Hit the ground running

Larry has found that he has a real passion for all things running. He said that he wants only things related to running if I ever need a gift idea for Christmas or birthdays. I'm so glad he found something he loves, this will keep him healthy and in shape.

This last weekend, he ran with a team of 12 people in the Cascade Lakes Relay. It took 36 hours to run 216.6 miles. They ran on dirt, through the dust of traffic, on pavement and over hills. It was a tough course, but they finished well. Can you imagine this view?





The fresh air and cool breeze was the perfect setting for a run! One of our team members even had a stream waiting for her to jump into when she was finished.



Larry was really proud of his shirt and medal, I think he wore it all the way home and brought it to work the next day. Running 20 miles in one weekend is something to be excited about, I sure am proud of him!

Simple Pleasures

As I was drying my hair with the blow dryer, Jared stood nearby with a little smile on his face. I figured out that he really liked the warmth from the blow dryer so I pointed it at him and he turned in slow circles while giggling with pleasure. David heard the glee in Jared's voice and ran to share whatever it was Jared liked. Soon I had two boys turning in circles to enjoy the warmth all over. It's as if I've pulled a warm fluffy blanket out of the dryer to wrap around them. Is there anything more wonderful?

When life gives you lemons.....

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from a dad who needed me to take pictures of his daughter who was not expected to survive for very long. She was 8 months old and she was okay to travel so they brought her to me. The session went well, this sweet angel was so patient with me as we got the images that we wanted. It's always extra hard to work with these babies who are still hanging on because I hope by some miracle that she'll be cured. It's so heartbreaking to hear the news later. The only comfort we have is that she passed peacefully in her sleep.





It seems like my angels come in pairs, I had two last September and they were only a couple of weeks apart. The second one needed his photos taken on Sunday morning (July 4th) and it was my hardest session ever. I won't go into detail, but it will probably haunt me for a long time. Although the session itself went well and I got the images I wanted, it was more about the condition of the baby when he's been gone for awhile. I will only post a picture of his little feet, this is the eighth angel I've met and this one has broken me. I will need a long break to bounce back, thankfully there are a couple of other volunteer photographers in this area who will step in for the next angel.



As always, a sweet healthy baby is the best therapy for me. My dear friend (we go waaaaay back) brought her little newborn over to me today so I could play with her. It always makes me feel all warm inside! I caught the sweetest little expressions, I think it really really helped me. She is super cute!





Here are some random pictures I took on the 4th of July and sunsets. This area has the most amazing sunsets, I really missed them when I lived in Tacoma.









It's been a busy two weeks for us. Jared is in summer school to help him improve his reading skills, David and I get to spend more time together and we all find ways to fill in the free time so we don't go crazy.

Yes David

Today, Jared is at cub scout day camp and David has to miss all of the fun so we declared it to be "Yes David" day....... within reason. Obviously, we can't fly to Disneyland (his first request). We have been busy all day with visiting the library, his grandparents, and playing board games. We got really lucky and happened to show up at McDonalds when Ronald McDonald was there.



I think clowns are freaky, but I'm also an excellent actress :) Ronald McDonald felt bad that David didn't get a book (I guess they were handing them out for free) so he went and got us cookies. He was also kind enough to pose while I pulled out my cell phone and took a picture. By the way David talks about this experience, it is possible that Santa Clause is nobody compared to Ronald McDonald. He wanted a poster for his bedroom..... this is where I draw the line. Thank heavens McDonalds doesn't sell freaky pictures of clowns.

David's next request is a hula hooping contest. I always beat him, but it's his day so maybe he'll get lucky.

Growing too fast!

More than seven years ago, I jokingly told Larry that I would have a baby on his birthday. Seven years ago today, I actually did. I say it every year, but it's amazing how fast time flies! This year, he got to celebrate his birthday at school - that's is a rarity for a kid whose birthday is 11 days into June.... at least around here. The only bummer is that because it was the last day of school and things were busy for everyone, his class didn't sing to him and even David forgot to mention that it was his birthday. Oh well, he didn't seem too upset by it.

It was a special treat to have some cousins over that we don't see too often, he had more kids to celebrate with. His grandma turned one of his gifts into a treasure hunt, he loved that. I'm sure he'll be busy with his new gifts for awhile, especially his outdoor toys. I think Larry and David enjoyed their birthdays.



Once in awhile, I catch David in the right mood and he lights up my camera. It's becoming more rare with both of my boys, maybe I'm burning them out with being their own personal paparazzi. :)




7 Things I love about David......

His compassion for others
His smile
His spirit
His sense of humor
His laugh and the fact that he does it often
His music, he sings and likes to play the guitar
His calm nature

Memorial Day

"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be." -- John Wayne

It has been a family tradition for the past 3 years that we visit a local cemetery on Memorial Day to honor those who have served and are serving in the military. This cemetery puts up about 300 flags, each with the name of a veteran who has died. We feel it's important for the kids to learn about the sacrifices made for our freedom. I'm a real sucker for anything patriotic so I'll share just a few of my favorites (out of the 100+ taken).










I waited around for these guys to show up on their Harley Davidson bikes, they are Vietnam Veterans and bear their souls on their leather jackets. I can't repeat some of the patches that I saw, but one of them included Jane Fonda.... you can imagine the rest.

