event.  The first one was to accept the 30 Day Butt Challenge: http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/30-day-butt-challenge/ .  Did you check it out?  Doesn’t the first week look doable?  

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that I am a runner.  Not a marathoner, I’m a runner to keep “fit” or at least to keep my weight within a reasonable range.  I do keep toying with the idea of running a 1/2 marathon before I'm 50.  Until then, I run to burn off the calories from the days when the Tostitos and Hummus were the meal of choice.  Not the healthiest route, but admittedly I know it well.  It is one of my weaknesses I unfortunately enjoy.  The scale tells me running does help me maintain my weight.  There is a level of cardio I benefit from as well.  Of course I assumed that running means my legs have muscles. Muscles to go forward, to climb hills, to take me miles away and back.  Therefore, I definitely should not have trouble with a butt challenge!

Wait a second…I also have to remember I’m approaching 50.  What happens to our skin as we age?  I’m now guessing there is a reason so many plastic surgeons have booming businesses after all.   There really is a difference in shape and tone as you age.  A long time ago, I made a promise to myself that I would never weigh more than I did the day I got married.  That’s my bench mark.  The only time I allowed a deviation was during pregnancy.  I didn’t think, way back then, that that wouldn’t be enough.  Just keeping within that weight range should be enough right?  We also learned at the Wellness meeting that people can be skinny and still be fat or at least not “tone” or healthy. 

So jeez…not wanting to judge too much, I thought am I really in shape?  As I started the program I really began to wonder.   There were “new” muscles in my legs that I didn’t know I wasn’t using as I was running.  Being the inquisitive person that I am, with camera in hand, I was brave enough to take a few selfies!   Silly me, I thought there’s no better way to see if I was really in as good of shape as I thought I was.  My clothing still fits nicely, but good golly it apparently does the trick of hiding some imperfections I didn't really know I had.  Yep, I took a before shot and got that measuring tape out to see if there really is a change after 30 days.  

As I grabbed my camera and took those horrifying shots, I definitely had a Yikes moment!  I ran to my computer and sent my friend an email and told her I was committed to the 30 day challenge.  I’m demanding a change for myself.  I will definitely not leave that image behind without any guilt!  I am secretly waiting for the 30 days to get over so I can take the after shot.  Here’s to hoping that the elasticity doesn’t win! 

How do we appreciate the loss of elasticity as we age?  That’s really what it is isn’t it?  I remember back to my early 30’s and early 40’s thinking that sag won’t happen to me.  I’ll stay active, I’ll maintain my weight, and I won’t be sagging when I’m 50.  My inspiration way back in the early 80’s was seeing Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond.  As she was approaching 50, she was in the best shape of her life.  Remember the Jane Fonda Workout?  There is definitely something to continuing exercise that keeps you younger looking longer.  It was working for her at that time so I jumped on board and started her exercises.  Then life took on work, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, and then working full-time in a sitting position 8+ hours a day.  Is there any wonder changes in "shape" occur as we age?

 

Here I am, telling you that even remaining active can’t prevent the aging skin, losing elasticity is natural.  But, can being more active now, slow it down?  That’s my new inspirational challenge.  I’m going to join the change of being 50 without allowing it to invade my life in an adverse way.  I watched my mom in her 50’s not fight.  She was overweight, diabetic, had hypertension and high cholesterol and she rarely exercised.  For the next 15 years, she enjoyed her sedentary life.   Her choices remain an inspiration to me of what not to do.  I’d rather die in a running accident than die due to dementia secondary to a stroke.  The diseases she had are preventable, they aren’t hereditary to me.   I can appreciate her love for the good life as she was a happy person before the diseases got the best of her.  I can appreciate the things that I can do to prevent the diseases from taking over my life.  Just doing that will be the best gift I can give myself. 

The second commitment I made had nothing to do with the Wellness meeting.  I had this long 5 week discussion with myself re: greying hair.  I have gone back and forth between dreading the change, wanting to appreciate the grey without judging it, join it without letting it invade my life, invite it without demanding it to be okay, and leave the coloring without guilt.  

