The Face of 30

Perhaps I should consider enjoying this time in my life instead of anticipating the milestones that come next. I have found myself thinking about the strong memories of my childhood a lot lately, that happens often this time of year, and I wonder how those same kinds of moments will play out in Easton's life. I am certainly excited to hear my son say my name and I cannot wait until he knows what I mean when I tell him I love him. His first day of school will arrive all too soon, and rudely remind me of the speed at which time travels, and still, I get tearful thinking about him coming through the front door after school with his little backpack bouncing back and forth as he darts across the house to show us the art project he did in class that day. I look so forward to these moments and yet they will be gone the second they occur, leaving us with nothing but the hope of a memory to recall when another year has passed.

25 years ago my husband was in Kindergarten. He was born and raised in the same town both of his parents were brought up in. Through his family, he has strong roots and a place in the history of a beautiful, small town. He has 30 years of friendships, memories and stories that will be shared for years by the people he has spent his life with.

Chris is an incredible person and good to the core. His sense of humor sees us through hard times and awkward moments. He has a born gift when it comes to dealing with me. His smile sees me through moments I might have otherwise not survived. My husband is the best father I could have asked for my children to have and he is a loving, selfless friend that I have the honor of sharing my life with. He knows me better than I know myself. He knows where I leave all the things I lose and even deciphered my taste in jewelry before I owned any! He cooks, he cleans, he even snuggles!! He doesn't make me listen to music that I might not be into, and he never complains about what is on the menu for dinner. In the time I have been with him, Chris's ambition for life and work has never faltered. We are always doing something fun but he knows what is important and always takes care of business. He does what is needed, will help a friend who needs him and leads a simple, honest life. I never have to wonder what he is thinking because he speaks truthfully and genuinely.

I know how truly lucky I am in this life. To have a husband who undoubtedly loves me and whom I trust whith my whole heart is a blessing I sometimes can't believe I was given.

I love you, Chris.

Love,

Me

Trikes & Grass

I LOVE the summertime! Not only because of all the fun things we have going on and the warm weather and the popsicles and the swimming and the BBQ'ing....but I digress. I also LOVE the sunlight this time of year. Each season has such uniquely warm evening light and while I am surrounded by beautiful scenery year round in this awesome state, I can't say that I always get to take advantage of the light.

Anyway... here are a few summery shots I took after Easton's birthday. His aunt & uncle brought him this super sweet, vintage tricycle for his birthday. I can't decide what I like better about it, the ape-hanger-ish handlebars, or the streamers. Wait a second....... are streamers for girls????? Hmm......

One Year of Sweet, Parental, Bliss

My son turned 1 on the 19th of July. I can hardly believe it! The time has flown by and over the past few days all I can think about is the night we checked into the maternity ward at Good Samaritan Hospital. I thought he was beautiful then.... but look at him now.........

After Easton was born, someone said to me that after their first child was born, she couldn't possibly understand how she could love a second child the same as she loved her first. At the time, I thought, you're nuts! This is so much fun, I could love 100 kids just the way I love Easton. He was awesome as a newborn. He was easy: a good eater, an excellent sleeper and always seemed to be happy. But now that he's 1, I feel a little different. First of all, I could NEVER have 100 kids. But I also think I understand what she meant. There's something so genuine and unique about the way you love your kids. And although I haven't had anymore at this point, I know that this time is particularly special. Easton is a beacon of joy. A constant source of happiness and his entry into our lives has changed so much about who I am. I feel like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.... my heart has grown and felt so much in the last year. And all it took was this tiny, little person with squishy cheeks, chubby thighs, and a silly giggle to come into my life and show me what it's all about.

And you wanna know the best part of it all? He loves to snuggle. :)

Happy Birthday Easton.

10 Things I Learned About Mexico

1. The Margaritas really are better south of the border.


2. There's no sense in getting a pedicure if you are spending any time at the beach.


3. I finally understand why people prefer the pool to the ocean water.


4. Nothing compares to dinner under a grass hut with friends & family and the surf nipping at your toes.


5. 2 for 1 Happy Hour can actually last for 7 hours!


