Monday, June 30, 2008

The Looming List

In almost exactly 72 hours we will be packing the van, driving west to Seattle, drop off the van with my parents and then board a plane for San Diego! We will be spending a fun filled week in the sun with friends and sea creatures. I can not wait! I am Not taking my gear or my computer...just books and my family to enjoy. Mike then returns home and the kids and I will spend the following week in Seattle. Hopefully there will be sun there too. Gear and Computer will be waiting in Seattle for me. Because I will have work there to do. So with all this excitement...comes a list of to do's. Without the list I would be even more stressed than I already am. I'm sharing my list here...because why the heck not.

Family Stuff:

  • Finish pile of laundry. Maintain laundry so we have clean clothes to pack.
  • Scrub down house so house-sitter doesn't have to live in our filth.
  • Get together with house-sitter
  • Love pets.
  • Prepare meal for friends who just had a baby (tonight)
  • Go to gym to turn on AC before practice.
  • Get girls to Cheer.
  • Hunt down and purchase outfits for family photo-shoot (Piper, Ty, Mike, add me to the list since my houtfit isnt working)
  • Pack, Pack, Pack.
  • Love, feed and keep family going in the mean time.
  • Loose 10 pounds before family session. (not going to happen, but still on the list)
  • Get books to take.
  • Blog June wrap-up

Work stuff:

  • Deliver 2 (1) Print Orders.(Thanks Angela for doing one)
  • Mail off 2 Print Orders. (thanks nicole for taking them to the PO)
  • Finish processing, and finished product for NILMDTS session. Deliver
  • Make 4 client gifts.
  • For this past weekends wedding: Back-up, Blog, Sort, Organize and Catalogue images (to work on when I get to Seattle) Deliver disc of originals to second-shooter (aka Lindsay)
  • Upload last week's session gallery
  • Shoot maternity session tomorrow, back-up to work on in Seattle.
  • Pack gear for shoots in Seattle.
  • Update Quicken (this has been on my list for 3 months now ;)

Okay so the list doesn't feel as bad as I thought it might be. I might have to add to it. Any I mark in red will completed. Here goes a whirlwind 72 hours.


Sunday, June 29, 2008

Summer Fridays

I love them. Mike is off on Fridays for a couple of months and we usually spend the day playing. Maybe some golf for Mike, some swimming at the pool and then some nummy treat on the bbq.

Last week we tried pizzas on the grill. And they were NUMMY! All you do is use Pillsbury pizza dough in the tube. Place it on the grill till it browns, add your toppings, place back on the grill till it all melts. Easy as that!




Goes great with girly beer.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

VBS Wrap-Up

We wrapped up the final day of vbs today. For three years Lindsay and I have been working on vbs together and this was our final year as leaders (or so we are thinking ;). Ahh...what a nice relief. However this afternoon as my kiddos were dancing around the living room to the vbs music I got a little sad. It was another great year! Here are just a few pictures. (i didn't take my camera till today).











Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Yes...that was Angela Running!

Things you can get away with in the country that you cant in the city.

Let a 5 year old drive. Cram 4 children into a vehicle with no seat belts. 1 is driving, 2 are sitting in the windshield and the baby is in the back window.
Let a small child play in the aftermath of a fire.
Run towards the fire instead of away.
She's still running....
aww...i love this place!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

A Very Mean Tag ;)




Angela tagged me. And frankly it wasnt very nice...because now you all get to see my messiness in true form.

Here it goes:




The rules...10 photos, take them right away, NO CLEANING UP FIRST, tag 5 friends
1.Dream vacation....




2. Self Portrait
3.What are you kids doing right now?
4.My Closet....

5.Favorite room in my house.....
6.Favorite shoes....
7.My laundry room (more like a closet)
8.My second bathroom
9. My kitchen sink
10.My fridge
I TAG..
Leslie
Molly
Michelle J.
Crystal
Cassandra

