Everyone knows how much I love my dad.  Words can not even begin to express the level of love and appreciation I feel for him.  A common theme I seem to be blogging about lately without even realizing it, is how we are because of others.  It really hit me when I blogged about my sister.  I realized I am so many great things just because of who she is.  I now see this truth everywhere.  I even stumbled upon a greeting card recently that read, “I am because you are.” I thought I wrote that!? Apparently not, it’s an old African proverb!  I love how simple, yet profound, this one statement is.  We are all reflections of each other.  It’s very cool to think about, and very cool to realize the great importance your life can hold if you believe this to be true and use it for good.

I write today about my Uncle Al.  It’s his birthday and I’m wowed when I think about how many people are because of him.  He is, and has always been, a man of great character.  He’s honest, kind, caring, down-to-earth, super funny, generous, an amazing father, a fantastic uncle, a faithful husband of 60 years!, sweet, charming and just an overall great guy.  Uncle Al is somebody you instantly want to hang out with.  He bends over backwards to make sure you feel good.  Whether you know my Uncle Al for 5 minutes or for many years this is just the way he operates.  Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” She must have met my Uncle Al!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Al.  It’s no wonder you are my dad’s brother. I’m pretty convinced many of the things I love about my dad are because of you!

This is the DeVivo family.  I meant to blog about them a long time ago but somehow time always gets away from me!  Does anybody else have that problem?! Anyway, today is the perfect day to blog about this family since it’s Kelly’s birthday!  She’s the pretty blonde in the pictures and has been my very best friend since 7th grade. We totally look out for one another and our husbands often joke that when they pass, we’ll finally get to be together!  We have literally gone through everything together and I’m so lucky to have her in my life.  I love her kids to pieces and she couldn’t have picked a better husband.  Happy, Happy Birthday, Kel!  You are so special to me.  I send something like this to you last year, but it bares repeating…here’s what a BFF (best friend forever!) means to me:

they never judge you

they are always happy for you

they are a shoulder to laugh on, cry on and even puke on (disgusting I know, but true!)

they always have the best advice

they are there for you through thick and thin

they get along with your husband and all your friends

they go on adventures

they walk by your side whenever you need them most

they never give up on you

they convince you to choose happiness always

they will tell you you need skinny jeans but allow pajama jeans from time to time

they know you to your core

they will be in your life forever

This is what Kelly means to me.  How lucky am I?!  Happy Birthday, Best Friend!

Dear Liam,

You are one my favorite people in the entire world!  Today you are two whole hands old!!  How the heck did that happen?  You were the hardest baby ever, but have become the most incredible boy I’ve ever seen.  Your heart is so big, I’m sure it can move mountains.  Here’s a snapshot of your life right now…

You still love pancakes

You love Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread

You’re hoping for an iPod touch

You love playing basketball in your room

Everyday you eat a buffalo chicken sandwich for lunch

You love hot buffalo pretzels

You are super kind to your brothers and they use that to their advantage

You love staying up late

You’re still cuddly and loving

You gave up your favorite pillow for lent and let me borrow it

You’re beyond generous and we all love you dearly!  Happy, Happy Birthday, Liam.  I’m super glad you’re ours!

I couldn’t resist posting this!  It’s another great idea that I found on the web.  My son Owen had to do a visual for a George Washington project at school and what’s better that this?!  You even get to eat it after!  I just love all the creative ideas that people are willing to share on the web. We had so much fun making this project and all it took was pancake mix, one grape and whipped cream.  Thanks, Jill from KitchenFunWithMy3Sons.Com, for sharing your creative idea.  I don’t think our portrait came out as good as yours, but you certainly brought fun to my family.  It’s amazing how much George’s face does kind of look like a pancake!!  On an interesting note, while I was surfing the web for ideas for this project, I discovered that there was a man born in 1883 named George Washington Pancake!

I blogged about a favorite aunt a while back, here’s another.  Meet Aunt Fran.  She was a highlight in my childhood.  She was the aunt that would spoil me and my sister like crazy.  Trash bags full of toys at Christmas was her staple.  She is my mom’s sister and the only one of her twelve siblings that lives here in the United States.  We’d see her and her husband, my Uncle Claude, for every Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus visits on the side.  They were our tradition growing up.  I reminise about her today because it’s her birthday.  I hope she knows the special place she holds in my heart.  Happy Birthday, Aunt Fran!  You are another great example of the power each of us has to affect another.  I strive to be a better aunt because of you!

Twelve years ago today the first of my three sons was born.  His name is Quinn and this is a picture of him then, and now.  This is a darling way to portray the past and present in one single image.  My girlfriend Brenda is always sending me photos for inspiration — she was my pinterest before pinterest was pinterest!  She recently sent me one of a bride holding a photograph of herself young that caught my eye and is the inspiration for this post today.  It had a lifetime of emotion wrapped into one single frame.  Gotta love that as a photographer!  Looking at Quinn here, juxtaposed to his baby picture, makes me fall in love with him all over again.  I see, in this one picture, twelve years of our journey together as mom and son.  The yummy sweetness that he was next to the sweet sincere boy that he has become makes something deep in my heart beat.  Everyone needs to try this idea!  Happy birthday, sweet Quinn.  May I always remember to look at you in this way.

