even in winter is thy prime

"The fir tree has a long association with Christianity, it began in Germany almost 1,000 years ago when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time." (www.christmas-tree.com/where.html)

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!

"...Not only in the summertime,    

But even in winter is thy prime.   

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,    

How are thy leaves so verdant!...     

...For every year the Christmas tree,    

Brings to us all both joy and glee.    

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,    

Much pleasure doth thou bring me!...     

...Each bough doth hold its tiny light,    

That makes each toy to sparkle bright.     

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,       

Thy candles shine out brightly!"  

let me fall

Seeing these leaves I feel that they're asking to be let go of. Fall is a time of rest. So let fall come and "let me fall".

"let me feel

i don't care if i break down

let me fall

even if i hit the ground

and if i cry a little

and die a little

at least i know i lived

just a little

let me feel

let me fall"

~idina menzel

holidays

This Thanksgiving I went to my mom's cousin's house, where I got to spend time with their cute daughter!

Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and remember what you're truly thankful for in life! Remember that family is always there for you, no matter what time of year!

Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!

the sun

I miss the sun. I am not a dreary weather kind of girl.

One of my favorite songs!

"Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, And I say it's all right. Little darling it's been a long cold lonely winter, Little darling it feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, And I say it's all right. Little darling the smiles returning to their faces, Little darling it seems like it's years since it's been here, Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, And I say it's all right. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. Little darling I feel that ice is slowly melting, Little darling it seems like years since it's been clear, Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, It's all right, it's all right." ~The Beatles

fall

I've finally given into the fact that it's fall. It took until November, but I resigned! I'm not looking forward to it getting any colder. However, I am looking forward to the beautiful photos that can come with fall and winter settings.

abandon

Near O'Hare Airport there is a strip along the road that is now desolate because of the O'Hare expansion project. It's really sad to see all these abandoned businesses and homes. I want to go back and take more photos to document what's happening.

a thousand words

Whoever said "a picture's worth a thousand words" knew that they were talking about. What story is this photo telling you?

a mother's joy

I love this photo. It's so relaxed and simple. Can't go wrong with a warm sun and beautiful scenery.

mother and daughters

I am so thankful that these ladies volunteered to be a part of my project photographing "Mother and Child". Aren't they all very pretty? During the shoot we thought the wind was against us, but it helped make for a cool look with the windblown hair!

Another L.A. photo.  I absolutely love the colors in the Los Angeles sky!  This historic theatre is on Hollywood Blvd.  My friend and I entered the lotto for  Wicked tickets.  Unfortunately we didn't win, and therefore didn't get to see the inside of the theatre.

Recently I was reminiscing about my trip to Los Angeles last year and looking through photos.  I love that I captured the palm trees and mountains, and the fantastic yellow building, in the side mirror of the car.  I do not remember how I did this considering I was the one driving (must have been at a traffic light, or sitting in the L.A. traffic)

I decided to edit the picture a bit by cropping it and enhancing the colors.  Beautiful September in L.A.  Can't wait to go back and hit up the beaches next time  :)

Another photo of my beautiful mom and grandma.  

family

For a recent project capturing the dynamics of mother and child, I had the opportunity to photograph my mom and grandma.  This is one of my favorites from that shoot.

Capturing that connection between a  mother and her child is precious no matter what age they happen to be.  What are the secrets behind this laughter?  Only they know (well I do too, they are my family)

This is my specialty.  If you want photos of you and your children, or you and your parents, please contact me.

I love all the photos I took for that project.  I will upload more later.

on another note...how do you like my new logo?

stairway to heaven

One of my favorite sights is of sunrays coming through clouds.  I always thought they looked like the earth's connection to the heavens.

Driving home from work one day this summer the sky was gorgeous.  I had my sunglasses on and the colors were amazing.  I had to take a photo!  So, while stopped at the light,  I took my sunglasses off and used them as a filter.  Difficult to do with one had on the camera and the other holding the glasses, while paying attention to the traffic signals!   I thought I was going to have problems with the lights and other man-made objects blocking the magnificent view, but I am pretty happy about how the photo turned out.  Always keep your eye out for those magnificent sights.

beauty in a single frame

The design for my business card.  I love the colors in the flower against the black background.  

There is so much beauty and energy in everything God creates.  My goal is to capture that in a single shot and share it with the world.  (well, maybe not the world, but with you).