Memorial Day 2010
I know that the cemeteries will be jammed with folks paying respects today and rightfully so. I like to go to the cemetery on quieter days so I’ll stay away today. My father served in the Korean War as proud Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and is buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. I miss him everyday. Thank you, Dad, for serving this great nation…I love you. Give mom a squeeze for me!
emily.13
My niece, Emily, recently turned 13. My sister, now, has another teenager in the house! YIKES! She and I have something in comon…Emily and I are both middle children. Famous for his Birth Order Book, Dr. Kevin Leman can guide you in why you are the way you are. Funny thing for me is that while I was the youngest and only girl for nearly 9 years my parents didn’t stop at 3 children…or even 4…I ended up the “youngest” of the first part of our family then the “oldest” of the 2nd half but chronologically…I ended up in the middle when Mike (the youngest and to this day refers to him self as “Mike, saved the best for last”), the 5th child, was born nearly 17 years after my oldest brother, Tim. Wheeeew…did I lose you? No matter..birth order (pecking order as some call it) is whatever you want to make of it. That said, I am happy to be safe & snug in the middle of my siblings and wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, back to Emily. As is customary, for many years, I have gifted my nieces and nephews with photo shoots for their birthdays which begins with a FABulous hair session. What started as a simple idea has grown to include (sometimes) hours of hair preparation and several outfit changes. This year, Emily kept it simple with a ton of new layers and a date with a flat iron! I love her energy and spunk. Here are a few of my faves…
Emily, I love you. Thanks for hangin’ with me and allowing me to capture your spirit.
Destination…Mexico.
I recently returned from an 8 day trip to Mexico. First, I spent 3 reflective days, by myself, in Play del Carmen then traveled north to join my sister and her family in Cancun for a little more action. I brought along a camera that “crapped out” on me upon my arrival and was forced to shoot with my iPhone. Fortunately, I wasn’t there to shoot a wedding! Besides, when I head out to photograph a wedding be it over seas, across a boarder or in the next county I always bring along plenty of back up! Thankfully, I was able to arrange for Anne to swing by my house, grab my other camera and bring it down with her!
I have to say, and I know I’m not alone on this one, that while destination weddings are a lot of work the rewards and results are always outstanding. Gorgeous backdrops are a given but getting to spend more time with the entire group of guests, leading up to the big day, makes you feel like family and everyone seems to loosen up more!
(Destination Wedding pricing is quoted individually and available upon request)
My sister’s family and I were poolside as the staff at the Marriott was prepping for a beach wedding on Palm Sunday. I grabbed this shot before things got crazy, I couldn’t resist!
This trip was pure pleasure and relaxation for me and an escape from the past 5 months of my mother’s illness and passing. It was so good to be there with family!
Pete, my brother-in-law, turned and asked me if I’d like him to take my photo and I handed him my camera and he got this great shot of me. Thanks, Pete! Thank you for everything!
I’m waiting to get shots off Pete’s underwater camera from our dive & I’ll post those another day. Above sea level, below sea level, we had a fabulous time!
Thanks, again, Bakers! I love you.
Exhale. Seems simple enough…
Since the recent loss of my mother (March 5th, 2010) I have been trying to reunite myself with with my old self. I thought this would be easy…just go back to what I was doing before November 5th, 2009…the date we got the devastating news of the return of her kidney cancer (metastatic renal cell carcinoma). Turns out, for me, it’s harder than I thought. While I certainly don’t miss the drive out to the Marie Steiner Kelting Hospice Home I do miss the reason I made the trip each day…to see my mom. Good days or bad days, a friend writes on his son’s Caring Bridge pages, they were all worth it.
Days after my mom’s death I found myself wandering about aimlessly and finally I turned and I asked Gary, “What did I used to do?” I mean I literally feel like I’m starting over or something. It’s really weird….or is it? I feel lost…or am I? Perhaps it’s all normal, I’m certain it must be because after all….I’m normal….aren’t I? All the things I got good at doing the past 4 months all need to be replaced with what I was good at before that first Thursday in November. Oh sure, I’ll fumble around a bit but before I know it I’ll be back on top of things instead of underneath it all. I can see my horizon from here and it looks beautiful!
I will confess this….as a Wedding and Portrait Photographer I found myself praising God, selfishly, for bringing this trial to our lives in my “off season”. I was truly blessed to be able to spend nearly every day with my mom as she endured being bed ridden with life threatening, pathological fractures, managing pain with unbelievable amounts of narcotics while waiting for these abnormal cells to take over her body…at the young age of 71. This, my friends, was an amazing woman and I did not want to miss a minute with her…I rarely did, all due to God’s perfect timing.
I know that my life is forever changed now but my parents are reunited and I find such joy in knowing that one day…I will join them.
Thank you all for your continued, heartfelt prayers.
God Bless.
Gemma.
I feel so fortunate and blessed to have the ability to love two occupations. Photographer and Hair Dresser. Quite a lovely marriage of vocations, really. On occasion I get to do both for the same client~that’s what I really love! Yesterday, my niece, Gemma, came by to cash in on her Christmas present…haircolor (of her choice) an a fresh cut. After a rather quick consultation we decided to do a TON of blonde highlights on the top and go dark underneath for the “peek-a-boo” color. Gemma’s been dark for a while so it was fun to see her go lighter. Before she left, I grabbed a few shots….I love her. She’s growing up fast and is even going to head out to San Francisco in March for a first ever, on her own, trip! I’m so excited for her! I pulled out all of my San Francisco albums and reminisced about all of my love for that city. She’s pretty stoked about going and I’m excited for her! Perhaps one day she and I will go on an adventure somewhere, together.
