August Break 2011- Day 2

i realize i have no pictures loaded on the computer of her at 16 but that will be tomorrow's post :)
big weekend...
15 turned 16
in the blink of an eye.
wedding rehearsals and wedding days held
on the beach
sister-in-laws marrying new brother-in-laws into the family...
flowergirls playing in the sand
and 16 singing
in front of a crowd of family
in a pale yellow dress
and how hard it was to work the camera
while i cried
because she did such a good job
she was so beautiful up there
who is this
young
woman...
this interesting, funny, compelling and intriguing person...
so separate suddenly {yet so much still a part of me that it hurts...}
wow.
16.
you blow my mind
{with happiness}{and pride}...
i love you.

August Break 2011- Day 1

now that i am fully-dead-head-on into wedding season
and the accompanying craziness that brings
i thought this
august break idea
would be perfect for me...
words or no words,
an image will suffice...
no hard and fast rules...
once a day or once a week or whenever the mood strikes you...
that's my kind of challenge for this month of shooting and editing and answering countless emails.

check it out...maybe you need an august break, too...

5 days

i have the next 5 whole days ahead of me
all mine
free and clear
5 sweet days in a row...
and i am so looking forward to it...

other things i am loving right now
right here
in this moment, this second, this space...

the fact that 15 sat in the backseat of my car
with her friend
and when suicical tendencies came on
15's friend said..."your mom is not going to like this song"
and 15 said
"are you kidding me?  this is my mom's cd!  i wouldn't even
know about suicidal tendencies if mom hadn't shown me..."

heehee...for that moment, i felt cool.

reflection inflection detection connection...

i am who i am
and i am ok with that...
i am vanilla scented candles and
extra strength tylenol.
i am cold pepsi poured in a muted green
diet coke mug made of heavy, thick glass.
i am friendly
but not social.
i am open to new ideas
but i hate small talk.
i am a worth adversary
but i am also a turtle...
a hermit when it comes to conflict.
i need time to think, to reason, to decide what to say and how to say it.
i am made up of many parts,
of shards of shiny things...
bits and baubles, paper and string.
i am a glass container of words and images,
filtered through my eyes
tasted on my skin
felt in the heat of my hands...
of my heart.
i am onion skin
{thin and easily hurt} and
elephant skin
{tough and resiliant and i never forget to hold a grudge}.
i am silence.
i am nervous energy.
i am withdrawl
and addiction.

i am vague
like the tiny wisps
of smoke
that fade away
from a
struck
match.

how is it...

that it has been 20 years
since i have been in
high school
and yet,
it still manages
to break my heart.

i hate seeing her sad,
i hate seeing her sad,
i hate seeing her sad.