The Last day of School

Every year on the first and last days of school the boys would stand against the wall and I'd measure how much they'd grown. They loved tracking how tall they were. They'd stand with their heels against the baseboard, their backs straight and their heads held high. I'd make the mark and before I was done they'd duck out from under my arm to see how tall they were. Well today is the last day of school, but no marks will be made on the wall today. Instead I took a picture to remember how fast kids grow and how short life can be.

Who Me?

I'm just going to put this out there . . . . On of my long range photography goals is to be asked to speak at a photography convention like WPPI. Why? I don't know, public speaking scares me to death.

When a friend contacted me about learning photography from me, I saw it as a first step to reaching my outrageous goal. But when I sat down to write the lesson I was immediately hit with my many insecurities. "What right do I have to teach a class?" I'm still in the beginning learning stage. "What can someone possibly learn from me, when I still have hundreds of questions?" "How can I instruct someone else to better their photography when I don't know how to better my own?"

But then I pause . . . take a DEEP breath and remember how far I've come. I know more today than I did yesterday, more this year than I did last year. And that information I CAN share. So what little knowledge I do have I will use to build my knowledge and teach others. And that will bring me closer to my goal . . .

Reisner Family

Last week I had the opportunity to work with the Reisner family. They are a great family full of fun and affection. They have a heart for working in Mexico with Amor Ministries and have been there several times.

There were 3 couples to work with which made capturing the emotion fun.

Don't they all make the most adorable couples. :)

These are my favorite kind of photos. People are not smiling for the camera, but they are interacting and showing emotion. :)

Miss Daisy

The youngest of 4 and the only girl, she’s bound to be the princess of the family. She’s only 8 months old and she’s already demonstrating her love for jewelry and shopping. Her mom says she’s already full of drama. And with 4 older brothers, she’ll be tough.

     My niece Daisy was my first portrait session since in several months, and she was a great subject to photograph. She didn't really sit still, but she had some great expressions.
                             

                                                          Exploring . . . .

I think this is my favorite picture. I mean really . . . just look at that expression!! :)

Linked Hearts

It was Thanksgiving and we were at my sisters house. We played Rob Your Neighbor, a game my family had been playing since I was little. And now my sisters and I were passing the game onto our children. This particular year my son won a bracelet of linked hearts. What is a little boy, who is more interested in dirt, sticks and rocks, going to do with a delicate heart bracelet. He didn't even think twice, he gave it to his Mom. Now that little boys is gone. All this Mom has left of her little boy are toys, pictures, memories and a bracelet of linked hearts.

Spring Tulips

Well weather I like it or not . . . . Spring is here! It doesn't seem right that time continues to move forward. However to celebrate the new life of the season, I spent some time at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. (http://www.woodenshoe.com/) I love to get up close to see the tiny details we would otherwise miss when we look at the landscape. I hope you enjoy the tiny details as much as I do. :)

The Greeley Boys Visit

I've said it several times and I'll say it again . . . I have an AMAZING family!! With-in a few days of hearing about the accident most all of my Mom's 8 brothers and sisters arrived in Oregon. My Grandparents came, even though they'd just been here for a visit. My Dad's brother and his wife brought their 3 girls with them. I got calls and emails from my Dad's other brothers. A couple weeks after everyone went home another brother of my Dad's came for a 2 week visit. At the end of March my Mom's 2 older brother's came for a visit. By this time I'd picked up my camera again . . . so I was able to document their visit.

We took them to Mt. St. Helen's . . . but there were so many clouds we couldn't see the mountain.

         Mom and I with her 2 older brothers Ken and David.

       Mom, Uncle Ken and Uncle David at one of Mt. St. Helen's visitor centers.

The conspiracy theories that went through the car when we found this locked government facility were truly epic.

On Saturday we went to the beach. On the way we stopped at Camp 18 . . . a very good resturant that has preserved history of Oregon logging camps.

             Uncle Ken :)

              My family

            My sister Elizabeth giving Uncle Ken bunny ears while he talks to Uncle David :)

Old logging saw . . . up close

On Monday we took them to Multnomah Falls. It was a cold, wet and rainy day. We took the senic drive up to the falls . . . it was beautiful despite the weather. :)

          Columbia River Gorge

Latourell Falls

Wahkeena Falls

Multnomah Falls

We were so wet at cold, we decided to get some hot chocolate. It's pretty sad when everyone sits around on their phones . . . .  When this is the view out the window

Multnomah Falls Lodge