friday's featured resource - live, laugh, celebrate

During yesterday's festivities of doing a whole lot of what I should be doing more of...eating, laughing, strolling, chatting and even swinging I took a few minutes to honor the day to give thanks through my lens of what matters most. It was a delightful prompt from Kristin yesterday that helped keep me in the right state of mind.

It's images like this that remind me to live, laugh, celebrate.

And Live, Laugh, Celebrate is exactly the title of the latest National Geographic book of photography. 

The new release is an extraordinary visual celebration of the human spirit, by legendary author Ferdinand Protzman that offers a radiant and compelling collection of celebrations from around the world that captures the miracle of human life and the bond between parents, families, and friends.  

Like love, the urge to celebrate is common to every culture around the globe. Live, Laugh, Celebrateoffers a fascinating array of shared moments of love and togetherness as it celebrates the lives of friends and families at play and at home.  Whether it's a new baby, a first birthday, losing a tooth, a bar mitzvah, a quinceanera...a debutante ball, an evening at a night club, a wedding.  This beautiful book will make for a wonderful gift this upcoming holiday season and should hopefully inspire all mothers and parents to take photographs and capture images of their children, their families, their friends.  It is also a beautiful book to share with children, as it captures children from around the world in tender moments with their parents, friends, and each other. 

What better way to further celebrate our lives and what we are grateful for than a giveaway of this extraordinary visual journey of life?  Show us how you Live, Laugh, Celebrate between now and Sunday at midnight PST by leaving a comment here (and of course a link to an image is a bonus). We've got 3 books to giveaway which is 3 good reasons to celebrate together.

Comments

[Chris]

We're celebrating Christmas and all it's decorating mess...er, I mean, glory. Yeah, that's right! Glory!! Hehe.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroldssis/4138132535/

[emily]

We're creating new traitions while honoring the old ones. Lots of those precious smiles in this house.

http://collectingraindrops.blogspot.com/2009/11/these-two-inches.html

[Sharon]

Celebrating Christmas is all about family and quality time spent with them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photographermom/4105210193/

[Puna]

Thank you for the opportunity! I would love the book.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2009/11/thanksgiving-sink/

[ToniM]

http://trmphotos.blogspot.com/2009/05/art-chick-birthday.html

http://trmphotos.blogspot.com/2009/08/outtakes.html

Laughing and celebrating is the backbone of our friendships.

[Beryl]

Laughing it up on the beach for some updated family photos yesterday. So thankful to have such an amazing family!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/berylayn/4137666741/

[Jacqueline]

I'm thankful for yesterday's Thanksgiving celebration. It really reminded me how much I have to be grateful for.

Here's a pic from yesterday:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pink_scarf/4137069467/

[Sharon]

It really is all about living, laughing and celebrating . . . during the holiday season and throughout the year.

Thanks for the continued inspiration.

[darrah]

I just got married in September and spent this Thanksgiving with my new family. We spent the day in the kitchen, surrounded by warm food and warm laughter. This is what life is all about:

http://artcetera.squarespace.com/artcetera/2009/11/27/in-good-hands.html

[Kathy Winter]

I took this photo this afternoon of my daughter and a friend from her "old" school. The two don't get to see each other as much, but they just pick up right where they left off...laughing and playing like they've never been apart. Very sweet.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathywinter/4139541962/

[claudia]

This shot of us in Florida last month for a girls weekend says, Live, Laugh, Celebrate!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurohunt/4139958218/

[Marcie]

Love the expression of joy you captured here Tracey.
In Italy - dining out is always a reason and symbol of life, love and celebration:
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=998

[Toni]

I'm so grateful for ordinary days at home. Days that we can just be. Then, moments such as this can happen...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplesparrow/4018938262/

[Kate @ Little House]

Love on a cake :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30297021@N02/3335640391/

Thanks for the reminder to celebrate the everyday moments :)

[Kathy]

As my kids got older, married and had their own kids, I found the holidays were stretched thin. So I invented MY holiday--Thankshallowmas. I decorate for Halloween, make Thanksgiving dinner and we exchange Christmas presents. It has become a true celebration--relaxed, happy and our own.

[Amie aka MammaLoves]

I'm about to head out to yet another kids birthday party. Reading this is just what I needed to look forward to the event rather than bemoaning an afternoon with screaming kids hopped up on sugar. Now I'm going to bring along my camera to see if I can capture what we should all be there to celebrate.

Thanks for changing my outlook today. This is perfect!!

[Michele]

I love this post! I've been inspired to start blogging about what I'm thankful for everyday - what makes me smile and hopefully bring out a creative side in me ... today was my first post! Here is to living and laughing through my daughters eyes anyway :)

http://michelesanteephotography.blogspot.com/2009/11/little-things_28.html

[BuenoBabyGirl]

Happy together...

www.buenobaby.com/2009/11/17/when-a-bed-was-for-more/

[BuenoBabyGirl]

Let's try pasting in that URL again...

http://www.buenobaby.com/2009/11/17/when-a-bed-was-for-more/

[Toni | Daily Vignette]

From my son and d-i-l's wedding (it's actually a slideshow):
http://dailyvignette.com/2009/09/13/aint-life-grand/

From a celebration of friendship and perhaps my favorite photo:
http://dailyvignette.com/2009/08/16/103019-as-of-today/

[Shawna]

we've had lots to celebrate lately, which means not a lot of time to upload photos.
this is a photo of bella's favorite reason to celebrate every day:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28479290@N05/3924609557/

[beth]

live, laugh, celebrate....

after the most amazing thanksgiving dinner, somehow the kids were actually able to lay on their stomach's and play battleship....that's living !

the youngest niece, who loves her older cousin so much, waited patiently for a ship to be sunk, so she could regain his whole attention....that made us laugh !

and celebrate....well, that happens just because we were all able to be together for an entire day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29291473@N04/4142061565/

{thanks for doing this give-away....it's spectacular}

[Kylie]

Thank you for the wonderful inspiration and timely reminders - it really is all about living, laughing, celebrating - not just at this time of the year, but all year round.

[jaye]

...celebrating a new baby cousin...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27348999@N08/4103060113/

[Samantha]

live for mud: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975751@N00/4146508722/

laugh: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975751@N00/4146510234/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975751@N00/4146509030/

celebrate spring: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975751@N00/4146512090/

[Trish]

We try every day to laugh with each other and our kids. I try to laugh at work and make others laugh. We only have this one life and it would be a shame to spend it without joy and celebration!