according.to.kim

Reflecting on my 2014 365 project

First: I did it! Yeah! I took a picture every day for a year. (Again.)

Second: A few observations.

Taking a picture every day isn't too hard for me (in fact, I've continued taking pictures daily in January with little effort). But taking pictures is one thing; taking *good* pictures is another. I've taken enough classes and viewed enough photographs to be a tad picky when evaluating my own pictures. Sharing a picture every day is a lot harder than just taking one. I also wanted pictures that captured something meaningful, and that didn't always happen - adding yet another layer of mental challenge to my project.

The really tough part through 2014 was getting my pictures posted. Uploading, choosing, editing, posting (here and in the Capture Your 365 gallery)... it all takes time. Time I didn't have; time I had to steal from other things (mainly the house). And, to make things worse, my computer wasn't cooperating at least half of the time! Posting was extremely tedious some days. But I wasn't willing to eliminate this part of the project because sharing my photos is what keeps me motivated and accountable (at least to myself). I'm glad I kept doing it, but wish it would have been quicker and less frustrating.

While I recorded hundreds of moments and things during 2014, I'm very aware that this collection of photos is only a sliver of life. There are so many things I didn't capture or share (some things I photographed but did not choose as the daily pic). While I'm pleased with all that I captured, I also recognize the hugeness of life - I could never capture it all, nor would I want to.

The verdict on daily pics in 2014:

Sentimentally-speaking? Glad I did it; absolutely.

Practically-speaking? I needed that time; OH, how I needed that time! It will take a long time to "catch up" on other things (as if I really could. ha).

Will I do this again? Well, I like photography and I like projects... so, yes, I'm hoping to do it again in 2021. (I also like patterns - 2007, 2014, 2021... :))

Daily pic: Weeks 51 & 52

The last 2 weeks included Christmas, of course. And it was good; better than expected... I really wasn't sure we could pull it off, but we did. Seriously, how do you squeeze in all that goes with Christmas when you don't have spare time? Well, it helped tremendously that I was off work for 10 days during this time. Blink. Now I need 10 days off without a significant holiday in the middle of it!

Okay, one left! This project has been so hard for me the past few weeks. I'm quite relieved to see the end of the year.

Daily pic: Weeks 49 & 50

It was a crazy 2 weeks! We managed somehow. And I took a few pictures. :)

P.S. Only 2 weeks to go in this project (daily pics)!

Daily pic: Weeks 47 & 48

Ringette settled down temporarily (fewer ice times) while volleyball (S only) played a bigger role... Practices, playoff games, and evaluation for Queen City Volleyball Club (season is January to April).

Finally started thinking about Christmas, too! (I can't seem to do it any sooner.) At this point, a few gifts have been purchased, the Advent calendar is out (and filled with YummyEarth lollipops - a treat we reserve for this; the girls love 'em), and I started reading The House of Wooden Santas to M and G (second time reading it). It's a start!

Daily pic: Weeks 45 & 46

Lots of ringette during this time! We went to Milestone for G and Lethbridge for M. I struggled to get a picture most of these days, but I'm glad I persevered. Hard to believe there are only 6 weeks left in 2014!

Daily pic: Weeks 43 & 44

Whoosh.

Daily pic: Weeks 41 & 42

Canmore! Family time (both sides)! Ringette! Fantastic weather! (and that darn sewer problem)

Daily pic: Weeks 39 & 40

Fully into the swing of fall now... Learning how to navigate life at a new level of busy (i.e., Neil working full time - very different from last fall!) Gearing up for ringette season. Looking forward to it!

Daily pic: Weeks 37 & 38

Hello new routines. We've been adapting to new schedules and enjoying fantastic weather (better than before). Also, I've learned how awesome it is to start each week with the dishes done and a fridge full of food (prepared, not just groceries) ready for the week ahead... but haven't figured out how to accomplish anything else on top of it. Need to solve this problem soon!

P.S. I'm acutely aware of the time I spend on these daily photos, but I'm not willing to give it up. After all, I'm only doing a 365 project every 7 years, and this year is almost 3/4 over!

Daily pic: Weeks 35 & 36

Full days but more relaxing than the previous weeks. First week of school is now behind us - for the girls and Neil... He's back at Prairie Sky School as well as working Grocery Freedom, Skip the Dishes, and papers every morning. It's a new level of busy-ness for us (just when you thought we couldn't fit more in. Ha!). Out of necessity, I've been doing even more cooking and I had already ramped it up quite a bit over the past few months. Cross country (S), touch football (S), and dance (all 3) have started, as well!

Daily pic: Weeks 33 & 34

These two weeks... lots of work, cooking, and getting ready for school. I had little time for daily photos, but still managed to do it! Overall, this is not my favourite bunch of photos as I know I can do better, but they captured life at this time (at least some of it) and that's my main goal.

Daily pic: Weeks 31 & 32

Did I say something about having more free time (in my last recap)? Ha ha. This block of time included my summer holidays - which was great timimg, but they weren't very restful or productive in terms of house projects. Fun things were still happening, though... Pollyanna, backyard trampoline camping, and swimming lessons, to name a few.

Daily pic: Weeks 29 & 30

Blue skies, flowers, great weather, garden produce, a wedding celebration, and now a bit more free time. It feels like the true start of summer... :)

Daily pic: Weeks 27 & 28

I'm not sure how to sum this up... Several shopping trips for dresses and shoes for L&C's wedding, volleyball camp for the older girls, and I enjoyed having Dash walk with me in the mornings. It was a busy time work-wise. Neil and I subbed another route the first two weeks of July (nearly 2 hours of delivery each morning), and Neil started working for Skip the Dishes (on top of Grocery Freedom), as his term with Prairie Sky School ended in June. No work vacation for me until August.

Daily pic: Weeks 25 & 26

Goodbye school. Hello summer! Fun with grandparents and cousins on both sides. And much more rain than normal. But what's normal anymore?

Daily pic: Weeks 23 & 24

Busy, colourful June. Summer freedom is just around the corner... When ringette finished in March, my manager asked me if I would feel like I have a lot more free time. I said, I don't think that will happen until July. I was right.

Daily pic: Weeks 21 & 22

Colour! I almost have the full rainbow here and I wasn't even trying. Happy to have the second half of spring looking and feeling like summer. Sweet! We enjoyed trips to both Yellow Grass and Avonlea during this time. Also, a couple of endings... S and G are finished with music lessons for now. It's M's turn for music in the fall.

Daily pic: Weeks 19 & 20

Ah, what can I see about these two weeks? The girls are enjoying the outdoors more and more - especially since we cut back to basic cable right before this (Apr 30). And so am I! Truly, everything above zero seems wonderful after the infamous winter of 2013-14. And there are flowers. Real live flowers. :)

Daily pic: Weeks 17 & 18

Although the weather hasn't been especially warm, it really started to feel like spring during this time. As usual, we had a number of events to fill our days, but our schedule MUST be lighter now because I saw the end of the dishes TWICE in this period!

Daily pic: Weeks 15 & 16

Tiny glimpses of life. Many of these pictures reflect quiet, lovely, and fun moments over the past two weeks. The key word being: moments.

I'm pointing this out because the images don't reflect how I was feeling most of the time. I keep thinking, "These days are relentless!" It's rare to have an hour without urgent and important tasks. And this was the month AFTER ringette season, when our schedule was supposed to be lighter. Ha!

That's why it's good to be taking these pictures. Without them, I might not remember that there actually were some quiet, lovely, and fun moments amongst the ever-looming to-dos.