cupcakes for everyone!
Celebrating 1 year as double scoop photography (3.5 years total). I totally think this occasion calls for a cake or something…….as if I need a reason to have cake. I am thinking funfetti cake with strawberry frosting. Festive, right? I pretty much ignored the last anniversaries, but this one is just crying out for some attention. Or maybe that is just me. 
I have met such wonderful people this last year….many that I have had the good fortune to see more than once. I am so grateful for trust and support that I get from all of you. I wish I could say thank you to you all, individually……with cupcakes!…but that is not really practical, so this will have to do.
Thank you for an amazing year.
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Don’t forget about the anniversary mini sessions.
365 Grateful
I was looking for a new personal project to work on….you know….because I have nothing else to do. I came across this website, and thought it sounded like something I would like to try. I know I would benefit from having a more grateful outlook on things, for sure. I am kind of making my own guidelines for my project……making the rules up as I go. Typical.
For the first 30 or so days, I have been documenting moments that strike me as moments that I feel thankful….or things I am thankful for. The video and picture quality varies, because some of it is from my iphone, some is from my flip, and some is from my “real” camera. I just used whatever I had in the moment. The important thing was to document it, not for it to be perfect.
Things can be pretty rough going with a teenager on the spectrum, among other things, and I have been bogged down in the difficulty of it all, lately. It is so easy to see the house being a mess, the number on the scale going up, the broken computer, the unfinished schoolwork…….and a host of other things that make me want to run away from home, not feel grateful. This project has made me stop and take notice of the good things. It reminds me that they are there. Even if they are outnumbered, sometimes……ok, a lot of times…….they are there.
Happy Easter
Spending the weekend doing Easter-y things. Realized that, in her 7.9 years on this earth, my daughter had never dyed Easter eggs. We decided to remedy that. There will also be egg hunting, food that involves minimal effort on my part, and a hike, where we will show our daughter (my son is too old and teenager-y to join us willingly) the secret spot we found. Maybe, if I am really lucky, I will get a nap, curled up in my big, comfy chair…..but I am not holding my breath. I hope your Easter is all chocolate bunnies and nappy goodness.
He is risen, indeed.
the why
As a kid, I never dreamed about being a photographer when I grew up. I never learned to develop my own film in a college class, with a professor that inspired me to create art. I wasn’t a mom that was driven to take beautiful photographs after my children were born. So how did I get here…..taking pictures as my job? It really all started with one image.
That is my grandfather, seeing my son for the one and only time, ever. My grandfather had helped raise me, making me breakfast and packing my lunch. He watched me while my parents worked, took me places, and taught me how to plant a garden. As I got older, my grandfather also suffered from dementia. He began to show unmistakable signs right as we moved to CA. One day he had fallen off of a ladder. I was the only one with him. He had gotten himself inside, and was sitting, hunched over, at his kitchen table. Even in the dim light, I could see that his skin was gray, and he was sweating. I stood frozen, eyes wide and anxious, asking what I could do. When he said softly, “I think you better call someone,” I knew things were bad. None of my stubborn Italian family went to the doctor without a fight. I did call someone. And he did go to the hospital. Our move to CA was already set, and my mom stopped at the hospital for me to say goodbye as we began our cross country drive. Leaving my dad….my family….my home….that was hard. Leaving my grandfather in the hospital room was worse. I turned to look back as I walked out the door. He sat in a chair, doing a breathing treatment. He looked very small. He looked like he needed me more than I needed him, for once. But I couldn’t stay. Kids don’t get a choice in some things.
I talked to him on the phone as often as I could, each time, his dementia making it more difficult. His head had the thoughts, but his mouth would not form the words. He was frustrated and ashamed. Interestingly enough, the profanity that resulted from that frustration came out just fine. He would struggle to speak, and then throw his hands in the air, in surrender….”afunculo!” Then the day came that it was no longer safe for him to stay in his home. He was moved to a facility. There were no phone calls then.
But after my son was born, I somehow managed a visit. My grandfather was brought to my aunt’s to have dinner with the family. He was drawn to my son. Smiling and waving at him, holding his hands and making silly faces. He made motions that he wanted to hold him. My aunts quietly cautioned against it, but I wasn’t worried. “You want to hold him? Absolutely!” He found a chair, and I handed my son to him. Matthew peered up at him. They held each other’s gaze for a very long time…..which, was very rare for Matthew, even then. I knelt in front of them and pulled out my camera. It was not digital….you didn’t get unlimited shots like we are accustomed to now. I took one photograph. One.
