i got an email from max's dad today, sharing how interconnected things can sometimes be.
both max and kirsten battled cancer in san diego. i photographed both max and kirsten multiple times throughout their battle. max's doctor now works with Tgen (via the van andel research institute). and both families are incredible supporters of the cancer research taking place at Tgen.
it's such an honor for these families to be able to use these photos that i took of max and kirsten on websites, magazines, news publications, etc., in an effort to raise awareness and encourage others to give, with the hope that one day -- someday -- a cure WILL be found!
now, i can't wait to connect these two amazing families with one other.
max's dad also shared this video with me -- pat lacey talks about his son, will, a seven-year-old boy, who has been battling neuroblastoma since he was six months old.
i'm hoping that one of these days, i will be able to get to boston to photograph will and his family. we've been talking about it for years!
there's so many signs tacked up around tampa -- money 4 junk cars, 2/1 house for sale, avoid foreclosure, etc. well i love the idea of placing some of these around town.
longing for more music around my house. and this ipod dock is pretty darn cool.
love this simple, casual look so much. wish it was cooler so i could dress like this. we're back to humid and the 80s here in tampa.
something so magical and powerful about this moment captured. makes me want to slow down!
love the idea of making cords that are hanging around pretty.
this is SO my kind of business card. i never seem to have my business cards with me.
this power pig with 17 snout-plugs is pretty darn cool too. cords around the house make me cringe but i might be okay with them if i had a power pig. although i couldn't find it for sale anywhere.
i keep looking and looking at these. for years now. one day i'm going to get a pair. and red seems just right.
i'm not sure you can ever go wrong with homemade chicken noodle soup. some in the fridge. some in the freezer for a later date.
haven't made this recipe yet but i have all the ingredients and am excited to try it -- creamy chicken apple chili. a friend made it and said it was awesome.
not only do i love this quote, i love the whole mixed media art piece.
kirsten sandstrom endured a 21-month battle with adrenocortical carcinoma [acc], a rare and aggressive cancer of the adrenal glands. kirsten was only 37 when she passed away on march 25th, 2010, leaving behind a husband and three young boys. kirsten was such a kind, caring, incredible woman, whose beauty radiated through and through -- no matter how much pain she was in.
a few months ago, i was contacted by translational genomics research institute [tgen] about possibly using some photos of kirsten, in an upcoming issue of tgen today. i had already known that her family approved because they were the ones that referred tgen to me. and there was no question on my part. i immediately went through all of kirsten's images and shared every photo that i thought might possibly work for the article. i knew tgen was happy with the photographs but i didn't know which image[s] they had selected for kirsten's article.
a few days ago, i received tgen today in the mail.
the article -- the power of one: pasquinelli-sandstrom family establishes kirsten's legacy to focus on ACC resarch -- is so beautifully written. they included bailey's (one of kirsten's three sons) school essay:
I asked in a cautious voice, 'What's wrong, Dad?' He told us to sit down with him and said, 'Mom is really sick, and the doctors say she has cancer.' My heart skipped a beat. I was still wondering if he said this right. Could that even be possible? When I looked around the room, everything was fuzzy and I could not see anything. It was then that I hear my innocent little brother, Jake, ask, 'What's cancer?' At that moment, I knew he would feel unimaginable pain far worse than Holden, [Bailey's twin] and I were currently feeling. I knew that we all wanted to hug our mom and never let go.
and the closing paragraph quotes kirsten's dad...
What we hope to do at TGen through Kirsten's Legacy is this: She doesn't have to be physically alive for her faith and courage to be contagious, to give others hope. By funding this research, her faith and courage lie on through the successes I know TGen will achieve. And in turn, those successes will give others with ACC a chance.
let's be honest...
i had a rough couple of weeks. beyond my husband being gone, a bathroom renovation that is going anything but smoothly, and a re-roofing that left me saying "i really just hate that" [although they are fixing it]...my photography journey had me in tears [more times than once].
wondering...
where i'm at.
where i'm going.
just trying to make sense of it all.
of anything really.
but it's like trying to make sense of things in the midst of a tornado. the eye -- the center of the storm -- is there. you know it. but you can't get there. you can't even see it. you can't get to that bit of clarity...that bit that makes sense. it's all just swirling. that's how things have been and felt lately.
but today, my friend sent this to me, prefaced by...
saw this today and thought about you.
don't dilute your inner voice by soliciting the opinions of others, heeding them over its counsel. why ask mere mortals for advice when you're guided by sacred wisdom? treasure your sixth sense. treat it like gold. wear it close to your heart, and don't allow anyone to rob you of its power.
