i meant to share this TIME article quite a while ago. i had read it in november, while at kiele's last cochlear implant appointment. it's such a great, super interesting, slightly controversial article. if you don't have the time to read it right now, print it. and read it later. totally worth the time to read. so much to think about.
and then today, i came across this blog post. i wasn't aware of this blog before, but will definitely be following it from here on out.
i have to admit. i totally believe in free-range parenting. and i'm not afraid to discipline my children in public either. even if the old man in line behind me at the commissary disagrees with my public nose-in-the-corner disciplining for a purposely squished loaf of bread and tells me that i'm going to damage my children forever. my response:
i'm sorry you don't agree with my disciplining of my children. but i have a well-behaved, kind, loving, good-natured 12 year-old, who seems to be doing just fine...and she was disciplined.
my free-range kids, who surprised me with this snowman a couple weeks ago...
this is such a sweet electronic christmas card | gift. i discovered them through a blog i follow. i guess this couple has a no-christmas-gift agreement this year and instead, they are supporting a child in uganda.
as i spent too much money and bought too many things for the kids this christmas, i've already begun thinking about some serious changes that i hope to make next christmas. one of the changes i'm very seriously contemplating is no gift giving! i haven't talked to steve about it yet, but i know he'd totally support it. instead, i'd like to donate money to a couple charities, in the name of each person we would normally buy a present for. of course, the kids will still get some gifts from santa but i think we will even talk to santa about our family's wish to donate to charities...maybe we'll request just one or two really special gifts.
and as we purchased and addressed over 120 christmas cards this year, i thought about going electronic next year. not because i'm lazy. but because i'd rather have the money go to charity and save a couple trees at the same time. when you think about how much the cards, labels, paper and stamps cost...that's a pretty good chunk of change going to charity.
lastly, i've now added sufjan stevens in my pandora (thanks to the christmas video below). digging his music!
hi! i'm seriously interested in you doing our family's photos this year.
really? no way. i seriously love your work.
the session was scheduled. and then rescheduled twice, due to weather (something i'm not really used to happening, having relocated from san diego and all). but thank goodness...because the session finally happened yesterday and it was such a fabulous, fabulous day. michelle and family drove four hours for me to do their session. needless to say, i was beyond flattered. actually, it went more like this...
i can't believe she wants me to do her family's photographs.
oh man, i'm so nervous. i really hope i don't fuck these up.
i hope she's happy with what i show her.
i still can't believe she wants me to do her photos.
it's hard photographing a fellow photographer's family, especially one you so admire. it's funny because you look at other photographers' work, with admiration for what they produce....knowing it's different than yours. sometimes it makes you question what you produce.
over the days, i went back and forth thinking...
i don't shoot like her. will she be happy with the way i shoot...with what i show her? how will i pull this off?
but in the end, i realized (again) that i have to be confident in myself and what i produce. i am not everyone else. i am me! and i know that i'm being wholeheartedly true to myself and giving each and every client (fellow photographer or not) all i have to give.
yesterday was a magical connection (one that i'll blog more about tomorrow) and some of my favorite photographs ever.
i'm grateful for opportunities like this. so very thankful...that she trusted me, to do this for her. so very, very blessed to be doing what i love (although sometimes i still can't believe it :-).
i've made a family book every year, since starting photography, in 2006. and today, i began designing our annual family book and wanted to include a couple of the kids' drawings this year. when kiele saw what i was doing, she asked if she could write a poem about our family, for the book.
of course!
she said it like it is. i love that. and it so cracks me up...
blue eyes, blonde hair, sweet little giggles and pink dresses...that's our sky.
acts tough + goofy + funny smiles + dirty blonde hair + deep blue eyes is the math equation for ryder.
horse rider, light blonde hair, deaf, blue eyes and a good friend is a child named kiele.
both step and father, brown hair, tri-colored eyes, an engineer and in the military...a wonderful guy named steve.
mother to three, rings everywhere, changing temperment, blonde hair, thinking blue eyes is a photographer named deb.
cheerful barks, a wagging stumpy tail, sly and black all over is the furry charley bear!
kiele, age 12
and here's a snapshot of the layout of the book. it will greatly evolve over the next few weeks, but at least i'm now off to a good start. i'll share the book layout once it's done.