Mothers & Daughters
(Ava and her mom, Marty, came out to visit mom yesterday. Marty is the daughter of one my mom’s best friend, Judy, who passed away just a couple of years ago. I had my camera along yesterday and decided to have some fun…thanks Marty, for coming out to see mom.)
It’s been 2 months since I’ve composed a blog post. Well, I’ve been writing, just not here. I’ve been posting on an entirely different forum as of late…my mother’s ‘Caring Brige‘ site. My love of writing has transformed there. To be able to do something you love for someone you love, for me, has been so enriching and eye opening.
The relationship between mother’s and daughters are nothing short of magnificent. Or at least I know that they can be. Mine is and always has been. So it came natural for me to build her Caring Bridge site soon after my mom’s diagnosis and begin to write about the wonderment that is my mom’s life. I started by writing more of the “fluff” as I did not want to disrupt any relationships with my siblings but that soon changed as my 3 brothers and my only sister all embraced the idea of the site. You see, my mom was diagnosed with “metastatic disease” on November 5th of 2009. Our mom’s Kidney Cancer that she had about 6 and a half years ago had returned and here’s the deal…Renal Cell Carcinoma is not curable. Dr.s gave her weeks and we, along with the staff, are amazed that we are approaching the 3 month mark. We have been by her side day and night as she endures her palliative care in a fabulous facility in Chaska, MN (The Marie Steiner Kelting Hospice Home).
My mom is an amazing woman. She is strong, courageous, loving and a believer in Christ. She has taught us all the importance of family and to trust in the Lord. One day we will all be reunited…of that I am certain and she’s made sure of that!
I love my mom. I will miss her. I have had a beautiful relationship with her and I have no regrets. Ushering her out of this life has been such a gift. I am so grateful to have had this time with her, tough as it’s been. What I do know for sure is that she will soon be with my father, her parents and some of her very best friends. What a comfort that is. God Bless.
Jessie Selects a Pic!
Last Sunday, while most of my family was gathered out at mom’s hospice home to visit and watch the Vikings cream the Sea Hawks, I asked my niece if she’s like to pop outside and grab a few birthday shots on the grounds around the home. While she didn’t come prepared to have a photo shoot I thought she looked amazing and she was braggin’ up her new top that she’d just bought so I figured we should give it a go! I think she rocked it!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today my immediate family is gathering with my mom for a very special Thanksgiving celebration. By that I mean 18 people….so I guess intimate is maybe not the right word to describe this coming together but nonetheless, it’s the whole family and I must say that for years I’ve said to people that we all live pathetically within a 10 mile radius of one another and ya know what? I am so grateful.
Today, the gentleman in the room adjacent to mom and his wife had a vow renewal ceremony earlier today and their whole family came out afterward at about the same time we were gathering. It got loud and crazy and we loved every minute!
I made a new friend today, his name is Wyatt. He is one of the 11 grand kids of the gentleman next to mom. I think he must be about 6 years old. I introduced myself to him earlier in the day when there was only a couple of people here….he was so sweet. He kept seeking me out throughout the evening and before he left he came up to me and gave me a big hug and said “good bye, I’ll see you another day.” Yes, Wyatt, you will. Bless his heart.
We had the best time today and tonight! So much to be thankful for! We opted to have the meal catered. Anne picked up a full on traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 18 at Byerly’s last night and the staff here at the Hospice Home popped it all in the oven and heated it up for us. Let me tell you, Byerly’s puts on a spread and it was so deLICious! All the flavor, none of the work! Perfect solution for today….right down to the pumpkin & pecan pie! That way no one was stuck in the kitchen and we could all be with mom.
Anne and I both decided that we wanted a night with mom so the 2 of us are sleeping over tonight. A girls night. So fun. The staff just wheels in beds for us and tucks us in. It’s pretty special to be here at night and in the morning when she wakes. Alone time that we will treasure forever.
I pray that you all had as beautiful a day as my family and I had.
God Bless You.
“Oh, You Turkey!”
This popular phrase, born in the 70′s, was used by my dad, in the 70′s….a LOT! Instead of the now more popular adjectives “Dork”, “Moron”, “Boob” or even one of my favorites, “Tool” I may return to “Turkey”…especially this week. Being that it’s the week leading up to Thanksgiving and most important I believe now more than ever in keeping one’s spirit alive by remembering, reminiscing & sharing with others. Why just last night, Gary and I were watching TV (CSI Miami…no judging please!), and I said “and the thick plottens” as the plot thickened…then I turned to Gary and I said “my mom would always say that!” 
This just in…I have just discovered that one of our local, main papers has announced that the (ever popular in my family) coloring contest “Oh, You Turkey” turned 30 last year! WOW!! Can’t wait for Thursday’s edition.
Everyone keeps asking…is there ANYthing we/I can do? And I continue to respond with, “Pray for my mom’s comfort daily, for the cancer to steer clear of her brain and for my family to remain as one throughout this horrid ordeal.
Marie Steiner Kelting Hospice Home
Friday afternoon my mom moved to the brand new Marie Steiner Kelting Hospice Home in Chaska, MN. This facility (which we feel God built for our mom!) is aMAzing! I’ve written a little bit about it on her new Caring Bridge site that I just finished constructing yesterday so feel free to sign up there for updates.
This Hospice Home opened it’s doors a little over a month ago to it’s first resident. Mom is now the 3rd resident. I am telling you, it is so lovely and homey…a wonderful place to all come together to gather and celebrate. Our plan is to host Thanksgiving here on Thursday with the immediate family
Today many of us (including my mom’s sister Cindy & uncle Don) are watching the Vikings battle the Sea Hawks with mom!