-sonia choquette
can't even begin to share how much this quote speaks to me. so much about this photography journey is trusting yourself. allowing yourself to just be. and learn. and grow. but trusting, and listening to that inner wisdom, along the way. and not being influenced by the craziness that surrounds you. and well, there's a lot of craziness going on in this industry right now.
with that being said, another wise, inspirational friend emailed me last week and shared how i need to just be patient. there's so much i still don't know. i'm still not educated on. instead of focusing on what isn't happening at this moment, i need to embrace and be grateful for what IS happening. words of wisdom from someone who has been there and done that.
i'm so not a reader. sadly, i never have been. i try [although probably not hard enough]. and sometimes force myself to start and finish a book; however, this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. i finished it in less than 24 hours. passed the book on to kiele the next day and she finished it in a day.
kiele has moved onto catching fire and i will start it as soon as she's done. i've heard the entire series is awesome.
what a wonderful tumblr THIS tumblr is. a tumblr that celebrates lovely moms. a tumblr that made my heart skip a beat as i scrolled through the images. and in celebrating lovely moms, i celebrate MY mom, whose birthday was yesterday (11/11/11)!!
mom,
i love you. more than words could ever express. more than you'll ever know. i can't believe all that you did for michelle and i growing up. i could never thank you enough. i know that you gave us the absolute best you could. everything you could. you asked me if i would forgive you. i forgave you long ago, although i'm not sure there was anything to forgive. i am who i am because of YOU! i am so very proud to call you my mom. i wouldn't have it any other way.
thank you mom.
for being so amazing.
and being such an inspirational survivor!
happy birthday!!!!!
i love you,
debbie
p.s. can't wait to see you next month.
a few photos of my mom, with the littles, this past july...
and a photo i found on my computer of my mom, kiele and i, from the dinner rehearsal before steve an i got married (2002)...
i'm excited to read this book, along with two other art history books i just purchased. and i'm hoping to start an art history class at a local community college in january.
as a former active duty air force nurse and now being married to a naval explosive ordnance disposal officer, i couldn't be more proud to celebrate veterans day and honor those who have served our nation in war...and peace.
do you know how and when veterans day was first declared?
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
[history.com]
++
the other day, i drove around the corner, to look at the monster house they're building right behind my house. a couple doors down, i noticed a large sign with an american flag and a marine corp flag on each corner of the sign. i said to my mother-in-law,
that's interesting. i've never seen flags of support like that on a home depot work sign before.
and then we got closer and i read the sign...
Tampa Bay Community Supporting
Cpl Michael Nicholson USMC
Giving our best for the best our
Nation has to give!
Send Donations to:
Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery
c/o Alley, Clark and Greivwe, PA
PO Box 3127
Tampa, FL 33601
as soon as i got back home, i began to investigate and learned that on july 6th, cpl nicholson [22-years-old] was on foot patrol in afghanistan and was attacked by a hidden improvised explosive device [IED], tragically losing both his legs and one of his arms. i continued to his michael nicholson fund facebook page and found this article about the endless search for IEDs in afghanistan. i also learned that the young man in the 11th photo down, cpl justin crabbe, who is from the same unit, also lost both of his legs due to an IED explosion in afghanistan.
on october 13th, corporal nicholson walked for the first time since july...
corporal nicholson is an american hero. a wounded warrior. a brave, young man, who has sacrificed beyond words. i can't imagine his pain. his suffering. i honor him -- his determination, strength, dedication...his courage. corporal nicholson is a true inspiration for us all.
