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!

One last trip down memory lane

This week is my last as a western North Carolina citizen! With each box that is filled with the memories of our lives here, taped up, loaded onto a truck, I take another step toward whatever fantasic adventures await me in Nashville, TN. I will miss these mountains that I have held so dear for so long, but I plan on embracing Music City just as hard as I can! I am so excited to see the new places and faces that make up such a wonderful city, and getting down to business in our new home.

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.

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!

Double Cherry Walnut Brownie

Yum. I mean, seriously: yum. I made these brownies last week, deciding to spruce up a box mix I had laying around. I really enjoy taking food that anyone can get their hands on at a fair price, and making it into something really special. I added in chopped walnuts, dehydrated cherries, and then topped it off with cherry pie filling, which sent it so over the top that my teeth hurt just look at it. Ohboy was it good. I think a lot of people see food as some sort of chore that they have to "get through," or worse, opting to pick up something from a burger joint [if those things even really qualify as burgers] because they don't want to make the time to cook, and it doesn't have to be that way! Your food is only as special as you make it, and you should have confidence in yourself that you can do a good job. Hey, sometimes it doesn't go well; I recall attempting to make a peanut chicken that came out so horribly that I made jokes about it for weeks. It was not edible, and we ended up ordering pizza or something. It happens! But don't give up.

I started getting involved with food at a really young age; I remember baking cookies from scratch when I was maybe 7 or 8 and home alone, and my mom coming home and absolutely freaking out that I could have burnt the house down or wounded myself. For about 5 minutes I don't think she believed I'd actually made perfect Russian Tea Cakes right out of the gate, but I showed her the recipe and the utensils I'd used, and of course the smell of fresh baked cookies was pretty undeniable. It was a simple recipe, and as easy as following the directions. Anyway, the point is, I have always approached food in a very fearless spirit of experimenting and adapting recipes to suit my own tastes and according to what I happen to have on hand. I am never going to be a chef, and that's okay too; you don't have to be one to enjoy cooking and playing in the kitchen. I think a lot of people don't see it in that way, and therefore it becomes the mundane same-menu-every-week kind of affair that would bore anyone.

This year I have also decided that I am going to be trying a lot of foods that I don't have experience with. I began with conquering a childhood aversion to brussels sprouts which have become my new favorite vegetable, I steamed and attempted to eat my first artichoke even though it didn't go very well at all, I have some fennel in the fridge which is going to make a lovely fennel and blood orange salad, and then I am going to try mint in a non-dessert food. After that, who knows? I have raised my children in this same spirit and they are wonderfully open to trying whatever is put in front of them. My 9 year old daughter's favorite tv station is Food Network, so perhaps she will become the chef of our family!

Play with your food!

The Penland Martin Wedding

Back on January 1st, a couple of friends and I photographed a wedding together. I was so nervous two days beforehand that on the day of the rehearsal, I woke up thinking that it was the day of the wedding. Ahhh! The bride, on the other hand, was probably one of the most laid back people I have ever met, and she and her family and friends made us welcome and feel completely at ease. By the real day of the wedding, I was 100% ready to get in there, have fun, and get some wonderful photos. It was an honor to capture this special day, and I wish the bride and groom a lifetime of happiness!

Please check out a selection of photos from the wedding on my website. http://www.externalfocus.com