About the ABC's

"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:16

Ever since I began my 365 Days of ABC’s, people have bombarded me with questions about it. Why are you doing that? What is it for? Is there any particular reason you’re doing it? Is it just about practicing photography...or is it something deeper than that?

And I’ve decided to answer these questions, with reasons for the ABC's, and lessons I've learned from them.


My Top 5:

#5) The One that’s Pretty Obvious

To capture the best years of my life in pictures! What other time in my life will I be able to stay out dancing until 2am, take a week-long trip to Paris, stand next to a real live elephant, or take random spur-of-the-moment road trips with friends? When else will I have the opportunity to live in a house with 3 awesome roommates, have photoshoots on a playground, whoop like crazy in the student section of Kyle Field, or share a pint of ice cream with a friend at 2:30am just because I can?

This season of life allows you to discover the person God is calling you to be in a radical way. It’s during these few years of college that you’re able to live without tons of obligations; you are a student, and although you may have a full schedule, you probably have more leisure time right now than you’ll ever have once you graduate and begin working.

Right now I only have to focus on 2 things: living for the Lord and being a full-time student. When else in my life will I be able to dedicate so much of my time to personal and spiritual growth without the responsibilities that come with marriage and children? Sometimes I feel like I just want to fast-forward and see what my life will be like in the next chapter of my life, but then I remember—God is working on me right now, shaping me into the person I need to be when that time comes. He’s not finished with me yet. There are so many things He wants me to see and experience and learn about before I’m ready to enter that new chapter, so I’m keeping my heart open and directing my vision upward so I don’t miss anything!

We all have to remember to take advantage of this time we’ve been given, and keep our minds and hearts open to receive anything the Lord wants to give us. He can present these gifts to us in many ways—even through experiences like taking a photo a day for an entire year. What I expected to be a collection of random memories turned out to be so much more. In the end, I learned that it really isn’t about the pictures. You’ll see what I mean.

#4) The One that Gets Below the Surface

This project has truly changed the way I live my life. I realize that I used to find much of my self-worth in productivity—in other words, I used to only consider my day well-spent whenever I was working toward a concrete goal. If I had a day full of studying, writing papers, going to classes and meetings, I would go to sleep with a smile on my face.

Not because I’m a workaholic, but because I had gotten SO MUCH ACCOMPLISHED! Everything was centered around accomplishing goals.

Which is not a bad thing…but clearly Jesus did not tell us to center our lives around productivity—He told us to center our lives around The Father and loving others. And I realized that when I would spend a day hanging out and talking with friends, I would lay in bed later at night and wonder why I hadn’t been “more productive” that day.

As if nurturing relationships with others isn’t “productive!”

So I found myself having an inner battle: why do I always desire productivity, even when I’m spending time with friends? Am I really that much of a Martha that I struggle to sit still and listen to others without milling about in the process? And how many times have I heard that we should imitate Mary? Why did I always feel like a “Martha” instead of a “Mary”?

While I always thought I had my priorities straight, who was I using as my level? Was I balancing my priorities based on what is valued by God…or what is valued by man?

I knew that I should do this project so that I could see what was most important to me—and where my priorities were—with a visual representation. By having one picture to represent each day for an entire year, I could see the things that I valued the most, and keep myself in check. I decided that this would be my new goal: to care more about nurturing my relationships with others than nurturing my GPA.

#3) The One that May Surprise You

I feel silly saying this, but I honestly feel like some people need to know this: I have some really, really bad days! I sometimes feel like I should write a disclaimer on my blog: “Objects on Screen are Not as They Appear.” Since I started this project on January 1st, 2011, I have had my fair share of trials. Believe it or not, my life is not all sunshine and daisies!

But the point of this project is to find the joy and seek out the beauty in each and every single day, even the most challenging ones.

I’ve been choosing to take my focus off of the times I’ve gotten upset, the time my right eye twitched for 6 days straight, and the nights that I’ve cried myself to sleep. In the past year, my heart has been broken. I’ve been overwhelmed to the point of tears. I’ve cried out to God in bewilderment. I’ve gotten frustrated over unromantic things like broken appliances, clogged sink drains, stubborn clothing stains, and things not turning out the way I planned. I’ve made a complete fool of myself. I’ve experienced loneliness, anguish, and the sting of loss.

