when we share the beauty of the human spirit, we plant a garden of hope within every life we touch.
- author unknown
yesterday, i had the most wonderful opportunity to meet and photograph the sandstrom family. as most of you probably have noticed, i don't post much in regards to client sessions, etc. so why am i posting about the sandstroms?
i am posting about kirsten and her family because they are amazingly inspirational. kirsten, 35, is the mother of three young boys, and was recently diagnosed with adrenal cancer, which has metastasized to her lungs and liver. she is currently going through chemo and handling it with such grace, hope, dignity and strength, it's beyond words.
i've probably written this blog post 20 different times right now, trying to find the right words and i'm not sure i can...or ever will. just know that this family is amazing and i'm so dang thankful that i can share my gift of photography with such a deserving family.
....................................
tonight, at dinner, steve and i talked a bunch about kirsten and he told me how proud he is of me for doing things like this. he agreed that THIS is what it's all about. the business...the money...doesn't matter. it's this. this is what it's all about. fighting back the tears, i was so thankful to hear this from him...that he 'gets it'. he gets my desire to do things like photograph max...and kirsten. he gets it. he gets me. and he supports me.
i've said this before and i'll say it again...
i think i've been given this gift of photography for a reason. hell yea, i'm driven and want to go far with my regular photography work but i am blessed and i will do my best to touch lives with my photography and plant as many gardens of hope as i can.
- author unknown
yesterday, i had the most wonderful opportunity to meet and photograph the sandstrom family. as most of you probably have noticed, i don't post much in regards to client sessions, etc. so why am i posting about the sandstroms?
i am posting about kirsten and her family because they are amazingly inspirational. kirsten, 35, is the mother of three young boys, and was recently diagnosed with adrenal cancer, which has metastasized to her lungs and liver. she is currently going through chemo and handling it with such grace, hope, dignity and strength, it's beyond words.
i've probably written this blog post 20 different times right now, trying to find the right words and i'm not sure i can...or ever will. just know that this family is amazing and i'm so dang thankful that i can share my gift of photography with such a deserving family.
....................................
tonight, at dinner, steve and i talked a bunch about kirsten and he told me how proud he is of me for doing things like this. he agreed that THIS is what it's all about. the business...the money...doesn't matter. it's this. this is what it's all about. fighting back the tears, i was so thankful to hear this from him...that he 'gets it'. he gets my desire to do things like photograph max...and kirsten. he gets it. he gets me. and he supports me.
i've said this before and i'll say it again...
i think i've been given this gift of photography for a reason. hell yea, i'm driven and want to go far with my regular photography work but i am blessed and i will do my best to touch lives with my photography and plant as many gardens of hope as i can.
time is a companion who reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again.
- author unknown
i could scream this quote at myself right now.
only four weeks left before steve leaves for iraq. he's not actually leaving until october, but between now and then, it goes something like this...home this week, gone the following, home one week, gone for three weeks, etc. and these times here and away are constantly changing...an extra week gone, home a few days earlier. not always easy, when i try to keep track of things and plan accordingly.
and of course, in saying the above about cherishing every moment, i was on the computer way too much tonight...and still am. [kicking myself]
and...i have to take more photos of steve. more photos of steve with the kids. for pete's sake...i'm a photographer. what's my deal? my house should be filled with photos of steve and the kids. but it's not. it's funny b/c everyone thinks that as a photographer, i have a ton of photos of my kids (and my husband). but that's not true. sure i have photos. but they're all the great photos. the spontaneity of picture taking seems to have been sucked away and in exchange, i was given this gift of being a professional photographer. yes, there are professional photographers that also continue to take snapshots of their family. but not me...it's almost as if i made a trade. and i'm not happy about it. i want to do both. i keep telling myself...time and time again....that i have to take more snapshots (i used to be the queen of snapshots) but i don't. [kicking myself again]
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
and i will continue the chant as i go to sleep tonight.
....................................
today, when i photographed max, our families got together...we met at starbucks in del mar and walked to the powerhouse park and had the most wonderful time. i was happy that steve got to meet the mikulak family. it was important to me, since i spend a lot of time with them (shooting max). i wanted steve to experience first hand how wonderful max and his family are.
and today...
i did get a few shots of steve and ryder together. nothing earth shattering, but symbolic. steve and ryder, watching the train zip by...as i watch time zip by.
good night.
