{Manic Monday} 8th Ed.

It's the return of Manic Monday! When I started this, I had to give myself permission to not post every Monday. Because if you're anything like me, there are more Mondays than not that are truly manic. And writing just a blog post can sometimes be the most difficult thing in the world.
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Today is a Manic Monday! But I'm posting tonight for my own therapy. Because today was a bad day. A day that I wish I could redo but can't.

When Brooklyn was only eight weeks old, it was typical for me to be home alone with her for 12 hours at a time. About that time she went through a "colic" stage and I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown not knowing what to do with her. At one point, my husband told me on the phone that she could probably sense my tension and that is why she was upset. If I could have strangled him through the phone, I might have! Lucky for him, he was not in front of me!

My point in telling you that story is that there is some truth in it. And just like my baby sensed my stress, my students do the same in the classroom. They seem to know how to push every button when I am most stressed and impatient. So, yes, they sensed my weakness and destroyed me today.

So tomorrow, I will be staying home to rest, get caught up, and renew my spirit in time for the holidays. Because nobody wants a grumpy teacher, photographer, mom, wife, or friend at their dinner table.
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Thanks to a near 4 hour drive to Blythe this past weekend with the Maugas, I am rediscovering country music. I'm listening to "Letters from Home" by John Michael Montgomery on Pandora as I write. It truly reminds me of home in Washington and my family, avid country listeners.
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I also need to rediscover reading. As you might imagine, I have not done much of it since Brooklyn entered our world. I miss it! I was the type of girl that would find a comfy place on the couch or an airplane ride cross country and finish an entire book in one sitting. And I would still want more. THIS is on my Christmas wish list.
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Music is therapy. Reading is therapy. Writing is therapy. Photographing love is my therapy. These are the things I need to remember on days like these. I need to stop, breathe, and remember that I can't do it all. To find joy and peace in moments alone. That I can't give to everyone without giving myself permission for a few moments of feeding my soul.
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Here is a sneak peek of some of the backdrops from the wedding I second shot for KrisD of KrashingMotions in Blythe, CA this past weekend.