Looking for photography in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs areas? 

 Julie specializes in documentary, lifestyle and storytelling photography 

serving the Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Riverside County and Southern California areas. She is available for maternity, birth, newborn, baby, children and family portraits, 

documentary, and fine art photo sessions.

In today's Tuesday edition of G365, the theme is

SOMEWHERE

to be grateful for.

This was shot in my dining room and that is the SOMEWHERE 

I am grateful for today. It is the gathering place of my family.

We share meals, do research, schoolwork, art projects.

play games, and share our lives with each other. here

.So much to be thankful for in one small space.

Palm Desert Photographer- Project G365- Someone to be grateful for on Monday.

Looking for photography in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs areas? Julie specializes in documentary, lifestyle and storytelling photography serving the Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Riverside County and Southern California areas. She is available for maternity, birth, newborn, baby, children and family portraits, documentary, and fine art photo sessions.

Monday's menu for gratefulness turns the lens on 

SOMEONE 

I am grateful for.

G365 4/365 Someone to be grateful for on a Monday.

I could have started with my husband, kids, extended family

or friends,

but today I am actually thankful for a 

stranger 

we met at the park.

She was there with her kids

and they had ingeniously 

repurposed a cardboard box

into a makeshift 

multiperson sled

to speed down

the scalped grass hills.
When Ems asked to join in on the fun,
they were gracious and made room for her.

One of the reasons we personally

like this park is because of

how steep the hills are.

They are great for rolling too.

But I am not just thankful for the 

creative spirit of this mom.

Nope, I am thankful because

she put me in my place

and had every right to do so.

Since I am as old as I am 

and have had as many kids as I have

and have done as many things as I have,

I sometimes(mistakenly)

begin to think I know a thing or two

and feel compelled to share what I think know

with someone who never asked

to know what I know. 

It is actually a pet peeve of mine

when others do it to me,

and as old as I am,

it's been done a lot.

In fact one of my goals 

as a future mother-in-law

when it comes to advice,

is to keep my mouth shut

unless asked to do otherwise.

Even then, to keep it short 

and to the point.

You see, she was telling her somewhat

over exuberant child to run

each time he was disobedient.

Not a bad strategy,

certainly a much more positive one

than others I have witnessed.

Having taught in classrooms

a bit, and caring for other's kids,

especially ones with sensory integration issues,

I have seen how that strategy can backfire,

since cardio exercise will often 

perpetuate high energy levels.

So I pondered in my head for a while,

if I should say anything. 

I really wasn't going to say 

anything,

but my savior complex kicked in,

and I just couldn't help asking,

"So does the running thing work for you?"

She responded that it was something 

new they were trying

as an alternative to time outs.

This is where I should have left it,

but I didn't.

"Well,..." 

Because this type of unsolicited advice always starts with, 

"Well,..."

Before I could really finish my sentence though,

she responded that

 this was how they did things 

and thanked me for my "input".

Ouch.

It was warranted though, 

I truly believe I deserved it.

She didn't know me. 

I didn't know her or her child, 

and most importantly 

she had not asked for my opinion,

or "input".

Thankfully I had enough wherewithal to not keep talking.

As their little family left the park a few minutes later

(they had already been getting ready to leave

before my social faux pas, by the way)

I simply thanked her for her

wonderful idea about the cardboard box sled.

Little did she know I was thanking her 

for something far more significant:

a reminder to treat others,

the way I want to be treated,

to be the person I want to be

and think I am.

Usually, anyway. 

Oh, and if anyone wants to hear 

what my alternative to running was,

feel free to ask.

Palm Desert Photographer- Project G365~ 3.365 Sunday's Feelings to be Grateful For

Looking for photography in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs areas? Julie specializes in documentary, lifestyle and storytelling photography serving the Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Riverside County and Southern California areas. She is available for maternity, birth, newborn, baby, children and family portraits, documentary, and fine art photo sessions.

Today is Sunday and according to my daily themes, today I am finding a FEELING to be grateful for.

Conveying a feeling visually can be challenging. 

Thankfully in this project, I get to utilize words as well.

One of my 2016 goals is to play more 

with my daughter, 

so I was actually on the other end of this

piece of playground equipment.

It's a see-saw of sorts,

but rather than lift you high in the air,

the seat is attached to a spring at the bottom,

and the point is to bounce each other.

She wanted me to bounce as fast as I could,

which I gladly obliged,

while trying to keep a focus point.

I am grateful both for her feelings of exuberant joy,

and for the lesson this little experience

taught me about keeping 

a correct perspective in the midst of

turbulence.

Palm Desert Photographer~ Project G365 Saturday and Opportunity

Looking for photography in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs areas? Julie specializes in documentary, lifestyle and storytelling photography serving the Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Riverside County and Southern California areas. She is available for maternity, birth, newborn, baby, children and family portraits, documentary, and fine art photo sessions.

Today is Saturday and so the theme of gratitude is that of 

OPPORTUNITY.

Today I am grateful for a doctor's appointment where I felt

utterly judged as a parent.

It was last week, and I had brought Ems in 

to have her skin looked at.

She has had some pretty rough red scaly patches on her hands 

that get worse at night and in water,

so I wanted to rule out or confirm eczema.