That tiny, fading image is one of my most prized possessions. It is the only one. The negatives were lost. I keep it safe, in a box, and, when I pulled it out to use for this blog post, I was frightened by its deterioration. I did the only thing I knew to protect it….I photographed it. As cheesy as it sounds, and believe me, it pains me to say these things…….photographs are powerful. They are moments frozen in time. If my house were to catch fire, after my family and ungrateful cats, the next thing I would grab would be photographs. I imagine that would be the case for most people.
Standing at the photo counter, 12 years ago, looking at that image of my son and my grandfather, knowing they would probably never see each other again, I was drawn right in. Taking pictures was important. My son suddenly became one very well documented child.
So that explains why photography, but not how it ended up as a business. I think I have talked enough for right now. I’ll cover the how next time. Ice cream for everyone that read the whole thing.
From Now On, I Am Hiring a Professional
This weekend, I got this wonderful idea that I needed to take my family to a cool place and take some new family pictures…..myself. Because that always works so well. And pictures of all four of us? Self-timer, of course. Riiiiiiight. I spent the evening deciding what I could tolerate seeing myself wearing…..and of course, ended up in jeans and a black shirt…sigh. I forced good hygiene on my son….temporarily, anyway. I had the perfect location picked, cameras ready, tripod in hand. But by the time we got into the car, I quickly realized that it was too late. We were running out of light. We would never make it to my cool spot. In fact, we either took some pictures right now, or not at all. I voted not at all. And I was grumbling about all the effort of getting everyone ready for nothing. Actually doing something with my hair, aside from a ponytail….for nothing. My husband was looking for an alternative location, so we could stop and take them anyway. He found a park. A park. After all of my preaching to clients about thinking outside the box, skipping the park, and finding creative session locations…..he wanted to take our family pictures in the park. I got even grumblier. He then, inexplicably, parked four thousand miles away, and as I dragged my camera bag from the car, I left grumbly in the dust, and moved into full bitch mode. Yes, I can be pretty awful, from time to time….which, I am sure comes as a big shock to everyone. Ha.
We entered the park, and I was a total butt head. This will never work. We don’t have time. It is ugly here. The light sucks. Can you just imagine how fun it is to be married to me? I halfheartedly snapped a few shots, and, of course, hated them all. And I was nice enough to hate them out loud. My husband suggested we just keep walking and look around. At the end of the park, we found this ugly cinder block wall. but…….
Ok, so that was kind of fun. Not exactly the family photos I was hoping for, but….maybe I could try to at least grab a few shots, right?
This next series was completely unprovoked…..because she is awesome.
And by this time, it was pretty dark, but, despite the grainy mess….I am still glad to have these images.
These next shots were taken by Sophie, which is why they are a little up the nose…..but I still like them. And, of course, our funny faces are amazingly attractive.
By the time we left the park, to go to dinner, the sky looked like this…..
And I got to see it, because my husband has the patience of a saint. He puts up with my complaining and my inflexibility, and never gets overly ruffled when I act like a Krabby Patty. Now, if we could only do something about his inability to park anywhere within the same zip code of where we needed to be, we would be in business.
birthday candles are non-toxic, right?
So, in the morning, I woke up to breakfast in bed, made by my seven year old, Sophie. Sophie can’t reach the microwave, so she brought me my oatmeal in the pouch for me to make at my convenience. She brought me unsweetened apple sauce, but made sure to include the cinnamon and sugar that she always sprinkles on hers. See it in the little mini cupcake paper? How freaking cute is that? She also brought me a banana, that, for some reason, was broken in half-ish. There is ice water in the travel mug… with “two handfuls of ice”. (That is my favorite travel mug, by the way. It is a USMC mug, and was given to me by this lovely family, after I did a pre-deployment session for them.)
Then, when I went downstairs, to make my “breakfast in bed”……..I found this….
Sure, he covered my still hanging Steelers banner, but I think that is forgivable. And look at all of the crepe paper streamers. All done at 6 am, before he left for work, with two delinquent cats trying to shred things as he worked. So, I think I may leave that banner up for a few days, what do you think? Even with my daughter triying to persuade me to take it down before her friends saw it, because it was “embarrassing”.
Then we grabbed some dinner, and my husband was intent on getting frozen yogurt….which is a passable dessert on the diet healthy eating plan. We took our yogurt to the car, because I am anti-social like that…and there were candles and a lighter hidden in the back. Ok, so…..fire and frozen yogurt are not the best mix ever….as you can see by the melty-ness in the second shot….and maybe candles in a closed car are not the best idea ever…..and maybe wax is not an ideal frozen yogurt topping…..but we made it work.
At home, the crazy party continued…with hats…..
and these scary things….. which are the stuff that nightmares are made of…..
