It's that Time Slipping by Thing Again!

2015. How did that happen? The obvious answer is one day at a time; one moment at a time. Is it just my perception or are those moments and days slipping by faster and faster as I age.

My 2014 book of blog posts which I print ever year and give to my daughters, will be thin indeed. But as I stated before, it wasn't for lack of stories to tell, it was lack of time to sit down and write them!

The first three months were quiet as far as photography was concerned. It gave me more time, with the encouragement of a friend, to make progress on writing my memoir, From Australia with Love. My goal was to write about 3000 words a week which I did for quite a while. I was even inspired to join a writers' group called the Wordsmiths. We meet once a month and critique one another's work. It also made me realize what an undertaking it is to write my own memoir when others start reacting to it and making suggestions for revision. I teach others to write memoir and over the last three years, it's been fun and inspirational teaching two eight-week sessions from January through April, but I don't have time in class or between classes (until 2014) to write myself.

March blew in and with it a resurgence in photography. Seniors and their families realize these young people are about to graduate and perhaps leave the nest. They decide it's time to get photos of these precious days. And seniors like locations, primarily parks, but again this year I had a senior who was able to talk Korum Ford into loaning him a Dodge Charger, just for photos.  A couple years before his brother borrowed a Ford Mustang Convertible. Photo shoots where people bring their own creativity and personality into the picture are my favorites. I also did more boudoir photography this year. One of my clients had access to horses and a barn as well as classic cars. This was a session that took two days to complete, but it was well worth the effort. The results were stunning.

With the help of Shelly and Vee, we shot 11 weddings and three military balls. The military balls were interesting and educational. Each company had its own culture and character, but all were moving with regard to  ceremonies and recognition of valor.

Family photography is still my mainstay throughout the year. Many families return for milestone events in their lives and their children's' lives. About one third of my 109 clients were returning for additional photo sessions. I'm so happy they like the results. I now  have over 35,000 photos on my website and at times I look at those pictures and am a little awestruck that I was able to capture such a special moment in someone's life. What a blessing!

I continued my involvement as Treasurer of my Sumner IG P.E.O. women's' group which raises scholarship funds for women to continue their education. This group of sisters has grown to include some of my best friends, because I suggested the group to them and because those who were already there have become good friends. And it's just plain fun!

A huge accomplishment this year was receipt of the IRS determination letter for Friends At Your Metro Animal Shelter (FAYMAS), a non-profit started by Chris Lynch and me. Our mission is increase pet adoptions, improve the quality of shelter animals' lives, and promote spay and neuter for animals in our local public shelter. Once we received the determination, we scrambled to create the non-profit. It's very similar to starting a small business with lots of details and logistics to consider. But by year-end, we had our board, a strategic plan, bylaws, a website, a Facebook presence, 56 members and most importantly, we had helped to raise $3000 for an ongoing cat kennel project and directly gave another $2390 to the shelter to help with the same project. Since we were able to accomplish all that in about three months, just think what we'll do in 2015!

I see my sister, Lore, about once a month or so. She lives in Tukwila and even though it's not that far, time gets away from us. We talk often and she catches me up on what's happening with her five children. As one who is very frugal with her money, she's managed to accumulate enough frequent flyer miles so that she and her oldest daughter, Nicolette, will be heading for Hawaii in April to visit Lore's son, Kevin,  and his family and her youngest daughter, Nanette, and family. Wish I could go.

My daughters, Courtney and Kendall and their families, continue to do well. Courtney is not only working at Children's Hospital in Seattle as a supervising nurse, she's also working in Puyallup at Good Samaritan on a per diem basis. Her daughter, Karina came to visit a couple times this year which is always a treat. Hard to believe she's a senior at Bob Jones University this year. We got reacquainted with her in her freshman year. It's that time slipping by faster and faster thing again. Ron had an adventure working in Alaska for about a month, but is home now recuperating from knee surgery. Ben is just as much fun as ever, but I can't believe he turned four years old.

In mid-December, Courtney informed me they have decided to move to Montana. Ron grew up there and they love the lifestyle it affords for themselves and for Ben. Ron's daughter, Marissa, lives in the area they are considering also. I'm sad, of course, and can't imagine not having them nearby, even if we don't see each other all the time, but they have to do what's best for their family.