6. Nothing is the same in Mexico as it is in The States. This includes cheeseburgers, Doritos & Subway.


7. There is something to be said for American emissions requirements. (AND TRAFFIC LAWS!)


8. Mexican beer is good.


9. My Spanish teacher was really good.


10. And there's no place like home.

156 Perspectives

So far so good. I haven't missed any topics for our photograpy project. AND I even got one of my project photos published on the Pioneer Woman's blog! I couldn't believe it! Week 2 was "Fowl" (as in birds). I really do adore this shot and am so proud to have had it published on the PW Photography Assignments blog! I'm in Group 3 so you'll have to scroll down about halfway down the page to see my entry.

Last week's topic was fitting for the dates. "EASTER EGGS" I was having a bit of a creative block, but I snapped these on Easter before family got to the house for dinner. Next time I'll try to be a little more original on the seasonal theme!

*SIGH*

Well, sad news Folks. I have no new sessions to blog about! I suppose I should be grateful that nobody booked with me during this wretched week of wintery weather. (I mean c'mon! SNOW? IN APRIL???) So that means you all are stuck. Stuck seeing the sweetest, little face on Earth. This is someone you have (or will) come to know and recognize. Our boy, Easton.

How can you not love this face!?

Sweet Series

Last weekend we had some seriously gorgeous sunshine! I brought Easton outside to soak up some sunshine while it lasted and caught this sweet series of candids. (Well, they are sort of all candid at this stage, aren't they?)

156 Perspectives

March 1st marked the beginning of a personal development project that I have embarked on with two fellow photographers. We are calling it 156 Perspectives. Every week for 52 weeks, we will shoot a different topic and submit our best images. Shooting every day is so important but is sometimes difficult when you have a life!

For each of us, the challenge is different and I have a feeling it will evolve for me. My personal goal is to start shooting more often and to produce a better image straight out of the camera. I need to get out of the habit of tweaking my work in PS and hone my skills as a photographer. So, each of my images will have minimal to no post-processing. The other challenge for me is to start shooting subjects that I normally wouldn't seek out. My hope is that this exercise will force me to think outside the box when it comes to location and light. My specialty is natural light, and sometimes that can be challenging, especially with our FANTASTIC NW weather-the rain can put a serious damper on things!

This week's subject is FOWL: as in, Birds! I had originally hoped to take pictures of some chickens my sister-in-law is acquainted with, but my schedule didn't cooperate. So, I found these little guys and went to town....well, not exactly. Just to my backyard. Next week: GRASS!

Small Town USA

Got a new lens yesterday and was dinking around in the front yard with it. I snapped this shot went totally vintage with the processing and LOVED IT!!! What do you think?

Why so serious?

It dawned on me today that a large majority of the pictures I post of my son are not "smiley" shots. In fact, most of the shots I take of him are so serious, I wonder if you all wonder if he ever smiles at all! I think this is because I'm so busy trying to focus on the shot, that I forget to interact with him. Lucky for me, he's a patient subject! He just kind of sits there and does his thing while I sit back and click, click, click to my heart's content.



So, here... for your viewing pleasure, are a couple of shots of my kid actually smiling. He really is happy!

Project and HELP

This year I really hope to hone my skills as a photographer and I know that to do this I have to shoot every single day. While I do shoot almost every day, I tend to shoot the same subjects over and over again. Make no mistake, I love those subjects (mostly my son and husband) but unless I step outside of my comfort zone, I know that my personal growth and identity as a professional will suffer.

In an effort to fix this and get those creative juices flowing, a photographer friend and I have decided to take on a bit of a personal, creative challenge. The idea is to take a series of photos each week and produce at least ONE high quality image inspired by the assigned weekly subject or concept. This is someting that a lot of photographers have done to try to find inspiration and exercise a "think outside the box" mentality.

