Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, Portland :: a few of my own :)

We really wanted to go to the tulip festival this year as well, but waited a little too long. I guess you can expect rather 'tired' blooms in the last week of a month long flower festival. Regardless it was beautiful and we had a lot of fun. Audrey had a blast trying her best to get her rubber duckies aster than daddy over the finish line, enjoyed the slides and making new friends.

She wasn't quite sure about the tractor ride in the beginning, even though she asked for it. By the end she was ready to go around a few more times, though. :))

(I am not sure what made me not set the camera to one of the automatic modes when mom asked to take a picture of us, but I love this regardless ;). Besides I believe she has a few good ones on her camera.)

... She loves her 'ica'. (that's what she calls grandma - short for 'bunica')

...and here is one of me, taken by my sweetie :)

20*365 {Reinvented - iphone art}

Children reinvent your world for you. ~Susan Sarandon

happy. paul - even happier. audrey - wants a brother :)

I thought this would be...

... another 'trash the tutu' session with little miss Audrey. A very urban, decaying (beautiful, but decaying) setting, plenty of rain puddles and muddy paths. The perfect combination of elements, really, to make it easy for a 27 month old to 'trash' her tutu, planned or unplanned.
Well, it turns out I was wrong. If she didn't care much about it last time when I took her out in her tutu, she's growing into a very dainty and careful miss, who likes her tutu very much and wants to keep it in a good condition :) I promised I would make her another one sometime soon, and she seems very happy about it.

Paul's been wanting to take me to this junkyard for a long time know, and we finally went. I would've loved to be able to be there in the late hours of the afternoon and make good use of the sunset's soft, glowing light. It just so worked out with our schedules though, that all I could get that day was an hour at noon. Challenged my comfort zone and expanded it. 

... I love this dippy :)

...and here is my favorite image from our little shoot 

Have a lovely weekend, and thank you for stopping by! :)

A few from today...

Just a few from today. Will post more in the coming week. My little beauty at 27 months :) We love her to pieces :)

Hello again ...and a little bit of everything

'Sick as a dog' came to have a new meaning for me these past couple of weeks... I have a strong aversion to medication of any kind. Don't take me wrong. I take it, but not unless I really HAVE to take it.
However, this time around I payed the doctor a visit asking for a strong prescription. And while I usually tough things out, I even whined this time. 

I'm feeling a lot better, and so are Paul and Audrey. After feeling like we've been falling apart for a couple of weeks there, the world looks brighter and happier, and we've found a new appreciation for the 'simple' state of being healthy. It is easy to take such things for granted ... :)
I imagine there are many others like us. This bug it's really been going around.

... And then, when you put things in perspective this is menial stuff... It almost makes me feel silly that I even put it in words. The thought of the many that lost the ones dear to their hearts, and don't have their basic needs met right now (like food, water and a shelter) saddens me and makes me go quiet.

***

I sat down to write a post tonight because I wanted to touch base with some of you who wanted to know how things are going.

Camera's back, and the sad thing is that I barely touched it this past week. The sickness and rainy weather combo is not a very exciting one.

Things are moving along beautifully on the EW Couture stuff (I've done my best to keep on task - as much as I could ;) and a new goodie will be going out in the February's monthly newsletter, in the next few weeks. The response to the few materials I put out there in December and January was far beyond my expectations. 995 sign-ups, as of tonight, with new subscription e-mails coming in literally every day. Thank you! I'll take that as a compliment. :) 

I am also really excited that some of the materials I'm designing will be showcasing work of a few extremely talented photographers whose work I admire very much. Thank you ladies. I feel honored. :)

On a different note, some signed up after January's free templates went out (the little marketing set).
If that is the case for you, here are a couple of links where you could go and download them - Pay It Forward Photo Blog or the archive of January's newsletter. 

Also, Maternal Lens - lots of cool resources and interviews on this blog as well - had December's set of marketing cards for download.
Soon I'll stop posting about the EW Couture (except for major announcements ;) and focus on what this blog is meant to be about - photography. EW Couture Collection will have its own home and announcements board. All in due time :) 

Ok, I guess this is it for now...
My wish for everyone is that you stay healthy and happy, so this month you can share joy with those in need of happy moments and glimpses of brightness.

...Ready for spring :)