December Photo Challenge

I've decided to change things ever so slightly this year and instead of posting each Monday I will just post throughout the week once I've finished working on what I'd like to publish. This will mean I won't have to rush to get posts completed, I can post specific articles on specific dates if they are referring to a certain occasion or anniversary, and if I have more than one idea in a certain week I can post them both. If you're not on my facebook or instagram then please follow my blog so that you can keep track of new posts. 

I'm currently in Japan and having a fantastic holiday but I've got lots of exciting ideas for blog posts so thought I'd make the time to get started. I thought I'd start with something fun I did in December through my Instagram account so that you could see some of my photos and to give you all a bit of insight into my daily life. 

At the beginning of December a friend posted on Instagram about the December Photo Challenge that she was taking part in. It looked like fun so I decided to join in and do the same. 

Each day had a description of a photo that you had to post. You could interpret the description however you liked and post anything you wanted. 

I enjoy taking part in small (or big) challenges. It's a fun way of getting creative or trying new things. I absolutely love photography - not in a professional way because I'm not really interested in how cameras work or what all the fancy functions do (I leave that up to Scotty), but just in the sense that I love taking photos, of anything and everything, and I love sharing my photos with other people. It's such a great way of showing people what you've been doing and where you've been going. 

I love seeing other people's photos too and find that it's a great way of sharing a part of their lives. 

Something else I love doing is looking back through my photos. This is one of the things I love about Facebook and Instagram - they are like photographic diaries and all the photos are sorted into files (unlike our laptop where things are a bit of a mess - this is something we'll be working on in February!).

So, I thought I'd share my December Photo Challenge pictures with you all since the majority of you can't see them on my Instagram. And it seems that photo challenges are all the rage at the moment - well, I love doing them anyway!

As I've been writing this I've also thought that as part of my scrap booking (that I'm determined to start this year) I'm going to start adding my favourite photo from each month for the next twelve months. It will be something fun to look back on at the end of the year to remember what we've been up to. You could all do the same. You might not be interested in scrap booking, but you could print out your favourite picture from each month and stick it on a piece of paper or keep it in a safe place and then look back on them in December. 

I hope you enjoy my photos and my interpretation of the daily descriptions!  

1. 'Selfie - beautiful evening to relax on the grass at work.'
I love that my job allows me the opportunity to spend a lot of time
outside in the afternoons hanging out with the kids. 

2. 'Throwback - My 21st in Fiji - April 2008.
This is one of my favourite photos from that holiday.'
This was taken on a beautiful day where I did a local village tour,
went to a local church and had lunch with a family in the village. Such a special experience!

3. 'Best Friend - Bali Holiday, December 2011.'
This was our first trip as newlyweds to Bali.

4. 'Favourite Quote - The morning of our wedding - 9-10-11.'
Our photographer loved my tattoo so made sure he
got a few shots of it throughout the day.

5. 'Weather - Alaska in May 2013.'
We were really lucky to get so much snow in Alaska due to their late winter. 

6. 'School - I've been to a few schools in my time.'
I moved around quite a lot during my schooling years and looking
back now it was a great experience to see what different schools were like.

7. 'Favourite Colour - There are too many beautiful colours to choose just one.'
I've never really had a favourite colour, I love pretty much all of them. 

8. 'Hoodie - Warm, rainy night in Thailand -
poncho... hoodie... same same but different.'
We got caught out in the rain in Pai so bought these attractive ponchos to stay dry.
The rain only lasted about 20 minutes and you dry off pretty quickly with such warm nights. 

9. 'Siblings - My beautiful family.
Can't wait to all be together again in March this year.'
I'm so blessed to come from such a big family, I love having so many siblings. 

10. 'Pets - Zippy and Mo (Mo being stubborn and not looking at the camera).'
Our incredibly noisy and messy budgies.
Love them to pieces (sometimes Scotty wishes they were in pieces
so that they wouldn't make so much noise!) 

