#weekend10 - 12 weeks and counting

I want to write about the beautiful weekend I had. Fun in the sun. Exploring a new place I had never been. I want to tell you how I tried a new restaurant and loved every minute of it. Or how I did something spectacular on a whim like ohhhh...I don't know....skydiving or kite boarding or something exciting and thrilling.

But this weekend was none of those things. It was rainy and hard and boring and sad. I had to deal with some major life issues that have crossed my path. Not to mention that back to school stuff looms over our heads like a dark cloud around here. And then there was the rain. The non-stop, incessant rain. The never-ending grey days where you are never quite sure if it's 6 AM or 6 PM. Dark. Dreary. And downright depressing.

It's okay that sometimes weekends aren't magical. Like my previous post says, sometimes you have to lean into those dark spots to come out on the other end and appreciate the bright days where things actually do feel right.

Before you start thinking to yourself - man what a whiner. Her life doesn't look that bad - I am aware things could be a lot worse. As a matter of fact, they have been a lot worse before. And I am still standing. That's how this works. You dust yourself off and carry on with life. But we all have to know sometimes life isn't as easy as it looks.

Despite it all, I found a few frames that felt right to show you how my weekend looked.

Inaugural swim at my sister's new pool! Yayyyy pools! (iphone photo)

Karate practice. He is brushing up for his black belt test. That's right. BLACK BELT! (iphone photo)

The legos came out. I love it when the legos come back out!

This is what the 12 year old playdate looks like.

The Birthday Banner makes the annual appearance. For Birthday month! (5 birthdays in less than 4 weeks. We still celebrate the ones who are gone.)

Apparently naps are better on fresh laundry.

I picked up a copy of Skirt and found a full page image that I shot inside! Complete with credit!This certainly was a bright spot in my weekend!

Oh....the rain. I sometimes wonder if I could just jump in and swim to the other side. (iphone photo)

One more practice to round out the weekend. I am so proud of him! He is working really hard for this goal! (iphone photo)

It doesn't look half bad in photos. Funny how photos have a way of masking the reality that happens behind the lens.

#weekend10 - Eleven weeks

Sleepover and pancakes. Pools and puppies. Fruit and Farmers Markets. I love you summer.

Frankie says "Relax."

Look at that little beggar!

Blueberries. Eggplant. Okra. (Taken with my trusty little iPhone.)

Making banana pancakes.

floaty concoction thing

When I dream of summer, this is what it looks like.

The end of my summer bounty.

Look who popped up to say hi! A surprise visitor.

And a little shoot at the Victor Social Club - which I shall be returning to promptly this week.

#weekend10 - the 10th week

Wow! Ten weeks of #weekend10. Where does the time go? But this one... this one didn't disappoint. I had lifelong friends - Kelly and John - visiting me here in Charleston for the past week. These two have been friends of ours since I can remember. Seriously. It's a long time. I really can't remember them not being a part of my life. We have spent family trips together, summers floating in pools and eating grilled cheese sandwiches togehter, skiing together, sledding together in the ice cold weather, and the general misbehaving that children do together.  John was even my roommate in college for a short stint (Oh...those hazy days of college!).  Over more recent years, we have fallen in and out of touch, but we spent the past few days reconnecting and enjoying old stories with the backdrop of amazing food in a lovely city. There is far too much to post to cover all the details of the fun we had in just 10 little photos, but here's the overview with family, friends and fun for all:

My peeps.

Farmers Market is always on the list.

The end of the Hydrangeas. Am I the only one that loves them at this stage?

Some snacks...al fresco style!

A good little lowcountry view: Marsh + Kayak + Sullivan's Island = Lowcountry still life.

A little tour of the Old Village in style.

A good old Lowcountry boil...of COURSE!

Dinner or drinks at the Sanctuary on Kiawah is one of the best ways to impress your guest.

Our fancy evening cocktails.

Our last big group supper at Rue de Jean. One of my all time favorite restaurants.

A side of bourbon. mmmmmm

What you don't see: Brunch at High Cotton. Dessert. The beach (!). Too much rain. Power shopping. Loads of laughs. Dinner at Cypress. Touristing around town. Work (how I squeezed work into this schedule is beyond me). Karate camp. And one proud boy about to receive his BLACK BELT!!! (So exciting!!!!!)

