Indian Summer.

What is that cheerful sound?
Rain fallin on the ground

We'll wear a jolly crown

Buckle up, we're wayward bound

We'll come back for Indian Summer

- Beat Happening

The Teacher.

But all endings are beginnings, we just don't know it at the time

-The Five People You Meet in Heaven

I watched The Five People You Meet in Heaven tonight....okay...sort of. I got about 1/2 way through and couldn't finish.

I had been a bit a worried because since my gram's funeral I hadn't really cried much. I teared up a bit here or there, but I felt almost numb. Like it hadn't happened. I knew something was missing, but that weight of missing and grieving was just laying there, motionless. Nowhere to go.

Hate to say that a movie on the Hallmark channel jarred it loose....but it was a pretty good movie (from what I saw of it).

Made me think about regret. My grandmother had always wanted to be a teacher. She was whip smart and well-read...she would have made a fabulous teacher. But, she got married and had kids instead....eight of them in fact. Then 10 grandkids...and 13 great-grandkids. I think her whole life was spent enjoying her family, but housing deep regret over the life as a teacher that she had given up.

I don't know if she ever learned that she WAS a teacher, the best kind of teacher. She just didn't have the title, the schooling, or the pay. But she had the lessons that were bestowed on each of us. How to mother, how to love, how to enjoy learning, and how to teach others. If there is a heaven, and if she's there, I hope someone is revealing that to her. Showing her the difference she made when she believed there was no difference made at all.

She taught me a huge lesson when it comes to motherhood. That staying home and spending time with my daughter is not time wasted. Sure, I could be behind a desk. But when I gave birth, I too became a teacher. And being with Betty step by step is more important to me than any desk job.

I'm lucky enough that I can take pictures for people. It brings me happiness, I hope it makes them happy, and it affords me the luxury of being able to spend every day with my daughter, applying lessons passed down from Grams.

I'm just in thought tonight...not really sure why. Just wondering why things are the way they are and how to make sense of it all.

I'm hoping this ending is the beginning of another chapter, one that will come out good for all those left behind. It's hard to see right now through the veil of grief, but I have a feeling it's there.

I am in awe of this woman, who in 85 years fulfilled not only a role as a wonderful mother but as a teacher whether she realized it or not.

And I miss her.

Betty the Half-A-Bee

Half a bee, philisophically,

Must ipso facto half not be.

But half a bee has got to be

Vis a vis it's entity.-d'you see?

But can a bee be said to be

Or not to be an entire bee,When half the bee is not a bee,

Due to some ancient injury.

- Monty Python

My kid must think I'm goofy. As she woke up crying from her nap just a moment ago I busted out into a rendition of "Betty the Half-a-Bee". She gave me a quizzical look....then proceeded to cry. Oh well....just trying to introduce a bit of culture!

I promised Halloween shots, so here they be(e). Betty...the half-a-bee (stripes and wings, no stinger or antennae). Enjoy!

Betty on the move

"Now is the time on Sprockets when we DANCE!"

Oh Yeah...It's Fall.

Man, did WE get lucky today....

I had a pretty sizable amount of family shoots scheduled in the last few weeks. I was really considering myself pretty lucky that the weather had held up so nicely for these families. The colors were cooperating, the rain was holding off....and no snow.

But I was sweatin' today. I knew I had a sitting with this family....outside...and all I kept hearing on the news was "Snow!! Snow is coming!". Well...I lucked out, yet again. It was cold...and bit windy, but the sun cooperated and it LOOKED good, which in photography is really all that matters!

The sitting went off without a hitch. Even little Eli busted out a smile for me at the end...(ok, it was for the ducks...).

Here is their sneak peek...enjoy.

And later I should have some pictures of my Betty in her bumblebee costume...if you're lucky!

Had we known all it took was ducks to make Eli smile, I would have packed some....

Things I Learned Yesterday.

* 86 wind turbines produce enough energy for 30,000 average homes every year.

* Gov. Jim Doyle has a very agreeable and nice smile.

* There are newspapers in the area that give their photographers access to Nikon D3's and this makes me very jealous. Yes, I have camera envy.

Yesterday I was tapped by the company Invenergy to travel to Brownsville (a teeny weeny town near Fon du Lac) and document their Wind Farm dedication. I went in knowing little to nothing about wind energy so I took it as an interesting learning experience. I was just speaking the other day on here about all the nice places I get to go for my job, this was by far the most interesting yet. Standing directly below one of those gigantic wind turbines is awesome...if not a tad scary. I actually got myself into the corn and took a few perspective shots.

I have to thank Invenergy for the opportunity to document their dedication ceremony. It was definitely a learning experience!

Gov. Doyle

U.S. Rep Tom Petri

The CEO of Invenergy talking shop with Gov. Doyle

It was a grey day, but a good day for some wind energy!

Update.

Am I the only weird one out there who everytime she hears the word "Update" she hears it in terms of Robert Stack on Unsolved Mysteries saying it? Man...I loved him....

Anyway, I wanted to do some updating so people can be kept "in the know".

