When Sonya called me to schedule a family photo shoot and revealed to me that it was partly because her husband was in the service and he would be leaving the States for almost a year, I got tears in my eyes as I hung up the phone.  I have always had a great respect for men and women in uniform who are out serving, protecting and loving our country.  I thought that I have always had some sense of the sacrafices they give in order to serve for us.  I spent Sunday morning with this incredible family and wittnessed the crazy intense, warm, real, sincere and genuine love that they have for one another.  This family is amazing.  The love they had for each other was just spilling over (I think I even got a little on my camera ).  

I came home that morning to my daughter and my husband and wondered what it would be like to leave them for a year.  It was right then that I realized I had no idea what kind of sacrafices that the men and women in our military give up for us.  So to Sonya, to Jason and Chance all I can say is thank you.  Thank you for the wonderful experience of hanging out with you.  Thank you for giving me the honor of capturing your family together.  Thank you for serving our country.  Thank you.

PLEASE BEWARE!!  You just might fall in love with this girl.  You most definitely will fall in love with her eyes.  I am sorry, but I just cannot be held responsible.   

The moment I met Lydia I was completely taken aback by her eyes (and then SO SO excited to take her picture!)  but it didn’t take long for me also to fall in love with her easy-going, generous (thanks for the coffee!), and genuine personality.    And to top it off this girl is amazingly artistic. I mean seriously talented.  You should check out her site. See? What did I tell you. You are falling in love aren’t you?

To Lydia’s husband.  We love your girl. 

When I was in college I couldn’t afford my own car so, for 4 years, I rode the public bus everywhere. It was one of those things that was incredibly uncomfortable and hard to endure at the time (standing for 45 minutes, in the rain, with no umbrella, because you are waiting for a bus…and it is one of the 5 days every year that San Diego decides to let it rain, is not my idea of fun…) However, it is also one of those experiences in my life that I wouldn’t take back for the world. It made me talk to people that otherwise I would probably never have contact with. More then that though, I really began to appreciate those people because they taught me so much.  It was on my daily bus rides that I realized that the old man slumped over, dressed in a battered jacket and tennis shoes so worn they barely stay on, or the Hispanic lady dressed in a maids uniform who looked at me with tears in her eyes, or the business man who would chatter my ear off, we all have something in common.  We are all just people.  People just trying to make it in this crazy world. 

When I was doing a maternity photo shoot the other day in North Park we had a brief engagement with a very friendly older man.  I asked him to jump in the picture and he did.  I loved it.  Something about that encounter just  made me want to go and ride the bus again. 

Here is the picture I snapped.

She calls herself “granola” but I am going to call her “one tough cookie”.   

This girl is awesome.  Ashley was one tough cookie cause she was up for anything during our photo shoot (ummmm…like doing a photo shoot in 45 degree weather….at 7:15 am……and climbing into trees pregnant….and hiking with the bugs….and trespassing into others peoples yards to get the shot….and she randomly broke into dancing in the middle of our photo shoot).  Yeah she is awesome.  And…to top it off…she keeps giving me shout outs on her FB page and her blog.  The thesaurus in my head is broken.  I can think of no other words for Ashley but, well, awesome.  Thanks Ashley!

It was a gloomy, cold and rainy day in January, but there was nothing gloomy or grey about Lea’s maternity session. She is one of those people who just has a warmth about her. She is easy to be around. Her smile could light up a room. Her laugh is infectious. She is one of those people….who are just really beautiful.

Thank you Lea! You were such a trooper in the freezing (ok, cold for San Diego) weather!