11. 'Addiction - Quite possibly my favourite collage so far.'
I love tattoos! I'm always thinking of ideas for my next one.
I'll stop one day... When I run out of room!

12. 'Handwriting - Love this quote.'
A quote that I live by - making the most of every day and loving every minute of it.

13. 'Someone You Miss - One of my favourite photos of all time.
Grandad and I in Redcliffe, Brisbane.'
Grandad was taken from us far too soon but this is just one of the many photos
I have of the two of us together making beautiful memories. 

14. 'Then and Now - It's amazing how much can change in 3 years.'
From party girl to fitness freak... Who would've thought!

15. 'Black and White Selfie - Struggling to stay awake after a crazy hectic fun weekend.'
This was taken after the 6 Inch Trail Marathon that my husband won in December. 

16. 'Cuddle Buddy - Our first snowfall in Alaska - May 2013.'
Nothing I like more than cuddling my husband - we have so many fantastic photos together!
I think photos are such an important part of cherishing memories. 

17. 'Hair - The day I had all my hair chopped off - March 2009.'
My hair was half way down my back before my haircut.
I was so nervous at the hairdressers this day - she did such a fantastic job!
Now after almost 5 years I'm finally growing my hair long again.

18. 'Favourite Place - This sign represents the start of something amazing.'
Flying out to new countries or cities makes me so happy - I love exploring new places.

19. 'Winter Drink - Uncle Ag keeping his drinks cold in Alaska.'
What better way to keep your drinks cold than in the snow!

20. 'Christmas Tree - Our tree from last year - there's no way
this thing was going to fit in our apartment.'
I loved our huge Christmas tree that we had in our old house.
I couldn't bring myself to throw away the decorations so they are in a box
under our bed ready for when we move into a bigger house again one day.

21. 'Baby Picture - This wee princess is growing up way too fast.
Piper (when she was a baby) having a rest with her Uncle Scott.'
Unfortunately I don't really have any baby photos of myself (long story)
so instead I posted a picture of my gorgeous niece from when she was a baby.

22. 'Something Sweet - My first attempt at a lemon meringue pie at
Nana Shirley's house in Brisbane last September when we surprised
her for her 60th birthday.'
I must say, it turned out quite well and tasted amazing.

23. 'Red and Green - Christmas really is the best time of year.'
Christmas is such a special time - it lights up so many people's lives and brings happiness to people all around the world. Hopefully santa will be able to find us in Canada this Christmas! 

24. 'OOTD - Santa Charity Fun Run 2012.'
This was such a fun event that I ran with friends last year - it was
really cool to see so many 'santas' running around the streets of Fremantle, WA.

25. 'Family - Boxing Day at the beach with this amazing girl (my mumma).'
My mum is the most amazing person I know and I love spending time with her.

26. 'Favourite Gift - Santa has been getting me a Women's Health Diary
for 8 years now and I look forward to it every Christmas.'
This is a Christmas tradition in our family thanks to Mumma and all the girls look
forward to their diaries each year. My younger sister was super excited to
get her first diary this year!

27. 'View Outside - The Lake House Winery, Denmark, WA.'
We spent Christmas down in Denmark and went to this winery
to taste some yummy food and wine.

28. 'Place You Want to Go - South African Safari.'
South Africa has been on my to-do-list for years now, but I haven't made it there yet.
I think it'll end up being something I do when I'm older.

29. 'Collage of 2013 - It was so hard to narrow it down
to just a few photos and memories.'
2013 was an incredible year for me - running, travelling, family and friends!
It doesn't get much better than that!

30. 'Favourite Memory - 2 October 2010 - the day Scotty proposed.'
One of my favourite memories of all time was when Scotty and I
went away tramping/hiking for the weekend and he proposed!

31. 'Last Picture of 2013 - Scotty and I all dressed up and ready to head out in Singapore for NYE.'
The perfect end to an amazing year!