But I’ve also celebrated, shared in other’s joy, and made some of the best memories of my life! In this year alone, I’ve been blessed with countless new friendships, amazing roommates, a beautiful Aggie Ring, and the opportunity to fly on an airplane for the first time and spend a week in Paris! I’ve danced in the rain and celebrated birthdays and homecomings and graduations and watched friends get engaged and married. I’ve spent nights singing at the top of my lungs, stargazing for hours, pondering life’s mysteries, crying tears of joy, and smiling blissfully under the peaceful moonlight.

Finding joy amidst pain, beauty in the unlikeliest places, and peace in the middle of a storm is a constant battle. Yet, we all need to seek out the beauty in our own lives –as imperfect as they all are. I’m just trying to remember what is important, and let go of what is not. I’m counting my blessings instead of my worries, and trusting God when all seems lost.

Although it may not always be easy to see, the joy, the blessings, and the beauty are there for us to find each day. We just have to adjust our eyes to see them.

#2) The One that Goes a Little Deeper

Another thing that I’ve heard is that thanksgiving is the key to joy. It seems so simple, really. But so often we struggle to maintain grateful hearts. We get so used to the comforts and gifts we’ve been given that we often forget just how lucky we are to have them! I wanted to find at least one thing to be thankful for every single day for a year, and I can honestly say that doing this has changed my vision. You really begin to see things differently when you’re looking for a reason to give thanks. Suddenly everything becomes a gift, and you realize how much God really does watch over, guide, and provide for his little sheep.

Occasionally I would have one of those days where nothing seemed to be going the way I planned. I would wake up feeling groggy, bomb a lab quiz I’d been studying for all week, spend several hours dissecting in a lab while trying to keep my breakfast down, leave the lab to realize it’s freezing cold and rainy (and of course I get soaked), and then get to the library to realize I’ve lost my glasses. You get the idea. Doesn’t seem like the best day.

But I’d constantly remind myself: thanksgiving is the key to joy. I would repeat this little phrase to myself many times, especially on days like this. And then I would remember: a college education is an enormous gift. Less than 7% of the world population holds a college degree—that certainly puts things in perspective. And I have such easy access to water and food, which I can get at the swipe of a plastic card. And hello, how much does our land need rain after the driest year on record? I should be wildly rejoicing at all of these gifts! Suddenly the same day that tempted me to complain became a day to be thankful for.

I learned firsthand that actually stopping to count your blessings every day helps you to fully receive God’s gifts. And by seeing everything as a gift, it becomes possible to find at least one every single day, although some of the best ones cannot be captured in photos.

#1) The One that Has Impacted Me the Most

Living fully in the present--making each day a celebration.

Before I began my ABCs, I lived my life as if I was waiting for it to truly begin.
I was waiting to feel complete. I felt like I was in this awkward, in-between stage of life where I wasn’t a kid anymore, but I also didn’t quite feel like an adult. My life would truly begin whenever I graduated, had a career, a wonderful husband, and sweet little babies to love.

Right?

I was always trying to live in the future instead of enjoying the present moment as a precious gift from God. I thought that by making sacrifices in the present, I could enjoy the future more when it came.

I basically had “therestimeforthatlater” syndrome. I turned down invitations to hang out with friends because I thought I needed to do my homework early and get a head start on a research paper. Instead of having fun and enjoying today, I would fixate on the future, and what needed to be done in order for me to be the happiest person I could be…tomorrow. There was plenty of time for fun later, right?

But what was I waiting for?

I realized that my life story is unfolding before my very eyes, and each day another page is written. How good would a story be if it skipped from “childhood” to “adulthood” without any suspenseful in-between section? This is an exciting part of the story! The part where pieces of the puzzle begin to come together and form something beautiful, even if I’m too blind to see it at the time. I needed to stop “waiting for life to begin”…and realize that it already has.

