Q52 Week 21: Standing!

As quickly as she was crawling, she was pulling herself up to stand. She loves to stand and look around, and make her presence known. She bounces a few times on her knees, squeals a loud, ear-piercing sound, and then moves on. It is so darn cute.

See all other Q52 posts here.

Photo via Rebekka Seale

Idea via Che & Fidel

sister.

I have thought about this for so long. I don't how to put this down. Everything comes up blank. I know I *feel* something but if I were to have to describe it - I don't know that I could. I know I have visitors to this blog, I don't know if I have repeat customers who have any interest in my personal life outside of cute Q pics, but more than anything, I want to write something down for Quinn. 

Last Sunday marked 11 years since the death of my sister, Jenne. Some days it feels like more than 11 years. I have had an entire lifetime of events occur in that time frame, and she wasn't here to experience them with me. She never met Neel, didn't see us marry, and was not alive to meet her namesake, my niece Jennifer, or my daughter. She never visited me during the ten years I lived in Hoboken. Never met my dogs, or cats. And at this point, she would know only my very best friends from home, but none of the new, very close ones whom I have met since her passing. I was 24. My life was just beginning. 

Then there are times it feels like her death was just the other day. I am not one to recall details of my past extremely well. But that day, May 19, 2002, I remember everything. I remember shopping for jeans, getting excited for the Survivor finale, and looking forward to having the house to myself since my mom was away in Dominican Republic. And then, I remember the call from Doug. He was contacted by the hospital and they couldn't tell him over the phone what exactly had happened, which is how he knew exactly what happened. He asked the question, "Is my sister dead?" And they had to answer. Then he took on the responsibility of calling me, calling Liam, and then calling Mom in the DR and telling her she needed to come home.

I am getting chills thinking about my mother on that day. I don't know how she made it through that first night. She could not get home and had to travel hours to a bigger airport to tell them in Spanish that her daughter had died and she needed to get home. 

But she did, and we did. We made it through eleven years. Today, Jenne would have turned 41. She would have been so pissed to be that old. We miss her so much. I miss her so much.  In time, I will start a log of some of my greatest memories of her life. It was so beautiful - she lived an entire lifetime in those 29 years. 

But for today, I'll just say: Happy Birthday Sissy. I love you so much. 

Q52 Week 20: A-Z

She is learning things so quickly now. High five in a weekend. And she is mimicking everything now, in her own way. She waves when you wave, she coughs when you cough. I guess that means it's time for higher level learning...like the alphabet. I think we'll start with Q.

Photo via Rebekka Seale

Idea via Che & Fidel

Q52 Week 19: celebrating me.

Yesterday i made Neel take a ride with me up to the empty lot behind Costco because there was some beautiful light there during sundown. He took a minute to consider it, but then, knowing that anything doing with my photography shouldn't be disregarded, said yes, as long as we drove [rather than bike]. 

As we headed up Asbury Avenue, a massive cloud covered the sun. It had been raining all day so the fact that there was any sun was quite impressive, yet somehow I still expressed my annoyance that that stupid cloud was going to ruin MY golden hour. 

We sat in the car for about twenty minutes, waiting for the cloud to pass. And it sorta did - enough to shoot a little bit. Enough for me to set up a shot with my gorgeous babe and to teach Neel how to "put the red dot on her eye."

This, plus some post-processing, is what resulted. An empty lot behind a superstore. More than anything, what photography has taught me is to see everything with new eyes. To find a small rectangle of beauty in even the dirtiest of places. 

I guess this post should have been about being a mother - but I saw a different purpose. I have all the rest of my life to discuss that!

See all other Q52 posts here.

(tripod shot.)

Photo via Rebekka Seale

Idea via Che & Fidel

welp.

Guess I need a new goal...8:30 it is!!

#mileaday

One mile per day. Every day for the month of May. The hashtag is used on my Instagram link... I didn't come up with the idea as you would see if you clicked on the hashtag. The reason for posting the personal challenge on social networks, and this blog, is for accountability to actually do it. 

I have to admit that I thought I would have started with a bang and then faded, but my start was less than stellar. I opted to do Day One combined with a Stroller Strides class (read: lunges) and then couldn't walk the next couple days to keep the running up, so I have a few walks in there. But my commitment (at least for this month) was to do a mile (or more) a day - walk/run/bike. I think I just hoped my willpower would force me to do the run, which I find most challenging. 

But anyway, one week down and I haven't missed a day yet! In fact, Sunday was a 30-mile bike ride! (More on that to come.)

Goals:
1.) Keep up a workout regime. 
2.) Improve my mental health (though the weather is doing a great job with that). 
3.) Run a 9-minute mile. 

Go me!

Idea inspired by Elise. Find me on Instagram as @megankhichiphoto. 

Q52 Week 18: The Cutest Face I'll Ever See

See all other Q52 posts here.

Photo via Rebekka Seale

Idea via Che & Fidel