Castles and cows and sheep...oh my!

"...though the mountains divide, and the oceans are wide, it's a small world after all."
~Richard M. and Robert B Sherman

I've been recently traveling "across the pond" to Ireland, one of the greenest countries I have ever seen. We were fortunate to
have beautiful weather. I'm sure it doesn't help the wool sweater sales there to have temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's, or 27 centigrade as they say there. One of the loveliest things I noticed right off the plane is that people really are all the same. No matter where we are, people are basically going through life in pretty much the same fashion. It was comforting. It felt good to be so far away and yet feel as if I were not a stranger. Of course, Ireland is fairly easy to travel to; same language, etc. The most difficult part was the driving thing (and I didn't drive). If I can give you any advice at all, it would be NOT to take a red eye flight over, land, then hop right into your rental car (with the steering wheel on the left side and driving on the left side of the road) then drive straight into Dublin in the middle of crazy morning traffic with one way streets and traffic circles, while you don't have the exact address of the hotel and end up driving up and down the same street about ten times while your cell phone battery is flashing "less than 20 percent" warnings at you, and the cigarette plug extension you could be using to charge it doesn't work, while your husband is yelling, "WHICH WAY IS THE HOTEL?" and you are waving your arms and screaming, "PEDESTRIANS!!", as he narrowly misses two people who foolishly decide to walk in front of your car. (how is that for a run-on sentence?)

Don't do that.

But, if you do that, walk your tush quickly down the street to Cassidy's Pub and get a big Guiness. You deserve it! That is exactly what we did. It was my very first Guiness. It takes a little getting used to, but by the end of the week, you could say I was use to them. You know the saying, "while in Ireland..."

So stay tuned....this was just the beginning. I'll post a few pics from our adventure up tomorrow.

Some castles, cows, and sheep...betcha can't wait.


P.S. I loved Ireland, but it is always good to come home...

Where do you live?

Well, I don't mean this literally. I'm not taking a poll. I have just been thinking a lot about life lately; where I live, what's on my heart. Lately, it takes more effort not to think about it. I have been thinking about the struggles people face every day, the impossible decisions they are faced with; about the decisions I make every day and what effect they may have on other people. I worry too much. I think way too long and hard about things. I'm pretty sure others would probably never give a second thought to the things I analyze over and over. I sometimes think about where my mind would be if I didn't see people die about three times a week. Lately, I wonder what the toll on my heart has been. This is where I have been "living" these days.

I remember my first clinical day in the hospital as a student nurse. I remember the smell of the patient I was taking care of. I didn't eat lunch that day. It wasn't his fault, and it wasn't a gross smell; it was just really different. My first memories as a registered nurse are of a man I took care of with cancer. He didn't seem sick. He was young, in his mid forties, and we had a great conversation before I left in the morning. I looked forward to taking care of him when I returned that evening. I glanced at the patient board when I got to work the next night. Not there. My fellow nurse told me with a cavalier shrug, "He died." I stared in disbelief. But....he wasn't sick. I spent the rest of the night caring for other people trying to put him out of my mind. He wasn't that sick. When I got in my car to drive home the next morning-it hit me. I cried-no- I wept all the way home, for a really nice man I just met, for his family who clearly must miss him terribly. And from that day forward, a layer of mortar was laid down on my heart. To protect it; to protect it from breaking over and over again. Each time, every death, every heart breaking story, every patient fighting for their life, every family member clutching to every minute and breath they can share with their loved one; another layer fortified protection around my heart. I don't cry on the way home from work anymore. I'm not sure if it ever happened again. That first time was painful. I quickly realized how to protect myself.

Yesterday, I watched a man one year younger than myself die. He was brought into the emergency room by paramedics working furiously to bring him back and then it was our turn to try. We were not successful. I watched his parents hearts break. I felt the mortar. I didn't cry. I stayed on the safe side. I still really care about these people. Sometimes I think if I start to cry, I just might not be able to stop.

So, I am focused on not running away from really painful situations. I might cry a little bit. I hope I don't cry a lot. I don't really think I will. I'm sure it will be good for me. It's a strange thing to write about. It really doesn't have much to do with photography, but in a way, I think it will help what I see.

This is where I am living these days. Challenging myself to tear down some barriers and be a bit more brave. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

PS A huge heartfelt thank you to all the men and women who protect our country and allow us the freedoms that we have.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Happy Mama's Day

Taking a quick break to wish all those mom's out there a truly fabulous day. Hope you are getting a little bit spoiled. You surely deserve it.



Kona is waiting on me again to take him for a run....this is "I am losing patience, please please stop taking my picture." He's a giver. Although, I now have to bribe him with a treat if I am using him to test lighting, etc. He runs over and sits right in front of me after every shutter click. We better go work it off.

A few more favorites...

So, just a few more favorites from the session with Adrienne and Eric. Unfortunately, it's all I've got time for today...











Isn't she just a beautiful Mom...



Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!