You Are My Mate for Life

My friend Alison loves geese. She has numerous art prints of them hanging in her home. She told me once that she loves them because they mate for life. I thought that her honest enjoyment in them was so special that it engraved in my memory. So, being stuck in my apartment due to a North Carolina snow that shuts down EVERYTHING, I was all about killing the boredom. That usually entails me dragging out my camera and driving my dogs crazy. The first day of the snow was grey, overcast, hazy and just downright dismal. The second day gave me exactly what I wanted: sharp, bright sunshine on crisp snow and brilliant blue skies that remind me of the way ice tastes. The Canada geese that had spent the night sleeping and floating on the pond outside my windows were brave enough to walk fairly close to my patio. I was also trying out a new lens...okay, so it was new to me! I took these fotos and immediately called Alison, so excited I could barely be understood...in fact, I think she asked me to repeat myself about 3 times at least! I really enjoyed the results of this snow-stuck day. And I hope Alison enjoyed them just as much, too.

All The Pieces Together...Form a Family

Family. What does it mean? Is it the people you are related to? Is it the people who take care of you? Family....is the people who love you. This family is creating their own family. They asked me to do their holiday fotos and I was excited about getting to know all of them a little better. Both the girls and the boy are Mom's...but the baby-on-the-way is theirs together. The girls personalities remind me of my sister & I when we were young...just because we were sooooo different! Just the ways they stood together showed their own attitudes. And I had to ask them to stand closer together....I received the typical teenage eye-rolling. Go figure. I loved the fotos with mom & the girls, "The Boys" and the 3 kids together. But, I think my favorites were the ones with Dad & Mom together, arms wrapped around her tummy, cradling the new family member with love's embrace.

Meet Me in St. Louis!

St. Louis. How do I describe a trip that was as fascinating as this one? I stepped off a plane on the day after Christmas, after a 5 hour snow-bound, forced layover in Chicago O'Hare Airport to meet a friend whom I had never met face-to-face. She & I had been friends via email for 3 years...shared family stories, tears and frustrations. We were on our respective cell phones as she told me how to navigate Lambert Airport. I remember walking thru the hallway to leave the airport and screaming into my cell as we both realized that I had found the right exit. She laughed because she said "I know where you are! The guy in front of you just turned around at the same moment I heard you yell!" We hugged and laughed...and so started a really awesome trip. All the places we went to...they didn't cost a thing. The riverfront, the Arch (we did NOT go to the top...it was sold out), Anhueser-Busch Brewery tour, Union Station. We hung out, grilled out, visited the local watering holes, friends came by to meet me because they had all heard about my trip and drove around A LOT! I made new friends, celebrated my birthday and brought in the New Year of 2010 in Fenton, MO. It was a trip that I wouldn't have missed for the world. *Tipping up my glass to all the great friends I now have in STL!*

5 Strand Cord

I am always happy to do fotos for this family. And this day was no exception. In my opinion (IMO), part of being a good fotographer is being able to see opportunities when they suddenly occur. As we were trying to figure out how we were going to do the family foto, I noticed that Dad was sitting on the floor with the youngest one resting in the crook of his legs, secure and happy. I immediately told him, "Stay just like that!". I started snapping fotos of an adorable baby being protected and held by his father. Dad's hand resting on his son's tummy, the look in his son's eyes...and soon enough, the other 2 children wanted to be part of it, too! Mom was so surprised to see what I was shooting...but she rushed to move all the assorted family gear that was stacked in the foyer so that I had a clear background! We did the family fotos right there, on the floor of the living room. And I couldn't have been happier with how they all turned out. The pictures I described above were included in the previous post's gallery on my Smugmug page. This post is for the family, the fotos of "The Boys" and the fotos that Mom wanted with the youngest. Those fotos Mom wanted were the first ones she really had done with herself and the youngest...I think they meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to me that she asked me to do them. So much love...part of God's plan.

The 3 Musketeers

Huge, expressive eyes. Lovely faces. And energy to spare!! These three have appeared in my blog before. And it's a pleasure to watch them as they are growing up. Being a single female with no children, it fascinates me to watch their parents interact with them. The incredible patience, the smiles in the face of chaos and reciting the Rosary with all of the Mysteries on the way to Mass on a Sunday morning. I love being around this family and these 3 kids. Helping the kids to get dressed, finding the pair of shoes under the couch and convincing this cute little girl to smile when she really doesn't want to smile at all! All these things have really made me appreciate all the things it takes to make a parent. Not sure I'll ever have a child of my own, but if I do, I want to take the best of all the great parents I know.