Kendall and Jon moved at the end of the year also, but not far away. They're now in a new development in Bonney Lake and loving it. Jon's not fond of the commute to Boeing being a bit further and Kendall is trying to figure out how to cut down on her commute to Puyallup, but things have a way of working out well for this family.

Scott's children, Summer and Steve have prospered this year. Steve has a new position as a construction superintendent with a company that builds multi-million homes. His best news is that he's found the love of his life in Kelly and they've settled with Trent into a lovely home in Tacoma. The commute for both of them to Bellevue isn't much fun, but they're making the best of it for now.

Summer is still working for the Wright family in Seattle a few days a week and Michael's advertising company is doing very well. Grandchildren Margo, five and a half, and Addison, who just turned 10 are now on the same school schedule, so that's a relief for their mom and dad.

Devon and Laurel, Scott's oldest son and wife, live in Katy, Texas. Their days a filled with work, a dog, fishing and enjoying life.

On the home front, Scott continues to sleep a lot. In fact we're headed to the Sleep Study clinic tomorrow to see if he can tolerate a CPAP machine. His pulmonologist is getting pretty stern with him about his sedentary life style. When he is up, it's all about his recording studio. One of these days, he may actually record someone! Perhaps that's what 2015 will bring. It will also bring a 70th birthday for me and a 71st for Scott.

How did that happen?! It's that time slipping by thing again. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Where have all the Blog Posts Gone?

My book of blog posts for this year will be a bit thin. With only ten posts this entire year, you would think I have nothing to write about. Not true. My life has been so full, something had to be placed on the back burner and unfortunately, it's been my blog.

The memoir writing classes I taught between January and May were exceptional. I've been privileged to meet interesting women with histories rich and varied. Although not just a class for women, it seems women are more interested in preserving their lives in memoir than men are - or at least that's been my experience in the last three years of teaching at the Puyallup Senior Center. One woman in particular is certainly worth mentioning. She turns on her writing instrument like a faucet and out flows remarkable stories of her past accompanied by words of wisdom and descriptions so sumptuous you can taste them. Jacquie is also an animal lover and because of that - we have a lot in common. We've also become friends.

Although my blog suffered this year, I did begin writing my own memoir in earnest, From Australia with Love. It didn't occur to me this might be seen as a take-off on the movie, From Russia with Love. It's not. Instead it's a story about young love, all facets of it, fraught with poor judgment and failed attempts to get it right. I made great progress between January and April and even joined a writers' group, the Wordsmiths. They've helped me revise and refocus, but even with their help, once photography season opened, progress ceased.

 I was off with camera in hand to shoot weddings, families, high school seniors and a few boudoir sessions. It is a passion that enables me to be in the moment, concentrating on each person, looking for a nuance that speaks to their personality and hopefully recording something memorable in the process. I must admit, I enjoy looking back at the photos I've taken because I can relive the memories we created together and I often marvel at what I was able to capture.

Photography also introduced me to the Metro Animal Shelter where I've taken photos almost weekly for two and a half years of pets that are up for adoption. Of course that's resulted in adoptions of my own. Dog Charlie and cat Tot now lead the life - not of Riley, but with Riley, a cat we already adopted from my daughter, Courtney and family. And becoming involved with the shelter led to the creation of a non-profit, FAYMAS - Friends At Your Metro Animal Shelter. Chris Lynch and I started the paperwork in the fall of 2013 and this summer were granted the non-profit status by the IRS. Now we're scrambling to set up the organization. We have a board of five - all incredible women: Roxanne Pollard is our secretary, Jennifer Waalkes our treasurer, and Trudi Bocott our public relations director.

My family does get some of my time, probably not as much as they should. Scott's health remains an issue, but his recording studio is making progress and should be back in operation soon thanks to his son, Steve, and his engineer, Jimmy. Courtney and Ron have experienced ups and downs with Ron's health again this year, but they always have time for Ben, who turned four years old in September. How did that happen! Kendall and her family are off on a new adventure, selling their home and moving to a new community, Tehaleh. Micah will be four years old soon and Gracie, sweet Gracie is a rambunctious 18 month old.

And so it goes... If my blog suffers, my life certainly hasn't. I continue to be blessed beyond words. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com