I’m one of those lucky ones, my grey is evenly distributed over my whole head.  I started getting grey hairs when I was in 7^th grade so apparently I have it mastered now.  I didn’t start coloring it though until I was 40.  I had promised myself that when I turn 50, I’d be done with coloring it.  Now, I’m starting to second guess that commitment.  I even went so far as to ask my husband, my daughter’s and my hairdresser for permission to just let the grey take over.  You’d think that after all the support I’ve given them over the years and all those moments where a few of the greys came in due to things they may have caused me to worry about, I assumed they’d be like, “Go for it, embrace the change, do it, go grey!  Nope, not a single one said, “go for it.”  It was more like, “you’ll look old,” and “you won’t like it.” Whatever!

So I grabbed my camera again…YIKES!  The truth shall set me free!  I had let the time between colorings go a bit longer.  Long enough to see proof positive that I don’t really want to go grey yet.  I had a heart to heart with my hairdresser.  She’s right around the same age, so very supportive and she knows the secrets of the masses who color.  She ran through the options of what I could do to go grey gradually, and then I asked her, what should I do?  She said “look at that face, you’re not old yet.”   So I caved from my bravery and colored it all again.  Some things about aging you can “change” after all!  I will get to the point of letting that beautiful grey stand alone, but until then, I’m sure I’m not alone in the world of coloring the grey. 

We can slow the aging process down by appreciating our lives.  Appreciating the things we can change and appreciating the things we can’t.  Appreciate all the moments!  What are you going to do?  Thanks for stopping by, next week’s topic – Abundance.

PS – this week shooting in the RAW took on a new meaning.   Is there any truth to the saying that the camera adds 10 pounds?  Yeah, that’s it…!   I wonder if Jared from FroKnowsPhoto colors his fro?   

The wind overnight created this beautiful
smooth drift.

I even captured the wind blowing over it.

The winds of time create curves and dimples
in the snow.  It must be natural over time to get
some curves and dimples as we age!

That once smooth drift, has cellulite too!

Unlike the leaves that turn grey and die, our
hair doesn't grow in nice and green as we loose it...

These precious little green leaves made it
through the dead leaves.  Amazing!

Holy crap...that's a lot of nice and even grey!
Precious white hairs growing through the black!
Time to wash that grey right out of my hair!

A martini may make you  happier about the grey,
but coloring it is easier and longer lasting therapy!
Olive oil is good for you though...
Cheers to the aging process!

  

So many ambitions, so little time, but is that so?

“Oh, it’s delightful to have ambitions.  I’m so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them – that’s the best of it.  Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still.  It does make life so interesting.” – L.M. Montgomery

Welcome back to 49 Weeks ‘til I’m 50 – Ready, Set, it’s all about A FOCUSed plan to get there!

We are in week 5 of 7 of looking at the “A’s” in A Future being 50.  Last week, we looked at Anticipation, this week we’ll look at Ambitions.  Ambitions by definition are the strong desires to do or achieve something (i.e., for me it is the strong desire to look forward to turning 50 in a positive way).  

Let’s take a closer look at ambition.  Is having ambition is a good thing or a bad thing?  Having lots of ambitions does create an interesting life, there’s always something to look forward to.  Like my plan for this adventure from 49 to 50.  I have something to look forward to each week as the journey unfolds.   My plan keeps my ambition level easier to maintain and complete going forward.  I have a FOCUSed plan so I stay on track.  By setting a topic and time limit each week, then I can accomplish lots of mini goals along the way.  Just like the quote above, seeing the next week’s topic glittering in the future keeps me looking forward. 

On the flip side, I wonder, can a person have so many ambitions that they become so scattered and it is tough for them to accomplish anything?  I don’t know for sure, but I’d say it is certainly a possibility.  I do believe what you set out to do, you can accomplish most of the time.  But what holds us back from doing so?  Does it have to do with the scattered thought process common to us as we age?   You know, do we become more scattered as we turn 50?  Is it just a natural consequence or is it because as we age we have to couple the scattered thinking with the level of responsibilities in life?  Maybe, it is that we have a limited time available in a day?

