Story of Now

This is my good friend Nicole and her wonderful husband Greg. Their beautiful baby will be arriving within the next few weeks. It has not been an ordinary pregnancy for her. She got thrown a curveball. She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in May and finished up her four rounds of Chemo in the middle of September. It has been quite the journey for her, from first hearing the word "cancer" to facing head-on her fear of Chemo. She has had frequent Ultrasounds, so she gets to see that baby is doing well, which has really been a blessing for her. Greg has also been an amazing husband through all of it, he keeps her laughing with his ever-goofy and loving ways! I am so amazed and humbled by the journey Nicole has been on and the strength she has shown. Whenever I think of her, I am inspired! Doesn't she look GREAT!!! I look forward to meeting your sweet baby!

There are times that we find ourselves jealous of what someone else has, whether it be a material thing, a physical attribute, personality trait etc. On the contrary, there are times we despise other people, whether it be for an action they carried out, a physical attribute, a personality trait etc. Walking through life with these feelings toward others only hurts us. In jealousy, we are saying to ourselves " they are better than me" In despisement, we are saying to ourselves " I am better than them" Neither statement has possibility in it. In the previous post, Possibility Part 1 , I talked about awareness. Awareness is where possibility begins. We must be aware of what our thinking is, so that we can move on from jealousy and despisement to a place of understanding, acceptance and possibility. Feelings of jealousy and despisement won't completely go away because, after all, we are human. The point is to be conscious of them and choose to have control over how...

Here I am, just months old, surrounded by my loving, playful brothers. Someday my gravestone will read 1980-xxxx A beginning, a middle and an end. At the beginning, the possiblities are endless. In the middle, we often shrink the possibilities due to our own imaginary constraints. At the end, the possibilities are gone unless we have created something in the middle that would continue to live on. How do we live our lives so that when we are gone, what we have done will be remembered? How do we live so that all possibilities continue to be achievable in our minds? I believe it starts with awareness. Awareness of what we think of ourselves and others. Awareness of our dreams. Awareness of the thoughts and attitudes that precede our actions. We must slow down and examine ourselves, and realize our potential! Every good thing we do has a ripple effect! One person can make a HUGE difference! Live your possibilities everyday!

This little guy came over today for his portraits. He had so much fun running around and exploring. There is just something about watching children explore that makes me feel so blessed to be there for it! Just look at that smile with those teeth...love it!! He wasn't much for sitting, but we did get this nice family picture just at the right moment! And the beautiful parents that brought this little guy into the world! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

They hang on together, they hang on for the other. Their love grows stronger with each day and each challenge. Their love is still youthful, though their bodies tell a different story. They've built their lives on simplicity and generosity. No matter their age, their caring ways remain. Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Beth and Mike are expecting their first baby and their excitement shows!! Ahhh....sweet anticipation We had to get some pictures with their furbabies, Lola and Louie You two are going to be AMAZING parents! Thank you so much for inviting me to take your pictures! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Sometimes you can capture a moment and relive it over and over. You capture not only the people, but the atmosphere. The picture helps you to recall the smell of the air and the sound of laughter. It freezes time.....forever. This picture does it for me! On Sunday, we celebrated Matt's Birthday by inviting both of our families over. It was a picture perfect day....sunny, high 60's, we played, we laughed, we ate. I am so blessed, first of all because I was born into a wonderful, loving family and second because I married into one! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

I love the sound you make on the roof and when you fall into the puddle you've already made I love the way you kiss my face and refresh my soul I love the way you make everything so lush I love the way the smell of you reaches into the deepest parts of my being And oh how I love the way you look Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Meet Leo. He is an explorer, a dreamer and a rock soup maker! He came over for a session yesterday and had so much fun running around and exploring. Live. Love. Laugh. EXPLORE.

I have been fortunate enough to watch my friend Emmy's son every other Monday. It has been so fun to watch him change and grow over the past 8 months. We have so much fun playing. To top it off, he is SUPER cute!! Thanks to my mom, we still have some old-school toys to play with (Fisher Price Farm) Doesn't the trough he is putting in his mouth look like butter..hehe. He makes some great expressions! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

On Sunday, I met up with this couple. They are definately one of the most in-love couples I have ever met! It was so fun to capture their inner and outer beauty! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

What is a home? Is it just where you lay your head to sleep? Perhaps. But I feel a little differently. I finally feel at home after 6 years of not. I don't know, I just never felt completely settled in either of my apartments. Don't get me wrong, I liked them and all...they just weren't "home". I just feel like "home" is more than a place to hang your coat at the end of the day. Home is somewhere that all parts of your being become united. Today, I mowed the grass (doesn't sound too exciting, right?). I have not mowed in over 6 years and for some reason it was really satisfying to see the results of my labor. After mowing, I picked some wild black raspberries....mmm mmm. Then I made black raspberry chocolate chip oatmeal bars...delicious! It is so peaceful out here. Just walking from the house to the garage is a treat. I am very excited to finish the indoor organizing and start on the outdoors. I have ideas in mind!! I am looking forward to shooting ...

We moved this past weekend in with my momma. I am back in the house I grew up in and it is wonderful. It is so peaceful out here. The sweet smelling air...the wide open spaces...friends so close....in-laws right down the road...and my mommas cooking are just a few of the reasons I love it here! I haven't been on the computer much because I have been organizing, but I thought I'd blog something since it has been too long. Until next time! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

Amanda and Wade were married 6/6/09. I was one of the maitrons of honor. I have known Amanda forever. She was my friend before I could even talk. We've been through it all. Times of laughter, tears, getting into trouble, pulling eachother through the hard times...we've just always been there for the other. We grew up about a quarter mile from eachother and it was great! Even during snowstorms, we would walk to meet eachother half-way, just so we didn't have to play barbies alone. The Wedding was beautiful. It wasn't my day to take pictures but I did manage to snap this one during their first dance. Here's to Amanda and Wade... May your blessings be many! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

A thousand tiny wishes, just waiting to come true. A thousand and one miracles, waiting for you! Life is absolutely amazing when you train your senses to it! Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

After stopping at Cub on my way home from work today, I started to ponder some things. I feel that there has been much loss around me lately and that has made me step back and examine life. If I died tomorrow, would I be satisfied with the way I lived my life? Am I content with the way I have treated my family and friends and strangers? Am I living a passionate life with compassion? Do I enjoy the beauty of all things? Am I participating in things that bring me joy? Do I really listen to people? Have I repaired all the hurt I have caused? Have I said the really important things that need to be heard? Have I been patient with others? Have I been good to the earth? Have I made healthy choices for myself? I suppose the list of questions could go on. Whatever needs to be done to feel satisfied, can be started now. Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

This is Diesel and he just turned 6 months on Friday, which happened to be my day to babysit! He is 6 months and full of wonder and joy. I just love watching him explore and laugh and communicate. Live. Love. Laugh. Embrace.

I enjoy that peaceful feeling I get when the skies are still stormy and yet there is sunlight. I think it just may be my favorite type of light. I was on my way home from my moms last Friday, and it was just barely raining. The sky was beautiful. I was equipped with my camera and my nifty fifty. I took some backroads and found that I was the only one on those roads. It was good. It was peaceful. I tried some different things. I shot through the window to get the drops. I played around and it was great! Sometimes it becomes more about the feeling when I am shooting than what the pictures actually look like. This was sooooo therapeutic for me. Ahhhh...when I have my camera in hand it just makes the world mine! I thought I'd share a few that I liked. The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. ~Zeno