Sweet doggies of mine  :)

He walked into the room holding a book.  I was immediately drawn to the bright green color and the fact that there was a hole in the top right hand corner of the book (yes, yes, I work like a child sometimes).

"What's that about," I asked.  "Why don't you read it and find out," he said.  

Most people yawn when hearing someone talk about golf.  Most people leave the room when a golf tournament is on TV.  My dad is an avid golfer and always has been.  My sisters and I can attest that my parents TV has probably logged more hours on the Golf Channel than anyone else I know.  Therefore, it does not bother me.  In fact, I like watching and playing (most times, unsuccessfully) golf.  

Growing up, my dad used to take me to the driving range and unless you've actually stepped foot on a golf course then you can't complain about golf..."Oh, it's so slow.," "All they do is swing and hit a ball." Ha. Try putting my friend  :)  

There is something peaceful and graceful about a golf course.  In college, I used to work as a beverage cart girl at a few local golf courses and it was probably one of my favorite part time college summer jobs...it was great to work outside every day but it was also so relaxing to cruise around a quiet golf course listening to the sound of chirping birds and the occasional "whaaack" of a club face striking the ball.

I started reading this book and figured it would be all technical.  You know, "new ways" to grip the club, "try this stance and hit like Tiger," but it turned out to be more spiritual and about the major mental aspect of the game.  The book discusses how we overthink and overanalyze the game but I realized how you can match this discussion to anything in life...work, personal life, etc.  The book can be a little cheesy at times but I found the simple reminders to be helpful: keep faith and stick to whatever method works best for you and to not rethink it when the next big fad comes out (which happens a lot in the photography industry).

Thanks for letting me borrow the book, Dad.  Hopefully I'll be home again soon to return it in person.

The weather in the past few days has dramatically changed from 17 degrees and snowing to 62 degrees and raining.  It rained today and I felt it suited the first day of a new year and new decade...a clean start, washing out all that was good and bad of 2010.  

Mike and I made a quick drive across 8 states in 3 days to visit family and friends on the East Coast...this cross country trip was a bit different than the past two years (start of last year and the very first cross country trip) as we didn't stop every 45 minutes and take pictures like we were professional tourists (which I am, by the way).  No, this trip was all business...making good time, efficient dog potty stops and limited i'm-a-tourist-and-want-a-picture-of-this-country-store stops.  

Bear and Charlie got along much better than expected....   :)

Then we got what every Southerner wishes for (other than fried chicken, ACC wins and pearls)...snow on Christmas day...

Charlie experiencing his first ever snow...

Happy New Year  :)

           -Julia Cameron, Floor Sample

Aww, sweet Charlie.  He's bummed because Mike is packing for a last minute business trip to the land of freezing Minnesota.  We'll be thinking of you, Mike, while we're at the beach next week ;)