A special day:)

This is a long post. It will show you a summary of part of my life, mostly in photos,
and help you understand who I am!

Today is a very special day.
On this day, 24 years ago, I was adopted!

My parents had tried to have kids for 5 years,
and then signed up to be on the adoption waiting list.
They waited for two years.
Then one day, they got a call.
"We have a baby for you!"
While most parents have 9 months, they had three days to get ready for me!

They had a long drive in the snow (!) to come get me.
Here we are when they brought me home! They don't look happy
at ALL do they?? :)



I was 2 months old. I think they took a couple days to name me. After deciding
against "Ruth" because my dad's mom always called the babies of the family "Baby (insert name)," they decided on Ginger. My mom new a Ginger in high school who was a very nice girl, I had the hair to match it, and they liked the name. Sometimes kids would tease me when I was little, but I love my name today because it's unique!

Anyway! It's been a fantastic 24 years with my parents.
What's being adopted like? The same as being born to parents. I've never felt
different. And actually, my aunt and uncle have red hair, so I fit right in:)

My parents have given me more than I could EVER give back to them. I am their only child, and they've loved me with all their hearts. I wouldn't trade my life for anything.

Pretty sure my cheeks haven't slimmed down at all. This picture makes me LOL:


Yup! That's me with a camera below! I think I learned to take pics when I was 3 or 4. My dad had been in the air force, and when he went back to school when he was done with the AF, he had to take an artistic course. He chose photography. Little did he know that camera he gave me would turn out to be the start of something great!


They also:
Gave me lots of kisses and hugs.


Taught me how to iron (I have to say that I took credit for learning how to
iron with a flip flop though...)


Let me play sports and be in activities of all kinds..Here are just a couple of the sports I played! (And they were there at my games, matches, meets and recitals to cheer me on!):


(Wow... Look at that form! So awkward...)

Oh, the costumes...

My mom let me polevault, even though it made her nervous ever time I jumped! haha!

(here is the polevaulting team in Florida! My parents let me go:))



Let me be silly:


Bought me cute clothes:


My mom made me a halloween costume this year... it was exactly what I asked for, haha! She was like, "Ok......." She made it for me with love even though I know she laughed at my design... but didn't let me know it:)


Were always interested in what I wanted to be when I grew up
and encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do. Here's a photo of me in 1st grade.
I wanted to be an artist:)


"Made" me take piano lessons at age 6 or 7... which taught me about music..
Which I used when I started playing the cello... and playing the cello
is how I met my husband back in college:)


Got me braces (and pets:)) (My eyes look funny because I just woke up, FYI!)


Taught me how to travel, and took me to see lots of different states. When I traveled in Europe for a semester in 2003, I had my first digital camera-- which was when I fell in love with digital photography!-- I love travel photos and I can't wait to travel again! I still have those sunglasses somewhere... I should wear them on my next trip:


They let me have friends over-- they taught me about hospitality.
This is from New Year's Eve 2002-- my senior year of high school (Can you find me?). 75 people were in and out of my house that night..( I had a guest book, so I could make sure I thanked everyone for stopping by!). Not everyone is in this photo, even!
And just FYI, none of my get togethers had THIS many people, haha!! We had a great group of good friends back in high school... We were a good group of kids:) And no... this is not the entire senior class.. haha! 680 people would NOT have fit in my house. This was just one of those crazy special nights. My parents were AMAZING for allowing such craziness!


They helped me get through school, K-12. They always encouraged me to keep going. I have ADD, so it made some aspects of school super rough. Without their encouragement, I couldn't have graduated...and with highest honors!


Helped me through university financially and emotionally. Graduation day was the BEST DAY EVER!!


Showed me what a good marriage is, and the type of person I should marry (a wonderful one). They threw a wonderful wedding celebration and now they treat him like a son! So they have two kids now! (My dad likes talking to someone about guy things. A lot.)



And most importantly, they taught me how to love God, and love people.
(It's difficult to find a photo that expresses my faith... Confirmation Day
is just one tiny aspect of it!) My grandparents (both sets not shown here) were amazing examples to me in this HUGE area of my life... and they made my parents who they are today! And I love my parents!



That is not ALL they have taught me or given me... But I could go on and on!
I know that I gave them some trouble at times, but they never stopped loving me.
I am who I am because of them and the wonderful things and experiences in my life.

I have been so blessed....

Doing what she loves...

I'm SUPER excited to have dinner with my friends Melody and Kaleena tomorrow night!

Mel and I have been friends since 4th grade, and it's been hard for me not to be able to see her as much as I used to with being busy and all! We remember things we used to say from when we were in 7th and 8th grade...and those inside jokes STILL make us giggle. I just can't wait to see her! I could say so much more about that lovely gal.

Kallie and I met in high school when we played on the tennis team together for
all 4 years (along with Melody!). She supported me during my roughest times in high school.. I remember going over to her house without calling after I JUST went through a breakup. When she opened the door, she goes, "Ginger! :-D" And then I started crying, and she goes, "Ginger!:(" She brought me inside and gave me chocolate milk and she just let me hang out on her bed.. what a good friend. We also went to a couple Better Than Ezra concerts together. I could go on and on about Kallie too!

We all enjoy sour cream and cheddar chips.

We're goin out to celebrate Kallie's 24th birthday!!

Kallie is the tapper who I photographed in March-- one of the photos
was printed in Metro magazine-- this summer, it was printed
in the Star Tribune (and really largely, too! It was so exciting!).
It was to announce her new show-- she was one of the performers and
she also choregraphed a few dances. Here are a few pics from that show.
(I can even begin to describe how AWESOME it was! Seriously...
She has such a gift!!)


"Tap off" with another truly gifted tapper.. she's performed
with him in other shows she did for Buckets and Tap as well:

Entertained:)


One dance she choreographed (Flow) had suh-WEET music... I went to high school
with the bass player, Chris Bakken, and the guitarist, Nick Jacobson-Larson-- Again-- both gifted people,
doing what they love-- I love that! It's so inspiring!!


The dance was amazing... the movements with the music were perfect.
And I couldn't take my eyes off the stage, and I'm pretty sure I was
smiling the whole time. It was just that cool!!




Kallie!

Just look at them move....
(well, I did the best I could trying to capture the movement so you can
at least get the idea;))


End of the rehearsal...





When I went to the show a few nights later, I was STILL amazed, even
though I had already seen it!
There was a former high school teacher who sat in front of me and
we talked a bit before the show. At intermission, he turned around,
pointed at the photo on the program and he said, "You took this...!
I came because of that photo! It has so much movement in it...it's
so cool!"
The person sitting next to me goes, "You took that?" She said it
had grabbed her attention in the newspaper and she decided to come
see the show...
That was so... wonderful to hear!! I blushed!
Of course, Kallie did a TON of the work to make the photo for the paper--
She and I worked for awhile to get the perfect shot we were looking for.
She jumped and tapped and jumped some more.
Look at this sweet move!:

The day after we shot, she goes, "I am so sore!" haha!
I think the photo is alright, but I am THRILLED that other
people love it!! Kallie just looks so cool! And that's
nothing that I did... she just is!

A List of Loves...

Things I love:

1. Candles... currently burning "Cinnamon Sticks" and "Apple Pomegranate"
2. Autumn... the smell, the cool air, the color of the leaves and the sky, the nostalgia
3. Sweaters
4. a seasonal spice cup of coffee or tea... meaning, something
that contains cinnamon or pumpkin spice
5. Coffee shops, or anywhere with a fireplace
6. Bookstores... the smell and the atmosphere... I want
to read SO many books that I see....those of you who know me
know that I'm not a big reader because it's difficult for me to focus
long enough to finish a book... but I entertain myself by thinking
I might be able to finish a few books in a week sometime in my
life... all while burning candles in the fall and wearing a sweater while
drinking a spiced cup of tea by a fireplace...
7. Driving with my windows open between 8pm and 10pm.
8. Eating in my car outside a fast food restaurant with my windows down
and radio on. I don't eat fast food much, but sometimes a Wendy's Classic
burger with cheese sounds exactly like what I need... so I order it To-Go
and then sit in the parking lot (I don't like the bright florescent lights
of fast food places, and my car has a more comfy chair than those hard plastic
chairs in the restaurant).
9. Evenings of solitude while doing and enjoying all of the above.
10. Sleeping in... I got to do this today.... it has been SO LONG since
I was last able to do this!
11. Walks with Aaron in the fall.
12. Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn's fall catalogs.
I can't afford anything in them, but they get my head spinning
with ideas.
13. Going "home" in the fall... because my mom always
has candles burning, and it reminds me of when I first went to college
and I'd get to come home on fall breaks and have this wonderful
meal and good family conversation.

oooo....

I pulled over today to wait for the clouds to do something cool... They were already doing neat things... but I think this shot was worth waiting for...

BRRR!!

It's suppose to hit a record low tonight!

35 degrees. Yup.

Tomorrow I'm shooting and outdoor wedding!
At least it's suppose to warm up a bit. Will be 63 degrees
for the high. Fall is here! And now I can edit with
my windows open!! I dislike the COLD cold...I will have a "winter home"
in a warm state, when I retire, perhaps. But fall weather is great (not including the fall weather we're having tonight).

I met with the most wonderful couple last night.
And I love when you meet with a couple and you can just TELL they're going to make it... it's so beautiful. We met at Starbucks and talked for a couple hours, and then I ran into some old high school friends. I sat and talked with Michael and Erik for almost and hour and a half... totally lost track of time. It was wonderful. They're both doing with they love too. It's so awesome when people are doing what they're passionate about. It's inspiring.

When I walked out of the Starbucks, I smelled like coffee, it was dark... the air was brisk...
It reminded me of my college days when I'd go to coffee shops during fall break to meet up with high school friends. In the past, fall usually reminded me of my high school days. Football, and the after parties and the bonfires. And tennis. Night games. Nighttime hot tubbing.... Still does, but the more fall seasons I live, the more yesterdays I have to be nostalgic about.
And in general, fall just seems to be a time of nostalgia. Bittersweet, almost.
But more sweet than bitter.
(Is anyone else singing the song, "Sweet and bitt-ah... bitt-ah and sweEET!" now?
I am probably the only one who knows that song.... so nevermind:))

So now, fall is starting to remind me of some of my college days. There are fall days that feel and smell like when I was in Europe studying for a semester.
I saw France, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy in the fall... and that was incredible. That is where I fell in love with digital photography, too.

The following photo was taken on a fall day, when 4 of my friends an I were strolling in Florence. It was so windy that day! We stopped in a park that had brightly colored leaves blowing everywhere and we just let the wind push us around. Pure bliss.


... Sigh...
:)

Tea and Wedding Photos!

Hey guys!
I know it's been awhile!
Basically, I've been running around to events, AND sittin in this chair editing photos,
so not much time for an update!
I can tell you this... I've been drinking more tea.
A month ago, I read this on the inside of my Sleepytime Tea box:
"Today, heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States and kills more women than all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer."

Wow... that really hit me when I read it.

It goes on to say,
"Often all that's needed to combat heart disease is a commitment to a healthier lifestyle: exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, and eating a heart-healthy diet. Research shows that drinking just two cups of black tea a day provides as many heart-healthy flavonoids as one serving of fruits and vegetables. Green and white teas also have high levels of antioxidants."
(Red tea also has antioxidants.)
I didn't know what flavonoids were, so I looked them up:
"Any of a large group of water-soluble plant pigments that are beneficial to health. Flavonoids are polyphenols and have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. They also help to maintain the health of small blood vessels and connective tissue, and some are under study as possible treatments of cancer. Also called bioflavonoid." (dictionary.com)

There are many different types of tea... if you don't like one kind, try another.
My current fave (what I'm drinking right now) is Red Earth's Sweet and Spicy tea. Here are a few others I drink:


(Yup, I have two kinds of before-bed tea.)

So, even if you're a guy, the antioxidants are super good for you... so I encourage you all to drink tea! (or, eat antioxidant-filled foods!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, as I promised, here are some more of my favorites from my wedding a year ago!
It doesn't seem like a year ago... but at the same time, it does... so strange.
Keep in mind I'm not showing ALL of my fave pics... That would be a LOT!!!
(Thanks again to Brad and Jessica Person for wonderful pics.)
Brad and I both edited these....(cuz I love editing:)).

Gettin my hair done:


Makeup is done, hair almost finished (I really started to get butterflies here!):


Me, happy, arriving at the church:


Going to meet Aaron!:


I had tons of fun playing with this one... Aaron has it on his desk at work now:)


Ok, so I'm a bit nervous and exited, all at once!!


Thank goodness for the breeze... it was 100 degress that day, PLUS tons of humidity!


One of my favorite pics of Aaron and I meeting for the first time:



My little cousin flower girls!


My flowers!!


My bridesmaids... such beauties!


I was taking it all in, watching the formal pics take place:


My friend Johanne arrives! Love our expressions... both excited for the big day:


Waiting for our time!:


My dad... so handsome!


Also very handsome! ow ow!




Aaron and I both went to the same high school (but didn't know each other at the time) and played cello under the same conductor. "Mr. H" is wonderful. He's at the piano, playing a piece he arranged... "In Christ Alone (My Hope is Found)" for vocal, piano, and string quartet. Our friends played and sang so well...


Some outdoor fun!
I was told, pre-wedding day, we couldn't use the golfcarts.
One of the groomsmen, Steve, is a smooth talker. He was told he could take three
golf carts..

Steve: "So we took... um... five."


It was fun... (me, laughing obnoxiously, as usual... haha!)



Hot sun!!


Yeah... it was REALLY hot out... so staying in the shade was a good plan!:)


Meanwhile, the reception was just about to start... I couldn't wait to see it...
my aunt designed the whole thing, and some of my family helped put it all together...
I was SO impressed... it was so beauitiful!



A bridesmaid's bouquet! So pretty! (Aaron's uncle owns a flower shop,
so we obviously went through him!)


Clinging glasses = kiss.


After the quartet finished, our friend Dave played some AMAZING dinner music,
Billy McLaughlin style. (After Dave finished, Mr. H. played jazzy piano...
our whole day was filled with wonderful music!)


My amazing Personal Attendant, Marie, is happy for Aaron and me:


Some friends!!
Annie (who looks more like Spiderman's girlfriend than I do;) You know you do, Annie!), Steph (whom I photograph weddings with!) and Sara!:

A first dance with the hubby:


A dance with the dad (I arranged to have Mr. H. play a jazzy "You Are My Sunshine," cause my mom always used to sing it to me... when she realized what song it was,
she was just a tear bucket! :)