The Lake Life

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Fishing at the Lake

Lately I’ve found myself so inspired by my own life. I don’t say this because my life is totally amazing in every way, but because for a few years I found myself utterly bored by my surroundings. The funny thing about boredom is that most of the time it has nothing to do with what is happening around me, but everything to do with what is happening inside my own head. I spent the last few years learning how to appreciate this beautiful life I’ve been given, and now, when I look around, I can’t help but be in awe.

If you’ve been following along with my photography journey, you may have noticed I’ve been including videos with my family clients’ photo reveals. This is something new that I started earlier this year, and I love it! I think the mix of images with short video clips really brings the experience to life for those of us watching. I think of these videos as a keepsake for my clients, something they can share with friends and family, and hold on to in order to look back and remember these silly, funny days of parenthood.

However, lately I’ve found myself inspired by photographers like Kansas Pitts, who not only makes these videos for her clients, but also for herself! Now, unlike Kansas Pitts, I don’t own a drone or a GoPro or live in a beautiful beach town…but that doesn’t mean I can’t document my own family’s adventures in my own unique way.

This summer has been especially lovely for us because for the first time, my kids are fairly independent and we able to experience more without the hassles of traveling with very young children. There are no more diapers, baby food or loads of gear to drag along with us. For the past few years, traveling to my parent’s lake cabin has been hit or miss…Tate didn’t love the water, Lucy was afraid of seaweed and neither slept well when we weren’t at home. But this year has been fantastic! The kids spend hours jumping off the dock, swimming, fishing and playing. We ride the jet ski and tube, kayak, float on rafts and roast marshmallows over the fire in the evenings. It’s pretty stinking magical, if I do say so myself.

So on our last trip, I decided to try and capture some video along with images and make a little keepsake of the first summer of relative freedom. It makes me smile, and I hope it makes you smile too. Life is good. Lake life is better.

Giving Instead of Receiving with the KC Pet Project

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KC Pet Project Kittens

This year for Lucy’s birthday, we decided to change things up a bit. While we are so grateful to our friends and family for all the amazing gifts they bestow upon our kids, we are full to the brim with stuff. My kids don’t need anything, really. So instead of asking people to bring gifts to Lulu’s birthday party, we asked them to bring donations for the animals of the KC Pet Project!

KC Pet Project

We are a family of animal-lovers, and are proud that all of our pets, both past and present, have been adopted through local shelters. We love the KC Pet Project, because it’s the largest no-kill animal shelter in the area. The shelter cares for over 9,000 animals a year! I contacted the KC Pet Project and told them about Lucy’s donations, and they were kind enough to give the kids and I a tour of their facility. We brought along a friend of Lucy’s who is also a big animal fan (especially kittens!), and we were able to see the cat and kitten room, the veterinary recovery wing and the dog area. The entire operation is so amazing, and we are super grateful we were able to help out in our small way. Lucy’s friends and family really stepped up, and we were able to donate a couple bags of dog and cat food and toys!

To learn more about the KC Pet Project, and to learn how you can help, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook!

Dreams, Gratitude and Opening Night

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On Friday, I had my first official art show opening. It was terrifying. And amazing. And scary. And overwhelming. I won’t rehash how the project came to be (you can read all about it here), but it was sensitive and emotional subject matter and I was so honored to just be asked to tell these stories…let alone be featured in an art showing!

If you’ve been around for a while, you might remember my life list from years back. It’s no longer active on this site, mostly because my life kept changing so I felt like having this master “LIST” was a little silly, but I still love the concept. I wrote down all of my wishes, big and small, even if they seemed completely insane. Some of them have come true, and many of them have not, but having my photographs displayed in some sort of gallery show was definitely at the top of the “probably never going to happen” portion of the list.

But it did. Miracles are all around us.

Walking into Aimee’s Coffeehouse on Friday was more overwhelming than I had anticipated. I had sort of blown off the whole thing as no big deal, until saw my images adorning the wall. And then under the sign that said “Artist of the Month” was my face and bio. The smiling faces of the women who spent so much time putting the Phoenix Project together and creating this amazing concept were all there, along with a few of the women I photographed. My kids and husband came too, beaming at me and snapping photos as I dumbly stared at the displays in awe. A few people came up to me and said, “You’re the photographer, right?” I then tried to sound smarter than I felt and answer their questions, even though my head was spinning. Oh yeah, and my dad was there. Totally surreal.