I love fun ideas.  I love being inspired.  I am constantly in awe of the world around me.  I see new ideas in everything.  The talk of the town these days is the new website, Pinterest.  It’s absolutely fab!  It’s all these great ideas displayed on one giant virtual pin board.  Brilliant if you ask me! I saw this valentine card idea there and just had to try it.  I love when people are willing to share their ideas.  I’m truly grateful for this.  My life has changed dramatically because of kind people willing to share.  Whether it’s sharing tips on motherhood or cool tips on photography, I am better because of others.  This is the essence of Pinterest to me.  We are better together than we are alone period!  I hear the founder of Pinterest is one great guy and I bet he formed the whole company based on this idea?  One little idea can spark many.  I say share, share, share! I think too often in our society people are afraid to share their ideas for fear of being copied.  Nobody can be anybody else, this I know for sure.   So although I understand this mentality, I think it’s incorrect.  We need to follow more of the philosophy that smart people like Albert Einstein have been talking about for years, “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”  Heck even the bible tells us, “give and it will be given unto you.”  ”Ideas multiply when you share them” says renowned Irish author, George Bernard Shaw.  I love this philosophy and believe it’s one of the great truths of the world!  May today be the day we remember to give more than we get.

Boy do I love this family!  Holly (the pretty one in the middle!) is not only a great friend, but a constant source of inspiration in my life.  We both started our businesses at around the same time: I, with a camera strapped around my neck, and she with a tool belt around her waist.  We’d talk about our dreams and egg each other on like good girlfriends do.  I never doubted she’d soar, and I have a feeling she never doubted that for me, either.  But we do doubt that for ourselves, don’t we?  That’s why friends like Holly are priceless.  Thanks for helping me believe in myself, Holly!  I’m so excited for your success and can’t wait to see what your future holds.  As computer savvy as I am, I’m still not sure how to link sites.  So do me a favor and check out Holly’s success at www.downtoearthstyle.blogspot.com.  She’s doing what she was born to do.  Way to go, Holly!  By the way, we shot this picture in the fall, when her parents were visiting from Utah.  She misses them a lot so it was a joy to be able to capture a piece of them here for her.  It’s no wonder where Holly gets her good looks!  That’s her cute husband Mark in the picture, too, a total gem.  He’s the type of guy you die to bring home to your mother.  He’s seriously that great!  It’s his birthday today…so a big shout out to him.  Thanks for your friendship! And last but not least, her twins, Ben and Luke. Two of my son Owen’s very best friends.  They’ve been growing up together, you can’t get anymore special than that.  Ben and Owen share a love for everything boy: rough-housing, guns, swords and the great outdoors (poison ivy included!)  are probably at the top of their list.  Luke has more of a calming effect on Owen; he’s the type of friend you can sit and relax with.  Who doesn’t love a friend like that? Building legos and sitting inside with an art project are probably at the top of their list.  Both boys provide Owen with the perfect balance.  Thanks, Ben and Luke, for your gift of friendship to Owen.  He thinks you’re both very cool!

This family makes me happy.  They brighten the world with whom they are.  Natalie (the mom) is probably one of the best moms I’ve ever seen.  She loves her kids deeply and is 100% present in their presence.  A huge feat in our busy world.  Anthony (the dad) is one-of-a-kind!  He’s perhaps one of the nicest guys I know.  His whole self beams with warmth.  What a pleasure to know them both.  Their kids are amazing.  I’ve been lucky enough to see them grow.  Gabe is smart, super nice to his sisters, has a sweet calm demeanor, he loves his stuffed animal, Charlie, and has one of the best smiles I’ve ever seen.  Brooke is a love; she was definitely born with a heart of gold.  And Rachel, their baby, is silly, fun and I’m sure one day will be a world explorer.  Much love to the Sullo family.  Thank you for allowing me to continue to capture your family year after year.  This particular shoot ended on one of the sweetest notes ever with Brooke proclaiming, “I Love You, Amy.”  Can my job get any better?  May you keep your heart of gold forever, Brooke!

This is me and my older sister, Tina.  It’s one of the few pictures of us this small.  In fact, as I look at it now, its the only one of me this small I’ve ever seen.  I yell at my parents all the time for not taking enough pictures.  I treasure this picture.  It’s a window into my life 42 years ago.  A curtain unveiled.  A peek into yesterday.  What besides photography can do this?  Our minds can to a degree, but memories get muffled, photographs don’t.  Yes, they may look muffled, but of course, that’s just the wear on the paper, much like the wear of our bodies to our souls, the real thing is intact.  For this is the power of photography. I’m so happy this picture survived.  It’s a true snapshot into the relationship I had with my sister.  She took care of me.  She’s a teacher by trade and I was her start.  She taught me everything I needed to know.  Of course she didn’t know this at the time and perhaps still doesn’t realize it.  I am, because she was.  The power every human being has on another is profound.  I just read an article about the biggest threat to teens these days is not drugs or alcohol, but instead, the absence of positive role models.  This surprised me only because I think we tend to forget how powerful each of us is.  My sister was a phenomenal role model. Her creativity inspired me, her generosity showed me the way, her smarts made me believe maybe I was smart too, her kindness taught me to be kind, her humor put thousands of smiles on my face, her good character made me make good choices and so on and so forth.  I can literally go on and on.  My favorite movie of all time is, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  I tear up every time when George realizes the effect his life has had on others.  Tina has had a huge affect on my life.  I hope you are all as lucky to have someone so special.  Happy Birthday, Sis!