thanksgiving eve, and the art of the self-portrait

first-off i want to thank everyone so much for visiting my blog and giving me great feedback and comments!  it means a lot to me, and i appreciate your support!  thank you to those who are booking sessions:)  you rock, and i am so excited about our time together!   i have had a few friends complain that i do not put any pictures of myself on the blog, which is tricky, but i tried this week.  the hat is because my hair looked AWFUL.  that is the only downside to short hair- pillows and the ensuing bed head they create.  evan jokes that basically i wear a hat to work every monday because i sleep in too late and my hair is a mess.  so here are a few self portraits i took with our bedroom mirror.  thanksgiving is tomorrow.  i wish all of our family lived closer to each other and to us so that we could have one giant turkey fest, but it is not to be this year. but here is what i am thankful for:

my best friend, lover, soulmate, and beloved:)  you mean the world to me, and i would not be who and where i am without you

my loving family (downings and wards) for your love, support, and guidance

my sisters (erin, callan, and lisa) and brother (brendan) for being the best sibling i could ask for

my beautiful niece cadence, and my nephew and niece who are still "cooking" (mason and kyree)

my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins

my dear, dear friends, both near and far

my eyes, to see the world and be able to share it in my own way

i hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving day with whoever you share it with, and that you take some time to tell those you love how much you love them:)

love,

m

callan: senior 2011

this is my baby sister. it is hard to sum up someone so special and close in a few paragraphs before some pictures that attempt to show a facet of her whole self. callan is seriously the complete package. this girl is beautiful, incredibly creative and self-motivated, smart, outgoing, fashionable, loving, giving, plays sports, sings, plays a wicked harp, and has a great relationship with everyone in our immediate and extended family. she is just good with people like that. i think she is going to be an entrepreneur and excel in whatever she ventures into. this girl is a force to be reckoned with, and i get to call her my sister and my friend. i love you so much cal, and it was an HONOR to take your senior pictures. i can't believe how mature, gorgeous, and just all around great you have grown in the past few years. keep your outlook and joy- it will take you far. this sounds too much like a eulogy or like i will never see you again:) i just want to let everyone know how rockin' you are. much love.
m