Kinda fired up.

Ok, so I had this entire post written about why I haven't been blogging (it has been intentional) and how I'm t-o'd at the photog world right now and I deleted it all. I figured the first post in a long time shouldn't be about how I'm fired up.

To sum it up, it just seems like there's a lot of negativity out there for beginner photographers. I get so frustrated by it. I was really new once. I still consider inexperienced compared to many, but now, I consider myself more than "just a mom with a cute kid and a fancy camera" (as was said about me once). Seriously. The hurtfulness! Why?

My point of tonight's blog is this... If you are new at something, do everything you can to flourish it. Enjoy it. Do not be discouraged by others. If you have an eye for it and creative ideas, you can learn the technical part. And, remember that beauty is in the eye of the camera-holder... your pictures are beautiful because YOU took them and you captured a moment that was meaningful to you. Who cares if they're grainy or they have a little blur, if you see beauty there, there's something special there.

Granted, you're probably not going to be pulling in the dough with grainy, blurry pictures. But, that doesn't mean that you aren't an artist, finding something special and beautiful that needs to be seen and shared. So, keep on clicking!! Some of the most-commented pictures I've seen on Flickr aren't really taken of anything spectacular... they are from ordinary, day to day scenes, seen in a new, special way. And, a lot of them are grainy or blurry. Go figure...

A Sweet Partnership.

My Mara Bracelet - In Remembrance of Kary

I've mentioned the organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) before... It's such a wonderful gift to families who have lost a baby. As a photographer and a mother, I am so honored to be a part of it. The families I have met have all touched me so deeply and have all made an impact on my life.

One of my friends from high school lost a sweet little girl named, Mara. After Mara passed away, we got in touch again. We talked about Mara, our other children, and our lives and how they have changed since losing a child. Her mission is to make these beautiful bracelets for other people who have lost children. They are such a nice remembrance gift. She and I were talking one day and I told her I'd be glad to photograph the bracelets so she could share them with others. Something very special came from that...

A renewed friendship, and the gift she has given of making bracelets for all the NILMDTS families I work with. This weekend alone, I was contacted about two sessions. When I get a phone call from the hospital, the rest of my world stops and I am focused on getting there. I pack my bag, print off a consent form, grab my brochure and camera, and I go.

It is a comfort to me to know that I can send a small token of love to the mothers of these children when I send a Mara bracelet. I know it is made with love, and I know Mara is thought of each time a bracelet is made and sent out with the cd of images.

It's amazing what can form from loss. God can use it. He does use it - every time. We live in a fallen, sad world, where loss is allowed to happen. The miracle in loss is that God uses it to change us. We will never be the same after our world comes crashing down. I never thought I'd be in this place... I never thought this is something I could do. But, with experiences like those I've had, with friends who give, I have been changed and blessed. Thank you baby T, baby E, baby A, baby J, baby K, and of course, Kary & Mara. Your lives will always be a gift to those who love you.

Slowing down... for a minute.

Alright, alright... My blog's not broken. My husband always says, "I think there's something wrong with your blog..." Life has been crazy. My house is a mess, I have folders of pictures waiting to be edited and digitally scrapped, I don't get much time with my son, and I have about 8 thousand craft projects I want to do. Besides that, there are dishes in the sink, my bathroom desperately needs cleaned, and we need new sheets on the beds.

Life, please slow down a bit!

Since I last blogged, our family has grown by 2 feet...


Little Douglas Gregory was born April 30, at 6:40 pm. He weighed 7 lbs, 14 oz, and was 20 inches long. He is about the sweetest thing ever made! My brother and his wife, Sonya are excellent parents and love their little Dougie so much, as do we!

I've been taking a lot of pictures. This one of Dougie was a big accomplishment for me! He's such a sweet little guy! I have really enjoyed taking his newborn pictures. Newborn sessions are a favorite for me.

