Monday, October 11, 2010

365 Challenge, Day 86: My Life In Pictures

This morning I spent several hours combing through the files in an old computer of ours that I had brought back from Florida in July. Although I accidentally deleted all of our photos from our 2007 trip to Spain (and who knows what else), I was surprised at just how many photos we do have. Photos that show what a blessed life TJ and I have had together. A life that I could hardly imagine ever having while growing up in Texas. Come, walk with me down memory lane...

...as we meet in 2003 and spend
way too much time at Disney World...

...as we enjoy a Christmas
playing dress up with Sophie...

...as we adopt our first
puppy, Zelda...

...as we take our first trip to Paris
(and Disneyland Paris)...

...as we meet actor/comedian
Hal Sparks at the Hard Rock Live...

...as we adopt our second
puppy, Chloe...

...as we celebrate
TJ's graduation...

...as we buy our 1st home...

...as we go back to Paris
(and Disneyland Paris)...

...as we move to DC, and I
see my first heavy snowfall...

...as we watch as our babies grow up...

It's been a good life, and things will only continue to get better. There are a couple of things in the pipeline that we are very excited about.

I think now is a good time to let everyone know that the 365 Challenge is officially over. Not "over" like it was on Day 50, but really, really over. There was actually a soft closing of it on October 1st, when I decided to no longer number the individual days.

I was going to ride it out until we left for Guadalajara, but after finding some of the above photos today, it just seemed like this would be a good day to go out on.

Not every day has a story worth telling. Other days have stories that might be worth telling, but are inappropriate given that we represent the US Government abroad. Those are the days that frustrate me the most: when I have something fun or personal to share but instead resort to "stock footage." And if we're being honest, knowing that I "have" to post every day sorta makes me resent the process.

I will continue to write and post photos, but only when it feels right. Only when I have something to say or share. No more photos scavenged from the Internet. The words and stories will all be mine alone, or they won't be posted.

Which brings me to my next bit of news. "Adventures By Aaron" will be shutting down in a few weeks, to be replaced by a new blog...one that I think will better capture the essence of our lives abroad. I will continue posting here until then, and will of course leave a "forwarding address" when the time comes.

This has been a fun project for me, and definitely one of the things that have kept me sane while adjusting to our new Foreign Service Life.

Thanks to all of my readers, posters and lurkers alike. I hope you'll stick around for what's coming up next!



3 comments:

  1. Aw boooooooo I check this post every morning first thing!! It's been personally entertaining. Good luck in Guada, can't wait for at-post posts :)

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  2. Haha thanks for the kind words. Or maybe they weren't kind. Maybe you are entertained for the wrong reasons. I don't know. Whatever, just keep reading and I'll keep writing. :-)

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  3. I've looked forward to seeing what you will come up with every day, so I will miss your daily posts, even the stock photo ones.

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