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Olivia
Posted on 22. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
This is Olivia. She accompanied her daddy who is a friend of mine to help with a recent photo shoot. At the end of the shoot, I asked her if I could take a few photos of her with her pretty flower in her hair. She agreed, but was very shy. I love her innocence and sweetness she so easily portrays here. Isn’t she stunning? Love the one of her with her daddy at the bottom too!
Have a great week! I am off to Colorado for a nice vacation with my own family. Can’t wait!
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See there was this storm, and i have these kids…
Posted on 17. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
It has been a week of have to’s. You know what I mean, doing all the things you have to do. I love my job, but I desire time and space to photograph and create just for fun, where there is no pressure. This is one of those moments. Shortly after a client left the house the other day, a storm blew up. A big one. I knew at the very least that I was going to to sit on the front porch and watch it blow in. I wanted the winds to blow all the way through my soul, and sweep away the stress of trying to get everything just right. I was headed that way when I saw my daughter Katie in the hallway. “Let’s go out and shoot in the storm!” I blurted out. Katie is such a good sport. She agreed, and out we went. Moments later, Johnny was out there with us, holding the light and then getting in a couple himself. It felt so wonderful, out there with the wind, my camera, my kids (and one Alien Bee 800 with a 30 degree grid spot). I will get Annie in on it next time. 
So fun! Here are the results.
May you have a surprise storm in your life this week. The refreshing kind.
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Scott and Lauren’s Wedding
Posted on 13. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
I have been dying to post this blog, and I know Lauren has been dying for me to finally finish these pictures! Well, I did and here are some of the highlights of this fantastic day! This wedding was special for me for so many reasons. Scott and Lauren are some of the dearest people I know. I was honored when they secured me for their wedding almost two years ago! Their engagement shoot was my first preview of how unique and special they are, and how precious their relationship is. They have so much fun together, and Scott looks at her like he is looking into heaven. So very sweet. This was also my last wedding, at least for awhile, as I feel I will be taking my photography in a different direction, so this wedding was bittersweet for me. Blessings, Scott and Lauren. I love you both!!!
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Favorite Photo of the week 8
Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
Had to choose this for my favorite photo this week. Meet Indiana, aka Indiana Appleseed, Independent Sunshine, or just Indie. She will answer to them all. We got her shortly after my sweet Taylor of 12 years died. Taylor was an English Springer Spaniel and dearly loved by the family. I knew we could not replace her, but we wanted another dog, and our Golden Retriever Cowboy was lonely. We found Indie advertised online by a local homeschool family. She was the last available female. I loved her immediately. As you can tell, she is very smart, and sometimes we think she can look into our souls with those eyes. She is so much fun. She had a litter of puppies in her first year, and many of our friends benefitted! We get to keep up on their progress in their new families, and they are also dearly loved. Our other puppy, Ellie, was the runt of the litter. She “wears the pants” as Johnny so aptly puts it. Demure looking, she really runs the show, as most little dogs do.:)
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Coming together
Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
So, in my last post, I got brave and asked opinions of anyone who read my blog to help me think of ideas for the corner cabinet in my den. (See post below). Well, I wasn’t sure if I would get any responses, ( or if anyone reads my blog) but I did get one very good idea. My friend Cindi Palma had a great idea about what to do with the books beside the corner cabinet. She suggested color coordinating them. I loved this idea! She also suggested some original art in the corner piece. I had a stained glass window that my sister Dinah made for me ( she is extremely gifted!) that fit perfectly in the spot. Chris and I put our heads together and figured out how to light it and mount it. It was an all afternoon affair, but we kinda did it. It is an experiment, but I think I like it!
I am currently working on updating the canvas for over the sofa, something maybe a little more colorful and modern looking.The bookcases are also still in process. It all started with that wonderful red sofa and love seat. Oh, and I also included a photo of my favorite throw ever. I found it at Pottery Barn on clearance. They had them at Christmas and I wanted one then, but they were more than I wanted to pay. The timing and color couldn’t be better! It is hand knit and so wonderfully full of texture and softness. I love to curl up in it in my new room while I drink my coffee and journal in the mornings. Very very good.
