Summer.2010.Week.One

Well, we survived week one of Summer 2010.

{I was a little unsure of that possibility.}

We had a few meltdowns, a few tears and lots of girl-fights.

{And that's just counting my own!}

But we had fun, too.

{Thank goodness!}

Ava started the week off right for us by laying on the ground in her p.j.'s first thing every morning.

{What is it about kids and laying on the ground?! And, while we're on the subject, at what age do we outgrow that compulsion?? Not sure I'll ever understand that one, but SO glad I outgrew it.}

Then we proceeded to make messes, big and small, all week long.

{Unfortunately, I still have all the evidence to prove it.}

We spent a lot of time in the sun and on the sidelines.

{We still have the sunburns to prove that, too.}

We also had sleepovers galore.

{And, yes, you guessed it, I still have the bags under my eyes to prove that, too.}

Hope your first week of summer was

a wild and wacky one, too!

middle.schooler.no.more

Jamie officially completed middle school today.

CONGRATULATIONS, beautiful girl!!!

These images were created to document this fleeting and pivotal time in her life.

Daily, I'm discovering my photographic voice and, as I do, I'm finding

that I really enjoy capturing the kinds of images that give you

a sense of the person's environment,

a feel for of the context of who they are

and the places and spaces

where they spend most of their time.

When I look at these images, I have to admit I'm just a wee bit envious.

I wish that I, too, had some images like this of me in the

hallways and classrooms of the schools of my youth.

Seriously, how cool would that be??

P.S. This session completed my promotion on behalf of the LCCAC.

A big, fat thank you to all the fabulous people who partnered with me on this project.

Please know that you were instrumental in protecting

untold numbers of children in our community.

Every last penny of the proceeds went towards the LCCAC's sexual abuse prevention programs.

I'm convinced that creating measurable change in people's lives is all about planting seeds, then stepping back and trusting that, someday, those seeds are going to blossom into something beautiful.

Many thanks for 'planting seeds' with me this Spring.

bird.on.the.wing

On Flight

a surprise in the sky

arriving first by sound then

a celebratory sight of wings

swimming through blue

envious of this

jubilation i am

this expanse of wing

and spirit

wanting for all the world

to join in this graceful surprise

for no one in particular

{xo, moi}

onward.ho.with.summer

School's out tomorrow and their anticipation of this event is palpable.

My own response to this event, however, is an awkward and

disjointed mix of anxiety, stress, excitement, and grateful relief.

You see, the run-up to this day is intense and most certainly, not for the faint of heart, which makes you glad to finally see it come to an end, but the manic pressure of May gives way to another kind of intensity.

For me {a self-described loner of sorts}, it means having three little lovelies at my heels all

day long and into the extended summer evenings, for days and weeks on end.

Too little sleep, too much stimulation, and multiplying little piles of clothes and

toys magically materializing in every room of the house.

Don't get me wrong now.

{because it would be so easy to do!}

I love summer and all it's accoutrements of noise and clamor and dirty barefeet padding in through the house and back out again. How do I know this, you may ask?

I know this because, even on my most frenetic and overstimulated days,

there is the quiet and solid assurance that,

really and truly,

I wouldn't want it any other way.

p.s.

{friends, please don't hesitate to remind of this in mid-July or any other time really!}

living.into.abundance

“So go,

look in a mirror,

bountiful living means you,

you in all your splendor, your loving, your

feeling, your insights and your confusion,

the complexity and simplicity that makes you,

is all that is bountiful.

Look no further, you are the wealth of the world.

Experience that,

and you will experience bountiful living.

{kabir}

{THIS, my friends, is bountiful living at it's finest.}

mom.in.the.Spring

I literally had to beg her to get a few shots

because she really, really doesn't like to be photographed.

Which is a cryin' shame for a woman so beautiful, inside and out.

Mom, you're the best of the best for putting up

with me and my annoyingly incessant efforts to make pictures.

I promise I won't ask you again for at least 2 months, k??

P.S. I love you and your visits.

Hugs,

H

picking.dandelions

Truer words were never spoken.

