The End of a Life Phase

Senior Portraits 2012

~One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. 'Which road do I take?' she asked. 'Where do you want to go?' was his response. 'I don't know,' Alice answered. 'Then,' said the cat, 'it doesn't matter.'~            Lewis Carroll

"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do" - Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground" - Theodore Roosevelt

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle" - Einstein

"I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul" - Ernest Henley

"If you haven't the strength to impose your own terms upon life, you must accept the terms it offers you" - T.S. Eliot

Thank you so much Senior of 2012 for the privilege of documenting the end of this phase in your life with these beautiful pictures.  I wish you all the best and hope you succeed in everything you do!



The Spring Life is Here

This poor bird had the unfortunate experience of flying into my boss' office window, but we, on the other hand, have rather enjoyed what he left behind.  This picture has not been altered in any way.  I uploaded it, cropped my reflection out, added my name, and published!  This is exactly what it really looks like.  I'm assuming it's a combination of the oil that birds naturally have in their feathers and the dust and pollen that is now in the air that caused this perfect, intricate impression to be made when he hit the glass, or he was just a really dirty bird.  It's so light that you can only see it when standing in a chair so that you can see the building next door behind it.  How cool!

~Bambi 1942~

  Flower: [about two birds fluttering around] Well! What’s the matter with them?
Thumper: Why are they acting that way?
Friend Owl: Why, don’t you know? They’re twitterpated.
Flower, Bambi, Thumper: Twitterpated?
Friend Owl: Yes. Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: You’re walking along, minding your own business. You’re looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden you run smack into a pretty face. Whoo-whoo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head’s in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you’re walking on air. And then you know what? You’re knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!

This Bradford Pear Tree in my office parking lot has bloomed!  This is my favorite springtime tree.  The road that my ex husband and I used to live on was lined with these.  Beautiful!

Their flowers are so delicate and pretty.  It is the epitome of spring.

These are the buds of a Weeping Willow tree that stands behind the waterfall outside our two treatment rooms at the office. 

This is the waterfall and full tree.  And yes, the ivy is real also.  Just a few more weeks and those buds will be completely bloomed and the weeping willow will look perfect.

Beuatiful Things in Life

These are some pictures I took of my little sister's engagement ring because she wanted to have some really close up shots that showed the beautiful, vintage detail along the band.  I personally think that the ring fits her personality perfectly and that my future brother in law did an amazing job having the ring custom made just for her!

Just some gooooood wine late at night! :)

My Mom and Dad at Christmas.  They are still a beautiful couple after 27 years!

This is from a wedding I did for some friends of mine.

It was a small, simple wedding thrown together very quickly due to the groom being in the Army.

I loved their bouquets!

This ring belongs to a newly engaged friend.  We spent some time together this past weekend because she is a bridesmaid in my sister's wedding and so I took a few shots of it for her.   

I think her ring is amazing!

This one is my fav!

The Whirlwind of My Current Life

January has come and gone and I don't miss it!  That month was "supposed" to be my transition month at work and "supposed" to be my laid back month at home, but the exact opposite happened.  Due to some major changes around the office I just now, this past week, got caught up enough that I was able to get the last of the year-end stuff done.  I swear just when you think, and plan, for things to go a certain way and you feel good about it, God opens a big, hidden, surprise door over on the side and steers you through it.  Changes, changes, changes!!!  But with open hands and an open mind I think we are going to succeed and implement these changes smoothly. 

Now, work aside... my personal life has changed a little as well.  My programmed mindset of being a single mom and doing things on my own has had to alter just a little because... here we go....... are you ready...................... I am seeing someone..... like in a relationship.  WOW!  It's out there now :)!  This is not at all what I expected and not at all what I planned on, but this person, from my past, has somehow established a place in my everyday life and in my heart as well.  This has really taken me by surprise.  Old fears and apprehensions have resurfaced, but I feel a very strong desire to commit and know deep down that it is inevitable.  I'm not going to spend the rest of my life alone, but I'm so worried of hurting this person, and I'm so worried that I don't know how to give my heart to another and trust that our love will last forever.  I hate that my mind and heart are so jaded about this.  I wish I could erase my memories and bad experiences so that I could really revel in how happy I feel with this person.  And most days I succeed in doing this and focusing on the present and the positive... just not everyday. 

