Cody has been wakeskating since last November and rides several times a week. He has also been competing in a few wakeskate competitions lately. I love to watch him ride. Here are some shots I thought I would share from tonights competition. Yep, that’s my son…
I love to read and especially love when I find a book that has an impact on some aspect of my life. I have a “to read” stack of books that I have been working on when I have a moment and have been trying to dedicate some time every night to read. I just recently finished the book, “Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity” by Hugh MacLeod. As I read I underline statements that have meaning to me (my husband does this…prior to meeting him I would have NEVER written in a book…well except my text books in college-I wrote all over those suckers so maybe this is a trait I have and just didn’t know it!) Anyways…back to the book. Here are a few of the portions of this book that I found interesting, therefore I underlined them:
“Your wee voice came back because your soul somehow depends on it.”
“It’s not doing it – when you know full well you had the opportunity – that hurts far more than any failure.”
“Nobody but you and God know why you were put on this earth, and even then…”
“Anyone can be an idealist. Anyone can be a cynic. The hard part lies somewhere in the middle – that is, being human.”
“There is no silver bullet. There is only the love God gave you.”
“A Picasso always looks like Picasso painted it. Hemingway always sounds like Hemingway.
A Beethoven symphony always sounds like a Beethoven symphony.
Part of being a master is learning how to sing in nobody else’s voice but your own.”
“Wanting to change the world is not a noble calling, it’s a primal calling.”
This book has had an impact on my life. It has reminded me why I am on this journey called photography.
My wee voice did come back…and my soul depends on it.
A very prominent human need is that of protection and stability and father’s are an important part of providing that basic human need. My father is a man of few words but many actions and through his actions I am aware of his love for me at all times and have always felt a tremendous sense of peace and security because of his presence in my life. The things he taught me I will always know. They are engrained in me-part of who I am now. Our father’s have shaped our lives in ways they will never know. Sadly my husband lost his father several years ago when he was a teenager. Although my husband has not had the physical presence of his father, his father’s influence and spirit has been a part of his life always-his father is still influencing my husband’s life because of how he lived his life. On this Father’s Day we are thinking of our fathers and our grandfathers (whom we have also lost) and remembering what they give and gave to us and knowing that they are still providing for us that basic human need that we desire.
Daddy’s Girl
Jonathan with his father and family
Us with Grandpa Hoffman
Us with Grandpa Wolfe
…and I am forever grateful for my husband and the father he is to Cody. He has brought that human desire of stability and protection to his life not to mention his love, guidance and a connection that can only be between a father and son!
My husband’s birthday was last weekend so we had a small get-together BBQ with a few friends. We grilled up some burgers, made some baked beans, had some chips and dip and then Carol (Jonathan’s agent & our friend) brought these amazing cheesy pepper thingys that we put on the grill along with one awesome pasta salad. I’m telling you those cheesy pepper thingys were really good-they were gone before I could get a picture (maybe I can get the recipe and share it!) Oh, and a few of Jonathan’s friends from Stirfry TV showed up-they have a fun channel on YouTube…you should check out here. It was our kind of party…laid back, a few friends, good food and great conversation to celebrate my hubby’s birthday.
There are several members of our family that have served our country including my father, my grandfather, my husband’s father and grandfather along with numerous uncles and cousins and many friends. On this Memorial Day I want to pay special tribute to the only two people I personally know that have served tours in Iraq and/or Afghanistan: my cousin Paul Cook and my friend Marcus Johnson. My cousin Paul spent time in Iraq and Marcus did tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I have heard several of Marcus’s accounts of his time in both countries and am so very grateful that both him and my cousin are safely home. As I pay tribute to both Paul and Marcus and thank them I also remember those that lost their lives while serving their country-those men and women that I did not personally know, but someone knew and loved.
Bobby was visiting from California and I wanted to get a few shots of him so we went down the street from my house and did a short 20 minute mini photo shoot. So this is my cousin-he lives in California, works in the film department for Universal, loves dirt bikes, snowboarding, wake skating, and yes ladies he is single!
My very first Saturday Review happens to fall on my birthday. I have had some fun birthday’s as an adult, like when we went to New York a few years ago, but nothing beats your childhood birthdays with friends, streamers, homemade cakes, matching plates and napkins and the excitement and anticipation that leads up to it. So for my very first Saturday Review I decided to take a trip down birthday memory lane and do a little review of my childhood birthdays. It’s funny how our birthday celebrations change as we get older (at least mine did.) From big parties with all the neighborhood friends to parties with your college friends to small get togethers with a few close friends and family to a simple dinner out with your family, which is where I am in my life. As I think back to my birthday parties as a kid, I don’t know about you, but the cake was always a big deal to me. I can remember a cake my Mom made build around a Barbie doll (my Mom took cake decorating classes at one point in her life and we reaped the rewards for a few years!) I think back to my childhood birthdays and have great memories and it was important to give that to my son so his birthdays were always planned well in advance (I actually thought of party planning at one point!) We will celebrate my birthday as a family at Benihanas this year. It’s one of our favorite restaurants, especially for special occasions. I am looking forward to celebrating my birthday without a theme or matching plates and napkins…just a simple dinner with my wonderful husband and son.
So my birthday review today will come in the form of a few childhood pictures from birthday celebrations. I could not find any earlier pictures than 4-years old so I will have to talk to my Mom about that. Here is what I have to share (feel free to have a few laughs, I know I did!)
A vehicle is obviously a mode to get us physically where we need to go. But to a teenager it is so much more than that when they finally have their first set of wheels. Cody was very anxious to get his new Volkswagen GTI all cleaned up and ready for pictures. He has a sense of pride and responsibility and unfortunately his car has been at the Volkswagen dealership for the past week and a half waiting on some nationally backordered parts so hopefully this will cheer him up a little. What a great idea for a senior photo shoot!
Traveling Tuesdays: with the Roots has been a fun series of posts for me for the past several months. I love looking back at all of the adventures we have had the opportunity to go on and all of the fabulous places we have visited. I have more traveling fun to share but I thought it was time to take a little hiatus and introduce a new special series post that I have been wanting to start for some time. So for now…
My new blog post series will begin this Saturday as I share with you my thoughts on things, ideas and other randomness. I look forward to hearing your comments. Introducing “The Saturday Review”:
If you read my previous post you happen to know that my cousin Bobby was visiting here from California. The guys (my husband, son and Bobby) all went wake skating the first day and I was able to join them for their second day of wake skating. I shot pictures until my husband dislocated his knee. You can see the videos of that experience on his YouTube channel but for now here are a few better memories of their day.
