The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. – Nelson Mandela

Yesterday I got a call from Lulu’s teacher notifying me that she had been dealing with a bully at school. Her teacher said that she had gone to the principle, counselor and the boy’s parents.

I had two thoughts: Why didn’t lulu tell me? and I’m so happy about how her teacher handled the situation.

This is not the first time we have dealt with bullies with Lulu. She was constantly teased last year by little girls who found her clothing style and personality weird. Labeled as a “peacemaker” by her teachers, lulu is the sweetest child. She doesn’t understand why other kids don’t get her. I could tell that this was affecting her self esteem last year. So I’ve done my best to be supportive and encourage her in things she loves.

I spoke with her about the new situation yesterday and she said “I just didn’t want to get anyone in trouble, so I didn’t tell you.” After explaining to her that the best thing was to tell someone and no one would be hurt, she felt better and opened up more. She felt better in hearing that her teacher, principle and counselor (as well as her parents and brother) were on her side.

I truly hope if you have a child going through this, that you don’t just turn your back and hope it goes away. It’s our job as parents to be involved.

Lulu is one of the strongest kids and I know she will prevail no matter what comes, but I love her positive attitude. I could learn a lot from it.

It started raining today and she said “Can I go play in the rain? It always makes me feel better!” I said “only if I can take photos of it.”

Of course she agreed. To further build her self esteem and encourage her art, we decided to start doing original photos of her for her room. I thought this would be a good chance to get some fun shots in the rain.

This is what we got:

I love this girl more everyday.

Corpus Christi, TX//Fall Photos

Fall is one of my favorite seasons! Unfortunately, we don’t get much of one here in Texas. While I keep seeing photos of girls with new boots and cute scarves, I am still wearing sandals and tank tops. I don’t like to complain about the weather too much, because it could be much worse, but I do sometimes wish we had the four seasons.

I’ve never been one to linger too long on things I can’t change, so I mold to them.

A few ways I’ve embraced fall in my own way:

• Incorporating the fall colors into my wardrobe (even if it’s not sweaters and jackets yet). I love the dress below that my lovely friend Zel from Honey in the Sun let me borrow for our beach shoot this weekend.
• Getting pumpkin flavored drinks/candles.
• Letting my bangs grow out for the winter for a change.
• Taking walks at night when it actually feels like fall.
• Paying more attention to the leaves that have fallen (I swear they have secret messages in them;)
• Planning more DIY projects with the kids (this week we are making our own picture frames with my friend Chris Pichado)
• Putting more inspirational books on my list to keep my spirit upbeat through the winter months
• Living vicariously through craft blogs and Martha Stewart magazines because I know I don’t have the time to do any for myself.
• Making plans for more dinner parties with friends, because they need it and I need them.
• Giving myself room for improvement, renewal, change, growth and even failure, because they are all necessary for progress.

I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying your season!  Light a fire, take photos of the leaves, get a pumpkin spice latte… or if you are in Texas, go to the beach and enjoy the breeze!

Many thanks to Zelina Garza and Nichole Groves for taking these photos for me. If felt nice to be amongst friends, in the elements, barefoot;)

You see her confidence is tragic, but her Intuition magic.

When I started this blog, I told myself that I’d keep things more professional… only share things that had to do with strictly photography. Often times, I’ve been accused of sharing too much. I really thought I could do it.

But I can’t. One of the reasons I love photography so much is that I get to tell stories with pictures; share how I see the world. Everything about who I am is about sharing. Sharing my life, sharing my experiences, sharing my perspective. Some people like to keep journals (which I do) to keep their thoughts. Some like to internalize them (I do not). Some like to share with friends and family (I do). Some don’t mind sharing with strangers as well (that’s me). I can’t help it. I don’t want to change it… so if we are all agreed that this blog will be about whatever I decide to share, I’ll start.

Lately, I’ve moved from that phase of being a mother of small children, to a mother of pre-teens. My son already thinks and acts like he’s a 25 yr old and my daughter is deeper than some adults I’ve met. I am slowly adjusting to this new phase… I’m coping by taking more photos. I don’t want to forget anything about who they are right now.

Last week, I was extremely busy and was trying to get my 7 yr old to read her homework. I was frustrated and told her “see baby, your brother is already done, can you do it like Jaden?” To which she replied “mommy, I’ll never be like Jaden.”

She’s right and I would never want her to be anyone other than who she is right now.

Today’s post is dedicated to my daughter.

Born Madison Kay Brimhall, she now writes her name a cursive “lulu “and adds a heart or butterfly to almost anything paperlike in our home.

She is:

not concerned about being an over-achiever, but she will give her heart to everything she wants to do, not concerned with being competitive (except with her brother), not the know-it-all who raises her hand first, but she will be the first to offer her hand to someone in need.

Although she got the Math award at school, she thinks math is useless to her dream of being an artist.

She is not the girl who wears name brand clothing, but she the girl who makes dresses out of my vintage shirts. She is not the girl who asks for Taylor Swift tickets, she is the girl who writes her own songs.

She is:

the girl who is still afraid of the dark, but not afraid to stand in front of 100 people and sing her heart out.

the girl who cries at the sight of true love, a beautiful melody, and when her brother doesn’t give her her way.

the girl who stands up to mean girls but loves them anyway.

She doesn’t apologize for who she is. She is not concerned with anyone’s version of what success or happiness is… she sticks with her own.

She is:

a feeler, a lover, a thinker, a giver, not a follower, a little syvlia plath mixed with a little hanna montana mixed with a little bit of me.

I believe in her more and more everyday, and in turn, she’s teaching me to believe in myself.