An open letter to Ann Coulter, from a soccer mom.

Dear Ms. Coulter...

Imagine my surprise when I open up FB and see a trending article about your opinion that  "Any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation’s moral decay- and it's a liberal mom's sport". Maybe it's because I'm coming off a World Cup high or maybe it's because I'm about to spend my 40th Birthday at a soccer field this weekend, Happily I might add, that I decided to respond. You see, sometimes I agree with you... and sometimes I think you're everything that is wrong with America. Men and women who wield opinions from behind desks and their computer or TV cameras, spewing venom that divides us just for ratings or a paycheck, sicken me. Without stepping out into the real world,  and knowing how it really is for the rest of America when politicians screw up and celebrities preach about causes they know nothing about,  yet have the audacity to say you know what we think, feel, and need, is laughable at best. Don't worry though, I feel the same way about Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi to so you're in good company...or not. You decide. 

       

So with that in mind, let me help you out and give you some insight into the world of soccer from a dedicated and kick ass soccer mom, and a registered Republican... gasp! 

I grew up playing Softball and Basketball. Those were my sports and I did well playing and coaching. I have to say, I rarely watch either anymore because of the scandal and reality shows that come out of both camps, not to mention steroids and I can't stand the egos who seem to get paid big money for a skill that is entertainment. Growing up, my generation reserved soccer for some PE fun because it really wasn't something that we played seriously during school and it never really clicked or mattered to me, I would bet it was the same for you. Oh yes, I watched Mia Hamm and the greatness that was the WNT win the World Cup for the first time, (WNT-that's women's national team for you) and I watched the men make it in the 1994 World Cup final 16 when no one said we could. I cheered and felt inspired but soccer never was more to me until l had kids. As they grew and got older, they decided to follow their dad into his chosen sport and all 3 now play soccer. All at various levels with the older helping the younger develop skills, some for the fun of it and the love of it, and one because she has a dream of an Olympic medal around her neck and hearing an anthem play. They play with kids of all levels and nationalities, because soccer is after all as you less then graciously pointed out, a world sport. Currently, the fastest growing American sport (because I'm at the fields seeing the kids and not because of the NY Times) these kids from all walks of life and cultures embrace the cultures of their friends while sharing what's important to them as well and frankly just enjoy being kids without someone labeling it. You mention in your piece, that "Individual achievement is not a big factor in soccer. In a real sport, players fumble passes, throw bricks and drop fly balls -- all in front of a crowd. When baseball players strike out, they're standing alone at the plate. But there's also individual glory in home runs, touchdowns and slam-dunks. In soccer, the blame is dispersed and almost no one scores anyway. There are no heroes, no losers, no accountability, and no child's fragile self-esteem is bruised." Since I'm the one in the car on the rides home, let me just stop you there and tell you how wrong you are, if you doubt me come on out to the field and educate yourself. There have been silent car rides, excited car rides, and car rides where I didn't have enough tissue. When my daughter was 10 she watched the US women play the World Cup and a local college match. She came home saying she didn't know women could play like that and she wanted more then just the fun games from the local soccer league. I told her that if she put in the time and hard work, I would do whatever I could to help her but if she stopped, I did to. She tried out and made what we  soccer mom's know as "club", which should really be called work your ass off and cry team because it's all about brutal honesty and hard work, not everyone plays and there is no let's hug it out. She came in to club much further behind in skill then her teammates and was benched for the majority of her second tournament with the team because her coach didn't think she was good enough. Now most kids in America would have cried and made their parents fix it, not her... she got mad, and then she became determined that no coach would EVER determine her worth again, she would.  I can't think of a better lesson for a kid to learn, especially a young girl.  While the rest of the team took 2 weeks off, she worked her rear off with a fantastic Canadian college student that was a godsend to her and served not only as her coach, but as  her sister, inspiration, and critic. She spent the next 2 years working twice as hard and practicing twice as long as anyone on her team to catch up and make a difference. When friends would call, she would say no sorry... I have soccer. She determined on her own that she loved the Keeper position, (you know, the one in the net that's either the hero or the loser and where you're standing alone with one or two strikers bearing down on you and making a split decision on which way you have to go to save the day... either making the save or standing alone because the ball just got by you and you were the last line of defense...hmmm sounds like a real sport to me based on your odd criteria.), and she focused there. Our keeper left and she stepped into the role. I sat on the sidelines before the very first game and listened to parents whisper about how we were going to get killed because our keeper was gone. No one had faith. Until 30 seconds in when she made the first of about 13 saves that day and left all the naysayers with a hanging jaw. She earned that- in every bit of blood, sweat, tears, hard work, and extra time that she put in... and she took a lot of criticism and a lot of lumps to get there, but she never gave up and she is still as determined today as she was then. I don't know what you find unAmerican or immoral about that because to me that exemplifies who we are as a nation and reminds us of our never quit attitude. If only more of our youth would put down the video games and follow that example...but wait, they are. As America's fastest growing sport, more and more kids are embracing the Beautiful Game, and realizing that it's much more fun because of all of it's unpredictable moments then our own National past times.  My Daughter and her team have earned every win and loss in the games since. They work hard as a team, knowing that it takes every one of them (11 in case you didn't know) to get a win and that they all have their job to do, much like every other American "real" sport, and if one of them doesn't do their job, they will fail.  There is tactic and skill involved far beyond what you clearly comprehend setting behind your computer. I'd even go so far to say that it's so complicated that you can't comprehend it and we all know what people do to things they don't understand. I've seen girls play sick because there wasn't a sub, I've seen them play injured, and I've seen them take tough hits that I don't think adults would get back up from,  and yet they do get back up and keep going because they love that game and the girls on the field with them so much, they have to be dragged off by their coach before they give up. Again, sounds pretty American to me.  Not every game for my daughters team was memorable, some they would rather forget, and I have to admit that fall season was a disaster because the team didn't have what they needed, someone who was tough, dedicated, believed in them, and told them what they needed to hear to succeed...the truth  Once they found that, they excelled...much like a nation would under good men and women who actually govern for The People. I have to admit I get a kick out of you knocking soccer because " It's foreign." I guess this is where I remind you that we're a nation built on foreign, as my Native American relatives can attest to. It's ironic that you want to reject something because the rest of the world plays it, when really shouldn't we be looking at what unites us instead of what divides us as a nation and as a race, yet you love to point the finger at the President and his politics of division and us vs them when it comes to rich vs poor, and his other lists. Tsk Tsk Ann, tiny bit hypocritical don't you think. Today I sat in a restaurant full of people of all ages, beliefs, and colors, I watched them leave the division at the door and cheer for one nation and one team. I watched Navy SEALS and stay at home mom's post about US pride and cheer on a team that represents a nation that needs good men giving a good example...and if you doubt they're there, google Tim Howard or read the article about how the US team should learn to dive to draw fouls like the rest of the world, but don't because it's not in our nature to be unfair and to win by anything less than hard work and skill. That's something to celebrate and be proud of. Not tear down. I guess if you felt you needed to jump on the soccer bandwagon to get more traffic to your site using keywords, you could have dug deeper and focused on other meaningful stories within the sport. Maybe the US Women and how even in their success internationally, a lot of the women playing professional soccer in this country and across the world are also working another job just to live, now there would be something meaningful for you to talk about... how to raise interest in women's sports without having to shorten their shorts and make them play in tank tops...but you didn't. Sadly. 

