Click on the title of the blog post to view the entire entry.
Happy December 1st! Sending thoughts of good cheer to everyone out there in blog-land… thanks so much to everyone for participating in our gratitude discussion last month.. the drawing winner was reader Adrienne Ferguson, who wins a complimentary 2009 portrait session for her wonderful comments! Email us anytime to claim your prize!
In the meantime.. here’s some cheer for a blustery December Monday morning… enjoy!
For mine, who has been so sweet and patient through my crazy busy season, helping deliver pictures and bringing me late night diet cokes..
And for yours.. all of my client families, who each seem to invite me in as a new member, making me feel welcome and so close to you all!
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family… thank you for being a part of mine!
Closing with one picture.. just one.. from a session I finally was able to do for my OWN family… if I ever get time to edit them these might just be the best cards I’ve ever done! 
By the way… we will be *closed* over the next few days, so emails & phone calls won’t be returned as quickly as usual. Trust me, both Erin & I are still busily working on your orders, but we need to work on some Turkey dinner as well.
Not just for this (woo hoo!) but moreso for things like this, and this.
The random act of kindness.. somehow it seems so much more gracious when performed by the $67 million man.. as if such one on one charity is for some reason beneath him, saved for little people like the rest of us. Stories like this remind us that NO ONE is above helping their fellow man.. whether that’s a neighbor, a friend, or a complete stranger. We are all (thank you high school musical) in this together, and it is only together that we can get through it… that goes for the slow economy and the daily grind and everything in between!
As we look around this month at the things we are thankful for, it should also be a reminder of what others are lacking, and what we can do to help. Something as simple as a movie ticket. It probably won’t get you on the news… but if it makes the world a little brighter for someone else, isn’t that enough?
And now, keeping in that theme, some completely random photos.. of people who are all very kind?
Remember to keep posting the things you are grateful for as part of our blog contest.. but today let’s add submissions of random acts of kindness… I know you all are the sweetest people in the metroplex, it’s time to share!
Happy Monday!
New clients with a brand new baby on the way… doesn’t get much more new than that! These two were impossibly cute, so sweet and SO excited about the upcoming birth of their new baby, you couldn’t help but love them!
Dad was so sweet, helping pick out clothes and actually being involved in the session (take notes, guys!).. he was so proud of her, so in love with her and the beautiful baby belly she was spouting, it was heartwarming to watch
And Mom kept attempting serious faces for us but failed miserably.. finally giving up with a laugh and saying “I can’t help it, I’m a smiler!” And I’m guessing that by December she’ll have so much more to smile about!
p.s. What are you grateful for? Don’t forget about our blog contest.. leave me a comment and tell me what’s on your gratitude list today, one submission will be randomly picked to win a 2009 portrait session!
my fabulous clients!
The ones who are willing to let themselves go, be silly and crazy, be totally relaxed and go with the flow.. and just trust me it will turn into great pictures
The ones who let their kids choose their own clothes, even if it isn’t the perfectly pressed button down they might have in mind.. but rather who understand their kids have their own sense of style.. however unique.. and that is something worth celebrating
The ones who trust me enough to let their kids make silly faces and dance around, hoping we end up with something usable out of the chaos
The ones who braved the COOOOLLLLLDDD winds with me on Saturday for our final mini sessions of the season!
And especially the ones who, after years of sessions or sometimes just one, have become more like old friends than clients.. who I look forward to seeing again and whose kids run to give me a hug when we meet. I can’t post a picture here, there are just too many of you out there! But each one makes my job so fun, so rewarding.. so much like my leisure hobby than work! (even during these late night editing binges to get me through the holidays!) I can’t imagine being any luckier in my work than I am right now!
p.s. I should point out.. this also includes being grateful for the clients who have been SO patient, we have scores of deliveries going out this week, and more proofs to view right behind them. Thank you for waiting, it won’t be much longer!
November is a month for Thanksgiving, perfect timing in light of how I spent last weekend. As inspired by a dear friend who has had more than her fair share of heartache this year, I’d like to take a moment to remember the things I am grateful for.
I am grateful for my friends, who braved the cold and wind to join myself and the nearly four thousand other walkers this weekend in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. Their humor, conversation, bright spirits and contagious laughter made the impossible actually enjoyable.
I am grateful for my family, from my sweet, loyal husband who walked by my side every step of the way (and never once complained about the incredible excess of girl talk and boob references) to my girls who were the best cheering section a mom could ask for. Seeing their smiling faces on the road ahead made blisters disappear, and put a bounce in my step I could not have imagined.
I am grateful for my mom, who has been there for every step in my life, baby steps, life steps, and these 60 miles worth of steps, supporting me and encouraging me, all the while keeping up pretty well herself. She is so much stronger than anyone, even she, gives her credit for, but I hope she knows we notice.
I am grateful for the beautiful weather that made the long walks so peaceful and (dare I say?) pleasant. The sun on our faces and cool breeze on our back felt like mother nature guiding the path. We could not have planned it better.
I am grateful for the hundreds of port-a-potties along the route. Enough said.
