Memorial Weekend

While I am not at my house today, I do not have access to my photos from this {not-so-pretty} weekend. FAIL! But I can at least tell you about it!

The hubs, kiddo and I stumbled upon the beautiful Mud Mountain Dam and Park. It's a huge park with three separate play areas, and a wadding pool with a fountain for the kids to play in - once the sun actually shows it's face! We had a picnic lunch, and took the small 2/3 of a mile hike down to the Dam view point, and back up. It was a nice family afternoon! To sum up our three day weekend, the three of us just spent time together and hung out as a family. That's about it! Nothing too exciting to the outside world, but for us the time we are able to spend all together does not come around too often! So we take it whenever we can!

But above all that, we would not be able to enjoy any time together at all if it were not for our Military, it's troops, and their families.

Isn't that what this long weekend was about, after all?

I was not raised in a Military family, although I have had family members and friends who have served. And I know of quit a few active troops. Some of which are overseas at this very moment.

There are not enough words to describe the Gratitude I feel for everything these people do for us! Not to mention their families - whom I believe do not get enough credit. They serve and protect just as much as their family members do!

I too, know quit a few Military Wives and have told them face-to-face, that I am not strong enough to do what they do day in and day out. These women and men are the strongest people I know! And for their support and courage, I Thank them!

And to all of those who are serving, those who have in the past, and those we have lost, I THANK YOU. For everything you do, and everything you have done.

Without you, I would not have my Freedom.

Much Love

XoXo

Edit Me!

I came across this great Photog blog, called Reflection of Something. 

She has a weekly challenge titled Edit Me, and I thought I would join in today! 

Why not?! So here it is...my edited photo for this week's Edit Me:

Rantin' and Ravin'

I have this feeling that people are thinking I consider myself a "Professional". 

This is hardly the case! I am so far from that word that I laugh at myself when I say it!

I consider myself to be a Novice Photographer;

nov·ice

[nov-is] –noun

A person who is new to the circumstances, work, etc., in which he or she is placed; beginner.

 

So what's with the watermark, you ask? I have the same simple answer as anyone else - so nobody can imitate MY image! And I don't see how that is so far out there...And I am almost positive that there are individuals out there that think I am a joke. Well so be it.

Just because I am not loaded with all the cash in the world to buy the top-of-the-line equipment {which I know & fully understand that I need}, does not mean that I cannot be PASSIONATE about something!

 

 

Who standardizes a Professional? And is it an absolute necessity to do a year of free photos and portfolio building? I suppose so. But at the same time, on the other hand, isn't our time worth something? Even if it is just a mere {and to some laughable} $50.00?

 

 

Who made the labels, and what exactly are the standards? Because I have honestly heard a million different things, coming from a million different directions. I know, I know. All I can do is what I want, and go by what I feel. Which is exactly what I am trying to do! But I can't seem to think of more than about 5 people who take me seriously.

 

 

I am not trying to step on toes, or take the easy road. Because honestly, I don't even know where Easy Road is located! It's sure as hell not on MY map! I am a hard, honest worker. I have worked for every single thing that I own. I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not. So I completely understand why some would think I was walking around the mud hole {sort-to-speak}, rather than wading through like everyone else. But guess what? I AM! More so than most would realize! I am not working with what everyone else can afford! I am using what I can, and getting GREAT results! And yes, I am going to toot my own horn, FINALLY! Would you like to know why? Because I never do, and I never have. And when I look at the photographs I have captured, I am PROUD. I like what I have done, and above all, I am proud of MYSELF for finally doing something for ME! All I want to do, is to do what I enjoy! Why is that so hard for people to recognize?

 

 

 

As some others may ask, why the business name? Your answer will be found in this post...

I do not want to come across as a know-it-all, or a professional. Because I am fully aware that I am not. I just want to be taken seriously, and be respected. Just like every human being that I have ever met.

 

 

I do apologize for this rant, however, it is something that I have been holding in and needed to get out. If you have read this far, I Thank you.

I thank you for being interesting enough in what I have to say, and reading my opinions.

 

MUCH LOVE

XoXo

 

 

Pre-school Graduation!

Yesterday was the day that our {not-so} baby girl Graduated from Pre-school! Can you believe that?! Because we sure can't!

 It was all so cute! The Pre-school {which is in a church} had both the PM classes, Pre-school & Pre-K, Graduate together. They had a clown {which I am personally not fond of} named Leo perform some "magic tricks" and entertain the kiddos for awhile. Which they all LOVED, of course! And after that, they had the "ceremony". During which they called each child up by their name, shook their hand and Congratulated them and gave them all, their own personal, Kid's Bible. Which is REALLY nice, by the way!

They of course sang a few songs, and the teachers told us what each child wants to be when they grown up. What does my daughter want to be you ask? A TEACHER!!