Red, White and Black Haute Couture

Don't you want a dress like this? And shoes like that? Okay, maybe a grown-up version, but don't you LOVE the colors? I got such a kick out of this outfit and the young lady wearing it! She simply makes you smile. She giggles, laughs, smiles like there's no tomorrow. She makes me realize that each of us needs to take a page from her book...live like there is no tomorrow. Smile, laugh, enjoy, savor, smell, hug, look, giggle, feel and breathe in every moment. How many times do we get too caught up to stop and appreciate the people, life and world around us? So, take a moment today....and ENJOY!

The Boldness of a Strong Family

All smiles...this family had them all session long! And hugs, kisses...a plethora of love comes from this family. A solid relationship blooms into a marriage bears a child becomes the love of life. In reality, this is the reason we are on Earth...the people we love whom we build our lives around. Parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends...all are the foundations that we build our worlds around. The people we rely on to make us smile, cause us to laugh and helps us wipe up the tears. I hope that each of you have the kind of people in your life that bring you up, no matter what life throws at you.

Brown Eyed Girl

Eyes so deep you could lose yourself in them. A smile so pure that it seems like the angels are singing when you see it. A glow surrounds this little girl in every movement she makes. She smiles so much that she makes you want to smile yourself. Some moments, she looks just her mom...and then she gets that look in her eyes, she smirks and looks just like her daddy! I had so much fun Fotoing this family. It made me feel like a welcomed friend...wait, I was a welcomed friend! You see, I have known this family for a few years and was honored to be able to provide them with memories of their newest member as she is growing soooo fast! I am so happy for the gift I have been given, as I say over and over again.

Shades of Black, White & Grey

As time goes by, lines are being blurred more every day. Half the time, when you see a picture of someone, you cannot pick out their lineage. Having grown up without prejudice, I do not see the point of trying to pound people into categories anymore. People should be judged upon their own merit...be it positive or negative. You build your own life, your own reputation, your successes and your failures, too. Should you choose to behave badly, others should weigh your merit upon your actions...not upon what others perceive as your lineage. If you decide to behave admirably, that is what you should be measured upon. We choose each day how we are to behave. Raising and teaching only go so far if we choose our actions each day and if we pay attention to our experiences instead of what we always heard someone say. If we are adults, then let us act like adults. Let us rationally, intelligently think about the people we come across each day and learn to be more like Him. Jesus spent time with prostitutes, lepers, outcasts of society. And yet, many people today turn their noses down to those who need our help the most. He never turned away someone who needed Him. I try each day to see those who need me. The couple I selected for this Foto shoot has faced many major adversities and has faced all of it together. It's no wonder that their bond is so strong, even at such young ages. It was a pleasure to be around them and their beautiful dog, Izzy. Remember: do not judge, lest ye be judged. Before you assume to know about someone, get to truly know him or her first, then make your opinion about the real person who that someone is...that person is human just like you. Wouldn't you want someone to do the same for you?

Belles and Gents of the Bell Ball

To have a proper ball, you must have ladies and gentlemen. This family could certainly have their own ball! With beauty and grace, they swept into the room and oddly, there was little to no chaos involved. They each were happy to pose for me: individuals, couples, sisters, moms and children, dad and the girls, grandparents with all the grandkids. They were so fun to Foto! With a group like this, there's bound to be a lot going on. I was lucky enough to have time with my friend and her daughter before everyone else arrived. This resulted in some very nice individual Fotos and some Fotos that I hope my friend will be able to enjoy of herself and her daughter for many years to come. I had only been asking to Foto them for quite a few months but it never seemed to work out. Thankfully, this time it worked out for everyone in my friend's family. From what I understand, my friend's mother has been asking for a family foto for the past couple years. I was so happy to be able to make this a reality for her. The adorable new baby was only 2 months old at the time these Fotos were taken. What better time to have a family foto done?!? These Fotos have created immortal moments in time for this family. It really touches my heart that I am the one they chose to capture these memories for them. And I'm grateful to my friend for giving me the opportunity to meet her family and to give her mom a very dear gift that she has been asking for. Maybe next year, when they take their annual beach trip, I'll be able to take a day trip to do some more fotoing for them. Until then, I'm happy to have been invited to the Bell Ball.

