Running on Empty is a photography scholarship for moms! Nominations open now! There are only 3 Spots Left and 1 Running on Empty Scholarship spot saved for the upcoming 2-Day Dallas CONFIDENCE Workshop with Me Ra and Brian.
Running on empty is something that is all too familiar to me. That’s why Me Ra, Disney Jr host and champion for moms with cameras, asked me to share a little of my story. As a mom of five boys that are six and under (including TWO sets of twins!), I have been through seasons where I felt like it was all I could do but to get through the day in one piece. I LOVE my boys, but I know as well as any mom, how important it is to take some time for myself and be able to take a deep breath…to be refreshed and refilled. I have observed time and again, Me Ra’s genuine passion for women and seeing women be filled up and cared for. She always saves a photography scholarship for moms in her CONFIDENCE workshops, a special spot for a mom who is running on empty. This is one way she pours into moms.
Two years ago, I had the honor of being chosen as the Running On Empty contest winner. Here is are two photo examples, a BEFORE and AFTER, so you can see the overnight change from those two days with Me Ra and Brian.
BEFORE Confidence Workshop
After Confidence Workshop
This incredible gift, to have received a photography scholarship for moms, to attend Me Ra’s 2-Day Confidence Workshop, still impacts my family, myself, and my growing photography business! I’m also starting to teach Me Ra’s Growing Confidence Workshops in Dallas area. I would have never guessed how much would unfold from those two days!
Today, I have the great honor of starting off the upcoming Dallas Workshop Photography Scholarship for Moms! Are you a mom in Dallas area Running on Empty? If so, keep reading!
If you know a MOM who is;
A. Running on Empty
B. Lives near the Dallas/Fort Worth area or has mileage to spend
C. Can arrange for a sitter and get the weekend free, starting Friday, November 14th, 7-9pm, for the Meet & Greet through Sunday evening, November 16th, about 7pm.
D. Most importantly, has a PASSION for photography
Nominate her (or yourself) TODAY by sharing her story in this post’s comments.
Nominations must be in by Wednesday night, October 29th at 9pm PST.
We will announce the winner in time for her to jump in and make all the arrangements. So make sure your nominations are all in by Wednesday at 8pm PST. If you are not familiar with this contest, read Me Ra’s description below and see what it’s all about! Moms are one of the most beautiful parts of creation. This contest is all about acknowledging their beauty, even when they are Running on Empty and they sometimes know it least of all.
How to Nominate a Mom (from Me Ra)
In honor of how wonderful moms are and all that they do and give, Brian and I keep one spot reserved in every workshop for a special mom like YOU! That’s right, you (or she) will get a free pass to the upcoming CONFIDENCE Workshop in the Dallas area! (Please note, we don’t provide room/board and travel.)
Deadline for ALL nominations is Wednesday, 10/29 at 9pm PST.
Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post.
Nominations emailed, posted on other blog posts, or FB may be overlooked. Please post all nominees in the comments to this post.
Please include in your submission an email or another way to contact you, so we have a way to let you if you or your nominee wins.
To nominate a mom, you must post a comment telling us about the mom who you think deserves a big break in life! If you are 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 serious surprise that gives her empty tank some fuel. If she is a woman that has miscarried, she is still a mom in my mind because I know her heart became a mother’s heart the moment she found out she was pregnant. Don’t hesitate to nominate her too.
I’m proud to say that some of 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 go on to have your house remodeled by Oprah and Nate Berkus!
Brian and I look forward to meeting you in a few weeks!
xo,
Me Ra
_________________________________________
We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next week! Being as wonderful as they are, it’s not an easy job. As one said recently, “After reading each story I’d say, ‘I’m voting for HER’.” Each one of you is so deserving.
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 Wednesday, 10/29 at 9pm PST. Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post. Nominations emailed, posted on other blog posts or FB may be overlooked. Please post all nominees in the comments to this post . Thanks! (Tip: write in your post in Word or another program first, then copy and paste over – just in case.)
What do past attendees say about the CONFIDENCE Workshops? Take a look at Me Ra’s birthday post where over 100 women shared what a difference this workshop has made in their life. CLICK HERE to read their comments! And she’s only gotten better…:)
With two months left in 2014 (can you believe it?!), make this someone’s best year yet!
