Five Photos | #BabyTour2015, July in Review, and Summer Vacation

My last Five Photos post mentioned briefly about my cross-country road trip, and I promise to post photos from that fab adventure. No, really…even if you’re thinking to yourself, “Promises like pie crusts!”  I promise … it’s coming…! When I’ve chatted with a few of you, your number one request is … “tell us about ‘life lately’ – the what’s going on and the photos you post to FB and Instagram are funny, but what’s the story behind some of these?” My question to you is, “Really? Do you want to know the personal, madcap, behind-the-scenes?”

I’ll do my best to share, but for right now… Five Photos!

If you follow me on social media, you may have seen #BabyTour2015, and if you are wondering what’s shaking, this summer vacation is about taking time to see my peeps. You know who you are – you, the ones who make me laugh and remind me every day to be my very authentic self. #BabyTour2015 is me making the time to see and visit the friends and family who have had babies this past year. Because who doesn’t love to spend time with a baby! They remind me to celebrate the small victories (finding your feet – literally – can be very exciting). They remind me to play more and laugh more, and we all need that in our lives.

So to Julia, Alessandro, John, and Anna – you all have that lovely baby smell! I adore you, and I loved playing with you. (Okay, truth be told…Julia just slept the whole time, but she is 3 months old, and a girl has got to get her sleep!)

Big brother Will is not pictured, but I love a boy who loves to read, and I think we got something like 6 or 7 books read in a 10-15 minute span…that is a record, right? I forgot how much I love reading to children. Once a teacher, always a teacher.

Speaking of, when I was teaching overseas, I remember one of the parents of a kindergartener in my classroom told me that if she, as a parent, honed in to the three things that each of her children needed to be happy, they would travel with her anywhere. For the child that was in my classroom, it was a stuffed elephant, jellybeans, and a place to play on the swings. I’ve never forgotten that tidbit of information, and I’ve used it in different ways for years. For example, when you travel, what are the three things that you need to make you feel comfortable?   For me: swimsuit, L’Occitane’s lavender lotion, and cozy pj’s. So, what does a girl need when getting cozy with her summer vacation?

• A place to swim
• A place to practice Pilates
• A place to hike

Check, check, and check!

In other news, life in the woods seems to involve deer in the garden, chickens in our yard, and bees in their hives.

Quite frankly, each of these probably need their own blog post. I am an urban girl, so this whole ‘in the woods’ thing…it’s eye-opening.

My huckleberry has taken up with bee-keeping and when the chance to attend Bee Camp came up, well, I was all in. Who else has gone to Bee Camp? In a stunning Western North Carolina setting, I have learned more about bees than I ever imagined.

Can we just talk for a minute about their queens? Holy moly, it’s a little bit cutthroat in the bee colony, especially if they don’t like the queen. They “ball” her … basically creating a ball all around her and sting the heck out of her. (I flinch while writing that.) Luckily, Dan has become the bee whisperer.

On a final note, July has been filled with great laughter. I’ve been able to enjoy:

• #BabyTour2015
• Bee Camp
• Time with my love, which has been the best part

August is shaping up to be fun and fearless…my mom is coming to visit us in the woods, and I’ve got her afternoons filled with museums to see, restaurants to explore, and drives to be taken. Let’s see what Five (or more?) Photos I’ll be ready to share by the end of this month.

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Remember why you photograph…to create images to share with your peeps.  The actions of today create the memories for tomorrow.   Big Hugs! — Barbara Bell Photography