Sikh and Hindu wedding

What an neat experience to witness this. There are so many wonderful cultures with such amazing traditions that are out there.

I shot an Indian wedding today and I had no idea what to expect. It was beautiful. The flame ceremony, the candle dance, the circling of the altar, the seven steps, it was amazing to witness.

Wedding after wedding that I shoot,
it seems the actual wedding ceremony is becoming less and less respected and more about lights, cues, and rushing through to get to the booze and the party. Are these brides and grooms really understanding what they are vowing to each other. When hard times come, do they remember those words they said that day?

The Hindu ceremony was beautiful. There was so much talk about kindness, respect, the joining of families, walking the steps of life together, etc. They even symbolically walked seven steps forward together, and as they took each step forward together they made another promise to one another to forgive, to love, to lift up, to trust, etc. I hope they will remember what love was in that room today.

And oh my, is an Indian wedding reception wild.

Inspiration

I am listening to this book.  The author has a similar story and amazes me at what she accomplishes.

I am hearing this man's story.  Competing in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin was easy as pie compared to what would happen next.





I am in love with this picture of him.  95 and still so happy to be alive.

My goodness, if he can get through what he did, I can too.

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy.
                          -robert anthony

night time

I've been really trying to protect my quiet time at night, these days.  When you are on bed rest, the days and nights and pajamas all mix together and any time is as good as any other to put a movie on, check some emails, eat and then at some point just try and turn over and sleep (i.e. - that was my 5-9pm today).   There becomes no pattern, I always feel like a mess and it can be hard to have a rhythm to your day.

I keep wanting to just lay in bed at night and read, ya know, like normal people do.  Instead, I find myself connected to something with speakers and an on/off switch well into the night (many photographers have the horrible habit of editing pictures well into the night while everyone else sleeps), and then just turn it off and roll-over to sleep. Not healthy, people.

I remember when I was in school I would come home from the library or my blasted office around 2 am and just sit in the tub, oh that blessed claw foot tub in the 100 year old slanted house.  There was a window in the bathroom and the moon would be framed perfectly in it as I sat in my tub in total darkness and had the first bit of silence to my day.

After my bath, no tv, no school books, no work stuff, just me and my big bed and a book.  Sometimes I made it through a page, sometimes more, but that was my time, my blessed middle of the night quiet DC street time.  I miss that - that time was all mine and even though I should have probably been sleeping, I had full ownership of that half hour and that was about the only thing in my life at that time that I had any say in.

I'm trying to make my night time something special again - something that I will look forward to each day in bed while answering emails and editing pictures....'just keep going and get these things done and then you'll be able to read.'

I'm working on it.  Even though this blog post was written at 11:53pm.  I'm working on it.

and another

Another long day at work (seven hour war with an excel file), yet another Austin wedding booked on the way home!

gentle nudging

today, i went off to work.  such a common thing, such an expected thing.  I can almost hear the pride and relief in people's voices when I tell them such.  After 5 hours, I was numb.  Couldn't drive home.
Yeah, it's good money.  Yeah, it comes at quite a price. 

After finally getting home around 9 pm (i have much family with many crashpads along I-15), I booked a wedding and received a separate print order that totaled two weeks of wages at this great job that pays so well and hurts so much.

i think I'm being nudged.  or full-on pushed.  it is possible, this little dream of mine.  I'll be heading southbound on I-35 in no time.




ANNNNNND..... doctor #76 was nice to me!