Nominations are now open for this special photography scholarship for moms!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at janna@fioria.us. I’m the Touchpoint for the upcoming Dallas CONFIDENCE Workshop and here to help!
Warmly,
Janna
*Grab one of the last THREE SPOTS left here!
My story is probably like a lot of other moms around. I have two beautiful daughters, Hannah who is 3 and Madison who is 5. I have a loving husband who works full time, goes to school full time, and still manages to coach Madison’s soccer games.
I have a high demand job that requires me to travel several times each month. I love my career and the fulfillment that it provides. My career allows us to provide our daughters with so much and for that, I’m eternally humbled. Travelling for work while having a husband with two full time gigs and small children is no small task. It takes a village and we rely on our village a lot. There has to be daycare pick-ups, soccer practices, birthday parties and everything else to be scheduled.
If there is a moment that isn’t scheduled, I’m doing housework and laundry and meal prep while monitoring HW and trying my best to get in those snuggles that are so important.
Our time together as a family is very limited and we try to make the most of it but that means something suffers. If we focus on playing, the house turns to shambles. If we catch up on housework the children fight for our attention.
Two years ago I bought a used DSLR camera from a friend with the promise that I’d take some time to get a hobby and take our girls out on adventures.I had high hopes of capturing beautiful images of them. I swore I’d take a class.
But I never did. These days the majority of our moments are captured on my old iphone. The images that come out of my camera don’t tell the story of my children enjoying their lives, but rather of kids who are tired of their mom yelling at them to “just smile nice” because I don’t know how to capture a moment, only an event.
This workshop would help give me a piece of me back. The creative side of me that longs to do something I enjoy and to be able to bring that to my family.
When I look back on these years with fond memories (which I have no doubt I will because time has a great way of preserving the good and forgetting about the bad), I would love to have beautiful images to look back on and not just pictures of my kids that I haphazardly took running out the door before rodeo day at school.
Thank you for the consideration.
Running on empty…that definitely describes me. I’m not sure I was ever full, come to think about it. I never in a million years thought I would nominate myself for something like this but here I go.
I have been so very blessed with my life. It’s not always been easy, but it rarely is. I turned 40 this year. Such a milestone, one many never get the chance to see. And for that I am blessed. But that didn’t make turning 40 easy. I have spent my entire life in a military community, always moving, never putting down roots. My dad was in the Air Force and then later on I joined the Army after college and met my husband there as well. We decided when we were ready to start a family that one of us needed to get out of the Army. One of us needed to be the stable rock in the household. That ended up being me since my husband still owed the Army time for his education.
We started our family shortly after I left the Army. When my daughter was 6 months old my husband deployed for the first time, for a year. Throughout the 13 years he stayed in the Army there were many deployments, TDY’S (business trips), many weekends worked, many early mornings and very late nights. I learned to raise children by myself in states where we had no family, friends or roots. I was the mom and dad. I maintained the upkeep of the house, mowed lawns, ran snowblowers, maintained vehicles, paid bills all while raising kids, nursing them through illnesses, homework, school conferences, awards ceremonies, etc. It seemed for so long like I would never get out of that trench.
Finally after 13 years of Army life we decided to leave the Army and try to become a “normal” family. We moved to TN where the next job would be. I was so excited at the prospect of roots. Civilian life on one income was a little more of a struggle than Army life was. Normal medical bills add up, normal expenses add up. We had to tighten down where the money would go. My husband took advantage of the GI bill he had and went back to school to earn an advanced degree, hoping it would help put us in a better financial position down the road. One year into his 2 year degree he was laid off…2 weeks before Christmas. I can’t think of many other times in our lives where we have been at such a low point. In the back of my head I was kicking myself for not having ever started up a photography business. If only I wasn’t so scared at failing or overwhelmed by all of it then we might have something to fall back on at this very uncertain time. I am a RN by trade, but since I hadn’t worked in over a decade even I wasn’t able to find a job.
Such a helpless, overwhelming feeling.