I've also been taking some pictures of this sweet boy. My Gabers is growing up so fast. I can't believe he's 4 years old. His behavior has greatly improved as far as the tantrums go. We've found that a quarter reward system seems to work really well. At the beginning of each week, he starts out with $5.00 in quarters. When he misbehaves, quarter(s) are taken away. When he behaves really well, or does something really great, he's rewarded with quarters. It seems to be working out really well.

I've also been taking pictures of other people's kids! This cutie pie would not leave his tongue in his mouth throughout the entire session! It was hilarious!

Oh life, you're moving so fast! Slow down just a bit so I can catch up!

Autumn's Blessings

Just because I'm feeling incredibly blessed:

• I have wonderful inlaws (on both sides of the family) who feel more like immediate family than "inlaws".
• I have a healthy, happy, hilarious little boy.
• I have a loving husband that loves me for who I am.
• I have terrific friends. Love them to pieces.
• I have the best siblings a person could ask for.
• I have awesome, talented, intelligent, cool nieces and nephew (and another little one in the oven... :)
• I love my part time job as a photographer.
• My business has been growing without advertising.
• My house is clean.
• It's Autumn - my favorite time of year.
  

Memory Keeper

I am a memory keeper. And I am tired. I keep up with Facebook, scrapbooking, Flickr, ordering pictures, and unfortunately, not my blog. I've realized that I'm really repeating stuff. I put a picture on Flickr. I write a description. I usually put it on FB too, because I share a lot with family and friends that way. And then, if I think of it, I put it on my blog and write a brief summary about why that picture is special to me. There is probably some fancy way to link them all together, but I'm not that interested in taking the time to learn it! :) And, lastly, I print that picture and scrap it. Well, enough double work. I am a mom to a busy boy and my favorite of these activities is scrapbooking. I love the homemade feel, I love the personalized handwriting (I very rarely type any text) and I love that it's something I enjoy doing with my closest friends. I will keep up Flickr because I do use that as a site to post previews for customers. I will not, however, continue to blog. I'm not a modern girl. I feel like an old-fashioned, snail-mail enjoying, simple housewife who just isn't up for blogging. If I felt like I had a lot to say that was worthy of reading, I may keep it up, I just think I'm going to save those memories and thoughts for Gabe's books.

I have really enjoyed blogging as a way to express myself and share my thoughts, but at the same time, I kinda just like reading other people's blogs! I don't really update mine that much! So, farewell from GabesMom/WishIMightPhotography! If I decide to pursue photography more seriously in the future, WIM may make a blogging reappearance, but maybe not. Thank you to everyone that's read the blog and thought I had anything interesting to say. If you'd like to keep up with us, friend me on Facebook - I'd love to keep in touch!

Photography Milestone

Well, it's that time of year! Getting back into the swing of things with my photography business. It's exciting and a lot of fun, but busy. I love taking pictures so much. I have gotten better since last year, but I still have a lot of work to do! I'm really excited because I have a day-long seminar coming up in May that focuses on outdoor portraits. It's a very small class and it's pretty hands-on. I learn so much better that way!

This little sweet girl was a newborn the last time I took her pictures... In fact, she was my first newborn session! It was so great to be able to take her 1 year pictures.


It was a beautiful day for pictures!

Weddings!

I am really enjoying wedding photography. When I first started taking pictures, I said "No Weddings". And, I wasn't budging. Well......... I said yes to a co-worker, and it all went crazy from there! :) I've had two weddings this year - on the first two days of the year! Thankfully, one was pretty small and we only shot the wedding, but the second one was a full day about 3 hours away. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed doing it.

It's a lot of work. It's a lot of pressure. You just want to do your very best to capture the moments of the day. It's a lot of trust put into your equipment. It's relying on your second shooter. It's tiring. It's craziness.

But, thankfully, I've had nothing but positive experiences. I've met lovely couples and I've really learned a lot. It's an honor to be asked to have that responsibility on their special day. This summer, we have another wedding close by and then my sister, Lindsey's, in Florida. In the Fall, my little brother, Dan is getting married and we have his wedding too. It's going to be a busy year, and I'm so thankful!