I know, certainty is dangerous and there's little to be certain of anyway. Most things are outside of our control and who would want to control it all anyway? The random stuff is often some of the very best stuff. Lately though, and especially the last few days, I am so uncertain that I actually feel edgy and uncomfortable. My friend, Danny, says it's just because I'm a crazy pregnant lady, which may very well be true.

There has been so much change this year and I know part of this uneasy feeling has to do with all of that. The only thing that I know for sure is that life is flying by at a dizzying pace. and I'm trying to craft this authentic, meaningful life that feels truly like "me". I want to edit out the chatter find my own personal recipe of work, art, home, friends and family.

In the process, I am putting new things out into the world. A few weeks ago (yes, it took me this long to tell you) I got my hand slapped. I packaged up my best art pieces, wrote my statement and sent it off to a gallery here. This is what I got in return.

I didn't even tell Steven for 2 weeks. I told Sayer first actually. Sweet boy that he is, he just touched my shoulder and said, "Mommy, I really like your art work. Don't be sad". I think that's why this picture is my favorite this week. It is Sayer's hand in mine and there is certainty there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset at Lawndale for saying no. In fact, I knew it was unlikely to get a yes on my first try. I did kind of hate that it was a constant contact email though. Kinda made me want to "safe unsubscribe" to be honest. However, I am not going to go down so easy. I'm going to submit again to The Big Show. Now, if they say no to that too, you may find me face flat on my floor at home for a week or two.

So, what about you? What have you been thinking about and what have you captured in your lens this week? Anything that moved you? I hope you'll comment and add links to your blogs, Flickr, images, etc. in the comments below or add your images to my Favorite Shot Friday Flickr pool. Your comments and feedback mean so much to me. Thanks for reading and sharing!

I've been thinking about gratitude a lot lately. Sometimes it's so hard to see through the fog of the grind. Often, I think we're looking too hard for our joy. We're looking for the big explosions of happiness and, in the process, miss the tiny bits of magic that surround us all day, everyday.

This past week I went to Dallas for a workshop with a photographer that I love (Jenn Hudson) and while watching her demo a specific shooting set up, my mind wandered. I started to think about how amazing the weather was and how grateful I was to be out in it investing time into something I love. I looked up and saw this beautiful little ray of light shining through the trees. It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

"Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement" Anna Quindlen.

I love how photography helps me see the bits of mica and celebrate them. What about you? Any glittering bits of mica in your week? I hope that you'll share them with us in my Favorite Shot Friday Flickr group.

Happy weekend my friends!

This week I am in Dallas taking a workshop with one of my favorite photographers. It's inspiring and I'm loving every minute of it. Our instructor created this analog Facebook like wall for us. We put out inspiration pieces on it, an image from our work and little bits of pieces of things we love. On the first day, we went around and introduced ourselves and talked about why we were here, a little bit about ourselves and what our photography is like. It was so nice to hear everyone's stories. It is always amazing to me how  a group of stories can be so similar yet so unique.

For me, I am searching for new inspiration. I am a body in motion trying to stay in motion. Ideas beget ideas and action and inspiration are the seeds for ideas.

It's hard to be away from though. It's been almost 4 days and I'm missing my three guys. I like to be away and off in the world on my own every so often but after a few days I start to feel a little untethered. I need hugs from my boys and I need to know Steven is nearby. I need to see their faces. For now, I need to head back into class and immerse myself into the work, focus and enjoy the respite.

Have you guessed my little secret yet? It's true, we're having a third baby. Those of you that read this blog regularly and know me might ask, was this planned?! You might ask that especially after reading this fairly recent blog post. The answer is no, it wasn't really "planned" but, as you can imagine, we're super excited. We were both shocked and freaked out for a few days but now we're just crazy happy.

Some days, I think we must be crazy. I'm 40 and my youngest is 6! What are we thinking? We'll never have our kids out of our house! I literally laugh out loud when I think that we'll get our 2 boys off to college then wait a few years and do high school all over again with this one. We must be a little crazy. I worry about my career and my business and how it will be affected. I shudder at the thought of sleepless nights and losing baby weight again. Then, once all those fearful thoughts play out and exhaust themselves, I realize how much joy our boys have brought to us. They are, quite simply, the very best thing Steven and I have done. They make me a better person. So then I think, we'd be crazy NOT to do this again.

Wish us luck friends and, yes, you're absolutely welcome to drop dinner by our house sometime after November 15th.

As always, please upload your favorite shots to our Flickr pool! Happy weekend my friends!