With so much running through our heads it can simply suck the ambition right out of us.  It can also contribute to burn out because we are trying to cram so much into our days.  In turn we are sacrificing something or someone along the way. Why is that?  What do we have to do to maintain balance and keep focused?

When I mentally add up all the time it will take to accomplish everything on my “ambition” list, I have to be realistic about how much time I can really devote to that list.  If I don’t, I know that I have the potential to give up too quickly.  I know that there are only 86,400 seconds in a day.  If every task I have on my list takes a minimum of 3600 seconds (1 hour) what can I truly accomplish?  

I want to make every one of those seconds count, who doesn’t?  But, let’s be realistic here.  The average person, working a full time job, getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep a night, exercising 30 minutes daily, eating healthy by sitting down enjoying and cooking something healthy, and maintaining some balance by giving yourself time winding up and winding down each day takes a substantial amount of time.  How does that breakdown in a 24 hour day?  Don't forget to to add in extra time for the “to/from each activity” time and the “set-up/clean-up” time to be realistic.  If you are doing it all on your own, without hiring or delegating some of the routine, what does that look like?

A healthy routine from my example above would take 28800 for sleeping, 30600 for working, 10800 for eating, 3600 for exercising, 3600 getting ready for the day, 1800 winding down from the day, leaving on a generous side 7200 to devote to an ambition list of goals.  7200 seconds = 2 hours every day…hmmm.  I didn’t take into consideration all the obstacles or time interruptions in my healthy day.  That could easily suck up those 7200 seconds if I don’t have a clear plan and schedule it into my day.  Is it a wonder why people don’t stick to their ambition list?  In order to be successful you have to plan it or incorporate it into those 86400 seconds per day.  But is that really the key?  

So here we are just 19 days into January 2014.  When I was in school, we were taught that it takes 21 days to solidify a new habit or to break an old one.  I have two days left to get it right!   I read this blog http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/2/.  The blog says only 8% of people achieve the resolutions that they set for the New Year.  Are those 8 %’s special in some way?  The studies out there determined what sets them apart.  I wonder if they have less "buts" in their lives?  You know the buts...but, I have to, but I want to, but someone called, but something came up, but...I want to be an 8% person instead, how about you?

I only have my own track record of when a goal has been set and met to know what works for me.   How about you?  Did you set an ambition list for the New Year?  How are you doing?  Were you realistic about the goals you set?  Did you calculate the time you need to accomplish them?  Did you plan them into your day?  Did you schedule them so you keep healthy balance in your life?  Were you realistic?  If you weren’t don’t give up, re figure and set a smaller more manageable goal.  Baby steps are always a great way to get moving in the right direction.  Remove some of those "buts" and make small changes over time, they can and do make a big difference.  Stay focused!  

Oh dear, I just looked at the clock…I have already used up my 7200 seconds (and then some) for my blog today.  I had bigger ambition than time.  As I look to my left next to my monitor, there’s this nasty little pile that keeps screaming in my head.  I must get to sorting it today.  Enough but talk about time and planning, I simply have to get to it.  I bet there’s something you should be doing now too, right? 

Thank you for stopping by to take a few minutes and share time with me.  Next week, we’ll look at our next A in A Future – Appreciation.  Now go get to your Ambition list…remember your plan and FOCUS to get there, you can do it, so can I!

PS – Photography moments of the week.  I continue on my quest to discover the Manual setting on my camera as well as framing pictures or items rather than the first “look” in the camera.  I didn’t schedule enough time into my week, but did have a few moments to give it a try.  

But it is snowing, I can't go outside...

But it is so pretty to look at...

Is this a better angle? 

So much snow, it even stuck
to the window...but now snow
removal will likely change plans

It's kinda cool to look at from a different perspective.

But the dog needs a path...Copper's hero...

9 inches of snow is not man's best friend, but at least he
can combine the removal of is as "exercise".

But that pile is starting to crab my attention...

There it is, how can I make
it fun, and manageable so I can
cross it off my ambition list?

Just DO IT!  Get off my but(s) and do it!

