Veteran's Day... Give thanks

First off, this is going to be a long post. So prepare yourself. It's important and it's near and dear to my heart. I'd like to first share an online auction that is going on today. It starts today and ends on the 19th at 9pm. All the proceeds from the sales of the auction go straight to the playground being built in memory of my loving brother. We are getting closer to being done but still have about $15,000 left to raise. Please go take a took at the awesome items and share the link with everyone and anyone you know! We would all greatly appreciate it! The link can be found HERE!

Since today is Veteran's Day I just wanted to state that above and beyond anything else, we should always be thankful for our military. For without them, we would not be the country we are today. They have defended us, fought for us, and died for us. They go to war not knowing if they will get the chance to come back home and they do this for such little pay. They are proud, they are fierce, and they are brave.

I have been a military brat since I was born. My dad served his entire career in the Army. We moved quite often and it was all I knew, but I actually liked it. I had the chance to meet knew friends all the time and some I still keep in touch with. It was a life I wouldn't trade. I also come from a long line of family who have served this great nation. My grandpa served, my uncles served, my counsins served, my sister served, my husband now serves and my brother served. However, my brother died while fighting for this country and it's a loss that can never be replaced. We need to always honor and remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice because way to many of them have gone before their time. They leave behind children, wives, parents, siblings, husbands and friends.

This veteran's day I want to recognize some of the clients I have had the privilage to shoot who have served and still do serve this amazing country. Take a look at these families and give them THANKS. They make up who we are, the freedoms we have and the rights we continue to keep.

I would also like to thank my loving husband. He joined the military at a time when we were at war and most of all, he joined the military right after my brother was killed. He did it for our family, he did it for our country and he did it to honor his brother in-law. He is an amazing father, a wonderful husband and just and all around great person. He supports us and loves us more than anything else in his life. He truly is my other half and stole my heart when he said "I do" 9 years ago. I love him!

I also want to thank the Gold Star Community that I have come to know. They have given me hope, they have stood by my side and they have become the foundation on which I stand. They understand my pain, my loss and the reason I honor my brother. Take a look at these HEROES who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. I am friends with all of their loved ones who mourn their HERO'S loss. Each of these men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice for yours and my freedom. This is not to be taken lightly. They are the heart of this country and we will NEVER FORGET!! 

THANK YOU to ALL who serve! Our thanks is NEVER enough!

True heroes never die.

Where should I even begin? I'm upset with the American people. Mostly for the fact that they just threw the military to the waste side. That they don't find it a big enough importance to keep it strong and large. I've heard many people say that "we should at least be thankful we even had the opportunity to vote because many other countries don't get the chance". Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but without a military, you will not have those freedoms. Many men and women over many years have died protecting those freedoms for you and if we don't have someone to keep protecting this amazing country... you may actually see those rights dissappear. It's saddening. 

This past weekend one of my best friends came to visit us here in Williamsburg. We don't get to see them very often beacuse they live in South Carolina. Her friendship means the world to me and our kids get along great. I'm going to first tell you how this friendship came to be. 

Back in April of 2010, a girl emailed me to get a print done from our non-profit "Picture the Fallen." Her husband, TSgt Phillip Andrew Myers, had been killed in Afghanistan on April 4, 2009 while working with a bomb. He was in the Air Force and EOD. She wanted the print to hang in a room that was to be dedicated to him so that her children would always be able to honor and remember the great father that he was. I did the print, sent if off and then we wrote, which turned into becoming friends on facebook. After that we visited Arlington together and our kids met for the first time. It was there that they bonded over a loss that is so devastating and heartbreaking to both of our families. And now here we are Gold Star Family Friends for life. We've spent many nights staying up late and talking about our heroes. She "gets" it and we honor them so that others will never forget. She too is devestated over the outcome of this election. Many things will also change for her because of the way things turned out and not in good ways. After everything they have sacrificed for as a family, wife and children. It really is a slap in the face to so many Gold Star Families who have lost loved ones in the war. They were protecting our rights and then we (the majority of the population) go and forget what they gave. 

