Smart Fortwo

I drive this little guy called a Smart Fortwo. We've had it for two years and it definitely is the car that generates more smiles to the mile. When not thinking about which vehicle I'm driving (every retired couple needs three vehicles don't you think?), I'll see other drivers or folks on the sidewalk smiling and pointing and wonder what it is about me that's so special. Then I wake up and realize, it's not me - it's the car. Oh well...

There are more Smart Cars in the Seattle area than in South Puget Sound. Perhaps it's because South Center is the location of the only dealership in four states. Or perhaps drivers less fearless than we, are afraid to drive one this far south. I've seen a couple around Puyallup and when we spot each other, there's an immediate common bond, a honk, a wave, an instant brother/sisterhood. We'd probably be sharing phone numbers, family pictures, and setting up coffee dates, if it weren't for the fact we're driving in opposite directions.

It's not unusual for me to put on a quick Smart Car seminar wherever I park and make eye contact with someone and the ask how I like it. "I love it! Can't beat the parking. I haven't tried backing into the curb, but it's one of those things on my bucket list." I'm always asked about the gas mileage. "Over 40 miles to the gallon. This is the car I almost run out of gas because it's so long between fill-ups and I'm very fast at the gas pump. Only takes 8 gallons."

"Do you really take it on the freeway and aren't you afraid you'll get run over?" I respond that we really drive it on the freeway - even all the way to Seattle. Drivers can't stand being behind me on the inside lane even when I'm doing the speed limit - which is unusual. I usually speed. There's something about this little car leading the pack that promotes an alpha male response. They have to get around and ahead of me. I move over.

We've been thinking about having the little guy "wrapped" to help advertise. Something creative and as unforgettable as the car. What do you think about the Sumo example? Catchy! Not sure how it equates to the photography business, but it would definitely make an impression, don't you think? And by the way, this vehicle can carry heavy cargo!

On the other hand, looks like I'll be getting into the wedding photography business in 2011. We may just have to get another little vehic (the short version of vehicle) so we'll have a bride and a groom.

Suggestions for a vehicle wrap for us? Want a ride? Give me a call, leave a comment here or email: bonnieleeking@msn.com
www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Christmas Eve

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house... it was pretty quiet until Ron, Courtney, baby Ben, dachshund Murphy, Jon, Kendall (baby Micah is still cookin'), Michael, Summer, Addison, Margo, Janine & Joel arrived! They all brought lots of love and laughter along with food and wine. Ron served as the chef and Courtney, his sous chef.

I was able to sneak out for an hour in mid-afternoon to attend a Christmas Eve candlelight service at Lighthouse with Jon & Kendall. We almost didn't get a seat, it was so crowded. The service was lovely, the music beautiful and the message timeless. It was about forgiveness and reconciliation. 

Back at the King-Haverly Ranch, the ham was basted, potatoes peeled and mashed, carrots sweetened. Jon hid the barbecue-sauced weenie weenies in the crock pot behind him, so no one else could have any. The obligatory veggie tray was set out, so folks could have healthy choices, but of course, the deviled eggs and chips & dip, along with white and red wine were favorites before dinner. I normally don't drink wine because I have an allergic reaction to the histamines and immediately sound like I have a cold. However, good neighbors, Janine and Joel, brought a light white wine that even I could enjoy without so much as a sneeze!

After dinner we had an additional guest - Santa Claus - came just to bring presents to the kids. Mr. Claus was also a little concerned about how our dog, Bella, would react. He'd had an unfortunate encounter with a big dog before. Bella was fine with him; somehow, he smelled familiar. We were also a little concerned how Margo would react. Her her last visit with the big guy resulted in expressions of shear terror. This time, she did cling closely to mom, but Addison was thrilled. He reassured Santa that he had been very good, got his presents, and gave Santa a big hug as Jolly Old Saint Nick said his goodbyes.

Love and laughter were the theme for the evening, but we all thought about those who weren't with us this year. Krista and Steve were missed.

We know we won't see Krista in this life, but because time can heal, there is hope we'll have a son in our midst again sometime soon. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Beautiful Musick

I had the privilege of taking photos of the Musick family this week. They really are beautiful people - inside and out.