Anticipation girl's style

But if we learn to think of it as anticipation, as learning, as growing, if we think of the time we spend waiting for the big things of life as an opportunity instead of a passing of time, what wonderful horizons open out! – Anna Neagle

Welcome back to 49 weeks of preparing to turn 50.  This is the 2^nd “A” in our 7 weeks looking at A Future.  This week’s FOCUS is about Anticipation.  Anticipation by definition means “feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen or the act of preparing for something.”  What do you experience when you are anticipating things?  Do you look at them as opportunities or simply wasting time?  Standing in line at the store, anticipating checking out, sometimes feels like a waste time.  Other times, anticipation can be exciting.

How many times have you waited for something to happen and you’ve been nervous?  For women in particular (sorry guys) there are two hormonal milestones that make us stand out from men.  The big one is a girl’s first period (i.e., menstrual cycle).  I grew up in the time it was taboo to talk about it let alone ask questions about it.  I went to a very small grade school with a one room library.  When I was about to take the big leap into womanhood, the PTA meetings consisted of how they were going to ban and prohibit their children from reading Judy Blume’s book “Are you there God it’s me Margaret.”  She was brave enough to touch on it in her controversial book  http://judyblume.com/books/middle/margaret.php

My mom didn’t really talk about it with me.  Despite anticipation having been one who did get to read the banned book, I was less than prepared.  When I was blessed enough to have graduated to the big stage, being helpful the only way she knew how, my mom bought me the horrific panties with belts inside and the mini (well…rather large and uncomfortable) pads that were to go inside.  Talk about scary!  No wonder they didn’t want girls to read about the experience.  

Let's fast forward years later to my daughters' experiences.  As a mom, I hope I was a bit more open and let them ask questions.  Luckily for them they didn't have to experience the belted panties.  The creation of the stick to the panties version had appeared, with wings and much thinner to boot!  Oh, and there were tampons for beginner kits readily available.  They also taught about it in school to help them with their anticipation and preparation.  

I guess the big difference was the openness about that time of the month.  For them it was so matter-of-fact and open, so much so, I was even horrified for a brief moment in time.  When I was growing up, it was a secret time of the month.  Not them, they openly shared it with their friends and even their boyfriends.  Jeez…I wonder what Judy Blume would title the book now….  “Oh God…not prepared again, anyone got a tampon?”  

As I approach 50, I’m anticipating the bittersweet transition from menstruating to menopause.  Nowadays it’s common for women to talk openly about that big change.  It is bittersweet because of all those years anticipating and preparing for the time of the month, it had become, in a weird way, a comfortable routine.  I’m anticipating the time when it is no longer part of my life.  A bit scary, but there's the excited feeling of never having to go in that aisle again in the store, just think of the cost and time savings!  Secretly I'm hoping that the incontinence aisle isn’t necessary for 20 more years either.  The precursor to that change is the exciting roller coaster of emotions splashed with sweat from the hot flashes.  Ah…now we’re talking eh?  And of course, there’s always the anticipation of not having to worry about getting pregnant…

The next big moment in a women’s life is that of child birth.  The it from above going away prevents that opportunity from ever happening again.  Again, a bittersweet thought.  I remember fondly thinking about the anticipation of the moment.  Waiting, and waiting until the time when my body was ready to give birth.  Such a beautiful personal experience.  Having been blessed twice, it makes me aware of the extent of the beauty. 

Now those thoughts are replaced with the anticipation of thinking about being a grandmother someday in the distant future…I’m not really ready for that moment yet!!   But when the time is right, it will be nice to relive the moments of birth watching someone else experience the joy and anticipation.  I can watch the moments with eyes of a beholder instead of feeling my eyes pop out of my head during labor.  It’s not really that bad ladies…just trying to put some persuasion in to my words of I can wait longer to be a grandmother! 

Both big milestones are due to our wonderful hormones.  They can drive a women’s life if you let them, or you can learn to deal with them.  I’d say if anything it would be nice to be prepared for a hot flash instead of simply anticipate it and get caught off guard.  Same as when I chose natural child birth, I'm not choosing hormone replacements for this new stage.  Not for everyone, but it works for me.  I'm just dealing with the sweats best I can.  Growing up, it wasn’t cool for a girl to sweat.  I avoided anything that would cause me to sweat, especially in front of guys.  Now, my favorite thing is to take a run and give those crazy hormones a chance to sweat free and legit. I hear exercise is a great way to deal with hormones no matter what age you are!