i believe in choosing our family of intention - our friends, our tribe, our soul sisters. for me, this all started when i was 12 years old, when i met gina, when i began to understand that friendship had the ability to make us feel settled and at home in our spirits no matter what else was happening in our lives. and that our friendships - the people we choose to surround ourselves with - gracefully hold the divide between all the experiences we travel through in our lives.- kelly rae roberts
oh these words of kelly's... they resonate in my soul. deep to the core. i can't even begin to share how important my friends are to me and how much i cherish my amazing friendships. as one of my best friend's steph says, my childhood was rather "unconventional"...i no longer talk to my sister or my dad. and i talk to my mom on rare occasion. it's not something i'm proud of; it actually makes me sad, but it's the way it has come to be. but i think that is the reason why my friendships mean even that much more...they truly are, as kelly describes it, my family of intention. i hold them close. and tight. they are part of me. they are my family!
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when we lived in san diego, we lived next to the hasson family, for about six months. during the time, kiele and nat, developed a friendship that was beyond special--deeper and more mature than most eight- and ten-year-old friendships. the hasson family ended up moving to FL and then to HI...and through the distance and their time apart, kiele and nat continue as BFFs, stronger than ever. if you saw this post, you know that one of the things kiele wants for christmas is to see natalie (they haven't seen each other since mid-2007). it was in 2007 that i took these photos of kiele and nat--a storyboard which still graces kiele's book case, front and center.
if you haven't seen kelly rae's artwork, you must check it out. she offers the most incredible and inspiring products--necklaces, prints, stationery, books, and original artwork. you can find it all here.
and you can read more about kelly's post on her BFF and friendship here.
to my friends, my tribe, my soul sisters...
i love you.
i adore you.
and i will forever be grateful for you.
that's what the subject of the email was, when she emailed me this. leah is one of the greatest friends a girl could ask for--someone who is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. beautiful to the core.
i hope that you will take a few minutes to read the women's stories in this article. each is beautiful. truly and deeply beautiful...and inspirational. i have no doubt that you will relate to at least one of the stories...or at a minimum, it will pull at your heart strings.
in closing, i leave you with this question...
what honestly makes you feel beautiful?
i'll be sharing some of my thoughts on beauty, in a post next week.
p.s. the photographs in the article are by a woman and photographer i so admire--the amazing mary ellen mark. i attended a mary ellen mark workshop the beginning of this year, which was awesome. and i was so fortunate to have been able to have breakfast and dinner (and incredible conversations) with her each day. she really is an incredible woman. and as leah said, the photos in the article are absolutely lovely.
could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?- henry david thoreau
i met marcina through max's family last year. and from the moment i met her, i knew there was something special. there was just this beauty and essence about her. you could see it. you could feel it. an then i learned her story...
two years ago (in november), neil was taking their daughter, kendra, to a screening in LA. kendra had been acting for years. at the end of the day, he began throwing up and thought he had food poisoning. he felt he was okay to drive home to san diego but things got worse and he had to pull over at a gas station, to throw up again. shortly after that, marcina got a call from kendra,
mommy, daddy's really sick, we're on the side of the freeway and he is now sleeping and has thrown up all inside the car.
they were on the side of the highway, with neil in and out of sleep. with marcina's mom on the phone with kendra the entire time, to help her feel safe, and marcina's dad on the computer mapquesting and directing marcina to neil's location...marcina was on her way, driving into miles of heavy traffic. luckily, kendra was able to read a few signs out the window, to help determine exactly where they were. when marcina arrived, neil was asleep and kendra scared but safe. they drove back to san diego and marcina put neil into bed. after continuing to vomit and sleep throughout the following day, marcina decided to take neil to the emergency room that night.
they sat in the waiting room for a bit and then neil was called back to be seen. thirty minutes later, a nurse came out and asked kendra if she would like to come with her to color. a few minutes later, two doctors take marcina in the opposite direction, to tell her that neil is very, very sick and most likely would not live through the night. they encouraged marcina to notify family and that she and kendra should say their final good-byes. this was the beginning of their seven-month journey on an emotional and painful rollercoaster...
over the next seven months, neil most likely had a stroke and suffered a brain bleed. he underwent four brain surgeries, infections, two weeks in a coma, months in the hospital and now has a prosthetic bone flap and front skull. the family was told three different times that neil would not live and that if he did, he would most likely have physical challenges and brain damage.
well today, neil is alive and doing fabulous. while he still has very vivid dreams from his days in a coma and continues to be closely monitored, if you met him, you would have no idea what he went through. you see no scars. he has no lingering ill effects (that are apparent to me).
