Week In The Life™ 2014 | Wednesday Words & Photos

For Week In The Life™, Wednesdays seem to be the day people find their groove or give up. 

Don't give up. 

There's a middle ground. After doing this many times I expect to let up on my enthusiasm a bit by mid-week, but I keep going. 

And as you've seen over the last few days, I do a whole lot of the same stuff every day. Some people might find it boring, I find it normal. I actually like that I can take almost the exact same shot of me sitting at my desk or waiting for my coffee or saying the prayer for the kids at night. Those activities are my life, little things (and bigger things like sitting at my desk to work) are what make up most of my days. 

One of the reasons I do this project annually is to celebrate those little everyday repetitions. 

Some of you have heard me tell the story of being in the middle of Week In The Life™ in 2011 and that being the week that Chris decided for sure that he was leaving. It wasn't intentional or mean-spirited to make his final decision during that week, it's just what happened. Was it crazy to keep going and documenting? Probably, but it's a big part of my job and it just happens to be that my job includes sharing the stories of my life. If I wasn't doing this as part of my job I might have just bagged it for that year because it's hard to make sense of anything at a time like that (a very big understatement). Of course at the time I didn't come on here and write it all out because it wasn't the time or the place for that specific story. But I know when I look back through those photos and that album exactly how I felt. 

What I learned (and knew already to a certain extent) is that the process of documenting our lives helps to shed light on what is good even in the middle of the most challenging times. It can teach us to look for the best parts of our lives, of ourselves, if we are simply willing to watch and listen and open up. 

If you are looking for more support and ideas for working through this project please remember we've got an awesome, active Week In The Life™ community set up that you can access for free here

WEDNESDAY PHOTOS & STORIES

About 70 with my DSLR + 30 with my iPhone.

The story of today is that it felt really normal. 

Simon might have eaten two chocolate chip cookies for breakfast and Anna might have begged me to take her to the mall because she could not go another day without having glasses like everyone else in the house, but other than that it was quiet and the kind of pace I like to have during the week. 

The story of today is that after dropping Simon off at school, Anna and I came back and I took the garbage out, broke down that big pile of cardboard boxes for recycling, and ate oatmeal with almonds, raisins, cranberries and bananas. 

The story of today includes Anna being off school for conferences. She made it for a bit playing in her room until the idea about going to the mall popped into her head. I'm not a big mall-goer so I'm not sure exactly where "take me to the mall" came from but she was pretty intent on making that happen. 

Before we ventured over there to find her some play glasses she got dressed - head to toe pink naturally - including very pink lipstick. I'm cool with her wearing lipstick around the house generally but not to school or other activities. Again, the lipstick is really not my influence (ahem, Katie) but I gotta appreciate that she's got her own ideas about who and what and where and why. 

So with all that pink going on I asked her if I could take a couple photos and not surprisingly she thought that was an okay idea. 

Yeah. 

She's five. And she's awesome

There's a little room outside my office where we shoot most of my projects. It's got really nice light and white walls.

For the two images above I switched my lens to the fixed 50mm 1.4 - people often refer to it as a portrait lens. 

Above you can see (in Aperture - the photo management program I use) all the shots I took of her. Some silly. Some serious. Some blurry. 

I don't take these kind of photos all the time because I usually trend towards more everyday environment shots, but man I'm so glad I did this today. This project is a great reminder and chance to take some shots like this of family members or friends. Hoping to get Simon in front of that wall this week too. 

The story of today includes a trip to Costco for Halloween candy and hot dogs. We did quickly hit the mall before this where she found those glasses at Claire's. 

The story of today includes four giant bags of Halloween candy for Friday night. 

The story of today includes a nap. 

And a ride home on the bus. I can't wait to do some sort of comparison with this shot and others I've taken of him and the bus over the years. These days he only rides it home once a week and I (or Chris or Katie) pick him up on the other days. He could ride it everyday but it's long (because it's a special needs bus). He doesn't seem to mind. Mainly I just want to keep him on there at least once a week so it continues to be part of his routine in case we needed to adjust it to more days a week for one reason or another.

Some of the photos I took today I ended up editing using Milk & Cookies BW in Rad Lab.

Rad Lab is super easy because all I have to do is open a photo in Photoshop, click a button to launch it and then click once more to select an adjustment/filter for the photo. My consistent personal favorite is “lights on” which seems to lighten and brighten just enough.

