It's no secret that I'm a constant worrier! Seriously, if the term "worry wart" were literal there wouldn't be enough Creme de La Mer to save my skin! While I keep most of my worry tucked neatly away...every now and then my "crazy" comes out. Whether it be some incurable disease, bed bugs (seriously checked the mattress 3 nights in a row!), or my latest...the Mayan Calendar and our certain demise in 2012...I am a worrier of monumental proportions! Yes, I am often made fun of by my friends but they do get a kick out of it and many times they'll just defer to me because they know I've probably encountered or researched whatever they are currently concerned about. And, I think I do more worrying now that I'm a mom...a keeper of someone who relies on me 100% for 100% of everything! But what if we could just figure everything out as we go. What if we didn't have to look at the big picture...instead we could just roll out of bed and take each day like a toddler...with no fear and a constant desire to walk everywhere...all the time! We'd all be super fit...early risers...mid-day nappers...with no worry in sight! Truth is, we are inundated on a daily basis with one more thing to worry about. Did our grandparents worry like us or did they simply spend more time outdoors...away from the television...with no computers...and a party line that could be tied up all night if someone's child's friend's cousin was in town and dressed improperly for church. So, here's my question...is this "worry" made for TV? Is it was drives us to the theater to see epic life-ending demise type movies? Is the constant barrage of gloom and doom news and our country's economic decline what infuses us with worry that can not be quelled? Have we become so used to the worry that we crave it as entertainment? I have no desire to see movies in which we all are met with a certain death of crumbling mountains...flooded city streets and...no sweet tea. I prefer an escape of dreamier substance...where we aren't being chased by molten lava down 5th Avenue with no time to stop in at Prada and Saks. But...why do so many other people want to see these worrisome thrillers? What is it about certain death that is er, intriguing...entertaining? For now, I'll just keep popping my popcorn at home (gotta get one of those butter squirters) and watching something lighthearted and funny where everyone has a good time...isn't worried about the world coming to an end...has a fabulous wardrobe...and where everyone lives to see another day...I mean, we only have until 2012...might as well have fun...right?? image credit: mark dixon

going...going...gone

Summer is slowly slipping away and while it's mid-August I find myself still clinging to July. Although the thought of a cool fall breeze is well...exciting, I find it interesting that when it's hot...like, SUPER...100+ degree hot...we long for the brisk chill of fall and winter. And, when that brisk chill turns to freezing...we long for the warmth of a summer day. Why can't we just enjoy the hot days when it's hot and the cold days when it's cold? While thinking about this...envisioning myself wrapped in a J.Crew cable sweater, vintage matchstick corduroys, and soft brown riding boots...I realize that it's not really the cooler weather I crave but more so the activities that surround the ushering of fall. Football, the pumpkin patch, the fair, Halloween with friends, delivery of the fall edition of Vogue (you know the one...that's about 2 inches thick and takes you 2 days minimum to peruse from cover to cover)...these are the things I crave...and cooler weather just happens to be part of it. So...with that realization...it's not July I'm clinging to but the activities of summer...swimming, baseball, eating sno-balls, the farmer's market, and vacations that never end. I miss it already and it hasn't even left. But with the "back to school" frenzy and summer hours dwindling...it's only a matter of time. And...as I sit writing this...looking out the window...I can see the tiniest approach of fall...a few yellow leaves...a bit of a breeze...and if I stare long enough I can see a fall day before me. But alas...the thermometer reads 97 degrees and well...seems July is clinging to August. image credit: Greg Lawler - Zinkwazi Photoblog

thinking inside the Box...

Remember those accordion wallet photo holders...you know...the ones that your grandmother kept filled with the photos of every year of school you had completed. All stuck there...immortalized in their little frames of perforated plastic. Or...in the cube that sat on the coffee table for everyone to view. How did they get the pictures in the cube anyway? Photos have always been a big part of our lives. Good or bad they are the memories that are cherished most...memories that can be passed on from one generation to another. I can remember sitting for hours at Olan Mills as a child. I hated those days...(no offense Olan but really...so boring in there). And the wagon wheel and split rail fence are just...well...odd. But there I was...in some sort of terry cloth halter get-up posing on the fence as if I had just gotten off my horse to pick daisies in the field behind me. Thank goodness photography has evolved over the years. While I do still love a Polaroid and a photo booth, I am forever amazed by the genius of photographers...namely...Kim Box Photography. When my daughter turned one I sought the best photographer I could find. One that would capture my daughter in all of her innocence but still maintaining a natural element. There would be no pressure to pose, no pressure to perform, and even room for meltdowns and clothing mishaps. Kim does everything with an ease that will set the tone for the most wonderful moments you will ever have captured. After the session...and all my one year old's squirming and fussing and...my wrangling her in the hot October sun I thought there couldn't have been more than one picture that would turn out. But there we were...a couple weeks later...staring...fighting back tears...as we looked at the photos of our sweet little girl. Every picture was perfect...better than the last. Somehow Kim had managed to get every shot right...every moment seemed pure perfection. And somehow we managed to make a decision on what to order. I left their studio knowing that I would be back.