the C family has the most amazing love for one another and outlook on life. and needless to say, neil being alive today is a miracle.
but there's more to this story. the first time i photographed the C family was last november. originally they were scheduled for 2009, but i happened to have a cancellation. after we were done shooting and marcina was sharing with me how thankful she was to be able to get in on a cancellation, she suddenly realized that the shoot was on the same day as neil's first brain surgery--an anniversary of sorts. and it is for that very reason that the photo below is so much more than just a photo for them. and it's a photo that almost didn't happen...
their entire session was super overcast, until the very moment of this shot. we were walking back to the car and i noticed the sun had come out. when i looked at kendra and saw the halo of light surrounding her, i said that she looked like an angel and asked if we could take a few more shots. little did i know at the time how important and magical the photos would end up being.
i also wanted to share a bit more about what kendra is currently working on. she's 10 years old now and has recently written and is going to be recording a song, voices of the children. the producer is already working with the band and hopefully kendra will be recording in a few weeks, with the release date anticipated to be the end of the year. kendra has decided that she will donate a portion of the proceeds to two children's charities: casa de amparo and childhelp.
one of the goals of last weekend's session was to get a photo for kendra's CD cover. this one is my favorite.
it is always such a joy to see them, as each of them is amazingly beautiful inside and out, with a zest for life that is unmatched. i am truly blessed to know them!!
ETA: neil was officially diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage (bleed). to this day, they do not know what caused this to happen. the first night in the hospital, his blood pressure was around 250/150. however, they can't say definitively that that is what caused the hemorrhage.
watching akeelah and the bee last night, with my family, warmed my soul. it was such a great, great movie. i laughed. i cried. my heart was filled with joy. i even love the movie's tag line: changing the world...one word at a time.
in the movie, mr. larabee introduced this awesome quote, by marianne williamson, to akeelah:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
and then while catching up on blogs, i found this glorious, inspiring blog (from hailey's blog, which i so love and have mentioned here before). it is there that i read these fabulous 50 lessons, written by regina brett, when she turned 50. another one of those writings to print and read often.
50 LIFE LESSONS
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
i've only just begun to dive into the serendipity factory blog but had to post about it. i could find myself there all day and night--watching, reading and soaking in every bit of the goodness and inspiration it has to offer. definitely a new fav, already added to my google reader.
a few things that warm my soul...
the goodness in this world.
the inspiration and creativity of others.
spending time with my family and friends.
very little is needed to make a happy life;it is all within yourself...
in your way of thinking.
- elisabeth kubler-ross
i'm not kidding when i say that i've rewritten this blog post three times today...and i had started and saved at least five different blog posts last week that never got published. so many thoughts running through my head, but none of those thoughts have made it farther than a blog draft thus far. but today is the day...to publish no matter what!
first, let me share that i'm back on the wagon--not the 'i'm going to abstain from drinking' wagon but the 'i'm going to get back in shape and not be so squishy' wagon. i was pretty much feeling crappy the past few weeks...really crappy. i had stopped working out a couple months before steve got home because i got too busy with work (photography). then i embraced steve's return and continued to not workout. a month later, we relocated and here we are--no more excuses--just feeling very "fluffy", as one of my dear friends says. it didn't matter how much i weighed; i knew i was fluffy and i felt like shit. a week ago, i committed that i'd get back on the wagon and begin working out. so i've been following a daily routine, alternating cardio and weight training. while i'm certain i haven't lost a pound and i'm not any less fluffy at this point, i'm standing taller and walking prouder already. i am determined!!
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i've also done a bunch of business thinking this week--ordered new business postcards, new business cards, and worked on a portfolio book. this morning, i began a blog post about my endeavors to market, in an effort to get clients while here in KS. by afternoon, i had decided that i'm not going to do any hard core marketing while here. instead, i'm going to use the next 11 months to hard core spend time with my family and shoot a bit (or maybe a lot) for me--personal work. i already have a few project ideas in mind, projects that actually having been keeping me up at night lately.
one of these days (soon) i'm going to feel settled enough to get back shooting. it's been a nice break but i really do miss my camera time.
if interested, you can preview (and even order a copy of) my portfolio book here. designing and sharing a book of your work, even if self-published, is always exciting. while the book started as a deb schwedhelm photography portfolio book accompanied by inspirational quotes...in the end, i decided to just let the photographs speak for themselves. i hope you enjoy! :-)
i don’t think you will ever...fully understand how you've touched my life
and made me who i am.
i don't think you could ever...
know just how truly special you are.
