Visions of 2011 and New Beginnings

Today's guest post is from our Blogger of the Month, Laurie of Taking the Long Way. I do hope you have stopped over to her blog. It really is a fantastic place and I know you will enjoy her photography as much as the words that enhance the story behind the image. Read her post below, and you will see what I mean! She is one heck of a woman and I am so honored that she was here for December!

Five days. Count 'em. There are five days left in 2010. I'm writing this as I fly against the sun's grain to the east coast. The clouds are white, like a blank slate. The horizon is pink and the sky is bluer than I've seen in months (hailing from Portland, Oregon will do that).

I realized as I took off this morning in the dead of night that I haven't had a moment to reflect on the past year or more importantly set a vision for 2011. My guess is you haven't either. But there's time - five days if you want to hit the ground running and more if you want to ease into your year's journey.

Last year at this time Kelly and I had both received rather disappointing news. We would not be traveling to Vancouver, British Columbia to blog from the winter Olympic games. I was crushed, we both were, but at the same time the moment felt ripe with possibility. The possibility that comes from doors opening and new years beginning. Pretty powerful stuff if you ask me.

I set some goals in that heady moment - a map for my year. I didn't follow the road exactly. (what fun would that be?) But the process and the vision that resulted made all the difference. So I plan to spend the next several days, as I celebrate the old year and ring in the new one, harnessing the power that new beginnings can offer. 2011 is going to be one beauty of a year - filled with love, adventure, grace and blessings galore.

As I set a vision for 2011 I know I owe a great deal to the community of writers and creators I've met in the blogosphere. Kelly is at the top of that list and she's joined by Susannah Conway, Danielle LaPorte, and the reverb2010 project - whose process of living life to the fullest is a continual inspiration and one I drink up at this time of year. So thank you Kelly and cheers to 2011!
 
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MGB-Blogger of the Month:: December!

It is December 1st, and that means it is time to announce our new Blogger of the Month!

I met Laurie last year- we both entered an Olympic Blogging contest through Microsoft Office and were named two of the five semi-finalists that were vying for THE ultimate prize- a chance to blog behind the scenes at the Winter OLYMPIC GAMES in Vancouver! Through months of waiting and writing and schlepping for votes we began emailing each other and commenting on the other's blog to offer support. If I did not win this contest, I was really hoping that Laurie would. Her blog is not only well written, it is choc-full of the most amazing photos I have ever seen. I knew that if she were to win, it would be such a treat to see the Olympic story told through the lens of her camera.

Last December (Christmas Eve in fact) we learned that neither one of us had been chosen to go to Vancouver. I will be honest. It sucked rocks. I did not win the contest, yet I still won. I gained a new friend,  a place to visit and catch up with a very talented woman! 

Please welcome Laurie, author of Taking the long Way!


Taking the long way

 MGB:  How long have you been blogging?

TLW: First of all let me say how honored I am to be featured on your blog. I'm continually inspired by you and what you're doing on Mom Got Blog. I've been blogging for a little over three years since the summer of
2007 when I was getting ready to move 3000 miles from Boston to Portland, Oregon. I was just emerging from a year of incredible highs and lows and realized the journey I was on was both unique and universal.

MGB: Why do you blog?

TLW: It started as a way to document my journey (literally and figuratively) and keep in touch with friends who I was going to miss dearly. At its core it remains that - a place to share what is unique in my experience and simultaneously universal to all of us. I am most in love with its ability to stretch conversations across tens,
hundreds and even thousands of miles.

MGB: Every photo you share on your blog evokes emotion when I see it. What photo has touched you?

TLW: Thank you! The photos that touch me the most are the ones when I capture people in moments that are unguarded and tell a story about them or that instant in time. The funny thing is that I don't post those on my blog nearly often enough.

MGB: Do you have a favorite camera to use?

TLW: My favorite camera is the always the one I have with me. I kick myself when I come upon something breathtaking - a particular quality of light, a color, a moment - and don't have anything to record it with. I bounce between film and digital cameras. I have a major crush on my iPhone 'cause it's always with me and is so versatile. I am at the beginning of a love affair with my Nikon D5000. We are still getting to know each other, but each thing I learn makes me love him even more. I'm trying to make up with my vintage Polaroid cameras. We had a bit of a falling out and are seeing if we can still be friends. The love of my life was the Canon G9. Though I lost him in a creek he was the best combination of ease and power and graced me with many of my favorite shots.

MGB: What do you see for your blog in the next year?

TLW: I'm constantly tinkering with its look and functionality and will continue to do so. I have a few ideas up my sleeve which I'll launch over the winter and early spring. One I'm most excited about is a link between my etsy shop and my blog. Stay tuned...

MGB: Do you have a favorite post?

TLW: Yes, and it's one that goes full circle to the adventure we shared. It took me a long time to build up the courage to write it, but when I did it flowed from my fingers like water. I had always heard writers talk about moments like that, but had never before experienced that level of ease and creativity. The challenge was to communicate a difficult story and do it in a way that wasn't cruel. Tricky for sure, but the Wizard of Oz metaphor came in to my head and worked beautifully. Here is the link to that post:  http://takinglongway.com/2010/02/06/behind-the-curtain/

I invite you to visit Laurie and stay a while. Take the long way around her fabulous blog. You'll be glad you did.

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