Change isn’t aways easy but as it was put this
morning….”a calm sea does not produce a skilled
sailor.” I like that. I like it a lot!

I have decided to stay on as an NILMDTS Hospital
Coordinator for both Minneapolis Children’s and
Methodist but the reality of cutting back the sessions
that I preform has come to a screeching halt in that I
have already taken 2 this month.

Wedding season is fast approaching and I cannot wait!
Several specTACular venues and, well, I just love
the thought of a warm, sunny wedding day in June about
now with all the sub zero temps we’ve endured lately.

In a couple of days Gary and I will visit his father
in Arizona…gonna love not having to warm up the
car for 20 minutes! I had to reschedule a shoot
yesterday to to the super cold temps~Rescheduled
for Valentine’s Day and should be sweet!

Now that I have removed myself from Facebook, I intend
on getting back to the seriousness at hand her on my
blog ;D

I know that this will be a fabulous year!
Can’t wait for God to show me the way!
God is Good!

Change isn’t aways easy but as it was put this
morning….”a calm sea does not produce a skilled
sailor.” I like that. I like it a lot!

I have decided to stay on as an NILMDTS Hospital
Coordinator for both Minneapolis Children’s and
Methodist but the reality of cutting back the sessions
that I preform has come to a screeching halt in that I
have already taken 2 this month.

Wedding season is fast approaching and I cannot wait!
Several specTACular venues and, well, I just love
the thought of a warm, sunny wedding day in June about
now with all the sub zero temps we’ve endured lately.

In a couple of days Gary and I will visit his father
in Arizona…gonna love not having to warm up the
car for 20 minutes! I had to reschedule a shoot
yesterday to to the super cold temps~Rescheduled
for Valentine’s Day and should be sweet!

Now that I have removed myself from Facebook, I intend
on getting back to the seriousness at hand her on my
blog ;D

I know that this will be a fabulous year!
Can’t wait for God to show me the way!
God is Good!

I’ve had 2 really extraordinary opportunities
this week. First, finally meeting Jo down in
Albert Lea…Second, on that same day, I got to
reconnect with my cousins, aunt & uncle. Had
so much fun, I stayed over night in Owatonna
and really caught up!

Then, today I met up with Kelly Read.
I met Kelly and her husband (and their daughter
Alliah) last December 8th. I was called to photograph
their daughter, born still, for NILMDTS.

We’ve talked about getting together and finally
today was the day. I was so excited and nervous.
How would this go? Our only connection is one of
sadness, I thought. But Kelly’s face lit up as I
entered the Caribou at 8000 Norman Lake Dr.
Kelly revealed that she feels a positive connection
with me. She also shared with me that, in all reality,
I was about the only other person that actually saw
Alliah. How intimate is that? I felt nervous and
felt myself ramble. I grabbed her arm from across
the table and said…”I’m so sorry, I feel so
nervous!” Kelly put me at ease and shared so much
more with me including her passion to go forward
and try to help other families with losses such as
theirs. She wanted to plant that seed with me and
with whom ever else might want to get behind her
or beside her in her efforts to help others heal
and to continue on her healing journey as well.

Kelly and her husband are, again, pregnant. This
time with a boy, due the middle/end of March.
She says this pregnancy feels so different and
her past has made her proactive for the days, weeks
and months that lie ahead of them.
Pray for this family, that they find strength as
they approach the anniversary of Alliah’s passing,
that they draw closer to God, their faith and as
they gather with family and friends on that anniversary.
Pray that they feel peace in knowing that she is
with the Lord and find hope for the future with
their new son.

Well, like I said..it’s only Thursday and already
I feel so blessed and grateful this week to be apart
of the lives of these ladies and to know that God
is doing wonderful things with me. I can’t wait to
witness what’s next!

1. There are at least two people in this world
that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don’t like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don’t even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you
take another look.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Life keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going

I have a loss to cover this afternoon out in Waconia.
Pray for the young couple that is losing their first
child at 20 weeks gestation.

Today is my husband’s birthday!
This day starts the very long string
of October birthdays in my circle of
friends and family….Gary’s niece, Mariko
is next on Saturday the 4th!
Then my mom’s is the 6th and so on….

This is also a good day to get out all
of your Halloween decorations!

Next~
I wanted to share this with you.
This closing prayer was in the order of
service for Kip’s mom’s funeral last night.
Words to live by, really.

“Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long as you ever can.”

~John Wesley

God bless you and your day.

Sorry. Just wrapping a ton of things up.
I’ll be FREE TO BLOG more very soon.

Did y’all see this???

Thanks Dawn Davis for all your lovely comments!
Nikki, the bride pictured, submitted her wedding for
editorial consideration last spring and told me that
it might make the fall/winter issue…and it did!
Thanks Nikki Butts!! It was the first wedding I ever
shot for Bella Pictures. YAY!

They live down the street. We get together
often and have some really terrific times.
Many times Ron will say to us, when the
night comes to an end,…”Hey, next time
we get together maybe we can have more fun.”
And we usually do.

These two seem to always surprise us with
the kindest gestures and with the loss of our
boy Hobie, I must say, their thoughtfulness
will be forever cherished right along with their
friendship.

Last night, while on a walk with their boy
Reggy,

they popped by with a framed image and
memorial poem about The Rainbow Bridge.
I clutched it too my chest and began to cry.
I would need more time before I could read it.
Ron & Cindy, your kindness touches us deeply.
Thank you.

Also, I want to thank my newest forever friend,
Heather Lombardo. She is the head of NILMDTS
here in Minnesota. We’ve done a lot together and
she is a very special lady. Thank you for taking
the time to recognize our loss. The flowers look
so alive and gorgeous. I’ve set them next to our
framed memorial.

Lastly, we received a bouquet from Anderson Lakes,
our veterinarian, yesterday as well. Thank you for
your kind words. I know you will miss performing
all the enemas! You are all top notch, we appreciate
everything you do for us and our precious, furry
family members!

The outpouring of concern and love from all over
the world has left me speechless.

Gary and I are both coping and doing well.

if a time should occur in your life or in
the lives of those around you that you
feel requires timeless capturing, please
give me a call~it would be my pleasure
and honor to extend the joy to your worlds
beyond the moment.

whether this coming year brings us closer
together or places us apart know that you
can always pop by this blog and catch up anytime.
i welcome your comments, requests and ideas
as God unfolds another year for us all.

i am constantly inspired and encouraged by
all my friends in Christ and for that i am
so truly grateful.

tonight gary and i will be attending the
3rd annual Minnesota Miracle New Year’s Eve
event at the airport Hilton in Bloomington.
please join us! here’s some shots from last
year. Belinda Jensen was the emcee last year.
this year…Don Shelby.
and yes…that’s John Randall from the Vikings.

God bless you all.
Happy New Year.