My First Blog - Intro to Valerie's views

My very first blog…

Why am I doing this?  Why am I putting myself out there like this?

I’m not sure yet.  I have all these things in my head, some are private and will never make it on to this page (thank goodness for all of you)  Some have been so very hard and I need to share them to help others.  I have many things to offer and have been through quite a few things.  I have been blessed along the way and I am lucky to still be here.  I have always been a fixer of sorts, but not for myself.  I have always been there for others even when they would/could not be there for me.  I have only recently learned that being there for yourself and putting yourself first is the healthiest thing you can do in your life physically and mentally.  I have come to learn that it is not selfish, in fact it is a necessity. 

I think that I will start with a little bit about myself.  I am from a small town in Illinois called Willow Springs.  I grew up in a tiny house with my parents and my 2 sisters.  Even at an early age, I always enjoyed photography.  I remember the old school rolls of film that you had to guess about until it was developed at the local Walgreens.  Those were the days.  You never really knew if you had a good one until you ripped open the package of the pictures.  Through the years I’ve had smaller cameras, cannon handheld cameras and disposable cameras.  Then came the cell phones and they were pretty good, but when I turned 40 I was gifted a digital camera.  The rest is history.  I have thousands of photos of wildlife, loved ones and trips.  One of the most enjoyable things for me as a photographer is capturing birds, particularly bald eagles.  I have joined several wildlife groups on facebook and that has helped me with rules about safe distancing for shots and sometimes even particular spots to find the hard to locate species.  I find that being in nature is important.  There is a certain calm about it and you can truly be alone with your thoughts.  I have learned so much since I got that camera about different species of birds, and I had no idea that pelicans fly here every year!!  Love to photograph those too when I am lucky enough to catch them.

I also love love love to cook and bake.  A trait that I was taught firsthand by the best cook that I know, my mother.  Although she is no longer with us, we have a very old brown wooden box of stained recipe cards that is a treasure to our family.  My mother never worked, she was a stay-at-home mom and almost every night she would make dinner.  From comforting beef stew in the winter with dill “drop” biscuits on top to homemade coconut pineapple cake for my birthday she was the one that instilled the love that I have for being in the kitchen.  I have to say that I have become a pretty decent cook and baker myself, so I’ve been told.  Christmas was always very special if you were near our kitchen during that time.. (but those stories and recipes are for a whole “nother” blog altogether. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my very first blog post. There is so much more to come and I'm excited to take the journey with you.