Wake me up when September ends

I am remembering my brother today as seven years have gone by since he passed away.  I still remember that day, that phone call and then the days that followed.  To lose my brother was beyond words, it was life changing and so unbelievably sad.  It left me an only child and I miss him terribly.  For my parents to lose their child was unimaginable, catastrophic, earth shattering, debilitating.  It left them perpetually sad and nearly unable to be happy ever again.  Over the years they have tried hard to be strong fighting tooth and nail to start each and every day.  They smiled if you met them in the store, they went to church, they tried hard to cope with this horrible loss.  But their hearts were shattered.  Some of you out there know that pain, that loss, the struggle of getting out of bed everyday...and some of you don't.  I encourage you to not be afraid to talk about loved ones lost.  Don't be afraid to tell someone you are thinking of them and that you are sorry.  Sometimes it's nice to remember and to have that person acknowledged.  These things happen to us all eventually and a kind word or smile can make someones day.  Let them know they aren't alone.  You won't say the wrong thing, just start by saying "hi, you've been on my mind" and the rest will just follow.

"here comes the rain again

 falling from the stars

drenched in my pain again

becoming who we are

as my memory rests

but never forgets what I lost

wake me up when September ends"

~Green Day

Lisa and Family

I met up with Lisa and her family at Manuel's river on a cold November day.  I'm not sure if we could have picked a colder day for photos but we made the best of it!!  I tried to get the boys to visualize somewhere warm and sunny to help get the chill out of out their bones.  There was no precipitation so there's that to be thankful for!  These handsome little guys were full of energy and fun, and really, what more could you ask for.  With the promise of hot chocolate and a fire after the shoot, we made out just fine.  Here are some of my favorites from our day.

The Collins family

 Here are the Collins family enjoying a cold November day on the Southside trail.  It's a little less leafy than earlier in the fall but we were able to enjoy some of the remaining color and get close to the river this time.  Someone got a little too close though!!  You can lead a man to water but you can't stop him from falling in!!  Kirk spends a great deal of time on the ocean and has water in his blood and in his boots after this shoot!!  His twin boys had their share of fun too but it didn't involve getting wet.  I wonder if it's just me or if every photographer gets a few sets of bunny ears from time to time?? Check out this great family and their pooches!

White Christmas

                       

Here are a few photos from a seasonal shoot last week.  You may remember the White family from an earlier summer session I did.  These four are super sweet and have such cute little personalities.  Little Matthew was the toughest nut to crack but we managed to get some smiles out of him after a few squeezes from me and a few raspberry kisses!! We even managed to get mom and dad in on the action!!  Check out this White Christmas!!

                     

+

Michelle and family

It was another cold but lovely fall day last Sunday.  I met my good friend Michelle and her family out at Manuel's river for some family photos.  With my new lens in tow I was super excited to get a new perspective at the river and I had lots of great opportunity to do just that with with these three energetic and rascally kiddos!  They had me scaling mountains and stumbling in rivers!  But you can't keep a good girl down!!  These days, this is how I get my exercise and I can leave your their number at the end so you too can avail of their personal training services...lol!!!  The icing on the cake was Bethany calling me Nette!!  Too freakin' cool!! 

  I know I've mentioned before that I love meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends.  But I am so loving this new found passion.  Photography is a great outlet for me to do something that's just for me!  How often can we say, we love what we do?  Don't get me wrong, it's a constant state of learning but it's something I totally love learning about.  When something comes along that you enjoy and have passion for you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try.  Take a chance and don't grow old saying I wish I was younger, I wish I had more time, I should have...

Take the time to enjoy that something you love now!! 

~Nette