Hangin' in there ...

My last post was done on April 3, 2010 - that same night I lost the first man I ever loved and the greatest man that ever lived, my father. I am just not quite ready to write about that. At some point, I am sure that I will write about the loss and the legacy that my father left, but it's just too fresh right now.

Mostly, I am just trying to pick up my camera again and keep learning. It is in my father's honor that I do this, as he was an incredibly hard worker and wouldn't want me to become tepid about that which I was passionate about before his death.

We have had some firsts since losing him - one of them was Preston's first baseball game. He had two hits that night. My best friend Hannah said it best when she said that my dad was so proud of Preston and that he probably rounded up a crowd of people up above just to watch the big game.

Each day, I put one foot in front of the other and try to make myself better than I was the day before. I know my Dad is patting me on the back with the heavy hand of his, every small step of the way.

I included one pic of P at the big game, and another of Jett, my best friend Jeanne's baby. I picked up the ole' camera after a few weeks off and I need to start shooting more. She sure is sweet. It reminds me of how sweet they are when they are first born - I think it is because they are coming straight from the presence of God, to Earth, to teach us just what the important things in life are.

More frequent posts to come...

Unknown fact about me...

I'm scared of large animals. This includes mini-horses. Yes, that qualifies as a large animal. So, when my friend Brooke asked me to take some family pics before she has child no.3, I whole heartedly agreed without knowing that she wanted to shoot with the mini-horses.

Yikes.

I know they are mini, but technically, they could eat me. Have you seen a horse's mouth? I mean, their mouth is NOT MINI! Anyway,the shoot turned out to be a lot of fun. In my typical fashion, I automatically sprawled across the grass in the mini-horse stable without even thinking about the fact that I was laying in mini-horse manure.

Brooke's parents have about one million beautiful back drops for photos, but we had to work quickly because she has two boys. Which means they don't have time for us women to be setting up the shot! Anyway, they were so stinkin' cute. Easton smiles at everything you say to him and Jackson was a little ham.

I didn't get eaten by the mini-horses and I managed to capture this beautiful family without making the boys too, too mad. Success!

One thing I know about Photography ...

I guess there is one important thing I have learned that seems to be true across the board - If you are ever comfortable when you are taking the pic - it probably won't be the best shot of the day. When I shot my best friend Nik and her daughter Fin the other day, we were both laughing at the fact that I seem to take all my pics while laying on the ground. I always leave a shoot dirtier than when I came. We were at the daffodil patch and I was rolling around in the dirt without even thinking about it. Fun stuff.

Taking pictures makes me happy. I get even giddier when the end result is something that I love. Which was the case on the most recent two trips I took to Wye Mountain. When kiddos are happy and it is captured, there is just nothing like it.