Just for laughs and because I can't sleep, let's address some of your other points. 

"Baseball and basketball present a constant threat of personal disgrace. In hockey, there are three or four fights a game -- and it's not a stroll on beach to be on ice with a puck flying around at 100 miles per hour. After a football game, ambulances carry off the wounded. After a soccer game, every player gets a ribbon and a juice box." Oh Ann... clearly you haven't been to Europe or Providence Park... the Timber Army could teach you so so much. Not to mention the only ribbons my kids have EARNED have been after 5 grueling games in a 3 day period where they worked hard and beat their bodies to exhaustion for the title- Champion. How about you suit up and give it a go. I have a pair of cleats that should fit. Can you keep up with 14 year old athletes?     

"You can't use your hands in soccer. (Thus eliminating the danger of having to catch a fly ball.) What sets man apart from the lesser beasts, besides a soul, is that we have opposable thumbs. Our hands can hold things. Here's a great idea: Let's create a game where you're not allowed to use them!" Hmm... and yet you just use your mouth for your job, maybe since using one body part is apparently bad you do something with the rest of yours and show us how it ought to be done. I've seen every body part used in soccer and do more good for a nation then one of your interviews...way to knock that in Dempsey! Ann may need a few lessons and it would also help enlighten her about her point 6. ;)

"One group of sports fans with whom soccer is not "catching on" at all, is African-Americans. They remain distinctly unimpressed by the fact that the French like it." lol. Have you seen our national team or any of the others?! A whole beautiful kaleidoscope of colors and nationalities there. Research is your friend. Really. 