- erica jong
i have this thing. always have. i'm good at blocking things out. the bad things. the things that have been difficult in my life. i put them in a place, a place where i can't find them and they cannot escape. it's part of my personal survival mechanism in life. how i survived my past. i know...it's not exactly a good thing but i've become very good at it.
well, i have this thing with leaving too. this coping mechanism. if i keep telling everyone that i'll see them again before i go (truly believing that i just might), then i might not have to say an official good-bye. well this all hit me today. as i arranged to meet one of my greatest friends here in san diego, for a last play date together, because she is going out of town tomorrow and if we don't see each other today, i won't see her before we leave.
damn. that screws up my ability to say, i'll see you again before i go.
because i won't.
this play date arrangement all happened via email, while i was editing max's family's photos. and all of a sudden it hit me--the moving, the leaving. it hit me like a train and the tears began to uncontrollably flow. i couldn't keep them in that magic place, unable to escape...and i breathed and let them flow.
i have made some of the best friends i have ever had in my entire life, while here in san diego. and while i know for certain that i will see most of them again, it just doesn't matter...this leaving thing just sucks!
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long overdue, i am working hard to finish max's family's photos, to get the photos to the them before i leave. in the beginning of the year, i had told andy and melis that i really hoped to do a family photo of them before i left, if and when they were ready. in april, they were ready. i knew they would include max's shark, bruce, in the photos (always), but i had an idea for them to release seven orange balloons--max is forever seven and his favorite color was orange. they agreed. we walked around and shot all over balboa park, one of max's special places. a couple hours later and almost to our cars, melis says,
darn, we forgot about the balloons.
no worries, just get them and we'll photograph them somewhere here [near the parking lot], i replied.
and we did. i photographed the family releasing seven orange balloons for max to catch and hold onto in Heaven.
while editing the photos this morning, i came across this one, which literally took my breath away. it was my test shot for lighting. i'm not even sure what i focused on in the shot...it was just a test shot. but it wasn't; it turned out to be much, much more than just the test shot. it's like the light is pulling the balloons, calling for them. how did the wind of the balloons and the light of the flare line up so perfectly? i have to believe it's max's light shining down, letting them know that he's okay. and did andy see it? did he see or sense something that was beyond what he even knew at the time? all the other balloon shots i have...not a hint of wind.
the first shot, just testing the light
the moment the balloons were released, beginning to float away
watching them float to Heaven. to max.
will these people that have come into my life and changed my life forever...
will they ever know how much they mean to me?
how special they are?
how they have become a part of my soul?
she held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye.- kobi yamada
most of you probably already know that a huge part of my photography journey is giving. i feel that i have been blessed with this gift and i need to share, whenever i can. it completes me. i am a better, more complete person when i can give...
on july 8, 2008, kirsten was diagnosed with adrenal cancer. and that cancer had already metastasized to her liver and lungs. kirsten is only 36 and the mother of three young boys. after 9 rounds of chemo, she's currently on a 2-month break, so her body can recover a bit. while some of kirsten's tumors have shrunk, the cancer still exists in her adrenal gland, liver and lungs. kirsten will have a CT scan at the end of may, at which time they will look at what the tumors have done over the previous two months and make a decision on continued treatment options.
since we're moving in june, i wanted...i needed to photograph kirsten one more time before we left. in july and august, i photographed kirsten and her family, shortly after kirsten's diagnoses and beginning of chemotherapy.
but i really wanted to capture her beauty and strength one more time before leaving. and lucky enough, i was able to do so this past weekend. and i was not only able to photograph kirsten, but also her family and some of her extended family--her team (team kirsten). and they are all absolutely amazing. they are so filled with love, laughter, hope and faith...beyond words. we shared together. we laughed together. i can honestly say that i am blessed to have them as part of my life. and i so look forward to photographing kirsten and her family again, when i return to san diego this fall.
i so love that the above photo captures kirsten and jake talking about their team kirsten bracelets.
love you kirsten. i will forever embrace and celebrate your beauty, spirit, determination, bravery, radiance, faith, joy, laughter and...strength. you and your family are amazing and an inspiration to all.
so yesterday i still wasn't feeling the best. cramping at a minimum but still nauseous and rather tired (although 1:30 AM seemed to come rather quickly, for being so damn tired). looking and feeling like i just crawled out of bed, i decided to take the kids to PF changs for dinner. it's kiele's ultimate favorite and well, she took care of me the day prior, so i kind of felt like i owed her something special. i ordered the kids their standard--one order of honey chicken for the three to share. me...i ordered a cup of egg drop soup, hoping to soothe the belly. we get our food and all are enjoying their meals, when all of a sudden, i feel something in my mouth. a bit freaked out, i spit...and in my hand lay my tongue ring, which i proceed to giggle about and show the kids. it just so happened as i was spitting what seemed to be some foreign object that came from my soup into my hand, the manager walked by.
