This moment!

The other night I had a new friend come over that owns a stock photography site (estockphoto.com)...and she said the most profound words to me. What were they you ask? Well, I was giving my speech that changes everytime of course because it is so filled with passion...about how much I love photography and why I do it. What I want my clients to feel..what I feel...the memories...the smells...keeping it real! Well, she looks right at me and says to me..."You're living the dream." Holy crap...I have never totally looked at my life like that. I thought it was a bit over the top at first because it was coming from someone who just met me, and my life isn't everyone's cup of tea. Then I got over myself and saw that she was speaking on a much broader scale;) Of course I am living "the dream". I am able to do what I love, make money at it, and ALSO be passionate about it. I don't think people comment as much about that passion that I exude about raising my kids because it's not looked upon as a job..(or a career, rather). I AM LIVING THE DREAM:) I am living the dream of having babies and loving every minute of it, but I am also living the American dream of bringing home money doing something that doesn't feel like work. That just puts a big ol' smile on my face. Well, now I am able to capture and relive the beginning of my dream happening right before my very eyes through beautiful couples like Angie and Keegan. This is beautiful Avery that came into this world with a heart condition that put worry on her new parent's faces that could break any adults heart. She is clearly very healthy, and perfectly, perfect now! Everyone that has had a child (however God gives it to them) knows those first weeks...yes the sleepless nights and all that other stuff that isn't so easy but shouldn't be focused on. Do you remember the smell of the most pure breathe on the planet. The new skin that barely hangs on as it touches it's harsh new elements and starts to flake off. The cry that instantly melts your heart and makes you feel like you will do anything to protect them and keep them safe. I could go on forever about those first few months with each of my kids because it was the most exciting time of my life. They made me feel alive, proud and strong. And someday I hope to feel the same way about this new found passion that brings those moments back to me. But for now, I see it as a tool to capture the true dream that I am living...having a husband that I adore and healthy, loving kids that think I am the best mom EVER:) So go live the dream...your dream:)

Intimacy...

Intimacy....

• familiarity: close or warm friendship; "the absence of fences created a mysterious intimacy in which no one knew privacy"
• affair: a usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship
• closeness: a feeling of being intimate and belonging together; "their closeness grew as the night wore on"

Where do you get your intimacy? So often couples define intimacy with sex. I have been thinking a lot about this word lately. That first definition pretty much is a nutshell of my life. "the absence of fences". If I were a song writer, I think I would write a song with this title:)
We went and saw WALL-E the other night and it confirmed what I feel about this technological world and where we could be headed. I can't tell you how much texting bugs me. Yes, I text..yes I spend endless hours on the internet...and yes I love my cell phone...but there is etiquette and limitations that we need to be conscious of or we are going to completely lose human contact and REAL emotions that aren't simplified into words through ichat or texting.

Noun

1. close or warm friendship

2. (often pl) intimate words or acts within a close relationship
So when you neglect your relationship at home...or just get stuck in the daily grind...I think that we go looking elsewhere for this close, warm relationship. No I am not talking about infidelity...more on the friendship side of things. I am becoming more conscious of where my intimacy is and how much energy I am putting into relationships. When I find myself not totally connected to Jake it is usually because I have found that intimacy in my friends temporarily. I am totally missing the intimacy of my family right now:( So the next time you feel like you are missing something in your life or you feel lonely...take a close look at where you are getting your intimacy. If it is all online and all your friends are now online...you might have to make some trips out to visit them in person and get that real, human contact. I just think we are getting false sense of intimacy these days through technology and not enough of the real moments.... Just random chatter for the day....."Keep it Real"!

Big Bang!

Well, out 4th was brought in with a big bang! We went over to our friends house where there was kid's galore, and my kids were in heaven. I of course was in heaven as well because of all the picture ops floating around. I don;t know exactly why I am not able to sit like most people during the holidays and just chat and relax. I would try this night and then I would have to sprint off in the middle of a conversation because I saw "the shot". I know I must come across as rude, but it's probably all made better when I give the parents cute pics to remember the night. Her is the one and only shot I got of fireworks (actually taken on the 5th) because the card with all the fun, experimental firework shots was on a corrupted card. Why is it so hard emotionally when you lose images. Thank goodness it wasn't a client's shoot though!
Stop messin' around Jam...and go get it!
We took some luge runs in the contraption that our friend made with a car seat and a skateboard...he was so Macgyver!

This little guy has the cutest little Aussy voice in the whole world...he just melts me!
To Die For!!! Hands down...happiest baby ever!
Check out this series....first loud firework of the night:) Wait for it....
BAM!!!!!!!

Word Hole

After reading this clearly, Wreckless blog today, I went and tried out this fun website. I put in a couple snippets of my latest blog posts and these were the most widely used words. If I would have put in all of my blog (I ended up with too many names in it) I would have had the word PASSION displayed big. Enjoy and go try it out. Thanks Kristy.

Getting Together

I met Kelly this young lady the other night at the Fancy Pants gathering. We got to talking about photographers in the area and we figured out that we had a common friend, Darcie. Well fast forward a couple weeks and here we are all getting together like we said we wanted to do..thanks Darcie...you little do'er!

Anyone that knows me know two things about me. One...I am passionate! About many things but particularly my family and photography...duh:) And two...I love to talk;) Darcie Radtke (Truth in Light Photography) and Kelly Dunning (Punky Pie Photography) were my schoolmates for today. We chatted away the day talking about photography, kids, life and much more! Teaching each other as much as we could fit into 3 hours (with kid distractions of course). Learning from each other about who were are as people and what a little piece of what each our path's look like. I am feeling lots of things after that quick bath of knowledge...one, that they are not only fellow photographers, but friends. And two, the energy and enthusiasm that I get from these talks is empowering, inspiring and downright fun. Thank you girls for the playdate:) Below are two of my favorite playmates in the whole world and I have been waiting to use this photo for months. Here you go the infamous Shamone and Wreckless Girl! Here's to networking...going back to school...with a redefined classroom...playing nice, sharing and all that good stuff;) Thanks to all those people out there that have shared a little piece of themselves with me so that I can learn from your beautiful lives for a moment.
Isn't it interesting how blurred the lines get between, clients, friends, co-photographers, and you. I can tell you a few of my friends that I have today are because I once took their picture and then shared my passion with them and they picked up the camera and transposed it into their own life. That is actually just how Shannon and I met, and Kelly and Darcie met. Kelly actually hired Darcie to take family photos for them and now she is walking right beside Darcie on this crazy ride of a career. That's just unique in my eyes...and fun times!!!! Ultimately we are creating a HUGE network that feeds our united passion and is a breeding ground for creativity. Keep on networking and inspiring each other....there;s room for all of us:)