A maternity shoot

Happy Friday to you all! If you follow this blog, you will probably recognize this beautiful lady. We have been friends since we were still girls. We backpacked through Europe together as young women. She is one of those people who has crossed the line from friendship to family. She is my sister now. I am so lucky to have had her in front of my lens for many important moments in her life. The last photo is a film scan of her at 16. Then you may remember her wedding in this post. And now, any day now in fact, her first baby will be born. She flew up from San Francisco to visit and to have me do a little maternity shoot. I can't wait to meet this little boy who will no doubt be as radiant and lovely as his Mama. Congratulations Mark and Danielle!

My little Easter Lily

When I was a little girl, I remember going through a phase of wanting an "Easter dress." I believe it came from reading one of "Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories" in which a little girl got a lovely new Easter frock in a pretty pastel color. A new dress for Easter was not a tradition in my family, but when I was about ten we had a wedding to go to at the Wayfarers Chapel, a cathedral of glass in Palos Verdes, CA. The wedding was right around Easter so that year, I got my wish. My mom took me shopping for a special dress. We got a pale pink dropped-waist dress with puffed sleeves and a little white collar. Oh how I loved that dress! I may very well have worn it out before outgrowing it.

Now that I have a daughter, I want to start a tradition of getting her something special to wear for Easter. I am not very girly, but having a girl brings out a little more of this side in me.

This year, I had bought her a sweet little sundress, brown with bright flowers. However, the weather these days is more scarves and gloves, less sundress.

On Thursday my dear, dear friend Laura came by with her darling J and a box of her outgrown clothes for Lily. As I went through the box, I was literally in tears. I remember J wearing some of these outfits when she was small, and they were just so beautiful. In there I found this. And needless to say, it will be Lily's special Easter outfit for this year. I cannot imagine anything more perfect for her to wear on this holiday than a gift of love.

Thank you Laura! I don't need to tell you how special you and your family are to me. You already know...