on the Crystal Bridges trails

Crystal Bridges Museum is truly a jewel of Northwest Arkansas. And the nature trails? The icing on the proverbial cake. Love.

from the wayback machine: a train ride to Van Buren, AR

It’s been about a year now since we took a day trip train excursion on the Arkansas Missouri Railroad with my parents from Springdale to Van Buren, Arkansas. Gotta love a good Living Social deal. :)

We had a great time riding on the old train over the rivers and through the woods and wandering through downtown Van Buren… a tired little town that’s a bit of a throwback to days gone by.

Family time, lots of great photo opps, a great lunch at a locally owned restaurant, and the opportunity to slow down, unplug a bit, and enjoy life.

These are the good things. :)

spring has sprung!

In spite of continued attempts by winter to hang around longer than most might have liked, it seems Spring is finally here! Are you celebrating its arrival?

A Lake Ann Sunrise

Can’t believe we forgot about these! Welcome to a beautiful June sunrise over Lake Ann in Bella Vista, Arkansas. THIS is why I love this place…

rediscovering this place

What do you do when you lose your shine? Winter… and maybe life… has sort of had that effect on me lately. I’ve actually spent that last few months wondering in the back of my mind whether we should shutter the [click] blog and Facebook page.

Why? Because I’ve been busy comparing us… our path… to those of others. Truth be told, those comparisons have not just been photography-related… I’ve done it with many parts of our life. In an age of always-on social networking, blogging, etc. it’s pretty easy to get swallowed-up by what everyone else is – or is not – doing and analyzing what you’ve “done wrong” in your own life.

And then I remember. I remember that everyone else’s path is not mine… not ours. Also? That I should not (as they say) compare my “behind the scenes” to everyone else’s “highlight reel.” I’ve been focusing on the wrong things and allowing myself to be dragged down by the BLAH’s.

No better time, then, to start focusing on some positive changes. We’re not going to give up on [click]. Instead, we’re going to enjoy it for what it is and not try to shoehorn it into something it isn’t (and that we aren’t). I’m going to do some catching up here (there are many photos that have been waiting to be shared with you!) and we’re gonna work on living on the good side in all areas of our life. Here’s to stepping out on the right foot!

we’re still hangin’ on…

Been quiet here for a while. We’re still hangin’ on and trying to get back into the swing of things! More very, very soon!

Merry Christmas from us to you…

The presents have been opened, we’ve spent quality time with family, we’ve eaten wonderful food, and – as the day draws to a close – we’re waiting for snow (most of which is headed south – boo!) and sipping on eggnog. It’s been a great day. Hope you all had an amazing day filled with the people and things that make you happiest. Merry Christmas!!