3 Little Angel Belles

They say that every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings. These 3 belles don't ring but they certainly do shine. They bring to mind the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. Even without the white dresses and pink satin sashes, these 3 embody the beauty of childhood. Such precious faces with precocious smiles and actions. To find 3 such lovely faces within the same family is more than most photographers could wish for. I wanted to foto them as much as possible. Their smiles, their features, their love for life in their innocent worlds. These are the types of faces that men and women fight every day for...the soldiers who fight for our freedoms. Children...beloved by Jesus, held close by their families and loved by those who are able to be in their midst. It makes me remember how magical the holiday season was when I was young. How the days from Thanksgiving to Christmas seemed to drag by. Cutting each colored construction paper ring for each day gone by until you reached the star or bell that told you that Christmas Day was there. Going to bed on Christmas Eve in a sea of excitement for the amazement of Christmas morning. Of falling asleep in my bed watching the outside Christmas lights blinking on my ceiling and walls...the outside lights that my Dad painstakingly hung every single year past and still does. A lifetime of memories made magical by my mom & dad each Christmas season. Of the sparkling snow in New York as we walked into church on dark Saturday nights. The smell of a real pine Christmas tree covered in colorful lights and handmade ornaments from school and Girl Scouts...added to each year. I still have some of the ones that my once tiny hands made from Popsicle sticks, paint, glitter and glue. Reindeer made from clothespins. The paper plate with construction paper and my Kindergarten school photograph. All of these things crowded my head as I watched these 3 belles gather at the window when an adult told them to look for Santa. I wished for a moment that I was still so young and counting the slow days until Christmas. And then, I heard their laughter...sounding like the tinkling of silver bells.

Giggles from Angels

When was the last time something made you giggle? Was it a funny joke? A uTube video? A movie comedy? When was the last time you really felt that giggle come from deep within because you were so happy about something that you couldn't keep it inside? These girls know how to giggle...whether they've told you the joke, made a rubbing statement about the fork you're eating with at the dinner table, picked out the movie or even if they were the ones to air tickle you. The older one is so quick with comments, comebacks and jokes that she fair to stuns all the members of her family. She should be quick...she got it from her momma. The younger one is following right along in her older sister's footsteps...giggling all the way! These fotos might help you to smile...and if you haven't enjoyed a real giggle in a while...you should. Giggling is good for your heart, health and your soul, afterall.

A Beautiful Smile

Thought for the moment: what is your definition of "Beauty"? Do you associate it with a physical characteristic? Do you look for the definition on modeling shows? In Cosmo? Or are you the type of person who sees the beauty in everything? Wiki definition includes the idea that beauty is anything that resonates with personal meaning. What a profound idea. I have never heard it described like that. In that definition...nearly anything can be beautiful if it (or the person concerned) has a personal meaning to the beholder. The woman I fotoed for this session has the most beautiful smile. Full of laughter, life, enjoyment and playfulness. She has a sense of fun and she also rescues animals with her very tender heart. These fotos show that she deserves a foto shoot just to show her beautiful smile to the world. So many things are judged by the outside...it's a good thing that her smile is freely given on the outside!

Mill House

Feels like traveling back in time...going to Yates Mill. The time-weathered wood, the large water wheel, the old grinding stones and old gears used to turn the wheels that now sit underneath the trees. Nevermind that it's now a beautiful county park...it is also a memorial to times gone by. To know that so many people brought their corn and grain here to be milled, it makes me wonder about the lives and hopes and dreams of all the footprints that are ingrained upon the land, stone and wood of this place. Back in a time when you bartered chickens, eggs, vegetables, milk, sewing and numerous other skills or crafts just to have the benefit of the mill. In a time when money is about the only thing that "talks", the ideas of trading for what you need is about as foreign an idea as apprenticing to learn a trade. Many of us learned the story of Johnny Tremaine in elementary or middle school. He worked for free with a silversmith to learn how to smith the silver. In exchange, he was given free room and board. In this present time, the concept of working for free to learn something is a lost "on-the-job" training. True, internships in college are rarely paid and in fact are a type of apprenticeship. However, they don't give you free room and board, either! So, as I stand on the slate, beside the waterfall, and watch the water turn the wheel that used to turn the gears that used to turn the grooved stone wheels that used to mill the corn and grain, I consider "If walls could talk..."

Bestie & Her Hubby

What could be better than to spend a truly gorgeous day at a really neat county park with my bestie and her hubby? Taking Fotos of said bestie and her hubby, OF COURSE!! Couple...a pair...two of a kind...lovers and friends...husband and wife. My bestie and her hubby are all of the above words. I have known them from the time they first started dating...that's when I met both of them. In the past years, I have watched them face life together. From commitment fears to family disapprovals to pressures of school, work and families. These two have faced all of it together. They exemplify numerous parts of a relationship that people seem to have forgotten...loyalty and support, love and understanding, problem solving and believing in the other person. No, they are not perfect...they have all the normal foibles that anyone person can have, but they believe in each other...they are each other's best friend. They support each other's dreams, jobs, schooling and lives. Every time I am around them, I see other nuances that I haven't seen before. They have cooked dinner, together, for me. They gave up a Sunday afternoon to let me Foto their love and laughter. I love watching them interact with each other. The teasing, the laughter, the love, all are parts of their relationship. And I love being around them. I am so glad to have both of them in my life. I love you R. & DJ. You certainly have your "W"...you are both Winners!