I’ve come to a place where I’m so happy and thankful of where I am in my life!  I’m grateful for the wonderful family I have, the amazing friends that are by my side, the creativity and passion I have for photography, for yoga which has carried me and strengthened my muscles and my very core and, lastly, my body – which takes all the hard knocks I give it and keeps wanting more challenges.

This photo was taken recently when I went to the Bahamas….I set my camera up on a small tripod and a 10 second remote timer and this shot took about 30 tries before I finally got one that was perfect!

Being raised by the ocean, it has special meaning to me and while I love living in Colorado, I must schedule a yearly retreat to the ocean.

This year, I’m in the Bahamas, one of my favorite places.  We rented a boat and were traveling back to the dock when we spotted this beautiful Manta Ray.  We quickly got our snorkel gear on and popped in the water.  This was an amazing moment…I never expected to see a Manta Ray here and certainly not swim with one!

Isn’t this what it’s all about???

Here is Jim’s fabulous attempt at the “blue steel” look…..As you can see, we had fun so much fun with them!!!

“You think dogs will not be in heaven?  I tell you, they will be there long before any of us”.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

I’m writing this in tribute to my brother’s dog, Cody.  He was an amazing dog – he taught us so much about life.  He did really funny things – if you tossed him a piece of food, he would NEVER catch it in his mouth…EVER!  When he was a puppy, he learned to bark from my other brother’s dog, a bloodhound.  You can imagine a very unique bark coming from a Golden Retriever!!!  He was the best companion to my brother, they traveled in an RV for at least a year, all across the country.  Brett and Cody also lived in the Bahamas for a while – Cody loved being in the boat!  They enjoyed hikes and walks on the beach, bonfires and swimming in creeks, quiet time just chilling and being together.  Cody was always happy to see you – he would roll over on his belly for tummy rubs as soon as he saw you.  His heart was pure, he was an angel.  We miss you and you will always be with us!

Rejuvenate:  To breathe new life into, exhilarate, recover, refresh, regenerate, reinvigorate, renew, restore, revitalize, spruce up, update……

This past year has been full of many learning experiences – some difficult and some so amazing, words simply can not describe them.

Every year, I try to take a trip to do just that – Rejuvenate.  It’s a chance for me to reconnect with myself and the things that are important to me, to be my most creative self, to learn new things and experience life without any expectations.  This year, I will be returning to an island that holds a really special place in my heart.

I will be blogging, so check back in a week or so !!!

Aloha (and Carpe Diem!)