Heavy

Sometimes life is overwhelming. It's easy to feel overwhelmed in our own lives, but the weight is quite another thing when it's the lives of loved ones that overwhelm you.

 A dear friend came home to find the front door of her new house had been attacked. Someone tried to kick it in, and thankfully it held strong. Her two dogs are ok, and we suspect they drove the burglars away. 

Another dear friend is undergoing radiation treatment for cancer, and his sweet family has caught the flu bug that's going around. Thier entire family is weighed down with life right now. 

Still another close friend is going through a serious emotional roller coaster with medical issues in her family. Death is an all-too-real possibility, and distance makes it so much more difficult. 

I look at these lives around me and I wonder why.  Why are we out through these things? I've read that God meets us in suffering, and perhaps that's why? Sometimes it's the only way we will allow Him in? I don't know. We have a big God, this I know, but I also know this does little to ease the fear, pain, and violation my loved ones are experiencing. 

As I lift them up in prayer each day, I ask that He shows Matt and I how we can be there for our friends. We feel so very helpless, but we know there must be something we can do to stand with our loved ones in thier times of need. 

Today, that something is bringing BBQ to the sick family. Tomorrow? Who knows what tomorrow holds? One day at a time, one step at a time. 

Are you ready for this?

As Valentine's Day will now smack us in the face in the next 24 hours I MEAN 2 MONTHS, now is the time to consider a very special gift for that very special someone. Be it yourself, you sexy thing, or someone else, a glamorous photo session with Portland Sirens is a fun, empowering gift that is special and unique to every person.

Book now to have a sensual folio of images in time for Valentine's Day!

5 Things That Make Me Happy

What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

1. The way my daughter pops up from whatever she's doing to run and welcome me home with an exuberant hug and words of love.
2. The blessing that is being able to work with a good friend in a position that is well-suited to me, in an organization that values each of us as people.
3. Waking up every day next to the love of my life.
4. Seeing the incredible young woman my daughter is turning into, and the depth of her kindness, personality, intelligence and wit.
5. How close Christmas is!!

What are 5 things that make YOU happy right now?

Question 5 from 30 Things My Child Should Know About Me

Still More Cleaning

In my previous post, I shared the progress of one half of the room we've been cleaning. Now, oh now....NOW we're done with the room!!

Check this craziness out, folks:

Shockingly, there was actually a bit of room in there to move around. Not that you can tell in these photos!!!

The Before was taken at the beginning of December. We had a looming deadline in order to get this in shipshape, because we have two weekends at the end of the month where people are not only visiting, but staying with us! Today, we find ourselves with a room that looks NOTHING like it did previously.

The big reveal after the jump

Cleaning Frenzy

Every so often, I get a wild hair to go through and clean, overhaul, re-organize and completely turn everything upside down in our living quarters.  Recently I had this happen, as the floor of our bedroom had become insanely crowded, to the point that there was quite literally only a path through our room.

Shortly after I began working on boxing everything up to be sorted later (nothing like the GET IT OUT OF MY SIGHT NOOOWWW! plan), we realized that we need to be working on another room in the house, as we have family visiting over the holidays that will need sleeping quarters. This room is what I like to call The Pit, aka the craft room. Being that 2 of us are crafters, of the variety that greatly enjoy amassing tiny bits that we hold onto "just in case", there's...a bit of a mess.

I took some progress pictures today, as a great deal of progress was indeed had! I'm tired, and there's still a significant amount to do, but check it out:

The bins on the right in the After photo are going in a closet for the time being. The dresser is filled with fabric, notions, and yarn.

What you can't really see in the Before picture above is that there was a desk against that wall, and a ton of paper crafting items that were moved to another location.

I'm so proud of this one. The angle is only slightly different in the two images, and the distance is approximately the same. I had SO MUCH crammed into this corner. So much better now.

This is only half the room! The other half I plan to tackle tomorrow. Hopefully I can get it knocked out, because I really detest when projects like this end up being drawn out over days and days. Two days is enough, thank you very much!

I just finished a glass of wine, a tasty, fabulous, well-earned glass that just happened to be served (to myself, by myself) with a side of sea salt dark chocolate. Wow, the service in this place is pretty fantastic, even if they make you work for the goods.

Surrounded By Love

A few little fun photos from this weekend's festivities. I hope you all had a lovely time, whether with family, friends, or something else entirely!

