I adore love.  I adore everything about it.  How it envelops kindness, forgiveness, acceptance, beauty, adoration.  How it can take your breath away, literally.  How it even spelled out looks beautiful.  I adore the simplicity of it, yet the deep and engaging meaning.

These are just a few things I love;

Coffee.  Animals.  Cuddles.  My boyfriend.  My friends.  Music.  A glass of wine.  Silence.  Photography.  Looking at old photos of my father.  Making jewelry.  Seeing the wind in the trees.  Long walks in the summer.  The beach.  Peanuts.  Chocolate.  Cooking.  When it’s warm enough outside to have the windows open.  Riding in the car with the windows down and singing out loud to the songs on the radio with someone by your side.  Blogging.  Hot baths.  Laughing so hard my stomach hurts.  Making other people laugh.  Holding hands.  A hug every time I come back home from being somewhere.  Sweet tea.  Seeing my cats happy.  My dog giving me high 5’s.  Handmade gifts.  Video games.  Good movies.  Horseback riding.  Flowers.  Food from the garden.  Cucumber sandwiches.  Whiskey.  Web design.  Birds.  New friendships.  Finding those perfect shoes to match that perfect shirt.  Being in Georgia with Teresa.  Being home.  Banana peppers.  Getting a new tattoo.  My tattoos.  My parents.  Learning new things.  Sharing said new things with someone else who is also excited to learn new things.  Reading a good book.  Being inspired for a photo shoot from a dream I had.  Being at The Felice Brother’s show.  Seeing/hearing Andy sing.  Andy’s mother.  Faith.  Boots.  Porch swings.  Hardwood floors.  Goats.  Having a job I enjoy.  Steak.  Documentaries.  Antique furniture.  66 Mustangs.  Clean sheets.

I could go on and on and on, but these are just a few of the simple pleasures in life that I love.  Even if you don’t have a special someone today, let it serve as a reminder to look around you at what you DO have and enjoy and love.  Also, remember that if you have a pet, they love you with every ounce of their being – so return the favor today with a cuddle and a little extra play time.  Everyone deserves a little love. 

I know I said I would post a boudoir shoot today, but I am going to post it tomorrow, instead.  Here is a collage of 2 simple photos I shot yesterday to remember this Valentine’s Day by.

I don’t even know where to begin with this post.  I have been putting it off for a couple of weeks now just for that reason.

There are people you meet in your life that you just KNOW will make a difference.  Rather it’s short term or long term, it doesn’t really matter at the time.  There are people that put off an energy of sincere concern and desire to learn about you.  To get to know you and that really care about you as a person and a human being.  They look around and open their arms to all walks of life, even those that are nothing like them, and offer them a chance.  A ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, and they open their home.  A home that is a personal living space, their comfort and solace – they open that to a complete stranger.  Chevara is one of those people.

A couple of months ago, I was looking for a venue for which to shoot a bridal shoot.  The weather was calling for rain and then it quickly switched to snow.  I called location after location down town Winston and was turned away or calls were not returned.  Then, 2 days before my shoot, I received a call from Chevara.  She lives in the Leaf Loft Apartments in down town Winston and was wanting me to come visit to see if her home would work for my shoot.  I took her up on her offer, met her that afternoon, and was blown away by not only her beautiful home (which was perfect!), but her energy and warmth.  She welcomed me with a huge, tight hug and a smile that lit up the room.  She was full of energy, asked lots of questions about my photography and told me her house was open for me to shoot in any time I would like.

Later that night, I Googled Chevara, just out of curiosity.  What I read on various websites blew me away and gave me so much encouragement and inspiration. She has her own art gallery called White Space, and began the first transgender panel at Winston-Salem State University, helped found their first gay-straight alliance for students, as well as fights for women’s rights.  She is a member on the boards for the Winston-Salem Symphony, Partnership for a Drug-Free NC, Twin City Stage, Citizen Police Review Board, and RiverRun International Film Festival.  I am sure I have not listed a handful of other things she takes part in, but I think you get a small glimpse at the amazing woman I had the pleasure to meet and work with.  As quoted from another site (because I couldn’t say it better myself), Chevara is “5-foot powerhouse in 4 inch heels.”

