2010!

Today is the last day of 2009. It was a year of patience, trial, prayer, and giving up control. But in the end, it was a fabulous year and one we will never forget.

I recently read the book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. It talks about the journey he went on when he was editing his life for the new movie, Blue Like Jazz (based loosely on his book). The whole thing is about what  makes a good story. Why do people get involved in stories... why do we invest, what elements make a good story and how to make our lives stories worth living. It's challenging me to think of how I spend my time and what kind of story my life is living right now.

So in 2010, I plan to make more of my time. I plan to be braver and try more things. I plan to really work on my skills as a photographer and push myself into entering more shows. With that said, I recently invested in a new camera which I'm COMPLETELY excited about. It should be here in a week or so and I can't wait to start my new photo shoots this year with better equipment. More photos to come!

Have a wonderful and safe beginning to 2010!

The Harlans!

Let me preface by saying that I love this family. I was a bit nervous to photograph them because I really wanted to capture their personalities. If you recognize the backdrop, this is their backyard that I've used to photograph other sessions. It's so great!

I love this one...

A "cornucopia of love"

Becca & Joe

(they were recently married and are so cute together)

It's the week of Christmas!

Gift the gift that gives all year: a photo session! Get a gift certificate now to take advantage of my holiday pricing! An on-location photo session, color and b&w editing with a low-res CD for online sharing for just 75.

And, beyond my shameless plug... I'm excited for Christmas to come! Today has been most interesting. I just booked a session for tomorrow afternoon, may have found MAPP classes available in Tampa (for adoption in the state of Florida) and found out that Jason got a B+ in his other Masters course. YAY for victories all around! We're counting down the days until Christmas! I can't wait to spend time with family, eat yummy food and just share in God's goodness. 

exploration of a different kind.

So lately, whenever a certain subject comes up, I get tense. I don't want to talk about it. I feel awkward. And I have no idea why. It seems to me, that I should be cool, calm and collected and feel free to talk about this certain, je ne sais quoi... but a part of me immediately puts a fence up. Maybe I don't want to over share? Maybe I feel like it's too personal... or maybe there's something within me that I need to explore that has not been explored yet. Oh the levels of consciousness. Sigh.

So I'm taking my exploration, research and observations and turning them inward.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll have a moment of self-discovery.

Explorations

So I bought this new book called, How to be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith.

I bought it to inspire me & push me to do things that I wouldn't normally do. I hope to do one of her "explorations" every few days.

Here's the one that I did today. Feel free to do it too!

Exploration #1
Right where you are sitting. Write ten things about where you are sitting now that you hadn't noticed when you sat down. Use your senses. Do not censor. Okay, begin.

1. There's a black car outside.
2. I can hear the sound of cars on the wet street.
3. It's dim.
4. Those pillows look comfy.
5. I would like some tea.
6. My Christmas tree ornaments are too big. There are twelve. Six are sparkly.
7. I love the sparkly ones.
8. My iphone is dirty.
9. The temp is dropping.
10. I can hear kids outside.

A quote:
The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden beacause of their simplicity and familiarity. One is unable to notice something - because it is always before one's eyes.
-Ludwig Wittgenstein

portraits, blogs & books

So last week I gathered a few folks and we offered portraits to the residents of Lighthouse Ministries in Lakeland. It was a fantastic success! Here are a few of the pictures from the event...

In other news... we had our artgroup meeting and someone shared a few artist blogs. Passing them on:

www.artfagcity.com

www.portlandart.net

www.artslant.com

www.hyperallergic.com

www.myloveforyou.typepad.com

Also, www.artshow.com has some great resources!

I decided to head up to Barnes&Noble this evening to check out their 'going out of business' sale. I was disappointed that more wasn't on sale yet, but I did pick up a great book called How to be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith. It reminds me of the old Sark books and will hopefully inspire me to write down more thoughts, travels, insights, etc.

The Wassons!

What a sweet family. Azzie has really warmed up to me... from the minute I walked in the door she wanted to show me her toys and her room. So cute. I hope I captured some of her joyful spirit!

I hope Katie doesn't hate me for posting this one. It's just too cute! =)

This is what I got when I said, "smile real big!" hehe.

a rainy afternoon.

I'm sitting in my office and it's dreary outside. Call me crazy, but I'm really enjoying it. There's something about hot tea, the sounds of rain on the street and a cloudy day that say comfort to me. Maybe I like them because in Florida it doesn't happen all the time. For now I'm enjoying the quiet that rain brings.

~The Gallettas~

Just warning you, this will be a lot of pictures. I'm completely in love with these photos. a) because I love this family, b) because of how cute and photogenic they are and c) they even brought fun props and knew how to have fun. I think even Josh loosened up after a bit.

I think this is one of my all-time favorite family portraits...

Cutest picture ever? yep.