Couple of non-session related things to note:

1. Getting ready for the last Austin workshop this weekend, so I’m going to be away for a few days. In other words, don’t panic if you send me an e-mail and you don’t hear back from me for a while.

2. After that, we get to spend some time with Jim’s kiddos for a while and we are very excited about that. Their cousins are pretty darned excited, too. In case you missed it, I posted an update on Jim PLUS some exciting new limited edition releases for j.imprints!

3. Did you hear that we opened up two more on-the-road workshops this summer? One in St. Louis (which, by the way, is filling up very quickly) and one in TORONTO, Ontario, Canada!!! If you are a professional photographer (or working to be coming a professional family photographer) in/near these areas, see this page to submit an interest form and I’ll make sure you get all of the details.

4. Have you been following my 365 project? I’m proud to say that I have completed the FIRST month! Only 11 more months to go!

5. And don’t forget, you have until Feb 6th to vote for your favorite image in round 1 of Pinkle’s Pic of the year.

We had decided on a particular location for their photo session, but I was yearning to try something new. I’ve been so tired of the dull, lifeless, brown grass thanks to the cold temps and drought conditions. We needed life. We needed color. And so I asked the kind folks at Green ‘n Growing if they would allow us to come in for a few to shoot in their store. They could not have been more kind and accommodating and the greenhouse and plant life were so very beautiful. It’s actually one of my eldest’s favorite garden stores (when he’s shopping for plants and trees to attract butterflies). Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area!

But, I owe most of this to a beautiful family willing to try something new ;-). That little girl couldn’t have been more joyful and more pleasant to work with. She absolutely sparkles and it’s quite obvious that her parents are enamored with her, too. The bubble pics were my fav, of course. In fact, there’s another one posted HERE if you want to see.

Look at little miss’ pinkies in most of these pics. Everything she did was just so delicate and lady-like, and just so. I have about a bazillion more pics of her with that little pinky sticking out. She just makes you want to take a big sigh because all is right with the world. She is a beautiful, perfect addition to her little family. Two other favs shown HERE and HERE.

I don’t think I ever got a chance to blog her mommy and daddy’s maternity session from last year, either:

Every single day, I get asked, “How’s Jim?”

I am floored that people think to ask, considering most everyone in this world is facing their own issues and sadness and challenges.

And yet people care enough to ask.

I am humbled.

But I am sad because I don’t know how to even begin to answer that question, but let’s sum it up like this: he’s still with us and he’s still fighting.

Quite literally the day after we got the horrible news on my husband’s brother, we drove up to be with Jim and his family. I brought my camera with me. We decided to take some pictures. It was the hardest session ever. To be honest, even though we are so blessed to still get to see and talk to Jim, it’s still very hard for me personally to look at these pictures. But, I want to share some with you because you should meet Jim and his family. They are good people. And this is a reminder to you and to myself of what Jim is fighting for…of what is worth fighting for:

It has been an uphill roller coaster since November. We can’t ever really enjoy any downhill thrill. We can’t ever really take a relaxing breath. We just keep creeping up a hill that gets bigger and bigger. We were told the day after Christmas that we might have 3-4 weeks with him. We’ve passed that 4 week mark. But how strangely joyous and sad is it that we are grateful for just a week, just a day when at age 35, you’re expecting to grow old and have grandchildren and maybe even one day, great-grandchildren? Jim’s not technically my brother and it’s not my husband and children who are facing this exhausting battle, but we are all feeling it. We all hurt. We are all scared. We are all hoping.

Jim is trying. He really is. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to try to eat and eat well when the cancer in your liver is making you nauseous all the time. We went back to spend a few days with them a week or so ago. To see these pictures now, it is gut-wrenching to realize the toll the cancer has taken on Jim’s body in mere weeks. I am glad we took those pictures when we did.

In lieu of the standard chemotherapy treatments, Jim has opted for zelboraf (http://www.skincancer.org/news/melanoma/new-zelboraf-study), a newly approved drug to treat advanced melanoma. He’s also completed a series of targeted radiation treatments. In about another month, Jim will get new body scans and tests to determine the effectiveness of his treatments.

And so he fights. And he waits. And we wait.

