dear Mikki and Katie…

as i sit inside on this gorgeous day, and yet another college final awaiting me in the next week, and piles of dirty laundry are threatening to overtake the downstairs washroom, and 2 photo sessions to edit, and marketing to revamp {again}, and more bills to pay, i say…in all complete seriousness, if you two do not go to college  right out of high school and finish, i will ground you to your bedrooms until you decide, once in for all, i was right {still}.  i will…i swear it {and i will also literally swear too, no doubt, and no wants was to see that} and you will not last long in there. Mema and Grandpa thought it was a brilliant idea for me to “follow my heart and be happy” when i told them, in my ever-so-arrogant early 20′s tone of voice,  that i would not be finishing my degree in Psychology, and i wanted to, instead, work, make money, and have a baby. at the time, i felt giddy, as if i had gotten away with something that i never thought i would have. after all, these were the same parents who wouldn’t let me ride my bike to the convenient store less than a mile away when i was 10 for fear of the “unknown” tragedies that could occur.  alas, with each 20 page term paper that i write, and each test that i prepare for now, on the cusp of my 30′s, i think my parents should have taken an action equivalent to torture to make me continue.

yes, my dream is for you to grow up and be happy, and eventually give me oodles of grandchilden. yes, i hope you always follow your heart. but girls {i am pleading now} hopefully, your “heart” says to go to college and finish your degree because your mother says that too. and, perhaps in the past i have made idle threats of punishment {i.e. like when i say you can’t have desert if you don’t eat your dinner…i KNOW i always give you desert anyway…i am weak when it comes to your sad little faces looking at the strawberry shortcake…longing for a bite}, but this threat is not made in jest. that is right…you will be living with me, your mom, until you decide that college is cool {or hip, or dope, or sweet, or whatever} and finish up. and believe me, when you are 30, and not studying for a test in something you could care less about, you will be happy we all made this decision together.

all my loves darlings…

ps….daily mantra: “college is a place to keep warm between high school and an early marriage….{george.gobel}

I met Lindsay and Jared this past fall in a coffee shop in Portland. I was immediately taken back by Lindsay’s gentle nature, and how the love these two had for one another seemed to brighten the room. As an artist, I perhaps have picked up a small habit of reading people and their relationships rather quickly, and I immediately assumed that they had only been together 1 year, or 2 tops. However, this radiant couple have been together for over 10 years…starting in their sophomore year in high school.  Both of them have shared the trials and successes of growing up, college, and living on their own, and now they are preparing for their amazing wedding set to take place this August. We met up for their engagement session, and I can’t be more excited about how the pictures show their love and ultimate devotion to one another. I can hardly wait for their big day. All of these photos were taken in beautiful Cape Elizabeth, Maine…at Crescent Beach. Thank you so much guys! {a}

Gorgeous….

daily mantra: “never above you. never below you. always beside you.” {walter.winchell}

why can’t sweet little boys like this come home with me….

daily mantra: babies are a link between angels and man…{unknown}

daily mantra….”a smile starts on the lips, A grin spreads to the eyes, A chuckle comes from the belly; But a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, Overflows, and bubbles all around“….{carolyn.birmingham}

dear Katie and Mikki…

when i was a little girl your grandpa took me to the most magical place in the whole wide world. no, it wasn’t Disney World, Sea World, or Chucky Cheese. it was Mr. Barrymore’s Toy Store. this was not your ordinary, run of the mill  toy store. it wasn’t Toys r’ Us, who thrives on semi-keen marketing and stock by the bulk. in fact, i don’t even think Mr. Barrymore carried a single Barbie, or other cheap mass produced toys. still, i can remember walking in from the bustle of downtown Rockland, Maine and hearing the sweet jingle of the tiny, silver bell on the door as we entered and holding your grandpa’s sandpaper, callused hand tight with excitement that would almost make me sick. the store was bright with tiny, and perfectly hand painted train sets, and exquisitely stuffed teddy bears. grandpa would always take me in on his payday… on friday after working endlessly at the fish plant all week. most times, we would just stand looking together, both with eyes wide and filled with the same supreme childish wonder. we would never buy…ever. just look. and for some reason, looking was always good enough, and seeing the toys was always a treat in itself. but, one day…one absolutely amazing day that i can only describe to you by saying that, even now, at almost 30 years old, i still get tingles whenever i think back (i know this is a run on sentence)…we bought a hand tufted Paddington Bear complete with shiny red boots, a blue jacket with wooden buttons, and  a red felt hat. the feeling the bear evokes has always been more important than the bear itself, i guess.

to the point….

your grandpa always used to say to me in the Maine accent he tried so hard to hide…’never loose the feeling of being a kid in a candy shop’. and i remember kind of thinking that was crazy, because i love candy, and didn’t plan on growing out of that love {who doesn’t love candy anyway??} and i would always feel excited about it. but, as i look back on it, i think he was trying to make me realize that even little things, not sugar or stuffed animal related, should aways fill you with a sense of wonder. gum balls, pigtails, sprinkles on ice cream, snuggles in the morning, the chatter of two little girls conversing over a fresh box of newly opened crayola crayons and naked coloring books waiting for outside the line adventures….little wonderfuls.

all my love darlings,

p.s. daily mantra: “never loose the feeling of being a kid in a candy shop.” {grandpa.young}