The Maddings' fall family portrait session with Kimberly Danielle Portraits started out like most any other session. I met them at a local park on a gorgeous fall day. The birds were singing and kids were playing on the playground.
But what none of us knew, was how this session would forever change our lives.
A lot of phones are now boasting infinite storage. But it seemed wrong to just upload the files to my spaghetti of a file system. I would never be able to find them. Especially with infinite storage. My computer and cloud were where my digital files seemingly went to die. I could never find them again if I wanted to!
We walked through an underground tunnel and turned down a hallway. As the floor sloped up we walked through the dugout and stepped onto the dirt track around the field. I felt over 100 years of American baseball tradition (MLB was founded in 1869), the joy of the long summer days with families and friends, and the excitement and anticipation that little kids feel when seeing their favorite players take the field.
This feeling? That's the same feeling seniors have when they graduate. The excitement of being a part of something greater, the joy of experiencing this momentous achievement with family and friends, and the anticipation of what's next.
You spend weeks prepping for this night.
Weeks.
There is glitter everywhere. In every. single. nook. and. cranny. Glitter. How it got into the Honey Nut Cheerios, is a mystery.
Your fingers might be permanently superglued together.
You worked hard to get this Halloween costume perfect for your kid (whether big or little!) and you want to get just 1 photo that doesn't look like the Hulk snapped the shutter in between smashing an enemy and running to the next house for candy. (uhm, what does this even look like?!? haha).
Hello gorgeous!
I've just recently started following the lovely Ms. Sadie Robertson's movement Live Original.
Guys.
I love this. I love her.
I want to take a moment echo Sadie's message and to encourage you. This video is the message that I try to send to every single one of my clients. You are priceless. You are valuable. You are worthy. You are beautiful just the way you are. You are enough.
Don't let your circumstances, your past, your friends, your family, or your fear tell you otherwise. Don't give in to fear. Don't let go of your dreams. Hold on.
I've been through some pretty tough stuff. Trust me. Ugly... life altering... heartbreaking stuff. But let me tell you. Hold on. Don't let go. Because, gorgeous darling? I promise. It will get better. And you are SO worth the diamond on the other side of this fire.
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Ok, so maybe that is a little heavy (catch the pun there?!? Ba dum tiss!)... I mean emotionally heavy!
In high school, all through my college career, and post collegiate life, I've felt this great responsibility to make a mark on the world. I struggled with feelings of failure that I haven't led a massive movement that has effected change in some way. Hey, you may laugh, but these things keep me up at night.
In college, I bounced around from one major to another, feeling like I could really make a difference here- no here- no here! Yes, I finally picked one and I graduated on time.
I recently discovered 16Personalities.com. I wish I would have had this type of Meyer's Briggs test back in my late high school or early college career. This simple test gives you "a concrete, accurate description of who you are and why you do things the way you do, for free."
The test gives you career recommendations based on your specific personality type. All of the recommendations it gave me are spot on. I've wanted to do all of them. If I had known more about my personality tendencies - my innate response to feel a deep responsibility to fix every injustice and learning how to say no to causes that don't align with my core values MUCH sooner (just to name one), I would have had a much easier time in college.
I'm happy to say, photographer was on my list or recommended career choices. And I couldn't be happier.
I encourage you: as you, your daughter or son, granddaughter or grandson start to get college acceptance letters and majors become the topic at the dinner table, take the test. Learn more about who you (or they are). Make an informed and educated decision. Know who you are and why you do the things you do.
This week, I went from being "Momma" to "Mom." My heart may have broken a little as I realized that you are growing up, and that there is nothing that I can do to change that.
I love most about you now that you constantly ask, "You want to play with me?" You make me feel like the most important person in the world the way you constantly crave my attention. I love watching you grow into your own person. You are such a girly girl. I love watching you swoon over pretty dresses and sparkly things. You love to have tea parties... ok, we have coffee parties.
We drove through downtown Dallas and pulled up to the locked gates. The landlord clicked the button and waved us through to the parking garage. With a feeling of electricity in the air, the girls climbed the stairs and quickly changed into their outfits. Outside on the patio, Lauryn set the table for our picnic. Allison made a few final touchups to everyone's hair and makeup.
For months I worked with others to plan and style this epic rooftop session. We were all SO excited for it to come together and the day to finally arrive.
With music playing and the crew looking on, Peyton sat on the circular couch. I directed a few adjustments to her pose and smiled. She looked perfect.
