One of my favorite things in the world is to laugh, and I thank God for a daughter I laugh with on a regular basis. My mom and I can still get pretty darn giggly together if something strikes us as hilarious, and Livia and I have the same connection. A simple silly thing can absolutely take us down and pretty soon we’ll be wiping tears. It’s the kind of laughter that replaces sit-ups. Or so I tell myself. Come to think of it, I fell in love with Jeremy rather quickly because he, too, made me laugh. And he still does! In the middle of a serious life, laughter makes everything better.
Oh, Livia Raine. How I do love you!
I enjoy documenting real life, so while I was shooting an everyday lunch at the Bradleys’ house I turned my camera to Maralee just doing what Maralee does. And this day that involved a routine licking-of-the-peanut-butter-knife, only now it was being studiously photographed. These shots make me laugh every time I see them.
There’s nothing better in this life than a perfectly ripe nectarine.
Oh, who am I kidding… I’m exuberant and have lots of feelings and lots of love so the statement above could be filled in with a number of adequate nouns. But I really do love nectarines. Their hairier cousin–the peach–is a close second.
UNO is a favorite of ours and we’ve been playing since Livia knew her colors and numbers. In fact, the yellow card holder needed in those days is still included in our UNO bag, though it’s no longer called for today. Early on Livia showed quite a bit of skill in the game, and I recall having to ditch “mommy-nice” play when she was still little. Since it’s my blog and since I so rarely beat Liv, I’ve included photographic evidence that today I totally KILLED IT. This moment will never happen again, so yes, I will brag about the one time I triumphed.
I’m trying to conjure up embarrassment for posting pics of so many green things… but I can’t.
I’m also trying to come up with a really great reason about why I’m photographing lettuce… but I can’t.
What I do know is that I am so happy that it’s warm outside that I long to take pictures of pretty much everything. I also know that I really enjoy eating food straight from my garden or from a friend’s garden (as is the case with this yummy lettuce). Instead of documenting people, today I am documenting the fruits of the Hammonds’ garden—and in doing so, I suppose I really am documenting people. Today we ate fresh lettuce and it tasted good. And tonight, when Livia chose her own snack from the fridge, she made an awesome choice and had more fresh lettuce. So thanks, Katie and Brian! We’re grateful for your labor.
Photography is my cure to rainy days, boredom, and sadness. But it’s also my celebration of life, joy, relief, and beauty. What a gift it is to GO CREATE in any kind of mood, at any kind of moment. Some use paints, others choose pottery. For me, it’s an old gem of a Nikon that is my magic wand.