And so, I managed to survived another birthday….and I am so carrying those glasses in my camera bag from now on. Clients beware.
Song of the week….Rubik’s Cube by Athlete.
it feels like a million birthdays ago….
(my Aunt Lena’s house)
Today is my birthday. I never believed it when people said that I would reach a point in my life when I didn’t get excited for that day. It is true, though. Sure, I am looking forward to going out to dinner instead of cooking…but, aside from that…::shrug::…no biggie. My birthday was not always like this, that’s for sure. I remember a time when I made myself sticker badges, and wore one each day, for a month, counting down to my birthday. I also remember when my birthday was not just my own. I was lucky enough to share my birthday with an amazing woman, my Aunt Lena. She was actually really my great aunt, and the reason I know how to curse in Italian.
I am from a fairly small town in Pennsylvania. Well, if you can even call it a town. I am not sure it actually even was. It was tiny. Very tiny. And I am pretty sure I was related to 3/4 of the town. No, not in some inbred, backwoods kind of way. In a huge, Italian family kind of way. From my house, I could walk across the yard and get to my grandfather’s house, cut through another yard, and I was at my Aunt Lena’s, one more yard, and I was at her sister’s house, my Aunt Flo. And there were more, but you get the idea.
As a kid, I was free to wander through our yard and into my aunt’s to visit, on a daily basis. I would place my ever-growing hand on the tiny hand print I had made in the cement of her planter, rock back and forth on the wobbly stone on her back porch (ka-thunk! kathunk!), and tap on her door. We would sit at her table, in her tiny kitchen. With the old Fridgidaire humming in the background, she would pour me a cup of coffee that she had made in her stove top percolator pot. I would crack nuts from the bowl on her table, with the little, metal nutcracker, with no intention of eating them. She never said a word, as she swept both nuts and shells into her hand, each time, as she cleaned the mess from the table. She would offer me candy from her candy dish, and I would pull my chair up and sit on my knees, so we could play the dot game on a tiny tablet of paper…..the kind she used to write the lottery numbers on. The only time that we didn’t sit in her kitchen, was if I visited when her show was on. Her show was The People’s Court. Each day, we would sit and talk. She would listen to me ramble on about whatever was important in my little world at that moment.
Every family gathering we had (and there were many) was held at her house. I can close my eyes, and imagine her little house full of people just as easily as I can imagine sitting quietly at her table, just the two of us. Of course, each year, we celebrated our birthday together there. With more food than you could ever eat…..including her rigatoni….the best rigatoni ever. Don’t even try to argue with me on this one…you will lose.
It has been many years since I sat next to her, behind our individual birthday cakes, to the sounds of a room full of family, singing “Happy Birthday”…..and I can’t help but think how awesome it would be to have that again. Even just one more time. Now that would be a birthday I would make countdown stickers for.
Happy Birthday, Aunt Lena. I hope you are spending it in a comfy chair, watching The People’s Court, surrounded by your family that has gone before…..and if they didn’t want to come? “Well, then let them stay the hell home and cook their beans!”
i really need to start carrying more cash
So, a little while ago, I decided that I needed to lose some weight and get healthier. Eat better. Sleep….ever. Exercise…um….some. It was not a New Year’s Resolution. I don’t make those, because I don’t like being told what to do, even by myself. It was just a…holy crap, woman…your metabolism has gone on vacation and you need to do something about it before you have to wear exclusively elastic waist bands for the rest of your life, kind of realization. Although, elastic waistbands are pretty awesome. But I am a jeans girl, and would miss my jeans….and I am not about to get a pair of these hideous things. It has been exactly one month of my new healthier lifestyle, and I am proud to say I have stuck to it pretty well. This a new record for me and this kind of thing, too. Thirty three days. That beats my old record by….um…30 days.
For my eating, I have found the only thing that has ever worked for me, is counting every single calorie that goes into my mouth. Tedious….but necessary. I mean, do you know how many calories are in a handful of Cheez-its? Me neither, off the top of my head, but it is a lot. Which is not fair, because they are so small. Damn sneaky, those things. Ok, wait…I had a point here. No, really, I did! What was it? Oh yeah….I track my calories and exercise with Dailyburn. And it has an iphone app, too. And my other point was that I have been doing really well, keeping to better choices…until today.
Do you know what time of year it is? It is time for Girl Scout Cookies. Some sweet, little girl scout rang my door bell, and I was blindsided by a whole little red wagon FULL of cookies. Girl Scouts are even trickier than Cheez-Its. Well, this particular Girl Scout did not earn her diet wrecker badge today. No way. I bought only one box of thin mints, and nothing else. One box. Ha! Take that you devious, little cookie peddler. Ok, so…I may have only bought one box because that is all of the cash that I had. Maybe. Now, if you excuse me, I will be in the kitchen, sniffing the thin mints package. There are no calories in sniffing.