My husband was able to find a job several months later. I am so grateful it wasn’t longer. I know many people try much longer. Several months after my husband started his new job we got the surprise we had never expected. We were pregnant. Wow that took a while to wrap my brain around. It definitely wasn’t on my bucket list for turning 40. Now we are blessed with 3 amazing girls. I thought I was done having kids, but God had a greater plan for me. I love this family of mine so much, but I feel like along the way I have lost myself. I have given everything I can to take care of everyone else. I want this for me. I need this for me. I feel like I have been in a mommy time warp for 12 years and now I don’t know how to step out of it. I have always had a mad passion for photography. At one point I had an ok knowledge of my camera. Nowadays I rarely use manual and never shoot in RAW anymore. Most of my pictures are taken with my phone, like so many.
Photographs are your story. The good, bad and ugly. Photographs were our main source of communication during times when my husband missed birthdays, holidays, special events and also just daily life. They told the story of us. I want to be able to tell that story better with my own family and for other families as well. Everyone has a story. Everyone deserves to have their story told.
A while back Oprah had asked a question on her show “what would you be if you knew you would not fail?” I have always wanted to be a photographer. I don’t want to spend the next 40 years wondering why I stood in my own way.
Thanks for the opportunity 🙂
I was finally getting ready for church after I had gotten my three children in their Sunday best. I had about ten minutes before we had to load up in the car. I did what I could…threw my hair up in a bun, quickly changed out of my pajamas, grabbed some heels, and swooped up my makeup on the way out to apply in the car. Oh, and don’t forget the diaper bag, coloring books, and snacks! (And they say “Sunday is a day of rest” – if only!) I was feeling like a complete mess with hardly a head on my shoulders – thanks teething baby who was up all night! – when I was stopped dead in my tracks by my three year old. I was waiting for him to ask for help with his shoes, or tell me he needs to go potty. But instead he looks up at me and says “Mom, you look beautiful”. My whole body just slowed down as I felt my heart melt down to my toes. I crouched down and gave my son a big squeeze and kiss on the cheek. How did he know I needed to hear that?!
My husband and I are blessed with three beautiful, rowdy, wonderful children (ages 18m, 3y, and 5y). They adore their father and although he helps me out as much as he can, I feel very much on my own. You see, my husband is a third year medical student where he works 80+ hours a week, and any time off that he does have, he needs to spend studying. I support him with all my heart and I am so proud of him for following his dream and working so hard at it! Motherhood has been a lifelong dream of mine and I feel so blessed and grateful to be a stay at home mom, however my other dreams and aspirations and been put on hold on account of raising my children.
When we first learned of where my husband would be attending medical school, I decided that I would apply to the school’s Fine Art program, emphasizing in photography. At the time, we had two children – ages 3 and 14 months – and I felt like I finally had my feet somewhat on the ground. I felt like it was the right time to now focus on my dreams and educational goals. It seemed like a long shot for me to get accepted, considering that it was a nationally acclaimed program and that I only had two days to pull together a portfolio, but sure enough I did! I was over the moon excited! I signed up for classes and even attended orientation, but was shortly thrown off by a little surprise. Ok, big surprise… yea, THAT surprise! And as grateful as we were to be expecting a third baby, I just cried and cried. I felt like my dreams were being ripped away from me. There was no way I could possibly take care of 2 toddlers, go to school full time, and be pregnant while doing so. I decided to put my schooling on hold and instead care for my three children. The following school year, I reapplied, got in, but felt strongly like I needed to be home for my children and to fully support my husband in his educational career.
Perhaps it’s not the right time to focus on myself and my dreams. I mean, changing diapers, picking up toys, and feeding hungry mouths is everyone’s dream, right?!
I’m grateful for what photography has given in my life so far, especially in my life as a mother. Though I am only self-taught, photography has become an outlet for me. It helps me to really value these fleeting moments I have with my children. Not to mention, photography has helped my husband feel connected with us even though he can’t be present. I would be forever grateful to be considered for this once in a lifetime scholarship! What an opportunity to really propel myself in the direction of my dreams and to give me confidence to do so! Not to mention gaining confidence in my job as a mom, because you sure as heck can believe I’ve locked myself in the bathroom, gaining some space and regaining my composure, trying to figure out what to do with my tantruming toddler!
My family is my world…what I do, I do for them – what I have, I give to them. Basically, they suck the life out of me and I can’t wait until I can crawl into bed that night to recharge and do it all again the next day. Even as I sit in bed to type this, one kid has her head on my forearm and the other keeps putting his foot on the screen of my laptop!