* Type A Images is booking well into November for family shoots for the holidays. In order to get all shoots completed and orders processed, I have to ask if you are interested in a family shoot that you schedule it as soon as possible. It's not really going to be possible to get orders done in time for Christmas after the 1st week of December.

* Also on the business front, I will be raising my prices (ever so slightly) after the 1st of the year. Never fear, if you've already booked with me for 2009 (and I have your signed contract) then the current prices will stand. But, if you want the current prices and have a 2009 event in mind, hurry and book or you'll be paying the new price come January 1st.

* Anyone with a small business knows that word-of-mouth is REALLY integral to gaining new business. That's why I have a listing on CityVoter, which is a great way to get feedback from my past clients and for new clients to find me. So, if you're a past client of mine and you like what I did for you, I encourage you to check out my CityVoter link and leave a review. http://cityvoter.com/type-a-images-9006-w-lawrence-ave-milwaukee-wi-53225/loc/96474

* I just ordered and recieved my FIRST client gallery wrap and I have to say it is GORGEOUS. I have to highly recommend them for holiday gifts, they are beautiful. If you are a past client or if you have a shoot coming up, ask me about gallery wrap options.

* I have to, lastly, say thank you to everyone who sent me their condolences upon the death of my grandmother on October 8th. It was certainly a blow to our family and it's been a trying time the last few weeks. Your kind words of support are greatly appreciated!

* Tomorrow I'm heading to the Fon Du Lac area to shoot an event with the Governor of WI! Pretty exciting. I'll be sure to post sneak peeks when I get back.

There's Nothing Like October.

“There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October”

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

October was my Grandmother's favorite month. She was married in it....and it's probably fitting that she died in it. I never really thought to ask her why, but being that I've been out and about in the great outdoors most of this weekend I think I'm starting to understand her special affinity for the time of year.

October is beautiful, especially in Wisconsin. The trees have turned and their colors mix in a lovely array of orange, red, and brown. I think someone in Weatherville likes me too, because it's been perfect shooting weather for quite some time now. I haven't had to postpone any sitting on account of rain and I'm thankful for that. Shooting amongst the colorful trees is perfect.

Today I had the chance to shoot at Lake Park, which I had really been looking forward too because, for one, I've never been there and two, my subject Owen is the same age as my Betty. He's a bit quicker on his feet though! Chasing him down through the beautiful Lake Park area was a nice way to spend the afternoon. He was adorable and he has eyelashes to just die for!

I hope his family enjoys his sneak peek!

A boy and his dad

Look at those eyelashes!!!

The 7 Bridges.

Now it occurred to him that perhaps Terabithia was like a castle where you came to be knighted. After you stayed for a while and grew strong you had to move on. For hadn’t Leslie, even in Terabithia, tried to push back the walls of his mind and make him see beyond to the shining world - huge and terrible and beautiful and very fragile? . . .

- Bridge to Terabithia

I have to say, I love my job. Today was beautiful, the sun was shining, and I got to spend the afternoon traipsing around a gorgeous area of Milwaukee that I had never been to before called 7 Bridges in Grant Park. Talk about cool...there are indeed 7 bridges (not quite sure if we saw all 7) as well as a lakefront beach and beautiful fall colors. It's a photographer's playground.

It completely reminded me of the book Bridge to Terabithia, with it's hidden places just aching for some kids to come along and pretend they are kings and queens of some imaginary kingdom. I lived for that kind of thing when I was kid and it doesn't seem that much has changed. The family I shot today looked lovely in the surroundings and the kids seemed greatly entertained by all the things to climb on and see. Made me think that at the end of the day, even with all the electronic stimuli around for kids "these days", boys still love to climb trees and skip rocks. Man...I sound old.

But, here is the sneak peek for today. I'm loaded with work this weekend (playing a bit of catch up and entering a bit of a busy season with holiday gifts and cards being planned) but I wanted to get these posted because from the looks of things they turned out great!

Enjoy!

I love this picture, you can't even tell it's mid-October!

Miss Independent.

You may remember Miss Madelyn from her 1 year shoot. Madelyn is my husband's cousins' baby (so I guess that makes her my 2nd cousin-in-law...or something). She's 1 month older than my Betty and, as mentioned, very independent.

I ventured with her parents, Matt and Beth, to Turtle Island in Beloit in hopes of capturing some family shots, a feat which proved a bit difficult as Madelyn was having none of it. She was in "forget you guys" mode, but we still managed to get some good shots off.

Luckily the weather has been holding out nicely to keep me shooting into fall and I have to suggest making a visit to Turtle Island if you're in the area, it's quite cute. I brought Betty along on this shoot and while she wasn't quite as adventurous as Madelyn (her squatty little legs prevented her from climbing where Madelyn could go) she had just as much fun I think.

So, enjoy your sneak peek guys! It was great to see you!

Hand in hand with the parents
Matt and Beth
She looks relatively calm here...I think she's plotting her next move.
We managed a few family shots before Madelyn took off!

The Adventures of Mommy in Grouchland.

