Risk more than others think is safe.
Care more than others think is wise.
Dream more than others think is practical.
Expect more than others think is possible.
-West Point cadet Maxim

Well my wedding madness has officially begun. Friday night was just the start of what promises to be an amazing and insane summer! I had the opportunity to photograph a bridal session, wedding reception, and Evening of Champions Benefit Gala all in the same night!!!

We were scheduled to be at the reception from 7-9 pm… the Benefit started at 7 pm… I checked in about 6:30 pm and did some initial shots of the ballroom and the amazing setup… rushed off to the reception… which rang long … at 10 pm rushed BACK to the ballroom… just in time to catch the live auction. When we walked in the door Joe immediately spotted me and I finally got to meet his wife in person!!!

I just have to stop the story here for a minute and tell you what an absolute doll Susan is! I mean I already “knew” that… heck she puts up with Joe! (ROFL) But truly I hope that this will not be the last time that we get together. I really really enjoyed getting a little time to chat with her. In many ways I have to thank her also. As much as Joe is the one whose hands have saved my baby… Susan’s sacrifices have given him the ability to do that. We owe her just as much as we owe him and THAT is a lot… everything as a matter of fact.

We didn’t get to stay around the Derby Eve gala as long as we had hoped but we were half dead. It was still a blast none the less…. I will post a link to the galleries when I get them all up and online!

At the gala I managed to run into tons of people that I have made acquaintances with over the years. One in particular I was able to talk with for quite some time. I used to work with her at Parks & Rec. She had seen me grow up there… I started working there when I was 14!!!! When I left there I left with a dream to start my own photography studio. It was very surreal to me to be standing there at this benefit with her and her boyfriend and listening to compliments on my work and she was explaining to him how I had just decided one day that photography was what I was going to do… I set out on my way and just did it. I never really think of myself as anything great or even good. When I see my work I have been trained to look for the imperfections. I am always my own worst critic but that is the only way that growth can happen.

In spite of how hard I am on myself… in that moment it instantly hit me… I had a DREAM… I made it happen with my own two hands. I am living the American Dream! WOW. I never imagined that I would consider “this life” a dream but really when you think about it… it very much is. No matter what we are in the middle of, we find ways to make sure that we enjoy our babies and our life. We choose to laugh rather than cry. We choose to hope rather than fear. We choose to be proactive rather than being confused. We choose to give more than we receive.

I have always had the drive to succeed, but its the choices that have made all the difference. I have to CHOOSE to succeed no matter how fulfilling or hard that choice is. There are many days when that is the hardest choice I can make. I choose long nights and lost sleep. I choose stress and missing vacations. I choose these things because in spite of them all I find fulfillment in the smallest of moments when I hear someone say “your working is just amazing”…

The same drive in me that allowed me to get this far in my business that has also taught me how to become the best mom I can to Kyleigh. I have been looking at life like this:
everything that happens to Ky is for a reason…

Maybe I have that backward. Maybe everything that has happened to me has only been leading up to now and preparing us for what is ahead… maybe everything outside of Kyleigh’s life is what enables me to deal with her situation. Instead of the opposite…

Although there are days when I think I might rather be living the Canadian dream (free healthcare!) I am truly truly blessed! Even in everything that we go through with Kyleigh we have amazing people to guide us through, hold our hands, laugh and cry with us. We couldn’t ask for more!!! We have jobs that allow to take off and go wherever and whenever we need to to find care for Kyleigh… and we have the wits about us to keep pressing forward and making sure that we are doing everything we can.

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