MA'AM! oh my gosh. did you just find something in your soup?
oh no. it's just my tongue ring. that's all. the soup is delicious, i replied with an embarrassed giggle.
oh! my! gosh! i was actually mortified. yep, that's all...just spitting out my tongue ring. oh my gosh! for those of you that have never met me, i have a bit of a rebellious side (just a bit)...i have a tongue ring (for 10 years) and a nose ring, along with a few tattoos. if i was 10 or so years younger and could do it again, to my husband's dismay, i'd have my entire arm tattooed and probably a few more piercings.
when i had my surgery, i had to take off all my jewelry, to include my nose and tongue ring. apparently when putting my tongue ring back in, i didn't tighten it quite enough. oh well, hopefully the manager was relieved that my egg drop soup was quite delicious and contained no foreign objects...and had quite the story to tell his wife when he got home.
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and tracking back to last weekend...
i had the most wonderful opportunity to go to yuma and photograph a couple families. one of them is a dear friend of mine, that moved from san diego to yuma last year. the other--a family that owns a farm, making their living selling the produce they farm. and the farm, my friends, is a total other world for me. i'm pretty afraid of farm animals, of all shapes and sizes. but, i didn't get close to the animals and they didn't get too close to me and i had the most amazing time. it was a blast to shoot another scenery. i had so much fun shooting my friend's family and the O family...with their beloved cows, which will go to the fair to be auctioned off this weekend, to ultimately end up on the winning bidder's dinner table (poor chip). yep, did i mention that it's a different world. here's a little peek of the first few photos i've edited. fun on the farm ;-)
we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.- winston churchill
a friend and i were talking today. she's a military spouse and photographer also and relocating in march to VA, after only being in FL for about six months. she was talking about how when she restarts her photography business in VA, she really wants charity work to be a significant part of her business. i...feel the same way.
giving back is and always will be an integral part of my business and who i am as a person. there's times when i wish i could give more but i do what i can, for the place that i'm in and at right now. later, when my kids are older and my husband is home more, maybe i can give more.
while i never, ever expect to get anything in return, i always do. i get the good for your soul kind of something--that something that cannot be touched, but instead felt with your heart and soul. that's what i get and that's what giving is all about. but every now and then, i get an incredible little treasure like this...
deb, you are so amazing. i wish there were words to tell you how much this means to us. the gift you give to people is so powerful and something that is timeless. i remember when i was sick i would look through our coffee table book and cry. i could literally remember that entire day and all those emotions. but that coffee table book gave me hope. it reminded me of the love we had at a time when i so lost. it brought back feelings that helped me to know that everything would be ok. what you do cannot be described with words. i just wish somehow i could repay you. if there is anything i can ever do, please don't hesitate.
give what you can.
give when you can.
just give something...
and see how good it feels.
i'll close with a couple photos of sam and his family. shooting sam is one of my ways of giving back.
p.s. speaking of giving. i still have to announce my giving is awesome winner, which will hopefully happen this week.
friends are an integral part of your life, but every friend you have must live life at their own pace. when the time comes and they must leave you, there is no need to grieve over their parting from your life. it is the very essence of life that it should be so. but it hurts nonetheless, but we hold them in our hearts forever. always cherish the joy, laughter, memories and love that they have brought into your lives. always remember them with a warm smile for what they have given you.- a beautiful mind quote
being a military family, this is something that happens often...location to location, we make friends, knowing that we will soon part ways. some friends you never speak to again. others, you know they will forever be your friend. some of these friendships are maintained on the phone, hoping that one day you'll see them again. others, if you're lucky, you are able to see maybe once a year. my friend, gwenn, is one of those friends.
gwenn and i were stationed at davis-monthan AFB together, as nurses. she left tucson in 1999 and we've been long distance friends ever since. it's hard to believe it's been 10 years now. we went years without seeing one another but have been lucky enough to live five hours apart for the past couple years. so right now we've been able to see each other once or twice a year. and when we do, it's like were were never apart.