Fall Settings - (c) 2013 Kristin Leamy Photography

Sweet Kiddo - (c) 2013 Kristin Leamy Photography

Two Generations - (c) 2013 Kristin Leamy Photography

Dear 16 Year Old Self...

List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

1. That crazy boy you hang out with? Keep it up.
2. Have a Plan B, and C, for life. Things always change, be ready for it.
3. Stop procrastinating - there is no other time in your life that you could feasibly spend 6 months studying in another country. FOR GOD'S SAKE, APPLY!! (one of my only regrets in life)
4. Don't get that Dharma and Greg haircut. No really - that's not a good choice.
5. Think before you act - do you really want to leave your sweet vet office gig for a grocery store?
6. Mountain Dew does not a meal make. It is, however, quite delicious and I can see where you'd make that mistake.
7. You're beautiful.
8. Those people hanging around with you? They're beautiful too - tell them. They need to hear it, and know that you mean it.
9. Tell the truth. Lying is too much work.
10. Seriously, don't do the Dharma.

Question 4 of "30 Things My Child Should Know About Me"

Turning 33

I'm 33 today, guys!!

Steampunk cake. Because they can; wouldn't you?

As much as I love lists, I can't think of ANY topic where I could come up with 33 things, except perhaps 33 countries I'd like to visit before I die. But that would be an incomplete list, because we all know that I want to visit ALL THE COUNTRIES before I die. So.

Turning 30, being in my thirties, none of these have held any major significance for me. Most of my friends don't have issue with aging either, so when I do encounter someone who has the "I'M TURNING X AGE HOLY CRAP MY LIFE IS ALREADY OVER" freak out, I don't really know how to react.

I know it is socially unacceptable to do what Sheldon is doing below, so often I end up just awkwardly staring as they melt down, then channeling Dr. Cooper and even more awkwardly saying "there there" while I look around for an escape route.

I'm a terrible friend. Writing this makes me realize I just need to buy the sad friend a drink and call it good, and then we all win. Let's be winners and drink Arbor Mist, guys!!

By the way, Arbor Mist blackberry wine is FABULOUS. I'm a snob about a lot of things, including alcohol, but not on this one. $4 a bottle and it tastes like juice? Talk about everyone winning!

Now, where did I put my glass?

Lazy Saturday

After quite the blogging hiatus, I'm baaack! :-)

Today was a pretty lazy Saturday, from sleeping in and lazing bed for a while, to finally taking a shower and pretending to be a grown up around noon.

Kiddo and I set up and knocked down a number of domino creations, I went on a brisk walk (whew, it's chilllllyyyy out there!), Matt is making some kind of amazing (so he says) dinner, and then I'm off to hang with my friend The Crafty Geek. TCG is a good friend I met through the Timbers Army knitting group, and we have since learned that we used to attend church together and would occasionally run into each other at events. Life is so funny sometimes!

While I was out on my walk, I saw this sparse, beautiful shrub covered in these purple berries. Any ideas what plant this is?

A Little Brilliance

With a few photoshoots under my belt, happy clients and (mostly) happy photographer, I'm able to look at these sessions and happily see where my strengths are. Not so happily, that also reveals the weaknesses. In my research to help strengthen these areas, I've been reading quite a bit on The Strobist blog. If you are at all interested in photography, hobby or otherwise, this blog is a just a treasure trove of information and ideas.

One such idea I came across today is something I'd like to start making myself do on a weekly basis. While doing a shoot, snap a shot of behind the scenes. The overall set up, location, lighting, everything. After the shoot, use an example shot and the set up shot, and do a write up of how everything went, what did and didn't work, etc.

Seems like a rather brilliant plan to see what works and what doesn't, and to have record of it to refer back upon as needed!

As an artist, do you have a way to track what does and doesn't work, or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants with every project? Perhaps a bit of both?

Portland Siren Miss B

A few weeks ago, I announced the opening of my new venture, Portland Sirens. I've since had the pleasure of photographing the lovely, bashful Miss B. She was a bit shy but warmed up as we laughed and had a good time. A little "Wild Thing" on the radio helps kick things up a notch as well!

Don't you just adore her beautiful eyes? I am so privileged to do this work with the wonderful ladies I meet!

Enthralled with You

"Describe your relationship with your spouse."

