Freaky Friday

My New Year's resolution this year was to transition to a 10-hour, 4 day workweek and spend Fridays on personal development. Yes, I realize that it's Tax Time, and I still haven't quite mastered that whole "honor thy resolutions" thing... However, I do have a pretty perfect Friday in mind that I am working towards:

• Get up at 8 (sleeping in 1.5 hours!),
• Head to the gym for morning Pilates,
• Work on my art side business (graphic design, woodburnings, etc),
• Volunteer at the Humane Society for a few hours,
• Read,
• and then find a patio somewhere to enjoy the evening & have a "shift beer" with Josh.
  

Ohhhhh, I cannot wait. Right now it's most of that, minus animals & art, plus a lot of work, family, and activities all back-to-back, 7 days straight. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Yes, I thrive on busy, productive, fulfilling days and enjoy them perhaps more than I should. Friday has nothing to do with time off. It's more about having the structure in place to include even more important things in my life. My schedule is always booked anyway; at least now I'd have a few hours already penciled in for me-time instead of a million other things. Otherwise, I'll never get around to it.

I have, however, done a few art projects for others on the side. My most recent project was to design a logo for a start-up company. A girl who went to my high school is starting her own photography business, and she asked me to create a logo for her. She is focusing on babies and children, so it needed to be casual, organic, and fun. Here's the finished product:

Once she gets a Web site set up, I'll post a link so you can check her out. It's so encouraging to see people pursue their creative passions. Speaking of passions and photography, I'll leave you with a few photos my friend, Paul Hassell, took on his recent Patagonia trip.

He is absolutely amazing. If you love photography and the outdoors, you need to check out his Web site. Not only is he a phenomenal photographer, but he offers workshops as well. One of the kindest guys you'll ever meet. And fearless, which all photographers must be.

Enjoy your weekend. It's springtime!

Ashley.


"It's not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" --Henry David Thoreau