Thank you for the inspiration, support, and encouragement you give to us moms out there! And thank you for your consideration!
Beautiful entries ladies! This is such a special scholarship that we’ve done for years. Everyone is so deserving, and I just want to say how much we treasure your stories, your pursuit of photography, and your hearts.
xoxo
m
I purchased my first DSLR and lens on the anniversary of my mom’s passing (she passed away at 73 years old from stomach cancer) due to my husband encouraging me to do something for myself during an emotionally challenging time. I care for my grandchildren (ages 23 months and 3 months) during the day when my daughter is at work. It certainly is more exhausting caring for them at 46 years of age then it was at 20. I spend many a nights in bed by 7 pm because I have no strength to do anything else. In addition to being a mom, grandma, wife…I am an artist but with the time and energy it takes to care for my grandchildren I have only been able to paint or do anything seriously creative once in the past 2 years (a sacrifice I willingly made). But despite the aches, pains, and exhaustion I have taken such great joy in seeing and capturing the many expressions and milestones of my grandchildren in photos using my point and shoot. My husband wanted to support my passion to photograph them (my husband is awesome?) and need to be creative so now here I am with a camera that I am STILL learning to fully use after 22 days of purchasing it (whew a bit overwhelming at times).
In December my son and his wife will be having their first child and our 3rd grandson. I will not be involved in his daily care but, of course, I can’t wait to take is photo and love on him too. While nominating either my daughter or daughter’n’law for this workshop would seem less selfish neither of them have expressed interest in it or in my daughters case doesn’t have the camera. I would take such pleasure in being able to artistically show my children and grandchildren how wonderful they are in the many stages of their lives by learning to confidently take creative and beautiful photos of their children, them, and one day my great grandchildren if I am so fortunate. It would also be an incredible blessing to be able to teach my children or grandchildren (or possibly others) how to use their cameras one day if they express interest. Please pick me to fill your running on empty photography scholarship spot. I am sooo ready!
Cathy
Dallas, TX
catkupiec@verizon.net
Have some much trouble getting the creative flow in sessions. This would help me build my dream and get me the information that would help me to succeed
Thank you advance
stephanie walls
I would like to nominate my friend Shannon Floyd. I would love to see my friend have the opportunity to attend this conference for so many reasons. Shannon is an amazing mother, wife, and friend. Shannon is a military spouse who has faced the challenges of moving her family every few years with such grace. Her strength is evident in her family, the smiles of her girls, and the loyal friendships she has made along the way. I am also a military spouse and I cannot imagine what I would do if I had not been able to reach out to Shannon during our moves. Shannon has given me advice on everything from having children to negotiating life with a spouse in the military.
Shannon is one of those rare people you meet who truly rejoices when you tell her about your accomplishments, and whose heart breaks when yours is broken. Shannon bought her first serious camera a few years ago and her passion for photography was ignited. She has taken every opportunity possible to master the craft. Shannon’s gift, has essentially become a gift for all those around her as she has a real talent for photographing everyday moments, making them beautiful and making us grateful for them. I have the most beautiful photo she took for me of my son holding my leg when he was just a small boy.
I would love to see Shannon win this scholarship, not only because I feel she truly deserves it, but because of the impact I have seen her photography have on the families around her. Shannon spends much of her time and energy helping and motivating those around her. At home she spends her energy making sure her family feels secure and happy in a world where everyone’s lives is turned upside down every few years, at work she is an occupation therapist who gives hope to parents and confidence to the children who need it the most, and as a friend she is always there for me even when she is miles away. Unfortunately being so amazing can leave you feeling like you are “running on empty,” and I can’t imagine anything more exciting then telling her she won this scholarship!
Could I sneak in a nomination for my wife, Georgia? She is definitely running on fumes and could really benefit from this weekend. I have such a huge amount of respect for all the moms out there who care for kids, wash the dishes, run errands, coordinate the social calendar, etc. to infinity. My wife certainly isn’t any more deserving of this scholarship than anyone else here, but I would really love for her to win this scholarship.