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
- author unknown
i could scream this quote at myself right now.
only four weeks left before steve leaves for iraq. he's not actually leaving until october, but between now and then, it goes something like this...home this week, gone the following, home one week, gone for three weeks, etc. and these times here and away are constantly changing...an extra week gone, home a few days earlier. not always easy, when i try to keep track of things and plan accordingly.
and of course, in saying the above about cherishing every moment, i was on the computer way too much tonight...and still am. [kicking myself]
and...i have to take more photos of steve. more photos of steve with the kids. for pete's sake...i'm a photographer. what's my deal? my house should be filled with photos of steve and the kids. but it's not. it's funny b/c everyone thinks that as a photographer, i have a ton of photos of my kids (and my husband). but that's not true. sure i have photos. but they're all the great photos. the spontaneity of picture taking seems to have been sucked away and in exchange, i was given this gift of being a professional photographer. yes, there are professional photographers that also continue to take snapshots of their family. but not me...it's almost as if i made a trade. and i'm not happy about it. i want to do both. i keep telling myself...time and time again....that i have to take more snapshots (i used to be the queen of snapshots) but i don't. [kicking myself again]
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
and i will continue the chant as i go to sleep tonight.
....................................
today, when i photographed max, our families got together...we met at starbucks in del mar and walked to the powerhouse park and had the most wonderful time. i was happy that steve got to meet the mikulak family. it was important to me, since i spend a lot of time with them (shooting max). i wanted steve to experience first hand how wonderful max and his family are.
and today...
i did get a few shots of steve and ryder together. nothing earth shattering, but symbolic. steve and ryder, watching the train zip by...as i watch time zip by.
good night.
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take more snapshots of my family.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
i must take photos of steve with the kids.
while i breathe,
i hope.
- latin proverb
done for a friend. her little boy just had a liver and bowel transplant yesterday. they are out of their home, now in a hospital in LA. soon moving to a temporary apartment, while A's body recovers, accepts and heals. mom is pregnant and due in three weeks. they are such amazing, wonderful and strong family.
to A and his family, with all i have, i send to you
strength, love, prayers and...
hope.
i hope.
- latin proverb
done for a friend. her little boy just had a liver and bowel transplant yesterday. they are out of their home, now in a hospital in LA. soon moving to a temporary apartment, while A's body recovers, accepts and heals. mom is pregnant and due in three weeks. they are such amazing, wonderful and strong family.
to A and his family, with all i have, i send to you
strength, love, prayers and...
hope.
who knows what tomorrow brings.
in a world, few hearts survive.
all i know is the way i feel.
when it's real, i keep it alive.
- joe cocker
i was 13.
the lights came on and i was still sobbing.
it was my favorite movie then.
26 years later, it's still one of my all time favorite movies.
my 18 year old sister-in-law, teresa, is visiting and we were talking about movies to rent / watch. i mentioned an officer and a gentleman and she had never watched it...or even heard of it. i told her she has to watch it, while she's with me. so we did last night. and she loved it.
me: did you love it?
teresa: yea, it's not you're typical movie. it was so good.
me: i told you so.
and now, 26 years later, i sit and watch it and think...i'm living that fairy tale ending. i was whisked off my feet by MY officer and gentleman. okay...so it was in a bar instead of a factory but still. as sappy as it sounds, it's true. i have the most amazing husband. he is greater than i even dreamed. he's not only an amazing husband, he is the most incredible father to our children.
..........................
we've been chatting. skyping, to be exact. it blows my mind to think that he is in iraq and i can chat with him...hear him...see him. seriously blows my mind. of course, there's times when i long to talk with him and can't but i can't complain...not one bit. i get to TALK to my husband, who is in iraq, every day. that is incredible. i was thinking the other day about the spouses in previous wars, and how they had to anxiously wait for the occasional letter to come in the mail. here i am anxiously waiting for a daily televideo call...that is insane. i am thankful. i am blessed. and i will never complain.
here's tonight...us talking a million miles away (okay, maybe it's not a million but it feels that way). the last shot, steve was blowing me a kiss, as he said good-bye b/c he had to hurry and hop on a helo flight back to kuwait.
in a world, few hearts survive.
all i know is the way i feel.
when it's real, i keep it alive.
- joe cocker
i was 13.
the lights came on and i was still sobbing.
it was my favorite movie then.
26 years later, it's still one of my all time favorite movies.
my 18 year old sister-in-law, teresa, is visiting and we were talking about movies to rent / watch. i mentioned an officer and a gentleman and she had never watched it...or even heard of it. i told her she has to watch it, while she's with me. so we did last night. and she loved it.
me: did you love it?
teresa: yea, it's not you're typical movie. it was so good.
me: i told you so.
and now, 26 years later, i sit and watch it and think...i'm living that fairy tale ending. i was whisked off my feet by MY officer and gentleman. okay...so it was in a bar instead of a factory but still. as sappy as it sounds, it's true. i have the most amazing husband. he is greater than i even dreamed. he's not only an amazing husband, he is the most incredible father to our children.
