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Aidan & Harper’s Ferry {3/52}

January 18, 2015 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

This year we are hoping to visit fifteen states. Some of this will be done as a family and some of it will happen without Aidan. Most of it is completely undecided.

With West Virginia so close to us, we decided to visit Harper’s Ferry and hit up our first state for the year. As you can see from photos, it was cold and wet and even got icy. We had a great time despite the elements. We first saw the battle ground and then made our way into the town of Harper’s Ferry. There is more history packed into that tiny little town than I could have dreamed up. This is definitely a spot I would love to return to – but maybe on a warmer day.

Aidan & the watercolors {2/52}

January 11, 2015 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

I love making things. If I could swing it, my job would allow me to work remote so that the two hours a day I spend commuting could be reallocated to creative pursuits. Although that hasn’t happened (yet! maybe one day but probably not but I’ll just hold out a little hope) that doesn’t mean we are lacking in our arts and crafts. In fact, we have paper, crayons, markers, chalk, and now watercolors all available to Aidan for play. Aidan does a lot of adorable things, but watching him “draw” is high on my list.

We decided that watercolors would be a fun little art exercise for Aidan. I had this beautifully planned in my mind where he would make some wonderful paintings for us and violins would play while unicorns hopped around our kitchen. That definitely was not how this happened. We had to beg Aidan not to spill or drink the water and he pretty much skipped the colors, opting instead for the black. I’m not sure what this says about his personality but I did manage to get some photos during the violin playing/unicorn part.

Jamestown adventure + a note about 52

January 4, 2015 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

Christmas this year was all about family. Probably in the way it should be but sometimes isn’t. And maybe this year that was easy for us because of days off from work and Aidan’s lack of understanding about consumerism and Toys R Us. I loved watching Aidan play with his cousins even if I had to tell him 1,423 times not to hit anyone or even threaten to hit anyone (this is a just a phase, right?). I loved seeing him take long walks with my parents. And possibly best of all, I loved watching his face in complete wonder as he listened to two hootie owls call out to one another. He’s still on the look out for those two owls.

One exciting aspect of our holiday was heading to Jamestown with my parents. We absolutely love taking Aidan on these adventures. His desire to run and play fit in perfectly here. He was able to explore and we didn’t have to worry much about something being destroyed since a majority of the exhibit is outside. Of course, he tried his best to go overboard twice. Maybe the next time we go, we’ll take life preservers with us.

I have set a number of goals for myself for 2015. Let’s get real for a moment, I set a lot of goals for myself so this isn’t something new. What is a bit new is that I’m telling the internet about my goals. Maybe this will keep me honest. One of my goals is a 52 week photography project where I share at least one photo per week here. I take a lot of photos and over the last 12 months, I’ve loved seeing how much my skill set has grown. But I fail to post them here or even on Facebook because it is so easy for me to neglect that step. Between a full time job, two hours of commuting every day, family obligations, my passion for knitting plus my running and triathlon training (which I admit is not happening right now but will get back on my schedule!) taking the time to share my work is skipped over like a weird side dish at dinner. Or does that just happen at my house when my mom gets creative? Well, I think you get it.

That’s a long winded way of me saying – I have a goal to post at least one photo a week here. Someone hold me to it or I’ll have to eat that side dish.

2014 in review

December 30, 2014 by Cady Sinks 1 Comment

As 2014 comes to a close, I’m taking notes and taking stock. I’m digesting all the good and trying to course correct for any of the negative. This year was a little more calm than 2013. This year we were settling in after a move (July 2013) and my job change (December 2013); our infant grew into a toddler; our lives were changing but this year was not so dramatic.

Looking back, I feel proud. I am happy. I am content. My heart is incredibly full. In 2014 we celebrated our third anniversary, Aidan’s second birthday, and many personal achievements. I ran a half marathon and two triathlons. Alan had another successful year hosting his annual soccer tournament to support Veterans in our area. We made updates to our home that feel beautiful, functional, and comfortable. I read a lot of books, listened to a lot of podcasts, and focused more on my creative pursuits.

Some of the books and podcasts I absorbed this year changed my mindset and challenged me in ways I never saw coming. As a result, we focused more on gratitude. We are so damn lucky. Although we both work very hard for what we have, we could not be where we are today without the support of our families, each other, and the grace of God. This year we spent less money on things and instead spent more on fun. We bought very little clothing so that we could give more to others. We focused more on buying local and supporting handmade. These weren’t big changes but they brought a little more focus to our lives. This was a great year for our family.

We tend to overestimate how much we can accomplish in a single day, but underestimate what we can accomplish in a full year.

-Colin Wright

I have many hopes for 2015. Mostly, I hope that we remain healthy and that we continue to support one another. I’m also ready for a challenge. I’m ready to test myself with more races, more creative pursuits, and more family adventures. I don’t want to underestimate how much we can go/see/do in a full year. Instead, I am running into 2015 with arms and eyes wide open, with goals and hopes, with anticipation that anything can happen. I hope that great things happen for us and that when we come to hurdles, we have the grace to make it through them. And I hope the same for you.

Aidan & the yarn

December 16, 2014 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

My love for knitting is well known among my friends and family. In fact, one of my goals for 2015 is to create a knit night when a group of friends can gather together to knit. Maybe I could even teach a bit. (I mean, 2015 is becoming the year to dream big.)

But enough about my dreams. This is more about Aidan’s actions. We borrowed this car from our friends down the street so I could do a fun little photo shoot at home (see photo below). That morphed into Aidan bombing around the basement in said car running over toys and feet without concern. He loves to crash into my office and throw his body at expense equipment (read: my beautiful, big monitor + camera + computer). But on this day, he barged into my office with his newly stolen car and piled in the yarn so that he could “deliver” it to me. And by “deliver” I think he meant “stole it from me and ran off with it.”

Happy holidays!!