Miles and Debi have been Youth with a Mission missionaries for most of their adult lives. They've always had a heart for women with no place to live, but who have chosen life for their unborn babies. So with very little themselves, but great faith in God, they purchased a large home in Tacoma and invited women to live with the family. Along with caring for pregnant women, they themselves gave birth to two girls, Malia and Heather, and a boy, Micah. Thirteen years ago, Hannah was adopted and she was followed a few years later by twin boys, Joshua and Caleb. About a year ago, the Musick clan further expanded with the birth of Bella, their first granddaughter, born to son Micah and his wife, Sarah. Next summer there will be another grandchild. Malia and her husband Justin are expecting. Daughter Heather is still single and a missionary in China teaching English. She's been there for four years and plans to stay even longer; she's just home for the holidays.

The New Beginnings maternity home in Puyalup was built because Miles has a heart as big as his smile and he had a vision. They bought rural property with a breathtaking view of Mount Rainier to relocate the maternity home. That was followed by a home for themselves. Currently another home is being built called the House of Hope. This will serve as transitional housing for the women as they enter or re-enter the work force.

Debi, through her work with pregnant women, realized that adoption was a positive option for some. With her experience in advocating for these women and her heart for her own adopted children, another vision was placed on their hearts. In August 2002, Adoption Ministry of Youth with a Mission in Puyallup was licensed with the State of Washington as a child placing agency. This is a separate ministry from New Beginnings, but both ministries work very closely together. Adoption Ministry finds loving Christian homes not only for babies born here, but has started an international effort to find homes for Ethiopian orphans.

It's amazing what this loving couple has created, all orchestrated by God.  Learn more by going to the New Beginnings website: http://www.newbeginningshome.org/
www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Better than Botox

Someone recently confided in us that he/she (that's my feeble attempt to conceal the person's gender) had tried Botox. It reminded me of a few years ago, when I didn't want to admit to anyone besides Scott that I'd had Restylane injections. Restylane was supposed to last longer and give about the same result as Botox. I had decided that if my marionette lines, those crevices extending from my nose toward my sagging jowls, got any deeper, I could start charging folks for tours.

My daughters can attest to seeing me stand in front of the mirror over the years, pulling my cheeks back to take off the years, if only momentarily. I had attempted to let my hair grow longer so I could braid it really tight, but the combination of very thick hair, no patience with blow drying in the morning, and the fact that with my ears, tight braids might give me some uplift, but my wing span would only become more prominent.

I finally decided to do it. While I was at it, I had a little lip filler too. I did ask about my jowls and was told, of course, they could just inject more into my chin. I immediately had visions of looking a lot like Jay Leno and said that could wait for awhile - a long while. Like never.

Scott liked the results. I did have a bruise on my chin from one of the injections, but couldn't bring myself to admit to colleagues at work where I'd gotten it. I thought I had caked on enough makeup to cover it up, but I was asked about it anyway. I worked with a very observant lot. I did tell the truth - sort of. I said I had dropped something in my dark utility room, bent over and hit my chin on the utility tub. Actually, I had hit my forehead, but there was no bruise there. Had I been able to "man up" or in my case "woman up", I should have stood in the middle of the office and announced, "I did it. I had injections. I paid lots of money for the pain, the results will only last about a year; I'll probably never do it again - but by the way, how do I look?"

A year later, the grand canyons on my face returned and other parts of my body started heading south. You know it's time to join AARP when your knee caps sag. I chose not to re-up my injections, although I was passing up a returning customer discount. Instead I decided to take up photography and learn the wonders of software that can melt away the years with the tap of a few keys - computer magic!

Ladies and gents too, just let me know if you're interested in something better than Botox - and a lot less expensive!

