The Cruise

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We took an amazing cruise all around the Manhattan island. We got see basically everything you could ever want to see as a tourist and a photographer. For me, taking pictures is sort of like breathing, it's just a fact of life. I'm an introvert. I like to be quiet, I like to observe and watch. Conversing with others feels mostly unnatural, even with the people I feel very close to. And although I want to listen to the conversation, I don't always feel a necessity to add to it, aside from the occasional, "what are we talking about?" Listening is how I contribute, that's what feels good for me. Behind the lense is a perfect home. Sometimes I can capture a moment with a photograph, sometimes I can capture a feeling or a mood. Other times I can miss it entirely because I'm busy trying to trap it in a time capsule, rather than being present. I learned some pretty powerful lessons on this trip, albeit extremely painful ones. Sometimes being quiet is not acceptable to the people around me. Sometimes I have to speak my truth, rather than saving it for myself. I wasn't expecting it, but this adventure turned into a self searching experience, in which I got to know myself better than I wanted to and because of that I'm getting to my God in a way that I've always wanted to. This trip was both the best and the worst experience I think I've ever had. I'm ok with that.

I had a friend, may his memory be always a blessing, who taught me to say thank you for EVERYTHING. Lost your job today? Thank you. Car broke down? Thank you. Got a promotion at work? Thank you. You get the point. The answer is always thank you. Because the truth is, as much as I'd like to be at times, I'm not in charge. Furthermore, I can't see the bigger picture, mostly because I'm not omniscient. And who would really want that anyway? I believe that there is a loving Force in the Universe working in my favor and if I really trust that power like I should, then I know that no matter what is happening and however seemingly off track is feels, I am being taken care of in ways I can't understand. So, thank you.

Have a beautiful day!
MacK Mars

New York

Last weekend three of my friends drove me to NYC to celebrate Trevor and I's upcoming wedding (less than 4 weeks away!) New York has always been a very special place for me. Growing up, my grandparents lived in Flushing, Queens and we spent so much time there surrounded by family. It's the only place I remember feeling completely normal, it was a time in my life before anything bad had happened. I hadn't been back in about 12 years, since my beautiful grandmother passed away, may her memory be always a blessing. After that, the whole family kind of lost touch. You'd think New York would be easy enough to get to, especially considering we're only 4 or 5 hours drive from there, but for whatever reason I could never make it happen. It's something I frequently talked about and even planned. This year, surrounding all the wedding planning, there's been some awfully "coincidental" events occurring. I recently reconnected with my family, after not seeing or talking to anyone for over a decade. Meanwhile, my friends were planning this lovely little bachelorette getaway to the place where I always longed to get back to.

Naturally, I was super excited to see some of my family while we were in town. We got together with my cousin, who is a police captain in Manhattan. I got to meet his wonderful wife and their adorable babies. And, seeing as how he's the captain, my friends and I got a little VIP treatment for the day. We had breakfast and he took us to some places in Manhattan that the tourists don't know about. When I was little I thought my cousin was the coolest guy on the planet, because I knew that being a police officer was really important. I looked up to him in a big way and I was always excited to see him and hear his stories. You can imagine hanging out with him after so long took me back to a state of child-like wonderment. It was a pretty magical time and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Have a beautiful day!
MacK Mars

The Water's Edge

We have some gorgeous new beauties in the shop, inspired the bright array of colors we see in nature at this time of year. I've been totally spell bound by lush agates and soft leather lately. Our lovely new Blue Ridge Agate collection drew me outdoors for a fun little exploration and photography outing. This lovely lake is nearby our house and I've been visiting it my entire life, although I hadn't been recently. I had this Inspired idea the other day to go wander around the water's edge. The surrounding foliage is beginning to bud and fill in with vibrant green leaves, it's such a refreshing view. Our bold agates were right at home amongst the beaming sun rays. Be sure to stop by the shop and check out the latest collection! Oh and don't forget to stop and smell the roses :) Happy Earth Day!

Have a gorgeous day!
MacK Mars