Bedfellows

Well, it's official. Cadence is on the move. In early August, she began army-crawling, dragging her little body across the floor on her elbows, and it didn't take her long to graduate to full-fledged, hands-and-knees crawling. Funny how quickly it happens.

Suddenly the world became a much more interesting place for my young daughter. Instead of feeling immobilized and frustrated, she was now free to explore, and explore she does. She ventures down the hallway to see what's there. She is fascinated with the shelves full of books and dvds, pulling herself up to stand and making sure she leaves her fingerprints on every last one of them. She keeps us busy and entertained with her newfound adventures.

Just last week, I was in the office working on some photos. Cadence was on the floor playing quietly with a few of her toys and listening to music. Behind us, Electra was asleep in her dog bed. I couldn't help but snap a quick photo with my phone at how awkwardly (and soundly) she was sleeping.

I was sort of half paying attention as I sorted through photos. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Cadence crawled over to where Electra lay sleeping. She patted her twice on the head, and then gave one of Electra's floppy ears a squeeze.

"Cadence, be nice to your doggie," I said.

Cadence pulled her hand back. She looked at me, then at Electra (who hadn't even moved). Then, she turned and crawled over to her sippy cup to take a drink.

I turned back to the computer and continued working while Cadence chatted softly to herself. After a few moments, I noticed that it had gottten awfully quiet. I glanced over to where Cadence had been sitting, but she was gone. I turned around to make sure she hadn't returned to harass Electra, and this is what I saw.

Laughing, I grabbed my phone and snapped a quick photo, thankful that Electra's bed had just been washed and that Electra had enough good sense to vacate it before Cadence decided to just climb in on top of her.

Promises, promises

Once again, my blog has been neglected. And once again, I come back to it, trying to figure out a way to keep up, to keep it going, to keep myself from pushing it aside and forgetting it amidst the million other things demanding my time these days. When I'm not trying to keep up with my 7-month-old daughter (who is not only crawling, but also pulling herself up on everything and having her share of spills and head bumps along the way), I am visiting restaurants and writing articles about them for a local magazine, starting up a photography business, and trying to juggle the myriad of other things that need to be taken care of in the meantime.

For awhile, I thought the answer was to change the theme of the blog...to move away from my writing and focus more on my photography, and yet I always end up finding myself going a little stir crazy without writing. Finally moving forward and starting my photography business made starting a photography blog necessary, and I decided keep the two separate. Plus, I've always needed to purge my thoughts on paper at regular intervals to keep my head clear and my soul balanced, so it seems fitting to keep one space dedicated to that alone.

And so, here I am. I've made my way back like a scolded child--penitent, guilty, and ready to begin anew.

Calico Jack's opening

Saturday, Steven and I headed up to the Westgate City Center in Glendale. I was assigned an article on Calico Jack's Cantina, which opened April 29, and was given the opportunity to take some photos to run with the story. For my first time shooting for a magazine, I am pretty pleased with my results. :-)

Keeping track

Electra followed closely behind as Cadence and I headed outside for a quick photo shoot as the sun went down. She immediately picked up the scent of one of the birds that recently vacated the yard and began tracking, nose to the ground, tail fanning the air, making a sound somewhere between a yip and a howl. Cadence turned to get a better look at what was going on.

After watching intently for a few moments, Cadence began to coo and laugh loudly, breaking Electra's concentration. I was shocked, because nothing short of a nuclear attack usually breaks Electra's concentration when she's tracking.

Finally, after exhausting her bird hunt in the yard, Electra worked her way back to where Cadence and I were snapping photos on the patio and, as always, she made sure to take a moment to give her baby a good sniff, just to make sure we didn't trade Cadence for a different baby while she was occupied in the yard. Satisfied, the three of us retreated into the house for the night.

Redirection

Time has gotten away from me, and I have neglected both my writing and my blog. Somehow in the midst of my pregnancy, and the birth of my first child, I just couldn't seem to find the time to keep up. As I settle in now, it's almost as if I am starting again with a fresh perspective. I begin now, intent on capturing life's little moments in words and images. I'm diving into my writing and photography with renewed vigor, and inviting you all along for the ride.

Come on in, and enjoy.