The story of today included Simon calling my Mom to interview her for a school project on family trees. He talked to her for a half hour or so, asking questions about her parents and grandparents and who they were and where they lived and what they did. I loved listening to him talk to her and I know she was happy on the other end. They have a special relationship those two. He's also getting easier to understand on the phone which makes these kinds of conversations more fun. 

The story of today includes chicken drumsticks, rice, and fruit for dinner. 

The story of today includes me taking a little nap while the kids watched TV after dinner. I like our hang out time. I like our big brown couch. 

SHARE YOUR WEDNESDAY

I'd love to have you share a link to your WEDNESDAY words and photos below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link. In addition you're invited to come over to the free Week In The Life™ Community Gallery & Message Board.

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33 thoughts

  1. delia says…
    10/30/2014

    Again, wonderful, inspiring and beautiful. Enjoy!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. angieslens says…
    10/30/2014

    My first attempt at WILT was in 2012 when I bought your digital kit and wanted to record life waiting for our first baby. I stopped half way through the first day and when I recently came across what I had recorded I was mad that I had given up and lost the opportunity to capture those days. I was so inspired to do it this year with a 2-year-old toddler! Your best tips so far (to me) were - if you miss something out, just keep going; and take photos from a different angle if you do the same thing every day. Thanks for always being so open and honest with us, I love what you share xx

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. hgauvin says…
    10/30/2014

    Since I started on Sunday (its a busy day getting ready for the week so I figured it would provide a lot of photo-taking opportunities), by Wednesday, I was short on pictures and words but I kept going anyways. Your daily posts have inspired me to take pictures from different angles, etc. I really think I'm gonna make it through this project this year. Apparently, I work better under pressure because I'm finishing METAV with Cathy and staring her 30 Days project on 11/1. By Chrismas, I should have 3 new projects completed! Thanks Ali for this awesome project!

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. mmahurin says…
    10/30/2014

    Both Simon's and Anna's glasses are awesome, simply awesome. I was so excited to hear of her "needing" glasses like everyone else in the family. I remember being in 3rd grade and having to get glasses to see the blackboard. The torment from classmates (four eyes!) and a teacher who made me wear them all the time when I really only needed them for seeing the blackboard really turned me against wearing them. By 4th grade my parents let me get contacts and I refused to own another pair of glasses and didn't until I was almost 21. Fast forward 23 more years and I still don't like wearing them because of the awful childhood memories associated with them. So glad times have changed and younger generations easily embrace having glasses and even want them when they aren't needed!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. arcticstampqueen says…
      10/30/2014

      I love that glasses have become a fashion statement. I got glasses in the 4th grade...MANY years ago and my teacher was SO awesome. He knew I was uncomfortable about the whole process and so he went to thrift stores and bought all kinds of glasses, he removed all the lenses and when I returned from the the eye doctor after lunch, every student in class was wearing their glasses. He really set the tone for me to be successfull in wearing them, and I am so grateful. Now, my daughter much like yours, has a pair of faker glasses, because she wants to fit in...LOVE that. :)

  5. Stheiner says…
    10/30/2014

    What color yellow is your kitchen? I'm looking for a really soft pale yellow to paint my living room. Yours is really pretty.

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. scrappychick says…
    10/30/2014

    Oh. My. Gosh! I love those pictures of Anna. She's a feisty one! :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. vicki_dalton says…
    10/30/2014

    Love that Anna wanted glasses.
    My favorite pic is the one of you waiting on your coffee....it shows the time on the stove--LOVE THAT

    Also LOVE that jacket you are wearing---my favorite color and it looks good on you!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. ajizhang says…
    10/30/2014

    I'm so glad you wrote what you did about people finding their groove or giving up. It feels better knowing other people feel the same way! But I think I'll keep going because I love that I'm taking more photos than I usually would.

    And Anna wears lipstick better than I do!

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Lize says…
    10/30/2014

    I remember following along your 2011 WITL and had no idea. Ali, you are a true professional and at the same time so transparently human. Loving this year (as always) and the idea to play with different light sources. I actually currently enjoy taking photo's with my small Nikon, iso DSLR or phone. It's an in between option I seldom see people use.

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. ReallyRanda says…
    10/30/2014

    I so appreciate these posts, Ali. They are always able to help me refocus and to better enjoy the process....be less type-A.
    Loving your photos, as always :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. lori2009 says…
    10/30/2014

    Thanks for encouraging us along. Another great day of capturing the everyday in your photos. Will the new digital week in the life template be going on sale? Also, the 6x8 digital template- does persnickety prints do that size or where do u have that printed?

