portraits | the foradoris

Way back in February, Shawn and I met up with Pete and Megan in Swansboro to snap a few pictures. I had been hoping to post these and others in my new photo gallery but since that little project is apparently going to take me at least ten years to finish...well, here they are. Finally.
Swansboro is a photographer's dream with it's old bricks, weathered docks and waterfront views. Add one cute couple and the result is simply beautiful.
The Foradoris are settling into their new civilian life in Texas now and I'm hoping these photos will help them to remember fondly the time they spent on the Carolina coast.

portraits | the wimberly family

The setting couldn't have been more perfect for spring portraits of the Wimberlys this month. Mary found a gorgeous park hidden away in Wilmington just full of blooming Azaleas where we met up late one afternoon for a photo session. She brought her sweet family, I brought my team of "helpers" and we marveled at the amazing scenery as we tried our best to make family photos as fun as possible (because let's be honest, everyone knows that taking portraits can be awkward and annoying and then you throw in the frustration of trying to get children to cooperate and smile and look at the camera at the same time...)
Well, I think the result was well worth the effort and I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all!

from berries to cherries

There are cherries on my cherry tree!? I know that shouldn't be surprising but since I thought this was an ornamental tree (i.e. flowering but not fruit producing...right?), I never expected to see cherries. I've had the tree for a couple of years with no fruit so what happened? Did I just never notice the cherries before? Are they edible? The birds seem to think so. I'm sure that like the blackberries, they will all be gone very soon.

sweet charlies

We stopped at our favorite berry farm yesterday where Kenna exclaimed, "this is great!" over and over as she filled her bucket, Tristan made me promise to make strawberry shortcake with him before I made jam, and Kate simply reveled in help-yourself-heaven.

As I've mentioned before, I love this farm. I was talking to the owner about his growing methods (no pesticides!) and different strawberry varieties when he suggested I try his Sweet Charlie berries for making jam. He then proceeded to load me and my crew into his golf cart for a ride out to the right section of berries.

It didn't take long to fill three buckets (even with Kate helping herself) so we explored the farm a little when we had finished picking. I even let Tristan practice with the big camera for a moment -just a moment.

The afternoon was a blur of sticky, crumbly, strawberry shortcake and jam making messes but we managed to use up all those berries. The Sweet Charlie is true to its name. I used my regular recipe with even less sugar (about 1/4 cup) and for strawberry shortcake we simply mashed them up a bit with no sugar at all. We now have jam for a few weeks but since the fresh berries are gone, I guess we'll just have to go back for more.

loved ones

Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Carmen
{Dec 19, 1930 ~ Jan 15 2010} {Sept 24, 1930 ~ April 18, 2010}

thinking of my family gathered in California this weekend and wishing I could be there...
no doubt there are tears but also laughter...so much laughter...
ohmygoodnessakesalive! I miss you all

super stallions

On Friday, Shawn asked if I would "meet him at work" to take a few pictures. I arrived at the LZ (Landing Zone) by the beach a little early and waited...and waited...and waited some more when finally I heard them coming. There is no mistaking the sound of a CH-53 helicopter overhead, so imagine the rumble of six coming your way! At first they were in such a tight formation it was impossible to distinguish individual aircraft in the group...

I stood on top of the truck and took pictures as fast as I could (I'm trying to avoid using the usual terms like "shot at" and "fired away" right now). I didn't know at the time which helo my husband was flying but it turned out I got some great shots pictures of him...

I was standing on that truck, excited about the chance to take such close-up photos of these guys at work when suddenly I realized they were going to take off again right over my head. Hurricane strength winds, people. Right. Over. My. Head. I actually started to shake but couldn't bring myself to stop shooting taking pictures and take cover...

So, I laid flat on my back on that truck, held tight to my camera and captured these...
And then they were gone. As quickly as they appeared over the beach, they disappeared over the trees toward home, leaving me feeling a little silly in that field and excited to find out what I had in my camera. What a rush.

Have you ever been to a good air show? I highly recommend it. Check around, find one in your area, (take some earplugs), and prepare to be amazed.

thoughts on Earth Day

John Muir once said that "in every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks". I would say that's true, however the gift is coming not from nature but through it. Oh how much our God reveals to us through His creation -from the sand and flowers to the sweet lives entrusted to our care.

Go outside today and look closely at this world we've been given. Miraculous things are in your own backyard. If you're stuck indoors with sick ones (as we are today, unfortunately) you can at least bring a little of the outside in. It doesn't take much. A jar of leaves and twigs will do.

"God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good." Genesis 1:31

watching them

I love weeks that begin as a great stretch of blank white boxes on the calendar. I breathe a sigh of relief and determine to hang on to as much of that free time as I can. Moments like these happen in the white space -nourishing moments that carry us through the other days when five minutes to breathe is hard to find.

There is a lot going on this week. Those boxes are filling up quickly with good things, unexpected things, bittersweet things...a lot to ponder. For now though, all I want is to simply watch these three ones and be thankful for the important things.

Go ahead...

...play with your food. But don't listen to those people who say it will make the peas go down easier. It won't.

yesterday I...

:: found out my incredible husband has been scheming with my sweet friends to plan a perfect morning out with the girls.

:: scored a perfect yellow ware bowl to go with the pitcher I received this week from Grams -and a dish washing fairy!

:: was pleasantly surprised by a husband pulling into the driveway with chocolate cake and daylight to spare.

:: began my thirty-second trip around the sun...what an adventure.