I am grateful for all of the organizers, and fellow walkers, who made this incredible event possible. Their elbow grease and long hours made what could have been chaos a fun and inspiring experience, and their companionship along the road reminded us that we are all in it together, strangers and friends, women and men, young and old.. this is a battle we can only win if we stick together.
I am grateful for everyone who gave a donation, no matter how small, to me or anyone else on the walk. Together we raised nearly $8 million dollars, which will fund cancer research, prevention, and treatment. I would not have been there without your support, financial and emotional, and I felt your love every step of the way, just as the brave women fighting breast cancer will feel it in the months and years to come, when they reap the benefits of your donations.
I am grateful for my team leader, a dear sweet friend who crossed the finish line on the first anniversary of being cancer-free. She is an inspiration to us all, never wavering from her commitment to the cause, her family, her friends, or herself. A consummate bright spot in the day, we looked to her when we were tired or bored, and her spirit kept us going through the miles. The walk was her idea, and I would walk another 100 miles today if she asked me to. (side note, the picture of us together was at the end of the closing ceremony, which should be called a 30-minute sob-fest, hence the puffy eyes and tear stained faces)
Most of all, I am grateful for every blister, every sore muscle and achy joint. Every time I feel a pain it reminds me that I am alive, that I have been blessed with a body healthy enough to attempt crazy adventures such as this, and I am here to enjoy the agony and the exhalation in the aftermath. Every cold wind I braced against was a reminder that I am here to breathe, and every scorching sunbeam was a reminder that I can still feel its glow on my shoulders. We passed signs along the way that were inspiring.. “Go Mom!” and “We are so proud.” But the signs that kept us going were the ones that reminded us why we were there, such as the young boy standing silent holding a handmade sign that read “My mom would have said thank you,” or the little girl in a stroller bearing a sign “My mommy walks with you because my Grandma walks with Jesus.” No matter how badly I hurt, or how many other things I had waiting on my to-do list when I got home, I am grateful that I was able to be there at all, and that my children had a mom coming home to them. There are no words to explain how grateful I am to be here today.. even with the stack of laundry on my kitchen table and stack of orders on my desk. (and on those same lines, I am grateful for the clients who have been patient enough to allow me this time to indulge myself in this little excursion in the midst of the one time a year that everyone is on a short deadline!) Too many women were taken before their to do list was finished, and aren’t here to rush their kids ready in the morning. Every breath is a blessing, every blister a wake up call. And for that, I am grateful.
As an offshoot of this post, I’ve got my girls writing in a nightly gratitude journal for the month, maybe longer. I want them to learn to be thankful for the little things, the ones we often overlook in the rush of the day. I’d love for you to join me, post the things you and/or your children are grateful for in the comments box under the posts any day in November, and we’ll have a drawing at the end of the month of all the names of people who participated, with the winner earning a certificate for a 2009 portrait session.. another thing to be grateful for!
Tomorrow morning (WAY too early!) I’ll start the Breast Cancer 3day Walk, a 60-mile trek across the Dallas-Ft Worth area to raise money and awareness for breast cancer prevention, treatment, and cure. It has been an amazing experience already, and we haven’t even gotten to the starting line!
Thank you, thank you, to all of the wonderful family, friends, and clients who have donated money or attended fundraising events to help me reach my awesome goal. I wouldn’t be here without all of you! As much as i would love to bring you all with me on this journey, I know my fanny pack is only so big.. and you’ve all expressed a desire to skip the walking part!
In an effort to share the experience with you all as much as possible, I’ll be detailing the weekend on twitter.. which, if you don’t know, is a sort of instant messenger/blog hybrid. You can follow along here:
Wish me luck!!
If you are even more inclined to support the walkers, there are cheering stations set up along the route for anyone to come watch, cheer, hold signs, etc.. it’s a great source of encouragement to the walkers as they make the long journey. More details on that available here.
p.s. there is still time to donate if you want to, I’ve been lucky enough to reach my goal but a few of our teammates (including my mom!) have not.. they will appreciate the support! Click on either of the links below to make a donation. And get ready for some fabulous pictures of the whole event next week!
p.p.s. if you are waiting for your proofs or delivery.. I promise you will hear from us first thing next week! thanks for your patience!
Have you heard? There’s an election today!
Okay, so I know none of you are living under a rock and are all well aware of the big huge monumental historic election going on… and are probably sick of hearing about it and ready for it to be over.. but FIRST.. you have to vote!!!
Yes, your vote counts.. even when you aren’t in a battleground state… even when you know your spouse or best friend is going to vote and immediately cancel out your pick… EVERY VOTE COUNTS!
Even the votes like this one, a mock election held in my little girls’ bedroom while playing school…
Clearly we are a bi-partisan household. With creative spellers.
So maybe THAT ballot doesn’t count.. but the ones at your local polling center do, so find your spot and get out there and let your voice be heard!
Just to motivate you some more, how about some adorable pictures? Nothing to do with elections.. but maybe they’ll put you in such a good mood you can tolerate the long lines and confusing ballots and blabbermouth pundits on tv!
Happy Election Day!