Our future Educator!

After all of that FUN we headed over to good ol' Red Robin for some kid-friendly lunch {with the in-laws}, and treated the Girl to a much deserved milk shake! We couldn't stop telling her how PROUD we are of her, and what a big girl she has become! And next year...PRE-K! Will time ever slow down?

Happy Graduation to our Girl!

It's All About the Learning!

In my last post I had mentioned that I had a busy weekend planned. And it was! It was a lot of fun, though! 

On Saturday I attended a KILLER workshop entitled "Capturing True Emotion", hosted by Val Westover and Stephanie Adriana. They are both {amazing} professional photographers, and I love their work! The fact that they were both extremely nice and friendly people helped, too! They went over all the basic elements of digital photography, and it was SO informative! It was held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and was an all-day course. 

It began with the workshop portion, which started at 8am and went until 12:30. Then there was a lunch break, and we met up for the Safari portion of the day. We went outside, and put to use everything that we had just talked about that morning. They were both there to guide us if any of us needed help, or to answer questions. This went until 5pm that evening. 

Overall, I loved the experience and am SO glad that I did this!

Then on Sunday I had a one-on-one mentoring session with the extremely gifted, and talented, Lindsay Porter. You MUST check her out at
Lindsay Porter Photography!
She is the sweetest person! She helped me to understand some things, and answered a lot of questions. And I cannot WAIT to learn more from her this summer!

I had some photos that I wanted to post, but blogger is not letting my upload them for some reason...perhaps I will share them on a later date!
Hope your week is a Great one!

Coffee Talk

So where do I begin? I have obviously been behind on my posts as of late, so OOPS! I guess I have had a lot of personal things on my mind. Even though this blog is a form of outlet for me, I will not, and can not, post everything that rolls around in my head! Having so many things popping up, it is hard for me to focus on something to write...so today I will write a little bit {or a lot} of random! 

What do you all think about the media craze behind the 'Rapture', if you will? Will you be joining in one of the many 'End of the World' parties taking place? Will I, you ask? Why...Um, NO! I think it's silly how people find ANY reason to party! But then again, the believers probably just want to be drunk and happy if it all really happens! So I guess, why not? If you have the ability and time to have some fun, I say GO AHEAD! And maybe have a drink {or two} for me!

Another topic - THIS WEATHER! The past few days here in the Beautiful state of Washington, we have been having FABULOUS weather! Sunny, bright blue skies, no clouds, and just the right temp {for me, anyways} - 70- degrees! I just wish it would hold out for the weekend....We shall see.

Also, I have been practicing a ton on my photography skills. I will actually be taking a workshop and safari course all day tomorrow, and on Sunday I have a one-on-one mentoring session! I have been looking forward to both! A weekend full of learning...I suppose I had better take some Tylenol along for the ride. Just in case my brain starts to hurt! Ha, ha!

Well I suppose that's it for today. I will tell you all about my busy weekend soon!

Happy Friday!

Scavenging!

I am finally able to link back up to Scavenger Hunt Sunday! Even though it's Monday, but oh well! 

1. GIVE ME FLOWERS

I LOVE this SOOC shot!

2. VISUAL CONTRAST

Fun at Friday Harbor!

3. FRIENDSHIP

These twin sisters are A-dorable!


4. BEFORE AND AFTER

5. DARK

Dark Alleyway

 So there you have it, my interpretations for this week! Hopefully I can join in next week, too! 

Sun Shine In!

So as most of you have noticed, Blogger had a glitch this past week. I wrote two posts, both of which got erased. But it's all good! You wanna know why? Because last night I got to hang with some of my favorite ladies! We chatted over wine and yummy-sugary homemade goodies, provided by them! Did I mention that THEY came to my place?! Well they did, and I am so grateful to have some friends that actually enjoy visiting my home! Most people I know will not drive out to the woods to visit us, so when we get visitors who are willing to show up on their own accord, I am THRILLED! 

Also, my Mama has offered oh-so-graciously to take the Girl for us overnight tonight, so that me and the Hubs can go out to a NICE dinner {which we have not done in over a year} by OURSELVES! And it gets better...my Mama gave us some gift cards for dinner, as a birthday present for the Hubs! SWEETNESS. All the way.

AND...tomorrow I am doing my very first Senior Photos Shoot! I am so excited! Oh yeah, the SUN has made an appearance for the past two days as well! Overall, a FABULOUS weekend is in the works!! 

I hope your weekend is SUNNY & FAB as well! 

Sunny Day Feelings!

To start with, I want to say how HAPPY it made me feel to wake up to the SUN shining through my window! What a great start to the day!