..........................
we've been chatting. skyping, to be exact. it blows my mind to think that he is in iraq and i can chat with him...hear him...see him. seriously blows my mind. of course, there's times when i long to talk with him and can't but i can't complain...not one bit. i get to TALK to my husband, who is in iraq, every day. that is incredible. i was thinking the other day about the spouses in previous wars, and how they had to anxiously wait for the occasional letter to come in the mail. here i am anxiously waiting for a daily televideo call...that is insane. i am thankful. i am blessed. and i will never complain.
here's tonight...us talking a million miles away (okay, maybe it's not a million but it feels that way). the last shot, steve was blowing me a kiss, as he said good-bye b/c he had to hurry and hop on a helo flight back to kuwait.
difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experiences. perhaps someday you wil be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. when one door closes, another always opens.
- author unknown
- author unknown
what you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. and this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. right now.
- author unknown
- author unknown
you know, raise kids.
have a good life.
be a good friend.
and try to be completely who you are.
and figure out what you personally love.
and like go after it with everything you've got no matter how much it takes.
- angelina jolie
steve is in iraq. steve's sister, teresa, is visiting for a week. this evening, teresa, sky, ryder and i went to visit my dear friend, leah, in orange. volvo is in the shop so we took the jeep wrangler, which has the back window out and is loud as can be. a one and a half hour drive. it's too loud to talk. you just have to try and listen to the music...through the howling of the wind and roar of the traffic. on the way home, around 10 PM, the following transpired:
sky: hey mom....mom.
me: [turns down the radio] what sky?
sky: is that the red hot chili peppers?
me: i don't know who this is?
teresa: [giggling] it is.
me: really?
me: sky, it is red hot chili peppers. how did you know that?
sky: because katie told me so.
teresa and i: look at each other and laugh.
okay. so...i didn't know that the song we were listening to was the red hot chili peppers but my five year old DID. sure, it was because her friend told her BUT her friend is five too. and how did sky retain that most pertinent bit of information after hearing it once. i'm so in trouble in about five or so years.
and so i share this shot...from the other day at the beach. ryder, sky, katie and a family friend.
and man, i so love my kids.
have a good life.
be a good friend.
and try to be completely who you are.
and figure out what you personally love.
and like go after it with everything you've got no matter how much it takes.
- angelina jolie
steve is in iraq. steve's sister, teresa, is visiting for a week. this evening, teresa, sky, ryder and i went to visit my dear friend, leah, in orange. volvo is in the shop so we took the jeep wrangler, which has the back window out and is loud as can be. a one and a half hour drive. it's too loud to talk. you just have to try and listen to the music...through the howling of the wind and roar of the traffic. on the way home, around 10 PM, the following transpired:
sky: hey mom....mom.
me: [turns down the radio] what sky?
sky: is that the red hot chili peppers?
me: i don't know who this is?
teresa: [giggling] it is.
me: really?
me: sky, it is red hot chili peppers. how did you know that?
sky: because katie told me so.
teresa and i: look at each other and laugh.
okay. so...i didn't know that the song we were listening to was the red hot chili peppers but my five year old DID. sure, it was because her friend told her BUT her friend is five too. and how did sky retain that most pertinent bit of information after hearing it once. i'm so in trouble in about five or so years.
and so i share this shot...from the other day at the beach. ryder, sky, katie and a family friend.
and man, i so love my kids.
if you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.
- wayne dyer
i am a firm believer that change is good. and thank goodness b/c my life has to often change, whether i'm ready or not. whether i like it or not.
last week, we were a complete family. this week, we are minus two. kiele left last friday, for a month with her dad. steve left monday, for three weeks in iraq. he will come home and then leave again a few days later, for a week in DC. something i didn't know until a couple days before he left. from now until may 2009, we have five weeks left with steve. and you betcha, i'm counting. cherishing every day that that we have him here with us, at home.
my family...we must be willing to accept change and adapt. we must allow ourselves to say that the change is okay and that we'll be okay. i must assume the role of mother and father. the kids must accept the role of a child without their father around. steve has to be away from his family. sure, some days are tougher than others but through it all, i have to just do my best, be strong and think positive. and teach my kids to do the same.
for the moment, i prepare myself. and i prepare my family. for the inevitable change that is now right around the corner.