Each day is a new page of your life story. It is certainly a blessing to reflect back and see a photo for each of the Adventures, Blessings, and Celebrations that came with 2011. But in the end, it isn’t about the pictures. It is about making each day count. It is about looking for beauty and joy even when they are hard to find. It is about treasuring each day as a gift. It is about living fully, right where you are.

Day 365

December 31, 2011 (aka DAY 365!!!)

the one where we watched 2011 come to an end…and reminisced about all of the wonderful adventures, blessings, and celebrations that it brought! It has certainly been a year to remember, and I’m so thankful that I was able to capture each day of it in this 365 Days project! It will be so cool to reflect on this year and treasure all of these wonderful memories for years to come.

Today I watched the Aggies BTHO Northwestern in the bowl game, made fudge with Erik, played Settlers with Katie and Alan, and ended the day with a New Year’s party at the Novitsky house! Feeding Casey, Matt, Erik, and Chris M&Ms by launching them across the room (HILARIOUS!) + playing pool (and looking good doing it! HAHA!) + counting down to midnight (SUSPENSEFUL!) + saying farewell to 2011 and making a toast to 2012 with pink champagne = I couldn’t ask for more! I am so blessed.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Day 364

December 30, 2011

the one where we slept in, had a shoe shopping adventure, played with a golden retriever, ate the most delicious sno cones in the world (Bahama Buck’s!), watched “Tangled,” and then went to Alan & Katie’s for dinner! It was so much fun! I especially loved listening to this song, making a wish on Katie’s “wishing pig,” and watching them make bananas foster for dessert…because it involves lighting food on fire! AH! So cool. Today was awesome! :)

Day 363

December 29, 2011

the one where we got some good deals at the mall (extra 15% off? Don’t mind if I do!), ate cookies (MMM), celebrated when Erik was the 100th customer at “Chicken”-Fil-A and scored a free meal (“yeeeeaaah!”), celebrated again when I actually beat Erik at pool (I’m sure it was luck, but I’ll take it!), and got to hang out with Harry and Michelle (“I’ll trade you Striped Oxford for Rippling Waters!”) Such a fun day! :)

Day 362

December 28, 2011

the one where we road-tripped up to Flow Mo to visit the wonderful Novitsky family! Eating a delicious lunch and chatting for 4 hours straight + reuniting with Erik + opening Christmas presents + laughing when Katie finally got her pet teacup pig (maybe not the real one she’s always dreamed of having, but close!) + Erik’s parents surprising me with one of the greatest cookbooks of all time (with lots and lots of pretty pictures! Look at one of the first recipes I just happened to find…it’s ham and noodles! AH!) + exchanging gifts with Erik (and laughing when we realized just how similar they are! #greatmindsthinkalike) + eating Christmas cookies and playing 3-to-13 with the family until midnight = I seriously couldn’t be more thankful for today! :)

Day 361

December 27, 2011


the one where I spent some time reading The Hunger Games (I figured it was about time I jumped on the bandwagon to see what all the fuss is about!), testing out the hot rollers I got for Christmas, jammin’ to this song, and packing for my trip to Flower Mound tomorrow! :D

PS: WOW, I just want to thank everyone for the positive feedback yesterday! I’m so blessed to know all of you wonderful people. Your sweet words are so encouraging, and are definitely helping me think about what I’m going to do next year! I'm so glad that you enjoy keeping up with my ABCs! I’m still in the process of deciding what to do in 2012, but I’ll let you know as soon as I make up my mind! Love you all! :)

Day 360

December 26, 2011

the one where I spent the day with Momsie, and drove over to the new house to watch the sunset. Beautiful.

Can you believe there are only 5 more days until Day 365? This year has been such a journey! Many people have been asking me if I’m planning to continue my project into next year, or if I’m going to stop once 2012 arrives. And my answer has been the same every time…I honestly don’t know! I really don’t even know how many people keep up with it, but I am curious as to what everyone thinks! Please feel free to comment on this picture or message me if you’d like to share your thoughts or suggest anything! (Don’t be shy; I really want to know! :) And no, I won’t think you’re a creeper!) Much love, Jamie

Day 359

December 25, 2011 (CHRISTMAS!!!)

the one where we celebrated the birth of Jesus! Joy to the world!