if you would like to donate to corporal nicholson's road to recovery fund, here is the info:
The “Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery Fund” is set up and administered by Alley, Clark and Greiwe, PA in Tampa. 100% of the donations will go toward Nicholson's care, specifically on items not covered by the Veterans Administration. The fund is set up at the Bank of Tampa. Donations can be sent c/o Alley, Clark and Greiwe, PA P.O. Box 3127 Tampa FL 33601. Please only donate directly to them or Bank of Tampa and please make sure checks are made out to "Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery Fund"
spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you.- saint bartholomew
for me, there's so many ups and downs in photography. self-doubt seems to be the biggest culprit, creeping it's way in...time and time again. often, i get a photo that i so love and i think to myself, this is it...i'm done. how am i ever going to capture something like this again? doubting my abilities; viewing it more as an lucky break. i know that i am my own worst enemy. i am the one stopping myself and i must change that way of thinking. gratefully, my muse shakes me silly and continues to inspire me. and somehow it happens...another photograph that i fall in love with.
i'm feeling a bit lot lost and frustrated right now, which i'll share more about in another post. but for the moment, as the quote says, i just need to listen. and trust!! thankfully, she knows better than i do.
skyler, you looked over my shoulder and asked me what i was writing about you. this is what i want you to know...
i love you to the moon and back. and so much more than that. thank you for making me the person [and photographer] that i am. i trust you. completely. thank you! for being the amazing soul that you are...and inspiring me more than i ever dreamed.
muse.the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker or the like.
a goddess that inspires a creative artist.
a source of inspiration.
skyler is and always has been my muse. she inspires me more than any other. she's put up with my growth and frustrations in photography. she's allowed me to test new ideas and techniques. most of the time, she just does her thing and i excitedly shoot. we understand one another that way. but, i hope she knows how much i truly appreciate her and all she does and gives to me...each and every time. i can't imagine a better muse in my life but i guess that's what a muse is all about. i can't imagine my photography without her. ever.
needless to say, i have SO MANY photos of sky. i was grabbing some of my favorites of favorites, to share, and there were still so many that i decided to have a muse part I and II. most of these have come and gone, from my website portfolio. a few have stayed strong. i hope you enjoy part I [2006, when i first picked up a camera, till 2008]...
goodness, i love this child so much. so much my opposite. so much my same. so much completes me. and i can't wait to continue to grow WITH her.
october was a tad bit really crazy. it brought my 42nd birthday, new plumbing for our whole house, the complete demo of a bathroom, the start of the bathroom renovation and a husband leaving for three weeks to afghanistan.
in celebrating the chaos, here's a bit of what our everyday amongst the chaos looks like...
kid mess. not related to renovation mess.
"tribal markings", courtesy of kiele. notice the little chest hairs. he had armpit hair too.
ryder's new trick, which he won't stop doing.
charley love.
always asking to help with chores. well not always, but a lot of times.
location scouting.
playing on the front yard swing.
meeting more new friends on the farm, during kiele's riding lessons.
star tattoos and giggles.
half of the time, i find her upside down somewhere.
and some iphone [instagram] photos from this month...
where you'll find the little ones and i, every tuesday and thursday. where's skyler and ryder?
a few of my birthday surprises. can't even begin to tell you how much i love the art my kids create for me [thank you kim!!].
in the middle of the bathroom demo.
skyler: "hey mom, this looks like your hair".
i just love her knees. even more when they're dirty.
and here's to november and celebrating all that's to come.
there's a group of 12 of us participating in this monthly project. i hope you'll check them all out [clicking link to link]. next up is the awesome stephanie moore | tucson senior photographer.
a photographer went to a socialite party in new york. as he entered the front door, the hostest said 'i love your pictures. they're wonderful. you must have a fantastic camera'.he said nothing until dinner was finished. and then said, 'that was a wonderful dinner, you must have a terrific stove'.
