All I want for Christmas..

My friend got one of these for Christmas and loves it.. I think it's what I'm buying with my Christmas money this year :) Check it out!!

http://joby.com/gorillapod

I love you..

Ladies!!! I know we are not even thru Christmas yet, but it's time to start booking Valentines Day sessions!!! I know, I know.. it's so early!!! BUT.. let's get those sessions scheduled. Come enjoy a little studio time with the girls, get comfortable and let's take some awesome photos for that hubby! What better gift to him than an awesome photo album of.. YOU!!

Wordless Wednesday

The Wooden Bowl

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now,
a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.
The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and
failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
'We must do something about father,' said the son.
'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.
Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded,
'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.
' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason,
neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:
a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you
But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others,
your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

And my boys..

They are growing up fast. Zaner is in preschool and learns more and more everyday. He's loosing his little New Yorkan accent and talking like a grown up boy :( Colby is loosing more and more teeth week by week, getting taller, acting all grown up. It's a proud day and a sad day for a mom around here. At least the little one still calls me mommy :)

Skater, guitar playing senior

Thanks for Phillip and going along with my crazy places I made him pose :) He was a good sport.. and I can't take all the credit as he had a few ideas for himself!

Shame on me..

I've completely let my blog go over the last few months! I promise to keep up with it more in the future... I've also missed out on all my friends' blogs!! So much to read up on now.

Life is good.. been super busy with photography and that's my excuse anyway :) It's now time for a little vacation!

Christmas shopping is DONE, photo orders are IN, Christmas Cards are OUT :) That pretty much completes my small list this year.

But before I leave my small and sweet blog for tonite, I'm posting some of my faves from a few shoots this week :] Just one of my most favorite little boys that I get to spend time with every day!

7 year olds

God, Please grant me patience and understanding.

GOD, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can,
and the Wisdom
to know the difference.

Weekend photo shoots.. Sunflowers and Seniors

Here are a few of my favorites from my most recent photo shoots. Still enjoying everyday as a photographer.

I need a tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' he replied 'I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.' 'Funny thing is,' he smiled,' when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before'."

Forgiveness

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Mahatma Gandhi

All my life I have struggled with forgiving. People that I should have forgiven years ago have passed, and I wish with all my heart I would have been able to tell them I forgave them. I struggle every day to realize that no one is perfect and people make mistakes. So this I vow to say every morning, this is my prayer.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

photographer?

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, 'Well, I'm off now. The man should be here soon.' Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale. 'Good morning, Ma'am', he said, 'I've come to...' 'Oh, no need to explain,' Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, 'I've been expecting you.' 'Have you really?' said the photographer. 'Well, that's good. Did you know babies are my specialty?' 'Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat !. After a moment she asked, blushing, 'Well, where do we start?' 'Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there.' 'Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!' 'Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.' 'My, that's a lot!', gasped Mrs. Smith. 'Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be In and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that.' 'Don't I know it,' said Mrs. Smith quietly. The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. 'This was done on the top of a bus,' he said. 'Oh, my God!' Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat. 'And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.' 'She was difficult?' asked Mrs. Smith. 'Yes, I'm afraid so. I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look' 'Four and five deep?' said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement. 'Yes', the photographer replied. 'And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.' Mrs. Smith leaned forward. 'Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?' 'It's true, Ma'am, yes.. Well, if you're ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.' 'Tripod?' 'Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long.' Mrs. Smith fainted

The most beautiful surprise...

It's been a little while since I've been able to sit down and write. Summer has begun and we are busy. I've been sold into coaching for Colby's machine pitch team, which is ok. Kids are kids and as long as they have fun, so will I. Meeting new people in town is always nice too. In a few weeks, I will also be helping with the vacation Bible school. Yeah, I guess this is the beginning of another 15 years of volunteering.
So, in the middle of all my busyness, I get the most wonderful surprise... My biological Dad, Jeff calls. Says him and his wife are in town and would like to see me! How exciting it was. I can't explain in words the anxiety that I felt as the moment neared. My hands were shaking, my heart beating a little faster. I'm not sure what I was thinking.. at first, that all was ok.. second.. hmm. I don't even know. When I saw him and Becky walking up, I know my whole body tensed up.. But, when I walked out that door and he was there with open arms.. it was like I was this little girl running into the arms of her Daddy. Of course I cried.
The hug. Oh, the hug. It was like the long awaited hug and I didn't want to let go. Anyone that knows me, knows that I struggle with hugs. I hug my husband and boys more than I can count on my fingers and toes everyday.. but friends, strangers, other family? I just struggle. My friend Tonya once told me that she could tell that I was very uncomfortable with the first hug we shared. I'm getting better- thank you Tonya :).. but back on the "daddy" hug. I will always remember that moment. It was the tightest hug, I felt like he didn't want to let go. Like all of those years that have passed.. all of those hugs missed.. ah. The hug. Again, when they parted, we hugged again. I felt as if, all the years missed, all the blame I've laid upon him, all the anxieties... gone in an instant. In a hug. Don't get me wrong, I'm trying to keep the "amy" guard up, but it almost seems impossible with him. As if my heart knows he's a good person. That it knows that he won't hurt me. I've prayed for years that we would once again find each other. It's now happened and I continue to pray that my heart will not again be broken.