‘Had a blast this weekend shooting my friend Leah’s clothing line, Belle Blanc. Check it all out here!

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Beautiful NW water views, amazing purple sunsets, rock collecting, sandcastle building, bald eagle sightings, campfires & picnics and….

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Navy Growler fighter jets roaring violently overhead…

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Huh?

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Such is a vaca on a Whidbey Island naval base. Not just any naval base–one plunked right on the beach at Cliffside. My retired Air Force father-in-law hooks us up with a lovely spot next to the ocean. We look forward to it every year. This year we actually had some warm weather to play in the sand.

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Whidbey Top 13 FAVE list~

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1) The quest for heart shaped rocks. PH and and I have a game to see who can spot one first. Wouldn’t you know that we hoofed it up the beach about a half mile before we found one…and OF COURSE it was huge and heavy….and OF COURSE, we found another one the same size. I was a happy camper as my lovin’ man trekked his way back with both rocks on his shoulders. He was saying that those lurking Growler pilots must really think that crazy guy loves his wife!

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2) Rachey and her annual “bakery on the beach“.

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3) An imagination that’s on vacation and comes up with nifty projects to take home…I smell a driftwood theme in my immediate future…

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4) Fab antique treasure finds in Anacortes, a cute little town with some great restaurants.

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5) Watching my children play with wild abandon on the base and feeling perfectly safe to not watch them every second.

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6) Sunsets with tree silhouettes that blow your mind.

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7) Cliffs and the stunning view they provide.

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8 ) Windblown trees and winding paths…so many metaphors come to mind here, I just can’t get them out fast enough.

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9) JOY and more JOY. Ken, the campsite host finds these incredible driftwood pieces to make our favorite word. It’s all over the camp and makes you smile when you see it catch the sunlight in the morning or evening. He is a magician and creator of wonderful things.

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10) Time alone to do a “walk about” with my camera…no agenda…just being aware of the beauty around me. Peaceful and sweet…

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11) Fort Casey State Park and all that the former artillery post and lighthouse has to offer in terms of photo opps…

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12) Barns and quaint little gardens in town

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13) Uninterrupted time with people I love…

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How does that song go? “I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter…”

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I did that this week while my mind was on vacation-mode. It was surprising.

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Sometimes getting away provides something unexpected. First of all, I was calling a sleeping bag a bed for the duration and I couldn’t get my tuckus out of bed to do my Morning Pages. Funny thing…I really missed them! I’ve been doing them long enough now that I really think I’m having some breakthroughs as a result. Lots of stuff to share that will affect how LBI will run…so many matters of the heart coming up (all good stuff!).

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I’m making some changes.

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I’m excited about it

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and am

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sure of my footing.

A landmark UCLA study suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are.

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By the way, they may do even more. Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women. It’s a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research — most of it on men — upside down.

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The rest of the article is here.

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As for my own girlfriends in my life…thank you for providing something so immeasurably important that I cherish during this “growing up” phase of turning 40. I appreciate the fact that you love me despite my many quirks and faults and hold up a mirror to me sometimes…love you for it.

~L

p.s. I have a new obsession! Check it out here.

I hope your holiday was great! I hope your 4th weekend was smashing…we had a great time in the little town of Manzanita on the Oregon Coast. This is our tenth year enjoying that holiday with my dad and stepmom. We had such a blast this year! Thanks, dad and Holly for your never-ending hospitality. I do believe the parade was one of the best we’ve seen.

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Visit the MPG blog for some fun finds..

Miss Fancy Pants, Fauna…so darn cute!

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Daisy Doodle~

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All is getting adjusted and doing well—we are grateful!

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Visit my personal blog for some snaps of our trip to Ashland and Jacksonville—two great summer destinations!

As business owners, a lot of us have that special client who supports us and becomes a true friend. For me it was a woman with a little dog who I had photographed many times. This dog was this woman’s child and never went anywhere without her.

Enter a horrible, horrible disease and an extreme shortening of days. Lots of talks and visits later it is clear to me that my family must adopt this little dog. My friend agrees and the week is spent going over all of her Chihuahua needs and quirks.

We fall in love easily with this little 3 pound peanut…I realize how much I love the woman who cared for her. She is a light to this world and will be missed by so many people.

She passed on last night and as I hold her little sweetie in my own bed it’s all I can do to hold it together. The unfairness of it all hits me hard…yet, I’m grateful that she isn’t suffering anymore. I wonder if she feels light and free from a body that was never kind to her.

I am amazed at the turn of events in the last three years that have brought this little dog into our home.

This life never seizes to amaze me.

I’m grateful for my health today.

I’m grateful for all that I’ve been given.

There is no wallowing when you sit with someone suffering for an extended period of time…it’s absolutely incredible what a person can endure.

I hope you’re all healthy and happy today, friends~

L

His name was Scout and he was beautiful.

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One brown eye..one blue eye.

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The perfect size for my 12-year-old frame.

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I remember each camper in the trail line yelling “Canter!” to the person in front of them as we tried to convince our leader that the horses (and the girls) wanted to fly.

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Enter Rachel…my adventurous, sometimes feisty wild woman of a horsegirl who would live in the barn if I let her. She’s sleeping in the hay loft at her stable the last night of the school year. My husband fears headlice and ticks…I fear that she may never come home.

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She allowed me to capture her with some gear…future cowgirl in the making...

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This is the horse she rides, Tiva (on left), with her true love, Takoda. I just ordered this image today in a 30×40 for our kitchen…I love the tender moment they’re having (while we forced them on the white backdrop).

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So….we HAD to do the “horse in a hat” picture because Rach insisted it would be comical. Quite so.

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What’s not to love about the parts of a horse, of course….

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Of course…Bad-a#$ cowgirls go with horsey friends, so we got ‘em out in the center of the barn with their gear. Really fun ladies with a very entertaining putting-on-very-tight-chaps session.

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Hi.ar.i.ous.

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This cracks me up…the “Barn Princess Rivalry” shot…lots of laughing during the staging of this one.

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Such gorgeous, interesting creatures, these equine pals. I enjoy learning more about them every day from Rach. I had no idea they were so fun to photograph! I’m thinking there might be more make-shift barn-studio set-ups in my future.

…the “Vintage/Crafty Girl” World, that is.

My pal Leah had a get-together at her house (more about this here) of the Crafty Girls and I set up a make-shift studio with my new lighting toys up in Leah’s bedroom..which was like taking a bull for a walk in a china shop, btw…

First, Leah (”I just can’t take a good picture) Brown is my first victim. I

This lovely Frenchie girl has the most lovely half-smile..how fun to finally get this girl in front of my camera!

Kim and offspring…look at the eyes on this little guy.

Joy,joy,joy! Still intoxicated by this woman’s laugh..hard to believe she can be this serious.

Isabel, our mysterious and exotic European woman of the group…

Lisa, is one part of what I refer to as “The Wonder Twins”…see below…

Leah  always grabs my camera and forces me to sit…a very uncomfortable feeling, I might add…hats off to all of you who sit for me. Thank you.

This was so much fun for me…it’s such a privledge to capture friends in this way.

Here’s a teaser for the next post…

…very excited about a session that I did at Rach’s barn on Thursay—BAD A@# Cowgirls and lots of artistic horsey shots. A total blast and can’t wait to share!!!

Happy end-of-school to all of you moms~

L