Happy 4th Anniversary, FOL!

by Terri

We are about to mark what is a momentous occasion for us here at FOL. Four years ago on January 30 our first post went live. We were all so excited to begin! We had been in the planning stages for months and now we were finally ready.  This post is my 104^th! Wow, who would have thought when we began that we would still be here? Some who started with us have gone and some new faces have appeared over the past four years but some things haven’t changed. We still are here on an almost daily basis wanting to connect with you, our readers, and talk about things of interest to all of us.  Those things have ranged from raising kids to growing older, from photography to gardening and cooking.

In going back to the beginning to see exactly how many posts I had written, I saw so many that I wanted to stop and read again. My favorite posts are usually those about my family and there are stories here that don’t exist anywhere else so they are precious to me and I am so glad I have them recorded here, to come back to and reread and to read the readers’ comments again which so many times amplified or validated what I had to say. It is one of the beautiful things about photography and writing together – the preservation of stories. And you need both. Just a photo isn’t enough. You need words too. These were a few favorites that I took the time to reread:

And in addition to rereading my posts, I read the comments and they warmed my heart all over again. Over the past four years, I feel personally that I have had many successes as far as blog posts go – ones where I felt I really reached people – and some that just kind of bombed. I guess, as my FOL sister Dotti says, we can’t hit it out of the ballpark every time. :-)

Have you noticed at the bottom of each post where it says “You might also like:"?

They usually refer to other posts by the same writer or posts with similar subject matter. When I see one pop up there that I remember and want to read again, it’s so easy to just click on that little square and it takes me right back. Give it a try sometime! You might find an old favorite or something you missed the first time around.

So happy 4^th anniversary, FOL! As we begin our fifth year, I know my FOL sisters will join me in telling all of our readers how much we appreciate your visiting and commenting and we hope you will keep coming back. You are why we are here. You are why we show up each day and write from our hearts. You are who keep this blog going. Thank you for the past four years and we hope you’ll stick around for more. We love having you along for the ride!

 

The End of the Rainbow (and How It Led Me to Treasure)

(Or Why I DO This - Part II)

by Carol

In the doldrums  #white

These white-themed pictures represent the last of our August break postings. Tomorrow is September first, and FOL is back to our usual posting schedule. I am so happy to be here since this August taught me a few lessons.

Back in March, Judy asked herself a question - "Why do I do this?"  You can read her very thoughtful rumination on that subject right here.   In the past years, I have rarely asked myself that question. Maybe because I live alone, I have no one to complain to, or more quiet evenings to ponder things - who knows? But I have to admit that during this August break, my habits really changed.

I have to admit to feeling a bit "fenced in" #white

I read books without underlining quotes that might illustrate an idea. I listened to TED Talks lightly - not straining to remember the deeper thoughts more than enough to have a casual conversation that night with someone. I stopped making room in my life to write. I had a few fruitful get togethers with my photography friends and played with the resulting images long after, but I stopped photographing every day. I read photography blogs and articles with the only thought being - "hmmm, I will have to try that someday." 

My loafing attitude started to spread. I haven't exercised all summer - not even doing the laps of the pool that I look forward to all winter. I stopped working on my 'works in progress' -  ( still haven't finished the book I wanted to make of my trip to France last year.) At the same time, my original local photography group underwent some changes. One of the girls living close by moved a little further away and became a little more limited in her time (although certainly still willing and enthusiastic), and the one girl who was our planner - that would be the one who sent the emails that made our get-togethers actually happen - retired and moved far away. And I have been just plain lazy!

Having a bit of "the vapors." #white

I can't blame the heat - because most certainly, my FOL sisters in the midwest and west have me well beaten in that category! I was very busy at work this summer - but so are many of my creative friends. My son is home again for a bit and we have all kinds of wonderful and precious conversations, so I do have a bit less quiet time - but I love every minute with him. It might be that I haven't been on vacation yet - my vacations are coming up in October and November this year. But these are the doldrums for sure.

Then two weeks or so ago, things started to pop again. One of my local photography friends stepped up and invited a few people to join us for a get together filled with laughs and sharing, and followed immediately up with future calendar dates to note NOW, before we all fill up our time with other things. I spotted some good airfares and made my reservations for our FOL retreat in November, and started to get so excited to see my FOL sisters again! Mail started arriving about the workshop I will be doing with Kim Manley Ort in October, and it really sounds fascinating! (There's still room in the class  - won't you join us? All of the information is  here in Kim's newsletter. ) I will be attending that class with another local friend with an art background, and we started last week playing with our art supplies together.

Something is beginning to hatch! #white

Suddenly - I am awake again and I am feeling the same vibe from the others here. I guess it was just summer vacation after all. But for me, it has really highlighted the fact that you must carefully feed and water your creative garden with people and experiences and practice. Just as I have started walking again after work, I have started back into my photography projects. As Judy said in her conclusion, "My twice a month posting schedule keeps me thinking the rest of the month..." and my time with other creatives keeps me wanting to improve my skills. Judy said "I truly feel that my time here is an invaluable tool in my personal creative journey." I couldn't agree more! 

SO HERE WE GO FRIENDS....

OFF TO THE RACES

HERE'S TO ANOTHER WONDERFUL YEAR HERE AT FOL!

WE ARE SO VERY GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US!

WE'RE BACK!

Here's to another year together at FOL!