Perspective....

So, hmm, how to begin.  Yesterday, was a tough day.  Some moments in your life you just don't see coming.  Life moves on and you realize everything happens for a reason.  Or atleast, I usually get to that point.  What I realized yesterday is...photography, when its just for me...for me to see and just be quite...well, I'm at peace.  I haven't just gone out with my camera, for me, in a while.  And for that, I realized, I can't do that.  I need this.  I need moments to myself.  So that I can get my thoughts and emotions clear. And yesterday was great also in some ways because my husband looked at me and told me he was proud of me, proud of where I'm going and the things I see and can capture.  Ah, moments like that just melt my heart...and so the perspective comes in and I see that hey, life moves on and yeah, I'll be fine.  So, enjoy my quite moment yesterday...it was really for me but I do like to share. ;p 

Happiness

Memories...so many with this family!  Friday night pizza night, Saturday morning sante fe runs (all though usually not after a Friday night get together) birthdays, trips to AZ, projects on the house, babysitting, lunch breaks with the office, Christmas parties...memories...so many with this family.  I share a lot of who I am with them...I've cried and laughed a lot, shared losses and celebrated good times.  So how do I describe this family to you...to describe what they mean to me...I'm at a loss for words but what I can do is tell you that I love them...I love how they relate to eachother.  I love that they found eachother in highschool.  I love that they are CRAZY about Hayley...crazy about my kids.  I love that they are a part of me.  They are a part of my happiness in life.  They just make me happy.  So, this is the Helwege family, a part of my family. 

Nate, Tara, Jack and a beautiful black poodle named Echo

First impression with this family...Fun! I met them in the parking lot and they had this big beautiful dog Echo...Nate was holding Jackson, who at 1 has some cool style going on.  Tara and Ashley...they were laughing at something and def had the beautiful girl next door vibe going for them.  I knew instantly that it would be a fun and relaxed session.  What I loved about photographing them is that they totally made it theirs.  Nate had some really unique ideas that might have made Tara and I a bit nervous with Jackson...only a Dad would come up with a rockclimbing idea.  Seriously cool people.  Had it just been the two of them I would have had them try the cliff jumping idea...just kidding Nate...sort of.   But next time for sure we can try that.  ;)  They also brought a long their really close friend Ashley who is a wedding planner (to all the brides out there I have her name and number should you need a great planner) to help out with Jackson.  I think I might have bossed her around a bit...(or maybe the correct term would be "artistic direction" ha...sounds better that way) but hey she was game and she also had some great ideas for the fam.  So by the end of the session I really just felt a connection with them.  They reminded me of my family...and again, as a photographer its such a blessing for me to be a part of these moments.  So thank you so much!