There are so many wonderful words in the English language that could be used to describe our relationship! If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know two things: I'm madly in love with Matt, and I love making lists.

My marriage to Matt is:

• Encouraging
• Faithful
• Gentle
• Full
• Patient (mostly, we're not saints!)
• Loving
• Peaceful
• Strong
• Adventurous
• Messy
• Beautiful
• Fun
• Exciting
• Supportive
• Kind
• Adoring
• Compassionate
• Mushy
• Breathtaking
• Intoxicating
• Thrilling
• like a fairy tale

In short, I wouldn't trade any part of this relationship for anything in the world. 

 

Love of my life <3

This is question 3 from "30 Things My Child Should Know About Me".

3 Things That Terrify Me

In case you missed it, the other day I announced the launch of Portland Sirens! Please check it out if you're needing a Valentine's Day gift for your partner, or a little self-love :)

 

Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

I would like to interject here that a fear is a fear - whether someone else considers it "legitimate" has no bearing on how that fear affects your life. My fears may not be reasonable, but they are all legitimate.

1. The dark. I'm not talking just a darkened room, that's generally ok. I'm talking dark enough I can't see anything at all, or just barely make out shapes. It doesn't just make me uncomfortable, it truly terrifies me...my brain goes into overdrive and immediately that bookcase is a serial killer hiding in the corner, just waiting for me to come close enough for him to make his move. My mind doesn't stop there, it goes into gory detail about what would happen, how the end result would look and my family's reaction. Every single shape or shadow turns into an instant threat, and I've taken to carrying my phone with me even when I get up in the night to pee, because it has a flashlight on it, and I can shut down that crazy train.
2. Spiders. As a general rule, bugs don't bother me. I don't particularly like them, but I'm fine with "live and let live" with most bugs, because God created each of them to do some job in the world. Spiders, however, operate on their own agenda. I don't do the whole "scream and run out of the room" deal if a spider is spotted (mostly because I become frozen in fear), and it really depends on the type of spider, but generally, spiders seem to follow me, drop on me, otherwise assault my person and do everything they can to push my panic buttons. I don't appreciate surprise contact from other humans, so spiders why do you think it's ok from you?
3. Losing my job.  While I do want to become self-sufficient, it is not something that is in the cards right now, and we need my job to help us stay financially afloat. This has nothing to do with the economy and how hard the job market is (though that does factor slightly into the fear), and everything to do with how unstable my current position is. It's in a market that is heavily season-dependant, and as I deal with the financial end of things, I personally get to deal with how strapped we are in the off-season. Any time there's a closed-door meeting, I can barely breathe until that door opens again and no one calls me in to join them. One of these days, I will get to leave of my own accord. Until that day, I live in the fear that this security blanket will be ripped out of my hands.

Question 2 of "30 Things My Child Should Know About Me"

About Me

In case you missed it, yesterday I announced the launch of Portland Sirens! Please check it out if you're needing a Valentine's Day gift for your partner, or a little self-love :)

List 20 random facts about yourself.

1. I love butter
2. Small things in life excite me
3. I could drink tea for every drink for the rest of my life
4. I'm allergic to things made mostly of water, such as celery
5. I have always love to go FAST, whether in a car, on a ride, or on foot
6. Gadgets make me happy
7. I often feel I was born in the wrong decade
8. I'm not a strong swimmer, the deep end sometimes triggers panic attacks
9. I have regular, vivid dreams. Nearly all are disturbing.
10. Sometimes a sick day can be the best thing for a weary soul
11. For me, reading a good book, a truly good, well-written book, is just as good as spending an uninterrupted day with my best friend.
12. I am one of those people who drinks alcohol because I actually like the taste of it. If I don't like a drink, I can't finish it, my gag reflex kicks in. 
13. I consider my mom one of my best friends now, and I'm horribly sorry for the way I behaved when I think of my teenage years.
14. Changing the sheets on the bed is one of my least favorite chores.
15. De-cluttering my closet and cleaning out clothing that no longer fits is one of my favorite chores.
16. I'm not very domestic, in the sense of cooking and keeping house...but I sure wish I was.
17. One day, I will have my own photography studio, outside our home.
18. Raising a child is the hardest, most frustrating, fulfilling and amazing adventure I have ever been on.
19. I worry constantly, about everything. I wish I could stop.
20. I am so incredibly proud of you, my daughter. You may never know the depth of my love for you, and how proud I am of the young lady you are becoming, but I will continue to tell you over and over, in the hopes you will one day believe me.