What about you? What did you do this weekend!

#weekend10 - week 8 (or 9)

What I have realized by shooting this #weekend10 project is that there are some truths about my life.

1. My weekends are pretty regular (read: boring). And if I showed you piles of laundry or more tomatoes, I may actually lose you as readers. All 3 of you.

2. It's harder than it sounds to shoot on the weekends. Because often I am already shooting for work and then I want to divorce myself from the camera. Completely. For 2 days. But then I remember all 3 of you, and feel committed to making the magic.

3. I travel more than I thought I did. Yet somehow I don't feel like I travel at all.

4. I love food. And I love to photograph the stories around food (hence all the tomato photos.)

5. I love to garden and photograph the stories around gardening (hence all the tomato photos...plus I finally got it right this year! Props to my awesome raised bed builder, Paul.)

6. Lots of people fill the interwebs with crap that is irrelevant. I am now one of those people.

7. I really love my kid. I take lots of photos of him. And I post a lot of them. Forgive me.

8. I really also love my pets. I also post a lot of photos of them. Forgive me.

9. Photography makes me happy. When I look back on everything, I love all the photos that are weaving together to tell the Story of Me. I hope the 3 of you like it too.

What about you? What did you get up to last weekend?

We chicken sat this weekend. I didn't know that was actually a thing. But we did it. And now I want my own.

I named them Agnes and Hattie. I really think it fits.

I also did a Christening at the Greek Orthodox Church on Race Street in Charleston. I highly recommend a visit here. It is alive with color.

The ceiling at the church.

After the Christening, it was time for some beers! (Of course) And futbal! Alles Deutchland!

And of course, brownie sundaes are a necessity with soccer!

Magical flower season.

Mrs. Fezziwig. That's right. Call her Missus. Or The Fez.

The often overlooked Sasha. (She doesn't like having her photo taken. Seriously. I am not kidding.)

I closed my weekend out with brunch and mimosas with this little beauty who I photographed a few weeks ago. She is already so big!

Clearly...she is done with me.

What you don't see: Harry Potter Marathon (whoop whoop! - I have an unhealthy love for the Harry Potter movies). Summer storms. Bill paying. Laundry. Cleaning. All the babies I got to play with (!). And yummy food!

#weekend10 - week 7

If you have been following along with my old blog (www.libbywilliamsphotoblog.com), you know that over the course of the summer I have been inspired to do a project close to my heart called #weekend10. I am loving the challenge it's brought me to look at my life and capture it with a fire in my belly that I thought I had lost when your passion becomes your career. It's not as much fun to tote a camera around on the weekend after you have been shooting all week. And lets face it - my kid is pretty tired of me taking his photo these days. But he obliges me, knowing the pain will quickly subside.

This weekend was rainy, cloudy and pretty boring - aside from the 4th of July...fireworks and sunshine for the win!  The rest of it was spent doing laundry, packing and reading for camp this week and a big shoot I am off to do. So weekends like that prove especially hard for me to supply content.

I somehow managed to get it done - despite myself and the dreary days. So here you go:

Because...4th of July! Whoop whoop!

These 2 goofballs. And their frescas!

Palmetto trees...you know, still being patriotic.

Even Bella got to be a little patriotic on the beach! She loves the water. Silly dog.

There was lots of this happening.

What does one do with a daily harvest of tomatoes like this?

Why...make tomato pie, of course!

These 2 goofballs are off to camp for the first time. Friends since they were infants! So happy for them. But not for the mommas. (sniff, sniff)

He even let me take a photo so I can look at him every day. And even though it out of focus and soft, I am showing it to you. You know you need more photos of the Boy.

alligator #10 is where he will be making his new home this week...sniff sniff.

So what about you? Did you do anything fun? I would love to see your photos from the 4th!

Also, I want to thank all of you for your undying support and kindness on my new venture. My blog won't change much, but my mission finally got focused. I have been talking about going after what you want for so long, I had to heed my own advice. It's scary to change and declare what you want, but hopefully the rest of the world will follow along with my little plan!
 

With gratitude,

Libby