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Where do I even begin? I want to share about an experience I had a couple days ago, but to be honest, I am not sure what words to choose. I really don’t think my mind, body and soul has really processed the whole thing yet. But I’ll share what comes to me. And what I feel is appropriate to share here.
It all starts about a year an a half ago when I decided, through much prayer, to start shooting on a professional level. I knew/know without a doubt that any amount of ability I have as far as creating a great photograph comes directly from the One who made me. I know He gave me the passion, ability and drive to do what I do. So when I started thinking of Defining Details Photography I felt a tad guilty and self-seeking. Here I wanted to use the gift God gave me for self-fulfillment and profit. I wrestled with this for a while, but knew that if God had planted the passion in me there was a reason. I also, from that moment, have been praying that He would give me opportunities to use the gift for His work, not just mine. I honestly didn’t know what he would lead me to, but I knew it would be beyond measure in my mind. Of course, I dream of going back to Africa again and taking amazing portraits of the beautiful children there. But there I go dreaming selfishly ;).
So jump a year ahead to March of 08. I spent a week in Vegas surrounded by other very passionate photographers. The one thing I took home more than any amount of technical or business knowledge was how important it is for those of us in this field to use our skills to give back. I was floored by all the amazing things some of these ‘greats’ do to give of their service and time. But the one speaker who made me loose it in a puddle of tears was Sandy Puc, an amazing business woman and photographer, but more than that, an amazing human being. She shared of an organization she co-founded with a greiving mother after one incredibly heartbreaking session. I almost immediately got out of my seat and when to sign on the doted line to join the hundreds of other photographers who volunteer for NILMDTS. As I filled out all the information I kept saying to myself….I know I don’t have the strength at all to do this, but I have to. And the cool thing is…my God has the strength and plenty of it to share with me.
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is a non-profit organization that offers bereavement photography to families who have babies that are either still-born or die shortly after birth. And sometimes the babies are even older and will be taken off life-support. Although this may sound morbid, the healing power of these photographs is amazingly powerful for the families going through the worst possible situations.
Three weeks ago the phone rings. It was from a woman who found my phone number on the NILMDTS site and wanted to hear more about what photography service I would provide. She was expecting a sweet baby boy any day. This little boy had a genetic disorder that he would not survive from. (I don’t want to go into too many details for privacy reasons.) This little life was not expected to go to full term and the doctors had told her he would most likely not even be able to take a breath after he is born. So for this situation she wanted me to be there for his birth just in case there was a few seconds of life that I could capture. I hung up the phone and started praying for that Strength. Three weeks went by of checking in with her to see how things were and finally on Thursday I got the call. I raced 45 miles to get there in plenty of time. I spent the next 8 hours of my life experiencing Grace, Hope, Miracles, Pain, Life and Dying. I was able to capture this amazing birth and 4 hours of his little life. Yes, he lived 4 miraculous hours, he died only 20 minutes after I left. I could physically feel God’s strength and Love in that room the whole time. I couldn’t have done it without that. It was the greatest experience…in the saddest of situations. That sounds strange…but it was real.

I hesitate to post about this as well as to leave the comments open on this post. I hesitate because, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I don’t want this to turn in to praising me for what I did. I did nothing, except make myself available and take the pictures. The praise for this should go to:
~First and foremost our God who creates opportunities to see and experience how every single precious life no matter how small or short is a blessing and has a purpose, even in the most heart-wrenching circumstances.
~The mother of this sweet boy who loved him with every fiber of her being…and made the decision to see this pregnancy to full term knowing that there was only a very slight chance that she would be able to hold him alive outside of her womb and knowing she would not be leaving the hospital with him.
~The nurses and doctor who gave such compassionate care to her and the baby and the rest of us there. Who shared in the joy of it as well as cried with us all through the pain.
~To NILMDTS for providing an amazing opportunity for photographers to help in the healing process for families all over the country.
~And to sweet little baby A who was a fighter and gave it his every little breath to hold on so his mama could hold him and hear his quiet voice for four hours, until he passed from her arms to the arms of Jesus.
I will never be the same again. I feel so blessed to have shared in this experience and I hope to be able to bring NILMDTS to the hospital closer to home. So no I don’t need praise…but I do need much prayer for my future with these sessions.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Swimmers

My kids learning to swim is very important to me. I have a strong fear of them around water and really want to see them develop into strong swimmers. The past couple summers we have put our kids in swim lessons, but to be honest...really didn't see any significant growth. (I wont go into that.) So this year we decided to get a summer pass at the pool and teach them ourselves. They have always been more comfortable in the water with us rather than a stranger. Sunday was our first day at the pool and I really couldn't believe what I saw. Almost instantly I had little fishies (Ty & Em...not Pip.) I was completely impressed...So I am hoping after the end of the summer I will have official "Swimmers." I would love it if by the end they could swim in water over their head...or at least be able to keep themselves afloat. We shall see...

Ty
Emery
Pip enjoying a snack.
Her favorite spot was the steps...which is fabulous because the kids can swim right there and she can just play safely on the step. (with us close by of course)


Monday, June 16, 2008

Father's Day Tradition

Every year since we have had offspring (i love that word) I have done a little family photo shoot on Father's day. I love the tradition. But this year I rebelled against it. And it feels so good to be a rebel. Why you ask? Well, because this year I am practicing what I preach and hiring a custom photographer to capture my family in it's true state. YEAH!!! So when we are on our summer vacation this July in San Diego we will be playing on a beach and having the fabulous Carey Schumacher from Barefoot Memories be behind the lens...so Mama doesnt have to.



In honor of this I thought I would display all the past photo shoots. Please forgive poor scans from back in my film days. I just need to say right now how embarrassing this is due to the high fluctuation of weight gain displayed in these pictures. As well as swollen allergy eyes. But like i have said many a time before, "keeping it real."


2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Okay, so I took one picture of the fam...minus me at the pool yesterday.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Claude Would Be Proud


All week Emery has been asking to go to the flower place (westinds) so she can draw flowers. Today I finally felt it was nice enough to do so. We strolled around the nursery while she stopped and sketched specific flowers. Ty followed a beautiful butterfly and the squirrels. And Piper fussed because of the bugs. If you haven't been out there this year...Go! It is beautiful right now. I love it there.

Stopping to sketch the squirrel.






My little "polly-pop" poser looking for squirrels.


Piper was not having it. She said she was "scary" of the bugs... "they might drink my blood"