“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’” - Luke 2:8-14

Today’s Christmas song is one I’ve been saving especially for Day 359! It is one of my favorite Christmas songs OF ALL TIME, even though it isn’t a traditional song, and it isn’t even well-known. But it reminds us of the true reason for the season—it’s not about presents or shopping or Santa—it’s about celebrating day that The Word became flesh and dwelt among us!



Happy birthday, Jesus! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!! :)

Day 358

December 24, 2011 (aka Christmas Eve!)

the one where we celebrated Christmas Eve by bringing my Grandma flowers, going to the Vigil Mass (and watching the Christmas Pageant at St. Joseph’s), and ending the night with “It’s a Wonderful Life!” Two of the greatest reminders today:

1) that the Creator of the Universe chose to come down and meet us in the form of a baby over 2000 years ago—and that moment changed everything! Such a divine mystery stirs up wonder and awe in my heart. Oh, how he loves us!

2) that God weaves all of our lives together in a pattern that may look odd to us, but makes perfect sense in the grand scheme of things! Only when George Bailey was able to see how the world would have been if he had never been born was he able to truly appreciate all the gifts and blessings he had been given—and how his life impacted the lives of others—and his thankfulness caused him to overflow with joy! If only we could see life with those eyes everyday…we’d be very, very happy people!

Today’s Christmas song is a simple one. I love to just close my eyes and listen to it. Such a pretty song!

Day 357

December 23, 2011

the one where I got to hang out with some of my favorite boys! Today I built this awesome gingerbread house with Nash (while Cade provided the comic relief and frequently stepped in to taste-test the candies/icing/sprinkles/fondant/gumdrops…haha!), learned all about Pikmin, helped decorate a Christmas tree, played with sweet little Wally [who Cade informed me is a “Chihuahua AND a Shih Tzu”—therefore, he is a “Chihuih Tzu” (chuh-WIT-zoo)!], and got to bust a move with Nash on “Just Dance” for Wii. :)

I also noticed today that I tend to describe things using sound effects and hand motions rather than providing an actual definition. (One example: when Cade asked me “what does whimsical mean?” I responded by saying, “it’s kind of like…*laaah-dee-dah*…” while swaying around in slow motion.) I never realized how often I did this, but it happened several times today—and afterward I wondered if the reason these boys ask me what so many words mean is because they want to see me act them out!

Ooh, and also I went to look at the progress on the new house, and made up a “New House Dance” with Momsie to celebrate! And then I got home and found out that my beautiful friend Atalie is engaged! AHHHHH!!! Couldn't be more excited for you and Nathan! Beautiful. Enjoy today’s Christmas song—it’s by one of my favorite singers of all time! :)

Day 356

December 22, 2011

the one where I spent the day with Rachel! I’m so blessed to have such a beautiful and hilarious cousin! Buying each other Christmas presents + being goofy + debating over whether or not we should take a picture with mall Santa (maaaybe not…) + instead deciding to use pictures from Rachel’s phone to remember today (it’s hard to believe these are from a phone!) + spontaneously bursting into song throughout our shopping adventures = these are a few of my favorite things! :)

The Christmas song of the day is actually a medley, and it’s not so much about the songs as it is about the artists! In honor of Rachel, I’m posting a video of her favorite group, Il Volo! (Which I also like to refer to as “the Italian Jonas brothers” or “Josh Groban’s Italian cousins” or “the ones that remind me of Uncle Jesse.” Watch the video to see what I mean!) Hope you’re as blown away by their voices as we are!

Day 355

December 21, 2011

the one where I got to spend some time catching up with Marina! It’s always a lot of fun sharing stories with this pretty lady over yummy Chinese food! She was my best friend in high school, so it’s always a blessing when I get to see her! Chatting for over 3 hours straight + laughing at these ginormous fish in the tank next to our table + reminiscing about our yesterdays and realizing how far we’ve come = priceless. :) So thankful for today!

