I made it home and today is my first official day back at work. It feels good to attack my “to do” piles (yes, I’ve made “piles” plural on purpose…there is way too much to fit neatly into one pile, I’m afraid). But I’m in catch up mode, nonetheless. I know that I’ve been slow to fulfill orders and answer e-mails, but know that I haven’t forgotten about any of you and will be diligently working to get myself back up to speed this week. I am so grateful to all of you for the many e-mails and words of support and for your amazing patience. I send you all much Love.

Thank you.

This is one of my faves from a shoot back in November. He missed the beach while we were gone.

A few more shots from Ohio. I sure am going to miss it here…

I’m still in Ohio where the weather is dreary…but I woke up to such a warm surprise today…an e-mail from the amazing Kathryn, author of one of the best wedding blogs out there: Snippet & Ink! I was thrilled to see that Erin & Trevor’s gorgeous Coronado Island wedding is featured as today’s real wedding on Snippet and Ink. Thank you Kathryn, for posting these images, I couldn’t be more excited. And to Erin & Trevor, thanks for having me there, to say that it was an honor would be an understatement.

Click HERE to see the post!

So I don’t know exactly how to write about it,  but I can’t pretend that it didn’t happen either…

My dad died last Saturday. At 4:10 AM in room 157 at Hospice.

I’ll never forget that room.

It had large glass doors that opened up to the most unbelievable garden. At least I imagine that it was unbelievable because it was even beautiful covered in snow. Three cardinals were flying around outside and although he couldn’t see them, my dad was tickled that they were out there. I hadn’t seen a cardinal in years.

I hate the way that time just keeps ripping by with no regard to whether or not we could use a little (or a lot) more of it with someone.  I tried to make it a good send off, he deserved it.  We talked about the good times…fishing in the neighbors’ lake, our walks together in Greece, him dancing on a chair at my wedding, childhood pets, and mom of course. Funny what stands out when you’re presented with a mental slide show of your life in a time like this.

I could see the lightning bugs in our front yard and smell the wet grass like it was yesterday.

The nurse on duty from 7 to 7 was named Joyce. Joyce was my mom’s name. I knew something big would take place during those 12 hours, so I stayed close.

It was an honor, a privilege, an education for me. I got to see something real. Real.

At the end of the day, I could probably count the images that really matter on one hand.

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been”
Rainer Maria Rilke



and it is Christmas eve. Our creek is frozen over, but it is still so beautiful. We ran into a man and his dog named Mo. He told us that the snapping turtles were hibernating under the ground somewhere. There is snow. Not a lot, but enough to make it magical.

And magical it is…

Merry Christmas!

Just a little peek at what I’ve been working on this week:

These are all for Peek, of course. More soon, promise.

Between wrapping up shoots and getting orders out, I’ve been running around like crazy and have been really lame about blogging. I promise to share what I’ve been working on soon! In the meantime, I did want to share that I will be taking an extra long (and very much needed) winter break from December 20th through January 9th.  I will be out of the studio for this entire time and although I will have internet access, I will be practicing the art of unplugging and will not be checking my e-mail daily. I can guarantee order deliveries by Christmas if they are placed by December 15th. Any orders placed after December 20th will not be fulfilled until the new year.

In other news, I was looking through some personal images for our holiday cards this year and stumbled across a bunch of shots that Pat took and never even told me about! I was struck by how beautiful so many of these images are. He second-shot for me several times this year and I’ve been so blown away by what an amazing eye he has. He started the year off carrying around my old Rebel xt and then moved to a 30D…I think he just might be ready for another upgrade, what do you think? Here are a couple that melted me…

I should keep him around, don’t you think??

And so we are 5.

Due to a long chain of bizarre events, we had a 5th birthday party over two months late…but I don’t think that he minded one bit. Because his birthday falls in early September, we usually have a beach bash and invite basically whoever wants to come. However, because we found ourselves planning a party in the midst of (supposedly) rainy season we thought that a small indoor gathering would be more practical. We decided to have the party at my talented friend Cayce’s Art Studio, Blue Apple Studios. I’ve been a huge fan of both Cayce and her school for awhile, so I couldn’t wait. As it turns out, it was perfect. The kids did (what else?) a construction-themed project. Although I regret not getting a shot of each artist with his/her masterpiece, I did manage to grab a few of the action…

Making the dump truck cake earlier in the day

The masters at work…

Bursting with pride during the big moment.

My first attempt at a 3D cake…

Happy Birthday to the best teacher I’ve ever had. 5 years later and I still can’t believe that you’re here. Thanks for finding your way to us, we’d be lost without you! I Love You, mama

So, we got a tree on December 1st. It felt early, but he insisted…the virgo in the family is keeping us on point…

I’m seriously getting into the spirit here now that the tree is up. We made a Gingerbread house today and I intentionally chose the nastiest candy available so that my child would not be the slightest bit tempted. It worked. He still has no idea that those sketchy little Peeps snowmen are actually edible.

I’ve also been too busy to blog, I think. In the 3 years that I’ve been in business, I’ve never had so much work. I am grateful to say the least. I even had to turn some business away, which is a first for me. It made me feel sad, but a little happy too.

Have you ever cried in the scalding hot shower just because it felt good to do so? I tried it the other night and highly recommend it to everyone.

I’m done with my 2009 wedding season, it was a good one. Again, I’m so grateful.

My 5 year old has the best questions…a couple that come to mind: “Does Santa Claus ever die?” and “Mama, how exactly do blimps land?” Any help answering these would be greatly appreciated.

It has been over 6 years since I have left the country and I seriously have the itch…time to renew the passport.

I send you much comfort and joy this weekend…

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