{See?? I told you I get desperate enough to make pictures that I will resort to photographing my own shoes. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.}

hi.my.name.is.holly.and.i.am.a.recipe.nut

{this is what happens when you are a photographer and your kids have had it with you taking pictures of them ... you start to take pictures of your food. beware: it's a slippery slope. what's next? pictures of your shoes from your own vantage point?? never say never.}

Maybe I'm a little obsessed with trying new recipes.

And maybe I'm particularly obsessed with finding

the very best chocolate chip recipe ever.

And, maybe, just maybe, this is in my top five so far.

Chocolate Chip Cookies That Will Make You Swoon

1 c butter (softened ever so slightly)

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs (room temp)

1 tsp pure vanilla

3 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

Semi-sweet choc chips, to taste.

I add walnuts or pecans to taste, too.

Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a mixer.

One at a time, add the room temp eggs. Beat just until creamy. Add vanilla.

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients. When done, slowly add to creamed mixture. When completely combined, fold in chocolate chips and/or nuts.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes & cool on wire rack.

{p.s. it's very important to take them out of the oven when they have

the very slightest golden brown tinge on the edges}

{p.p.s. i want to apologize for not acknowledging the source ... i have tried so many floating around the web and i haven't kept track like a good girl should}

not.born.to.run.but.doing.it.anyway

In the past week, I ran two half-marathons.

This one was accidental.

{for the record, my mum is 63 years old and this run was pretty much a walk in the park for her ... can you say rockstar??}

This one was intentional.

And they were both so much fun.

The thirteen-miler this morning had us winding down the canyon from the foothills to the city on a most amazing Spring day. As if that wasn't gift enough, when I arrived at the finish line, I got hugs and flowers and a handmade cardboard sign from four of my *most favorite* people in the whole wide world.

{really, do these luvvies of mine get any cuter??}

the golden warmth of a sunny day

the gently forgiving descent of a canyon road

the bubbling gurgles of the Poudre River providing the soundtrack

the collective energy and enthusiasm of hundreds of runners

the physical ability to propel myself forward for 13.1 miles

the mental ability to push beyond injury and frustration

the waiting arms of one very sweet hubby and 3 fabulous girlies

So,

just in case you were wondering??

Life.doesn't.get.any.better.than.that.

{P.S. Happy Mum's Day to all mothers everywhere!!}

Happiest.of.birthdays.to.Ava

So everyday

I was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth

of the ideas of God,

one of which was you.

{Mary Oliver}

Our irrepressibly sweet 5 year-old became a 6 year-old this morning.

She graduates from kindergarten in just a few short weeks.

She is our last child and, although I want to share in the completeness of her joy at moving on, I falter because a big piece of me mourns this irreversible transition.
The realization that I'll never be a mother of a kindergartener again stings and yet,
how can I not be overcome with joy at how good and full she is
in her embrace of this new thing in her life? Ah, the very crux of life and change!

Her only request for her special day?
To have a cheeseburger for dinner.
And the very thought of that gave her such delight.

Really, where would I be without these little people reminding me
to delight in all the small things???

absolutely.positively.in.love.with.yoga

{in my dreams, i can actually do the move that my instructor Emily is doing above and it's really fun}

So, yoga teaches that we are
all one,
all connected,
all here to guide, teach and support
each other in the process of being.
We will all have to struggle through the myriad challenges that will occur
in the uncovering of our light and this process can take lifetimes.
The first step of true healing is to see our lives beyond reason,
embrace the mystery,
stay present and breathe
and have the strength every day in all moments
to forgive ourselves and each other
for the impossibly vulnerable task of being in these bodies at this time.

Breathe and all will be revealed,
love and all will be healed.
This is yoga.

{Seane Corn}

beauty.revisited

Dear Kiera,

You make my job so easy.

{Really, could you be ANY more photogenic??}

And so fun.

Also, I'm really glad I didn't have to chase down the man

who tried to steal my camera bag out of this field

because if I did,

it wouldn't have been pretty.

As always, many thanks for the adventures

and the inspiration.

{xo, me}

p.s. you can see Kiera's take on this sesh HERE

p.p.s. having photographer friends is really, really fun