My friend Jen

On Sunday Aug 15th I came home from shopping with Abby to have my husband give me the shocking and sad news that my friend Jen had taken her life on Aug 14th. She was a young professional woman, mother of two beautiful girls, wife to Matt and an aspiring photographer. But, most importantly she was my friend. We met at Neuchatel Junior College in September 1992 and quickly became best friends, spending all of our time together, traveling together around Europe and getting in trouble together. We arrived as kids, experienced the excitement, the challenge and the joy of living abroad, which allowed us to grow up, gain confidence and return home as different people - as adults. After graduating we both attended UBC, and while we were in different faculties, with different friends, we still remained good friends. Trips to Whistler to ski, Rowing on the UBC rowing crew, and the infamous beer gardens, we still managed to have loads of fun. We again graduated, Jen got married, I moved to Ottawa then Taiwan, then back to Ottawa again, but through all this we kept in touch, and eventually discovered the convenience of Skype. We spoke often about photography, and kids, as we were both launching a small photography business and were experiencing the same struggles and frustrations of doing so.

When I heard the news I was shocked, I had no idea she was unhappy. I was so sad to have lost a good friend, someone to talk to about the business, and life. I was sad for her family, especially her children and husband. But even with all the questions, the guilt, the feelings of wishing to have been able to do something more, and the sadness, I had to look back at our friendship, and cherish what we had, what we experienced and know that she will forever me in my memories as my happy, crazy, argumentative, stubborn, smart, creative friend. Here are a few memories from our year to share.

Suicide is a scary thing, I don't profess to understand it, and no one can. Just remember to hug your best friends, tell them how much they mean to you, and talk to them honestly and openly. We all struggle and get down, it's nothing to be afraid of, or ashamed of, you don't have to suffer alone.

I'll miss you Jen, have a beer with Andrew will ya, it's on me!

The wonderful world of Madison

She is really turning into quite a little girl. Just starting the very foundation of communication, saying a few things that sound more and more like words. We never got into the whole sign language movement, which is a great thing, I just didn't have the time and patience for it, so her communication is really starting from scratch verbally! It's such a cute age when they start to "speak" - saying Bye Bye, saying Uh Oh, when she purposely drops things, (actually she says it even before dropping them!), and clapping. She also has the most expressive face, smiling at everyone - which just started happening recently, before she was a little hesitant - squinting, and the most classic Madison face is what I call the "Frankenstein", where she will drop her head and look out of the tops of her eyes, to really pretend she is hiding from you... it's quite funny! It's really fun watching my last baby grow up and cherishing each moment of it... bitter sweet in a way.

Melow Yellow, Green Day

The weekend was nuts. Nuts in the fun sense of the word, but still nuts.

Friday night, as I've already blogged, was full getting ready for Abby's party, which was a huge success. Saturday was the clean-up and prep for an evening out with Michael Buble!! We went with our cottage friends for dinner and concert, and while I was totally exhausted, I really really enjoyed the night! And what can I say about Michael.. he is just so charismatic, hot, talented, and fun to see in concert! Sunday rolled around and still with little sleep, we managed to get ready for having our parents over for Abby's second birthday party/dinner! I made a fantastic Stuffed Pork Tenderloin from the Canadian Living Cookbook, parents brought the wine and gift and my mother in law brought the cake. It was so good, even the kids ate it!! :)

We were all just bagged after all this, so today was a mellow day! We didn't go anywhere. Just stayed put. It was so nice not to have to drive, grocery shop or clean the house. Eric went for a run and I went for a walk in the woods. I rarely get to go out for a walk on my own, no kids no husband just me and the dog. I took the opportunity to bring along Gigi the G11, and try and capture my photo of the day for The August Break. I was feeling inspired and motivated, perhaps because I was alone and had some time to think about what to shoot, rather than just tending to the kids. It was fun. And this is what I got:

The August Break, Aug 9th, 2010

And just one to share from Sunday night, as all the other shots were crap, so I'm not posting them!

The August Break, Aug 8th, 2010

5th Birthday Celebrations!!

It was Abby's 5th birthday yesterday! I look at her and still see the tiny little face that greeted me the first moment I laid eyes on her in the hospital. The shape of her mouth, her eyes and little nose. It's so amazing that no matter how much they grow up, they will always look the same! at 5, she is kind, competitive, loving, short tempered, beautiful, bossy, friendly with everyone - especially very nicely dressed women!!, a pest and awesome kid all rolled up into one! I'm mixing up all those adjectives together, because that is really who she is. Those are the ones that describe her the best. This year is a big year, she starts school, she will leave the comforts and security of home and a wonderful home-care daycare, and she will enter the world of routines, responsibilities, homework, new friendships and challenging relationships. It's the beginning of an era!

Aug 5th, 2010

Labour Day for me. My baby's 5th birthday tomorrow, how exciting!! And for The August Break:

Big day tomorrow, night night!

Cottage Trip...

We had the pleasure of a three day "trip" to our friend's cottage over the long weekend. They are great friends from Chelsea, who are lucky to have a beautiful cottage on Lake Clear neat Eaganville. It's a two hour drive, and going was relatively easy, the girls only getting a little crazy near the end. We don't go to many places, so a two hour drive for them is VERY long, and they are not used to it!! The drive is beautiful with so many photographic opportunities, but we didn't have the time to stop, so I'd like take a day to "drive in the country" and shoot with Madison...

We stayed for a couple of night, swam in the day, played games, and cards at night. It was nice to be away from home, to hang out with friends, and swim at our leisure in the beautiful clear lake! While it was a good time 99% of the time, the last night Madison decided that sleeping in a playpen was NOT her thing, and decided to scream and cry for about 2 1/2 hours. She had never done this in her life, so it was tough to try and settle her, and eventually she just exhausted her self (and us) and fell asleep. It's too bad because you kind of go away to relax and rest, but ended up more tired on the way home... oh well, that is life with babies!! (third photo represents our drive home!!) Anyway, got to run, baby is a callin'