I…Wanna’ Rock and Roll All Niiiight..and Party Every Day!
So, I am pretty sure I know some of the coolest people ever. And I am lucky enough to have a lot of those people as my clients. A few days ago, I posted this image from a session….
Today, I received this in my inbox….from this lovely baby girl’s dad….
The best part was, I had done the exact same thing, myself, when editing this image, but didn’t save it. Turns out, there was no need to.
Also, I have done a little maintenance on the blog, adding some new things. If you look up at the top of the blog, there are now buttons that will take you to my facebook and twitter…you know…in case you use those things, and just can’t get enough of me. Yeah, I have that effect on people. Ahem. But…there is also another new button…and it is totally the best one. It is the “random super happy fun” button. You click that button, and it will take you to a random super happy fun link of my choosing. I will change it up regularly, so make sure to check back. You wouldn’t want to miss out on some of the loveliness I find while browsing the internet when I should be sleeping.
When Losing is Really Sorta, Kinda Like Winning. Just With Less Prize Money.
So, I mentioned that we entered Notes Girls Write into a book contest. Well, we got the results on Tuesday…and…we didn’t win. So….that was sad and suckish. More sad and suckish than I thought it would be, because I really did not expect to win. I thought I was completely mentally prepared. Ha. I should know from experience, that I am never fully mentally prepared for anything.
So, I wallowed a little….and it really was just a little…but only because I homeschool, and had to teach physical science to two very unenthusiastic students. That made wallowing a little difficult. But…I whimpered and moped a bit. And I had some Chipotle and some ice cream…and considered more ice cream, but sucked it up. I am sure my muffin top thanks me for that one.
Today, when I got dressed, I put on my “I’m a quitter!” t-shirt. Yes, I really have one. Over the last 24 hours, I had fully prepared myself to kiss this project goodbye. Then I read the messages and the comments and the emails that people sent me, telling me they were sorry we didn’t win, but what a cool project they thought it was. Then I read through some old messages from people that had been touched by the project or a note they had seen. Then I looked at some of the notes that were shared, that sit, in a stack, in my office. And I realized something…this project was never even about this silly contest. This project came about because two girls were inspired by the power of words and images….and wanted to give all girls, of any age, a platform to share their story.
And as I read through the hundreds of notes that have been shared, it occurred to me, that this is no longer just Lynsey’s project or my project. This project belongs to all the girls that have opened themselves up and spoken their truth, and for those still hoping to share theirs as well. I am going to do whatever I need to do to keep this project moving forward, in whatever form that may be.
And I want to thank each and every one of you, that has been brave enough to put yourself out there, and believe in this project with us. I have met some amazing women, of all ages, in this last year, and while that may not be $12,500 in cash prizes, it is worth a whole hell of a lot. And I am so grateful. Although, it would have been nice to be typing how grateful I am on my new 17 inch Macbook Pro, purchased with my winnings, but, you know..whatever.
Time Warps and World Domination
That adorable face belongs to Chloe. I met Chloe this weekend, while shooting the weirdest session I have ever done…um….the cocker spaniel in the tutu, excluded. But…it wasn’t a bad weird…just a weird weird. Let me explain. Chloe is the daughter of a friend of mine, Vuong, and his wife, Paula. I have known Vuong since we were 11. Eleven. It was very surreal to be standing in his kitchen, holding his baby girl, and looking at my son, who is about to turn 13. Thirteen. My son is older than I was when I first met Vuong. Man, did I feel old. And…weird. But I may have mentioned that.
Vuong is also one of the smartest people I have ever known. As I kid, I was sure he was destined for world domination. Apparently, ruling the planet was not his thing. But, he did meet an awesome girl that is as funny and smart as he is. And, after almost 14 years of it being just the two of them, they added Chloe to their family. When I asked what the biggest change that having a baby brought, Paula said something along the lines of…having to get used to having a new master. Interesting…and true in so many ways. Well, Vuong never became ruler of the planet, as I had predicted, but there is still Chloe. I think her face would look lovely printed on all of the new money, don’t you? Once she masters crawling and eating solid food, look out world.
Vuong and Paula, it was great seeing you again. We really can’t let our yearly dinner lapse for 8 years again. If the next time I see you guys, Chloe is 8, it will totally mess with my mind.