 "In soccer, the women's games are as thrilling as the men's." Well you got that part right at least. GO Thorns!!   

"I promise you: No American whose great-grandfather was born here is watching soccer. One can only hope that, in addition to learning English, these new Americans will drop their soccer fetish with time." Of course they are... because most of us came from Europe to begin with!! How do you think it got here in the first place?!  It may not have been on the Mayflower but it did come through Ellis Island! 

Such a fun read Ann, really. These days there isn't much that gets a rise out of me enough to actually write a response. I mean I laughed and rolled my eyes more times than I did at the last State of the Union and that's saying a lot. At the end of the day, this I know for sure... soccer is here to stay and generations of American kids will be playing it weather you like it or not or deem it moral decay. I mean really, you couldn't find a more pressing matter to talk about that better fit that little trendy title? Why will it be here, well because we soccer moms and dads on both sides of the political spectrum see the things that matter and are raising generations that have seen Beckham, Messi, Donovan, Howard, and so so many more play in moments that electrified and inspired them. They have seen Morgan, Rampone, Wombach, and Leroux further break through barriers for women that Hamm and the players of her time started and it's inspired young women to keep reaching...and we have seen what it does to teach our kids to be better moral people, and to excel. What I am most proud of, regardless of your opinion, or anyone else's is what I see in my children as a result of the sport... that through soccer my kids have learned first hand about teamwork, disappointments, that life isn't fair and even when you should win sometimes you don't. One minute you're a hero and one minute a bad pass or a mistake you made just cost the team a game, but there will be another one tomorrow so fix it and be ready for success because of that failure and what you learned from it. They've learned you have to work hard to achieve what you want and to make big goals, and then chase them. They've learned that sometimes you hurt and you're tired and you just can't take one more thing, but you get up anyway and go again. Most importantly they've learned that the work you put in is directly related to your success and skill and that only through that comes the reward. Sounds pretty darn American to me even if it is a sport that originated in China or Europe a thousand or so years ago. Frankly Ann if that's immoral, I'll take it and hang out with the sinners while you and the rest of the "saints" keep flapping your mouths about things you will never hope to understand, and that is what Americans really are.

Sincerely, A Proud Conservative Soccer Mom. 

ps- and since a picture is worth a thousand words... these speak for themselves. 

On the 10th Anniversary of 9/11

I don't think that I ever realize how much I am effected by 9/11....still, until the images and stories start to be refreshed in my memory. I tend to avoid it because even though I was on the other side of the United States, In my heart, I might as well have been at the foot of those towers looking up. I think we all feel that way. Do I remember? I remember. I will never forget.

I remember the stories...
Two years ago I wrote this about some of my memories of that day http://clanhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/09/remembering-911.html . This year I actually started to watch some of the programing that was coming out prior to the anniversary. One of the programs was with President Bush as he described the day and his perspective. At the first sight of the plane flying into the towers I burst into tears. Still 10 years later and it just floods me with emotions and that few seconds in the documentary took me back 10 years and made it seem like it just happened. What I remember most and what usually makes me cry is the stories that come from that day...the story of the lost, the story of the survivors, and the story of just average people who acted and did extraordinary things. This program had not only the President telling his story but several key people also telling their story. Two people featured in the program were then Lt. Heather Penney and Col Marc Sassville. Col Sass, as he is called, mentioned something that shocked me and I did a little research to find out more. On that day, they were DC Air National Guard Pilots in the 121st Fighter Squadron and like everyone else had been told that a small plane had crashed into the World Trade Center Tower. They turned on a TV and quickly realized with the second crash that they would be needed. Within minutes they were given the order to intercept flight 93 as it was heading towards Washington DC. However because they had to go the minute they were given the order and everything was happening at such a rapid pace they had to fly without first arming their F-16's. They knew walking to their planes that the rounds they had on their craft was not going to bring down a speeding 757...which left them both with one option. Col Sass looked at Lt. Penney and told her he was going to take out the cockpit with his airplane...Lt. Penney made the decision in that moment that she would use hers to take out the tail. With the head and the tail gone there would be no forward momentum and the cabin would just fall straight down. Hopefully saving thousands on the ground. They both hoped to eject but they also knew they had to be accurate to make this work which more then likely meant that they were not going to be coming home. The Passengers of Flight 93 however had a different plan...and after taking a vote, they decided to fight back and storm the cockpit. They not only saved the Capitol and countless lives on the ground, but also the lives of Col. Sass and Lt. Penney.