While there, we saw the nurse practitioner for the first time.

We have always up until this time seen the pediatrician.

Normally I wouldn't have a problem seeing the nurse practitioner.

So often they are far more helpful than the actual doctors.

Not this time though.

All she saw was Ems height and weight 

and how they didn't look so good 

on a chart compared to other kids her age.

Because of this number I was immediately put into a

specific parent category type.

Instead of asking me 

what her diet and exercise routine looked like, 

she made assumptions and just handed me nutritional information pamphlets.

I am not saying Ems has the best diet, it could certainly improve,

but to make assumptions like that was both rude, 

medically presumptive and  possibly negligent.

I did speak up though and made known that 

I had asked the doctor about the weight issue before

and was told she was not concerned.

I am concerned though and I also let the nurse know

that I am confused because I see what Ems eats

and it doesn't line up with her weight.

Her diet isn't perfect, but we also 

don't eat a lot of junk food either.

Because of all the health issues we have experienced

as a family, I am concerned.

She seemed to listen, but to her I was still obviously that parent

stuck in that category. 

 She has ordered some blood tests

and in the meantime it is a wake up call

for the whole family.

I am thankful for the opportunity to really analyze 

what we are eating and to change it for the better,

all of us, not just her.

I am thankful for the sense of urgency it has instilled,

because letting it go another day is no longer an option.

So today we put down the devices and went outside,

to play in the front yard.

Not just her,

not just her and me,

but her, me, her daddy, and 

her brother (the one who rarely leaves his room these days)

all outside playing,

running, skipping, throwing,

and laughing

for an hour. 

I am grateful for this day's opportunity 

as well as hopeful for many more. 

Palm Desert Photographer-A New Focus in 2016 and the Launch of The G365 Project.

Looking for photography in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs areas? 
 Julie Moses specializes in documentary, lifestyle and storytelling photography serving the Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Riverside County and Southern California areas. She is available for maternity, birth, newborn, baby, children and family portraits, 
documentary, and fine art photo sessions.

I completed my first 365 project at the end of 2014. 

I just completed my second a week ago on Christmas. 

The focus of both of these projects was predominantly 

about capturing and documenting the daily life of my family. 

For many two straight years of nearly daily 

shooting and editing would signal that it was time to take a break 

and sit back and perhaps focus on something else. 

Well I half agree.

I still plan to shoot daily and for the most part,

 my family will still feature very predominantly. 

The focus is very different though, as this year is all about gratitude.

Everyday I plan to find something to be grateful for 

and to document that both visually and though a written narrative. 

I have participated in gratitude studies before

 and I have always been very blessed

 by the change in spirit they seem to produce in me, 

however I have never documented them visually 

and I have never lasted more then a few weeks in my documentation.

So this year, I want that visual record. 

I also know that I have proven to myself that I can complete a 365 project, 

in fact I've proven it twice! 

I want to use that habit to help sustain a new habit 

of practicing mindful gratitude. 

I have prepared a daily theme prompt for myself, 

though I am sure I will most likely often stray from it. 

It is there for those days when I need structure to birth creativity 

and to help remove the blinders 

of poor attitude and circumstance.

The Gratitude Daily Prompts

Mondays: Someone

Tuesdays: Somewhere

Wednesdays: Small thing

Thursday: Large thing

Friday: Experiences

Saturday: Opportunities

Sundays: Feelings

I want to issue both an invitation as well as a disclaimer.

<<>>

 In the past, during my practice of mindful gratitude, 

I have noticed two things happen. 

First, that I begin to see exactly how blessed I really am, 

and the more blessings I look for the more I see.

Second, that whatever negativity in this world there is 

that can find it's way to your door to try to tear you down 

and close your eyes to blessings will in fact do so.

 It's part of the challenge to keep looking for

 and finding the blessings and feel the gratitude

despite the wolves at the door. 

I will also issue a warning that my gratitude is directed to God in all things.

The God I believe in is the God of the bible and that will be reflected in this project. So if you are prepared for all that, then I joyfully invite you to join me on this yearlong journey. Whether you choose to participate through finding and sharing your own blessings and gratitude or just by following me as I do, I am praying that you will be blessed by this project! 

Since today is Friday, I will begin with the Friday prompt of

an experience to feel grateful for.

1/365 Gratitude 2016- Friday. Experience

I often take my daughter to the park, 
but I don't often actually play with her.
I am her primary play mate most of the time.
I am also trying to encourage her independence 
and willingness to try new things 
as she is homeschooled, 
and her siblings are so much older than she is. 
So we go to the park, 
so that she can play with kids her own age, 
and I can just hang back, watch and take a lot of pictures.
Well yesterday, I made a mindful effort
 to climb the jungle gym and go down the slide too.
I most likely would not have gotten this shot
if I'd been following my usual routine.
I would have been on the ground, 
not behind her ready to slide down myself.
It was over pretty quick as we were meeting friends 
who were running only a few minutes behind. 
Their appearance meant I was quickly relegated 
to second or third place in her attention, 
but for a few moments, it was just us. 
I got to be in her world for a however small a time 
and today I am grateful that 
I am still both invited and able to participate.
(Even though I did almost get stuck in the slide.) 


Join me tomorrow as I give thanks again.