I take great care in trying to select a song that not only compliments the images, but works for the family as well. I picked the song for this slide show, after having a conversation or two about the changes having a baby can bring…including the loss of an awesome media room, that has pretty much every electronic device I have ever wanted…plus a wet bar. You are good parents, Vuong and Paula. If I had that media room, one of my kids would get the under the stairs closet for a bedroom before I would give it up.
The song is “You Ruined Everything” by Jonathan Coulton. If you have never heard of him, you should check him out. And listen to all of the words to the song before you lynch me, based on the title.
How To Suck At Facebook
Did you ever have one of those days where you are crabby, for no apparent reason? Just everything is annoying or rubs you the wrong way? No? Just me then? Well, today is one of those days for me. You know the worst place to go if you are having one of those days? Facebook. I mean, come on, admit it, there is no shortage of annoying people on facebook. Or maybe annoying status updates is more accurate. And before anyone starts thinking I am mean…I am positive that I have been plenty annoying on facebook, myself, from time to time (FarmVille updates come to mind). But I do work on keeping my annoying updates to a minimum. Vaguebooking is one of the biggest offenders for me. I mean, why even bother posting if it is just going to be something that makes sense to no one but you? Not every thought needs to be shared, people. Really. Unless you are going for the pathetic attention grab. There is always someone who falls for it. The well meaning friends, who never fail to ask, “What’s wrong, sweetie?” or, “Everything ok”. They are the reason the vaguebooking will never stop. Then there are the people who don’t even think twice about dumping all of the private drama of their lives out, in front of their 350 closest “friends”. Because that is always a great idea. Fired again for smoking pot in the breakroom. Missed my check in with my parole officer. Think I am going to get some tequila and drunk text my jerkhole ex tonight. Why doesn’t he love me anymore???? Why????
Of course, there are other offenders, but rather than me continuing my grumpy rant, I am going to direct you to this link, which covers it all better than I could anyway. How To Suck At Facebook
Notes Girls Write
Ok, so I have been neglecting this blog, big time…But this is not the typical, listing excuses for why I am a bad blogger, and promising to do better. I have been neglecting this blog for good reason. I have been working on a new project that I am very excited about and so proud of. It’s called Note Girls Write, and you can read more about it here. The Cliff’s Notes version is this….a photo essay project about girls, of all ages. Glimpses into their minds and hearts, told through their own writing. Sounds simple, but, if you take a minute to read the notes….see the images, you will see that it is so much more than that.
Over the last few weeks, I have gotten to photograph some of the coolest ladies, and their words never fail to make me smile. In such a short time, this project has taken off, and is growing in leaps and bounds, which tells me that this project is affecting others in the same way.
I wanted to take a minute to share a few of the images I have gotten to photograph in these last few weeks.
Gillian
Desiree
Suzie
Emily
Alison
Ok, so this was an unusually serious blog entry for me. Kind of a foreign thing around here. So, I want to leave you with a story about what a dork I am. The girl in the above image is Alison Sudol, from A Fine Frenzy. I wanted to go take her note shot like it was business as usual for me, but I am a huge fan. Apparently, for me huge fan=babbling idiot. I mean, my big opener was, “Hi, I’m Melodee. I’m reading Steppenwolf.” Now, she did start a twitter book club thing, asking if people wanted to read and discuss the book, Steppenwolf, which I am…but still. Come on. I could have told her the show was awesome. I could have opened with thanking her for writing her note. Nope. Steppenwolf. And I am sure it only got worse from there. Moral of the story? The next photo shoot with someone I am a huge fan of….should be handled by Lynsey….or..I should tape my mouth shut. Yeah, that could work.
Also…A Fine Frenzy has a Christmas album out, that is available exclusively at Target and on itunes. You should really check it out. Red Ribbon Foxes is so pretty. Ok, gushing fangirl spiel over.
There is Always More Than Meets The Eye…
…you just need to know where to look.
I decided to put the math books aside and take the kids on a hike for school today. Math and I have never really been on good terms, so it didn’t take much to convince me. It didn’t take much to convince the kids either. So, we loaded into the car and headed to our favorite hiking spot, The Santa Rosa Plateaus. Since it is getting dark earlier, it put us hiking right in the middle of the golden hour. You should have seen the sunlight on the grass. Oh my. Usually, we hike much earlier in the day. So changing that from here on out. Only leaving my house during the Golden Hour ever maybe. Maybe not. Um, I’m rambling, aren’t I? Can’t help myself sometimes. Happens a lot, actually. Just saying. Now I should probably just quit while I am ahead and move onto to the images from today. Check out the awesome light.
Sophia took this shot of me.
Another Sophia shot, in my favorite road.