This past spring we...once again...went to Kim for photos. This time...at the beach...and with the whole family. There again, I had no idea if any would turn out (toddlers are not predictable...seriously). The beach was so beautiful...if anything we'd have a perfect backdrop and sunset to fall back on. We wandered around Watercolor in 30A...first in the gardens...then the pier...and finally the beach. With just a few fits and lots of singing and general clowning to get a toddler's attention...we managed to get in what I thought would be a few good shots. A couple weeks passed and there we were again...sitting...fighting back tears...as we saw each image. How would we choose? After pouring over each image we settled on ordering an album...not the sticky plastic...accordinan...album-esque type from my youth...but one that would be cherished by us and some day our daughter...for a lifetime. And...again...I left knowing I would be back... When you find that balance...that person...that can come into your life and capture it just as it is...no pretense...no forced fun...no disconnect...then you have found a true artist.

Kim and everyone who works with her that we have had the pleasure of meeting and working with are...well...good people. Their work speaks for itself...and their sincerity and compassion come through in everything they do. If you're looking for emotion, natural ease, and love in your photos...it's waiting for you...inside the Box! To capture your own magic visit...http://kimboxphotography.com/

Or visit them in person...

Kim Box Photography 157 W Main Street Prattville, AL 36067 Phone:(334) 491-0409

All images courtesy of Kim Box Photography

Featured in images...me, mr. smith and our daughter...Watercolor 2010

Why do people always say "everything happens for a reason" to make you feel better? I mean, I even say it to myself to talk myself down from the proverbial ledge that I feel like I am constantly "hanging ten" from. While I do believe in destiny and the notion of "everything happens for a reason"...why do people say it ALL the time. Do they really believe that every mishap, missed opportunity, misadventure is laid forth for each of us? I guess I grew up believing that we make our own destiny. There is definitely a "path" but our choices make our lives what they are...sometimes it's chance and sometimes there is indeed a reason. But my question is this...is there a reason I eat soup for lunch on a 100+ degree summer day? Yes, I love soup and well...it's easy. Is there a reason I argue with Mr. Smith about finances and purchases? Yes, because we need more money and...I need more stuff. Is there a reason he broke your heart? Yes, he didn't like you anymore and...never really did. I guess maybe my above interpretations of the free flowing quip are possibly too literal but I just think it odd that it's only used as a coping device...something to get you through the ebbs...to fix things...so to speak. When I say "wow, I'm tired" and decide to go to bed at night no one ever says..."everything happens for a reason". When I'm standing in the grocery trying to coax my toddler to let go of the gigantic juice display...no one ever looks down at me with sweet eyes...knowing my struggle and inevitable outcome if my toddler's hand continues to pull...and says..."everything happens for a reason". Why is that? Why do we seek to qualify everything that goes sour in our life? And...better yet, why do we feel better when we say it? Why is it the dry-erase of phrases? Why does it have the power to make things better...make the disappointment...hurt...and pain go away? Why does it "fix" you? Is it because we are always looking for the good in things? While thinking about this phenomenon, I have come to realize that if everything really does happen for a reason then why don't we always know what the reason is...or was? If it happens for a reason and we never know what the reason was then how do we know there was a reason at all? So, I say this...we need to stop looking for the reason, start living with the consequences of our choices, mishaps, misadventures, and missed opportunities and start learning from our mistakes and believing in ourselves...because apparently the answers aren't always listed upside down in the lower left corner of the page. Now...I wrote this for a reason...wonder what it is? For a quick "fix" click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skUJ-B6oVDQ above image credit: kamilla beckett