Self-Portrait | September 2014

Today is my 40th Birthday, and all I can think as I sit here and type this is 'Where has the time gone?' It seems like I just graduated from college a year or two ago!  I keep having this thought like maybe I counted wrong and I'm really turning 30.  That would feel a little more possible.  But 40?  No Way!

I expected to have a very difficult time with this birthday, especially considering how awful turning 30 was for me, but honestly turning 40 hasn't been that tough. Perhaps it is because my 30’s really weren't all that great and I'm ready to leave them behind. Now, don’t get me wrong. A lot of good things happened in my 30’s, but they were full of their fair share of disappointments, too. Overall, the decade just wasn’t what I hoped it would have been. I spent the first part of it depressed that I was no longer in my 20’s, the middle of it realizing that while I really wanted to be happy with where I was, I just wasn’t, and the end of it working feverishly toward a new life.

Basically, my 30’s just felt like a very long road between my 20’s and my 40’s. Turning 40 feels like an arrival. It feels like the start of something good. Something new. It feels like I am finally at a place where I've lived long enough to have learned the tough lessons necessary to start living life to it’s fullest. I've paid my dues and it’s time for that to start paying off. All I really want right now is to settle back into the routine of life and to start enjoying time with Kevin now that he is finally done with school.

I felt that a change was in order to welcome in this new decade of life, so I decided to enter my 40's as a brunette!  Here I am with my new hair color, relaxing in my favorite place in our backyard, ready to embrace whatever life has in store for me next...

Did you miss some of my past self-portraits?  Clicking here will take you to all of my self-portrait blog posts. Clicking here will take you to my self-portrait Facebook album.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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© 2014 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

BBL 2013-2014 | Write a Letter to My Future Self

#13 WRITE A LETTER TO MY FUTURE SELF

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

I thought that the end of my 30's was a good time to take stock of where I am and where I've been, and to make some notes to help me remember this time in my life.  I really wish I would have started this sooner!  I would love to have a letter to read today that I wrote as I was about to turn 30!

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

I'm not going to lie, it was difficult writing this letter to myself, and I ended up in tears multiple times as I was writing it.  It is hard to think about how different things will be 10 years into the future.  It's easy to ignore the fact that you and everyone you care about about are getting older day by day, but it is impossible to ignore once you really focus on what your life might be like 10 years down the road.  Yet, it also reminds me to stop, take note, and be thankful for all of the blessings I have in my life right now.  It also makes me focus in on what is important in my life, and what isn't, and serves as a reminder to be sure to make time for the things that matter to me.

The details...

I wanted to do this today, on the last day of my 30's, because I wanted to put my thoughts down on paper about the last decade of my life.  I plan to read the letter 10 years from now, on the last day of my 40's.  It will be interesting to see how much in my life has changed, and how much has stayed the same, during the next decade.   I made a few predictions, and recorded a few dreams, and I look forward to see how it all turns out.

Do you want to see my entire 2013-2014 Birthday Bucket List?  You can find it here. Did you miss my 2012-2013 List? You can find it here.  Or my 2011-2012 List? You can find it here.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
Visit Michele's Website | Like Michele on Facebook | Follow Michele on Instagram | Follow Michele on Twitter

© 2014 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

BBL 2013-2014 | Watch a Movie at the Drive In

#8 WATCH A MOVIE AT THE DRIVE IN

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

I often say that I was born in the wrong decade.  I seem to be drawn to the 50's and 60's, with a love of everything from the music to the cars to the diners to the drive-ins.  It saddens me that someday most, if not all, of these remnants of the past will only exist in photographs and/or museums.  It has been 15 years since I've been to a drive-in, and I wanted to go at least one more time before the chance is gone forever.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

The experience of watching the movie was exactly what I expected, but I guess I was hoping for more out of the theater itself.  I was expecting something a little more reminiscent of old schools drive-ins, and I even took my camera along to capture some photos.  I was disappointed when we arrived and there wasn't even a lit sign for the theater at the entrance.

The details...

Tonight Kevin and I went to see 'This Is Where I Leave You' at the West Wind Glendale 9 Drive-In.  Since it was a weeknight, the theater was pretty empty and it was nice to have the theater mostly to ourselves without a lot of other cars and noise distracting from the movie.