Brain Dump
As I mentioned, there are a lot of changes going on…and change can bring some chaos with it. In that chaos, things can get lost in the shuffle. I realized, when I took those last images of my daughter, that it had been a long, long time since I had used my camera to take any images for myself. Shooting sessions is awesome, don’t get me wrong…..but I miss shooting for myself too. Just for the love of photography. I could make some goal to shoot something for myself every day, but I know I would never keep it up. What I am going to do, is make a conscious effort to use my camera like I used to. As an outlet….a release…and something just plain fun to do. So..along with this brain dump, you get a camera dump too. These are some random personal images off of my camera this week.
The kids doing school work. You can’t even tell that they were bickering like a couple of rabid squirrels, can you?
A settings adjustment shot. Yes, I adjust my settings by taking shots of my shoes. I have a lot of these. I always delete them. I decided to let this one live.
A sky shot. Duh. But…look at the puffy clouds….And! It is actually blue! In Southern California that is not something to be taken for granted. Not sure where all of the smog decided to go on this particular day.
My daughter and the neighbor girls…all squeezing on one rocking cow toy. They had quite the system going to make sure everyone fit…and got a turn in each spot.
Sophia…in a moment of drama, I am sure. Almost all of her moments are moments of drama.
Ch ch ch changes…
I have a lot of things changing in my life at the moment…a lot of things up in the air….a lot of unknowns…some new projects…some old problems. Change is everywhere. I am not a huge fan of change…..even when the current situation is not good…I still find comfort in the familiarity of it. But, like it or not, change happens….. including my daughter somehow turning from a little girl into a “big girl”…..Not sure how that happened. Maybe it was losing the teeth. She has 3 big kid teeth already coming in…..Maybe it was her hair getting long…finally. She had practically no hair for the first two years of her life….Maybe she got taller? Thinner? Who knows?
So…you are going to have to bear with my gratuitous, mom-ish picture sharing, because, this change is the only change I can see the beauty in at the moment, so I am taking the time to enjoy it.
My Baby
That, right there, is a picture of my son, Matthew, taken at midnight….the moment he turned 12. Twelve! My baby! Shutup, I can call him my baby if I want to. And I don’t usually, but..holy crap! My baby! Is twelve! Which, of course means I had him when I was 12.
I could sit here and write a bunch of sappy stuff and show his baby pictures and burst into an off-key rendition of “Sunrise, Sunset”….but I will spare you….and him….the embarrassing scene.
What I will say is….this boy has come so far, and overcome so much….and still continues to overcome everyday. He is my sweetest antagonizer…my Mini-me. Albeit a mini-me who hates to shower and sees brushing his teeth as a form of torture.
Every since he was a baby, he has done this thing where he shakes when he gets excited. He balls his hands into fists in front of his face and shakes. I have to say, it was just as cute, watching him do it today, in anticipation of his birthday, as it was when he was two and watching the trash truck. I pray I get to see him do it when he gets his first car, graduates, and on his wedding day.
Happy Birthday, Matthew! ……now go take a shower.
The Great Snake Smackdown
So I promised to talk about the snake in that last blog post, didn’t I? Well, gather ’round, people, because, boy, have I got a story for you…
Ok….so there we were…just walking along the trail, chatting about kids and life…when Pamela, who was leading the way, came to a sudden stop. Her keen instincts had detected danger! She quickly alerted us to what she had spotted. A snake! On the trail! A RATTLE snake! A BIG one! And he was angry! Oh yeah he was. The hissing! The spitting! The rattling! (are you buying any of this?)
So after, Pamela, The Amazing Snake Spotter, saved us from wandering straight into his evil clutches, Rick, The Snake Whisperer, stepped in to help. They tried to reason with him…he wanted no part of it. He was one tough reptile. He refused to budge from the path, holding us, and the unsuspecting hikers behind us, prisoner. It was time to step it up a notch. It was a matter of life and death. No surly serpent was going to ruin our hike! It was on!
Needless to say, a vicious battle ensued. The snake put up quite a fight, but Pamela and Rick were victorious…and I lived to tell the tale. I also managed to grab a quick shot of the action…….
That was taken right before Pamela yanked him off of her and tied him into knots, while Rick cheered her on. Then Rick finished him off with his handy snake huntin’ knife. Oh yeah, it was crazy. I am just glad to be alive.
So, um..yeah….that’s pretty much how it happened. Ahem.
Or…maybe….just maybe…..
A decent sized rattle snake could have been sunning himself on the path. Pamela could have spotted him. And Rick could have encouraged him to move off of the trail so we could pass. And he could have looked more like this….
