If...

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?
What if, what if, if today was your last day?

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are

So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side

I love this song! So many time we go through life forgetting that we only got one. We walk by total strangers without offering a smile. We walk by acquaintances without offering a hello. We walk by friends without offering a kind word.What if today was your last day? Could you honestly say you've had the best day? Did you leave something behind worth being remembered for? Did you know that listening to someone else can be the greatest give that individual receives?
Make every day count! Life is to short to live by counting your mistakes. Live it by counting your victories.
Each day's a gift and not a given right! :)

Helping hand....and ice skating....

So I went ice skating today. Considering the fact that I’m horrible at it, this was a big accomplishment. At first, I held on to the wall. Breaking an arm is not exactly my idea of a good time. With all of these kids zooming past me like they were speed racing was intimidating at the least. When you see a kid who’s maybe ten years old skating backwards and doing all these fancy moves, it makes you feel very inadequate. Granted, my friends were supportive at the beginning, going as far as grabbing my hands and pulling me along with them. But I couldn’t keep them with me forever; they didn’t want to stay with me forever. So after I told them to go, I held on to the wall all by myself. I even braved the ice a little bit at the time. But I just kept thinking of how pathetic this really is. I’m a grown individual who can barely stay up in skates. When I was younger this wasn’t so much of a problem. But this was my third time in skates in the last ten years and I was feeling pathetic.
Then something changed. One of my friends brought his kids with them. These little ones are adorable. Well, the oldest boy wasn’t doing so well with the whole skating. He was sitting on the bench next to me and after a little while (and a trip to the water fountain) I talked him into going back out on the ice. I know, I who was nowhere close to being a skater, was encouraging someone else to go out there. He trusted me enough to hold on to my hand and let go of the wall. Standing between my friend and I, he held on to my hand like a lifeline. Looking at this little boy, who was putting himself in my hands with no good reason at all, made me realize that I wasn’t so afraid anymore. We grow up and we lose that innocence, that trust that we carry with us. I was so scared for myself before, but now that I had someone else depending on me, I wasn’t so worried about me anymore. Then, the other two little girls wanted to skate with me. And yes, eventually the three of us ended up on the ice because I couldn’t hold on to the both of them while they were going down. As soon as we hit the ice, the little one crawled over and sat down on my lap, holding on to me while I comforted the older one. Even after we fell down, which is what they were trying to prevent from doing by holding on to me, they trusted me. After making another few laps the girls came back to me and wanted me to go back out there with them. Oh, the trust of a child.
Those three little kids taught me a lot tonight. They reminded me that its not always about me. They reminded me that taking care of somebody else and having that person put their trust in you is one of the greatest rewards in life. Sometimes I wish we were all children again, just so that we can experience once again the wonder of the love and trust they show in the world. Now, who knew ice skating could be so enlightening?

Simplicity Book Trailer

Its finally here!!! I would love to hear what you have to say! Let me know what you think!

Craziness...

So I have to say that the hardest thing right now is working on my book commercial/preview. I have so many ideas bouncing in my head and I cant seem to put anything to good use. Every time I start on something, I seem to get distracted and don’t finish.

I need ideas people!!! Good, solid ideas that will give me a focused start on my commercial. Let me know what you would like to see in a commercial about a book. J

And that is pretty much it for today. Still finishing up wedding pictures from my last session. Cant wait to send those over! Busy, busy me!

Good night!!!

Unbelievable...

            I cannot believe how amazing my book signing was!!! I want to thank everyone who came out! I’m just amazed! Look at me, Im a writer and I cant even find any adjectives besides amazing J We sold out of books in the first 45 minutes!!! To quote my publisher, “I am totally impressed!” Apparently, two to five books is the limit at a signing. Borders said they usually only sell two max. But look at me, selling 22!!! I have the most amazing support system! My friends and family are amazing! Here are a few pictures from that day!

In my absence...

Once again I have to apologize for my lack of blogging. This past two weeks have been unbelievably hectic for me. Later today I will be sharing a few thoughts with you all, but for now I thought I'd share a few of the things that have been occupying my time.

First of all, I had a graduation photo session with this lovely young lady! Sometimes I really miss photography. I dont do it often enough. Shes a beautiful girl and therefore it was easy and fun to have a session with her. I am still working on the 3000 pictures I took at the last wedding and I will be posting those as well.

I also had to put together a slide show of nature/beach pictures for an activity. Here is one of the pictures I used. This is an authentic, Valia Lind Photography, from the time I went to Hawaii. If any of you are interested in actually watching the slide show, let me know and I'll post it.

And last but definitely not least, I have been spending a lot of my time preparing for my book signing this Sunday. I cannot believe it is actually only a day away! I'm nervous but very excited!

I hope everyone has a beautiful Saturday!