.....................................
i close with pics of steve's CT scan, from when he fractured his face. he is now almost completely better except his smile is changed. hopefully this change is temporary (if not, we'll love him the same). hopefully his facial nerve was only traumatized and not permanently damaged. when he smiles, only half of his face smiles. the other half keeps trying to keep up but doesn't fully cooperate and do what it's supposed to do.
the things you look at change.
- wayne dyer
i am a firm believer that change is good. and thank goodness b/c my life has to often change, whether i'm ready or not. whether i like it or not.
last week, we were a complete family. this week, we are minus two. kiele left last friday, for a month with her dad. steve left monday, for three weeks in iraq. he will come home and then leave again a few days later, for a week in DC. something i didn't know until a couple days before he left. from now until may 2009, we have five weeks left with steve. and you betcha, i'm counting. cherishing every day that that we have him here with us, at home.
my family...we must be willing to accept change and adapt. we must allow ourselves to say that the change is okay and that we'll be okay. i must assume the role of mother and father. the kids must accept the role of a child without their father around. steve has to be away from his family. sure, some days are tougher than others but through it all, i have to just do my best, be strong and think positive. and teach my kids to do the same.
for the moment, i prepare myself. and i prepare my family. for the inevitable change that is now right around the corner.
.....................................
i close with pics of steve's CT scan, from when he fractured his face. he is now almost completely better except his smile is changed. hopefully this change is temporary (if not, we'll love him the same). hopefully his facial nerve was only traumatized and not permanently damaged. when he smiles, only half of his face smiles. the other half keeps trying to keep up but doesn't fully cooperate and do what it's supposed to do.
our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.
- ralph waldo emerson
i feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many who truly inspire me...friends, family, peers. and this weekend was particularly so. cheryl jacobs nicolai was here, from denver, teaching a workshop for a small group of us. inspiring us. encouraging us to be ourselves in pursuing our passion and dreams. through the ups and downs...to never forget why we started photography.
if you have not read what cheryl wrote, regarding "advice for aspiring photographers", i posted it below. i keep it printed and read it often.
I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here's my answer.
- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don't look outward for your style; look inward.
- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It's like money; you only have it when you don't need it.
- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a consensus.
- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don't fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you're stressed and anxious.
- Learn to say "I'm a photographer" out loud with a straight face. If you can't say it and believe it, you can't expect anyone else to, either.
- You cannot specialize in everything.
- You don't have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don't have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.
- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don't, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that's tough.
- Accept critique, but don't apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn't make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.
- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business "Precious Chubby Tootsies"....but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?
- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.
- It's easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you've got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don't spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you've outgrown your current equipment and you're being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.
- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.
- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.
- Never compare your journey with someone else's. It's a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never "arrive". No one ever does.
- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency.
- Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai
if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of cheryl's workshops, do it. and if you haven't seen cheryl's work before, you can see it here. be sure to check out her work and play sections. and yes, cheryl shoots film (something i'm hoping to dabble in in the very near future).
here's a couple shots from this past weekend, while visiting laguna beach with my kids and cheryl. we had such a blast (although the $14 mojitos were a bit much ;-) and the beach is amazing to shoot at. wish i lived closer.
p.s. click on the photo to see how it's supposed to look. for some reason, when my images resize for my blog template, they appears less contrasty. grrr! have i mentioned that i can't wait till i get my butt in gear and get my new blog launched?!!
- ralph waldo emerson
i feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many who truly inspire me...friends, family, peers. and this weekend was particularly so. cheryl jacobs nicolai was here, from denver, teaching a workshop for a small group of us. inspiring us. encouraging us to be ourselves in pursuing our passion and dreams. through the ups and downs...to never forget why we started photography.
if you have not read what cheryl wrote, regarding "advice for aspiring photographers", i posted it below. i keep it printed and read it often.
I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here's my answer.
- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don't look outward for your style; look inward.
- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It's like money; you only have it when you don't need it.
- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a consensus.
- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don't fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you're stressed and anxious.
- Learn to say "I'm a photographer" out loud with a straight face. If you can't say it and believe it, you can't expect anyone else to, either.
- You cannot specialize in everything.
- You don't have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don't have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.
- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don't, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that's tough.
- Accept critique, but don't apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn't make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.
- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business "Precious Chubby Tootsies"....but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?
- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.
- It's easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you've got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don't spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you've outgrown your current equipment and you're being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.
- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.
- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.
- Never compare your journey with someone else's. It's a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never "arrive". No one ever does.
- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency.
- Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai
if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of cheryl's workshops, do it. and if you haven't seen cheryl's work before, you can see it here. be sure to check out her work and play sections. and yes, cheryl shoots film (something i'm hoping to dabble in in the very near future).
here's a couple shots from this past weekend, while visiting laguna beach with my kids and cheryl. we had such a blast (although the $14 mojitos were a bit much ;-) and the beach is amazing to shoot at. wish i lived closer.
p.s. click on the photo to see how it's supposed to look. for some reason, when my images resize for my blog template, they appears less contrasty. grrr! have i mentioned that i can't wait till i get my butt in gear and get my new blog launched?!!
remember today, for it is the beginning of always. today marks the start of a brave new future filled with all your dreams can hold. think truly to the future and make those dreams come true.
- author unknown
for a dear friend of mine...
shawn, i hope that i am able to capture this magical time for you and capture it the way you always dreamed of...this time that i promise you will want to remember forever. enjoy these last moments, for soon they will be gone. moments that you will never physically experience again. moments that will soon be a distant memory. you are an amazing woman, mother and friend. thanks for being a never-ending inspiration. thanks for being my friend.
a quick steve update...
he is doing great. he's pain free and eating regular foods. the one thing that bothers him is that he can't smile quite right. it's almost like when you go to the dentist and get numbed and your lip won't work exactly the way you'd like it to. well, that's how his is. steve went to his ENT follow-up today and all went well, except that there was a hole in his incision. they asked him to come back in a week and he told them that he couldn't; he'll be in iraq. so they numbed him up and sewed the hole in his mouth incision closed. ENT seems to think that his nonmoving lip thing will resolve itself in a few months. steve is basically cleared for iraq but they're going to have him come in on sunday for one last check, just to make sure all is good before he leaves for iraq on monday, for three weeks.
and i so need to get my new blog launched. the size of the images in this blog template is making me crazy. soon. soon...
- author unknown
for a dear friend of mine...
shawn, i hope that i am able to capture this magical time for you and capture it the way you always dreamed of...this time that i promise you will want to remember forever. enjoy these last moments, for soon they will be gone. moments that you will never physically experience again. moments that will soon be a distant memory. you are an amazing woman, mother and friend. thanks for being a never-ending inspiration. thanks for being my friend.
a quick steve update...
he is doing great. he's pain free and eating regular foods. the one thing that bothers him is that he can't smile quite right. it's almost like when you go to the dentist and get numbed and your lip won't work exactly the way you'd like it to. well, that's how his is. steve went to his ENT follow-up today and all went well, except that there was a hole in his incision. they asked him to come back in a week and he told them that he couldn't; he'll be in iraq. so they numbed him up and sewed the hole in his mouth incision closed. ENT seems to think that his nonmoving lip thing will resolve itself in a few months. steve is basically cleared for iraq but they're going to have him come in on sunday for one last check, just to make sure all is good before he leaves for iraq on monday, for three weeks.
and i so need to get my new blog launched. the size of the images in this blog template is making me crazy. soon. soon...
be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.
- victor hugo
it's a nice thought to hang on to...
that we all have wings and when times get tough and it seems that the branches we're standing on are weak, things will be okay because we can soar, before the branch breaks, and find the strength of another branch.
steve is doing really well. his swelling is now decreasing and he is taking his pain medication less and less each day.
truly...i'm so thankful that things happened the way they did.
i am at peace right now and it feels so good. i made the decision to cut back business a bit and not let "my passion become a machine". and i can't tell you how important that was to me...to my family. my husband says i'm a different person. not really. i'm the same person as always but i'm not letting my business run my life.
and i'm so thankful that my mom fully recovered from her stroke and that steve wasn't hurt worse. after he told me what happened, when i got that dreaded call from KS, all i could think about was...he could have broken his neck or had major head trauma. a broken face 'aint that bad. and it wasn't.
- victor hugo
it's a nice thought to hang on to...
that we all have wings and when times get tough and it seems that the branches we're standing on are weak, things will be okay because we can soar, before the branch breaks, and find the strength of another branch.
steve is doing really well. his swelling is now decreasing and he is taking his pain medication less and less each day.
truly...i'm so thankful that things happened the way they did.
i am at peace right now and it feels so good. i made the decision to cut back business a bit and not let "my passion become a machine". and i can't tell you how important that was to me...to my family. my husband says i'm a different person. not really. i'm the same person as always but i'm not letting my business run my life.
and i'm so thankful that my mom fully recovered from her stroke and that steve wasn't hurt worse. after he told me what happened, when i got that dreaded call from KS, all i could think about was...he could have broken his neck or had major head trauma. a broken face 'aint that bad. and it wasn't.