Yeah, I suppose it could have been like that….but I think I kind of like my version better.
Twenty, Twenty, Twenty-four Hours to Goooooo…..
I wanna’ be sedated!!!! Ok, not really….well, maybe a little…more on that later But, it is true…there are just about 24 hours left to get your entries in for the free summer session. I have loved reading all of the entries so far, and know my panel of judges will too. Several of you even promised chocolate…which makes me glad that I am not the only one choosing the winner. I would be doing a lot of free sessions.
So, with all of the fun and chocolate I am being promised, what could leave me in need of sedation? Well, the day before I shot this lovely wedding…I injured my finger…by…closing it in a window….myself. Ahem. So, yeah it hurt, but I taped it up and went on with things. Well, it never really got better, in fact it got worse. Did you know that it is still possible to bend a broken finger? No, neither did I. So, now I am starting into week two of 4-6 weeks of keeping it “immobilized”……that means splints and tape….and complaining. I mean, have you ever tried to type with a splint on? Come on. Never mind how much it slows down my editing time. Did I mention it was on my right hand? So lame. So self-inflicted.
So for those of you with sessions in the next couple of weeks…no worries…..I can still hold a camera. I just may need you to push the shutter button for me. Kidding! Totally kidding. I’m fine, really….please pass the vicodin. No, no, no. I mean it, I am fine.
So get those last minute entries finished….contest closes Friday, July 24, at midnight. The winner will be announced here on Monday! Wooo!
I leave you with a shot I took of my kids…that only took me 45 years to edit, with my gimp finger.
Hey, Lady! Aren’t You A Little Big For That Swing?
So life has been a bit rocky lately. I’ve got a lot on my plate and a lot on my mind. I have been overwhelmed and tired. I had rented a beautiful, fabulous, much coveted, 24-70mm L series lens, for a wedding in June…and have since, extended my rental period, twice, in hopes of having some time to use it for something unwork-related, but to no avail. So, yesterday, when I found myself at the park, with my kids, right in the middle of the golden hour, I was so thankful I had decided to throw my camera in the car.
What is it about swings that are just so…..so…. awesome? I totally could have used a turn myself, but there were only two on the whole playground. Somehow, I just didn’t think it would be looked upon favorably if I were to shove some little kids out of my way to sit my butt on one. I suppose I could have stood there and loudly counted to 100, like in elementary school. Remember that? Or I could have used my longer legs and cat-like reflexes (snort) to beat them to it, and yelled, “Tap, tap! My swing!” Come on, it would have been a lesson in sharing….and respecting your elders. Kids have short attention spans anyway. They would have just moved on to the slide and been fine, right? Man, why didn’t I think of all of this yesterday? Sheesh.
Look at that… The sun in your face, feeling like you are flying……wood chips stuck in your hair…..Seriously, whose idea was it to put wood chips at playgrounds? Kids throw them, kids eat them, they get inside your shoes, they stick to your socks. Yuck. But I digress.
Would you look at this boy? Just exactly who gave him permission to grow up, I mean, really? He is practically a teenager. Hey, yeah….and teenagers don’t need turns on the swing….Hey boy! Get off my swing!
My daughter has such a interesting expression in this next shot….what could she be thinking about? The meaning of life? The Theory of Relativity? Um, neither, actually. That expression is the result of a lunatic mother, repeatedly telling her to look at the camera, wondering why she continues to look over my shoulder……all the while, I am completely oblivious to the little boy, who has managed get himself stuck straddling the outside of the tunnel slide, and is screeching for his dad to come rescue him. Um, ok, so it takes a special kind of…erm…focus…….to be completely unaware of a shrieking child…but in all fairness, by this point in my motherhood, I have learned to tune out almost all noise that isn’t one of my kids in danger. It is self-preservation. And…and…..you should have seen the light….The sun behind her hair….sigh……
Okay, so I don’t imagine anyone will be lining up to have me take their kids to the park anytime soon…..But I am ok with that…that means the swings are all mine.
Sweet
Today we had a little party for my daughter’s 6th birthday. Nothing too big….we lived that nightmare last year. Just 7 little girls, some pizza, some glitter, and a whooooole lot of sugar. Did I mention the sugar? Like.. a lot? Yeah…I loaded them all up with as much sugar as I could cram into their little bodies, and then…when they started bouncing off of the walls…I sent them home. Woo. Their parents must love me.
My daughter is 6…well….not yet, actually. Her actual birthday is tomorrow……And with the way she is speeding through this whole growing up thing, I am going to hang onto to this last day of her five-ness. Especially after she came into my bathroom this morning, while getting herself ready for her party, asking for some makeup to cover her “bags” under her eyes. Um….what? And also…Um, no. Sorry, Little Girl. Not yet. There will be plenty of time for that.