Ok, so maybe I haven't reached Grouch-dom quite yet, but I haven't been exactly in the best of spirits the last few days. I've been tired...all from lack of sleep. I've been grieving, which takes a lot out of a person.

But, I used the last few days to reconnect with Betty, who spent last week mostly with my inlaws while I spent time with Grams and did the whole funeral/visitation deal.

So, Betty and I have played, read books, and watched Elmo in Grouchland about 50 times. My daughter has begun a deep love affair with the little red monster and nothing can tear her away from that TV set once Elmo is on. Now, I'm not an anti-TV parent. I love television, movies, any form of pop culture is okay by me. But, I do get a twinge of nervousness when I watch The Peanut get that glazed over look on her face as she stares lovingly at Elmo. Her parents become a distant memory....she is transfixed. I suppose there are worse things. And I have to admit, I used Elmo to help me get the last wedding edited and out the door!

But, it does bring a smile to my face, something I needed this week. It's really hard to get mired down in grief with a 15 month old red head around. She's spending the weekend with grandparents though, and I may just have to watch Elmo in Grouchland myself just to ease the ache of having her away.

But, fear not dear readers (all 10 of you or so), I'm not making this some sad grief blog. I have three sittings this weekend, so I shall return to blogging about good light, brides and grooms, and little kids with cute smiles soon enough. I have to say that being able to blab on here about this past week has been quite nice though.

Ahhh....love. (Notice the 2 Elmo dolls AND the Elmo sippy)
It's starting! It's starting!
Joy!
There are parents out there who would probably completely cringe at this picture!

Just Keep Swimming.

You know what you gotta do when life gets you down?

Just keep swimming Just keep swimming

For some reason I keep repeating this to myself: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Like the little cartoon fish that has something to prove, I guess. In the past few days it's felt like if I didn't "keep swimming" I would drown in grief. It's nipping at my heels, and if I stop for a second it's there ready to envelope me. I wasn't in the mood today...I was cried out. So, I decided we needed to get out and do something as a family. Something Betty-centered and fun.
So, we went to Schuett Farms in Mukwonago to visit the pumpkin patch.

It was nice to just spend some time with the kid and the hubby (participating in what my husband called good-ole' wholesome family fun). It was unseasonably warm today and I thought it was worthwhile to take advantage of the beautiful weather.

So...I keep swimming...walking...talking. One foot in front of the other hoping the grief doesn't continue to catch up with me. I know it's been less than a week, but I just don't want to miss her. I don't want to be without her. So I am, for now, comfortable in my self-imposed denial...healthy or not. I'm just exhausted and not ready to give in the grief just yet.

I didn't intend to continue to talk about it on here, a blog that was supposed to be reserved for my photo projects and client sneak peeks...but this is what is going on right now. And it helps to write it out so it's not caught in my head making me go crazy.

I miss her. Terribly.

I was at the pumpkin patch today smiling at my darling daughter and enjoying the lovely day, but the missing was still there. The hurt was still around us. I guess I can't rush it going away, but it's so incredibly unwelcome.

I caught some great pictures of The Peanut and I'm enjoying editing her pictures for awhile. Concentrating on her beautiful face and her adorable smile...gives me a bit of peace.

Walkin' in the dirt....woo hoo!
There is a lot of love in this picture

Pumpkins for The Peaunt

Daddy's Little Girl

Betty and I..... swimming.

Smile.

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though its breaking

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by

If you smile through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll see the sun come shining through for you

We buried my grandmother today. I have been running the roller coaster from numb, to devestated, to distraught, back to numb, and I'm finally settled at exhausted for now. I don't want to cry anymore because its just taking far too much out of me.

It was a nice service and my mother did a beautiful eulogy for Grams. It was fitting that throughout we found small reasons to briefly smile, remembering something funny or ridiculous that Grams did.

And I can look at my daughter, Betty the Second, and know that Grams' spirit is continuing. That I have a chance to take all I learned from her and apply it to my life. That I can be the kind of mother she would want me to be.

I'm aching right now, more than I ever have in my life. This week has been nothing short of terrible. But I feel some hope in the fact that I haven't lost my smile, and I have remembered that life will continue and the pain will slowly dull. It may never disappear..I will be forever altered by my loss...but I am thankful I have so many wonderful memories.

Goodbye

1923-2008

Common Bonds.

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Family has been on my mind lately, being that one of my closest family members is very ill and I've been spending a lot of time with my extended family in the past few days. So, it was fitting that my shoot today was a family shoot. This family was a lot of fun. The mom and dad had just celebrated 33 years of marriage, which is definitely something to be celebrated with a romp on the beach and fun photo shoot with your family!

We shot at Nagawaukee Park and were able to take advantage of the rain holding off to get some very cute shots on the small beach, piers, and wooded areas. Plus, the park was holding some sort of Revolutionary War re-enactment which was very neat to see! Very up my alley.

Hope the family enjoys this quick sneak peek! I have more shoots coming up this week, including a senior portrait session later and then a much needed weekend off!!

I called this the quintessential Wisconsin shot....on the pier, by the lake, in your WI shirts!

33 years and going!