Happy Thanskgiving!

Thanksgiving means so much to me. Time with family and good friends, wonderful food, and thinking about how fortunate we are. In another way, it's also a bit of a sad time. My brother's birthday was November 25, so it always fell on the week of Thanksgiving. We lost him in a diving accident six years ago, and even though he died in September, Thanksgiving is really when it really hits me every year, and I have a lot of time to think about him while I'm baking pies. This year I took a few minutes and played a sad song, Bad News by Kanye West. Thinking about my brother reminds me to enjoy my family and friends every day, and cherish every moment along the way.

I've also been thinking a lot about how I can use photography to give back to my community. I have some ideas for next year, but I still need to work out a lot of the details. More on that coming in the next few months!

I feel like I have so much more to write, but I'm running out of time today. I'll leave you with a shot of the pies I worked so hard making, and the wish of a happy, healthy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

PANIC at the Science Center

Today I had my most harrowing experience as a parent to date. Today Niall went missing at the Pacific Science Center.

It was a beautiful sunny day and we wanted to do something fun as a family. We headed down to Seattle Center, had some lunch, and then walked over to the Science Museum. Jude really wanted to see the Lucy exhibit, which is expensive and not really intended for the two-year-old crowd. We decided to split up and I took Niall to the general exhibition area.

Alone with Niall I felt completely loaded down with stuff so I was happy to find lockers on the mezzanine level. As I struggled with coats, backpack, camera, and my purse, Niall was running up and down the hall. I chased him down and told him to please stay with me while I put our stuff away. He said “Ok, Mom.” and stood next to me for a second while I read the locker instructions. And just like that, he was gone.

I looked around in disbelief, at first thinking he might just be around the corner or in the bathroom. Then I realized that he was really gone and I had no idea which way to go first. We were right next to the stairs so he could have gone up, or down, or run down the hall and gone somewhere completely different. Someone walking down the stairs could have picked him up, carried him downstairs with them and out the door, never to be seen again. Or he could have just wandered off and become completely engrossed in something fun.

Where would he have gone? I scanned the first floor below and didn’t see him, but ran there first anyway because we’d just been there and it seemed the most likely. I didn’t see him anywhere, so I quickly ran up to the third floor to check there. Still not finding him and having no idea where to look next, I decided it was time to get help. He can run fast, so by now he could be pretty much anywhere. I ran into the store and told the cashier that I had lost my son.

On the edge of complete panic, I held back tears as I described him and what he was wearing. I waited for what seemed like an eternity while she looked for the number to call security. She tried to calm me down, saying they had never lost a child and they would find him. She said that the security manager had radioed everone that there was a lost child and she would come right down to meet me. A family in the store said they would look out for him. I felt completely helpless and terrified, and also embarassed because I was completely freaking out and there was nothing I could do about it.

While I waited for the security manager I called Jude to tell him so he could come and help us look, but he didn’t answer and just then the security manager showed up. I described him to her, told her his name and where we’d been, what he was wearing. We saw him at the same time, a moment later, off in the distance. It looked like he had just come up the stairs. He appeared to be completely calm and was just looking around, which was very striking to me because I of the state I was in. We walked over to him and he was happy to see me, but not nearly as happy and relieved as I was to see him. By the time Jude called me back a couple minutes later it was all over.

I am so relieved, but still completely shaken by this experience. I know that we were lucky, that in those minutes he was gone anything could have happened and nothing did, and I am so grateful. I know that I will never forget this experience, that it will always be with me.

What terrifying experiences have you had as a parent that will always be with you? Leave a comment and share your story, and help me recover from this experience.

Could it be - the end of the Hair Saga?

Jude has been in an experimental phase for the last couple of years, growing his hair out and doing strange things with his beard. It's not a secret that this has not been a fun time! But after years of helpful suggestions, nagging, and complaints, I finally gave up. I figured marriage is forever, in sickness and in health, richer or poorer, with good hair and bad, etc, etc.

This is us on our wedding day, nearly six years ago. Wasn't he adorable?

But after Niall was born this experimental phase started. This picture was taken in January, I like to think of this look as sort of a motorcycle-Chachi.

As if things weren't bad enough, in February he decided to shave the beard into sort of a General Custer look. Amusing only in retrospect!

After all this I was just so happy when he finally shaved!

But then one Friday night he said he wanted to go get a haircut. By this point I was beyond hope, so I didn't even ask him until we got to the salon what he was going to get. When he said he wanted it quite short I didn't even believe him at first! Here he is with his new haircut and the Trilobite bread he baked for a party we were going to.

And he looks so innocent! You would never guess what he's been putting me through for the last couple of years. So even if this too is just a phase, I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

Meet Shannon, Kayvann, and Toby

I had the chance to get together with Shannon, Kayvann, and Toby to take some fall family photos. We know each other from preschool last year, so it was really fun to have the chance to catch up. This is one of the best parts of taking family photos, getting to hang out with friends at a park, taking pictures and watching them play as a family together.


It's amazing to see how much Toby has grown up over the summer. Look at that face! Who could resist?

Shannon and Kayvann, thanks so much! I hope you like your photos!

Insomnia

Sometimes lately if I stay up too late I seem to miss my window of opportunity to fall asleep. When I finally manage to tear myself away from whatever I was doing and go to bed, I just end up laying in bed with my mind racing.

What does it mean to be a great photographer? Do I have what it takes? That reminds me, I am way behind on our family photography projects. Hopefully I can get caught up before spring when I start booking clients again. Why did I even start this business when I already have an almost full-time job and a toddler? What will I miss out on? Will I regret this someday? Don't forget to get lemons at the store tomorrow. . .

This all started from reading Matthew Jordan Smith's blog tonight, which is fascinating and very insightful. It really got me thinking about how I work and how I can take this to a new level, but also the why. What draws me to photography so strongly? Why do I have to do this when there is so much else to do? I don't have all the answers yet, but I feel like photography is part of my journey and eventually I'll figure it out.

Meanwhile, I'll keep documenting and never lose sight of what is most important:

Meet Tina, Jeff, and Ruby

Tina, Jeff, and Ruby are friends we know from preschool, and I was thrilled when they asked me to do their family pictures! We had a fabulous time exploring the Arboretum together.

I think the first shot is my favorite, but I love both of these because the light is so dreamy.

Ruby is so sweet, and she has such an independant spirit. Can you tell?

Tina and Jeff have a beautiful old Ford Falcon, and it was fun to get some shots with the car as well.

Tina and Jeff, thanks so much for trusting me with your family pictures. I hope you like them! I'll have the rest finished for you soon!

Amazing Moment in History!

We spent election night glued to the TV, coloring in our maps as the results came in. Regardless of which candidate you were supporting, I think we can all agree this was a historic election. I am so proud to be a part of this incredible moment in history!

The election has been quite inspiring as a photographer as well, with some great images of the candidates. Here are links to a few favorites:

• The Obama family on election night in Chicago
• Barack Obama on the cover of Rolling Stone and in front of a huge crowd in Berlin
• Joe Biden on stage at the Democratic National Convention
• Sarah Palin in the Governer's Office, shaking hands on the campaign trail, and on stage at a rally in Virginia.
• John and Cindy McCain boarding the campaign plane on election day.

As I was putting Niall to bed last night I was trying to explain to him how important and historic it is that we have elected the first black president. As I was struggling to find the words to explain this in a way that my 2.5 year old could understand, I realized that the beauty of this moment is that he and his generation may never fully understand. Of course they will understand the historic importance, but they will grow up taking for granted that anyone can grow up to be anything they want to be. Even the president of the United States of America.