Gratitude

One day I was doing the dishes and the secret of happiness dawned on me. Hit me right upside the head, really. Oddly enough, I wasn't even pondering my level of happiness at the moment. I was simply scrubbing dishes because my dishwasher leaves much to be desired when it comes to clean dishes.

Anywho, I realized that day that the secret of happiness is gratefulness. As long as you are truly grateful for what you do have you will always be happy. The very second that you lose sight of what you have and how you are blessed then you are opening yourself up to disappointment and sadness.

When we first moved to Colorado we were in awe of the glorious mountain scenery and amazing wildlife. We built our home on top of a mountain and for months we took in the incredible views as we drove home from town. I don't know when it was, but one day we stopped noticing. We began to take it all for granted.

I bring this up because today was the photoshoot. Rose dragged us all over the Northern Colorado mountains, into areas I probably never would have otherwise gone. It was a beautiful day - so nice that sunburns were a problem! I looked around the stunning countryside and was struck by how grateful I was to live in such a beautiful state. Where else can you drive along next to Longs Peak with snow piled high on both sides of the road and your windows down because it's 75 degrees outside? Where your excuse for running late for an appointment is: "I had to wait for the elk herd to cross the road again." Even I was excited to see some bighorn sheep grazing next to the road in Estes Park today.

In this theme of gratitude, I'd like to thank Rose for her patience, persistence, and incredible eye for beauty. I'd also like to thank my little model for being such a good sport with outfit changes, especially since she was the only one who was able to make today's photoshoot. And I'd like to give a shout-out to my oldest daughter and Rose's two boys for being unnaturally well-behaved and not making us fish them out of any rivers or lakes. We came close once or twice but it all worked out in the end!

And now...this dress is called Candy Lane. I took this picture yesterday, before I really "finished" the outfit. The dress will be sold as a 3 piece set - dress, bloomers and matching hair bow. It features a smocked halter top bodice, a cute bottom ruffle, and a wide striped sash. This ensemble is so much fun! When I first put it together I pictured a little girl blowing out birthday candles, with presents piled up around her...but what the heck do I know (besides the secret of happiness, that is...)? I could just as easily take her shopping in this outfit.

I'll make sure I get some pictures of the "finished" product soon. But for now, here it is!