Georgia currently takes care of three kids, two little girls ages 3 and 1, and one in the womb. It’s the one on the way that keeps her so tired and ‘running on empty’ all the time (okay, the other two started it, but this new one took her over the edge). Morning sickness, fatigue, and a really interesting but over-stimulating sense of smell keep Georgia constantly feeling like she needs to just get out of the house and get some fresh air. But getting out of the house means keeping two toddlers from destroying all in their path, so exhaustion continues. She’s sadder than normal, more tired than normal, and just can’t seem to get out of the rut. We were sitting on the couch the other night talking about her dreams and passions, and I asked her what she wanted to do after we get out of baby/toddler stage. She said, “I would love to write and photograph.”
One of the reasons I married Georgia was because I loved how she found beauty in the small details. She’s done this masterfully in our family, photographing our kids, people, flowers, our pets, and all other manner of beauty from various angles and in different scenes. It’s always a laugh-fest trying to hold a kid as she adjusts her F-stop and aperture and half a dozen other words I don’t know. She wants to be better at photography, good enough to feel confident to buy a better camera. But with the kids getting more time-intensive and baby #3 causing all sorts of body disruption, she hasn’t taken many pictures the past three months. It makes me sad, not that we don’t have pictures being taken, but to see Georgia lose her passion for the beauty of life because of life’s mundane responsibilities.
I love my wife. She sacrifices so much for me and for my kids so that our home stays in order and our kids learn to be kind and fun. Like I said, she’s no more deserving than any other mom out there. But I’d ask you to give Georgia this scholarship. It would mean the world to her would give her a much-needed weekend away, doing something she loves, for three little kids who have no idea the beauty their mom captures in each of them when she pulls out her camera.
Jacob Reed
I am the mom of 7 great kiddos. My oldest is 12 and youngest is 4 months old.
My youngest 2 were adopted from the US, so we’ve spent the last 4 years in the
Very emotional adoption process 🙂 add to the story that my dad died last year on
Thanksgiving, and then several months later my mom was diagnosed with stage 4
Breast cancer. It’s been quite a year! A weekend focusing on me, and creativity,
Would be amazing!
Hi. My name is Dana Young. I have been a big fan of Me Ra Koh for some time now. I have a friend who attended her workshop several years ago and highly recommended it. I would be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend this workshop! I am a newby to photography (maybe a year and a half now) and have wanted to do this workshop but haven’t been able to. You see, my husband of 19 years and I have two children. Our oldest is 16 and our youngest is 9. Our 16 year old is a beautiful, vibrant young lady who is a junior in high school. Our 9 year old is a handsome, witty young man who was born with a neurotube defect called Spina Bifida. He is not typical Spina Bifida however. He was born with hydrocephalus and has developed a multitude of health complications over the last 9 years. He has a rare epileptic disorder among other issues like severe gastroparesis . The list goes on, and all if this to say his 40+ surgeries and 7 flight for life emergencies have taken it’s tole one me. I am his full time caregiver along with being a mother to both children and a wife. We manage our days/time well. I am grateful for what I have been given and love my family immensely! I would love to have the opportunity to take this course so I can take the best pictures possible to create amazing memories that last forever.
Thank you for the opportunity.
I would like to nominate my wife of 22 years, Lana. Forever she has had a passion for photography but by her very nature she puts everyone else first and just never finds the time to pursue her own interest.
As mentioned we have been married for 22 years and I can’t think of a more deserving person of your offer. As a mother and a wife she he gone over and above in order to keep life moving forward for our family. I won’ go into details as it is painful to do so but I will share a little of her trials so you can better understand why I’m nominating her. We lost a daughter (Reagan) a couple of years back after several years’ severe health difficulties. During this time Lana’s time was consumed by not only caring for Reagan but also doing all she could to ensure that our other two children never missed out on any school functions or activities. All these things were done with an unselfish spirit and determination that certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
Now that our oldest is in college and our youngest is a freshman in high school Lana has gone back to work outside the home.
She has worked very hard for many years, sacrificed much if not all her time to others so I feel she would be great candidate for your workshop. It would help her so much and my hope it that it would spur her on in pursuit of her passion.
Sincerely,
Byron
I would like to nominate my mom, Lana South. She is without a doubt the strongest most unselfish person in my life and definitely always running on empty (sorry mom). She has a great passion for photography, and would be a GREAT candidate for this workshop.