Other times though, I have been unsuccessful in predicting as well as preparing despite all the anticipation of the wondrous hot flash moments.  Layers, layers, layers are a girl’s best friend.  I’m like my daughters though.  While, I don’t remember my mom talking about hot flashes at all, I am the first one to announce their arrival and cool down as I peel off the sweater.  The same sweater I’ll need a few minutes later to cover up the chills.  A fun book to read to help get you into the mode is called “Hot Flashes from Heaven”.  I enjoy her take on this new adventure.  http://www.ronnasnyder.com/

I don’t know what being 50 will really bring, but I’m anticipating the changes as great ones to look forward to.  FOCUSing again on the future, learning how my body responds to the changes, adding a little reminiscing of the past to show how much I have grown is the best way to anticipate the changes.      

Thanks for stopping by – enjoy your moments of anticipation!  Next week, we’ll look at the third “A” – Ambitions.

PS…for my photography moments of the week, I looked carefully for moments of anticipation.  I thought about taking pictures of the “girl’s only aisle” at Walmart, but chose not to.  How does one capture anticipation in pictures?  Now that’s a challenge!

Oh dear, I must confess, I’m having a hot flash of embarrassment.  As I look at my SD card I’ve got “nothing”.  I was experimenting with the manual mode and accidentally got it stuck on the BULB mode.  I had to research what that meant, how to get it unstuck, and finally I can venture off and try to find some more things that depict anticipation.  I think I need another cup of coffee…or maybe I need to take a run to legitimately sweat!

Copper's eyes always reflect some kind of
anticipation or is it longing...  

I think he even dreams of the next
thing he'll bark at or run after.

Happy trails to the bunnies.

Grabbing a cup of coffee... time to write a blog...

Darn BULB mode didn't work...

So many things to do, and here I sit anticipating
words to write about in the blog.

Coffee getting low in the cup.

Ah...a refill - now it's time for a run to sweat
out the hormones!!  

Acceptance is way better than apathy

“Some people confuse acceptance with apathy, but there’s all the difference in the world.  Apathy fails to distinguish between what can and what cannot be helped; acceptance makes that distinction.  Apathy paralyzes the will-to-action; acceptance frees it by relieving it of impossible burdens” – Arthur Gordon

Welcome back to week 3 – the first “A” in “A” Future

First, let’s look back…how did you do last week?  Did you find FOCUS?  Did you look back and gather up all the great memories of your past and treasure the good ones and throw out the old?  Did you say goodbye to 2013 with gusto, or just let it roll in like every other year?  Have you accepted the future as something to look forward to?  Are you taking action and getting on with the New Year?

That brings us here to the moment of Acceptance.  There’s no turning back, we are (well, I am) going to be 50 this year.  I feel empowered because I am choosing to accept that fact and enjoy the adventure along the way. 

For a little while, I was approaching the change with great apathy.  After all, there is nothing I can do about the hands of time changing right?  But I can always change my approach to the change.  When I give up and choose apathy, I find that I’m truly depressed and simply sit there.  I don’t like the feeling of apathy.  It is scary to me, I don’t like who I am when I choose apathy.  Apathy is a great burden to bear.   

I’m taking some action.  Top 5 oaths (i.e., solemn promises regarding future action or behaviors) of Acceptance in my readiness for the big 50:

1.       I accept my body has and will continue to change.  (Oh yeah, there are aches and pains, sags and wrinkles, freckles and speckles, glitter and sparkle, rolls and puckers and so many opportunities to accept what I cannot change.  But there are things to discover about what I can slow down or modify in healthy ways.  I don’t have to just let those changes happen to me without a little fight right?)

