The Journey Begins

If someone had told me a year ago I would be a stay-at-home mom living in Montana, I probably would have looked into commiting them to an insane asylum.  But, as luck would have it, in June of last year, my husband was offered a great job opportunity in Montana and we left our hometown of 32 years to venture west to begin a new chapter in our lives.

My husband and I have been together since our junior year in high school, 17 years. During that time my goal was to be a successful business woman rising to the top of a major corporation. However, when my children were born, I chose to slow down my career in an effort to spend more time with them.  But, I feel my choice to raise my children was a good one.  I've enjoyed every moment and feel like they are smart, well rounded individuals and I am proud of who they are becoming.

However, I still have a desire that burns of becoming a successful business person.  I loved working and was good at my job.  Although I was exhausted at the end of the day, I always felt a sense of satisfaction that was more than an empty clothes hamper or dish-less sink.  The problem, however, is that I have so many ideas swimming through my brain, I don't know where to start.  I've tried wedding planning, making and selling crafts, being a Mary Kay beauty consultant and in home day care, none of which lasted more than a year.

One thing I remember from my childhood was that my mother always took pictures. It started with a Polaroid camera.  Then she moved to 110 film.  Sometime after I graduted from high school she got one of those Advantage cameras that took three photo sizes.  I remember she used to love using the longest setting as she could get lots of people in one picture.  However, they stopped making the film for her camera and she was forced into the digital age shortly before she died last year.  I was lucky enough to inheirit all her photos and have already spent countless hours pouring over the memories shot in those photographs.  Some things I remembered, some I didn't.  Some of the photos were my grandmother's of when she was younger. It was my mother who got me hooked on taking pictures when I was in about the 6th grade.  I got my own 110 camera and loved taking pictures of friends, outings and activities.  This love of pictures has stayed with me all these years.

My husband bought me my first point and shoot digital camera for Christmas the year our daughter was born. Since then, there's been no turning back!  I took over 6000 pictures with that camera.  I finally upgraded to a DSLR this past year when my love of pictures grew into a love of photography.  Since moving to Montana, I've found that I've been taking even more pictures than I did when we lived in Ohio. From lost teeth and baseball games to Glacier National Park and Mt. Rushmore, I've felt compelled to share with our family and friends (all of whom are 2000 miles away) every aspect of our lives during our travels here in this beautiful state. 

Sometimes I think people think I'm crazy for taking so many pictures.  But, then, I stop and think about how many people out there never thought of the importance of taking pictures and the loss to their generations of children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.  I know my children, grandchildren, etc, will have a plethera of memories and I know that it is all worthwhile.

I've decided I want to share with others my new passion.  I have decided that I want to become a photographer, not just a picture taker.  I want to create photos that envoke feelings from the person who looks at them and am dedicating myself to learning everything I can about photography in order to do that.

So, I have created this blog, an area where we can take a journey together.  I want to share with you my journey through pictures and will post one new picture each day.  I welcome your criticism, both positive and negative, for that is the only way that I can grow.  I hope that you enjoy this journey as much as I will.

Today's picture is of my daughter, Hayley.  Hayley LOVES to pick flowers and on our outing to the Black Eagle Falls in Great Falls, Montana last Saturday, she was ecstatic to find dandilions abound.  She gathered a bouquet and was enjoying her bounty in this photograph. Ahhhh...the life of a child...when the simple pleasure of picking flowers made everything else in the world disappear...