Noa Green Photography – New Jersey Photography » specializing in portrait photography of family, children, baby, newborn, maternity, pregnancy in bergen county, hudson county, new jersey, new york, manhattan

This quote from one of my favorite books growing up sums up how I feel about today. It’s January 1st, people. Happy new year!

I love this time of year. LOVE IT. There’s something cathartic about making a mental inventory of the year that passed, figuring out what worked (or didn’t) and applying those lessons to 2012. The holidays in December are all about comfort, coziness and tradition and then January 1 hits and I’m full of fresh new energy to do serious family/home/business housekeeping. Ready to tackle the year in the best way possible.

I’m not a fan of new years resolutions, but there are themes I want to focus on in 2012. Writing them down will allow me to re-visit them and hold myself more accountable, so here goes

•  Continue the daily juicing I began several months ago. I’m amazed by how my energy level has gone up (no more 3pm droopy eyelids here!).
• Prioritize my marriage. Its so easy to get caught up in the many roles and tasks in the day to day life that romance inevitably takes a back seat. I totally admit to being guilty of that.Scheduling regular date nights —> MUST for 2012. No ifs or buts.
• Set quarterly business goals to ensure the plans I have for 2012 come to fruition. Hold myself accountable to them.
• De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter. Remove distractions and tolerations from my studio & home environment.
• MAKE the effort to find time to include some sort of exercise in my life (such as yoga or pilates).
• Continue saying no to work that is not 100% synced with the future of my business.
• Shoot more for myself.

I have big hopes for this year. Dreams I’ve been fiercely guarding and nourishing within me. I know there will be challenges and I can’t wait to face them head on. These dreams that I have, they’re so worth fighting for, and its a wonderful feeling knowing that I’m on the right path.

I hope you fight for your dreams this year too. I challenge you all to dream, and then dream bigger.

Wishing you all a happy new year. May it be full of health, happiness & success.

{{{Aviv slept at my mother in law’s last night for the first time ever. I was all nerves and guilt for leaving her overnight….. But Emiro and I got to go out with friends and ring in the new year with music, champaign and dancing}}}

Advantage of having friends who are photographers? They’re always with their cameras & ready to snap away! Thank you Michelle for taking these photos of Emiro and I

(all of the above photos were taken at 6400 ISO & 1.4 aperture with my trusty 50 1.4 lens)

XOXO

Noa

I don’t know where to start this post…. On the one hand I want to pretend I’m still in Israel and post the gazillion images I took and have yet to edit, and on the other hand I want to acknowledge that as hard as it was to leave, its nice to be back home. You see, no matter what I feel like I’m betraying a part of me. I’m split between two continents, and each one has a big part of my heart. I hate feeling this shadowing guilt. I love both homes – Israel and the States. I belong to both.

Leaving Israel was hard. When J K Rowling wrote that to create a horcrux one has to split their soul – well, that’s what it feels like each time I leave. I know it was my decision to move abroad, my choice to seize adventure and explore. I don’t regret it – not one bit. But each time I have to move and maneuver between these 2 worlds, there’s an adjustment period. Guilt. Happiness. So many emotions in between.

This year our return to the States was cushioned by the holidays, which made for a much easier transition. We got to spend 4 nights of Channukah in Israel and 4 nights of Channukah in the States. It meant returning to a decorated home, tons of presents and family traditions Emiro and I are integrating into our family. It made the heartache of missing home and my family a little easier to bear.

The day after we landed was Christmas so we invited our friends Michelle & Charlie over for pajama brunch & movie. Decadent french toast, mimosas and the movie “Love Actually” may or may not have been involved *wink* because yes, we’re cliche like that and one can never get enough of Collin Firth and Hugh Grant!

Pajama brunches rock. You can go ahead and laugh at my Harry Potter socks…. I think they bring a little extra magic to the season

Aviv really lucked out in the present department – being away for 3 weeks certainly encouraged her Aba to go overboard with shopping. Although we celebrate the Jewish holidays, Christmas is the one tradition we agreed to  keep as it is a very special day from Emiro’s childhood… We celebrate it secularly and not religiously, and what it basically means is quality family time at home, hot cocoa, lots of gifts (long live commercialism!), cozy fireplaces and now also pajama brunches with friends.

You really can’t beat winter in Israel, especially when compared with the frigid east coast. I’ve been basking in the Mediterranean sun for the past couple of weeks, and let me tell you this is HEAVEN.

I’m pretty much in denial that I only have this week left, and that before I know it I will have to start saying goodbye and go through the fatiguing process of leaving family and friends behind.

It sucks.

Of course, I have a lot of fabulous things to look forward to: holidays in the USA are magical, reuniting with Emiro, getting reacquainted with my juicer and preparing my business to transition to 2012. I am so lucky, so blessed, to have amazing family and friends on more than one continent. Amidst the difficulties of saying goodbye, I have to remain focused on the good. And there is so much of it.

For now, I’m soaking in the sun. I’m enjoying family and friends. I’m resting and reading books and eating tons of decadent food.

I’m enjoying the now. I hope you are too…..

XOXO

Noa