A few years ago, my family suffered a terrible loss. We lost my little sister, Raegan. My mom took on the job of caring for her literally 24/7 as she had a serious health condition. With all of this, my mom still never missed any of mine or my brothers school events or games. She did everything she could to make sure that her kids were always put first.
Now that I am in college, and my brother is a freshman in high school, she still never misses a beat. She is always there for us no matter what, and that is incredible. If my mom was selected for this workshop, I know it would help her so much not only with photography skills but with life itself. She would see how special and just down right awesome she is!
-Hannah South, daughter of a deserving mother.
Just a reminder to leave your emails or some other way of reaching you in the blog comments. Or you can also email your contact info to Janna, at janna_at_fioria.us. We’ve had winners selected but no way of reaching them. Make sure we have a way to reach you so your spot isn’t forfeited. Thanks so much!
xo
m
My beautiful wife of 26 years is a loving mother of 8 children, 1 who has special needs. To say she runs on empty would be a travesty of an understatement. She volunteers for the P.T.A. Works as a volunteer at the elementary school, the H.S. band and attempts to work as a substitute teacher. This doesn’t even take into consideration raising, feeding and taking care of a household of ten.
People aren’t kidding when they say you cant pay a wife for all the hats that she wears. I work as a corrections officer and don’t make a lot of money. But we have come to learn that money isn’t everything. Raising our children and enjoying them as they leave they’re little moments in your life bring her immense joy. My wife is often asked to do shoots for friends and even has a wedding coming up soon. She does this free of charge because she knows how much this means to people.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but more than that it imparts a feeling of love or lose, happiness and yes even anger (think the World Trade Center or the Space Shuttle Disaster need I say more).To win this scholarship would be like a mini vacation for my wife but more then that it will allow her to learn how to better get those feelings from her photo’s to the people who see them.
Generous, devout mother and wife, missionary to those in need; though these words describe my beautiful sister, they cant truly encompase the person she is. With four children at home and her husbands business to run there is never a time that she doesnt have something to do or a new stress to overcome. In the last few years she has moved across the country, given up persuing full time her photgraphy passion, gone back to school and given life to two more beautiful children. She is truly a woman that makes running on empty a wonderful life.
My sister deserves to have this opportunity because she is someone who places everyone elses needs before her own. She wakes up everyday ready to fight for what she wants for her family and in that has had to sacrifice her true talent and passion: capturing the beauty around her through photography. It amazes me that through every trial that she has faced throughout the past years she has still made time to stenghthen her home with a dedication to clean eating, exercise and instilling a love for helping those in need in her children. She has touched many lives through her work in Young Life (working with teen moms) and through everyday ministry inspiring hope in those who were ready to give up.
My sister is, and has always been, a beacon of what I can aspire to be as a woman of God. She speaks truth into my life and for that reason I want to encourage her through this nomination. I am proud to nominate my sister because I know that she will take an opportunity like this and use it to strenghten her own life and skills and, through her new strenghth, inspire many others to pursure their dreams and passion. Thank you for the consideration!
I too believe that as a mom, whether you are a stay at home or work outside the home, we run on fumes mostly. I am a stay at home mom, I have 3 beautiful boys, 17, 2 and 1. (I know, huge gap ,but we lost four pregnancies through the years). I am truely blessed as my 2 yo was a complete surprise (after a couple years of doctors and specialists) and even though I was told in the beginning that I would miscarry, I didn’t. After he was born, I went in to have my normal yearly check up and was told that I had high levels of pre cancer cells on my cervix. I really wanted to try for one more baby before we moved forward with any procedure or surgery that would make getting pregnant even harder than it was already for us. The doctor gave us the green light to try for another pregnancy. It didn’t take too long, we were pregnant after 7 months. I now have my 3 beautiful boys!
This past year I decided I wanted to take my photography to a professional level. I absolutely love what I do, but it’s been rough. My husband is constantly gone each week on business. My eldest is a great help but he has his own schedule, school, soccer, and of course his girlfriend!
This past April, my doctor scheduled me for what was supposed to be a simple procedure to remove those bad cells I spoke of above. That ended up not being the case. It was an absolute disaster and I wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through that! A couple weeks go by, I go back in for another biopsy, results come in a few days later. I am not in the clear, we now have to go in for surgery. I had surgery in June, all went well at the time, we are free of bad cells!