2.       I accept my rules of the house will be tested and rewritten.  (I used to be able to say “no” or “don’t do that” to my kids and they listened to me.  That was when they were little.  Now, being young adults, they tend to have some pretty good arguments or personal convictions that lead to “I’ll do it my way now mom.”  Ouch…but I have to be open to listening to new ways of thinking otherwise I’ll look at their choices with apathy instead of acceptance and risk losing the opportunity to grow with them.  I know there must be moments that they wonder why the heck I’ve done some of the dorky things I do, yet, they still love me and support me.  I need to do that too.

3.       I accept my choices in fashion will be questionable.  (Out with the old, be selective for the new to compliment the old.  Some of my clothes no longer fit properly or are totally out of fashion for the current century.  Retro may be cool, but not necessarily for me.  I'm thinking bulky shoulder pads are for football players, not me!  Plus, with the changing body, I’ll need to brighten up the colors choices to complement the sparkles of grey in the hair.  We’ll be focusing one whole blog post on fashion in the coming weeks.)

4.       I accept I have wasted time and money in the past.  (As a body slows down due to all the physical changes, it is easy to waste time.  That is definitely not apathy, that’s a choice.  Make it a vow to take action to not waste time…that is unless you choose to do so.  I personally think that simply choosing a goofy romance novel and a glass of wine isn’t a complete waste of time once and a while.  My favorite is losing myself in the adventures of Stephanie Plum http://www.evanovich.com/novels/plum-series/)  On a serious note...I don’t know about you, but this time of year when we set the resolution to start to clear out clutter, the first thing I think of that stops me is, “I spent money on that, it is still worth something so I need to hang on to it.”  I argue with myself that I should just get rid of it.  Then that darn old apathy sets in and I put it back on the shelf.  I need to accept that I wasted money.  The item is sucking up my time by having to think about it.  I have to accept the fact that someone else can use it, so out it needs to go!  That will free up my time.). 

5.       I accept that what matters most needs more FOCUS.  (This is where the rubber hits the road.  Define what truly matters most to you.  Every time you make a decision, FOCUS on those key areas, and you will look forward to the future with acceptance instead of apathy).  

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments of acceptance, avoid apathy, and look forward to the next “A” in the Future – Anticipation. 

PS – What did I learn this week in my acceptance of my adventure in photography skills?  I am no longer using apathy (i.e., the camera’s auto setting).  I’m still experimenting with the Manual setting and loving every moment of discovery.  I’m pretty sure it may be bordering on wasting some time though…

Top time waster...I took 30 + selfies - still none worthy of sharing!  I did it only to record the what did I look like at 49.

FroKnows photo challenge was to take a picture of your bedroom.  When I first read that, I was like, "What, that's crazy...why would I want to share my bedroom on the internet?"  But then, he said, zoom in on something.  I liked that idea better.  I still don't know if I'm brave enough to share it on his challenge website, but, it was fun to try and find something to zoom in on in my room and frame it differently.  Plus it helps me to continue learning the manual settings on the camera.

Major clutter clearing - this was
a true test of boy I wasted
a lot of money...there were many
items who had truly earned
their exit from the pantry.

4 garbage bags later, this pantry
is way more fun to go into
and way easier to find what
I'm looking for - definitely a time saver!

My big moment of apathy...I cannot change
broken glass.  Just imagine waking
abruptly from sleep by the crashing
sound of a photo frame hitting the floor
after an extra large cat knocked it off the shelf.

No worries...take a few pictures (well, I actually took
30 different angles, it was fun, but probably
a waste of time)

A pile of books, attempting
to make a sentence out of the titles,
sort of creative...?

Ah...I so wish we were somewhere with our
toes in the sand instead of the -27 below
temps we are about to experience.

There's always Copper..."Don't you take away
my toy!"

I'm ignoring you...

Time to relax...a book, a sunny window to sit in,
and a perfect glass of wine...nope, not a waste
of time!

The rule of thirds...one glass of wine,
three chapters of the book.

There's always a sunset to catch, oops
the camera settings weren't readjusted...it had
nothing to do with the wine, really....

The beauty of the manual setting, you
can readjust and capture the colors!
I'm anticipating even more opportunities to
enjoy discovering my path to 50!