Valuing My Life

For over a week now, I've been walking around gunning to create a scrapbook page.I know - who am I?But seriously, I don't write about it much here, but I do randomly create project life pages. At times it can feel overwhelming to print photos & document my life, but I love the finished pages. Going back through the pages I made for the weeks of 2013 and the (very) few weeks of 2014 make me happy.And I've been listening to a lot of Paperclipping Roundtable. So I assume that also has something to do with it.---Saturday we slept in as much as one can with the usual LA September heatwave. We originally planned to go to the climbing gym when it opened, but the heat + void moon had other ideas.We decided to take Carter down to the beach path and eat breakfast at our new favorite place, Amelia's.When I think about scrapbooking, I usually feel overwhelmed with the decisions - which pictures to print, what sizes, what papers, what stickers, what's the story I'm trying to tell, etc - and then I give up that idea and write a blog post or worse, do nothing.But I really do want more creative actions in my life - and these supplies aren't going to use themselves up - so as we went about our morning, I took a few pictures.---We got stuck in traffic on Abbot Kinney due to hundreds of motorcycles lining the street. We sang along to Jimmy Eat World on H's phone. We parked, got the dog out of the car and walked him over to Amelia's. We waited for a table, ordered food at the counter, and watched the parade of motorcycles go by. We ate our food and sipped our foamy drinks. After eating, we walked the dog down to the beach and out on this wooden path they put on the sand. At the very end is a bench we like to sit on b/c it allows us to be near the water and still have Carter with us on the sand.Carter was howling away in frustration at us, restless that he wanted more exercise. We looped back up to Main Street and back to the car.---The whole little adventure took less than 3 hrs but it is the epitome of a perfect morning for me. Music, going out for breakfast, delicious chai, walking the dog, the ocean, wearing a sundress, and quality time with H. Each one of these days feels like a dream, but it's my actual life.And I know the whole only thing constant is change, so it felt important to me to capture this morning on a page. To print some photos, write a little story and have it as a reminder, as a reflection, of the awesome life we're experiencing.

"We live 3 miles from one of the best beaches in the country and we have the time and freedom to enjoy it. Our little family, and my life, is pretty rad"

---Making this page was a creative act, and allowing myself creative acts feels like the ultimate way to value life. Just in the way that I go for a run or take a nap because I value my energy, or say no to dramatic people because I value my sanity, creative acts are a way to value my being. To hold it in high regard. To honor what I've built as a creative person - my marriage, my awesome dog, my talents. Documenting is something I've always done, but I'm finally beginning to understand that telling my story is a way of valuing ME.---{More Info}I started memory keeping with Project Life.Some of my very favorite memory-keepers:Ali EdwardsKelly PurkeyAmy TangerineShimellePink RonnieElise Blaha Cripe