My complications started a couple weeks after the surgery, I had what they call stenosis of the cervix, basically it was closed shut due to scar tissue. No one could figure this out for 3 months. In the meantime, each time I had a monthly cycle I felt like was in labor and I would get an intestinal infection at the same time, I know weird, the doctor even said it didn’t make sense.
After some more testing and a physical exam, the doctor confirmed my suspicions and told me that this was so rare that she had no answer for me, she had to hit the medical books on this one! Great, not what I wanted to hear. In the mean time I had to continue to deal with the excruciating pain each month.
Three weeks go by, I get a call from the doctor, she has a solution which means another surgery, simple procedure, in and out same day.
I went in a week ago for that procedure. It didn’t go as planned. My doctor had to perform an emergency hysterectomy. It was that bad that there was no fix. I am now recovering from what I hope is the last of this nightmare. All the while trying to keep up with 2 toddlers, trying to get my eldest into college and trying to take care of house and home. Not to forget that my poor husband has had to do what I couldn’t because my health has been down for seven long months.
I am battling with trying to accept that I will never be able to carry another precious baby again. Im healing, physically, but I’m still down. Being told not to pick up your toddlers for 6 weeks is an impossible task. I tire easy but I know it’s temporary!
I would love the awesome opportunity to attend this workshop. To get away for a couple days to forget what has been and focus on my passion for photography would be a dream! My photography is starting to take off and I have TONS to still learn. I have watched Me Ra Koh on Disney Jr for a long time now. Watching the shorts have helped me so much I can only imagine what I would learn from a workshop!
I appreciate your time and thank you again for the opportunity!
Kat
Kat@KatKnutsonPhotography.com
I would like to nominate my friend Traci-Ann. Yes, as mothers we are all running on empty and we all deserve a break and an opportunity to explore and develop our talents. The difference is that for most of us we have a support group nearby, whether it be a partner or family or friends. Trace, as I call her, is running on empty, far away from her family and friends. She’s a single mom living more than an hour’s drive away from her sister and at least a couple hour’s flight time from her closest friends. She manages to combine a demanding work life, with raising her 2 year old daughter by herself. I am constantly in awe of her ability to keep going, to keep her daughter engaged with interesting outings each weekend. And even though I am far away from her I feel close to her, her daughter and the events in their lives through the beautiful photos she sends me every week. Trace has been working to develop her talent for capturing people and moments, in writing and through photography for about a year now and I am so proud of her and excited about her growing confidence in her talent. I would love to give her the chance to take a break and to spend some time with like-minded moms working to further develop this talent of hers. I can’t imagine a better gift to give her.
Hi Me Ra,
First, thanks a lot for this great contest. I would like to nominate my friend Karoline Urena.
Karoline is a mother of 3 children, she is a full time mom and also works full time from home. She is in charge of all the orders and also manages accounting for their family business. Karoline manages to be a great mom and also does an impeccable work for their company.
But as we who are moms know, this is not easy. Often “the day shift” is not enough to take care of cooking, laundry, kids’ homework, playtime, housekeeping, and she needs to sacrifice her nights in order to complete some quotes and be on top of the business. Even though she always maintain a great spirit and is full of happiness and available for her family, I know lately Karoline is having some strong headaches due to the amount of stress that she’s under, especially from work. She definitely deserves a break and a little time for herself… And what could be better than this photography workshop, which is her passion!
Karoline has helped me a lot during this years, and she is definitely a role model to me, as a mom. Her kids adore her because of her passion, love and enthusiasm about life. This is why I’m nominating her, because I know she definitely needs the time off, not to mention that she will be the happiest person in the world if she wins.
Thanks,
Leidy Lopez
Hello,
I would like to honor my wife, Kat, for this opportunity. She has had one hell of a year and that’s putting it lightly. She is a Stay at Home mom and takes care of our 3 boys. Our oldest is 17, he’s a senior in High School. Our two other boys are 2 1/2 and 14 months old.
My wife has always had a passion for photography. She bought her first camera a few years ago. She is talented and decided last year that she wanted to go professional with her photography. So far she seems to be doing well with it. She loves it and it gives her something outside of our family and home to have all to her own.