this was gwenn and i, in 1998. she's in the blue uniform. i'm in the white uniform.
gwenn came to visit me this weekend, with her four-year-old. we had such a blast together. reminiscing, sharing, laughing.
i am so blessed to have these special friends in my life.
i'm headed out for a much needed holiday vacation and break. while there, i'm going to try real hard not to get on a computer and truly rest, relax and simply enjoy my family.
i hope everyone has a wonderful christmas and a incredible, hopeful new year. i'm excited to see what 2009 has in store!Â
thank you leah, for being such an amazing friend and for taking our family photos this year. Â love ya pal.
some things that i've come to love.
i adore her work so much. i think i could own every piece. there are possibilities for any one. possibilities for any room in your house. i'm going to create an inspiration wall in my house and one of her pieces will be on it.
because life is pretty darn amazing and i don't ever want to forget it, i love (and bought) this poster.
there's so many awesome pieces of inspirational jewelry on etsy. you can check out some here, here and here. they make such awesome gifts.
and then there's this bracelet, which not only looks awesome, it also has an amazing message and...the proceeds support a great cause.
her voice is beyond what i can even describe. angelic is the first word that comes to mind but you have to hear for yourself. she plays often in my house. soothes my soul.
more for my inspiration wall and gifts to others. i love her art so much. and her book.
and still more amazing work. i haven't bought a print yet, but i will soon...for the inspiration wall.
just discovered these shirts. oh...my...gosh...i heart them so.
in the spirit of giving, check out this amazing story. you never know what's possible if you dream big and go from there.
i don't have a coffee table right now but i do have this book and i love it so. when i do get a coffee table, *this book* will grace the center of the table and sit proudly for all to view and read. for now, it graces my bookshelf, reminding me daily of the wisdom of others, who have truly made an impact and made a difference. reminding me of what's possible.
i heart her. she not only followed her dream of being a photographer, she also took a greater leap and followed her dream of becoming a dog photographer. her work is amazing and i know she's going to be wickedly famous sometime soon. erin is the epitome of following your passion and your dream.
i love etsy so much. what could be better than sharing some handmade goodness this christmas? this year i bought a lot of my gifts from etsy, along with making some of my own gifts (calendars, greeting cards, etc.) to share with others. it feels so much better to give something i or someone else made versus something i went to the store and bought.
i cherish the beauty and power of a handwritten note so much and therefore, i am often looking and buying some sort of stationery product. right now i'm particularly loving letterpress products. i'm even thinking of doing letterpress business cards next year.
i adore these monsters and love the fact that the kids can design them themselves. however, i don't adore the fact that my dog already got to skyler's monster and put a hole in it. grrrr!
lastly (speaking of monsters), i so love skyler's homemade "good monsters" that she made to help protect ryder from the monsters that he says live in his walls and scare him.
i'll love you forever,i'll like you for always,
as long as i'm living
my babies you'll be.
adapted from robert munsch's book, love you forever
my three and i, taken by my dear friend, shawn, this past weekend (thanks shawn...love ya pal).
my three...
kiele: tweenish. smiling the way she thinks she's supposed to. my little mother hen.
skyler: cute as can be, with the pigtails she begged to have for the photo. her happy, smiley self.
ryder: sucking his thumb. a momma's boy. wearing the star wars shirt and tennies he begged to wear.
me: a temporary single mom. missing steve. cherishing my three.
my three...
they're growing up right before my eyes. no longer my babies, yet always my babies.
++++++
all three went to the dentist this past friday. ryder was the first one out and when i asked him how it went, he replied:
bad.
me: it went bad ryder? why? what happened?
ryder: she said i have to stop sucking my thumb.
and he's taken it very seriously ever since. tonight was no exception. when it was time for bed, i laid down with him (as i always do...breaking that habit will come another day). ryder's thumb went in his mouth a few times and he'd say the same thing each time.
no sucking my thumbie.
and each time, with a determined, forceful yank, out came his thumb. at one point he told me that he wasn't going to be able to stop sucking his thumb. i told him he could and what a big boy he was...how proud i am of him for trying. and within minutes, he had fallen asleep, without sucking his thumb. this was the first time ever...falling asleep without his thumb. and a bittersweet moment for me. my last baby of my babies really is growing up. sigh.
if you're a parent and you haven't read love you forever, you must. in my opinion, it's a book every parent should have on the shelf.
and giving is awesome.
those who follow my blog regularly know how thankful i am. and how much i love to give. because giving is awesome. giving feels good.
well...there's this awesome giving thing going on right now amongst the photography community (started by kirsten kalp). so of course, yes, yes, yes--i want to participate (i've actually been thinking about doing something similar for a while now, so what better time than now).
here are some words about the program and what i'm giving:
know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is selflessly volunteering despite extenuating personal circumstances? know someone who cannot afford custom photography, but would so cherish it like no other? know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love and beauty?
