When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. – Helen Keller.

A good friend once told me that they knew without a doubt that Randa was

truly meant to be James mother. 

Randa is the strongest woman and the strongest mother I know. 

She is funny, and kind and sweet and amazing. A wonderful friend. 

This is her son James. 

I had the very very fortunate experience of staring at James for two hours last week. 

You don't go around staring at people's kids. 

They tend to call the cops if you stare for longer than 14 seconds. 

And 14 seconds is still in "you're a creeper" territory. 

But :) 

When you are a photographer, YOU GET TO STARE! 

You really get to see how beautiful kids really are. 

And staring into this kiddo's eyes is literally, (and I do mean literally) staring through the clouds into heaven. 

So, Randa let me stare into heaven for two hours. 

He is an angel. 

And Randa fights for him and protects him and cares for him and loves him so much being around them plasters a big goofy grin on your face before even know your mouth is twitching. 

Everyone at my church gets very excited when James and Randa arrive. We both love them so much. 

I want to be a good mom. A strong mom. Which has the exact same meaning as, 

I want to be like Randa. : )

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Denise. 

She grew up and married a man named John. 

Together, they knew every fact, trivia tidbit and secret
 that could ever possibly be known about Disneyland. 

And they lived happily ever after. 

(And they were loved fervently by their good friend Melanie.)

Pretty Perfect Pacified Pedrozas

Since all my posts seem to highlight families and people that I love....

Here's another one! 

This is John and Denise Pedroza and their son A.J.

They taught me long ago that being chill is way cooler than worrying. 

So even though I worry more than any other person I've ever met,

I love hanging out with them because they make me chill out and feel calm. 

 

Incidentally, I typed that last sentence as I burnt my throat bellowing at my children to pick up the puzzle pieces they just scattered all over the floor. (Seventeenth mess in the last hour, one mess for each dish I've been able to wash in that time.) True Story. 

Anyway, I love 'em. And you can be jealous that I get to have them as friends, because they are that awesome.

THE WEDDING PHOTO

Doesn't that sound dramatic?

THE WEDDING PHOTO. 

It's really, "a wedding photo."

I can't lay claim to it, I was not the photographer, the assistant photographer, the videographer or the assistant videographer. I was the assistant times three general media person who wore the only black shirt she had in her closet and the black shiny shoes that looked serviceable that she thought belonged to her husband and wondered why they kind of hurt all day and got home and found out they belonged to her 8 year old son. 

That's a true story.

But I did take one photo I liked. 

Closeup of something sparkly. 

I'm into sparkly. 

And lace. 

This wedding dress was a phantagasm of gorgeous. 

All you get is a teaser though! Since I technically have smuggled this photo (which I took) onto my photo page.

All right, one more smuggled photo. Just one. : )

Ciao y'all : )

Marlo and her Marlo Man.

Marlboro man. 

Can you call a Mormon man that? 

No really, if a Mormon guy is hot and wears Levi's over very well sculpted buttocks and has an extremely sexy stetson hat and smoldering eyes and does things like chew toothpicks on country store porches and straddle wood pole fences in dusty ares of the country-

-but does not smoke ever-

can you nickname him The Marlboro Man? 

Yes, yes, The Pioneer Woman has claimed that nickname for her extremely hot, stetson wearing smoldering eye sportin', Levi mastering, horse riding husband, but I want to know in general what the protocol is for calling a Mormon cowboy the Marlboro man. 

This train of thought came from trying to think up a pun for Marlo's husband. Marlo Man, get it? : ) 

Yet we Mormon folk don't smoke. 

Wait, wait, wait!!!!

T. SHIRT. SLOGAN. 

"We Mormon folk don't smoke."

or just

"Mormon folk don't smoke."

Hell yeah.

Anyways, we Mormon folk don't smoke, so maybe the pun would be lost. 

This is Marlo and her Marlo man. 

If we all had husbands who loved us like Marlo Man loves his wife, then...

what's a good then for that?

No wars?

Smiles all the time?

Candy thoughts and Chocolate dreams?

Yeah, all that. 

This was one of my first photo shoots ever, and this photo is in my top ten faves I've ever taken.

I suggested a silly pose, and then Marlo Man got down and looked into his wife's eyes, 

and dang. 

I always hate it when people are beautiful AND FREAKING NICE. 

Like, Marlo is the person you WANT to get stuck in the elevator with for 7 hours in a cheese factory. 

You'd think wistfully when you turn 80,

"Remember when I got stuck with Marlo for 7 hours in the cheese factory elevator? 

That was the best day."

Ok, here's the photo, I've kept you in suspense long enough : )

Don't they look like a classic couple from the 40's? 

More Yosemite.

Colleen and I spoke on the phone today. 

Colleen is a woman who you stare at from afar and think, "I should be friends with that chick."

But you feel intimidated because she is so cool, you think, there's no way on this planet that I could ever be cool enough to be friends with someone that cool. 

I want to write two children's books about my friends that are both alliterative, and perfectly describe who they are. 

Carrie, the Caring Canary, 

and Cool Colleen. 

This post brought to you by the letter C. 

Anyways....

Colleen and I spoke about Yosemite. She got the scoop on the Hantavirus epidemicing its way through Curry village. We felt very sad that this is happening, and then we both laughed when Colleen suggested that their passing might have been filled with last moment memories of the splendorous beauty of Yosemite. 

It was one of those phone calls. Where you laugh, and it's all very witty and funny, and then you try to describe it to someone else and realize you have now made yourself sound like a heartless, feelingless wench. 

We're not, seriously. We just really love Yosemite. 

I've been there twice! 

Colleen has been there 12 times. 

Anyways......

Oh, and by the way, this is Colleen. These are shamelessly pirated photos.

I did not take these photos. 

Below are four that I did take : )

Of Magnificent Yosemite, and you know what?

Having this beauty in your file of "last beautiful things seen before I kick the bucket"

(Which I say not heartlessly, but with love and compassion)

wouldn't be too bad. 

That's it. I've decided to kick the bucket in Yosemite. 

Anyways.....

Y'all should 'git yeselves thar. 

And I meant it when I said I'm going to spend a weekend there with a 100 rented lenses next year! 

Ciao for now y'all : )

Oh and by the way. 

Colleen looks cool, she really does, but then you hang out with her and realize that she 

IS THE COOLEST FREAKING CHICK ON THE PLANET. 

For serious.