I'm an empath... perhaps to a fault. The energy around me strongly affects me, for better and for worse. In case you haven't noticed, television and social media have been filled with a lot of negativity lately. On top of that, I've been under the weather and covered in poison ivy from my last few photoshoots. It's been a rough few weeks for me, physically and emotionally. I desperately needed to recharge.

A few days ago, a group of photographers organized a meetup at this amazing flower field and invited me to join them. I have a lot of anxiety when it comes to meeting new people and was going to decline their offer, but I knew the timing was perfect - I needed to venture out and take some photos just for me... and I needed to do it soon. So, I texted my friend Brooke yesterday morning and asked if she and her son Owen were available to meet up with me at the location.

They were available!

So, in spite of my anxiety and poison ivy and general sense of misery, I packed up my camera gear and went.

The photoshoot was amazing.

Seriously.

It was epic.

My husband always says that my camera is my 'binky'... and my husband is usually right. (Well, I don't know about usually, but I'll say more often than not.) In any case, it worked last night. I'm feeling a bit better already.

I am gifting these photos to my friend Brooke and her little guy Owen. Brooke started out as a student of mine in graduate classes I taught, and has since become a close friend. She trusted me to take photos of her precious Owen when he became one of my very first newborn clients (unfortunately, that was before I knew how to create the froggy pose)! Whenever I see them, they bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart. (And it has nothing to do with the fact that they bring me Wilbur Buds whenever they come to visit - that's just an added bonus!) Thank you for being so supportive of me over the years, and for being incredible friends. You are two of my biggest supporters and cheerleaders. I love you both. I hope you enjoy these photos as a small token of my appreciation.

For what it's worth, the photoshoot was just the pick-me-up I needed right now. I knew in my heart if I got over my anxiety and pushed through my discomfort that I would be rewarded. And I was right. <3