Christiana Childers Photography Blog

Boo!

Those who know me know I’m a huge U2 fan so I’m feeling sorry for myself that I’m missing their concert yet again, which is happening tonight.  I just feel like I can never justify the expense of it but then am always so sad when I don’t go.  What to do?!  Anyway, they had a live stream of the concert at the Rose Bowl on Sunday and so my friend Ryan had the idea of projecting it and watching it.  It was pretty darn good, actually.  I got to sit on my comfy couch with my dog and didn’t fight traffic on the way out.  I know it’s not better than being there but I’m trying to make myself feel better, OK?!

Ryan and Bono (taken with iPhone…just wanted to let you know that so you don’t judge my photography on this one… )  -

The rain today is hardly bothering me.  I’m still enjoying the glow from spending my weekend in the “Palm Springs of Washington”.  That’s right, my hometown – Yakima, Washington.  I haven’t been to Yak for many years now because my parents moved away my Senior year of High School so I didn’t have the pull back to my hometown like I would have if they’d stayed.  But we have some dear friends, the Erickson’s, that still live there and, before kids, we got to visit them quite a bit with Scott and Mary (our friends, their daughter/son-in-law!).  Well, it’s been far too long since we’ve made the trek.  My youngest hasn’t even been to Yakima before!  Shame on me!  I was rolling in nostalgia this weekend like never before because I was watching my kids do the same things at our friend’s home that I used to do at their house when I was a kid.  I realized that there isn’t a place like that other than the Erickson’s house for me because my parents no longer live in the home I grew up in.  What a treat to watch them play on swings, playing in the leaves and help with the cider making process!  The cider was a big reason why we went over this weekend, btw.  Here are some shots of the cider press and process (the very one I threw apples into as a kid!)  –

Kids at play making mud pies, playing in the leaves….just like I did!

I’m sure this is the very tricycle I rode! (Is this getting old for anyone yet?  Well, I don’t care! I’m enjoying myself!).

The kids thought it’d be fun to roast apples and it turned out to be a big hit.  A new tradition started, I think.

Aunt Pat has a fabulous antique/garden shop out of the Carriage House called Country Garden Antiques.  She specializes in things for the garden but has something for everyone in her shop.  I always come away with a few treasures.   I picked up some of my favorite pottery (Emma Bridgewater) for myself  and a couple gifts.  Here’s some shots of the shop.  If you are ever in the area, I’d recommend a drop-by.

I haven’t yet mentioned that my husband also grew up coming to the Erickson’s for Apple Press so this place also has a special place in his heart AND it is where we had our wedding reception!

The older boys, being boys, thought it’d be fun to bash apples.  We decided that men, instead of having a combined IQ when together their IQ actually goes down.  I mean this with the greatest respect.  I was laughing just as hard as the rest of them!  Here is a shot of Ben apple bashing…right before it sprayed all over me!

And a group shot!  Thank you Pat and Fred, Scott and Mary and Robbin and Maria for a most fabulous and restful weekend!

Lastly – the house I grew up in…on Memory Lane (just joking!).  Isn’t it cute!

C and M are the kind of kids that when I’m around them make me mourn that my little ones are getting big.  They are so sweet and fun and funny and cute!  They call me “Sugar” but it sound a bit more like “Suddar”  I have to bite my knuckles because of cute!

Here are some shots from our session -

Can you guess what their dad was saying to them for this picture?