Still learning what I love. What do you love? I would love to know!
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Corner Space Help!
Posted on 05. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
When we built our house in 1999, we had this bookshelf built with the corner space created for a tv screen. We never put one there. We had a nice family area in the basement and decided we wanted that to be our media room. Ten years later, we still have no tv in that space. I don’t want one in this room, and I have tried everything I can think of to fill the space, but nothing looks good there. I was motivated to try again when we got a new furniture last week. The space is 29 inches wide and 36 inches high, but the back of the space is very deep and widens it goes back. I would love some sort of creative lighting or color in there, but nothing seems to fit just right. Anyone have suggestions on what to do with this space? I want to do something simple but creative, and with some light! Here are is a closer picture of the same space. The hole in the back leads to an electrical outlet in the bottom. I would also like to get more creative ( and less cluttered) with my bookshelf. ( Maybe a little Pottery Barn-ish with some baskets?) Would love to hear any suggestions!
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Favorite Photo of the Week 7
Posted on 04. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
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Justin Davis Senior Shoot
Posted on 01. Jun, 2010 by maryanne.
Johnny and I had a great time shooting Justin Davis’s senior photo session on his beautiful family farm in Dacula, GA. We certainly didn’t have a shortage of beautiful places to shoot. The light was perfect as well as the weather. My favorite photos of the day were in an old barn on the property. The sunlight was beaming through the wooden planks and I had Johnny throw some dust behind Justin to get a nice hazy effect. Beautiful. We did have to leave there pretty quickly though; Evidently the bees that were nesting in the ground didn’t take too kindly to their dust being thrown around. Yikes! I can move fast at the sound of an angry bee.
Congratulations, Justin.
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Favorite Photos of the week 6
Posted on 31. May, 2010 by maryanne.
I had to do more than one favorite photo this week, because there were so many I loved in this shoot! These are my friend Linda’s beautiful kids and I loved these shots!!! So sweet.
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Weary
Posted on 28. May, 2010 by maryanne.
To say that it has been a rough week seems ridiculous to me. Words like “rough” or “difficult” pale in comparison to the grief and pain we have witnessed and felt in this past 10 days.
Twelve days ago I saw a status update by chance on Facebook that our dear friends who were in Maine on vacation needed prayer as their 18 year old daughter was missing while on a kayaking trip with a friend. I don’t check Facebook that often these days, but I was so glad I did. We immediately started to pray and make phone calls to get more details. It was not good. Irina McEntee and Carissa Ireland had left that Sunday afternoon (May 16th) for a short afternoon kayak/adventure to a nearby island and were supposed to return several hours later. Irina was a trained kayaker and had done this very trip so many times. When they did not come home as planned, Irina’s parents called the coastguard. After searching all night, they found the girls the next morning, still in their life jackets several miles from their original destination. They could not be resuscitated. The agony of hearing the news trickling in over those hours was so difficult to bear. We hoped and prayed until we heard the final the reports, still unwilling to believe. I could not speak for hours, and still find it hard to put words to my feelings. My kids were also in shock.
What makes this story even more unbearable is that Irina’s brother Oleg,16, died in a tragic accident just the spring before. How much can these parents endure? My heart has been overrun with shock and pain and just the weight that grief brings, especially over the loss of a child. No one can make sense of it, so we will not try. We will love, though. We will love and be present for our friends. We will pray through the hours of the night. We will carry their burdens as our own. It is our honor.
The photo above was taken after Irina’s Life Celebration Service. That is what her parents called it, and that is what it was. Several came to Christ at her service as they gave an invitation at the conclusion of it. She loved her Jesus, and that was apparent in her life and in her death, as many spoke of this young woman’s quiet conviction to follow God, and her beautiful and bright smile.