Since Chevara was so kind and willing to open her home to me, I wanted to give her a shoot of her own to thank her for her kindness.  These are just a few of my favorites from our day together.  Chevara, thank you for everything, from the bottom of my heart.  You are a ray of sunshine in my life and I think of you often.  You give me hope, encouragement and inspiration and believed in me from the moment you met me.  I cannot wait to see how we can help each other out along our paths in life.

Chevara mentioned that she loved the photos I did of Sterling with her name, Crawly.  Sterling was kind enough to bring him to Chevara’s shoot for us to use!

This is the smile I have seen every time I’ve been around Chevara.  It’s intoxicating.

Yummy light!

Do you ever go to a blog and see there are no updates and take it a little personally? You feel a little let down – since the anticipation had been growing ever since you sat down at your computer and started going through your favorite blog to read for the day. No update yet, so you get a little upset, sigh a little, and decide to just come back later. 10 minutes later you wonder to yourself. What if they have updated now? I have to hurry and check! Clickclickclick as fast as you can. And then nothing. No update. No update since yesterday. The nerve!

I know I feel like this on some blogs I read daily. I don’t REALLY get upset, but I do anxiously await some bloggers to update. I love to read the new happenings, see the new photos, hear about their learning experience, laugh with them and learn new things from them. Carla told me she also feels this way. The only thing that’s different? She feels this way about MY blog! When she confessed this, I wanted to hug her. I thought I was a weirdo for visiting blogs with huge hopes of an update and leaving mildly offended (not really) and disappointed (really) that nothing new is posted. It’s silly when you think about it, but it’s a simple pleasure. Like the anticipation to have a phone call returned you’ve been waiting on, or when you’re expecting a package or letter in the mail for days and you check, every day, hoping it’s there.

I was so flattered and a little embarrassed to know I had an admirer out there that really loved what I did to the point of anticipating my new posts. I get a lot of personal email and comments on my Facebook when I update, but I suppose since I don’t receive comments on my actual blog posts that often, I assume people are just drifting through. I do see in my stats that I have tons of visitors, even a lot of return visitors, but it’s just nice knowing someone likes and appreciates my hard work and gets excited at the thought of an update about my life or photos I’ve taken recently!

Carla hired me for a boudoir shoot (will post a few on Valentine’s Day) but when we finished up, I wanted to just snap some photos of her around her home. She’s such a funny and beautiful soul and I loved spending time with her and her furry children. She’s a huge animal lover just like I am and had the cutest and sweetest dogs I’ve ever seen. After getting to know her a little better and seeing the passion for animals and beauty in her life, I can say I feel honored that she’s my blog stalker, and a little less alone as I go through my world awaiting new blog updates on a daily basis! Carla – I’m sorry I have disappointed you, and – *cheers* – this post’s to you!

Aren’t I lucky to have such a cute blog stalker?!

I adore everything about this photo.

Work it!

This next one is blurry but there’s just something about it that I adore.

Meet Andie.   She is a foster from the Boston Terrier Rescue of NC (BTRNC), is blind and was not expected to live past last Spring after being diagnosed with cancer – but here she is!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

Andie and Leroy. Carla also has a Doberman and although VERY sweet, he was also VERY camera shy.

They love their mama.

Snow has covered the ground for almost a week now. While to some this is the norm and no big deal at all, this is the second big snow storm North Carolina has seen this season – with a 3rd on the way tonight. While it’s beautiful to look at and nice to eat and play in, being snowed in with no way to get out is no fun at all. This has been the case for 5 out of the last 7 days. Unfortunately, because of this, I had to reschedule two shoots. On the flip side, it’s a nice change of scenery and a lot of fun to go out and photograph. The sky is so different when it snows and I love the rolling clouds and beautiful sunsets we get. These are just a handful of the photos I’ve taken over the past week while being snowed in – so all were taken around our farm. Wish us luck as we have another storm coming in tonight – that we an get out soon and everyone stays safe and warm!