Yesterday I had one of those mornings.  You know the kind that you reserve your big swear words for?  That’s right “krauss* !” …the big one.  I don’t know why I get so rattled.  I shouldn’t.  I’m not trying to cure cancer or anything.  And, to be fair, that’s what I should reserve the swear words for – “Krauss you cancer!”  Anyway, it was just a frustrating waste of time.  Here’s what happened.  I told my brother I’d meet him in Seattle to photograph some of his latest jobs (he is a fantastic cabinet maker – www.tamarackwoodworks.net if you need a new kitchen or custom built-ins, he’s your guy! And I’m not just saying that ‘cause he’s my brother! More on that later…) in Eastlake and Queen Anne.  So I loaded up all my gear, dropped off the girls at school and headed over the bridge to Seattle (in morning traffic, btw.  Krauss.) and got most of the way across the lake when I discovered that I’d gathered all the gear except my camera! Krauss! So still had to go over the bridge as you can’t pull a ‘U’y on Lake Washington and headed back through traffic to home (side note: phone almost dead, car almost out of gas and blinking for an oil change #&^!* Krauss!).  Get home and fly into the office where I think I left the camera and it isn’t there.  Panic – “Where did I put it?! “What’s wrong with me?!” “Do I have cancer?!!!” KRAUSS! Do you want to know where it was? IN THE CAR!!! I had thrown my giant bag over is so I didn’t see it.  Krauss.  Krauss.  Krauss.  Back to Seattle.  Get to where I need to be 1 hour late.  My bro is meeting me there after picking up the key for the first shoot at his office.  He gets to the office and the key isn’t there.  So now I’m in Seattle waiting while he is searching for the key.  Sigh.  It was one of those mornings.

But do you ever find a surprise in mornings like this that make it if not just OK but even worth it?  Where God is just telling you to chill out?!  It turned out like that for me.  First of all, drop yourself anywhere in Seattle and within a two block radius you’ll be able to find coffee.  Good coffee!  And I do love coffee.  So I found some coffee and headed back down to the water to wait for my brother.  My frustration from the morning slipped away as I sipped coffee and I was treated to this view.

If all the other stuff didn’t happen I would have efficiently made it though my morning without getting the time to smell if not the roses at least the coffee!  Plus I saw 4 Bald Eagles at close range.  Well, they were the same two Bald Eagles that I saw on my way back in forth over 520 but still.  How often does that happen?

Now a quick note about my bro’s work.  Here are a couple of photos I took of his work for someone who is well known locally in the NFL scene!  My brother’s company did lots of custom built-ins and cabinetry for him and his family – here are just a couple examples (kitchen and closet).

Not bad, huh?!  Oh yeah.  He’s good.

*krauss became adopted as a “bad word” when my daughter was telling me about the bad words she knew from school (she was in 1st grade at the time – before we lived in Ireland obviously!) - “shut up” and “stupid” being a couple she had heard and then she knew another one that she didn’t want to tell me.  I said “It’s OK, Honey.  You’re not going to get into trouble.  I just want to know what you know so I can explain what they mean and why we don’t say them.”  And then I braced myself.  With a little more encouragement she bravely said “krauss”.  So I replied, “Oh yeah.  We don’t say that.”

If so, turn back now!   Ok….but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Still alive?  Is she cute or what??!  Here are some more….. if you dare.

Ben met these friends through work.  They have just had their first child and, just a couple of days after the photoshoot, flew off to India to introduce her to the rest of the family.  I’m sure they are now over the moon for her!  I mean how can you not be charmed by this one? 

She was always grabbing her feet so I took a lot of those perfect little feet. 

Dang, I love my job….Travel safe friends!

I’ve been sitting here struggling with how to describe to you what my cousin Miriam means to me as I share these photos from her wedding.  “Cousin” just doesn’t come close to describing my bond to Mir though if you know me you know what a bond that is.  “One of my favorite people” is closer, “one of the easiest person for me to be around” is yet closer, but still not perfect.  I guess the best thing I can think of is to tell you that when I tell my friends about Mir and they’ve never met her, I feel genuinely sorry for them because I know their lives would be much richer if they did.  This is how I want to introduce her to you…oh yeah, and did I tell you that she is not ugly?

 See what I mean?! 

I’m so happy for her and happy to finally get to meet Larry who seems to evoke the same love and loyalty in his people as Mir does from her’s.  Here’s a few more shots from the day…

They got married in this beautiful spot in Starkville, Mississippi where Larry is from. 

Sigh….It was a beautiful day.

Congratulations Mir and Larry! I love you!