One of my New Year's resolutions was to wake up every morning with a more positive outlook on life, especially where my job was concerned and my son.  To be grateful and happy to be there even if I'm a little tired or a little under the weather and to not harp on the perfection I sometimes expect but to enjoy who my son is as a person.  Well, I'm adding to that resolution.......... I'm going to wake up every morning with the thought in my mind that true love is possible and does exsist.  And then I'm going to pray for my fears and apprehensions to be taken away so that I can experience true happiness inside a relationship.  Who knows what the possibilities could be if I succeed in doing this and I have high hopes.  I think my situation is just going to take more time.  I've almost went through a year and a half of this healing/lifestyle change and I feel more like my true self now than I have in 7 years!  I have no choice but to have the faith that in another year and half I should be good to go!! :)  

Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances

~Benjamin Franklin~

Something to Live By in Life

After the past year and a half of being single, I've learned A LOT about myself and what I'm really looking for in a partner.  I've also learned what I'm not looking for.  Aftter countless hours spent talking to other women, single and married, about their experiences on the topic of love and making a marriage work, I learned that even though we are all so incredibly different, we all have a few small things in common.  We are all human beings and have the innate desire to show love and be loved.  The problems come around when we don't feel as though we are loved the way that we should be, or when we don't love as we should. 

Someone very special sent me this in a text message the other day, and after reading and then re-reading it several times, I've decided that it fits me and my thought process towards love and men, so I have decided to share it with all of you. 

He's not perfect.  You aren't either, and the two of you will never be perfect.  But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can.  He isn't going to quote poetry, he's not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break.  Don't hurt him, don't change him, and don't expect more than he can give.  Don't analyze.  Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he's not there.  Love hard when there is love to be had.  Because perfect guys don't exist, but there's always one guy that is perfect for you.
~Bob Marley~

I agree with you 100 % Bob Marley and thank you! :)

A Discovery in Life

This picture above was taken Christmas Eve over a pond used by my town's waste plant. Apparently there is a bald eagle, possibly two, that have taken up residence there.  This is the closest I could get due to the fence and restricted areas around the factory.  What an amazing thing to see and funny that they really picked probably the best place in a city populated with approximately 24,000 people to stay.  No one, unless authorized through the waste plant, can get into that area.  The road is far enough away that they are not disturbed and that pond is surrounded by big open fields probably full of mice and things for them to feed on.    

The New Life of 2012

Well, it's official... the new year has arrived and is before all of us.  What to do with it???  What to change about ourselves, what to make better about our lives, what to make better about the world???  All the questions, and it's like having a blank slate in front of us to which we can do whatever we choose.

My number one resolution for this new year is going to be changing my eating habits and the level of physical activity in my life so that I can get my body back to a healthier place.

My second resolution is to put a little more effort and positive reinforcement into the relationship I have with my son.  After all, I only get one shot at this!  I feel a very strong urge to be more attentive to him and focus our time together on more positive/healthier things.

The third thing in my mind that I really want to do something about or change is simply to have the best attitude and perspective I can every morning going to work.  I am so blessed to work in a place where I get to see miracles everyday, but sometimes the stress of the paperwork and keeping everything in order takes my mind off those positive things and puts it on the negative and before I catch myself I'm waking up with the attitude of "I don't wanna go to work todayyyyyyy!"  I am blessed to have a job, especially the one that I have, and I intend to keep that in my focus this next year.

Finally, the last resolution I have for  this next year is to do more in my community.  I guess this is my way of giving back to the world, but I feel like the most I can do is volunteer some of my free time to the needs of my community.  I had the awesome experience this Christmas season of making a little delivery for the doctor I work for to our local children's home.  My boss decided that he wanted to give presents to the foster kids in the school system because of stories he heard from a teacher that we see as a patient.  Well, when it was all said and done we had way more donated to us than needed so this expanded to the children's home as well.  Dealing with the lady that runs the home and then making the delivery was very inspiring.  The ages of the children ranged from infants to teenagers but they were all kids without parents or a home.  They were all kids who were not going to get Christmas presents from their families on Christmas morning.  It pulled on my heart and so I'm going to spend some time there throughout this next year doing whatever might be needed or appreciated.  I want to help and simply give some happiness to kids who aren't quite as fortunate as I am.