loving it.

So as everyone already knows...we LOVE our builder.  He sent us more pictures.  Every week we all anticipate the new pictures of our house that he's going to send us.  We can't get enough.  Emmett constantly checks my email to see if Matt has sent us anything new.  Mike prints out the pictures and shows them to everyone who is willing to sit through the picture tour of our house. Ummm...we just might be excited...maybe....

Last we heard our house is fully framed, it's been wired for electricity and it has the HVAC and plumbing done.  Our tubs are in the bathrooms and the deck is on the back of the house.  I love the first picture here because the back of our house where all of our wonderful forest is has windows lining the wall.  It's got beautiful north light everywhere.  (Perfect for taking pictures of the kids while they hang out in the kitchen with me, do homework at the table, or play games in the family room.)  I love that wonderful natural light streaming in.

I am very excited about our sitting room upstairs!  The view of our forest from there is one of our favorite pictures that Matt sent us.  One of  the many things we love about Matt is that he listened when we didn't know he was listening.  We talked to each other while we were looking at plans while Matt was there and we kept saying things like:  We love privacy.  We don't want our neighbors to be able to see in to our house from their windows.  We love the trees, we don't want to lose a single tree.  We love our forested yard.  Matt placed our house on our lot so that we have complete privacy from anywhere in our house.  When we sit on our deck we'll only hear the chirping of birds and wind through the trees.  Matt has been so aware, a great listener, and extremely patient.  We're so blessed to have found him!

sneak. peek.

Liberty and Nick had such a unique wedding day.  I'll just say:  dancers, a quiet lunch, umbrellas, and no shoes.  Stay tuned and check back here on the blog for more pictures!  I'm so grateful that I got to be part of Liberty and Nick's wedding day.   

If you want to see more fun pictures of Liberty and Nick here on the blog click here and here. 

Wedding Guests and Family and Friends click here to see images from Liberty and Nick's wedding.  Make sure to sign the guest book to receive an email when all of the pictures are ready.  Also, to get updates when pictures are posted to this blog, including when Liberty and Nick's wedding pictures are posted, subscribe to this blog.  Just scroll down a little and put your email address in the subscribe box to the left. 

***To see all of Liberty and Nick's pictures from their get to know you shoot, click here.  For their pre-wedding shoot, click here.***

beautiful. LIFE.

fun. times.

I met Melissa and Juan back on a very cold night when there was a horrible snow storm.  They trekked through the blizzard from Salt Lake and gratefully made it to my studio and home safely.    During that time chatting we came up with so many great ideas for their get to know you. 

When I found out that they both had been part of rallies I knew that we had to do something with their protest signs.  We ran out on to the street corner and they worked it with their signs.  We met at their house...which, I think, I was the first official visitor.  They had stayed up late the night before finishing the painting.  It's the perfect place for a newly married couple!

A little later we headed out to a great salsa club in Salt Lake.  (I totally have spaced the name, Melissa and Juan, you'll have to remind me in the comments....).  The lighting there was difficult even with the little bit of lighting I brought.  But we kept trying new things and ended up with some really cool images. 

I'm so looking forward to Melissa and Juan's wedding.  I had such a fun time with them at their shoot, I''m sure their wedding is going to be super cool with some great, unique things thrown in the mix.

love. LIFE.

sign up today.

Today is the last day for early registration for Business 101 with Davina.  Early registration is $475 (after today it's $500).   Click here to read more about Business 101 with Davina playshop.  Call the studio at 801. 628.2893 or email info@davinafear.com to register.

It's also the last day for early registration for the playshop for moms.  real.  LIFE.  [how to take more real moment pictures of your kids].  Early registration is $190 (after today it's $200).  Click here to read more about real. LIFE [how to take more real moment pictures of your kids].  Call the studio at 801.628.2893 or email info@davinafear.com to register.

Hope to see you there!

learn. LIFE.

wow.

Natalie, Becky's daughter wrote me an email about her mom.  She told me that she was legally blind but didn't let it stop her from living a very full and beautiful life.  When I went to meet Becky I walked into a marriage and family therapy office and met a woman and hesitantly asked if she was Becky.  She had walked right up to me and shook my hand.  I was thinking, "Am I in the right place?  Is this the right lady?"

Over the next hour or so Becky showed me some goggles that she had made to help children be able to see what she sees in her everyday life.  The picture above is how she sees the world.  She has absolutely no peripheral vision to the side of her or above and below her.  She sees only through a little peep hole.  Because her vision is so completely limited she hits her head on things a lot, she's fallen down stairs and tripped over more things than she can count, she can't drive, and she walks every where. 

Becky has a sweet guide dog named Cricket...they go everywhere together.  Cricket, even though she is a young guide dog, is still so protective of Becky.  She keeps Becky from falling into holes and being hit by cars.  As long as Cricket is on her harness she knows she's at work.  She doesn't rush to be pet or ever run off from Becky.  What's amazing is that she is still a puppy.  The moment Cricket is let off of her harness she turns into a wild and crazy puppy.  She runs and chases other dogs, adores getting loved, and races around the yard like a maniac....you wouldn't know it's even in her to be wild when she's at work with her harness on.  She loves to work and to help Becky and you can tell that the relationship between them is a special one. 

The thing that I love about Becky is the way she smiles all of the time.  She laughs and she laughs at herself.  Her perspective on her life is a beautiful thing and I love the time I got to spend with her.  She sees the blessing in every experience.  She uses her own life challenges to bless the lives of others.  Listening to her talk about her job was so inspirational; she had me convinced that I would love to go back to school and get my counseling degree.  The way she talked about the experiences she's had in her profession with clients who are grieving with personal loss of loved ones, of their  deterioriating health, of fighting cancer and the hope and understanding that she gets to give, was touching.

We sat and talked about her life and the process of her losing her vision over her teenage years and into her early twenties, the day she couldn't drive anymore, and the way she looks forward to every spring....and wonders if this will be the last time she will see the flowers that she plants in her garden.

Over her lifetime her vision has gradually faded and at some point she will wake up and not be able to see anything.

As much as this is not something that she is looking forward to, she went for a time completely blindfolded to face that inevitable fear, to stare that tiger in the face and not back down.  After that experience she decided that she would be able to handle her biggest fear. 

Becky's husband went to great lengths in their new home to make sure that she wouldn't be hurt walking around her own house.  He had custom flooring put into each room so that she would be able to tell by her feet what room she was in, he had all of the corners of the walls rounded so that she wouldn't walk into them with her face, he raised the cupboards so that if they were left open she wouldn't walk into them.  I love the dynamic between the Becky and her husband...the friendship, mutual admiration, concern, and love...

Becky hasn't let anything stop her.  While most people with failing or failed vision essentially give up on living a full life, Becky has embraced it.  She is an entrepreneur with her own marriage and family therapy practice, she tandem bikes with her sweet husband in marathons across the country, she gardens, she's raised two children (and managed that without driving a car), and so much more. 

Becky's disease is called Retinitis Pigmentosa.  To learn more about Becky and how you can help fight blindness go to the following websites:  www.fightblindness.org  ; www.blindness.org  ; www.wardelfamily.blogspot.com  and to keep up with Cricket:  www.cruisinwithcricket.blogspot.com 

Both times I got to be with Becky were a gift to be able to see her life and the way she smiles and laughs and makes the best of every aspect of her life.

true. LIFE.