Same Shot, Different Day

I don’t know how many times I’m going to talk to you about sunsets. I just can’t get over the fact that we’ve lived in this house for five years this month and I only just discovered that we have such a beautiful spot to watch the sun set…just down the street.

The back of our house faces west, so when I’m in the kitchen in the evening, I can just peek out the window to see the sky light up in magnificent colors. If it looks particularly amazing, then I quickly throw my shows on and sprint out the door, calling for Nathan to watch Annabel. This seems to be happening more and more frequently as of late, and I’ve realized that it’s not just the gorgeous view that I appreciate. It’s the five minutes that I spend all by myself, staring at the beauty of nature, and reflecting on life. Granted, there’s not a lot of time for deep reflections, but I’ve realized, as this habit becomes more of a routine, that these few minutes on my own bring me back down to earth. No matter what my day has been like, I can count on those few minutes to help center me. I can watch the sun as it sets at the same time that millions of others are watching it rise, signaling the start of a new day. I’m reminded that the world is so much bigger than my problems.

Some people pray. Some people meditate. I watch the sun set.

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So yes, it’s just a sunset. And yes, I’ve photographed it dozens of times.

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But for me, there’s something special and unique about each and every one.

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And just so you know, these images are straight from my camera. No editing whatsoever!

In other news, Annabel has learned to smile for the camera! I’m not exactly sure how she learned this, but now when I pull out the camera and say “Cheese!”, she says “dees” and does this:

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Or this:

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And then she does this:

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And when you don’t give the camera to her, she does this:

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Which quickly turns into this:

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And instead of consoling her, I continue to snap pictures. Because that’s just downright funny. She totally has the pouty lip down these days!

Anyway. Those are my stories for tonight. I feel like that should have been two separate posts, but we’ll just consider it a two for one type deal. Lucky you!