- sam haskins
a friend recently shared the above quote on my facebook wall and well...i couldn't help but share it here too.
i really long for one red chair in my house [although i have no idea where i'd put it]. it can be from anywhere; just a cool red chair.
anthropologie has some awesome christmas stuff in their store right now. much of which could inspire do-it-yourself holiday projects. can't wait to make something like this...
i wish i was a better thrifter and sewer. i'd be all over finding sweaters and making this [made from an men's XL sweatshirt].
so smart. doing this as soon as i have enough toilet paper rolls.
these are pretty darn fabulous. and pretty darn expensive too.
i've been a long time user of allrecipes.com. i love that i can sort the recipes by rating and popularity. it's just so easy. and maybe i'm a creature of habit. also, over the past few weeks, i've been putting together 2-3 crockpot recipes sunday evening and then freezing them. it's so awesome having 2-3 meals done for the week. just pull out the ziploc bag from the freezer, thaw for 30 minutes, place in slow cooker, add the liquids...done!
had this buffalo chicken dip at a party i went to last weekend. OMG...amazing. she made it with rotisserie chicken [instead of canned] and served it with tortilla chips and red pepper slices. i will be bringing this to all future parties. it's that good.
although i have to say, this is my other party favorite -- tastefully simple beer bread and garlic garlic dip. it's always a huge, huge hit, whenever i bring it. my friend, gwenn, is a TS consultant, so if you want to purchase anything, her ID number is 0042780.
last but not least...finding out today that my awesome partner-in-crime, during my last two years in the military [we were health-care-integrator nurses together] just got selected for an air force PhD scholarship. she'll be moving closer and i can't wait to see her. it's been almost nine years. i LOVE when great things happen to great people. i couldn't think of a more deserving person. love and miss you laurie!! i'm so proud of you!
i saw this story on 503 photography's blog this morning. and while i've heard of storycorps [more times than once], i'm not sure i've ever listened to one of their stories. but i will now! after watching this [please watch it till the very end]...
while i have tears rolling down my cheeks, i can't get over how beautiful this story -- and their love -- is.
i think i'll start my every morning, after dropping off the kids at school, listening to a story. what a great way to start the day.
have a story? everyone does, right?! i remember many years ago, when good morning america [i think it was good morning america]drove an RV around the US stopping in various cities. they would then find a phone booth, open the phone book to a random page, point their finger at a name and that's whose house they would visit...to hear their story. loved the concept. loved the series. anyways, here's how you can record your story with story corps [either at one of their studio or mobile locations, do-it-yourself or sponsored door-to-door service.
thanks jessica for the awesome share and making my day a bit more beautiful and hopeful.
during family shoots, i always ask encourage the parents to allow me to photograph just the two of them [without their kids] for a bit. many times, i take one...or two photos [if i'm lucky] of the parents...and then they say, that's enough. i respect their wishes and never get too pushy, but i personally think it's an important aspect of a family session -- photos of the family together, siblings together, kids by themselves and parents by themselves.
last week, the joseph family was game for anything and they just happen to make photographing the two of them way too easy for me. so i kept shooting -- just the two of them. ryan is an awesome photographer here in town and shared with me that they never had family photos done together. sigh...i'm so incredibly happy i could capture these memories for them.
...headed to the other coast, for the next week. i will miss my family a ton! but excited to see my san diego friends again. and so very blessed to be shooting incredible clients there -- some of them since my first year in photography.
ETA: long story...but a day later [never making it further than houston's airport], i'm back home again.
i don't watch dancing with the stars, but i do read people magazine on occasion and i couldn't help but notice the small photo on the cover of JR martinez wearing what looked a bit like a military uniform. so i investigated on youtube and found JR martinez's incredible dancing with the stars rumba tribute dance -- a tribute to the men and women who didn't make it home. having been in the air force and having a husband who is explosive ordnance disposal in the navy [who is going to afghanistan for three weeks tomorrow], this brought me to tears.
you can watch the whole dancing with the stars bit here, to include his pre-dance interview.
a year of crockpot recipes. one for every day. this lady did just that.
love this simple polaroid wall layout. i so miss the old 600 film.
so love this. would love to have a huge 3 or 5 of my own. maybe next house.
love these lettered cups. sky has tons of knickknacks and i think something like this could be the perfect solution, along with being a stylish trinket collector [although i'd prefer plastic & available in the US]
i cannot wait to meet this woman! everything she does makes my heart so happy. i can only imagine how incredible she is in person. maybe next year i'll get to australia...just maybe.
here's a wondrous promo video hailey made and recently shared on her blog. enjoy!
