Through My Lens: November

Well, here we go again. One month gone and the year is coming to a close. How have the past 11 months treated you all? For me, the past 30 days have definitely made me aware of all the things I am truly grateful for, and not just because of Thanksgiving. Here are a few of the reasons I have been grateful this past month. I hope you all can share some with me as well!

The weather this month was all over the place. From a brisk 65 to a humid 88 degrees, I made sure to celebrate the few days of sunshine we had. My new favorite thing with my new shift is eating my lunch outside on the bright yellow picnic tables. This day was particularly nice. I am glad I was able to enjoy my salad outside with a nice book.

My family came together at the beginning of the month to celebrate my baby nephews birthday. It was such a fun day and my nephew looked so adorable running around having a good time. This year his birthday party was held at Old McDonalds Farm, and it was really the perfect venue. They have pony rides, petting zoos, a pumpkin patch and a playground. I had such a great time and I was so glad to be a part of it. I can’t wait for next year already!

Here I am with my three amazing sisters. And a photobomb by my nephew. Sometimes I think we look a lot alike, but I don’t think so here lol. Because I can only see my sisters a few times a year, I have really learned to appreciate the time that I am able to spend with them. I am so grateful for all my sisters and am so glad I was able to see them twice this month.

Here I am with my little sister, the little weirdo that can always keep me sane, unless she is the one driving me crazy. What can I say about her, I love my baby sister and I miss her living 30 miles away. Nothing makes me happier than spending time with her.

And now for this other weirdo, my good friend Adrian came by for a quick visit this month. I can always enjoy myself with this guy, even if we are just driving around having a sing along with one of his great mixes. Here we are at one of my favorite spots in Austin, the Baylor Street Wall Art on Castle Hill that I reluctantly dragged Adrian to after buying some delicious juices. He could hardly keep up with all of the Austin-y activities but I hope he can come by again soon to try out a few more fun activities. Next stop: hot yoga!

So what do you have to be grateful for?

Through My Lens: October

Another month has passed by in a flash and I can’t believe the year is almost over. October treated me well. Work was busy as October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month and there are a lot of good people out there shedding light on the dynamics of an abusive relationship. It was also my best friends 25th birthday, and my schedule changed drastically. Here is my month in a few photos. Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline launched a bunch of social media campaigns to raise awareness on domestic violence. Here I am explaining how I see domestic violence as a part of the #SeeDV campaign. Unfortunately, I #SeeDV everywhere, and I wish we were all talking about it. To find out more about the campaign and to check out how some of my co-workers also see dv, click here. By the way, these photographs were taken by my amazing friend Kate Kerns, isn’t she great!

If you’ve talked to me anytime during the last three weeks then you know that my shift change is all I am focusing on lately. Pictured above is my savior on the first day of my new shift, and really my new life. I have been working overnight the past 4 years and am so excited to see how working “regular” hours will change my livelihood. I will keep y’all updated on that.

Here is my beautiful best friend on her 25th birthday! Of course I had to buy her a children’s edible arrangement for the day. I really hope she enjoyed her day and I look forward to sharing many more birthdays with her.

Last weekend I made a trip to New Orleans for my best friends birthday. Here I am in Jackson Square in the French Quarter with my younger sister. I am SO glad she was able to come along and I really hope we can make room in both our schedules and budgets to take many more trips together. I hear Costa Rica calling out to us early next year.

The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden is hugging me. I have no words to explain how amazing yesterday was. Joe Biden, author of the Violence Against Women Act, and Mariska Hargitay, founder of the Joyful Heart Foundation, visited the National Domestic Violence Hotline yesterday and I was lucky enough to meet them both! It was amazing to witness the passion that both of these domestic violence advocates have for our survivors. So amazing. And to hear them speak about the work we do and how much they appreciate it made my job that much more rewarding. It was an excellent way to end National Domestic Violence Awareness Month! If you would like to read more about their visit and check out more awesome photos, check out it here. And yes, I told VP Joe Biden that I loved him on Parks and Recreation, I am glad he has a sense of humor.

How did you spend your month?