The hardest part is that after all of this waiting, Jim’s sick leave has finally run out. It is incredibly ironic that they sacrificed so much for so long so that Jim could go to school and get a good job and take care of the family while his wife stayed home to care for their children. And now she needs to work. AND care for the children. AND care for her husband. AND do everything around the house. AND worry. AND plan for the future. AND maintain hope. I think my heart aches the most for her in all of this.

When we launched j.imprints back before Christmas, it was a quick effort to provide some sort of financial relief to Jim and his family while he underwent treatment. The response was overwhelming. Absolutely overwhelming and I can’t comprehend the kindness and concern and support that my clients, friends, family, and even complete strangers have shown to our family through j.imprints. It was tough for Jim’s wife to accept this kind of help, but I also know it has become a nice little safety net…a just in case…a “my kiddos aren’t going to go hungry” kind of relief to her. In addition to that, you managed to help us donate nearly $1000 to the Melanoma Research Alliance! Wow! Thank you!

We want to keep this effort going and so long story short, we have created a limited edition Valentine-themed release of images. PLUS we’ve added iPhone cases and notecards to the lineup. Please take a few minutes to browse j.imprints. Please, see if there’s something there that appeals to you. Please PASS on the link! Share it on Facebook, tweet it, blog it, e-mail it. Since Instagram was pretty much the inspiration behind this project, share images of your j.imprints on Instagram and tag them #jimprints (have you searched the #jimprints tag on Instagram? Oh, I love seeing everyone’s images displayed so beautifully). And again, because I promise I will mention this every time I talk about it on here, get educated on melanoma.

Thank you all again for everything. Every message of encouragement. Every little gift. Every story shared. Your power to uplift is immeasurable.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE 2.14.13

UPDATE 2.7.13: GO HERE TO SEE THE FINALISTS AND SELECT YOUR FAVS FOR ROUND II!!!

There are 48 entries in the running to become Pinkle’s Pic of the Year. These images were selected by the clients themselves for your consideration to become finalists. Here’s how it works:

ROUND ONE – NOW thru midnight central on Feb 6th

• Cast your vote(s) for your favorite image(s) in the poll below between now and by MIDNIGHT CENTRAL TIME ON FEB 6th, 2013.
• You can view each entry larger in THIS GALLERY
• While you can only vote once, you can vote for more than one image (you’re welcome 😉

(Poll not displaying properly? Try THIS link.)

On Feb 7th, 12 finalists will be announced here and on Facebook, selected as follows:

• The top 4 from this online poll
• 4 selected from a panel of professional photographers
• 4 selected by me! (I might even add in a few surprise entries)

Since I literally just finished putting the finishing touches on the prize session for the family that won last year, I figured we ought to go ahead and kick off the 2012 Pinkle’s Pic of the Year contest!!! If you had a session with me at any time during 2012, you should have received an e-mail from me with the contest details and how to enter. If you did not get that e-mail, let me know ASAP as the deadline for entries is Jan 27!! I’ll be posting here and on Facebook once we have the first round of entries all lined up ;-). Meanwhile, enjoy these sneak peaks from their prize for winning last year ;-).

This was my first official photo session of 2013 and I must say, I think we kicked this year off just right. This little guy was a complete angel and watching how easily he has fit into his family was such a blessing. Truthfully, I didn’t want to leave that morning. He was so snuggly and adorable! And the bubble chair? TDF. I definitely need one of those in my house STAT! [My personal fav from this session HERE].

She arrived just in time for the holidays and I would say it’s fairly obvious that she is adored by all in her family. I can see sooooo much of her big brother in her! (Maternity session HERE and my personal fav from the newborn session HERE.

…and I welcome the opportunity to recenter myself and make the most out of you. This year will be about refocusing on the simple pleasures of life, like the sound of the dryer humming in the background or the way my eldest gets so excited over each and every beautiful sunrise or the downy fur my middle son still has or the feel of my daughter’s warm little body when she climbs into bed with us each morning. I am redirecting my energies inward…to my family and friends and myself. I will only do things that are good for my soul and the outlook of others. I will take pride in all that I do and treat every moment as if it were the last of its kind. My glass will be half full…if not completely full…if not positively overflowing.

This marks day one of my three sixty five: a recreation of one of my most favorite images of my kids ever. I can’t think of a better way to kick this off than by getting back to the very source of my purpose and happiness. I invite you to follow along. I also invite you to share your three sixty five if you’re doing one. We have the gift of 364 more days ahead of us this year. Let’s see what we can do with them.