Fairytales.

There have been lots of happy, busy things going on around here.

Like moving, and staring tutoring part-time in the evenings, and performing and finishing Cinderella, and getting a wisdom tooth pulled as an emergency procedure right in the middle of moving. Believe me, after the ache, that last one still lands in the "happy things happening" category. Just maybe not the cost part; it's the first year I haven't opted into D-Hubby's student health coverage...we figured there would be no problems this year, just like the other years. Oh boy, we were wrong.

Anyways. Happy, busy things! Right.

One of the happy, busy things I've had the opportunity to do in the past month or two was take engagement pictures for a dear friend from my Hometown and her fiance...who also happens to be from my hometown! They were friends, grew up together. She moved away, got married, had a baby. Her lame-o hubby bailed. And then her Prince Charming returned...ready to sweep her off her feet and treat her and her daughter the way they should have been treated all along.

And they lived Happily Ever After.
(sigh.)

I wanted to share a little of their session. One, because they have a great story. Two, because I really like them and how their pictures turned out. It makes me feel like I'm learning a little something, getting a little better. D-Hubby is taking their wedding photos, he's the real pro. Hopefully these prove he's rubbing off on me a little. Maybe? Maybe.

P.S. There's tons. And I was too lazy to put any side-by-side....so you get them ALL one-by-one, full-size. Haaaa.

Scraps.

The results from a week of getting up early, before my kids:
AWESOME. Seriously. I didn't spend my whole day feeling like I'd forgotten something, and didn't live my days in a state of constant re-action...my days were started with a sense of proaction...and it snowballed. I lost it after that week when Baby-M started teething again and was waking up in the night. But it's definitely worth going back to.

Also:

A radio station I've been listening to lately features a certain "year" of music every weekend.
This weekend was 1998.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

Talk about throw-back.
Wowza.
Madonna's Ray of Light? Brandy's The Boy is Mine? GHETTO SUPERSTAR!!??? Oh, man. I've been in a giant bubble of nostalgia. Almost enough to propel me into another "Music Days" series where I go on and on about the memories attached to each and every musical gem.
But I won't.
I will restrain myself.

Anyways.

I just got back from a rehearsal of Cinderella. I could write a whole post on how much I have loved and loved and loved it....and how much of a struggle it's been to be away from my babies so much in such a short amount of time. But maybe I'll show some restraint there as well....for now, anyways. At least until I have something more interesting to say about it other than I miss my kids.

That is all. Good night.

I Sympathize.

Someone once told me the difference between sympathy and empathy. I don't know if they were "right" or not...but it's stuck with me.
Sympathy is the ability to feel compassion and understanding for someone because you've been in the same situation, experienced the same thing they have. Empathy is the ability to feel compassion and understanding for someone because you can put yourself in their shoes; you may not have experienced the exact same thing they have, but you can see things from their perspective.

D-Hubby is a film photographer. I shoot digital, because even though I was raised on film, I've learned to fear the stuff. It's so intimidating now!

And yet, I've been curious. This past weekend, D-Hubby let me use his camera and an old roll of expired film to play with on a family outing to the mountains. I kept looking at the back of the camera after every shot...and felt silly every time. I thought about each picture, and waited for the right moments. And I was itching to get them developed and see how they actually turned out. I felt like I was fourteen all over again.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an exercise in delayed gratification and patience. And a fun surprise to get the negatives back and watch as family moments---literally, caught on film---lit up the computer screen as the scanner worked away. I liked the messy texture, the grain and the weird contrasts. And maybe I just liked them because I had to, because all those imperfections weren't expecting some Photoshop botox and a trendy heavy-editing outfit. They were just were what they were: Real and Refreshing.

Anyways. I guess all I'm saying is that I get it, Hubby. I get it a little better than I did before. Don't take my digital away from me...but I'll definitely be trading it up every now and then. Just for fun, y'know.

A few tender, grainy moments from the day.

May I point out my Dad rewarding my mom a big victory hug for trekking it all the way up the mountain? Love, baby.

For anyone who cares: shot on a Canon Elan7, on FujiFilm Superia 200. The film is originally colour, but I desaturated them into black-and-whites for this post. The end.