I am so grateful and filled with appreciation that this project, three years in the making, is finally living! The Phoenix Project will be on display at Aimee’s Coffeehouse in Lawrence, Kansas until the end of June. All the art displayed, including my photographs, are for sale, with the proceeds benefiting the women, men and children that are served by the Willow Domestic Violence Center. If you’re in town, stop by and check it out! And if you do, send me a photo! I’ve loved getting texts and images from people who have gone to see the show. It makes my day to know people are seeing the work and being touched by it.

As always, thank you. If you’re reading this, you’re a part of this journey. I couldn’t have done it without you.

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Summer!

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Lucy Pool May272015

So far, our summer has been pretty wonderful! This week I’ve taken a bit of time off (which as a freelancer means “I’m working from dusk until the kids wake up and then again when they are in bed until midnight!”) to enjoy the first few days of their school break with Lulu and Tate. I am thrilled that next week a new babysitter will be joining our little crew to help us get through the rest of summer with minimal work/life breakdowns. But until then, I power the computer down around 8:30 a.m. and we spend the day reading, watching movies, hanging out with friends and, of course, swimming. Now, the weather in Kansas City isn’t exactly pool weather yet, but my little fishes could care less! We are lucky to belong to a gym with a heated outdoor swimming pool, so we’ve been there every day this week. Tate is so much more independent this year, going down the slides like a big kid and refusing to wear floaties or play in the shallow end. He’s already serving as a bit of a mascot for the lifeguard crew, who know him by name and graciously chat with him as he asks them a million questions daily. From the moment we arrive at the pool, Lulu disappears and I usually don’t see her again until she starts to get hungry. Today Lulu said, “Mom, I love summer. I could swim every day forever.” I hear ya, sister. Me too.

Tate Swimming Memorial Day

NYC

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Last week I was fortunate to travel to New York City for a work trip with a little fun added in! I had originally planned to try and visit my best friend (and the other half of the NYC + KC project) this spring, and when I mentioned it to one of my freelance clients, they asked if I could add a couple of days to my visit and spend some time in of their NYC offices. It all worked out perfectly, and thanks to my husband who took over the homestead while I was away, I was able to head off to the big city for five days.

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This trip was so needed, and I feel so lucky to have been able to go. I have been a working mama for most of my motherhood career, and it isn’t always easy. So it was actually pretty nice to take a little break from serving as a human Kleenex and just focus on my work for a few days. I rode the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan each morning, and after a long work day, I headed back out to my friend’s house with no worries about what I was making for dinner or if we were late for soccer practice or if everyone had done their homework. The day before I left for New York, I completely lost my cool with the kids, and I knew we all needed a little break from each other. Sometimes the pressure of parenthood can be much for even the best of us, and some distance and space only makes the heart grow fonder. A few days in New York City helped me remember who I was before I was “mama” and also allowed me to actually MISS my own life. I believe every mom or dad needs a little break now and then to recharge and regroup, and for me, NYC was the perfect place to do it.

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It didn’t hurt that I got to spend some good, quality time with my best friend and her family. I hadn’t seen Theresa in person in almost three years (!!!) so it was just lovely to be close to her for a few days. We rode the subway together to work and talked late into the night. On Saturday we wandered the city for 12 hours, walking 11 miles as we talked and laughed. It was a perfect New York day. I love seeing New York with actual New Yorkers, because they introduce me to things I wouldn’t have tried without them. We ate pizza by the water in DUMBO and drove out to Coney Island to look at the roller coasters. We walked the Highline and visited the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. But mostly we just walked and talked and experienced the day together.

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I am so grateful for this time and for this trip. I came back to Kansas City tired, but recharged creatively and mentally. I am ready to get back to my real life and live it to the fullest. And when I saw my smiling family at the airport, I realized how much I really did miss them while I was away. New York was fun, but my heart is wherever my family is. And since my family is in Kansas City, that’s where my heart belongs.

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