until then, enjoy what "is".

Having some time off has allowed me to catch up on a few favorite blogs. One of them is by Rachel Ashwell, who I've been reading since she closed her doors this year. Like the rest of the world, I fell in love with Shabby Chic over a decade ago. I bought her books, and have been so inspired by her story. I think stories are what I'm most passionate about. More than photography or art or words, I'm completely overcome by how people spend time. Their circumstances and choices, opportunities vs. talent and determination. Maybe most of all I'm fascinated by fear... how some are able to push through it, while others remain unhappily yet comfortably paralyzed by it.

So it's especially captivating to me when people dream something up, and then find a way to make it tangible. It's the art of turning fiction into fact. And I think it's no less magical than pulling a dove out of thin air.

So it was heartbreaking to find that she too, had been among the casualties of this terrible recession. And then it was equally heart warming to find out that she was making another go of it. While catching up on her blog, I found these excerpts which I couldn't have related to more if I'd written them myself.

"My next focus is to make sure I make the time to experience all that I experience, when life speeds up sometimes I read books and don't absorb, I spend time with people but I'm already gone, I eat but don't taste, I sleep but wake up tired, I live but I'm not fully there."

"I know I must show up in my own life, that my thoughts are as vital as my words. Dignity and humility continue to be important characteristics for me to stand by. But I cannot make everything ok. Some things will stay broken. Not everyone will be happy with my decisions. But I will do my best to do the right thing." 

"After the losses and unraveling of the past year, I had many lessons and now my test is to slow down and savour. For me most importantly to get out of my head and not worry about all that may happen. With lives moving so fast and so much going on and around us, there is certainly much to worry about." 

This is my favorite part. Something I hope to internalize in 2010.

"But I am going to try and learn the craft of worrying when there is a problem, until then enjoy what "is".

How much do we love her, right?

Anyway, I hadn't intended for this post to be so wordy. But I do still have one more announcement. Maybe Tracey had told us that the Shutter Sisters would be included in the latest Kirtsy book, but I'd totally forgotten. So it was like another Christmas gift getting to open up this delicious piece of eye-candy. And even more of a fun surprise when I realized that one of my photographs/excerpts was inside. THANKS TRACEY and KIRTSY! What an honor to be included among such a killer group of talented women. If you haven't picked up your copy, definitely pick one up here. It's like a little vacation for your eyes.

So happy that they picked this photo of Jen. She's so beautiful inside and out. And that's one of my favorite shots ever.

One last business-y thing. With the launch of Epiphanie, I'm going to have to say good-bye to the Glam Sessions for a while. But I know that there are a bunch of you who have been counting on this as a Valentine's day gift. So I'm going to be doing ONE MORE session in January. Email me at admin@relishportraitstudio.com if you want to be notified with the deets. There are only SEVEN spots available, and this is the ONLY ONE I will be doing in 2010. So if you've been waiting to do this, until you lose weight, or turn 30 or 40, or get your boob job... LET IT GO! Grab a girlfriend, and join us for an awesome girls' day in. We will bring the mimosas! Since this is the last one, I want to go out with a bang. So this is definitely not the one to miss out on!