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. papergoddess says…
    10/30/2014

    Since it's my first time at this, I'm trying to just let it go and not get overwhelmed. That said, I've found it easier to sort of categorize what i want to capture each day. Yesterday I did morning routine. I can see how I take less and less photos each day and that's ok with me. I am going to fill up today with some lists of favorite things, products I'm using at the moment, etc. I've found iPhone screenshots are also super supportive to my story!
    Thanks for sharing... I love those pics of Anna! I wish I could get my nephew to stand that still!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Courtney_W says…
    10/30/2014

    I love all the photos that come from placing your camera on the ground. I've never thought about doing that--great perspective!! My Wednesday words and photos are here: http://beautifulcrazylife4.blogspot.com/2014/10/witl-wednesday-words-photos.html

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. soonermama says…
    10/30/2014

    Wednesday was lots of photos and not so many words at our house: http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/week-in-life-2014-wednesday.html

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. HevWam says…
    10/30/2014

    I agree, I have to try putting my phone on the ground! My big camera batter died on Monday, after taking 3 photos and I have yet to charge it yet, but I'm loving what I'm capturing with my iPhone. http://heatherwambach.blogspot.com/2014/10/week-in-life-tuesday.html

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. cporter says…
    10/30/2014

    thank you thank you thank you. this is my first attempt at this project and your photos are so inspiring. I have a 15 month-old, we are all about routine, plus I work full time so its hard. I really appreciate your perspective.

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. cinback says…
    10/30/2014

    I love the reminder to use my 'big' camera. Typically I use my iPhone for daily shots because I have it with me. But for this project, I am pulling out my DSLR more in the evenings when the lighting is getting low and I have more time to compose a shot. I have to say that those are my fave photos each day.

    And thanks for the reminder that I need a white wall in my house. :-)

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. HelenP says…
    10/30/2014

    Love that photo of Simon on the phone! :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Britiney says…
    10/30/2014

    I know you're sharing your album process next week, and clearly you've run radlab on a few pictures here. Are you doing anything else this week? Besides collecting the stories and photos? Prepping your album? Sorting through pictures? Or does everything else wait for next week?

    Reply 3 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/30/2014

      Nope - nothing else besides doing the post at the end of the day. This year I will likely really use the words I've added to my posts as the journaling for my album. I noticed last year I forgot to add many of those words for some reason - focused more on what was on the daily sheets vs. longer writing.

    2. AliEdwards says…
      10/30/2014

      Well, I guess I'm also sorting photos when I post them here.

    3. Britiney says…
      10/30/2014

      Thanks, Ali. I'm so looking forward to seeing your post/pictures every day. I'm so excited to start the album process next week! Can't wait to see what you do!!!

  20. nicfearon says…
    10/30/2014

    I love your honesty with your sharing. Im really going to try to do this in my scrapbooking. I also found it funny that my son was working on a family tree project as well, too bad I didn't take any pictures (something else to work on).

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. IAmMikki says…
    10/30/2014

    Today, my daughter's school had Parent Teacher Conferences and in our conversation, I said "There is a scrapbooker, Ali Edwards..." to which her teacher replied "I love Ali Edwards! I do December Daily" "I'm doing Week in the Life right now!" and that derailed that parent teacher conference into giddy scrappy chat. Thanks Ali for making my day that much happier!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      10/30/2014

      HA! Awesome.

  22. Kristyjammo says…
    10/30/2014

    Love your micro stories today... REALLY love your purse! Cute as.

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. cliebel says…
    10/30/2014

    adore her freckles and drawings!!! looks and feels like a relaxed and productive day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. cwohlt says…
    10/30/2014

    As always LOVE your everyday stories Ali and your thanks for the NEVER GIVE UP. am I the only one who thinks kid drawings like Anna's would make a great graphic on a tshirt? I especially LOVE the photo of you taking out the trash, did that too today.

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. CathG says…
    10/30/2014

    My kids were sick yesterday morning, and I was exhausted because they weren't sleeping through the night the last few days. We just stayed home instead of doing our normal thing outside the house. I was really anxious that it would look bad in the album, so tonight I started putting together Wednesday with my kit. And it's beautiful. And I had to laugh because while we were taking our rest day my older daughter choose to paint and play with play-doh, and I managed to make two Christmas canvases in the evening. So apparently when nothing else is going on we choose to be creative. :)

    Reply 0 Replies

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