We almost made it to February. On the one hand the month went by super fast for me, where did January go? But on the other hand, some parts seemed to drag on. But tomorrow we start February, the month of hearts and love. Our world could use some more love, it's been kind of tense here for quite some time. I love seeing hearts. They give me comfort. They help remind me there is good in the world and remind me we need to spread smiles to others when we can. This heart was created from the sun streaming through a window catcher at a restaurant where we were having breakfast in Colorado in October of 2019. There were no hearts in the sun catcher, so again we were in the right place and the exact right time to see the light of this heart. I love the rainbow look created from the sun catcher and how it blends with the rustic floor. As we move in to the first week of February think of a way to make someone else smile this week! Let's start a chain reaction of good deeds and smile sharing! 

Today's image is a rendition of an aspen tree grove we photographed in Rocky Mountain National Park this fall. Our new home here in Longmont is about an hour drive to the park and it is wonderful to live so close to such a beautiful place. This fall we had snow, fall color and I heard my first bugling elk. I used the app Mix to create this colorful view of group of aspen trees. I look forward to many more trips to the park and the surrounding wilderness. 

As we approach the 35 anniversary of the Challenger disaster, I have been reflecting on the events that took place while watching a Netflix documentary on the disaster. I was in the 6th grade at the time and lived in Concord, NH where our hometown hero, teacher in space, Christa was from. It was a devastating event for the world, but especially for those of us who lived in Concord. The documentary sheds a lot of light on the information that was known and ignored about the O-rings. To this day, watching the launch brings me to tears. The loss of seven amazing souls, that didn't have to happen. It's hard to put into words the feelings and emotions I feel. I try to focus on Christa's enthusiasm for life, her bravery, and her beautiful smile. I was a proud recipient of a Christa McAuliffe scholarship when I graduated from high school. It was an honor that has stayed with me for years and I hope I have lived up to its merit. So today, I look to the heavens, and say thank you Christa. Thank you. This image is from an early morning flight leaving San Diego airport, taken with my iPhone.  

Perspective: a view or a point of view. I have been contemplating perspective this week. Take these two photographs of the same tree shot from opposite sides. The majestic cottonwood tree stands tall in a Colorado field with sun setting slowly behind the mountains. It's a beautiful scene. We took a walk down the road and ended up on the other side of the tree, looking back at the tree we found the surprise.... do you see it? A heart! If you look at the cottonwood tree from this angle it appears to be a giant heart, the second photograph. The heart is always there, it doesn't move, but you can only see the heart if you move around the tree and look at it from one particular angle. If you only looked at the tree from the first angle, you would still enjoy the beauty of the tree, but you would never see the magic of the heart. Changing your perspective and being open is an important part of growing, learning and being well rounded. If you don't ever change your perspective, you will see beauty but you might miss out on the magic. Both images were taken with the iPhone 12 Pro Max and edited with the apps Prisma and SnapSeed. 

Welcome to the new year! I know, even though the calendar has changed, not a lot is different so far from 2020. We still have a raging pandemic, but I am hopeful with the roll out of the vaccines that 2021 will see us inch toward a more  normal life. Today, my husband, Charles, and I went for our first 2021 outdoor walk. Being outdoors defiantly makes me feel better and I'm happy that's one positive that came from 2020, more people spending time outdoors enjoying the beauty. On our way back to the car, we spotted this great heart shape in the snow on a rock. The sun had melted it just right to create the heart shape. After playing with the image in the app Prisma and Watercolor and a quick boarder clean up with Snapseed, I was able to create this playful image. We saw several hearts on our walk today, but this one captured positive feeling as we move into the new year. I hope everyone has a great week! Moving forward, I'm going to be blogging once a week on Sunday.