See more magic at bonniekingphotography.com

Garden of Life

"Friends are the flowers in the garden of life". The lovely sign on Susan's porch was so fitting because Janine and I met Susan earlier this year in a 10-week Master Gardener class. We had all struggled through reading, printing hundreds of pages of on-line information, taking weekly quizzes, going to class in person one day a week, and wondering what the heck we had gotten ourselves into. Susan and Janine really are gardeners. I was a wanna be and probably still am. (That's proven by the fact I just had a senior moment and had to ask my husband the word for the cultivation of plants. Horticulture! All I could think of was hysterectomy. Having had one this summer is my excuse).

Today Susan invited us to lunch at her home in north Tacoma. It's a beautiful craftsman style house built in 1924. Susan was trained as an interior designer and her husband is an architect. What a pair! They've been remodeling the home for the 12 years they've spent there with their son, Jack, and a later arrival, Maggie, the dog. 

We were given the grand tour. The hard wood floors have been exposed; the upstairs with vaulted wood tongue and groove ceilings was turned into a wonderfully warm office space; the full basement was completely redone into work and play spaces and a room no larger than a small closet was turned into another bath on that level. The sink was only about 10 inches wide from the wall with the faucet on one end. The door into the room was swung wide open and at first I didn't realize there was a sink behind it. They had also installed a toilet with a motor to chop up the goods so they can be flushed up hill from the basement and into the house's plumbing system. (I'm sure that's not the technical description, but you get the idea).  

Lunch was terrific. Susan is also a great cook. She made a delicious pasta. Janine brought the wine which helped us start and end the meal. Perhaps that's also why it took us four hours to eat! 

On this bright beautiful day, I couldn't have asked for more - good food, good conversation and best of all - good friends. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Tis the Season...

Tis the season... but for some it's not so merry and bright.

I sat with a friend at dinner last night who is an intelligent, attractive, talented and devoted Christian. Her walk has been a testimony to me and her faith seemingly unshakable. Yet, she was in extreme emotional pain because of what is happening in her most important adult relationship. Other relationships in her life have changed this year as well, not in the direction she was expecting. While her head knowledge tells her this is all happening for reasons beyond her understanding and that it may lead toward a greater purpose, her heart is breaking in the moment.

I could only listen and share my similar experience. I managed words of comfort and hope, but I also shared that the situation will probably get worse before it gets better. I shared that the healing process will take time, but in the meantime, she has to keep moving ahead, putting one foot in front of the other, looking for guidance both in this world and in higher places. 

Did I help? I don't know. I did tell her she could call me any time day or night. She asked what I would do if the phone rang at 2 am. I said I would answer it. In the last couple years, I've had a lot of practice being awakened in the middle of the night by someone needing help. So far, I've been able to respond.

She is not the only one for whom this season is difficult. We have family members who are struggling when it comes to making good decisions, not to mention the struggle of making ends meet. And they are not alone. There are many others I don't personally know. Bad things do happen to good people.

Is there a bright side, an eventual up side away from the pain? I believe so. I'm not a Pollyanna, but believing in a greater purpose, praying for guidance, and putting one foot in front of the other will at least move us toward the light.
www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

It's a God Thing

My daughter Kendall and her husband Jon have decided to have baby Micah at the Lakeside Birth Center on Lake Tapps in Sumner, Washington. The announcement from Kendall came as a surprise to me yesterday afternoon, when I went to pick her up for our trek to North Bend for a chiropractic appointment, particularly since the due date is a couple weeks away! She said she had been thinking for some time about having a natural birth and had great misgivings about having the baby in a hospital setting. Her misgivings were intensified by her last doctor's visit. She saw a partner in the practice instead of her regular obstetrician and was told that her doctor only delivers three days a week and that one of the other partners may attend the delivery.

Since Kendall has been on modified bed rest, she's had lots of time to do research. She's no stranger to using technology to her advantage and for the last month or so has found every good deal on baby stuff the internet has to offer. So scouring the internet for information about alternatives to a hosptial birth is what led  her to find the Lakeside Birth Center. She and Jon visited the center early yesterday morning and after talking to Nancy Spencer, the licensed midwife, who has been delivering babies for over thirty years - a total of around 4000 infants without losing a mom or a baby - they were convinced this is what they wanted to experience. Not to mention, the center is very close to where they live and coverd by their insurance plan.

