They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions....

It's been two years, almost, since my last update. Two years since I took the plunge, and then seemed to plunge right off the edge of the world. I had forgotten about Murphy's Law, and how when there is an opportunity for something to go wrong, it will go wrong. I am ever an optimist, and I guess I just assumed the best and forgot to prepare for the worst. In this case "the worst" turned out to be that both of my computers, and all of their sacred data, died a spectacular death shortly after our move. I am still without a computer, but have been able to temporarily cobble together an eyefi card for my camera, along with a tablet with a copy of Photoshop Touch for editing. It's a lit more pared down than what I'm used to working with, but I have been able to make it work. In fact, I even got hired on by a new Nashville magazine called Main Course, where I have written a few articles and made photos for a column of my very own. Other happenings over the last couple of years include:

Contemplating Ophelia's Roux



Attending the rodeo, twice!



Watching the coldest winter of my life invade North America



Learning to let go of stress





Playing in the kitchen



Finding a new pool to call home



Watching my daughter continue to grow into an amazing girl



And... here we are again; Autumn.



I've struggled a lot these past couple of years with my own personal journey. I moved to the Nashville area with every intention of hitting the pavement and getting both feet in the door to the career that I want. Having no computer has meant that I have been cut off from any real means of making that happen. And it has also made me question a lot of big things, too; like...what do I actually hope to accomplish with my work, anyway? It's something I'm still mulling over. As the lyrics go, "you can't always get what you want, but you might find you get what you need."

In the meantime, I have several personal projects that I intend to finally make time for. It's way past time to crawl out of survival mode; peel myself out of my comfy hermit crab shell, and get back to work by whatever means necessary. I look forward to seeing where it takes me, and I hope I see you along the way!

Amy and Denise

Amy is one of my oldest friends, stretching all the long years back into our childhoods. We lived on the same street from ages 7 to 14, sharing our growing pains, barbies, and chasing our little love interests of the moment. She was such a fantastic friend to me, and I was heartbroken when we moved away; it was a sudden move and I'm not sure that I even got to say a proper goodbye to anyone. Almost a quarter of a century later, we meet again in my "new hometown," where I finished growing up and into the person that I am supposed to be. It's funny how time can change a lot, but some friendships are unchanging. Love you, Amy! Thank you so much for everything.

Overlooking Waynesville, NC in autumn

I was commissioned to photograph the overlook on a piece of property purchased by my client; he planned to make a gift of it to his wife to remind them of their property as they live in Chicago. I have lived in this town since I was about 13, and had never seen this particular view of my town, and loved the chance to see it in the fall. Thank you so much for the opportunity, Robert, and I hope you enjoy your print!

The Dempsey Wardwell Wedding

I had a wonderful time capturing the special moments of Shavonne and Ben's wedding day, and wish them the best of luck and love for many years to come!

What's on the menu?

I've been having a tremendous amount of fun playing with my food this month! I really enjoy the colors, shapes, textures, and finding the perfect composition to compliment my subjects. I find myself mentally making photos of things while walking through the grocery store, and bringing my vision to life is like scratching an itch I didn't know I had. I love it!

a photo a day

I'm really enjoying this Photo A Day project so far. I can turn it into a learning day or a "free day," like I did today. Today I just got my Flip out of my purse as my husband and I were driving down the road, and started shooting whatever random bit of scenery as it passed by. The sun was setting, and it was a rare day that both our younger two kids had playdates, so we'd spent a day getting some much deserved peace and grown up time!

To see the rest of the photos I've made so far this month, follow this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/externalfocus/sets/72157628674119919/with/6786041623/

I especially love this portrait that I made a couple of days ago:

I have a dream.

Wishing you peace, love, happiness, and equality.