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Photography: Fourth of July parade

Spent the morning at a Fourth of July parade cheering on horses, marching bands and old cars. Here’s a few of my favorite shots for you. Hope you stayed safe today and all your pets got lots of extra cuddles.

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poetry: yellow

freedom used to be yellow.
simple like holding my grandmother’s hand
in the church pews on sunday.
simple like the ribbons we tied
around the thick bark of the trees,
waiting for the soldiers to come home.

maybe that is why i still like parades.
the heavy hooves of the horses,
the bright brass of marching bands,
the gleam of old cars,
bubbles floating in the summer air.
i want it to be yellow again.

but knowledge changes all the colors.
i cannot pretend anymore.
it does not mean what it used to.

some people choose the blindness of yellow.
some people see the truth.

4/100
For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. I hope you’ll follow along.

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poetry: what do you see?

sweet girl,
when those fast feet dance
outside the library
to music living inside your bones,
and my screen glows awake
to swallow the moment,
do you know
it’s the years i’m holding?
you, right now—
a bright flash of wild curly hair
saved for later.

you call out “gigi dance”
and I do,
because my tired body
wants to always remember
what it feels to move with you.
your small hand
guiding my heavier bones.

we play, talk, and say hi
to our oak tree,
but it’s when we sing together
and you press your head into my chest
before climbing into your big girl bed,
i feel the new weight
of your lengthening limbs.

3/100
For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. I hope you’ll follow along.

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poetry: the taste of honey there

cars zoom past to anywhere but
here, each carrying someone’s entire
world. bees swarm inside my chest,
heavy and frantic, a hum vibrating
beneath my ribs. only my finger
moves, pressing each letter
into my phone, like sitting
years ago in the sand, pushing
rocks down as far as they would go.
maybe if i press hard enough now
it will reach you. a little gift
from my hand to yours. a single bee
let loose across the distance. do you see
the sun cutting through the leaves
too? does the air taste like honey
there? i need everything to be okay,
for you, for us.

clouds streak white, smudges in pale blue.
buzzing slows to a quiet ache.

i just need to hear you say—
it’s all going to be okay.
one more thread for us.

2/100
For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. I hope you’ll follow along.

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poetry: feed me

lizards dart out of the bushes
every time I open the front door
rustling warnings when I don’t 
need them. wrote the word
connection over and over within
lined pages of my green
goddess notebook, planning
return of self, for self, to others
or is it for others? today, tomorrow—
each day is another chance
for words to gather within
my apron pockets if only fingers
weren’t so tired. or
slippery. forgiveness given
when not asked for, makes arms
ache for something lost. no, never
was. illusions rustle whispering
here we go again, eat until full
this time. don’t worry about crumbs—
you don’t have to clean everything
everyone—
you can rustle too
whenever you want.

1/100
For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. I hope you’ll follow along.

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Photography: Women Are…

“She did not succumb to the battering of the brutal elements in her life. No, instead, with nourishment and strength from those surrounding her, and from her own deep, strong roots, she continued to grow; not just grow but thrive! So much so that she did not buckle under the weight that was not her own.”—Claudia

For the month of June, my model was my lovely friend Claudia. We met during sunrise, to avoid the heat, and our time together was magical. We wandered the same wooded area I had taken photos in last month, but it looked different, more golden and less dark green. I focused my camera on capturing her lovely energy, smile, and how she connects to nature.

I met Claudia when our kids started first grade together. My first memory of her is volunteering together to paint the school office. She was working hard (something I learned is how she’s wired) and we got to talking. I instantly knew she’d be someone I wanted in my life. She’s caring and kind, but doesn’t allow boundaries to be crossed. She’s a loving mother who taught her kids to speak up for themselves and is the very epitome of unconditional love.

I’ve seen my friend go through some very rough times in the last few years and really focus on healing. She’s in such a good place right now and I saw it, radiating off her (see the photos at the end for photographic evidence, maybe?) I’m really loving these sessions with my friends and can’t wait to keep growing and sharing my photos with you all.

Enjoy!

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What makes you proud?
Watching my kids advocate for themselves and set boundaries, and knowing that I provide well for them, not just physical needs but in all of the ways that matter makes me really proud.

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What makes you feel brave?
Reminding myself of how much healing and growth I have done these past few years makes me feel brave.

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What gives you hope?
Trusting the path that the universe has set for me, believing that it has good things for me, and reminding myself that it has always taken care of me (even though I endured a lot of pain and trauma), gives me hope.

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When we first starting taking photos together, I told my friend to just take a moment to look around the woods. Relax a minute and feel the energy. I snapped this shot. Although it’s most likely just a unique sun flare, my first thought when I opened the image was “did I capture her aura?” I had to share it with you all too.

And here’s some extras, just because I like them:

These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using several different lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic. Let me know what you think, and check out the others in this series if you missed them.

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Photography: The Last of Us

My daughter is a huge fan of The Last of Us video game. You may have seen my photos a few years ago of us in Seattle as she cosplayed Ellie at some of the famous locations.

What I haven’t shared is these photos we took in our backyard about two years ago of her and her dad. He’s not one to cosplay, but she talked him into it. It seems like Father’s Day is the perfect excuse to share these.

A few notes:

  • These are BB guns in our backyard
  • I’m sure you can see how much fun they are having recreating scenes from the game
  • My photography and editing skills have definitely improved, but I still love these
  • If you haven’t played the game, my daughter got us all to play it and it’s fabulous. A wonderful story full of representation and complex relationships. The show…not so much 🙂

Happy Father’s Day to my husband and my own dad (see the last photo for a cute one of us).

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My daughter and husband at her first birthday party.

Me an my dad in my Holly Hobby bedroom.
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Photography: Sunset & Rest

Spent a few days by the ocean for my daughter’s birthday. It was a lovely, relaxing time filled with giggles, music and games. I’ve been going so much lately it feels good to finally be home this week. I’m taking a little time to get my house back in order, return to my regular routine, and focus on my health.

On July 1st, I’ll be launching my 100 Day Poetry Project and be posting daily here again. You’ll see me experimenting a lot with words as I work on my poetry book which I hope to publish by Christmas. In addition, I’m adding more clients to my calendar and working on a website to officially launch my photography business in January of next year. This includes getting a business plan and license, buying new gear, and taking a few more classes.

For now though, let’s watch the sunset together. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic rest of your week!

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Also…

When Lola was little we went to hundreds of music festivals. Over the weekend she played Pops in the Park, a huge outdoor music concert with three bands. Watching her perform while little girls danced in front of her…it was a big moment in a year of big moments. Here’s a few of my favorite photos. Thanks G.I.R.L.S. Rock Sacramento!

  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, with various lenses.

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Photography: Vintage Vegas

These were taken at Cornish Pasty, Red Rock Canyon overlook, and near Fremont Street. I wanted these to look out of time, so I focused on a different color palette using a vintage preset as a launching place. I left the grain on these, and love how they turned out.

Let me know what you think and if you have a favorite.

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, 12-50mm lens.

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Photography: Gritty Vegas

The last few weeks I was in Vegas with my daughter and her best friend house-sitting. I’ve been doing a lot of polished portraits lately, so I used this as an excuse to play with a different style of photography. For these, I really embraced grain as it seems to fit the grittiness of the city. I tried to focus more on composition and on catching interesting moments. These photos are from Fremont Street and edited to give them a more documentary feel.

How did I do?

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, 12-50mm lens.