dreaming big.

You all know about my photography business.

My dream of becoming a full time wedding and portrait photographer.

Today, that dream inched a little closer to reality.

Or, at the very least, looks a little more like reality....

Today I launched my very own website.

With my very own logo.

Designed by the amazingly talented Moxee. 

It's not only a photography website, 

but a place where I can share so much more than just my photos. 

It's a place for my knitting.

My quilting and sewing.

My personal life.

Elena.

Stella.

And every single story I am honored and blessed to tell for others.

I'm not sure what will happen to The Family Pelton.

I'm not sure I can keep up with two blogs 

(that's becoming apparent given my complete and utter lack of posting here)

but I am certain that I'd love it if you'd come over and check out my new digs.

Look through my galleries.

Leave me some comment love.

I'd love to know that you stopped by,

and that even if you can no longer read posts at this URL,

that you'll still come see me.

Maybe even take my grammar quizzes.

Love you all, dear readers.

Mean it.

so very much.

xo

a

On Seeing...

It is important to remember, that sight, is just as important as vision.

xo
a

Wednesday Wisdom

We moved over the weekend. It's been a whirlwind, really. 

Tuesday (last week) I flew to Austin

for a photography workshop (my first!)

and arrived home late Thursday night.

Friday I spent 10 hours at work and headed home at 9pm 

to ready my gear for a wedding on Saturday

in Cross Lake, Minnesota (three hours north).

I shot a wedding all day Saturday, and came home early Sunday morning

to a full trailer and empty boxes 

needing to be filled, packed, loaded.

Monday, I went to work.

The commute?

Fifteen minutes.

I have an hour and half of extra time now.

Every.

Single.

Day.

Time I used to spend driving.

Time that I can now spend with my darling daughters.

And DRL, too.

Time

dear, loyal, amazing friends,

that I can spend updating this blog. 

I miss it.

Writing.

I miss this blog.

I miss telling my stories.

Even if they're not any good.

So hopefully February will find me full of new material.

Also: Remember that you can keep up with me 

and all my photography adventures

over here.

xo

a

(special thanks to Kelsea for the photo)

Thursday Randomness

Because it's Thursday

(my favorite day of the week)

I thought I'd share this random story with you.

My first class at North Hennepin Community College

(where I earned my AAS degree - with a 4.0 baby!)

was Physical Geography.

I can't, for the life of me, remember the instructor's name.

The class began at 7:50

in the morning!

which was, to date, the dumbest collegiate scheduling decision

I have ever made.

But I digress.

One morning, as we discussed the layers of the atmosphere,

I raised my hand and asked the instructor,
"At what level are you able to see the stars?"

The class erupted in laughter.

My instructor snortled, ever so slightly, as well.

My smartass self got annoyed.

Really, really annoyed.

Jackasses. 

They were laughing at me.

Ugh.

The teacher replied, 

"You can see the stars from the ground. At night."

The class laughed louder.

At this point I was about ready to punch said instructor in the face

with my chair,

but being the wielder of wit that I am,

I casually responded to her retort with the following,

"Obviously. I am neither blind, nor an idiot. My question was in regard to daytime. At what level of the atmosphere does the refraction of light stop, thus making it possible to see space?" 

The teacher looked at me - her face blank.

A deadpan stare.

Deer, meet headlights. 

"I'm not sure?" she said.

And on we went with our lesson.

Did I mention I graduated (junior) college with a 4.0?

Apparently I was smarter than some of the educators.

If I may be so bold.

The moral of this story:

There's no such thing as a stupid question,

only stupid people. 

Cheers!

A

Theft of the Dial.

If you live in Minnesconsin, you're probably familiar with 89.3 The Current.
If you don't you can stream it live and hear what all the fuss is about.

I spend two hours a day in my car.
I listen to the current as though it were the Gospel.
I owe Frank Turner and Blitzen Trapper to the Current.
I'm sure I owe most of the music Chud introduced me to
to the Current.

I owe my sanity
to the Current.