Below is a shortened list of subjects and concepts we were able to come up with. But how can it be a true challenge if the subject is something we pick out ourselves? I would love to know what YOU would like to see us shoot. Please leave me a comment here or pop over to my FACEBOOK discussions tab and let us know what you come up with! Our goal is one year, so we will need at least 52 inspirational topics, subjects or concepts.



Cocktail
Door Knobs
Mailboxes
Green
Water
Street Level
Texture
Profile
Dessert
Light
Medicine
Hot

Thanks All!


OH! And just for giggles, here's a shot of Easton in the Sunday sunshine over the weekend! It was beautiful!

Inspiration!

I am a blog-o-holic. What I mean is, I am addicted to blogs. (Not actually blogging, obviously--since I can't seem to get something on here even once a week!!) There are a few blogs that I try to visit as often as possible and one of them is written by Hula Seventy, who is also a list maker. Her recent post, My Sunlight, truly inspired me!

As a parent I try hard to be aware of what our youth is exposed to but I also try to remember what I was like and how I felt when I was growing up. One element that has carried through to my adulthood (if you can call me an adult, HA!) is music. I have purchased, listened to and even performed all kinds, but there was a time when I truly loved hip hop/rap/R&B. As I got older and some parts of the genre began to represent a lifestyle I could not relate to, I started to veer away from it. AND THEN I SAW HER POST. She said it best, "...and I'm thankful that my kids are growing up with this kind of hip hop...".

I too am thankful for this kind of hip hop.

But I do truly adore this song as a song. It speaks to me in some ways as a parent, in some ways as a lover and wife and also as a photographer. This song inspired me to do some shooting, loving and creating.

Please. Enjoy.................. And be inspired!! By whatever you are surrounded by!

Shaila & Navy

Shaila & Navy have spent the last year together working on his training to become a guide dog. Shaila has put in a lot of time and love to him where he needs to be before he can go onto his new home. Sadly, the time for his departure is approaching and so she asked if I would take a few snaps of them together before he goes.

Farewell Navy Bean!!

Monica & Adam

Introducing, Monica & Adam! They are getting married at the end of the month and I am so glad they chose me as their photographer! They made ME feel at ease because they are so comfortable with eachother. I love it when I can just shoot a couple interacting with each other.

I feel great about starting 2010 with such a great engagement session! There were so many great shots from today that I got inspired to finally make a story board! Here are some of my favorites.

1/9/2010

With a little encouragement (ok, A LOT!!) from family and friends I have been able to recruit some really awesome clients. I have devoted more time to this business of photo-taking and so I thought it was time to reach out to those who might not have a Facebook account. HA!

At the end of 2009 I intended to start this blog and never quite got that far. But now that we are 9 days deep into 2010, I am finally kicking it off and plan to keep it rolling with frequent updates of my photography biz as well as some personal updates for those who are interested. A few years ago, I started a list that comprised of things I want to do before I am 30. I came across that list a few days ago and have decided that at age 26, it's time to start getting serious about that list. The older I get, the faster time flies by. We are constantly on the go and I blink and moments are gone and the details are too. Time to start writing the details down! One of the things I want to do here is keep that list updated. Of course, I want to cross things off, but I hope to continue adding to it, too. Here it is as of today:

1) Grow a garden

2) Design my own company logo

3) Take a train somewhere on vacation

4) Learn to knit or crochet

5) Purchase a piece of property larger than 1 acre

6) Hike under the Fairfax Bridge

7) Take a trip with my sister and mom

8) Fill a jar with "magical thinking"--this will consist of quotations from my children

9) Get my passport

10) Use my passport

11) Hunt with my husband (not necessarily kill anything)

12) Start a blog and write at least 100 posts in a year ****

13) Get a degree in photography and/or graphic design

14) Buy myself a piece of nice jewelry

15) Learn to french braid

16) Watch Schindler's List from start to finish

17) Go on a field trip as "the cool parent"

18) Finish my sister-in-law's wedding scrapbook

19) Go on a hot air balloon ride

And since this is supposed to be a photography blog, I will try to leave you each time with a photo that I have taken. Thank you for following!! If you want to leave me some love, click on the comment link!