One of the stories that still haunts me was that of the wife and expectant mother that called Peter Jennings and was trying to find her husband. I wrote about her in my previous reflection on 9/11 and I remember what she said in detail. I have always wondered if he made it home to his wife and kids and then I ran in to a story about 11 year old twins that lost their father that day and were born 4 days after 9/11. It caught my attention and as I read it I became 95% sure that this was his wife and his children. I have emailed the story author to find out, but there are to many similarities and now 10 years later, I think I finally know the answer. I know now that he did not make it home.


I remember the images and the video...Being a photographer, I know the power a photograph can have, sometimes for generations. The images caught on 9/11 still make me catch my breath. The image of the body of Father Mychal Judge, first recorded death of 9/11, after being hit and killed by rubble, being carried by the NYFD firefighters. The fireball frozen as the plane hit the south tower, the 3 fireman raising the American Flag after the collapse. The dust covered men and women trying to flee. The Firemen and Police running in and then running back in. The men and women who chose to jump and fall to their death instead of burning. Then there was the video filmed that day by two brothers who were working on a NYFD documentary. The plane flying low over them and then the impact and the reactions of the fire fighters who immediately jumped on their engine and headed for the towers knowing they would be needed. Their faces and their fear but yet their willingness to go, simply because they were needed are etched on my heart. I've never been able to watch that documentary twice. The sounds, the scenes, all to much to process and I wasn't even there. I remember realizing that the thumping noise I kept hearing was actually people impacting the ground or vehicles as they jumped to their death and thinking how bad it had to have been on those upper floors to have made that choice. I will never forget the sound of the stillness after the collapse followed by the shrill sounds of the alarm that the firemen wore so that in case they were injured in a fire and laid still for more then the allowed time their fellow firefighters could find them and help them to safety. I'll never forget that sound...or when the sound finally stopped.

While reading articles the last few days I also visited the photo gallery of the things found during recovery for 9/11. It brought home to me how hard this must have been for those that did the searching and for those who waited for any word of their missing loved one. One worker said that they loaded 5 gallon buckets with debris and then searched through those for body fragments and anything else that they could maybe find. It's amazing to realize the care these men and women took in their search to find these small items for those who lost someone that day. It's also amazing to me to see what actually was found. That gallery can be seen here. It's worth the time to look through it and read their stories and to see the relics. http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44377182/displaymode/1247?beginSlide=1

9/11 is our Kennedy moment and we will never get the images out of our mind or our hearts. As we go about the day today, remembering where we were and what we were doing and trying to explain this anniversary to our children, remember to, Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery. This is the section that our young soldiers are buried in who have fought and died since 9/11, trying to ensure that another 9/11 doesn't take place. We will never forget.

What you can learn from a photograph...

In October 2007 my Grandfather died. I wrote a Eulogy for him that was read the day we buried him at the veterans cemetary in Vancouver. After it was read my Aunt Ginger turned around, grabbed my hand and said "Your writing mine." I laughed, said alright and tried to distance myself from that thought. It never left and August 1st of 2009 i sat down and sobbed to the news that I was now going to have to do exactly that. In my life and in my family, I'm the strong one, the one that handles it and moves everyone forward. This has been the strongest test yet of my faith and of my ability to handle it and move forward. Still 9 months later, a thought or a moment relived drops me to my knees. We Robinson's are a strong family, We WILL get thru, We WILL make her proud with our life and how we LIVE it, and We WILL see her again. Those things I know are true. Today I'm posting this as a way to share and heal just a little bit more. This is her Eulogy.

What you can learn from a photograph...

Sometimes when we look at a photo we look at composition, subject, all things eye pleasing… but do we see the bigger picture. Do we see the story behind the photos? Who a person was, who they loved, what was important to them? What does the story tell the generations that come after we are gone?

