#operationsunshineandwhimsy.

I've been feeling better since my last post. Lighter, happier, more excited. More expressive. More me.

Maybe it helped to get it out. Maybe I'm noticing those moments more now that I'm aware of why I think I was feeling blah. Maybe this week and this weekend were just exceptionally good. 

I don't care what the reason is, I'm just glad I'm more hooray! and yay! and life is good! 

And I've decided to try and document the things that make me feel that way. My plan is to share photos on Instagram and tag them #operationsunshineandwhimsy. I might also tweet the moments and things that make me feel that way and use the same hashtag to keep track. 

I decided on #operationsunshineandwhimsy because those two words -- the way they're defined on my blog's "tagline" -- are what I want to feel, what I want to be, what I want to put out into the world:

sunshine: (n.) brightness or radiance; cheerfulness or happiness

whimsy: (n.) an odd or fanciful notion; something quaint or unusual

Here are the photos I've shared so far on Instagram, all from this weekend (It's just a coincidence that they're all yellow):

Hooray! A yellow straw! - Me

I don't understand why people don't like dandelions; I love them!

This weekend has been a good one.

palm trees and yellow.

These photos made me insanely happy today.

Cara's in San Diego right now and she posted this photo, with the caption "Palm trees for Amanda." It is now the background on my laptop. 

And Jordan's little boy wanted "yellow" for his birthday. I know what I'm asking for next year.

P.S. I'm back from Thailand and promise to try and write a recap (or two!) about it soon.

I went for a walk today and it was good.

Because the internet was being suuuuper slow, and because I bought a winter coat on Tuesday, and because I haven't really explored the area where I work yet, I decided to go for a walk on my lunch break. And it was good.

P.S. Please forgive the crappy photos. I only had my iPod and I don't find the camera on it is all that great.

photos from the weekend.

Here are some photos from this past weekend:

(Photos by Katie Brailsford)

may photo a day 15-22.

So, I kind of fell off the May Photo a Day Challenge bandwagon. The last photo I took was from May 22 and then I just kind of... forgot to look at the list. But here are the photos I took from that third week: 

15. love {I love my Nan}

16. what I'm reading {I actually just finished We Need to Talk About Kevin and I highly recommend it}

17. snack {worms in dirt}

18. something I made {I made myself go for a run}

19. a favourite place {see bottom of this post}

21. where I stand

22. pink {I found flower petals on my morning run}

I skipped Day 20. Oops.

See photos from the first week here and the second week here.

I've decided I'm not going to participate in Fat Mum Slim's June challenge each day, but I might snap a photo inspired by the list once in awhile. When I do, I'll tag it with #photoadayJune and share it on Instagram. This way, I'm having fun and being part of the community, but not putting pressure on myself. 

You can see my photos on Instagram (ajigreer).

may photo a day 8-14.

I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim's May Photo a Day Challenge. Here are my photos from the second week: 

8. a smell I adore {lilacs}
9. something I do everyday {eat breakfast}
10. a favourite word {joy}
11. kitchen
12. something that makes me happy {seeing kids pick out flowers for their moms}
13. mom {we're sitting on the steps leading upstairs in my Nan and Grampy's old house}
14. grass {+ a couple of dandelions, which my Nan and I both love}

Photos from the first week here. More photos here. Follow along on Instagram.

may photo a day 1-7.

I have to admit, I thought about not doing Fat Mum Slim's May Photo a Day Challenge because sometimes I feel too pressured to take a photo each day. (Ha! Taking a photo each day makes me feel pressured? I need to man up!) Anyway, as I said in my final post from the April challenge, I like that these challenges get me to pause and look around. And that leads to less pressure and more appreciating of what's around me. 

So, here are my photos from the first seven days: 

1. peace {Mary Engelbreit calendar}

2. skyline {Vermont, July 2011} 

3. something I wore today {comfy clothes in pretty colours} 

4. fun! {shoe shopping}

5. bird {chased him around like bird paparazzi}

6. me {from my trip to Vermont}

7. someone that inspires me {Cara, because she is kind, funny, smart, caring, determined, and I could keep going and going...}

Follow along on Instagram and let me know if you're participating!  

april photo a day 23-30.

I participated in Fat Mum Slim's April Photo a Day Challenge. Here are my photos from the final week: 

23. vegetable {butternut squash}
24. something I'm grateful for {home}
25. looking down {rainboots & reflections}
26. black + white {walk}
27. somewhere I went {Second Cup - perfect rainy day location}
28. 1pm {going to the mall to shop for bridesmaid shoes}
29. circle {cupcake satisfaction}
30. something that makes me sad {my last week in this class}

Photos from days 1-6 here, 7-13 here, and 14-22 here.

I really enjoy these photo challenges. It gives me a chance to pause each day and take a look at what's around me. Friends have told me that one of the things they appreciate about me is that I treasure the little things in life, the fleeting moments that can be easily glossed over each day. These challenges give me even more reason to do so.

I'm participating in the May Photo a Day Challenge as well. You can follow along on Instagram.