01/05/2025
The last 15 days of 2024…
When we reviewed our holiday calendar, I thought we were making the wrong decision and overwhelming ourselves for wanting to see all of our parents this season.
We spent our days sitting in diners with Shell’s dad hearing how hard Vietnam was for him. We heard stories we had never heard before. We watched him be vulnerable. And we held space for him.
We sat across the table from our Mom’s and heard them tell us stories of how they have survived to be 80 years old. And smile at us like we were newborns.
I slept. I cried. I laughed. I played bingo for 3 hours and had the best time dotting those numbers and praying to win! Literally praying.
We sat in the airport and our flights were cancelled 3xs. But we made it back home.
To Welcome my parents for New Year’s Eve to watch their daughter be…
One of the Official Photographers for the Rose Parade!!!
My parents were cotton pickers from West Texas and my grandmother would bring workers in her pick up truck to the fields for 5 cents a person.
When they saw me in my parade uniform I felt like WE WERE all 3 years old and proud of ourselves.
We all made it to Proud!!
I was proud to be there.
I was proud to be their daughter.
I was proud of myself.
And they were proud of themselves.
Just like that… I realized that is why I needed to see them.
I needed to be reminded my work is more than just photography.
It is like billions of stars turned on for me to see what 2025 will look like for me…
Radiance.
Pride.
Her. Take care of her. Me. Take care of me.
Radiance is our word for 2025..