My daughter Annie had the honor of speaking at the service, and I would like to include an excerpt here of her beautiful words:
“Images keep coming back to me—the coast in front of the Peaks Island house, grey water crashing into grey rocks, and the green of summer filling up the islands. Irina in long shorts and a red t-shirt, greeting the ocean with wide-thrust arms. Walking the shores in bare feet, she and my brother and Oleg leaping ahead of me to collect the wildly bright orange and yellow buoys that lobstermen had lost. It seems like a dream now—now that she and Oleg are both gone. I can’t get my head around it. I keep seeing her face cracking into that familiar bright smile in my mind—the smile that was like watching the sun leap up over the horizon at dawn—nothing at first, and then a burst of light.
And that was Irina, that was the way her life became.
I remember telling her more than once that God adored her—that you could see it all over her, almost glowing. To me, it always seemed so clear that he had pulled her from a very dark place to show her His love, to give her a life brimming with it. Hers, more than anyone I have ever known, is the story of redemption, of God’s heart for us.”
Her words sank deeply into our minds as we saw Irina through Annie’s eyes, and through God’s.
I twittered my grief often this week.
here are a few of my own thoughts written in fragments as I could not say much more:
~Heart broken May 17th
~One of the hardest and saddest days for so many today. The McEntees will need much prayer as the days continue. May 17th
~pictures from Maine on my screen saver today. Makes the sadness deeper. Not fair how life just treks on in the face of tragedy. May 18th
~tragedy makes me feel so small, and yet I sense the largeness of my God. He is near, and the protector of the broken-hearted May 21st
~ It’s okay to ask why. Even Jesus asked why when He was on the Cross. May 22
~Loving and supporting friends in deep grief is such a great honor. May 22
~Hate this stage of grief. The numbness, the burden, the elusiveness of my own heart. May 22
~Wavering between numbness and deep sorrow. I prefer the sorrow. Numbness doesn’t help anyone. May 24
~It’s okay to cry, yes even imperative that we do. Those we love are worthy of our tears, the visible reminder that our hearts ache for them. May 26th
I posted my daughter Katie’s photograph above, because it symbolizes what grief feels like. So exhausting. She could not keep her eyes open after the service. We love our friends so much, and we know they are being carried by their Saviour, who knows Himself the burden and pain of grief. Even God knows what it is like to lose a child, and then, ( praise Him!) have that child returned to Him in resurrection. That is our hope, our lifeline.
So thankful now for the truth and life that we can find in His word:
“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13
“For the Lord is close the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit”~ Psalm 34:18
I cannot conclude this entry without a few more thoughts, although I know it is already quite lengthy.
Nearly five years ago on October 26th, 2005 I lost a child of my own. He was still in my womb and I was 16 weeks pregnant. We named him Benjamin David Morgan.
I will never forget the tragedy of that day or that season, and I will never forget him, as I already loved him dearly, like only a mother (or father) can. Even as I write these words, my heart feels compressed, still needing air and healing in those painful places. I bring this up for a couple reasons. First of all, to be transparent about my own journey, so that I can live my life fully alive. Secondly, as I experienced life with the McEntees this week, I remembered parts of my own journey that were so important for my healing.
After the loss of my child, I went through some depression, and was afraid to be alone. My sweet Chris helped me set up a schedule with people I loved and trusted to come and “sit” with me. When our counselor first suggested it, I was appalled. I felt embarrassed at the thought of having to have people come just sit with me. What would we do? Would I have to entertain them? However, as the days and nights went by, and Chris could not always be with me, I accepted the idea. Now, as I look back, I am so thankful for these people, who left their lives to come and help me stay in mine. My sister Liza took Sunday nights, and I would watch Extreme Homemakeover with her family, bundled in a blanket on her sofa. So comforting. My friend Susan would take Wednesdays. I always looked forward to hearing her sweet voice as she came in my mud room door. We wouldn’t do anything in particular, but I made it through another night. I love her for that. There were, of course, so many more friends and family members who held my hands and encouraged me to live, to be present again. I cannot leave out my mom, who slept in the chair next to me at the hospital when I experienced complications after the surgery to remove Benjamin’s body from my own. Thank you, mom, for crying those tears with me. I am so thankful for every single person who prayed a prayer, who brought me food, who whispered comfort to me, and who came to “sit” with me in my pain. Thank you. I am in my life because of you. You are indeed the hands and feet of Jesus. May we be that for Jack and Gerri now.