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Heat // a photo essay

When I think of heat, I think of summer — the glorious months of June, July and August. I am a summer girl through & through. Carnivals, fairs, trips to the ocean, ice cream, cold lemonade, camping, roasting marshmallows, swimming, sweating, sun-kissed skin, sandy toes, bare-foot in the grass, humidity, thunderstorms, warm rain, lazy afternoons that seem to stretch until forever, cold beer, popsicles, sandals, drive-in movies, flowers blooming in every colour of the rainbow, trips to the lake, fishing, fireflies, watercolour sunsets, barbecues, shooting stars. Oh, how I love it — all of it.

Here are a few of my favourite summertime photographs that I’ve taken over the past couple of summers.


“Heat” is the July writing prompt of The Mommy Blogger Collective. In addition to a monthly writing prompt, the collective hosts a monthly blogger featurette. This month we are featuring Renee of oh renée. A few words from Renée — Oh Renée started as a creative outlet for me a few years ago, a happy place to share creative and fun projects or fashion. Since then, it has evolved into one of the best things I could ever have done with my time! The last few years of blogging have become much more personal to me- more of a way to document this life of mine, with my husband, with my little boy and with the world around me. I enjoy sharing glimpses into our days and sharing in other mom’s lives as well, as part of this wonderful world of social media. Being a mother is better than anything I could have expected! Truly. I call Ohio my home, I keep the joy of traveling and exploring new places close to my heart, i spend my evenings knitting and am never without a book in my hand or in my purse. My blog is much of the same! You can also find me on Instagram at instagram.com/ohreneedesign.

/// The Mommy Blogger Collective /// Christina, Courteney, Dena, Erica, Erin, Gillian, Katie, Misty, Nicole, and Renée. ///


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  • · ·

    Are You Oblivious, Aware, or Getting It?

    This is a guest post from my friend, Andy Feld.

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    As I travel and meet new people all over our country, it seems most everyone falls into one of the three areas mentioned in this month’s title. What am I talking about? It’s the societal evolutionary change which is now in progress, although admittedly sometimes imperceptible. It is easy to see that violence rarely leads to anything but more violence. Overt materialism, absent integrity, brings happiness and abundance to very few. Additionally, centuries of male dominated insensitive energy added to a populace unwilling to take responsibility has us at a precarious tipping point.

    So, do you sense what I say is true? Are you oblivious to these changes in the air, or are you ahead of the curve and already taking the steps necessary to not only survive, but thrive in the years to come? Frankly, I am often greeted by individuals with long faces who tell me they will be happy again when things get back to ‘normal’. Normal for many means simply getting back to a life dominated by financial gain and the purchase of new things, but those days may be long gone. Banks are not lending money, our population is increasingly unemployed or aging and dependent, houses are not selling, there seems to be an oversupply of everything and worldwide competition is greater than ever. What if today is the way things will be for the next 20-30 years or longer? What are you going to do to be happy, prosperous, and emotionally abundant?

    Make no mistake, everything is changing and just about everyone is affected. Personally, my income does not approach what I once earned as a corporate CEO, my car is not as new and shiny as it once may have been, and I visit fewer restaurants, but my life has never been more pleasant. Would you agree that now is the time to not only re-evaluate, but also re-create our lives? If so, you are GETTING IT loud and clear, but if not, let’s look into what we can do about it.

    1. We are all One, connected with a common thread of spirit. When I say WE, I mean ALL humans, animals, plant life, earth, and stars. We all are of the same source energy, and understanding and respecting this Oneness is a key to thriving in our new age. Allowing all else to be, with love and respect, and without judgment of unique individual differences will open our portals to Universal Light. One cannot mistreat another human, the earth, our vegetation, and the animals without also mistreating oneself. We are all connected and what we put forth to others is what will always come back to us.

    2. Listen to our heart, our Inner Radar as I call it in my books, without the fear of judgment from others. We are all unique and different, and learning to reach within and hear that guidance we all individually brought forth to this lifetime allows us to grow and prosper in alignment with our life’s purpose. There is no better way to accomplish this than a regular practice of meditation and contemplation.

    3. Understanding the process for manifesting our life’s dreams. It takes quite a bit of practice and self-discipline, and you may be getting tired of hearing me speak about it, but we are the product of our thoughts, emotions, words, and actions. Very little we desire will manifest without the alignment of these four elements. Believe in this, practice and have faith and you will embrace your life like never before.

    4. Learn to appreciate all that you have. From hot running water, to clothes in your closet, and food in the refrigerator, most of us have so much to be thankful for yet rarely acknowledge. The beauty of nature, our relationships, our health and the list should go on and on. Write it down and truly rejoice in how many ways you are blessed.

    5. Diligently work on balancing your male and female attributes. We are all a combination of both masculine and feminine, and the more we keep these two in balance the more we vibrate with the earth.

    Yes, everything is changing. First, become aware and then jump on board, but it will always be the choice of the individual. No one, other than you is responsible for your rescue.

    Whether it is a business, an organization, or individual, the time for changing the status quo in right now. How to go about it in this new environment is what I speak about and teach. I would love the opportunity to work with you or your group.

    With much love and appreciation,
    Andy

    ———-

    Andy lives in Morrison, Colorado outside Denver. He travels the country as a frequent speaker on life inspiration and business sales. He is also a regular guest on radio programs across the United States and on local TV.

    You can read more about Andy at his website, Simple Happy, and you can find his books on Amazon at the following links.

6 Comments

  1. Wow these photos are gorgeous! I think the pool and ferris wheel photos are my fav. I am a huge summer girl as well. Give me the heat and the outdoor activities and I’m happy for life 🙂

  2. As a kid, I just loved having summer days off from school and having the freedom to do whatever the heck I wanted. As I started working, summers weren’t the same anymore. I had a job and no longer had the freedom to be as spontaneous and adventurous as I once could be. BUT, because I worked at a school I had a few weeks off here and there which I took full advantage of. Now that I’m a mom, (and yes, we all know, I have this summer off of work) summer has once again become alive and free and fun! Now I get to relive all the fun summer days were once my own, but with my daughter. It’s amazing how things come full circle. Your photos…gorgeous! They hold so much nostalgic qualities and remind me of how much I used to love summer and of how thrilled I am to love summer once again. I already told you, but you’ve got some serious talent. Not only are these nice to look at, but they provoke feelings and emotions. I love the first one, btw. Probably because my husband builds ponds (not sure if you knew that) and I think that’s really cool 🙂 -Misty

  3. I LOVE the photos! They make me feel nostalgic and also make me feel like going out and enjoying the beautiful summer. I especially like the shot of the laundry on the line. Summer is fresh, sun shine-y sheets to me 🙂

  4. Beautiful photos! Its making me even more nostalgic for the summer we don’t have here in San Francisco. Its been nothing but fog for a full month, its enough to make me want to move to Southern California!

  5. So these photos are magic. And truly capture the best of summer! You are so talented. Hope you are enjoying your vacation!!!!!!! Beach with our boys? What could be better? xoxo

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