As I look at those photos of Aunt Ginger, I see a woman of great beauty, inside and out. One that had her heartaches and struggles but who never let them effect her hope in tomorrow and her faith in God. It’s obvious to see that these hardships never took her smile and tainted her heart. They made her stronger in faith and more loving in nature. She had a huge amount of love to give and she did so freely, without conditions. I‘ve never heard her raise her voice, never criticize, never try to hurt- only encourage us, pray for us, and voice her love for each of us so completely. There was never a day where you doubted that Aunt Ginger loved you, no matter how hard you may have been to love at that moment. She was the one you could talk to about anything, the one that would be there to help no matter what the need.


I see a wife in these photos that dearly loved her husband. I see a mother of two but a woman that was a mom to so many more. I see her with her sons and the pure and complete love that she has pouring out of her eyes for both Jason and Jacob. I see the pride she has in Jason for the job that he does, the son that he is and the father that he has become. I see the hope and the promise that she has in Jacob and feel her cheering him on to become the man that she knows he will be. She always believed her sons were born to make a difference in this world. They have and they will.



















The Pictures of her grandchildren tell a story that is most obvious to see, She delighted in their visits and her face would shine in their presence. She was never to busy to stop what she was doing to give them whatever it was they needed.- a hug, a kiss, a kind word, a snack, play time with Nana, or baking a special treat. She cherished all of you and talked about you to anyone that would listen. Tyler, I see in you her patience and her gentle loving spirit as you interact with your younger cousins. Katelyn, You look like her and when you told me you loved me the other day I could hear her voice in yours, you have her capacity to love so deeply. Abby, You have her smile and that spark of Mischief in your eyes that we would so often see in hers . You also see into the hearts of those around you, just as she did. Olivia, You sweet girl, have her amazing sense of fun and adventure and hug just like her. Keep dancing for her. The time I spend with you four tells me a very important thing, You will make her proud.




As you look further you see that love expand to her brothers and her sisters, some related by blood, some related by marriage. She was the baby of the 5 and yet it was her that took over the roll of keeping the family together. She was a peacemaker, encourager, and the glue between them all. She would ask that you honor her by loving each other.




The photos also tell the story of how much she loved her Cousins, her Nieces and Nephews… You see the family gatherings that she hosted, the special gifts that she gave, the hugs and the affection that she had for each one of us. There were never too many of us at her house. Even on Easter when there were 20 some adults visiting and 12 or more Grandchildren and Great Nieces and Nephews running around on a sugar high, she lived for it, she loved it and she loved us all so, so much. Her house was always a home to anyone that wanted to come in and whatever she had was yours. Aunt Ginger, Our family traditions that you taught us to hold so dear will be continued in the generations to come. You have my promise.


You see her with her friends. Some she has known forever, some just a short time. One thing you all have in common is that she made a mark on your heart and you on hers. She loved you all and cherished her friendships. She encouraged you, listened to you, gave you a shoulder to cry one and made you all laugh. Thank You for your outpouring of love for our family and for honoring her today. She was a very lucky woman to have had you in her life and I know you feel the same about her.

Lastly I think about the one thing I see in ALL of her photographs that she so lovingly placed in albums, and that is without a doubt, a deep and abiding love for God. She was a woman that loved the Lord with all of her heart and all of her soul. She lived her life everyday in such a way that it was obvious to all of us around her. I take comfort in knowing that she is in Heaven with Grandpa and Grandma. Knowing that she’s waiting for us with her sweet smile and big hugs. Her greatest prayer, her greatest wish for all of us was that we’d all be there with her someday. My 35 years with her was not enough time. I‘m sure all of us that had the gift of knowing her, feel that none of our time with her was enough. We had more to learn, more to say, more to do but that wasn’t God’s plan and he called her home. She wouldn’t want anyone to be angry about that, she was looking forward to Heaven. She was also looking forward to someday meeting us there.






Thank You Aunt Ginger for loving all of us so well.
I love you,
Tamara

Remembering 9/11

Every generation has their "Kennedy" moment of "where were you". Ours is 9/11.