Do you want to see my entire 2013-2014 Birthday Bucket List?  You can find it here. Did you miss my 2012-2013 List? You can find it here.  Or my 2011-2012 List? You can find it here.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
Visit Michele's Website | Like Michele on Facebook | Follow Michele on Instagram | Follow Michele on Twitter

© 2014 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

BBL 2013-2014 | Hike Camelback Mountain

#4 HIKE CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

Of course, I've heard a lot of people talk about hiking Camelback Mountain and I wanted to experience it for myself.  Plus, I really wanted to do more hiking this year, so setting my sights on one of the tougher hikes in the area was a sure fire way to get me out there on the trails in preparation.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

I'm not going to lie, it was definitely a tough hike, but it wasn't what I expected.  I think I expected the hike to be a straight uphill climb for miles and miles, when in reality it isn't that long of a trail.  I felt like the difficulty of the hike came from the terrain as opposed to the climb itself, since a large majority of the trail is nothing but navigating huge rocks.  That being said, it felt great to set a goal for myself and reach it and I'm really glad I did this hike.

The details...

Kevin and I went to hike Camelback Mountain early this morning, hoping that the trail would be less crowded on a weekday.  When we started out, it was very humid (for Phoenix) and the sky was nothing but clouds.  We even felt a few rain drops early in the hike, but by the time we reached the top the sun began to peek out and the sky started to turn a gorgeous blue.

While we were sitting at the top catching our breath and taking in the view, a fellow hiker started chatting with us.  We ended up sitting there talking to him for about 45 minutes.  He was a really great guy who had a lot of experience with the local trails.  I really enjoyed connecting with a fellow hiker, and it was definitely the highlight of the hike for me.  I even told him that I was hiking Camelback as part of my Birthday Bucket List, which I described to him.  He seemed to really like the idea of what I do with my smaller, obtainable bucket lists each year and even offered me a suggestion of an item that I'm going to put on next year's list.

Of course, we snapped a handful of photos with my phone...

Do you want to see my entire 2013-2014 Birthday Bucket List?  You can find it here. Did you miss my 2012-2013 List? You can find it here.  Or my 2011-2012 List? You can find it here.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
Visit Michele's Website | Like Michele on Facebook | Follow Michele on Instagram | Follow Michele on Twitter

© 2014 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Happy 7th Birthday, Zoe!

Zoe's birthday was a few days ago on September 11th, and you know what that means... PRESENTS!

As always, the girls got spoiled for Zoe's birthday with a bag full of toys and treats.  I've mentioned it before, but our dogs (especially Lexi) destroy toys like you wouldn't believe so I always buy them at the dollar store.  It doesn't matter if I pay one dollar, or ten, for a toy, Lexi will have it destroyed in under 10 minutes. Guaranteed.

When I went to the store this time, the selection was pretty dismal and there wasn't a single plush toy in the whole place - which is their favorite kind.  They both get a kick out of pulling the stuffing out of them as soon as they manage to tear a hole in them.  So, I ended up getting them more treats than usual and got them a few repeat toys from years past that I know they like.  Plus a few frisbees for Lexi that we bought last month.  Around here we call frisbees the toys that keep on giving because Lexi doesn't play fetch with them, she chews them up.  She breaks off little pieces all around the house, and then the cats bat them around for hours of fun.

But enough of that, let's get to the good stuff, shall we?

Lexi and Zoe waiting patiently for their present...

Checking it out...

Digging in...

Score!...

Wait, this thing still has the wrapper on!...

That's not very nice!...

Seriously, guys, I can't get this thing off.  Somebody unwrap it for me!...

Give it to me, give it to me!...

Yum...

Did somebody say more treats?...

I just adore this photo of Zoe!  It's one of my favorites...

I loved the fun bright colors of this rope toy, and couldn't resist it...

These two images are definitely among my all time favorite photos of Lexi!  She has such a huge personality and she's such an inquisitive dog, and I feel like that really comes across here...

Another fun colored rope toy...

These cloth frisbee type toys usually don't last long, but Lexi seems to like them...

Sweet Zoe...

Lexi with one of her new frisbees...

Since the bag contained too many treats to eat at one time, Kevin was picking most of them up to save for later as soon as the dogs got the tissue paper off.  Zoe is all about food and wasn't too happy that her prizes kept getting scooped up as fast as she could open them.  She has her eyes glued to Kevin in a lot of these images hoping he's going to return her loot...

Even Daisy and Gasby joined in on the fun!  Only this time they didn't watch from the side lines or wait until things had settled down a bit to see what all the fuss was about.  They were right there in the middle of the room checking things out, hiding in the tissue paper, and playing with some of the dogs' new toys...

She's not quite sure what to think yet?

What is that crazy dog doing?

Well, I guess it's ok.  I'll just lay here and watch...

For me?  You shouldn't have...

I may have gone a wee little bit overboard on photos with this post, so thank you if you made it all the way to the end and you're still with me!  I liked a lot of these and wanted to share them, plus it's been an eternity since I posted photos of the dogs on the blog.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
Visit Michele's Website | Like Michele on Facebook | Follow Michele on Instagram | Follow Michele on Twitter

© 2014 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC