Now it’s time to do my favorite contest of all! We have saved one spot for the mom who wins the new Running on Empty contest!
Here’s how it works! In honor of how wonderful moms are and all that they do and give, Brian and I have reserved one spot in the
Chicago Workshop and Add On Day for a special mom YOU nominate! That’s right, she’ll get a free pass to the beginner workshop as well as the Add On day with the amazing Bob and Dawn Davis! (Please note, we don’t provide room/board and travel.) To nominate a mom, you must post a comment telling us about the mom who you think deserves a big break in life! If your a mom, you’re probably laughing because we ALL deserve a serious break. But the moms we’re looking for are the ones who have had a ridiculous amount of stress in their life whether from trauma or things just not going her way this year. She is a mom in your life that needs a serious blessing to come her way. She needs a surprise giving her empty tank some fuel. If she is a woman that has miscarried, she is still a mom in my mind b/c I know her heart became a mother’s heart the moment she found out she was pregnant. I’m proud to say that our previous winners stepped out on a limb and nominated themselves. Take courage in them and feel free to nominate yourself if you know you need a serious break. Who knows, you may have your house remodeled by
Oprah!
We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next few weeks! Nominate her today and turn her day around! Oh, wait! Don’t forget to let her know you’ve nominated her too! If I was a mom nominated I’d love to know my friends were thinking of me whether I won or not!
Deadline for ALL nominations is Saturday, September 13th, 2008 at midnight PST. Nominations must be posted as a comment on this blog post. Nominations emailed or posted on other blog posts may be overlooked. Please post all nominees here. Thanks! If you are in the LA area this Monday night, don’t forget to join me for a Special Women’s Event. I’m going to do a two hour session just for women called
More than Emotion: The Undercurrents of Feminine Wisdom. This night is so special, and I can’t wait to see so many of you there! To see if there are still tickets available,
go here. For details on what this night is about,
go here. See you soon! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ For more fun photo exercises, check out our popular Instructional DVDs
Refuse to Say Cheese , our
101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the words of your choice! The Chicago Workshop is sold out. But the is now open for registration! !
I love this contest – so generous. And I love reading through the entries, so many moms on here are amazing and selfless!
The mom I nominate is actually my Grandmother, Beulah Shackelford. To say that Beulah is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met would be an understatement. As long as I’ve known her, she consistently has a smile on her face, a purity in her heart, and a desire to serve others. She is always looking for new and innovative ways to make people happy. She is overly supportive and only sees the positive things in others. Right now, she is 76 years old, but is more active than any other 20-something that I know. She owns two homes and proudly landscapes them both. In April 2003, my grandfather (her husband and best friend) died of cancer. I remembered after his death, I asked her how she was holding up. She looked up at me with a smile and said “Just because his time is up, doesn’t mean mine is. I allowed myself a few good cries, and I’m still loving life as I always have.” A year and a half later, her only daughter had an unexplainable problem in the middle of the night and went into a coma. For weeks, my grandmother sat next to her daughter. She spoke to her, prayed for her, cried over her, and laughed as she reminded her of all the fun times they’d shared. She did all this while her daughter lay unresponsive. Eventually, my grandmother had to help in the decision to remove my aunt from life support. She held her daughter’s hand as she passed away. Within weeks, Grandma was back to serving, smiling, and enjoying time with friends. She consistently pauses to reflect on the good times she’s shared with her daughter and husband, but doesn’t let the tragedies steal her joy. She has the extraordinary ability to be strong without losing her warmth. When my aunt died, she left behind two daughters, both of which my Grandmother welcomed into her house with open arms. She gave them a place to stay when they didn’t have one and provided for them financially while they grew up. She still has an open door policy in her home where we are always welcome. She’s been a mother to not only her own children, but to all of her grandchildren.
Last month, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two weeks ago, she had a lumpsectomy. This week, she will begin her radiation treatments. Since she was diagnosed, she’s had nothing but a smile on her face. I asked her one day over dinner to stop being so strong and tell me what she was really feeling. She said, “Well, one thing is for sure. My time is not up today, so there is no reason for me to sit around crying about something that could happen. I’m still here today, so I REALLY am happy.”
She has spent so much time loving others and encouraging them, it is time for her to have a little love recipricated… especially now that she needs it. I would LOVE to give her a special gift to show her what she means to all of us.
I LOVE checking back and reading the running on empty nominations every day..they are all so inspiring. This first one is a great start. Elizabeth, what you wrote about your grandma is just beautiful, brought tears to my eyes.
You know what would be very cool Me Ra (do you cringe when I say that)..to pull together all the nominations from past contests with a picture of the nominator and nominee and make a photo book out of it to sell for charity.
Elizabeth – what a beautiful story you shared about your grandma! I think we all aspire to be that selfless and caring and compassionate.
Me Ra, I want to nominate my friend Carri L. I “met” Carri a year and a half ago on the WebMD pregnancy forums when I was pregnant with Kaitlyn and she was pregnant with her first child, Brandon. Our due dates were only a few weeks apart, so we went through each stage of our pregnancies together. We had so much in common apart from our pregnancies, we even have similar husbands – they are both pilots named Brian! It was wonderful to have a friend to talk to who understood so deeply what I was going through, and someone I could support in the same way. She was one of the first people I messaged when Kaitlyn was born, and we have continued to keep in regular contact ever since then.
Shortly after Carri’s son Brandon was born, her husband Brian left for his military tour in the middle east. He has been gone for over eight months now with one short visit in between. While Carri has been home alone for Brian’s deployments before, now she is acting as a single mother to their new son. Brian is not only missing his wife but the first precious year of his son’s life. Carri has also put her architecture career on hold to stay home full time with Brandon.
I think Carri is an incredibly strong woman to be able to stay home without her husband and take care of their family – we don’t talk about it much, but she is acting as the mother and father, wife and husband for her family while Brian is away, all the while bearing the worry about his safety and missing him terribly.
Brandon’s first birthday and all the holidays are coming up and I bet that Carri is running on empty about now, even if she won’t admit it to anyone else. I totally believe that she deserves this opportunity – a weekend without the need to be the ‘source,’ as we’ve talked about, while others can fill her up and encourage her. She already takes a ton of pictures of herself and Brandon, many of which get posted for Brian to see when he is able. I know she would love the chance to learn from someone like Me Ra about how better to document her family’s lives.
I know that I would love to finally meet Carri in person, and what better place than Chicago! Thanks for your consideration, Me Ra & Brian. ♥
PS: Carri just opened her own craft shop on Etsy. Check it out – her baby toys are absolutely adorable. http://www. etsy. com/shop. php?user_id=6194557
I am nominating a dear friend of mine, Cathy Olson, who going through the most devistating time of her life and will certainly appreciate being able to ‘get away’, be with a caring group of women, and to learn more about a passion of hers…photography. Cathy was given a camera around the time of the birth of her first child, 4 years ago…and the shutter hasn’t stopped clicking. She has captured so many amazing moments of her daughter, her husband, and her 2 year old son…a happy and beautiful family. This beautiful family was one that I was envious of…for everything seemed so perfect. Beautiful husband and kids, gorgeous home, great friends and family…but the surface never reveals the whole truth.
Sadly, on August 12th, Cathy’s husband decided to take his own life…shattering the lives of those who love him most. Despite what seemed so perfect on the outside, was broken on the inside…financially, things were in big trouble. Emotionally, well…obviously there was so much pain and despair it destroyed a beautiful family. Cathy has been so strong through all of this, but the NUMBER ONE thing that she is so thankful for was all the photos that she has taken of the life she had with her husband…and the interaction that was so special b/w him and the kids. It will be the only thing that the kids will have to reflect on who their dad was (a loving, funny, intelligent, handsome, amazing person!)
As we were going through the memories that she has captured over the years, the photos would immediately create a physical and emotional response for all of us. A laughter, a smile, a tender ‘ahhh’, and of course tears. Cathy said to me…”Brooks always asked why I took so many pictures…and now I’m so glad I did, so his kids could know him”.
Cathy, in so many ways, deserves such a special treat and to learn and grow in her photography…since she is documenting her legacy, her life, and the life of her family. She has a gift and I would love if she could take some time to focus on this gift, to breathe deep, develop a new and supportive network…and to rediscover how beautiful life is.
No doubt, things will be hard for her for some time, but I’m here to support her…and in my support, I nominate Cathy for a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I love you Cath and I continue to pray for you. I pray that you will be going to Chicago! 😉
I don’t know why that link broke…but here’s Carri’s storefront on Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6194557
I also wanted to add that I had the honor of documenting some of those special moments of Cathy and her family…you can see them at: http://jenmacniven.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-love-my-new-job.html
Did I miss the winner of the Pet photo August Contest?
What a wonderful thing you are doing! I have to say that I found your website a few weeks ago and I’m loving it. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for doing this for other photographers. I have to say that I’m going to nominate myself. I don’t really think that my story is all that more tragic, horrible or heartbreaking then the next one. But I could sure use a break! I lost my Mom when I was 19 to cancer. We were just starting to become friends after the typical teen vs Mom years. I look at others My age who are close to their Moms now and that makes me so sad for what could have been. Soon after my husband and I married, we started trying to have children. After a year, we found out that we would never become pregnant on our own. After several long years and a failed first attempt, we were so beautifully blessed with twin daughters using IVF. Forunately, we had a frozen one left over and had an awesome son 3 years later. My life is busy with 3 very active children in every sport and church activity offered. But I wouldn’t want it any other way. Since we have worked hard to allow me to stay at home with our children, I have always felt like I should give back and keep others children. Currently I keep my nephew who’s 9 months old every day. Occasionally I will keep my other nephew who’s 3 months old and twin boys who are almost 2. This past summer I had 3 extra kids for a total of 6 nearly every day. I loved them dearly and had a wonderful summer together. But I was ready for school to start back. I have always taken pictures and a few years ago, I had friends of family members ask me to take their pictures. This has grown to many friends and family. This year, I have developed a web site and I’m trying to market myself better to really start doing what I love. Photography is a way to make a memory for someone that they may not realize they need years from now. I wish I had one good family picture with my Mom. I love seeing families and Moms faces when I show them their pictures. Nothing brings me greated joy then to capture a relationship on paper. I don’t have as much time as I would like to completely devote to my business, but I’m taking it slow and one day hope to have a small studio in my home. Thank you for considering me!
I’m LOVING these comments. What a wonderful way to hear stories about some fabulous women. I need to admit, I jumped in as soon as I saw a fabulous mom contest. I was looking for a quick excuse to nominate my grandmother for something amazing!! I’m just now realizing that this contest is for the Chicago Photography Workshop, which I’m pretty sure wouldn’t mean much to my grandmother. If it’s ok, I’d like to withdraw my nomination and let a mom who has a passion for photography win!! My grandmother deserves something AMAZING- but this probably isn’t it (although it is right up my alley).
If nothing else, the opportunity to share her amazing story was worth it. If you’d like to see recent pictures of the amazing Beulah, here’s the link. http://elizabethwiggs.blogspot.com/2008/07/76-and-fabulous.html
Thank you… and keep the stories coming! They’re brightening up my day!
My HOPE is that you will consider my identical twin sister for this terrific and awesome privilege. I feel that of anyone on the planet, I know her the best. I am overwhelmed for her and this very tough time of her life. She and her husband had been engaged for just a week and his company layed him off. He searched for a job for months and finally found one at Bank of America. Fast forward 1 year. Bank of America lays him off. Different situation, different circumstances, same couple…this time she is pregnant. He has yet to find a job. I have come to the conclusion that even though she has done it all…had a baby, while nursing, working…she would be such a great recipient of this awesome getaway to learn something she loves. Simply, she is forever pouring herself out. I would be delighted for her to have someone fill her cup. Would you please consider her for this? It would make her feel affirmed and loved. Which would delight me to no end. I love her. Thank you, Jennie
I didn’t include my blog in my story with my sister. It’s: http://www.babycarlisleedwards.blogspot.com
Thanks!
Wow….words are inadequate for the stories of these women. My heart goes out to Cathy. I understand her story-unfortunately all to well. Elizabeth-your mom’s story is very similar to my mom’s. She is 78 and signed herself up for a photography workshop in Georgia. She just wanted to know how to use her point and shoot digital camera better. She is a go getter as well and I think she would enjoy a Me Ra and Brian workshop. Are you sure you want to withdraw her name? Jennie and Lauren, your recommendations are well deserving too. I don’t know how anyone could decide this.
I have a nomination!
Jonni, over at http://journeytosofia.blogspot.com, is an aspiring photographer. I had a hard time deciding if she was “running on empty” only because it seems that particular statement is truly impossible given the shear hugeness of her heart.
In 2006 she and her husband decided to adopt a little girl in China…who was born with cleft palette. This year they are in the process of adopting another little girl.
Even though I am sure Jonni and her husband count themselves lucky to have found such a beautiful little soul, I can’t imagine how hard it would be to bring a child home knowing that you will have to wait for her to trust you, fall in love with you, feel secure with you and then watch her go through multiple surgeries so that she will one day look in the mirror and smile at her reflection.
To knowingly step toward those kinds of moments takes something very special. You have to be willing to set your heart out to be broken…I’m not sure I would survive that kind of heartache, but Jonni handles it with grace, love and creativity. It is obvious that her daughter is truly a part of her own heart and for that her daughter is truly blessed.
But if you read Jonni’s blog you will no doubt have the impression that I do…Jonni and her husband really are the lucky ones (but I am sure she could do with a fabulous photography oriented weekend!)
-Kirsten
Well….I feel kinda selfish trying to nominate myself right now because I am sure so many others deserve this as well. However right now I totally could use a “Huge Break”!!! About 3 1/2 years ago my mom and sister passed away in a car accident. My sister was 12 (1 week before she was going to be a teenager) God, I know has his plans and a purpose for everything. My mom and I fought ALOT, of coarse going through the whole “teenage rebellion and other issues” but for some reason she and my sister took a trip to Arizona where I was living at the time…and randomly came to visit. GODS BLESSING…because exactly a week after they left I got the horrific phone call that a truck driver had pushed them off the road and that they were hit head on by a U-haul truck. God really has given me so much strength to push on. After the accident my dad turned into a whole new person. He started using drugs and partying….Long story short he has totally disowned my brother and I. He know has a new family and children living at our house that we grew up in and has nothing to do with my family and my two children. So Sad that they will never be able to know their grandma and “little aunt” and now even a grandpa. Dealing with their loss has been especialy hard since bringing 2 more lives into the world. I so want to share them with her and I know someday that will happen, just not in this life. Lastly, my husband and I have been dealing with another hard hit. My brother overdosed on drugs just recently and ended up barely making it. My husband drove to Arizona (we live in Colorado now) and drove him back all in a days time. He now lives with us and we have taken on a 3rd (grown) child. He refused to detox at a facility so I have helped him go through the detoxing and am just hoping that God can really help him in his life to recovery. In the meantime we have been supporting him financially with extensive counseling and hopefully someday soon treatment. All of these hard things have really been extra stressful and hurt me so bad these last 3 years. Losing my mom and sister, having my dad turn his back on us when we needed him most and then now almost losing my brother to drugs.
Trying to deal with all this and in the meantime trying to save up enough money to buy a house for “our” family to live in has been extremely hard now that we have taken on an extra responsibility. I so would love to be able to go on this. Photography has found me within the past years and at first I was using it to make a living. Now I have really been finding such passion in this and would love to be able to learn more. Taking pictures makes all my problems seem to go away when I am just clicking away. 🙂 I currently work as a photographer for a high end dating service. I love my job but my true dream is to someday be able to open up my own studio and be able to take pictures for other less fortunate families. More as my gift to them. I would love the break and love the opportunity to finally be able to meet Me Ra and Brian who I have just fallen in love with them by reading her blogs.
Even if I don’t win …I have to say that just getting this all out and off my chest has been a huge treat alone. Thanks for reading and God Bless.
I will work on getting a blog site set up so that you can see pictures of my and my awesome husband that has helped me get through all this and my 2 beautiful children. My 3 year old daughter (Maliah) and my 11 month old (Nolyn)
Again thanks so much!
Reflecting back on the past year brings up a jumble of emotions. Joy and wonder at becoming a mother. Sadness, anxiety and fear as we watched our little girl struggle with medical issue after medical issue; anguish and darkness as I grappled with post-partum depression; worry about the toll that this was all taking on my marriage.
It was a hard road. Having our little girl took me to places emotionally I never imagined I’d go. Through it all I just tried to remember to be grateful. Grateful that I could become pregnant and carry a baby to term; grateful that we had access to the medical care that she needed; grateful for the people that prayed for her even if they didn’t know her; grateful that I had an observant OB who spotted my depression and helped me acknowledge it and treat it. And most of all grateful for my husband, who would drive home at lunch whenever I needed help with the baby, who went to counseling with me, and who never gave up on his family.
Considering all this I’d like to nominate myself for the “Running on Empty” spot. The pictures I’ve taken over the past year, while sometimes bittersweet also show the transformation of our family. You can see my daughter getting healthier as time goes by and that makes my heart happy. I’d be honored at the opportunity to learn from you Me Ra so I can continue to document our journey.
Here’s our blog. Hope you enjoy. 🙂
http://www.theadventuresofchloe.blogspot.com
This blog can’t happen at the better time. I am looking at my two blacken toenails and a very black pinky: one from a full sippie cup dropped on my toe, one from a matchbox car, and the poor pinky was left behind between the door and the door frame trying to break up a fight of my lovely twin boys! With those purple toes, I think I deserve at least a Purple Heart medal.
We started preschool this week. All is well, until they all get home. I just had two of the worst afternoons with 3 preschoolers. On the breakfast nook table, I tried to feed all three kids some snack after school. Of course, one of my twin boys decided that milk didn’t belong in a cup and it was much better on the floor. As I was bending down to clean up the mess on the floor, I felt this cold (yet familiar) feeling on my back. Yes, you got it right. His twin brother decided that his cup of milk needed to be on the floor as well. Unlike his brother’s milk, it didn’t hit the ground immediately. It hit the ground AFTER it dripped all over Mom.
Then we had the wailing and screaming from hitting, stealing toys, or fighting. They finally found some common ground: bath. I managed to get my daughter to be in the bathtub with her lovely brothers. Pretty soon, 2-year-olds found a better playground than anything: the bathtub. They started climbing up the side of our master bathtub and sliding down like a slide. I was now sorry that I didn’t get the whirlpool tub with bumps on the side to slow them down. Talking about safety….
Ma Re, I have to say that I don’t even need to nominate myself. I just want you to forge a fake letter that I have won the contest, so I can show my lovely husband that I HAVE TO be away for a few days (and better yet if it’s this weekend!). Even if it’s down the street in Motel 6 where I cannot hear my own children fighting.
Even with all the bruises, fighting and milk all over my back, I am glad that I was never running on empty. My life is full of surprises, laughing, joy and loves. I consider myself lucky after reading all those running on empty stories. One thing I recommended lots of other Moms to do is keeping a short journal of your kids. One simple sentence for each child before bed, only one sentence. Think of the most treasure moment of that child’s life and written it down. That’s the memory of that child you carry to sleep with you. Even in the worst day of your life being a Mom, you carry only the good memories of your children to bed with you. Believe me, with 3 kids 2 ½ years apart, there were lots of days I couldn’t even come up with half a sentence of good from any child. Life is full of sweet and sour apples. It’s up to you to remember whether life is sweet or sour.
I have my children’s pictures on a slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/strahm/sets/72157606936346528/show/
I love still pictures. It’s so quiet. It’s so peaceful. No screaming, no yelling and no fighting!!
Judy
I want to nominate my friend Bonnie S. I met Bonnie two years ago when our children were in kindergarten together. Bonnie has this warmth about her, she is the type of person you want to get to know. I truly believe that when a person has a kind and good soul it radiates on the outside. That is the type of person Bonnie is.
The reason I feel Bonnie is the perfect candidate for the running on empty contest is because she is the mother of 5 boys. Yes 5 and all under the age of 7! Her oldest two boys are twins, then her youngest two boys are twins also. Unfortunately Bonnie had a miscarriage before they became pregnant with the second set of twins, and I know that time was very difficult for her. Thankfully she was extra blessed when she got pregnant with the second set of twins.
Bonnie has a ton of enthusiasm for photography. We met for coffee the other morning to talk about photography and she showed me the tons of notes she took from the Beyond the Green Box video. I know that the Chicago workshop would be perfect for this mother of 5. She needs sometime for herself and the encouragement I know she will receive from Me Ra and the rest of the attendees. When we where having coffee Bonnie said to me that “it is hard to find a balance between photography and family. [Her} heart wants to be with her family but [her] mind wants to follow [her] passion in photography.”
I hope that if Bonnie wins this contest she will be able to grow as a photographer and also grow in the knowledge that she can follow her dreams and still be a wonderful mother too.
Out of my love for photography and desire to attain my goal of improving my photography skills I am going to step up and nominate myself. There’s one thing though…the Chicago workshop it out of reach for me and I’m hoping Me Ra and Brian can give this girl a break in SEATTLE instead!
Are you ready? This is going to be a long one…I had a hard time summarizing the last 5 years of my life. While I write this I hope I don’t come across whiney or self-absorbed because looking back I can see how blessed I am….tired, but blessed.
My need for a break started 5 years ago when my husband lost his job of almost 15 years. At that time we made a decision to sell our house by the beach to move to a small town closer to my in-laws. Their age was beginning to show and we felt it was important to have them closer to their 2 grandchildren (ages 4 & 1 at the time) so we could be supportive and helpful in the years to come. As much as we felt the move was important it was hard to move from our dream town & friends to a small town in the central valley.
The next set of challenges set in when my very talented husband with a strong work ethic had 4 jobs in 5 years all ending in unusual circumstances (not his work ability). Although we stayed positive, financial uncertainly is incredibly stressful. But, we pressed on, finding strength in God, our new friends (friends that have become more like family than the ones we were born in to) and in each other.
About a year and a half after our move, my husband’s brother David, his only sibling and best friend, committed suicide. We were notified by David’s friends that he was missing and we spent a week looking for him. We then received a final letter in the mail from him and then the police found him in a parking lot. He had shot himself. Words can not describe how traumatic and difficult that was. Although my husband stayed incredibly strong (he constantly amazes me) I found myself in this role of having to stay strong too, hold the family together. So here we are, fighting to stay strong for our family and his parents, no job, and preparing for a funeral. But this story continues…
Six months after David’s death, my husband’s father, Jim, is told he can not have the heart surgery he needs to survive due to other health complications. He was told to count every day has a blessing. Wow. What do you do when you know you are going to die? How do you support someone who knows they are going to die? We lived the next year and a half on eggshells….every phone call, especially the ones late at night…was this going to be THAT call? thoughts of this is the last thanksgiving, the last christmas, the last hug good-bye was always there.
At this time my husband finds a real estate job working 60 plus hours a week, with a three hour commute, working every weekend and holiday for a year and here is where I will mention the surprise pregnancy. Yes, that was a HUGE surprise. Here we are emotionally drained, literally years of not sleeping well, raising two small children, ailing parents, no relief from a sitter (when you are financially drained sitters are a luxury) and now a baby on the way.
In january 2007 our baby, Cruz David, was born healthy and beautiful. 3 months later my husband is let go from his real estate job due to the decline in housing and the economy, inspite of the fact that he was nominated “rookie of the year.”
3 months after that Jim, my husband’s father, was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer. He was told he had 30 days left. He passed away 3 months later, exactly 2 years to the day that his son passed away. Even though the financial strain was great, we were blessed. Not working, Drew was able to be fully present with his dad and mom when he needed to be. He was able to be with his dad until that final moment. Words were shared between these two men that may not have been spoken otherwise, A true Gift.
Also happening at the same time, when I was pregnant with my #3, my friend and neighbor was also pregnant with her #3, Baby Trevor. Her 2 girls are best friends with my daughter. We were excited to be pregnant together and happy to see that our park days and playgroup would continue with our babies as our girls were now entering kindergarten. Sadly, Trevor was born with a rare Leukemia. When my baby was 3 months old I was helping Angela find a donor for her baby. After undergoing months of chemo treatments Trevor passed away at 6 months old. Life can seem so unfair.
Also at this time, my mother in law detects a lump on her breast. Cancer often shows itself in times of stress. We now had to work thru the possibility of her having cancer too. Thankfully a lumpectomy was all that was need, but also an emotional mountain to climb. My mother-in-law continues to struggle with her diabetes and has difficulty with her vision and heavily relies on us. We are now facing the fact that she may be legally in the next year or so. We will making some big decisions regarding that soon. To contemplate the rest of your life blind is daunting.
And while I can see all the blessings..I am so blessed my family is healthy and my husband is incredibly supportive and loving and we have the most amazing friends…I also feel drained. It is emotionally and physically draining to wake up every morning and give your self a pep talk that you will be able to make it through the day, one day at a time and that your kids will not feel the pain in your heart or know that you wake up in a fog, and go to bed in a fog, only to wake up and do it all over again.
But the fog has now lifted…..and this is the year for us, our family, for me. This is the year to feel all the happy moments in all of it’s intensity and not thru a layer of fog. This is the year to excitedly anticipate the holidays and embrace the friends that surround us and not be saddened by the loved ones that are not. And this is the year for my dreams to begin…again.
I have had this dream to pursue a career in photography for forever and I have tried to move forward, but life has had a way of pulling me back. I have documented the last 5 years of our life with my camera set in AUTO. A lot of the photos are over exposed or have red eye from the flash, but they are captured moments I will forever treasure. I am now empowering my self to reach for my goals. This year I have run my first race ever, a half marathon with my husband, and I have learned to shoot in manual mode. After years of fighting to stay strong, and with the weight of heartache and exhaustion lifted from my shoulders I am ready. I am ready to do what I have been wanting to do for years…photography. I am ready to face the challenge of learning the technical side of photography, capturing images in tricky lighting, learn to edit, create a business. Not only would this workshop give me a much needed break, it would renew me and give me the inspiration to achieve my dream….capturing the beauty and love of families…a reminder, that even in a word full of challenges, love can conquer all.
I would like to nominate my wife, Myssie. She is the mother of our two beautiful children. Nine days after birth, our son was diagnosed with Rubenstein Taybi Syndrome (RTS). To say the least, our world was turned upside down. He has endured two surgeries, persistent vomiting, two bouts of pneumonia, and significant learning disabilities. In addition to normal hustle and bustle of daily life, she coordinates up to seven therapy sessions per week. Myssie has been critical to our son’s progress. Thanks to her extraordinary efforts he is making great strides. Time after time, Myssie has risen to these unexpected challenges but it has taken its toll and she could use a break.
In addition to these important daily duties, she is always thinking of others. Whether it is a care package she sends to her sister in college, financial advice for a struggling family, or a surprise birthday party for her dad, she enjoys bringing happiness to others.
Myssie is an aspiring photographer. She enjoys capturing life’s moments and would like to start a photography business. Myssie has the aptitude to master it and the passion to sustain it. While she has impressed many with her abilities, Myssie is self-taught and often struggles with the technical implementation of photography. She would greatly benefit from your workshop. It is for these reasons that I nominate my wife and best friend. Thank you for extending this gracious gift to deserving mothers.
My hope is that you pick Mintah Pittman for this wonderful gift, that you so generously give. If ever there was a mom that has been running on empty for some time now and needs a big break and serous blessing in life it would be Mintah. Her mom, Cheri was a very dear friend of mine since fourth grade. Her and her sweet daughter Camile’s death was a terrible and tragic shock for us all. Mintah, in her grief, stepped up to handle the details of the funeral and has strived to continue to do what needs to be done every day since while the remaining members of her family have sadly checked out. She is a beautiful women and amazing mother who is generous with her time, resouces and love and tends to be on the giving vs recieving end. She has a great appreciation for the value of capturing a single moment in time through photography and what a precious gift it is for years to come. Her mother would be extremely proud of what a lovely and couragous women she has become. I would love to see her be able to explore her talent and gift in the art of photography and experience a community of support in an area that would bring her great personal satifaction and joy. Thank you for your kind consideration in choosing Mintah to recieve a spot in your Chicago Workshop.
Why does my wife deserve this spot in your Chicago session? Because she’s awesome! Ok, she told me to write that. But seriously, I love her very much and our family has been through a tough year. She completely deserves this break.
A little over a year ago, our lives were turned upside down when our then 11-month-old daughter was diagnosed with a stroke. The doctors determined she’d suffered the stroke while my wife was pregnant with her. We—especially my wife who felt a huge deal of guilt—were devistated.
After several months of traveling in a daze to appointments with doctors specializing in things we’d never even heard of, shuttling our baby to stressful therapy sessions and putting her through half a dozen scary tests (MRIs, MRAs, EKGs, EEGs, blood tests, etc.), then driving all the way back home (a 3-hour roundtrip drive every time), we decided to move closer to the specialists, doctors and most importantly, our family.
Unfortunately, the economy didn’t quite work in our favor, as we bought when prices were high, then turned around and sold right when prices were plummeting. On top of everything we were already going through, this was extremely stressful.
During all of this chaos, my wife kept us going. She scheduled the appointments, connected with the therapists every week, and somehow managed to find time to work a full-time job AND become a volunteer for the American Heart Association. (She went to Lobby Day in D.C. this past spring and lobbied Congress for increased research funding for strokes. She also is currently coordinating the second annual “Team Avery” group for the AHA’s Heart Walk—we’ve raised nearly $5,000 already! She even managed to get Avery selected as this year’s Heart Walk Survivor of the Year.
She’s just amazing. And even with all of these responsibilities, she’s become more and more involved in her hobby of photography. She’s taken some beautiful shots of our daughter, but has managed to document our crazy lives while still showing beauty and love throughout this incredible struggle.
Anyway, sorry this is long. But I hope you’ll consider my wife for this incredible opportunity. Thanks!
I absolutely have to nominate my friend Nicki. Without a doubt. I think she has been “running on empty” for years. We met and became friends a LONG time ago. Before kids. Before even the weddings. We met at work – interviewing on the same day for 2 different positions in the company. We were both hired and started right away. We both had fiancées and were married within 2 weeks of each other. Then, 2 years later our lives took very opposite directions when she came down with lymphoma; cancer of the lymph system. They caught it fairly early. But even then, the chemotherapy was harsh and exhausting. I really cannot imagine going through it myself. But she was a fighter. I remember admiring her so much for her positive attitude. I remember she never said anything negative about her situation. I even remember telling her how amazed I was that she had so much strength and confidence. She just smiled and told me she just wasn’t going to let it beat her. And it didn’t.
Right after she finished her treatments and was in the clear for a few months, they found out she was pregnant! Which was supposed to be impossible to have happened – but by a miracle it did and nine months later her little boy Duke arrived. So much happiness! But just a few months later, Hurricane Ivan hit their beachfront condo and they had to move in with her husband’s family in town for 6 months until their condo was livable again. So, things started rolling downhill again.
Nicki’s husband lost his job. It was a very stressful time financially with the baby, the new condo, and just life. She started working back at the same company we worked together at years ago. She tried getting a second job with a makeup company, which didn’t end up working out. I just remember she was working so hard and racking her brain to come up with a job to do that she would love and make some money.
And when the crazy mortgage times hit, they lost the condo. Her hubby ended up finding a job, but they had to move and start all over again. Then things at work started changing with her picking up another employee’s job. So now she’s working 2 jobs, not getting paid nearly enough. They were into the rental house trying to make ends meet.
That’s when she & I both discovered we LOVED taking pictures. We took pictures of our kids all the time. It was an addiction =) And it was Nicki that suggested we take a class and learn to do it right and start a business. So, we did that about 2 months ago. And she got your DVDs to help us out even more. And she has encouraged me and helped me all the way. She has been such a good friend to me.
So, I can’t think of anyone who would need a day off and attend a photography seminar with you – more than her. And have something positive happen in her life. Something encouraging and enriching. And empowering. She is truly running on empty.
Please choose her and spoil her and let her enjoy something she’d be able to do only once in a lifetime.
I would like to nominate my daughter, Amanda diMonda for the Running on Empty contest. Three and a half years ago Mandy learned that she was pregnant and was to be blessed with twins. Near the end of her pregnancy she began experiencing severe fatigue, but her doctor just chalked it up to being normal. Shortly after the birth of her beautiful identical twin girls, Mandy learned that she had developed a relatively rare heart condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy. This condition occurs in the last trimester of pregnancy or within six months of delivery and can have grave results. Unfortunately, some women never recover and go on to develop chronic congestive heart failure with a death rate of 85% within five years. Among women whose hearts don’t return to normal functioning, future pregnancies are associated with a 50% risk of maternal death. Even in women whose heart function returns to normal, subsequent pregnancy is associated with a 10% risk of death. For these reasons, a woman with peripartum cardiomyopathy is advised to avoid future pregnancies.
Mandy’s girls are now very happy and energetic 3 year olds who demand much of their mother’s time and energy. Thankfully, her heart condition has not developed into the chronic state of the disease, but it has not improved either. With Mandy’s husband working extremely long days, attempting to build a new business into a success, Mandy is left to run the household and tend to the children pretty much on her own. She has virtually no time for herself. This leaves her nearly exhausted on a daily basis. I would so much love to be able to help her by watching her kids to give her an occasional break and in every other way, but that is not possible, because we live 1300 miles apart.
Because of her heart condition, Mandy has had to give up her desire for additional children and her dream of someday returning to school to become a veterinarian. She has, however, found that she has a passion for photography. She takes hundreds of pictures of her beautiful little “models” and has a unique talent to capture that unique and amazing shot. I believe that Mandy is very deserving of a break from the daily routine and some “Self Time” that winning the Running on Empty contest would provide. The seminar would both give her a break and assist her in furthering her photographic talents. I thank for your consideration of Mandy for this opportunity.
Linda
Hi again. It doesn’t look like my first attempt at sending my nomination worked…here it is again?
Why does my wife deserve this spot in your Chicago session? Because she’s awesome! Ok, she told me to write that. But seriously, I love her very much and our family has been through a tough year. She completely deserves this break.
A little over a year ago, our lives were turned upside down when our then 11-month-old daughter was diagnosed with a stroke. The doctors determined she’d suffered the stroke while my wife was pregnant with her. We—especially my wife who felt a huge deal of guilt—were devistated.
After several months of traveling in a daze to appointments with doctors specializing in things we’d never even heard of, shuttling our baby to stressful therapy sessions and putting her through half a dozen scary tests (MRIs, MRAs, EKGs, EEGs, blood tests, etc.), then driving all the way back home (a 3-hour roundtrip drive every time), we decided to move closer to the specialists, doctors and most importantly, our family.
Unfortunately, the economy didn’t quite work in our favor, as we bought when prices were high, then turned around and sold right when prices were plummeting and moved into a small apartment to regroup. On top of everything we were already going through, this was extremely stressful.
During all of this chaos, my wife kept us going. She scheduled the appointments, connected with the therapists every week, and somehow managed to find time to work a full-time job AND become a volunteer for the American Heart Association. (She went to Lobby Day in D.C. this past spring and lobbied Congress for increased research funding for strokes. She also is currently coordinating the second annual “Team Avery” group for the AHA’s Heart Walk—we’ve raised nearly $5,000 already! She even managed to get Avery selected as this year’s Heart Walk Survivor of the Year.
She’s just amazing. And even with all of these responsibilities, she’s become more and more involved in her hobby of photography. She’s taken some beautiful shots of our daughter, and has managed to document our crazy lives while still showing beauty and love throughout this incredible struggle. She recently got her hands on a Nikon d70s and is trying to learn how to use it–I know she thinks it isn’t going well, but I’m already blown away by some of the shots she’s taken. And I know if she got a chance to come to this workshop, she’d be thrilled.
Anyway, sorry this is long. I could go on and on about my incredible wife. But I do hope you’ll consider her for this amazing opportunity. (If interested, her blog is http://www.babystrokesteps.blogspot.com) Thanks for your consideration, and cheers to all the strong women and moms out there!
I too would like to nominate Mintah Pittman for your Running on Empty spot at your upcoming workshop. I told Mintah of your blog and Chicago workshop a few months ago, and much to my surprise I saw that she wrote of her story. I know many of these women are deserving but I really believe in my heart that the timing is right for Mintah, that this is something she was meant to do. Losing Mintah’s mom and sister has been such a tragedy for our family, and I can’t even imagine the strength and courage it takes for Mintah to continue to really live each day. As you can see, this has been quite an uphill battle. I could only hope that this workshop could do for her what it did for me…and that was life changing. I feel purposeful in my walk, and I know Mintah has that in her. Her mom was such a beautiful, creative person. Much like my mom, she was a strong Christian who saw the best in everybody. Mintah shares her smile, an infectious one, one where her eyes twinkle like stars when happiness graces her life. Mintah deserves happiness, and to feel passionate about something as special as the gift of photography. And I think you are just the person to give her that extra bit of confidence and knowledge to help her share her God given gifts with the world~~
Thank you for your consideration,
Carrie
I would like to nominate myself for a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend the Chicago workshop. Although I am not running on empty emotionally (though there are days!) I often am running empty on time and energy. I rarely go to bed at 10:00 p.m. and am often up till 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning completing tasks around the house, studying, or recently… completing work for clients. As a mother of three children, two of which have special needs, I am forever attempting to find the perfect balance between career and family responsibilities. I work on-call as a children’s librarian, volunteer one day a week in my children’s school library, volunteer in the SK classroom, attend 2 evening photography classes a week at College, attend 2 separate parent-child piano classes once a week with two of my children, drive the three to their extra-curricular activities (ballet,jazz,swimming, and karate),help with piano practice, homework…and Mom’s list could go on and on and on….
I believe the parents of special needs children have an essential role to play in the success of their children. There are definitely MORE interviews to attend, MORE meetings with classroom and resource teachers, as well as other professionals working with our children, and it necessitates MORE time spent helping them with homework and concepts learned in the classroom. Being a parent is a career in itself, it is never an easy job for anyone, and it is even harder when your child is different from other children. It is hard to understand and imagine what it might be like to have a child with special needs so I explain it this way to people… The journey into parenting a special needs child is much like a long anticipated vacation. When you are expecting a child you often daydream about what they will be like, you do a great deal of planning, organizing, and reading, just as you might if you were planning an awesome trip to California. After months of excitement and anticipation the day finally arrives for you to board a plane and leave for California. Several hours later the plane lands and the stewardess announces over the speaker “Welcome to Sweden!. You say “Sweden? There must be some mistake I thought I bought a ticket to California!” The stewardess smiles as she says “There has been a change in flight plan. We’ve landed in Sweden and this is where you must stay.” The important thing to remember is that they haven’t taken you to a terrible, smelly, or unbearable place full of famine. It is just a different place. So now you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met otherwise. Sweden may be cooler than California but it is just as beautiful… if not more! Sweden is slower-paced and less flashy than California,but after you have been there a while and you catch your breath you start to notice the beautiful landscape of Sweden and its rich history and contribution to culture.
I am truly blessed to have the beautiful,unique,and special children God gave me. I have learned that accepting the loss of a dream often means opening the door to new discoveries. My children have taught me so much about determination and persistence and have helped me to discover new and exciting possibilities. One of my most fulfilling personal discoveries has been photography. My love affair with photography began with the birth of my first daughter Katherine. I knew in my heart that all the toys and all the presents would not mean a thing in 25 years… but that image of her flashing her first smile, taking her first steps, showing off her first tooth, snuggling with Mommy at night… they were the most important gifts. I am so excited abut pursuing a career in photography since it will give me the flexibility our family needs and will allow me to stay engaged and challenged in a field where I still will be working with families (I want to specialize in babies, children, and family photography), still will be brightening someone’s day, and still will be making a meaningful contribution to my community. To gain more experience photographing children and families I began NERVOUSLY photographing babies, 1 communion and 1 baptism a couple of months ago. It is such a joy seeing the reactions of families to the photos and the slideshows I have created for them. I enjoy surprising my clients by adding personal touches that they wouldn’t expect such as going out to their church and photographing the actual cup they will receive their communion host from and including photos of the church. I believe the photos of a family, special celebrations and their children are one of the most valuable keepsakes you can give and one which grows more valuable with time. I would love to be part of the Chicago workshop in order to increase my knowledge and understanding of the technical aspects of photography. It is a goal of mine, once I have graduated from College, to become a volunteer of NILMDTS , a non-profit agency providing families who suffer the loss of a newborn child with keepsake photography. I miscarried two babies of my own and understand the grief a family feels with the loss of a baby and how your whole world seems as if it has been turned upside down.
Thank you for your kind consideration and for extending this wonderful opportunity and gift to one very lucky and special person.
Sandra
Me Ra Ko,
Wow! Before reading the current nominations I had considered enter my name but my heart just weeps reading these stories. I do not envy you & the committee the job of picking just one. Your offer is tremendous and these stories very touching.
Regardless of which soul is selected remember to continue to encourage and uplift each other! Together our strength as women, Mothers, Sisters, Aunts, and Friends can hold us when it seems nothing else can.
Many blessings to you and yours!
Always,
Sara E.
I’m so sorry, Me Ra Koh. I’m not fond when others misspell my name and I, myself did it to you. My apologies, truly!
I would like to nominate my sister, Angela Schlater. She lives in Chicago and one of her many passions is photography. She recently got her doctorate in history after many years of hard work and many changes to her defense schedule. I thought she was about to break when they kept putting her defense off for uncontrollable reasons, professors out of the country, sick family members, etc.
Angela is a mother of two beautiful children, Nora who is 5 and Clara who is 2. Angela got laid off from work several years ago and has tried to keep ends meeting while still accomplishing her goal of getting her doctorate. In the meantime, with her passion for history, she took up photography as a method for capturing those special historical moments in our lives. In fact, in her words, photographs turn “moments into memories”.
She has an incredible talent for being able to capture what most feel is a normal, everyday moment but then you see it on film and it captures the person photographed. Their being, their sould speaks through the images. She is self taught and would soak up your session.
As a mother of two little ones, she is currently working three jobs to help the family meet ends in these hard times. She often has run out of energy and patience and needs some “me time” to help rejuvinate her soul and her passion for photography. What a better way then to be able to attend your workshop.
Angela is an amazingly strong woman and deserves a break! I know all mothers do, but she really needs one and this would be an extraordinary opportunity for her to further develop her talent for photography. Thank you for your consideration and God Bless!
Emily
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