The Grass Is Always Greener...

This layout popped into my mind one morning as I was getting ready for the day. It's very representative of where I'm at in my life right now.

 

The journaling reads:

When the boys were little I craved privacy and solitude because I had so little of it. Now that they're grown I have an abundance of alone time, and sometimes I'd like to go back to those crazier times. Just sometimes...

Side note: Usually I have a photo and then the layout idea grows from there, but this time I had to create the photo (although I did have a particular picture in my head of how it should look). I went for a hike in the Bedford Metropark and followed a trail that led down to Tinker's Creek.
My first series of photos (not used here) were taken at a large tree that had fallen and semi-blocked the path. I placed my camera at the root end of the trunk, set the timer, and then sat down farther down the tree and facing out over the gorge. I did like how some of them turned out, but wanted to try some other scenes, too. I kept walking till I got down by the river.

Next I tried to set up a shot where I was sitting on a rock looking out over the river. I had my tripod, and set it and my camera up behind me. But because of trees and bushes and a tiny inlet behind the rock, I couldn't get to the rock and sit down in the 10 second time limit, so I had to scrap that one.

I finally settled on just sitting on the ground, gazing out over the river. I like how this one turned out - it captured the message I was trying to convey. A little tweeking in Lightroom (adjusting lights and darks and a little desaturation), and I was set.

I did the layout for a Guided Design class at Get It Scrapped, and I must say I agonized over the placement of the design, but I'm thrilled with the final outcome :D

Why I Scrapbook

I love to scrapbook, but not everyone can understand why. Maybe this photo will help me explain. 

Twenty years from now (or maybe even now!), someone might run across a picture such as this one and wonder WHAT in the world they were doing! But not everyone may remember the story behind a picture, even if they were there!

This photo is a good example. It’s definitely one of those photos where you know there’s got to be a story behind it!

In this case I asked the boys about this picture. Zack (who is in the photo) didn’t remember the story, but he did say it’s an awesome picture! Nate also couldn’t remember, but said he was pretty sure he helped. Evan also wasn’t sure what the story was. Fortunately Aaron, who was older,and who had actually seen Star Wars, was able to give me a lot more information about what led up to the picture and explain what was going on, and thus I was able to document the story.

My parents have a ton of pictures, and they know who is in most of them and what is happening. But virtually none of these stories are written down, and unless the stories are passed on they will eventually be lost.

So, it’s not just about nice paper and fun embellishments.
It’s not even just about putting pictures in a book.
It’s about preserving stories and memories that might otherwise be lost.

 
Ok, I know I've piqued your interest so here's the layout I did telling the story behind the photo: