Photo Tricks

Hi!

It's snowing!

I think Winter heard me talking smack because we just got a snowstorm and another one is on the way. Haha! 

I had to get my snowblower out of hibernation!

It feels nice. It's only February.

It's February 22nd! Shout out to my mom! Mary Wais is 70 years old today! Happy Birthday, Mom! Thanks for all you do.

She is quite the woman.

Okay back to business.

On Friday the Copper Harbor school took a field trip to Mont Ripley ski hill. I went there last year with the kids and had B try snowboarding for the first time. 

I had so much fun with him last year that I bought him a snowboard setup: board, boots and bindings in hopes that we would get out, and I could teach him.

Mind you, this is the first thing I have really pushed on him that he did not already express interest in. Because, really, if he doesn't want to do something, he's not going to. That's why I nurture his interests instead.

But snowboarding is one of my interests. That's why I moved up here 17 years ago. To snowboard at Mount Bohemia!

To think that I might have a little shredder was really exciting to me. 

I was stoked to have him try his new gear on Friday. It was even a beautiful sunny day (cuz it was still Inter). Well, I made the mistake of parking us by the T-Bar lift. 

Why was that a mistake?

Because it mesmerizes him.

Like the waves on Lake Superior.

He can sit there and watch it all day. All day! I am not exaggerating! I got him on his board two or three times to slide down the beginner area with me. And he was doing really well!

But I think he was tired and preferred to be entertained.

The T-Bar did the trick. The rest of the time, he watched people go up, and to his credit, he was a charmer. He waved to them as they went by, and some of them loved that he was there. It was pretty cute.

Plus, he did his body spasm each time the bar passed under the lift pole, so I knew he was engaged. He watched it sitting up. He watched it laying down. He watched it while doing little spin moves in the snow.

That was great, but I was bored.

So I went up the T-Bar a couple times, so he could wave as I went by. Then I rode down to him from a little farther up. I hoped it would inspire him to ride, and it did once, but then he was over it.

Here is something I think is funny.

I snapped this picture of him. He was just doing his favorite activity, so I captured it.

T-Bar squatter

Then, when I couldn't take it anymore, I passed the baton to his teacher, and she watched him for a bit while I took some real runs with this super hunky ski patrol guy (aka, my sweet Esa). Ha!

His teacher took this picture of him.

Photo credit Miss Jill

Way to go, Miss Jill! She is so good at making him get a move on and making memories. 

I love that picture. It gives me hope.

And that shot makes it look like he was king of the hill that day. If I would have posted that on social media with no caption, people would think I had a little shredder.

But it would have been a trick. Ha!

Because I have a little T-Bar watcher.

And that's okay.

Because at least he's comfortable being himself.

Speaking of... guess who's the star of yesterday's podcast episode? 

Brady P! 

If you have me in your podcast app, it's in the queue. If you don't have an app, click here to find the audio file at the bottom. "Brady P. & Mama: On a Mission" is the title.

I might recommend you have a tissue handy. It's a real tearjerker. I cried twice while recording it! 

But hey, that's life.

And I am grateful to life it.

Take care, and be good to yourself!

Sloooooow It Down

The first hint of silver lining I got from Braeden's dad, Aaron, when we first discussed the news about Braeden having Down syndrome was when he said, "Well, he won't have to run the rat race."

True.

I hope.

Because I choose not to run the rat race either.  It's a race you can never truly win.  And as I raise that sweet little Brady P., he constantly reminds me, even by what he represents, to slow down.  Life is not a race.

We literally stop and smell the roses when we go past the big bushes at the post office.  He is so stinkin' cute when he crouches and sticks his little nose in them.

Sniffing the first rose of the year!

He takes the time to show me on his fingers which step he just climbed down.  One through eleven.  To me, it takes forever.  For him it is pride and accomplishment... every step of the way.

He chews every bite of food (well, almost every bite) with appreciation and satisfaction.

He still points at all the cars that go by, so I can tell him what color and what kind of car it is.  Oy, all the parked ones too.  

He is just there.  He is in the moment.  I love it because I get to be in the moment too.

How often do you take the time to slow down?  To breathe deeply.  To be grateful.  To take in the beauty around you.  To feel connected to where you are.

Do you ever do it?

I do it a lot.  And I now feel the most amazing, strong, true, peaceful and joyful that I ever have in my life!  Genuinely.  Without just smiling to cover up the sad parts of my life -- because there are none.  Sure, things can happen, but I choose how to react.  I choose whether I hold on to the pain or let it go.  And I choose what is next.

I know what I want out of life, and I will settle for nothing less.

I wanted a macro lens for my camera.  I knew that little piece of equipment would combine my love for wildflowers and colors with slowing down and really paying attention to the moment.  At a focus 25 times what the naked eye can see.

And now, my friend, now I will show you what I can do with that.

Inside a purple iris

Birdsfoot trefoil

Metallic streamer

Orange hawkweed

Crow feather

Do you see what these images do?  They force you to slow down and look at images we take for granted everyday.  Just objects.  Or weeds.

But it is my intention to stick the magic, uniqueness and beauty of these images right in your eyeball.  You can't deny the colors.  The shapes.  The detail.  And, on a lot of the pictures I'm taking, you can't even tell what it is a picture of!  It's like a mind warp as well.  Sober.

Anyway, I am stoked.  I'd like to keep sharing these images with people.  If I can get my act together (because I have nothing else going on, you know), I'd love to be able to print these captivations and sell them through my website, so people can enjoy them on their own wall.  I'll let you know if that ever happens.

In the meantime, just sit back, take a deep breath, and enjoy.