Macy Monju's Sr. Portrait Session ~

Macy Monju's All Grown Up!

"Always be the first rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." ~ Judy Garland

Macy & my youngest daughter Claire played soccer together when they were young.  They played on the Man-U Firecracker's where Macy was known as dominant, confident and a great goal scorer!  As Coach Mark would say, "Those were the Glory days!"  

When I received a text from Liz wondering if I was still shooting photography it brought an instant smile to my face!  Within that text I came to realize that Macy was now playing softball:-)  Still an athlete just another sport!  I'm sure those traits that Coach Mark saw on the soccer field have crossed over to the baseball diamond.  

Photographing Macy was a real treat!  We started at UL Arthouse then drove out to Lake Martin then to a vintage Farmhouse reminiscent of days gone by.  I was pleased to see the quiet confidence that permeated Macy as a soccer player still shines through today.  I know whatever you put your mind to do Macy, you will do well!    

A Wedding made in Heaven . . .

As the saying goes . . . "The family that prays together STAYS together!

The Bercier and the Joseph family were states apart yet prayer to Christ through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was the common thread.  That simple fact has united these strong families for a lifetime.  As Mr. Bercier takes his final walk with his daughter Anne Clare the look was pensive.  Many sacred traditions have been passed down within this family. I have no doubt as she becomes Mrs. Stephen Joseph she will build upon those traditions that she has come to know so well.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you, May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; May he look upon you with kindness and give you his peace." Numbers 6:24-26

Emma's Perfect Day!

Come, spirit, to live in this Beautiful Home.

Come with friendship, with wisdom, understanding, energy and passion

Burn always in my Soul.

You are welcome here.

                        I remember you.  ~ anonymous 

Emma is turning Sweet Sixteen this month!

When my lens met Emma it liked her from the start . . . It was

 A Perfect Day!  

Sixteen years old seems like a life time ago when I think back.  Lots of things have changed since I was sixteen.

If we wanted to talk to our friends we would call them on the telephone or walk to their home and knock on the door or just walk in if they were really, really, really, good friends!

 Texting, facebook, emailing have made the personal connection . . . less personal.                 

That is one thing I miss.  

Well Emma,  my advice to you as you turn sixteen this month . . . 

Keep it Real.  

Take time for your parents, they gave you life.  

Share your things and your time with those less fortunate, 

and make time for the art of real conversation.  

There is nothing better.

 Oh Happy Day to you Miss Emma

Oh Happy 16th Birthday to you!

May 12th . . . Not an Ordinary Day

"Why is any day better than another, when all the daylight in the year is from the sun?      By the Lord's decision they were distinguished, and he appointed the different seasons and feasts;  some of them he exalted and hallowed, and some of them he made ordinary days."    ~ Ecclesiasticus 33: 7-9

In the lives of Ani & Ian May 12th will always be a sacramental celebration of the union between this beautiful couple.  The twelfth of May was the beginning of a covenant between families . . . a bond, a celebration of love.

I was privileged to be the photographer to capture this union.  Ani is the virtue grace in motion.  Ian is devotion and it can be seen on his countenance. 

As the Nineteenth-Century Shaker Hymn  reminds us . . . 

'Tis a gift to be simple,

'Tis a gift to be free,

'Tis a gift to come down

Where we ought to be

And when we find ourselves

In the place that's right

'Twill be in the valley

Of love and delight.

St. Mary Magdalen                Abbeville, Louisiana

An Epiphany of Sorts . . . UL with Matt Maher & Audrey Assad

Matt Maher, Janenne, & Audrey Assad

Audrey singing "Restless"

There are times in your life that seem to be thresholds that you are walking through.  This week I experienced two of them; epiphanies if you will.  God showing off in a good way! I was asked to give a talk on Happiness to UL Wisdom students.  I titled it . . . "Happiness Revealed".
 A kindred spirit emailed me a phenomenal TED talk titled "Gratitude" which spurred the thought of what I wanted to talk about.   Interesting . . . two days later I was approached to give a talk on Happiness.  And so I did.  I ended my discussion with the Ted Talk .  It was a great night filled with college students.  Who could ask for a better crowd to engage with!

The other was to photograph two musicians who are high on my list when I think of talent and ability to reach into the hearts of man and transform them thru song.   Matt Maher and Audrey Assad have the ability to do just that.  Audrey has a new album coming out on Feb 14 . . . Valentine's Day.   She sang one that had me wanting more!  If her album is anything like the one track she sang it will be well worth the investment.     Hats off to UL for bringing them in.   I was on cloud 9 walking backstage to document the event.  I'm always amazed & grateful where He allows me to go.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past,  brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."  
 ~ Melody Beattie

The Bayou Teche . . . It had our full attention!

Bayou Teche 

Beginning in Port Barre,   Bayou Courtableau took us sweetly into the mouth of the upper Bayou Teche. The bayou's swollen banks allowed for a swifter paddle on this particular day. Temperature, in the mid 60's. . . perfect for a morning paddle!

Fellow Paddlers

The first stage of the Bayou Teche did indeed have my full attention. The sights and sounds on the bayou were everywhere! One just had to take notice. The prothonatary warbler, better known as the swamp canary could be heard high in the rustling trees. A young blue heron stayed close as if to imply she had treasures she wanted to share.

My fellow paddlers were eager to point out their slithery find with Andrew and myself.  A diamondback water snake taking in her lunch!  We too stopped for lunch . . . a picnic lunch. We ended our paddle in Leonville.

It was an enjoyable day on the bayou!  To view more imagery click here.

"The Colorful World of Laura"

The greatest thing a human being ever does in this world is to see something . . . To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one.     ~ John Ruskin

Laura sees life clearly through a lens colored with love.  When Laura was young she would turn on the music box and dance.  Her toes pointed and hands held gracefully towards the heavens.   She had an ear for music that made her want to dance . . . dance gracefully that is.   Hence, our Laura has danced for 13 years.  More importantly,  she has danced her way into all our hearts with her love for life!  Her smile  and laughter are contagious and her hugs are some of the BEST anyone will EVER receive.   She is our straight arrow!!   Just ask her.

Taking Sr. portraits for my girl was not an easy task!  Her sisters came along to see what goes into a Sr. portrait.  Claire realized it was a lot of work and decided to stay in the car for some.  Ellen came out and gave us a hand or something like that!  Gotta love those sisters!  I still can't believe your 18!
To view more imagery go to  proofing and type in your nick name Laura!

Tiny Dancer ~ A Point of Grace

"Our pointe shoes are our instruments. If something’s wrong with my feet, all my mind goes there. I usually have six pairs ready. Soft shoes for one act, stiffer shoes for another, stronger shoes for a variation with a lot of turns." -Nina Ananiashvili, The Ballet Book-

Grace ~ elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

Adrienne is one grace-filled young lady.

She has spent many a summer in Seattle studying ballet.

When I think of Adrienne one word comes to mind . . . dedication.

I was privileged to take her Senior portraits recently and enjoyed it immensely.

I've known her since

she was a second grader in class with my daughter. They became kindred spirits and have remained close through out their growing

up years.

Today, she is performing in the LBT Spring production Peter Pan. How fitting this is posted today.

Break a leg Adrienne! Your Sr. portraits

are

online!

Sarah & her Flurries!

"Hands to work, hearts to God." ~ Shaker Axiom

Flurry-(noun)"A sudden burst or commotion; a stirring"

When Sarah comes in from New York she comes in with a flurry! Her flurry used to be the weather she would bring.

Now, it's her children!

Curious Kate and observant Jack! Sarah is in her element with these two children. Oliver, a small canine; use to be the talk of this household but gone are those days. Now, it's the world according to Katie and her accomplice . . . Jack!

Hold on Gene & Sarah for these "ARE" the times of your lives!!

Katie so enjoyed blowing kisses as Jack focused on how to get hold of one of those yellow flowers that were . .

E V E R Y W H E R E!

Recently, I had received a phone call (just a days notice) that they were in town for a quick visit and wanted to get Spring portraits in if possible! "Allon'!" I said;"let's go take some stills!" I don't know how "still" they were but we did manage to capture these flurries! I do believe this might be the last portraits taken in the South for this young family. Sarah's parents who live here in Lafayette are moving to North Carolina in the summer. I captured the union of Sarah & Gene on their wedding day and have followed their story ever since. Sarah's mother, Marcia likes to tell her friends she found her photographer (namely me) in a shoe store! She did and the rest is history!

The Shaker axiom sums it up . . . Their hands are busy but, their hearts have a definite focus. It's evident being with them. Thank you Sarah for allowing my lens into the lives of your budding family! Pax Christi to you and your household!

Gratitude unlocks the Fullness of Life

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today; and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie

On a personal note, my blogging had ceased when my mother turned 85 which was a year and a half ago. It was a personal decision that I had made. My journey to Salida with friends has been an interesting one that has given me a new perspective.   It is with a grateful heart I say thank you, to each one of you that I have met while visiting Salida and the part each of you had in all of this.

Unsure where my kayak will lead me 

or where my camera lens will turn 

but I know that if it is interesting . . . . it will be worth blogging about!

Tumbleweed

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. “

~ Anais Nin

Today was our last full day in Salida. Hiking up S Mountain is full of my favorite flower/weed known as tumbleweed. More about that later.

Some of us went on an epic snowshoe adventure that included a one thousand plus foot elevation during a 1.5 mile stretch, better known as Waterdog. (I was not one of them!)

Before my day began I am of the mindset that we should always take care of loose ends. So . . . Biked to the bank, the grocery store and the post office in that order to get money from the ATM, to then purchase a money order from the grocery store to then mail payment to Judge Rita Little
in Texline, TX to pay for the speeding ticket I got on my way to Salida while sharing with my friends how I met my beloved. How's that for a great beginning!

Now,  off to hike S Mountain. S Mountian is a local mountain that is just on the other side of the Arkansas river that overlooks Salida. The two trails we hiked were Frontrail and Lil' Rattler. The mountain has about ten trails to hike. The day turned out to be much longer when we had to retrace our steps to find my missing progressives. After our 5 hour hike we rode our bikes as the snow began to fall. Chris thought this was the coolest experience ever for us Southern gals. It took me a few minutes to catch up with that thought but yes, it was a great moment on our bikes.

Our day ended with the celebration of Becky & Miranda's birthday's and a final stop at Salida Cafe' to hear more great music. Nathan Brady Crain combines his various musical influences to create upbeat original looped Americana. Through these influences he writes great blues, folk, bluegrass, country, country-blues, and rockabilly with skiffle, jazz, classical, and flamenco; he then uses several digital looping stations to create performance layers of percussion, bass, guitar, lead guitar and three part harmonies during the performance. Quite impressive.

Oh yes . . . that final thought on tumbleweed . . . It really is quite beautiful. From it’s beginning to it’s transformation. It begins as a small flowering weed and grows into a full bush like plant full of golden hues. The winds of the mountain take it’s toll causing it to loosen from the soil giving it it’s name . . . tumbleweed.

We too can learn from the tumbleweed. Giving off beauty at each stage of our lives. When life hits hard we can tumble gently with the virtue of grace onto the path that He provides.

To view more imagery go to www.gallery.me.com/janennedeclouet