After our 2nd son was born we were informed that she had an issue with pre-cancerous cells. We knew we wanted more children so the doctor told us that we could wait to do any procedure until after we have tried for a third child. We were lucky and got pregnant with our third son 7 months after our 2nd was born.
The doctor scheduled a procedure this past April to remove these cells. It did not work and she had the most horrible experience with this procedure as the medicine given did not take and she was in pain the entire procedure. The doctor did a biopsy a couple weeks after and found that it did not remove all the cells. So another surgery was scheduled in June. This surgery finally removed all the pre cancer cells and we were good to go, so we thought.
A couple weeks after the surgery my wife started having complications. She called the doctor and was asked to wait another month to see what happened. So she did. The complications were getting worse. My wife was in pain for 3 months before the doctor finally set up some testing and an exam. In September the doctor did her exam and told us that the complications arose from the surgery in June. The doctor was stumped on what to do about these complications and said that she would have to consult with her peers and look in the medical books for a solution. We had no choice but to wait and see what she came up with. Meanwhile my wife’s condition wasn’t getting better, but worse.
Three weeks later we hear from the doctor and she seems to think she has a solution, but it involves another surgery. We go into surgery 2 weeks ago, it again didn’t go as planned. She had to have an emergency hysterectomy. Her condition was so bad that they had no choice.
My wife is a hard worker, loving mother, and the backbone of this family. She is much stronger than I as she has had to battled through all of this while taking care of our three sons, home and me. I work and I am gone a lot on business so its been hard for her. I know how much she enjoys photography and I think this would be a great gift to give her after all that she has endured these past several months.
I appreciate your consideration. Tim
Email: mit.1973@yahoo.com
Hi! I would like to nominate myself. I’m usually not the type of person to nominate myself. I would love to have the chance to attend your workshop and learn how to take better photos.
I am a mom of four beautiful children and married to my wonderful husband. My son was born three months early, they told us he would never walk or talk. He is now 17 and getting ready to graduate high school. He is my miracle and him and his siblings are the reason I love photography. Thank you for the opportunity to attend.
Me Ra, I am in the unique position of being a single mom of a dozen children, nine still living at home.
In the fall of 2012 I fled with my children to escape a 27 year long very abusive marriage. I have begun to tell my story on my blog… part one: http://www.joyfulmomofmany.com/2014/04/in-which-i-share-my-story-part-1.html
and part two: http://www.joyfulmomofmany.com/2014/10/my-story-part-2.html
I fell in love with photography many years ago when I was able to take a photography class while in high school. Photography has been one of the things that has grounded me during the many years that I was married to my abusive husband and was desperately trying to hold everything together for my children and myself.
Photography helped me fight despair for many, many years. When things were especially bad I would grab my camera and go in search of beauty, a ray of sunlight here, a glimpse of my children growing and maturing, a raindrop touched flower petal there. Those little snatches of beauty kept me afloat and gave me hope that perhaps better days would be ahead for us.
Photography has also been a huge way for me to own and to tell my story. There is still so much of my past that I can’t speak about, but I can express myself and find healing as I document my life through photos.
Now we are out and safe, so relieved to be able to laugh and live together without fear. Now, also, I am in the midst of an incredibly difficult time. Single-parenting is draining. I am walking alongside my older children as they deal with the emotional fall-out from years of abuse, and I am also working on healing from PTSD and trying to figure out how I am going to provide for my family in the future.
I know that photography will continue to help me heal and embrace all that is beautiful and good in my life. Might it also provide an income source for us in the future?
I would love to be considered for a scholarship spot in your Confidence workshop!
We announced Kristy as the winner today. (We are excited to meet you Kristy). But I wanted to also tell you what a honor and gift it is to hear your individual stories. Our judges had a tough time picking just one mom. And my heart feels the deep need that some of you have for a break in life that says “It’s all going to be okay.” We will have another Dallas Workshop this April, and I want to encourage you to not hesitate with re-entering if you believe you should. One lady entered four times, and when she was picked, it was almost magical because all weekend long she kept realizing why “that” weekend and “those” women were the ones she was meant to be with, not the last three workshops she had entered the Running on Empty Contest. I’m a big believer in timing. Don’t lose heart ladies. I’m pulling for you.
xoxo
m