The Little Things No. 25

The little things really do add up, which is why every Friday I end the week on a positive note with appreciation for the little things in my life that make up a greater sense of joy. I hope you join me today in appreciating the good, no matter how small. I will also be sharing links from time to time about things that are inspirational, funny, beautiful, or important.

Because this is about appreciation rather than perfection, I’m not only including my professional quality photos, but some cellphone snaps as well. You can expect to see a more candid look into my life every week with my The Little Things blog posts every Friday.

Dear Friends,

For the first time since starting my “The Little Things” series I missed a post last Friday while on vacation! It simply did not load while I was away and I couldn’t post it form my phone. So I thought, what better way to start a Monday? Especially because I have so much to be thankful for!

What they say is true; thirties are for thriving. I’ve been thirty for a week now and I’m loving it. In reality, not much has changed, but I feel more secure in myself. Over the past several months I have really had to learn what self love really is. I’ve had to learn compassion for myself and build self esteem and self respect. We learn some hard lessons as we age and our twenties are full of what I call the “biggies.”

I’m so thankful for all of my friends, both new and old for being so wonderful, supportive, and loving. I admire and look up to each and every one of you. I’m also so thankful to my readers, who have stuck by me as my blog has changed and evolved over the past year. In a way blogs are like lifestyle magazines full of beautiful pictures and articles, but also so much more personal and connecting. I truly cherish the live lovely community we have built together.

This week, the little things I appreciate are:

The New England Collaboration Club.

I’ve been thinking about this one for a while. In college, our little liberal arts school had quite the creative community. If someone needed help on a project or wanted to collaborate, one simply reached out within the group and found a friend. A photographer friend of mine was doing a photo project on famous death scenes and I volunteered as the model while another student volunteered her skills with horror movie makeup. We gathered a group of truly unique and creative people and resources. Somewhere out there I am a zombie extra in a movie about zombies who have turned “humanitarian.” A sculpture classmate once asked to make a sculpture of a cupcake based on the personalities of a group of people for his senior project. Yes, somewhere out there there is a Courtney Cupcake. I was thinking about it again when I was taking photos by myself the other week and wished I didn’t have to always do them alone or bother a friend to help. And then finally, I was watching the new Netflix reboot of The Babysitter’s Club and the idea solidified; I started the New England Collaboration Club the very next day. -A group on Instagram and Facebook where you can find a friend and put out an ad to collaborate on any sort of creative projects. (You can follow the group here @NECollaborationClub) I’m so thankful for all of the positive support already.

This picnic table.

It is the perfect size to carry along for an outdoor adventure just about any where.

This “Courtney” Gal Meets Glam Dress.

I loved the Gal Meets Glam dress collection, which sadly is going out of business this summer. When this dress first came out I could not afford it, then it went out of stock, came back in then out again, and finally came back in on sale last December so I bought it for myself as an early 30th birthday present. I finally wore it for my birthday last week. I’m big on celebrating birthdays as I truly believe each year is a gift.

This red jacket wearing man.

Matthew is seeing my vision come to life. “We can really do this,” he told me this week on vacation, in reference to my blogging dreams and possible vlogging future. Sometimes he pushes me harder than I feel he should, but he is always the most supportive person in my corner and he truly believes in me.