This is Question 1 from 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

Christmas!

Rather than bore you with the minutiae of our Christmas fun, I put together a little slide show for you! If you can't view it here, you can go to the website to see it there.

30 Things My Child Should Know About Me

In case you missed it, yesterday I announced the launch of Portland Sirens! Please check it out if you're needing a Valentine's Day gift for your partner, or a little self-love :)

Yesterday, as I perused BlogLand (that mystical place where time has no bearing or influence), I came across Kelly's post about 30 things her kids should know about her. She's gotten it from somewhere else, but Kelly has created a link-up for this little project. It sounds like fun, and a great set of posts as well. She's doing a post per item, and I love this idea, and will be doing the same, unless they're small things, and I'll combine them.


THE LIST:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?
14. Describe 5 and weaknesses strengths you have.
15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. Describe your relationship with your parents.
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?
24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?
29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

While kiddo doesn't read my blog, I think for these things, I may put them together into some kind of nice format, and give them to her when she's a little older. Maybe a small book with some pictures interspersed for fun.

Introducing: Portland Sirens!

Exciting news!!!

I am so proud to announce the launch of Portland Sirens, a boudoir and pinup photography service. From a friendly, intimate atmosphere to sitting down and reviewing your pictures immediately after your session, I want every person I photograph to see the beauty that I see when I look at them.

There is no judgement, sizeism, racisim, sexism, ANY -isms at Portland Sirens - we are all beautiful, and I am here to help you see that beauty in yourself.

The website is here, but you can also contact me directly at 503.866.9775 to book appointments, ask questions, etc.

2012 Look Back

Hoo boy, what a crazy couple of months! 2012 was quite a year, so let's see a little recap of what all went on my neck of the woods:

January: Not much went on, I was preparing for the upcoming Timbers season, trying to find the perfect outfit to wear to the games, and survive the dark winter months. Depression has its claws pretty deep this time of year.



February: More season preparation, some Valentine's Day fun with Matt and the kid, and a tiny bit of sunshine before the March rains began.



March: The MLS season begins! I posted mostly about soccer, and since I wasn't paying close attention when migrating blog posts over from Wordpress, most of the pictures are gone :( I'll see if I can fix that soon.



April: I get inspired to start running, try a race or two, and see where it takes me. Turns out, I LOVE adventure racing!

May: I reminisced about my impulsiveness that tends to lead to not-so-great situations. In this one, I was lucky.

June: My dad and I competed against Matt and his dad in a Cityscape Adventure race, which is like a small-scale version of the Amazing Race. We didn't beat them, not by a long shot, but we had a blast!

July: This month I tried to run my first 5k. I walked one in March, and decided I need to run...I like going fast! So, one of the hottest months of the year is a good time to do a 5k mud run, yes? Yes.

August: August was a big month. Matt and I celebrated 10 years of marriage, I said goodbye to my little brother, and we attended the Wild Goose Festival for the first time.

September: Back to school! Kiddo started 4th grade at a new arts-based school, I share my new found mud run knowledge that I haven't seen others share, and I start learning to cook my own lunches!

October: I learn about asking forgiveness, and being ok when it's not immediately given. I discover that Matt considers me a book abuser, and for some reason that really cuts me deep. Finally, during the adventures of an away Timbers game, I had an uncomfortable encounter, and a wonderful rescuer who has become a good friend along the way.

November: November I kind of dropped off the face of the blogging planet. As with many of us, the holiday season jumped out at me from behind a door and screamed "I'M HERE SUCKAAAAAAAAAA" in my face. However, one of my favorite posts from this last year came during November. The priceless emotion and buoyancy that encouragement from others can provide.

December: December on this blog is barren, a wasteland. December in my life? Most certainly not! I have a TON to share with you guys!! Kiddo turned the big 1-0, we all got to go to Las Vegas, and Matt and I were blessed with a second honeymoon...in Mexico! I will post on all of these very soon, of course with tons of pictures.

2012, you were a good year. We had our ups and downs, but all relationships have those, and we toughed it out. Having said goodbye to you, I welcome 2013 with open arms. I anticipate many grand adventures lie ahead!