Our daughter, getting ready for school on her first day of being nine years old. Time passes by so quickly!
Category: Storytelling
Cartwheel in an empty room
Empty rooms are great locations for cartwheels.
Saying Goodbye
Over the past few months, we have known that our dear friends would soon be moving out of state. Simultaneously feeling excited for them on their new adventure and feeling the great loss their absence will create in our lives, I have found the need to document as much of our time together as possible.
What I will share below, are photos of the girls’ last morning together while working on a film project.
They began with a dance scene,
and took a moment to make sure that they got the shot before heading outside.
There was a lot of planning,
filming, laughing,
and viewing their progress.
I enjoyed watching the director’s vision take shape
as she used her own ideas blended together with those of her friends.
What delighted me most was simply watching the girls being together
and creating a fun, expressive way to say their goodbyes.
Although you are moving far away, we will always be with you in your hearts. We wish you the best of luck on your new adventure and look forward to sharing more stories, continuing our friendship, and to creating more memories (and to seeing the completed movie!).
The chandelier
For months, a momentous event has been underway in our family: my in-laws are moving out of the home they built and have lived in for more than 40 years.
As you can imagine, my focus has been on capturing and documenting as much of the move as possible through photos. I will share more in future blog posts; for now, I would like to share this moment from the move.
Upon discovering that the dining room was empty, our daughter said, “Mom, I’ve always wanted to touch the chandelier! Is it OK?” I nodded, focused my camera on her as she slowly reached up to touch the chandelier, and captured her excitement.
An empty house can be a wonderful place of discovery and adventure, especially from a child’s perspective.
Relaxing
This morning, I’m thinking of our trips to the Russian River and relaxing in the cabin!
Feeling nostalgic this morning
I’m feeling nostalgic this morning and have been spending the last hour looking through photos of our girls from the past few years. I am grateful that I’ve captured so many images of the girls at school, in sports, with their cousins, and especially in the normal everyday moments of their lives.
I connected with this photo today, just as I did with our daughter in the moment I took this photo more than three years ago.
The Eagle Card
At our elementary school, the students earn Eagle Cards for academic achievement, good behavior, and for going above and beyond. The kids collect these cards throughout the school year and are acknowledged for their hard work.
In the image below, our youngest (at the time in kindergarten) received her first Eagle Card; she had been waiting patiently all day to share the news with her big sister and finally it was her turn!
Although many, many Eagle Cards have been earned since this photo, this first achievement is the most special one. I feel fortunate that I chose to capture this moment in time.
Family books
Earlier this week, we were surprised to learn that five eagerly awaited boxes from France arrived and were waiting for pick up at the post office. My husband dashed out the door to pick up the boxes and was back home surprisingly fast.
Knowing the boxes were filled with old family books, we carefully opened them, one by one,
making sure each book was removed gently.
We took time to admire the textures, patterns,
vibrant colors,
to read the inscriptions,
and to explore their pages.
All of the books were written in French, and the girls were curious to know more about the contents of each book. Thankfully, my husband reads and speaks French, so he was able to elaborate.
After the books were all unpacked and the girls went off to play, I remained close by with my camera. In the quiet, I watched my husband explore the books,
often smiling as he read more of the inscriptions. I imagined him establishing a deeper connection to some of his relatives from generations past.
We are so fortunate to have such rich family history to pass down through our family.
Believe, Dream, Inspire
For those of you who follow my blog, you know that our oldest daughter loves playing football. Her artwork reflects this love, too.
Here is her entry into the PTA Reflections Arts Recognition Program Contest; this year’s theme is: Believe, Dream, Inspire.
She chose to draw a portrait of herself in the future, following her dream of playing football, believing in her herself, and inspiring other girls and boys to play sports, stay strong, and to follow their dreams as well.
This morning, she was thrilled to learn that her drawing won first place at the school level in her category and grade level and will advance on to the school district level in the competition.
I continue to be inspired by her courage to follow and share her dreams; I am proud of her inner strength and belief in herself. In sharing what she loves, I believe that she is opening doors for those around her and helping others believe in themselves and follow their dreams as well.
The sketchbook
Similarly to how I keep my camera with me to take photos of what inspires me, our daughter has started carrying around her sketchbook and draws when she is inspired to do so.
keep opening doors 