Hissyfits Photography Blog

I have made it abundantly clear from day one of our move out here that this is not home…nor will it ever be. In my mind it will simply never compare, never come close to living up to the life I envision we would have in Kansas. Yet for now, this is home. Instead of green grass, charming brick buildings which ooze character and trees as old as time, we are greeted each day with cacti, a variety of earthy toned stucco houses and sand. Instead of four distinct seasons, changes in the intensity of heat mark the end of one and the beginning of another. I could write a novel and then some about how desperately I yearn for the story book life we left behind nearly three years ago. Yet, tonight as I sit here in the quiet, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that had we never opened this chapter in the “story of us”, I would truly be missing something I never knew I needed.

I hate change. I am a simple girl. I order the same two things from every restaurant we eat at. I could live in jeans and sassy cute sweaters…with fab Target or Kohl’s jewelry of course! I could go my entire life without living in the desert or setting foot in the hot sand. Or could I? It is crystal clear to me as I sit here tapping the keys at 2:00 AM that my life is far richer than I could have ever imagined three years ago.

Three years ago at this time I was a basket case. I was sick to my stomach more often than not with nerves and anxiety over leaving home and heading west. I had just given birth. It was a really, really hard time in my life. I cried at the drop of a pin. I wallowed in self pity. I dreaded what was to come with every fiber of my being. Yet here I am, just shy of three years of living in the hottest state there is, and I am okay. I have survived another year. I have overcome my fears. I have found my niche. I am making the best out of the situation. Don’t get me wrong…I would be out of here in a heartbeat if someone said the word, but I am really okay.

I have found a strength in myself that I never would have known otherwise. I have been forced to take risks, to reach out. And along the way I have met some pretty amazing girls. Girls that have listened to me whine. Girls that have made me laugh. Girls that have watched my kids grow up and whose kids I have watched grow. We have shared stories. We have attended parties. We have compared doctors and hair stylists. We have made memories. And we have formed lifelong friendships. I am truly blessed to have found the circle of friends I have…thanks girls…your friendships mean more to me than you will ever know.

I truly believe that people come into our lives and quietly exit at certain times. Mary came into my life about two years ago and while we were friends, it has only been quite recently that our love of everything photography has brought us back on the same page. And even though Mary is a Nikon girl and I am Canon, she is still pretty great!

Sunday afternoon I loaded up my sweet girl and headed off to check out this amazing new location Mary found! We met up and walked around, chatting and snapping pics the entire time. The location is PERFECT and I am so glad she was kind enough to share!

Here are just a couple of the images I captured.

Meet big sis Lauren. She is two and is as independent as she is cute! You can tell she is used to having her mama take oodles of pics of her because she wanted to be anywhere but in front of the camera!! One time she even rolled her eyes at me…I kid you not!! Because she was on the fly, I had to wait to capture her just being a kid to get some shots of her! But that was fine by me…those are the best kind in my mind! Lauren was ALL about this fountain! She and Gentry were both soaking wet by the end of the evening!! But how fun it was! Plus, when you live in Arizona, cool water on a hot day feels better than you can imagine! And believe me, it was HOT!

And meet her lil’ brother James. Now this guy on the other hand was a piece of cake to take pictures of!! He has the biggest, gummiest little grin and was as happy as could be!! Total cutie! I LOVE this next shot!! The baby rolls, the tilted head, the open mouth, the pretty evening light….what a doll baby!!

Mary, thanks again for getting me out of the house and sharing your great find with me!! It was a lot of fun and we’ll have to do it again soon!!

*And on a totally random note, it is 2:30 AM and I haven’t been to sleep yet. I used to NEVER have these issues but it seems like once a week or so now I have a night like this! What in the world is that all about?! I seem to get all philosophical and wordy on these kind of nights!! My alarm is set to go off at 5:00 so I can attempt to work out before anyone wakes us! HA HA HA! Yeah right!

Filed under random-sweetness, sour-patch-kids, sugar-babies, by Bethany