Just a little inside thought out

Not that this thought of mine is directed at anyone in particular by any means but I just wonder sometimes why some people in general feel that their opinion, comments or point of view are always wanted, always needed. Why do they always give them, asked or not? We all know people who do this - I know ya'll do (definitely in the blog and Facebook world now a days too). I use to be that girl. I know, so annoying right. At least, I hope I'm not that girl anymore. Am I Mom?! ;) It's been one of my biggest personal lessons in life so far ... 

Hmmm, I think to myself. Are they unaware of the fact that it's perfectly acceptable and likely preferred for one to say nothing in circumstances that one feels as though they can barely contain themselves?! I know that silence isn't always the best choice. I can assure you that I'm all for standing up for what you believe in or saying something constructive when you feel it's necessary (I'm a Leo for cryin' out loud). However, I'm talking about things that really don't require your 'expertise' in the grande scheam of things. I do think though, that it all comes down to self awareness (another important life lesson for myself that a lot of days, I'm still growing with). Are we truly aware of the way that we may be making others feel with our little 'inserts' shall we call them?

I remember one day (I was maybe 18 or so) and my Mom and Dad said to me "You know Jess, the time to say nothing at all is the time that you feel you must say something or bust". I had never thought of it that way but it made a lot of sense to me the next time I felt that way in a situation. This also coming from the people who told me around the same year (and every so often they'll still remind me) that not everything is black and white. There is grey and a lot of it (I try to live by this now). The reason I'm adding in this little last bit of grey talk is because I find that often, those who speak whatever they feel regardless, are often those who see the world in rather black and white terms. 

This is a blog post that I've been considering writing for months now, especially as I recognize it happening so often. Hopefully I've kept it short, sorta sweet and to the point. I'm not looking for agreement or disagreement. Just passin' on the thought for others who are interested in considering it ... or not. Either way is just fine with me. But for the record, my Mom and Dad are rarely wrong ;)

How to comment on blogs & an invitation to do just that!

I need a little help from my friends! Would any of you be so kind as to give your opinion on which bundle is more 'me'? By me, I mean Sparrow & Me Photography, Beyond Blonde, or anyone who knows me in person. I do my best to make all my endevours very 'me' but if you had to plunk me into a design scheme, are any of these it ... ? If you would leave a comment below the post as to which one you love the best, I would be so grateful for your part in the decision making process. P.S. This is to help me narrow down a new look for possibly a new blog! A How to Comment tutorial is just below. Also, you'll be able to identify which one is which by their names located right below the words 'Digital Paper Pack' in the middle of the image. For example, the first image below here is called 'Darlington'.

Now ... for those of you who have asked me over and over again on how you can comment, I finally realized that I could just do a simple post about how to do so! Because I love to read comments when you leave them, hopefully this will help a gal out :)

Writing a comment on a blog is no more difficult than sending an email. Really. It's three basic steps:Write your comment, leave your name & press submit ... that's it!

The easiest thing to do is just look for the word "comment" and click on it. For example, on all blogger blogs (like mine) you'll see something that looks like this at the end of the post ...



When you click to comment, something like the image shown below also may pop up & in that case you want to do the following ...

Enter your name and your email address. Your email address will be kept private - no other blog readers can contact you through it, so don't worry
Enter your website/blog if you have one but don't worry ... you don't have to fill it in!

I hope this helps and I'm excited to see if anyone has any thoughts for me on what design colors they think would best for me to go with!

ALOHA

* Our roadtrip to the most Southernest Point in the USA, was so windy that the trees in this place all grow completely sideways like the photo below
* There was a market in our little town. I bought myself a huge turquoise ring, Ben a few tee's, and a massive butter avocado and red pepper for our enchilada dinner we were making later on that night
* I was totally diggin the Bob Marley fabric poster at the market but something told me that it wouldn't quite match the rest of my home
* Gotta love the random zebra (and donkey which is not shown) on the side of a a random road with the please don't feed sign. Hana was overjoyed at the sight of the random zebra.
* The windmill photo was encouraged by my brother. He thought they were really cool and I was not all that impressed. He convinced me to snap a photo as we were driving by and I actually love the shot with those cotton candy hued clouds. So there you go Chayse, it's a keeper
* The grassy landscape was a total change from what most of our side of the island looked like. It was very pretty though with all the long grasses and bluffs. I love the very last shot of the little sparrows on the fence and the crazy blue sky above them
* You know the pineapple in Hawaii is yummy when it can make a girl who didn't like it before, suddenly crave it all the time. It was SO good. Everyone forced me to try it and I'm so glad they did. Can you seriously go to Hawaii and not even TRY their pineapple?! 

I still need to get to editing the photos from the Luau we went to on the night of my birthday. It was so entertaining so those will be next & more beach shots of the prettiest beach we'd gone to. It was too bad we discovered it on the afternoon of our last full day there. Stay tuned!

I told you there were a lot of photos ...

* Tiny frogs being carried in tiny hands

* Black sand beach

* A roadtrip with my brother & Hana to the most Southernest point in the USA

* Extra memorable fishing charter trip for the boys (they reeled in a shark!)

* Lots of laughter

* Swimming in the open waters with wild dolphins

* Snorkeling, snorkeling and more snorkeling!

* Lots of swimming in our pool and down at beaches near our place

More photos to come!

More Hawaiian Adventures!

Some of the highlights from days three and four of our Hawaiian trip were ...

* Cracking open our first coconut (right off our tree in our backyard)
* Doing an early morning walk just Ben and I to the bay near our house
* Went to Hapuna State Park Beach w/ the whole fam (first time to a really typically gorgeous white sand Hawaiian beach)
* I had a serious bathing suit malfunction standing in seven foot waves
* We ate our first (and best through out the entire trip) fish tacos from a little stand at the beach
* The babies stayed home after Eli's long night at the hospital
* We did a little mini photo sesh with my brother and his girlfriend Hana. They had been to a candy factory the day before so we used their salt water taffy in some shots. One is posted below in black and white and the others will come another day  not so soon
* Of course Eli has been working hard to walk. He tried and tried on the trip. By the end he was motoring along a lot quicker with a helping hand, then he was before we left.

There were likely more highlights but because I have been SO slow at getting these photos up and because I am way busy, I am just going to post a bunch today.  They are not all from this day of course, but I need to get rollin so that's ok ;) I am crazy in love with the black and white one of Ben & the Colty holding hands, the ones of my Dad & Colty sitting in the wicker chair & the one of Chayse (my brother) photographing in black in white. The image of me in the yellow dress was taken by my adoring husband.
P.S. All the images have been taken by me & if they're not, I'll write otherwise.

Enjoy!