In homage to my love of all things Public Radio,
I am going to host my very own
Theft of the Dial.
Dear Jill Riley, Mary Lucia, and Mark Wheat:
If you happen on my playlist,
I'd be honored to hear it on the radio.

To the rest of you:
Download these songs if they're not in your collection.
This is not a complete list of my favorite songs of all time,
but rather the anthem of the year that was 2011.
The songs I played over
and over
and over
again.

Turned up to eleven.

•Down in the Valley - The Head and The Heart
•Landfill - Daughter
•I Still Believe - Frank Turner
•Sweet Disposition - The Temper Tramp
•Dog Days Are Over - Florence+The Machine
•Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
•LDN - Lily Allen
•Make You Feel My Love - Adele
•Holocene - Bon Iver
•Love The Way You Walk Away -  Blitzen Trapper
•The Girl You Lost to Cocaine - Sia
•Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
•Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show
•Big Time Sensuality - Bjork
•Fake Empire -  The National
•The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
•Both Hands - Ani Difranco
•Hallelujah - k.d. lang
•Human - The Killers
•Gimmie Sympathy - Metric
•Starlight - Muse
•Sunshine - Atmosphere

As an aside, here is a list of the albums I not only listened in their entirety,
but did so again and again and again.
If you don't own these albums, you should.

Adele - 21
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Daughter - His Young Heart EP
Florence+The Machine - Lungs
The Head and The Heart - The Head and The Heart
Metric - Fantasies
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
The National - Boxer


Happy downloading, friends!

xoxo
A

The Decemberist

Seeing as how I basically skipped the month of December
as it pertains to blogging
I am going to blog
December
in January.

Stella's Birthday.
Festivus.
The Holidays.
The new year and all that I have planned.
Resolutions.

You know.
The usual.

Stay tuned friends.

xox
Athena

It's a Festivus Miracle!

....that I posted.

I know that I'm awful at updating, and I know I'm a broken record about being awful at updating.
But here's the thing:
We moved home.
Hooray!
With that move came a two hour roundtrip commute to my job.
Seasonal Affect Disorder.
No snow for Christmas.
More photo jobs (the most recent can be found here).
Stuff.

Stuff that runs my time-in-the-day clock dry.
Before bedtime.
Every
single
night.

I think about writing.
I have a list, actually, of things I need to share.
Sewing projects,
Photographs,
stories.

And no time to share them.

I'm sorry friends. I hope my schedule gets lighter
and soon
so that I can get back to my old habits.

So that I can continue to share
all the worthless drivel and irreverence that brings you here
loyally
every
single
day.

I do promise you the annual "Airing of the Grievances" on Friday.
Maybe even Thursday,
since there may be an ode to a certain wee one
whose birth I will be celebrating.

While hoisting my Festivus pole.

And since no post is complete without a photo,
here is some snow.

Since mother nature won't send us any,
I've asked Elena to throw some your way.
Enjoy:

Cheers,
friends.

Love you.
Mean it.
A

A Gift Guide (For Me. Duh.)

I like presents.

But, I mean, who doesn't?

Instead of a Holiday Gift Guide

recommending what to get for all those hard-to-buy-for people in your life,

I've compiled a list of what to buy

me.

I'm selfish like that.

First: I'd like to introduce you to my book wish list.

Known more commonly as my Amazon.com Shopping Cart.

Second: My top three OMIGOSH I NEED THAT IN MY CLOSET NOW items.
(Remember Fashion Week? These would help that come back someday. Just sayin...)

Top Left: TOMS Cordones in Grey (size 6.5)
Bottom Left: Free People Reyna Wrap Boot in brown (If you find this boot in brown in a size 6.5, buy it for me. Call me. Email me. Text me. I will PAY YOU. fReal. I DIE over these boots.)
Right: Madewell Polka Dot Sweater.

Third: I like stuff.  Things. Trinkets.

Top Left: Owl Corkscrew (via RedEnvelope)

Bottom Left: Stila Lip Glaze

Instax Mini 7s Camera.