NOMINATE THEM.
give them the chance to win over $1700 of custom photography. Â they will receive:
a deb schwedhelm photography photo session
all of the images displayed in their gallery on CD
1 - 8x10
1 -11x14
and...the person who nominates the winner will receive a $250 print credit on a future deb schwedhelm photography session.
rules:
you cannot nominate yourself (however you can nominate one of your family members).
the person nominated must sincerely have a story and be incapable of purchasing custom photography.
the nominee must live around the san diego area.
photo session must take place sometime between jan through jun 2009.
you MUSTÂ email the full story to deb@debsphotographs.com
tell me who you're nominating, what they're experiencing and why you feel they deserve to win this (giving is) awesome custom photography package.
if possible include a photo of your nominee (and their family).
include contact information for both yourself and the nominee.
and, please comment here (on this blog entry) to let me know you've entered and ensure my receipt of your email entry.
the winner will be announced january 1st, so please tell your friends, spread the word and get nominating.
and if you're not in the san diego area, click here to find a participating photographer in your area. there's over 112 participating photographers, with over $153,085 in photography giveaways.
anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. but to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart...that's true strength.- author unkown
an eight year old boy, who just went through a liver and bowel transplant.
a two month old, who has the most terrible colic.
a three year old, who tolerates everything with joy and a smile on his face.
a family, who was displaced from their home, to endure 100 days in the hospital.
a man and woman, who are so grounded, genuine and kind and holding it together with grace.
they are...a family, full of real life superheroes.
it's knowing families like this one, the mikulak family, the sandstrom family...that bring inspiration into my life.  they amaze me. they bring me strength and courage. and it's families like these that i think about when i start to feel sorry for myself.  sure, suddenly becoming a single mom of three has it's own challenges, but 1) it's temporary and 2) it's nothing compared to what so many other families are enduring.
working to keep things in perspective.
and hey, who's that penguin in our photo session at the beach? Â lol.
the best things in life are unexpected, because there were no expectations.- eli khamarov
you never know what to expect at a photo shoot because so much of what happens depends on personality, age, location, etc. Â today's session was with the ogawa family and it was a really special session for them because they will be moving back to japan in december. having a great time together, talking and shooting, we roamed all around their condo complex. Â our final stop was a shady patch of grass, in front of one of the condos.
while i really try to never expect anything specific from or at a session, i surely didn't expect a car to come rolling down the hill, crash into the corner of a van, and roll onto the grass, directly where we were shooting. Â a little faster, the car would have hit the condo. Â it was actually a good thing that the car hit the van because in the process, it slowed down the car quite a bit. Â none of us saw the car coming; it wasn't until the <CRASH> Â that we turned and saw the car hitting the back end of the van. Â being in disbelief about what happened, our session ended with a phone call to the police and then a shot of the owaga family by the car (a photo that i will be giving the family because who would ever believe it ;-)). Â i told them that our session, their last photo session in the united states, was going to be a session they would never forget.
to the owaga family, thank you for a wonderful time today. Â that you for the sweet note. Â you are such an amazing, kind family.
++++++
haven't heard from steve today. Â we're hoping to skype with him in the next couple days. Â 7 PM here is 5 AM in iraq, so it works out pretty well. Â technology is incredible. Â the fact that we can talk and see steve (without any delays) is absolutely amazing and such a blessing. Â in steve's email yesterday, he said that the next couple days were going to be mostly just getting used to the time change.
today's joy...lawn mowing, grass seed placing, sweeping and watering. Â but i am grateful that i am healthy, strong and capable of doing it myself. Â and well, i now think of it as good exercise.
ryder's coughing like crazy. Â kiele has a really bad ear ache (taking her to the MD today). Â sky is healthy and feisty and full of it today. Â
my three and i, taken by my dear friend, shawn, this past weekend (thanks shawn...love ya pal).