Lately I have been reading some pretty inspirational stuff - books, quotes and posts. And I must say, they are helping! The words that I have been reading have put me in a whole different mind set..."I CAN DO THIS!" "EVERYBODY HAS TO START SOMEWHERE!" "IF THEY CAN DO IT, SO CAN I!" And I am feeling that I can! With a lot of things...

Although I am the type of person who wants "instant gratification", and the goal {whatever it may be} to be reached, accomplished and finished RIGHT NOW! I know that this is not reality, and I am fully aware that I must work my booty off to get what I want!

No one else will do it for me, or rarely help me, for that matter. But that's OK. That just means by the time I reach my goals - all of them - I will appreciate them THAT MUCH MORE! After all, that is what I was taught, and what I have always done. I just hope my kiddo learns the same lesson!

I Heart Faces:: Motherhood

This is a photo from yesterday, which I am in absolute LOVE with! Just me and my Not-So-Baby Girl, for Mother's Day 2011!

LOVE MY GIRLY

Manifesto For My Mom

Today I am feeling the need to dedicate this post to all the Mama's out there. Call it cliche, but come on! It is one of the hardest jobs in the world. And we do it gladly for FREE! 

But more than anything, I want to thank my Mom. For absolutely everything that she has ever done, and sacrificed, for me. As a single parent she had to face certain struggles that other parents did not, and has given up so much. And as an only child, I witnessed the toll it took. She did all of these things Graciously, Selflessly, and for me. And knowing now, what I wish I would have known then, there just isn't enough words to Thank her.

She has always been my biggest fan, my best friend, and my biggest support system. I have had people tell me that they are envious of the relationship that the two of us have. And I am truly Grateful and Blessed to have had such a wonderful, open-minded, goal-oriented, strong, powerful women to have raised me. 

I can only HOPE that I turn out to be half of the Mother mine was, and is, to me!

Mom as a kiddo

Mom and I as a baby

Mom and I circa 1990's

Mom and I July 2010

Thanks Mom, I Love you Forever!

My Musings

From time to time, we all need a muse. It can come from anywhere, at anytime.

Today, my musings are coming from quotes and sayings. Here are a few of my favorites for the day!

Every once in awhile I need to remind myself of these things. And I'm sure you do too!

{All images were found here}

SnapDragon!

Awhile back, my mom had this idea to start a family business. One that would include her, my aunt and I. There was no way I could turn this down! It has been in the works for months now, and as of yesterday we are officially up and running! 

What is this business, you ask? Why, let me explain: 

My mom used to own an incredible floral shop, which unfortunately shut down due to the economy and other circumstances. But she is continuously getting orders for her amazing arrangements from all over the place! 

And my aunt is one of the best painters I have EVER seen! 

{And no, I am not just saying this because I bias}

It comes so natural to her, like she was born to do this! She is so modest about her work, that she doesn't honestly see how truly talented she is!

And then there was me. My mom knows that I have always wanted to be a photographer, so why not start off this way? What a great way to get myself out there and jump in the water all the way! The three of us are continuously searching for ways to better ourselves and hone in on our talents and passions. And we are most definitely hands-on learners!

We figured why not harness all of our abilities, and pour them into one powerful machine? That is exactly what we did, and decided to call it SnapDragon Floral and Photography!

www.snapdragon-design.com

 I have not told anyone about it, because frankly I did not see the point in mentioning something that had not yet come to fruition. But now that is has, I most definitely feel the need to talk about it!

We are so excited to start this new journey, and see where it takes us!

 

Brain Cancer Awareness!

Today marks the beginning of Brain Cancer Awareness Week. 

This disease strikes so near and dear to my heart, in so many ways. 

My Papa passed from it, and one of my good friends has been fighting it for almost 2 years. 

Last year we formed a team for the Seattle Brain Cancer walk, which takes place at Seattle Center. It was so momentous for me. My heart swelled so much, I cried seeing all of those survivors. 

Knowing what their families, friends and loved ones are going through, I decided then and there that I will be volunteering for the walk every year! Well at least I am in the process of...

The Seattle Brain Cancer Walk does not require a huge deposit or a minimum number of donations. It is quit simple: 

Form a team, or join a team. 

Register with that team. The fee is so small, and ALL proceeds go to funding for research!

And of course, just try to collect donations along the way...if not, no biggy! The support from being involved, and the registration fee, are donation enough {in my book}! 

From witnessing what I have, Support Systems are everything. 

If you are interested in learning more about the walk, please check out the site HERE! 

Here are some photos from last years walk - it was AMAZING! 

 

 

My friend and her husband leading our Team

 

Me with a picture of my Papa at the Tent of Honor

Me, my aunt, my cousin and my Mom - wearing Papa's hat! 

PLEASE DO WHATEVER YOU CAN - NO MATTER HOW SMALL - FOR THIS CAUSE. 

THANK YOU!