PS: can you believe there are only 4 more days until Christmas? And 10 days until Day 365? Crazy! Enjoy today’s Christmas song!

Day 354

December 20, 2011

the one where I had a catch-up day with Ryan! This guy was one of my dearest friends all throughout high school, and even though we go to different schools now, we’re always able to pick up right where we left off! Reminiscing over Los Dos + laughing and talking about life + realizing that even though we’ve been apart, we’ve both managed to become fans of Boyce Avenue, Sam Tsui, and epic Glee mashups + jamming to said mashups all afternoon + taking this wonderfully cheesy Christmas picture whilst reppin’ our schools = fantastic. :)

Special thanks for Brittany for inspiring the Christmas song of the day! Enjoy!

Day 353

December 19, 2011

the one where I worked on graduate school applications and was once again astounded by God’s grace in my life! Somehow I was able to keep my 4.0, even though this has been the busiest semester I’ve ever had—I still can’t believe it! And tonight I spent some time playing Scrabble with Momsie…and then playing around with the letters to remember some of my favorite words from 2011. :) (Bonus points to anyone who can figure out what the blank letters are!)

Today’s Christmas song is one of my all-time favorites. Hope you like it!

Day 352

December 18, 2011

the one where I read this entire book in one sitting! Once I started it, I literally couldn’t put it down. It is the story of an almost-4-year-old boy’s trip to Heaven and back, and it blew my mind! WOW. All I can say is: you should totally read it!

And here’s the Christmas song of the day!

Day 351

December 17, 2011

the one where we visited my grandma…and so did Santa! Celebrating Christmas + singing carols + getting to meet Santa + watching Grandma open her presents = too fun. Afterward, Momsie took me to the new house so I could see these pretty bricks lining the entryway, and it made me even more thankful! It's been a good day.

PS: congratulations to Stephanie and Theresa, who graduated today!!

Day 350

December 16, 2011

the one where I packed up, went home, and took pictures of these 3 crazy boys! It was so good to see them again, and it’s always great to hear them ask “when are you going to babysit us again?” Makes me reminisce about the days of playing “Just Dance,” putting together puzzles, playing games, and having very long conversations about Pokemon!

PS: Congratulations to everyone who’s graduating! Tiffany, Brittany, Atalie, Katelynn, George, and everyone else! Y'all are awesome!!

PPS: Today’s Christmas song is actually not as much a song as it is a story…and I can guarantee it will be one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen! It's probably my new favorite Christmas video!

Day 349

December 15, 2011

the one where I was reunited with my dear Carolyn! I don’t think words can properly describe the impact this girl has had on my life these past few years I’ve been in Aggieland, but I can assure you that I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for her! She’s helped me to grow in ways I would have never imagined, and I am so thankful for the blessing she is in my life!

Spending hours catching up + telling stories about this semester’s adventures + hearing all about life in Italy + laughing like crazy + dinner at Jason’s Deli (the same place we had our first-ever “friend date” freshman year! Oh, the memories!) + giving and receiving gifts + realizing ways we’ve grown over the past few months and sharing graces God has revealed to us + hanging out with Carolyn for the first time since Day 214 = today couldn’t have been better! :)

Enjoy today’s Christmas song!

Day 348

December 14, 2011

the one where I completed my 7th semester at A&M (WHOOP!!!), and celebrated afterward by napping, Christmas shopping, baking white chocolate chip/Andes mint cookies with Erik, and celebrating the beginning of Christmas break with a party at Tiffany, Brittany, and Kristin’s! So thankful that Christmas time is finally here! :)

Aaand here is today’s Christmas song!

Day 347

December 13, 2011

the one where I took my anatomy final, studied statistics all afternoon, and got to hear Carolyn’s voice on the phone for the first time in months! My dear friend is finally back in Texas, and I cannot wait to see her! The rest of the day was spent studying statistics, eating pizza, and taking little breaks to watch Thomas, Lucas, and Erik battle it out on Super Smash Bros. Life is good. :)

Enjoy today’s Christmas song!