Know what else I like?

Jewelry. Especially the handmade variety.

Bottom: Sterling Silver Stacking Rings (found on Etsy)
Right: La Mer Collections wrap watch. (via ShopBop)
Top: Feather Bracelet (found on Etsy)
Left: Dreamcatcher Bracelet (listed here)

I'd like to thank you advance for your generosity.

hello??

you still there??



hello?

a

Hatchet

At some point during my educational tenure I read the book Hatchet.
For those of you who aren't privy,
it's a story of a boy whose plane crashes
into a remote lake
in the boundary waters.

He's forced to live off the land
eating grubs, building camp, attempting to survive the cruel wilderness.
Eventually he is rescued and retreats back into his life of modern convenience
and comfort,
but he never forgets his time in the wild.
It sticks in his craw,
and takes up permanent residence in his soul.

That's kind-of-sort-of-I-know-it's-super-hard-to-believe-trust-me how I feel about the great outdoors.
Believe it or not,
I grew up camping.
Hunting.
Fishing.
"Roughing it."
I spent summers sleeping under the stars in a giant teepee.

In my front yard.

And I've always
always
wanted to spend a week(end) in the boundary waters
with my dad.

Just us
two kayaks
and a couple of backpacks
an old FG and an endless supply of film
(my dad has been a hobbyist photographer for years).

Someday, Dad.

It'll happen.

Cheers,
A

Wednesday Wisdom

Should I mention how much

I completely suck

at consistently blogging?

No?

Why? 

Because you already know how awful I am at it?

Oh, right,

you probably do.

Since you come here 

to read and all.

Only to find lack of new material.

Sorry.

Life has been insanity lately.

Welcome insanity,

but insanity nonetheless. 

Work. 

The actual one with the paycheck and health insurance and 401(k).

Photography.

The one I actually want to be doing full-time

but lacks the (steady) paycheck, 

the (company supported) health insurance,

and (employer matched) 401(k).

I'm planning an Owl party for a little girl who is about to turn four.

If you know me, 

(which, I mean seriously, by this point, dear readers, you know me better than I know myself)

you know that I'm DIYing the crap out of the party. 

Yay Time Suck!

But it is going to be well worth it.

I hope.

If you want to keep up with the photography happenings,

check me out here.

If you want to keep up with my snark, 

friend me on facebook or follow me on twitter. 

I think I need another Rant Zone post.

I can feel it brewing.

Also, I'd like to hear from you.

You know,

in the comments section

as to what you're missing on TFP.

Photos?

Regularity?

Does my blog need a healthy course of Activia?

Humor?

Snark?

Pointless pontificating rants?

Or,

keep silent,

dear readers,

if you must.

I will consult the Magic 8 Ball for answers and hope the reply isn't hazy.

Happy Wednesday!

Cheers,

A

PostScript: Happy First Day Overdue to my super pregnant best ever friend Nadia, and Happy First Day of Life to my dear friends John and Terri's little girl, Lily. Babies are awesomesauce. 

These Are The Places I Will Always Go.

I know there's California and Oklahoma
and all of the places I ain't ever been to but
down in the valley
with whiskey rivers
these are the places you will find me hiding
these are the places I will always go.


These are the places I will always go.


I am on my way
I am
on my way
I am on my way back to
where I started.
                           ~from Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart 


Cheers,
A

Wednesday Wisdom

I had a family photo session on Labor Day at one of my favorite locations in Osceola.
A photo preview will be up on my photography site shortly.
Or right now, depending on when you're reading this.
Ah, the wonders of technology.

I've been sewing a lot lately.
To show for it I have a finished quilt,
another one in the process,
a gift for my bff's soon-to-birthed baby boy,
and a Festivus dress for Elena.

