seven so soon

to my oldest baby

i can hardly believe you will be seven tomorrow.
each year as your birthday approaches
your excitement is palpitating.

i, however, get a lump in my throat.

i am in awe of who you are
and the lady you are growing into.

i see qualities in you that are absent in me. 

you want to be a doctor you say...
whatever you choose i know it will be filled
with compassion and joy.


you are no longer small but i can still carry you.
your fine baby hair is now a head full of golden locks.
your infectious smile is filled with full size teeth.
your legs are long and lean like your daddy's.

you wear your heart on your sleeve.

these years i cannot do over.
i know this in my brain, but
my heart aches that they will be gone forever.

please bear with me as i take an excessive
amount of pictures because i don't want to
forget one second. 

i love being your mom.

finding focus

focused. no one ever really used that word
to describe me... ever.
my every day can change direction... often.

when i stumbled into photography, what started as a
hobby quickly escalated into an obsession.

somehow i was now focused.

here was an artistic way
to tell a story,
freeze time,
create a mood,
sell a product,
all through an image.

it also provided an outlet for me to be creative,
and a mom, simultaneously.
i know many friends in search of that same balance.

one friend, jennifer, just opened her first etsy shop

Three Little Chicks Soap Bar

i took her product shots and hope she finds her balance.
stop by and check her out.

gratitude

lately i am overwhelmed by gratitude.
the result of starting over.
not by choice, something that just happens in life
and while it wasn't the easiest of times, in the end
fostered the most change.

i find myself waking up each morning and assessing the reasons
i have to be grateful.  

part of a growth process or a shift in thinking,
i can't complain.
we are better versions of ourselves and understand how
little things can be big things and most often they are free.

starting each day grateful for the things i do have fills me with positive.
each day is new
tomorrow may different but today, this day, it is perfect.

adi

gratitude for ...

 watching. loving. protecting

wild. funny. four

beauty flowing from the inside out

these days. everyone goes. supports. cheers. encourages.

brooke + mark | engagement shoot

i was so elated that brooke (a photographer herself) had chosen me to take her

engagement pictures.  

 the january california sunshine did not disappoint and
 we made it out of the garden within seconds of the sprinklers.

a panda | a daisy | an all-star

the panda

relentless | funny | determined | wryly | loving | kind | helpful

the daisy

sweet | sensitive | emotional | compassionate | smart | daydreamer

the all-star

humble | wise | gentle | witty | thoughtful | achiever

each day i notice how they have grown. 

 so proud to share their last name.

observant minds and kind hearts are my hopes for them.

if they do their best, they are the best.

so far so good.

the jetzer family | wilderness park

i photographed this easygoing family (dog included) on day that was scheduled for rain.  no rain, just sweet smiles, swords and beautiful sunshine...

and so it begins...

"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.  Beginning makes the conditions perfect."  

My hope for this blog is to share photographs with you.  

Images of my own family,  and the images of friends and clients.

 I read somewhere lately that you should be doing something that you think about everyday.  

I think about pictures, 

moments, 

and

 memories.

enjoy