Kendall expressed feeling much less stressed since the decision. On the other hand, while calm on the outside and trying very hard not to sound concerned, I couldn't help asking the "what if" questions. What if you're overdue? What if you need a medical intervention? I was an administrator for the Washington State Department of Health for many years working in the division responsible for licensing midwives as well as the state's other 400,000 health care practitioners. I have no doubt on an intellectual level about the qualifications, expertise and safety record of the vast majority of the state's medical professionals, but when it comes to my own child...  It's emotion that takes over, particularly in light of what happened on October 3rd with Scott's oldest daughter, Krista, and her baby. Their loss was devastating to the whole family and certainly caused additional worry for Kendall too. 

Monday evening I attended my 13th week of studying Isaiah with the Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) women's group. This is a group of about 400 women who meet from September through spring to study a specific chapter of the Bible. There are openings for new attendees the first of every month. Discussions take place in small groups of 16 women followed by a lecture at the end of the evening, which everyone attends.

Last night, we had a social gathering before the small group discussion. I was able to share with a nurse about Kendall and Jon's decision. She shared with me that one of her closest friends had given birth to all five of her boys at Lakeside and that Nancy Spencer was very highly thought of by her friend.

I sat with my firend, Kim, during the lecture and afterward I also shared with her about the birthing center. Kim worked for seventeen years with a nonprofit organization in Tacoma, CareNet, that provides free counseling and medical care for women with unplanned pregnancies. She let me know that Nancy Spencer was the number one midwife to whom they referred their clients.

Yes, of course I felt relieved and very blessed to have been given reassurances which I hadn't even asked for. When I told Kendall on the phone today about what happened last night, she said, "Mom, it's a God thing; totally a God thing. Thanks for sharing with me. I'm more convinced than ever and I bet you feel better too."  Yup, I do. Thank you, Lord.

To learn more about Lakeside Birth Center go to http://www.lakesidebirthcenter.com/
www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

The Front Porch

Please note - the Front Porch in Puyallup is no longer in business, but this is what I experienced when they were!

While the weather outdoors is frightful (remember the song?), you wouldn't think I'd be talking about a front porch. I have another type of front porch in mind - The Front Porch, a small business in Puyallup owned and operated by Cheri Waldenberg. Cheri has been very kind allowing me to put up a photo gallery display of my work on the wall at the back of her store.

Cheri is a remarkable woman, having run her own landscape business prior to owning The Front Porch. No stranger to hard work, she mowed 40 lawns a week by herself! Her husband Scott was a graphic designer in Bellevue. About nine years ago, they decided to make a change. They rented space at 210 No. Meridian in Puyallup and started selling furniture and antiques. Scott got into the custom home building business, but still finds time to make custom furniture to sell through the store.

Another big change occurred in 2008. After 17 years of marriage, their daughter Courtney was born. Cheri took a month off and when she came back to re-open the business found that many of the furniture suppliers had gone out of business. In February 2009, they bought out the inventory of a children's store in eastern Washington. That started a whole new chapter for The Front Porch. The store now specializes in new and slightly used children's items. Cheri does not accept consignments and is very particular about what she purchases for resale. And yes, they still sell custom furniture and drapery.

I bought a child's chair made of vines to use as a photo prop. This is a store that is a child's dream place. It's also mine for children's photography props.

 

One Night with You and one more and one more and one more

One Night With You was a song that came to mind - at least the title - when I think of the four nights (last Friday through Tuesday morning) that I spent caring for Benjamin, my adorable grandson. His dad, Ron, had hand surgery and wasn't able to lift for a few days. Courtney is a registered nurse at Children's Hospital in Seattle and works nights, so it was "Nana B" on duty. I was ready and excited; my first time overnight without adult supervision from Ron!