I've been knitting, too.
I'm working on a cowl (that I'll likely never finish because it's hat season),
and a baby blanket for an upcoming newborn session
(see above comment about a bff's soon-to-be-birthed baby boy)
as well as a hat (for said session. Man, I'm a great bff....)
I also have some hat orders that have come in
that I have to get crackin' on.
Oh, and one for Faith for being so amazing with grammar.
Or an apron.
I can't decide.
Neither can she.
Turns out we're perfect for each other.

But I digress.

I don't have any photos to show of my craftiness.
Please keep your disgruntled disdain to yourselves thankyouverymuch.
Photos are coming.
Promise.

I made a half dozen felt flower headbands over the holiday weekend.
The girls hate wearing them.
Super.

I painted my nails dark grey.
Essie's new fall grey.
I love it.

I'm addicted to Spotted Cow beer.
Thanks to Anda, and my trip to Madison in July.
I want it on tap,
but I'll settle for it in a bottle.

Lucinda has been on vacation for two weeks.
We've barely talked in that time
and I miss her like crazy.
I feel bad for being glad that her vacation is up today.....
Sorry, Luc.

College football started over the weekend and I bet on Georgia
even though I knew Boise State was going to win.
Good thing I didn't bet anything of any real value...
Sorry, Noel (aka, my brother).

I found myself missing Texas the other day.
Was sort of weird.
But not.
We'd have stayed if some of you would have been there with us....

That's the news for now.
What I can remember of it anyway.

Cheers,
A

Going Home

I haven't been very good about blogging lately.
Or  taking pictures,
returning phone calls,
emails,
or text messages.

I've been...

...otherwise engaged.

Packing.
Cleaning.
Loading.
Driving.
Unloading.
Cleaning.
Unpacking.
Organizing.

Life-ing.

We are here: Minnesconsin.
The move went well,
uneventful.
Easy.
We have officially traded 2400 square feet of house for a 15x24 foot studio in my mother's basement.
In the name of family.
Friends.
Dream chasing.
Life-starting.

Crazy as it is,
crazy as it sounds,
it's exactly right.
The refrigerator across the room from my bed,
the shoe rack next to my flat screen tv,
my laptop set up on a child size play table.
Comfortable.

It's not forever,
it's for right now.
And no matter what "they" say,
you can go home again.

You can always
go home.

Cheers,
A

Unusual Circumstance

Four short days from the big move.
My mind is a whirlwind.
Excitement. Sorrow. Fear. Apprehension. Joy.

I feel like there is so much still undone here in Texas...
but so much more to do back home.

It's a strange circumstance, really.
But a welcome one.
.....

One cannot discover new oceans 
unless they have the courage 
to lose sight of the shore.
                                    ~Gide
.....

We're embarking on familiar,
yet uncharted,
waters, the girls, DRL, and I.

As terrified as I am for what lies ahead
given the uncertainty and the risk
I'm horridly excited. Giddy, almost.

And the girls?
Can. Not. Wait to be back in Minnesconsin.

I'm kind of right there with them.

Cheers,
A

Wednesday Wisdom

Courage is a tricky thing, really.  Being brave.  Doing what you know is right even as a sea of voices is telling you otherwise.  I am not good at courage; living life out loud. Being brazen. Individual. Me.

All that changes.

Right now.

Some say it took courage to move my family 1100 miles for a job.  But it didn't.  Not even a little, actually.  That choice was easy.  Money, career, big house and fast cars, designer clothes, blister-causing red-bottomed shoes, prestige, clout.  All the trinkets of a trivial life that society tells each of us we must strive for. Pine for. Lust after.  Taking steps to get all that was simple. Moving to Texas to fulfill a once sought-after, haughtily fought for, perfect career didn't take courage at all. Moving home? Leaving it all to pursue a life where I can spend all my time creating pretty things? Art? That is going to take some courage.

I'm scared. Terrified, really, but I am doing it anyway. Moving home, taking action, playing the lead role in my life. Even in the presence of fear. Regardless of it. Because of it. Because one of the marks of a gift is having the courage to fulfill it. I am moving my family back to Minneapolis. So that my kids will have a life outside of their parents.  So that my husband will have his chance to find a career, a passion, and pursue it.