Ladies Man

It was 'kids night' at Studio 30 last Friday and I was inspired by vintage images of children that I used to look at when I was little. I'd walk by the greeting card section at the store and see an image of a boy kissing a girl, both wearing oversize clothing and hats.

My birthday boy

Jared had his 9th birthday yesterday and it's hard to believe he's so big. Time flies! It's amazing that he is alive, he is my miracle baby. I nearly had him when I was just 27 weeks pregnant and then again at 34 weeks - that time I was hospitalized for 4 days. He was just too excited to make his appearance, I guess. I knew he would have a zest for life even before he was born.

9 Thinks I love about Jared....

His energy
His curiosity
His humor
His imagination
His sympathetic heart
His creativity
His hugs and kisses
His smile when he's slightly embarrassed
His eyes

E! Investigates Bullying

Two nights ago, my mom and I were on the E! channel telling our story about my brother Jared who was bullied and eventually committed suicide. If you missed it, then you can see a 6 minute preview here. It's regularity 40 minutes long so I'm looking for the full version online. Eventually Hulu will have it, but it will take some time.

I thought the show was great, they did a fabulous job with the editing. I'm glad the editors were so kind to pick the best parts of my interview so you'd all think I was intelligent :) Finally, the subject of bullying is getting he attention it deserves and I am sure this will save lives. After I saw the show, I called the producer (also my interviewer) to let him know that I appreciated him and his staff. I was thinking of compiling other notes to email to the staff of E! so if you were touched by the show, then leave a comment and I will pass it to him.

I've decided to make my blog private for now, just until the weirdness dies down. I've had a lot of Facebook friend requests lately and most are normal people just letting me know that they appreciated the show. I did have one guy who crossed the line. He sent 15 messages and eventually a text message to my cell phone (I'm not too hard to find as I have a little photography business on the side with a website and number listed). I sent him a message letting him know I was not comfortable with a friendship, then blocked him last night. Hopefully he will move on, I would hate to involve the police. I guess this is one of the downsides to being on TV. I'm just a random citizen so I don't get it, personally. It does make me feel some sympathy for real celebrities, I could not handle that kind of attention/invasion of privacy on a daily basis. Being Mrs. Nobody, I am sure this too will pass. *fingers crossed* It doesn't help that Larry is in Idaho so my protector is gone until late tonight. I've been a bit jumpy, making sure the doors/windows are all locked at night and leaving a couple of lights on inside as well as outside.

Forks and the WA Peninsula

Larry and I drove up to the peninsula for spring break and spent a week in Forks. Yes, it's the home of Twilight and no, I'm not a crazy fan :) The trip started with an idea to go to Forks and take pictures of the area so that I can sell prints at the next movie release party. The proceeds would benefit the Edith Bishel Center for the Blind. After some more thought, we decided to do it over spring break and make it a little vacation for just Larry and I.

As we entered Forks, we noticed a line of cars which were full of Twilight fans and waiting to get their picture in front of it. We just drove by, surely there would be other opportunities and there was.....


We visited the Chamber of Commerce to pick up some brochures and maps for hiking trails. We LOVE hiking, especially if we'll end up somewhere gorgeous (not hard to find in that area). While there, we noticed the same Chevy model mentioned in the books so I snuck around the fans to get my shot of the truck. This small town has a lot of visitors. The Chamber of Commerce had 400 people in one day and they considered that a slow day.



We were lucky to have some one on one time with the lady at the office so that we could get some pointers on some really great trails. She also told us the story of Forks and how it was a nice little logging town. However, an environmentalist found that the Spotted Owl lived in certain areas around Forks so all logging came to a halt. The town was crippled by it and was soon referred to as a "dying town." Then Stephanie Meyer wrote Twilight and everything changed. The mayor took advantage of the opportunity and soon it became a nice little tourist attraction, it has been great for their economy. The town of Forks has literally come back from the dead.

This is a shot of a typical day in Forks..... wet and rainy.


The owner of the hotel that we stayed at gave us a little tip on an old logging road that lead to many waterfalls. It was a narrow road, so narrow that oncoming traffic would be nearly impossible to pass unless either vehicle went off the road. For one, it would mean going off a cliff :) My favorite waterfall was this one...



One the way out, there were breathtaking views of the trees and mountains with obvious signs that it rains a lot there. In fact, they have more rainfall than any other place in the United States (according to the Chamber of Commerce).



We visited LaPush and the beaches. We really enjoyed 2nd and 3rd beach. We hiked in and were completely alone with the whole beach to ourselves, it was romantic. Here are some shots of the different beaches in the area. We noticed that there was a lot of beached logs, we picked up a few small pieces to bring back with us.

















While hiking through the woods, we often got sprinkled on by the wet trees. On one gorgeous morning, the mist was in the air and it caught the rays of sunlight just right.



We found many many deer in the woods as we hiked. They weren't really afraid of people, but they wouldn't let us get too close either. Lucky for me, I borrowed a really great zoom lens from my friend and got this headshot.




On a day when it was expected to be pouring rain along with gusts of wind, we decided to head for Seattle. We drove north to Mt. Vernon where the Tulip Festival happens around this time every year. It was just beautiful! Fields and fields of blooming tulips, so many colors and I especially loved the dark clouds. We couldn't believe our luck with the weather this week. When I really wanted to do something or hike somewhere, the rain seemed to hold off until we get into the car to leave... then it started to pour. Larry noticed too and commented on how lucky we were.