I remember waking up to a phone call from my husband Bill. The first thing he said was " I need you to find Dad and Karen". Why? was my confused response. You see they were flying out from Seattle, Washington and heading to Washington DC. We both knew that. Why did I need to find them? He then told me that there had been an attack and the towers fell, airplanes were missing and I needed to see what I could find out. I actually argued with him that he had to be wrong because those towers wouldn't fall. The previous bombing hadn't done it, this one couldn't have either...right? I got off the phone, turned on the TV and my world changed in that moment. I scrambled to the phone and called Karen's sister and thankfully Bob and Karen were at their house. The airport had been closed and everyone turned around. I sank into the couch, called my friend Angie and left a message on her machine. I remember saying "Angie get up and turn on the TV". She called me back a few minutes later and told me she knew from the sound of my voice something was very wrong and we spent the rest of the day on the phone watching every channel we could and comparing notes in disbelief. I remember Peter Jennings talking to one woman on the phone that was looking for her husband. She was pregnant with twins and his two friends had made it out. The three men were good friends and inseparable but they couldn't find her husband. She just kept saying she had to find him, her and the babies needed him. I think about her often and wonder if she ever did find him- did he make it home or was he one of the lost? That's just one of the many stories that touched me that day and in the days and months to come as more stories emerged of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It was a horrible moment in our history but it was a shining moment as well as we heard about the Flight 93 men and women who fought back. To this day when I use the expression "let's roll" to the kids I think of and pray for them and those they left behind . I also think of the stories of the police and firefighters and everyday citizens that risked everything to go into the towers that day and didn't make it out... And for those who did , they turned around and went right back in to rescue and then finally to recover their fellow man. That morning when my sweet little baby girl woke up I remember crushing her in my arms and thinking to myself that her world had just shifted and changed and she didn't even realize it. Some ask how God could have let it happen. I believe there is a reason for everything we endure. Sometimes we understand the reasons and other times we have to wait and see. Unfortunately we also have free will and those men that meant to do us harm that day, willingly and freely decided to go against everything that God commands. Was HE there? I know He was... and he had tears in his eyes. In the planes, in the halls of the tower, everywhere someone called out to him and needed him in that moment...He was there.

September 11, 2004 I was looking thru pictures of that day on a news site and my toddler, Justin was looking at them from my lap. We got to one picture and he stopped me cold when he said in his sweet little voice. "There's God." I started crying. I asked him again who it was and he looked up at me and said," mommy it's God." This is the picture posted below... Sometimes it's the kids that remind us that in our darkest moment, 9/11, the days that followed, or even August 1, 2009 when my Aunt was killed in a accident - God is there. Always...
...

Newest Addition

This sweet girl is what was waiting for us in mommy's belly while I was taking all those photo's.

She's ADORABLE and we love having her in the family. We needed a little pink in our life.

Welcome sweet girl.

Love, Auntie.

Practice on a willing participant!

My sis in law has been a great sport letting me get in some maternity practice... I"m running out of time though but I am really looking forward to welcoming a sweet new little niece or nephew!

Hopefully She'll let me take baby pictures :)

Photography...

Photography is something that I've always enjoyed. With my HS graduation money I bought a camera with part of the gift money I was given. My little Pentax served me well for many years. Then came the digital years and I rebelled. You see by then I had kids and there was no way those slow camera's were working for me- by the time I pressed the button to capture the moment the kids were gone and I was taking a picture of empty space. I had one or two experiences with point and shoot digital camera's that resulted in me giving them to my kids and I bought a Canon Elan 7NE film camera. I loved it. Then my husband was going off to Alaska fishing and there was no way he was taking my camera so I bought him a Panasonic the day he was leaving and told him to take pictures. He did and the camera was a great find. Finally it was what I wanted and needed a point and shoot to be. Last year when we were planning our trip to Disneyland I told Bill the one thing that concerned me was taking film thru x rays and airports. I've heard horror stories of people coming back from a wonderful vacation and having no pictures to show for it. That's when I got serious about a digital SLR and after much study and a trip to the camera store to see how my choices felt in hand I bought a Nikon D80. I haven't touched my film SLR since. I LOVE IT. Then of course came the need and burning desire to know how to use it... I mean why have it if I can't make it do what I want and use it to it's full potential. I'm also a big fan of photo journalistic family photography. I hated traditional posed photo's and it just made so much more sense to capture life as it was happening instead of creating it or making it look too created. I will admit there is some posing still in this type of photography but it's so much different. So much more artistic and I love thinking up ideas.

I'm learning, though I know I have a long way to go... That's the perfectionist in me. I want to give the potential client the best I possibly can. Where it will go- who knows. I would love to be able to make money doing this because you know the saying- do what you love and love what you do but I also know the other side of the coin and that's when you have a hobby you love and make it a business you no longer have time to do what you just want to do for the love of it. Time will tell and so will how far my skills and knowledge grow.

Here's a few more of my favorites...