the post where i lose some melbourne fans

but i went to my first footy game and loved it…apparently here is the part where i lose the fans…i was cheering for collingwood.

the twins’ aussie godmother came down to take gemma and me to the MCG to see her team play in the famous anzac day match with essendon. she even brought a mascot magpie and team swag for gemma.

the crowd was huge. 85,000 or more people decked out in black and white and black and red. the excitement was literally visible.

we watched the guys come out in their tiny shorts and run around the field. that was great fun.

we settled into our seats. we got our chips and drinks.

i read all the names of the players to gemma while she read the numbers on their jerseys.

we learned all the rules and soon were screaming like locals. “BALL!”

then i went and got drinks. it all went pear shaped while i was getting generic celebratory house wine.

i had to comfort gemma as she was now quite attached to the idea of the ones wearing black and white winning.

the biggest and darkest gray cloud spread over the grounds and it started to pour. and out of nowhere, just like the cloud, the other team scored and scored again and i think they may have even scored one more time. not that it matters much, because it was over.

i don’t get the fanatical devotion to one team that everyone here has. (you have to pick a team…i think it may be a law) i don’t get the obsession people here have with what team OTHER people like. (you can’t possibly like THAT team.) i have not been here long enough to know any better or honestly even care. i just had a great time. it was an exciting game but sadly for my friend, “our” team did not win.

i can’t wait to go back. and yell at me if you must…scoff or what have you, but Go Pies!

i think i may sleep with it under my pillow

that says dot AU, people. i can almost smell the bulk items.

just a few more months and i will have a teeny tiny yet multi pack slice of home right here in melbourne. 2 things that i would really like the costco fairy to bring with her…tide pens and dryer sheets (i do not hang my sheets, i am sorry, the spiders do not need any help getting into my home).

i don’t…

usually do a lot of family portraits since the bulk of my business is commercial these days. and i certainly don’t usually do family portraits where there are just shy of 50 (yep, fifty) family members… the logistics of it all, light, location, time shooting and more time editing. but for some reason, i said yes this time and i am so very happy that i did. maybe it was the delightful young woman, yhudis, who did the booking on behalf of her grandparents. she assured me that although there were so many of them, there was not an un-fun one in the bunch. it could have been the fact that the grandparents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and wanted a portrait to honor what their family has grown into over those years. possibly since there were five adult children, it reminded me a little bit of my own family and just how special the family portrait we had made right before my father found out his cancer had come back for good. that portrait means the world to my family. whatever it was, i am delighted that i said yes before i scared myself out of it because i had a wonderful time. i decided that this shoot would be just like any of my others since the experiences we have are really only what we make them to be in our minds and hearts anyway.

yhudis was right, her family is terrific and i had a really fun time. i wish them 50 more years of the love and laughter i saw today.

and finally, i don’t really blog my client work anymore, but i just had to post a few of the shots i took in between taking the shots.

it is an antibiotic kind of weekend

i have been feeling pretty rotten for the last week or so and was not really sure what was going on. i just figured that i was coming down with whatever strain of germs kieran was brewing.

no flu for me…i had no idea that my aching chest was related to the fever and joint pains, but after a trip to the doctor i have been given the diagnosis of mastitis.

i thank australia for making medication containing codeine over the counter.

clover has decided that now is the perfect time to start rolling around the house. quickly. you can see the annoyance on her face in the photo as i kept putting her back to sitting. she would much rather roll and get stuck under something.

i need to find a play pen. a real old fashioned jail for babies.

so many people have asked…the new presets really are coming. i have just some fine tuning to do and then out they go. these photos are done with the expired film preset.

counting my blessings

like little ducks in a row…i am counting my blessings and with each breath i am feeling grateful for my children who are all asleep in their beds. healthy and happy and getting bigger every day.

the last few days on the internet have seen the sudden passing of a few children…i know of them because their mothers blog. it is like seeing someone on the playground. you nod and smile…there is always more time to say hello. tomorrow. my chest feels heavy as i read their stories. i know there are a lot of people who follow my photos and stories…i don’t get a chance to respond to comments on flickr or to say “hi” all that often, but i am now. so here i am waving and thanking you all for helping create such a nice neighborhood on the internet.

some time ago, i started reading about buddhism. so many things clicked for me and i have made a promise to myself to not take a moment for granted. when it gets crazy with 3 children whining and screaming and i am sweating from the stress, i literally stop and close my eyes and savor the moment…because i can. because they are all there with me and i know just what a gift that is.

easter holidays brought us 5 days as a family. and we played and we were together and that is all that matters to me. it almost made me forget that i did not get any peeps this year (hint hint, mom.)

from our day at the pool…(point and shoot camera. jpegs all edited with my new lightroom/acr presets that are i swear coming soon.)

fresh

i am very excited that 2 images of mine were selected to be among the 150 winning photographs of the Fresh M.I.L.K.( Moments of Intimacy, Laughter, and Kinship) contest.

the book, Fresh M.I.L.K.: Friends, Families, Lovers & Laughter will be published in the fall of 2009.

made even more wonderful for the fact that all 3 of my children will be represented.

kid fashion

i am excited to be working with some great commercial clients here in australia. there are so many amazing kid fashion lines coming out of this country and gemma is getting a chance to model again!

~letting the beautiful handmade costumes by wanabe inspire the creativity in playtime~