I think everyone on the East Coast was taking fog photos yesterday morning. You PNWers may have the corner on it, but every so often we'll get a good dose on the right hand side of the US too. I had a feeling it might be coming. I'd been out to dinner with a friend the night before, and the fog was gathering around our ankles as we headed home. It was the most surreal site, a full moon above me and fog forming below, that I've seen in a long time.

So I wasn't surprised to hear the fog horns blowing when I got up Wednesday morning. I love that sound.

When Neel headed out to work, I grabbed my camera and was out the door shortly behind him. It was a funny walk to my river. Quiet, the way you'd imagine a foggy morning would be, and oddly loud too. Sounds heightened on the near-invisible streets. Kids headed out to school, doors banging behind them as they disappeared into the gloom. The birds were loud too, the crackle of a crow a constant refrain. Mixed in with the intermittent lowing of the foghorn was the drip, drip, drip of the moisture all around me. And the slap of waves against the shore.

I spent some time at the water, nodding to the dog walker who'd also come to see how far our vision could stretch and listen to the call and response of the fog horn. By the time I turned to go home, if you looked straight up you could see a hint of blue in the sky. Just the barest of hints, really.

And then, after a long while, the sun came out.

Hey! (Waves madly!) We're home! I missed you guys! My in-laws gifted us all with the most amazing trip to Orlando for Christmas, and I can't wait to tell you all about it. The only bummer was that Neel was sick and still is, poor man. We got back last night in time to run one load of laundry, order Chinese for delivery and watch the first Harry Potter before falling into bed. Pretty much the perfect New Years Eve in my book. Minus all the coughing.

I start every year with a new (and not-so-new) set of goals, so here we are for 2014. I think after I write this I'll see how I did with last year's goals (wink). I always pull out my favorite line from Pirates of the Caribbean at times like these, "They're more like guidelines, really."

1. Drink water first thing every day (wait, let me grab my water!)
2. Revamp my wardrobe with things I love, leaving behind impulse purchases and with an eye toward streamlining colors, lines, etc.
3. Study a technical aspect of photography each month (e.g. off camera flash, kelvin, etc. What should I start with in January?)
4. Do another 365 this year (more on this later)
5. Find a means (through book or class) to learn flower arranging.
6. Leave behind last-minute Lauren. (I'll probably start working on this one in November or December.)
7. Walk every day.
8. Clear the crap out of my house (8 weeks that Cal is gone, I'm looking at you for this)
9. Tend to my friendships and let go of what needs letting go.
10. Clear out my photography/blogging clutter. This means establishing an editing work flow, ditching old photos and getting straight with some web stuff.
11. Reach for more creative project and collaborations.
12. Find a volunteer project
13. Open my heart to love more and judge less
14. Leap. It was my word last year, and I didn't do it enough. I think I'll use it again. Leap.

So there you have it. Fourteen for 2014. We'll see how I come along with this list-o-rama, but it seems like a good enough place to start with a brand new year. That an loads of laundry and a trip to the grocery store. Life marches on, doesn't it? Last year was pretty good, wasn't it? Let's make this year even better.

horns blowing {life}

happy new year! 14 in 14 {still + life}