No matter what though. I have found a friend who understands the pain and appreciates what our military sacrifices for on a daily basis. She and her kids are amazing people that will never let the fallen truly die. They are the heart of what America stands for. We will NEVER FORGET! 

We are only the land of the free because of the brave. 

That day. August 19, 2009

"That day" is here. The day we dread each and every year. The day that ruined our lives. The day that will never be forgotten. The day my brother died. And I know that this is my photography site but it's also "my life" site and this event has impacted me in a way that will forever alter my future. Therefore, my photography and the way in which I view things has also been impacted.

Time is a funny thing. In some ways I think, how can 3 years have gone by? How can I have made it this far when I never wanted to go on. How is my daughter going to be 3 already? And in other ways, it's like it was yesterday. When people say, "well, it's already been 3 years, you should be over it by now." Oh really? To be honest.. I want to slap them. It's only been 3 years and on top of that, to set the record straight, I will never get over this and I will never move on. What makes this so hard is that so many people forget that we are grieving, they forget we are crying, they forget we are lost, they forget he is gone, and they forget that we have a piece missing that will never be filled. He is my baby brother. He is missed. He is loved and I will not let his name become a distant thought. Rather, I will live my days to honor him, to make sure his name is spoken often and for others to never forget. It's the least we can do considering he died for you and for me.

Paul had a heart of gold. He would help you in a second. He would drop what ever it was he was doing to make sure you were taken care of. When a death is labeled non-combat, many people think it wasn't as heroic at those who died in the field. That's not true. Any soldier who died while fighting for our country is a hero. When Paul's death was labeled this way, many people had all kinds of ideas as to how he was killed. I went ahead and let them think whatever it was they thought. And then I began to think about it more myself. Paul was not shot, he didn't step on an IED, he was not in a firefight. However, he was and is a hero. Because he had a heart of gold, he took over doing someone else's job and in return.. it killed him. He was a mechanic which meant working on big vehicles being hoisted in the air by chains. He stepped up, took over the job and then he went to heaven. He had been crushed when the chains snapped. My heroic little brother, gone way too soon.

He loved life. He loved having fun and he loved the people in it. His personality is missed at each gathering, at each holiday and on every weekend. The problem with our society is that people don't want you to grieve. They want you to "get better" as soon as you can so you can be the person you where before the life changing event. God put him in our life for a reason. I am blessed to have been his sister for 24 years. I'm not going to get over that. I will, however, live my life in a way that others will remember him. If I can be happy camping and doing things he loved, then I feel that I am carrying him along side me. I will speak his name and I will talk of him often. That is how special he was to me. There will be no more photos and no more new memories created with him. I cling to what I have and talk about the past because it makes me feel as though he is in present.

So on this 3 years. We honor him. We live in a way that would make him proud. We never forget and we continue to go day by day as a family. As he would say... We need to soldier up. I will never leave him behind but rather walk with him side by side until the day we meet again.

Sgt Paul Dumont Jr. 

Sept 19, 1985 - Aug 19, 2009

Loving son, brother, husband, uncle and friend to many 

2 Tim 4:6-8 NIV For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

running in honor

I've picked up running again. I used to run more in college and then have since quit. I'm a swimmer. It comes so naturally. I can swim for an hour and never feel like it was a true workout. The pool is my home and the chlorine is my smell. It all began when I was 7 and didn't stop til I was finished competing in college. Right now though, my Y membership is done and I don't have a pool to swim in and come summer I most likely won't be going as much anyways... So, I'm not swimming at the moment. Until then.. I will run. It's harder for me and after 20 minutes I feel as though I have run for hours. It is not natural and a much harder workout. I do my runs for him. When the going gets tough I think of my brother and the other fallen heroes. I think of what they have given and what they would give to be able to run. It gets me through and I've actually become to start liking it. It is now "my" time and I find I push myself further each time. My competitive nature is coming out. :) At the last EXPO I met this sweet girl who was selling charms that benefited causes or where in memory of someone. My mom bought me the photo charm and I love it. He is with me every step of the way. If you are looking for a charm go HERE! She has a lot more at the EXPO though.