Night One. Ben has a schedule: bed between 8 and 9 pm; bottle time about 3 am; again at 6 or 7 am and every 2-3 hours after that. His Play and Pack (or is it Pack and Play?) was set up right beside my bed, so I'd be sure to hear every move. And that's exactly what happened - except I didn't hear much. Consequently I woke up every hour and leaned over the crib to make sure he was still breathing! Three thirty am rolled around and Ben wasn't waking up. I turned on the light, touched his nose, tickled his mouth - only to get cute baby faces from a very soundly sleeping little guy. So I climbed back in bed and went to sleep. When he started crying around 6:30 am, a very tired Nana B fed and changed a very alert baby. He was ready for the day!

Night Two. Needless to say, I napped during the day when Ben slept. Now I remember why it was almost impossible for me to find time to take a shower, eat and actually get dressed before Courtney's dad came home when she was a baby. Keep in mind, it's been about thirty years since I've taken care of a baby. While not quite like riding a bicycle, you do get the hang of things again pretty quickly when there is a definte cycle of events: eat, diaper change, social time, fussy time before nap, eat, diaper change, social time, etc., etc., etc. (Anybody see The King & I with Yule Brenner? If not, you won't have any idea why my brain skipped to that thought). Ben slept all night long again - at least until 6:30 am. Courtney and Ron marvelled at the miracle I had performed. First time for all-nighters! Nana B slept better too. (Why am I talking about myself in the third person? Is this what grandmother-hood does to a woman??)

Night Three. Okay, so how can you lose a Binkie (is that how you spell it?) between the bedroom and the kitchen when the rooms are within talking distance? Not even shouting distance, but talking distance. And then there's the other baby paraphernalia: the bumbo and the boppie, the fuzzy blankets and the fancy curvy baby bottles. I think there must be a bimbo too, but no one has pointed out that contraption to me yet. How in the world did I ever raise two daughters without all the stuff?!

Before bedtime on night three, Ben got to meet the Maloney twins who came over for their Christmas photo shoot. Nathan and Matthew were premies and are about the same size at seven months that Ben is at 11 weeks! They kindly loaned Ben one of their Santa suits for his Christmas pictures on night four.

Night Four. I believe in returning borrowed items just the way I've received them. And so it was with Ben. Night four he woke up at 3:30 am on the dot; again at 6:30 am and he was back to his pre-Nana B routine. In an effort to help pack everything up so Courtney wouldn't have so much to do when she came for Ben Tuesday morning, I loaded as much as I could, had him fed, changed, dressed and almost asleep in his car seat when she came home. She came upstairs laughing hysterically, having passed a bag at the front door. She said it was far too evident that I was ready to be done with Nana duty. I was just trying to help - honest! I love Ben dearly, but yes, the nice thing about being a Nana - I do get to give him back.

Ron had another surgery today that will keep him from lifting again for a few days. (It's all about getting everything medical done before year end because of insurance deductibles. I'm sure you can relate). Ben has a slight cold so Courtney took off work this evening to be with both her boys. But I may be on duty again tomorrow night and Sunday. I'm ready. My chiropractic appointment is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

You can see more of Ben and the twins at bonniekingphotography.com

Tis the Season... for Moments & Memories

I've been busy recently taking photographs of families. It's a blessing for me to experience a family's dynamic - through the banter, kidding, jokes and laughter in the studio as various combinations of parents, siblings and occasionally  "significant others" get added into the mix.

What's even more telling is the body language. It's wonderful to see that a 13 year old boy is still comfortable putting his arm around his mother or that grown daughters like leaning their heads on their mom's shoulders.

A husband was eager to put his arm around the waist of his wife. Kissing couples are definitely allowed - and photographed, pursed lips and all.

It's a joy for me to take pictures of families having fun and laughing together. These may not be the photos that end up on the mantel, but they're the ones that are included in their web album for friends and family to see.

I'm learning the families who want to capture special moments together are those who value their family relationships and want to memorialize them - as difficult as it is to get everyone together! The Crosbie family thought the last time they had studio photos taken, the adult children were in grade school. The Ryan family said the last time that son Jack had his picture taken, other than school pictures, was when he was 5 years old.

So whether it's in my studio or dusting off your own digital camera (or film - oh my!), get busy capturing your own special moments - to make them your own special memories.

For more family photos, look for the Family, Children & Pets albums at bonniekingphotography.com