When life gives you lemons, make grape juice!

When life gives you lemons, make grape juice!

Another trip in the books! Another set of families that felt special for being part of Down for Smiles!! I like to think almost as special as it makes us feel! There's so many different cultures and ways of life. The methods in which people live, not always alike and not necessarily wrong just different. I've been blessed to have the privilege of meeting a ton of people over the years that I've been shooting. Not every frame is my favorite, naturally, but, every frame owns a specific foundational principle that led me to my favorites. 

I like to think there's similarities in frames and friends. 

The families that those frames represent were of different walks, beliefs, and morals. Every family or individual with DS, alike my frames, brings a new element to my life. After every shoot, I like to think about everything that happened during the shoot. How the subject and I worked together, how the team could've improved to provide a better experience, the emotions, stories etc etc. My mentor, Nick, would tell me "You gotta reflect on the bad ones as much as the good ones. That's where the growth lives". 

Not to say that anything bad happened at all, however, any Marine will confirm that "There's always room for improvement"! 

My take away from California and time spent with Chloe and Micah? 

Izzy & Waylon, 

You'll make a significant impact in people's lives, good or bad. Truth be told, it truly is up to us in how we conduct ourselves and treat others. The impressions we leave are typically within our control. People will remember a negative interaction ten times longer than a positive one. So when or if things don't go as planned, smile! It's not the end of the world and if it were we know where our family is going. Being flexible to an extent is a wonderful trait to have! Taking the highs and lows with life as we carry on and ensuring to always be kind. We really never know what someone is going through or what they may be faced up against. As you age, you'll learn how tough the world can be. However, you too will learn how tough YOU can be. 

When your grandmama passed, the first initial feeling or internal thought, if you will, was "just breathe". I remember her telling me all the things she loved about you. How she knew you would be a force to reckon with. She so deeply loved how loving you are and how you care for others. Something I'm still trying to learn, even from you, to this day. 

The families I met were so incredibly kind! They reminded me of how I genuinely hope/strive to raise the both of you. Chloe's family welcomed us into their lives for the day and showed us the sheer meaning of kindness. We watched as sweet Chloe and her lovely sister, Bonnie, danced and laughed at their dance studio! The matching tutus were most definitely the cutest thing you've ever seen. After the dance studio and incredible performance, we all worked up quite the appetite! So, we headed back to their gorgeous, recently renovated, home where the grass lines were impeccable (inside joke). We had the greatest conversation and shared tortilla soup with their family. We were welcomed in with open arms!

 The next day we headed to Nina and Micahs photoshoot in a beautifully lit kitchen! We got to chat about goals, fears, pains, happy times, all of it. There, too, I watched as mother and son face the world together with that same smile I was talking about earlier. We prayed together and quite literally broke bread with one another. An honest, wholesome moment of the purest clarity. Afterwards we celebrated a successful trip with authentic Italian food and of course a few laughs at a winery!! When in Rome, amiright?!

See, something most hadn't known was dealing with the loss of your mom while creating happy experiences is ttooouuugghhh!!! Fighting tears while hiding behind a camera has become one of my least favorite hobbies as of recent. YOU KNOW WHAT MADE IT EASIER THOUGH?! The families being kind!

I guess I've done a bunch of rambling now for you and Waylon to read through one day. To wrap it all up in a box and to slap a bow on it... always be kind. Always do your best to be understanding. Always try your hardest to see the good in people. Always remain empathetic, the way you are now. And when times get so hard you truly don't know what to do or think, just breathe...

Not every frame will be your favorite, HOWEVER, every frame lays the foundational groundwork to improve your life on and help in making you a better version of yourself.  

 After all, if you can be anything in the world, be kind. 

Until my last tomorrow and then for the forever that follows.

Love, 

Dad