Madness to the Method

Well, my mom told me it had been too long since I had written. If I am going to be a true blogger, then I better blog. Since she is 50% of my audience, I now concede to her demands.

I have actually been meaning to write about this subject for quite some time...17 days to be exact. You see, I know that because the details of this blog occurred on Valentine's day, and simple math told me the rest. However, I was thrown off temporarily as I debated whether or not this was a leap year. (I keed.)

Anyway, if you have ever dreamed of the most romantic day/night out with the love of your life, it most likely did not include the Amazon jungle. Well, I am here to blow all of your dreams out of the water. Both of you reading this know that I am recently married, and this was the first Valentine's day I would spend with my new husband. Six months ago, I pictured carriage rides and candle light, but little did I know that my new adventure buddy would lead me elsewhere.

On February 12th, we boarded a plane for Bogota, Colombia. We spent six days in South America exploring the Amazon and working with orphaned children in Laticia, Colombia. During the excursion, we were able to visit Peru and Brazil as well. I could right a book if I wanted to share with you the events of the entire trip, but I am choosing the abridged version. I call it (as you may have seen above) The Best Valentine's Day of My Life.

I would hope that it would have been the best even if I had spent it in the states, being a newlywed and all, but we upped the ante a bit just for kicks. We started the day at La Aljaba, the orphanage, (Spanish for "The Quiver). We threw a huge birthday party for all of the chidlren who had been born in January or February. There were actually three members of our team who had been born in these months as well. There was cake, ice cream, singing, dancing...pretty much the best birthday party I have ever been to.



Of course, Chris had to share my love that day with Esteban and Roberto...


After the party, we headed to a lake (whose name I have forgotten), to kayak through the jungle.


Chris is not the biggest fan of having his picture taken...


We finished the day off at a pizzeria in Tabatinga, Brazil...


And that was all in just one day!

KJ

I met a woman.

I had already heard a lot about her. Apparently, she was highly intelligent and extremely perceptive.

I was intimidated before I met her, but even more so when I saw her. She looked at me as if she could see right through me...and she could. (Later she told me that her mother doesn't even like the way the looks at people.)

I got to know a woman.

I became acquainted with a talented, funny, happy, but brutally honest person.

Over the next year, she took my picture on more than one occasion. She was a former employee of my then current employer and was happy to do photography favors whenever needed. (Especially when it brought her to Memphis to see her Ass. and BFF). And while she peered at me through her lens, I gazed back with very little fascination. You see, I became acquainted with her brutally honest side first, and sometimes I thought she could be just plain rude. However, when it came time for the biggest day of my life, I wanted the talent and could deal with the brutal honesty. In fact, for a wedding photographer it could be an asset.

So, I asked her to make the trek from Cincinnati to Memphis on August 9th. Having never planned a wedding before (and never planning to plan one again) I did not know much at all about what it took. This photographer arrived in town on Monday to find me with very little planned as for as the details of the ceremony were concerned. Knowing that her reputation was on the line a bit, she could have become extremely frusterated, exposing me for the bridal fraud I felt like with her "honesty." However, she became one of the greatest blessings I could have recieved that week.

Side note: When choosing a wedding photographer, you should always decide based on both portfolio and personality. This person has the ability to make or break your day.

Anyway, this woman (with a group of our mutual friends) helped me to figure out exactly what needed to be done in the next 4 days before my wedding. The day went swimmingly, and I had the time of my life taking pictures and later seeing pictures that I did not know had even been taken. She captured that day in still, immortal form. These are the kinds of pictures that make the day seem even more beautiful than it actually was.

So, before now this post has been simply the background on how I stumbled across my inspiration. When some of the pictures had been edited to her liking, the photographer posted some of them to her blog and sent me the link. Needless to say, I was blown away, but I was also intrigued. I read on beyond the post containing my photos to find the most fascinating stories...all true...all about this one woman. In all honestly, I cannot decide now if the stories are even all that interesting, but the way she writes so honestly and humorously and sincerely has drawn me in. She has made me laugh with one paragraph and cry with the next. The other day I realized I had not checked her blog in a few weeks, and I became anxious and excited at what may have happened since I last read.

And so there is my inspiration. I love to write. I would love to write the kind of stories that this woman has written...the kind that make people want to read them. I know this woman now, and I have never spent more than a few hours in a room with her on a few occassions. A lot of her stories are about her photo shoots, but I think her best are the ones that she has to find photos to fit.

I am an artist, but I have absolutely no photography practice. I will try to include pictures here to keep things interesting. You will prbably find lots of stories about how I see God in children. My mom may be the only one to ever read this on a regular basis, but I will continue. I would continue if only for myself.

KJ