So, here are the mandatory, proud Mama birthday shots.
I let all of the girls make their own ice cream sundaes. Sounds good, right? Yeah….except that most of them ended up looking a little something like this…..
Gag. That is about 10 different kinds of sprinkles, Oreos, M’n'M’s, gummi bears, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, and whipped cream. Enough to make most people laspe into a a nice diabetic coma. Take a good look at this before you agree to send your kids to my house.
Tastes Like Chicken
Because heaven knows that there is not enough inane and pointless crap on the internet, I have my own 5 seconds of junk to throw on the pile.
At a session a few weeks ago, I opened my mouth and an obviously confused ladybug flew in. I tried to get rid of him, but he was apparently just ready to end it all. Quite tragic for both of us, considering I am a vegetarian.
So…here I am…in on all my bug eating glory. Sure, if you watch this, it is time gone from your life that you will never be able to get back, but hey, it’s only 5 seconds.
Easter in the Trailer Park
So…how was everyone’s Easter? I know I mentioned sharing a bit about my Easter in one of my last blog posts, and since I am turning over a new blogging leaf, I am going to deliver.
Sooooo, my mom lives in a mobile home park…to be pronounced Mo-Bile…with a long “i”.. And not just any mobile home park, no…..a senior mobile home park. My mom? Not a senior. She is only 52. See?
Okay, so we went to the senior mobile home park for lunch, Easter Sunday.
This is my husband, enjoying Easter…..
This is my son, enjoying Easter….
And this? This is how my daughter enjoys Easter.
If you have ever been in a mobile home park, then you are familiar with all of the …um….lawn ornamentation…that makes its home there. In fact, I think I may take a day, and just go take some time to capture it all. Stay tuned for that. But, on this particular day…I found something grazing?…roosting?…..in my mom’s yard.
Oh, how it pains me to share that. Is a resin 5 point buck so far in her future? Perhaps a lawn jockey?
Okay, so this is where this story takes an even more white trash (can I say that?) turn. My mother-in-law was leaving, and apparently discovered something she couldn’t live without, by the dumpster. By. The. Dumpster.
Yes, my mother, and my mother-in-law, took my kids dumpster diving on Easter. And did I mention my son was wearing a flamingo hat at the time?? Look…..
Yeah, um…I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t want me to take her picture….
Here are some of the treasures they just couldn’t live without. Actually, it was the table that went with these ugly lovely chairs they were after. My MIL wants to refinish it for her store …which will be expanding very soon.
So, yeah….how white trash is my family? I do want to state, for the record, that I had no part in fishing anything out of the trash. Okay, they may have coerced me into carrying one chair, but that was it! Then I came to my senses. So, while they hauled their crap to the drive way, via golf cart….I decided to let my husband try to get a nice picture or two of me. As the photographer in the family, I realized, that there is not a shot of me to be found. And now I know why. Look at this fiasco…..
This was my runway model walk, Lord, help me.
I have a horrible time getting my picture taken….so I feel for all of my clients who come to our photo sessions a wee bit camera shy. I have deleted more images of myself than I can even count. But I am making a conscious effort to make sure that for every family event, I get at least one shot of myself that I don’t absolutely despise. And…if I may get serious here, just for minute… the thing I hear over and over from people….women….is this…..Oh, I would love to get my family’s pictures taken…but not until I lose ten pounds. Or…I wouldn’t mind having some pictures of the kids…but none of me. And that makes me sad. And then I realized that I do it too. As women, we are so hard on ourselves. We see flaws that no one else sees. We need to remember that there are people who love us, and think we are beautiful, just as we are….and that is who the images are really for. Okay…putting away my soapbox. I am just planning on making an effort to get my face on the other side of the camera every once in awhile, and I hope that you all do too.
So there it is….my white trash Easter and a crappy mini-motivational talk. Maybe I should just stick to the sneak peeks.
Goodbye, Old Friend
Today, my dog died suddenly. She was a loyal companion for 12 years.
Over the years, she has knocked over Christmas trees, eaten boxes (yes,boxes) of ornaments, shredded everything in the pantry to bits, jumped through about 100 screens, broken fences, eaten my car seat belt, slept on the bed when no one was looking, and puked in my car.
But, in those twelve years she also kept watch under my son’s bassinet while he slept, let my daughter dress her in tutus and hats, comforted my mom after her husband passed, and broken through a glass window to get to a man who climbed over the wall into my backyard one night when I lived alone.
She will be terribly, terribly missed.
Banshee
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