So that I can pursue photography.
So that I can be a photographer.
Every.
Single.
Day.

If life really is about the choices we make, I want to choose wisely.  I want to choose what's important to me, and be guided by it. I want to think big and make things happen.  I want to surround myself with people who believe I can, and more than that who, instead of asking, "why?" are quick to say, "why not?" People I don't need to impress in order to stand amongst them and hold my head up high. Friends. Family. You.

This decision, to uproot my life, leave a cushy job for my old one, making less money, working more hours, and sitting behind a desk all day so that I can focus all my extra energy on photography, was surprisingly easy. Making it was like choosing to breathe.  Natural. Intrinsic. Still, I'm scared. Terrified. But in the most amazing way.

Money, after all, is just a thing. If I lose a little, make a little less, struggle, or even if it pours for a while, I don't care.  I have every intention of setting fire to the rain.

Cheers,
A

Big Plans

If any of you wonder what I do on the weekends,
allow me to put your minds
at ease.

Yarn.
Fabric.
Kids.
Camera.
Coffee.

Lather
rinse
repeat.

Cheers,
A

Laugh, Out Loud.

Lately I've been laughing.  A lot.  Out loud, even.  Or, as some would say, "lol"ing.
Yes.
Me!
Such numerous lolcasions have caused some to wonder if something has gone wrong.
A few extra screws knocked loose, perhaps.
But no.
Nothing is out of the ordinary.
What has happened, I fear
is a gross misunderstanding of my discernible distaste for the use of LOL.
Allow me to rectify the situation with the following:
I am okay with the use of LOL.
When the user does, in fact, laugh.
Out loud.

Meaning, just in case this needs further clarification,
that when someone
even myself,
finds something humorous enough to cause one to make an audible noise
like a laugh, or a cackle, or a giggle,
it is perfectly acceptable to type "lol."
Because,
as it indicates,
you did just Laugh.  Out loud.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
A

Delayed Gratitude and Musings on Art

Memorial Day has come and gone.
I enjoyed the day off.
Provided to me by men and women who went without rest
so that I could have mine.

I thought it better late than never
to share my immense gratitude to those
who have valiantly served this country.
Who have written a check that only deals in the currency of lives,
and walked, unafraid, into battlefields.
Of every shape and color.

Thank you.

Last night, I came across a paper I wrote in college
a reflective essay about a paper, authored by the artist Maya Lin, that I had to read for class.
Below is an excerpt.

I hope you enjoy:

I saw an aerial photo of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial while I was still in high school.  I remember thinking the sculpture was magnificent, and so uniquely unattractive.  The monstrosity was large and black and menacing, and I was certain that it looked the way the soldiers who survived Vietnam must have felt: scarred.   I had read that Maya had wanted it to look like a scar on the face of the Earth.  That it was to be a reminder of those left on the dead, the wounded, and the veterans of such a horrific war.  It was the first time I ever thought a scar was beautiful, and certainly the first time I ever thought of one as poetic or poignant.  It was also the first time I realized what “art” actually was; that it was not a term used exclusively for gallery paintings and church ceilings, but that it is a feeling.  It is the feeling that brews within your soul when something powerful happens; something rare and unexpected. It is the roar of thunder on a balmy summer’s eve as the storm erases the day’s hot sun.  It is the rush of adrenaline that pulses eagerly through veins as teenagers plunge headlong into love for the first time.   And it is the calm serenity, the gentle knowing, that washes over you at the very moment that you comprehend precisely what it is that you are yearning so desperately to say, and you finally find the media with which to say it. A voice. A brush. A shutter and lens. Song. That is art; it is alive in everything. It exists everywhere.

Here's to making art.

To creating something,
each and every day,
that puts breath to your voice
while simultaneously taking that very breath
away.

Cheers,
A

Fashion Week

When I posted my Haute or Not photos last week,
a friend of mine suggested I post weekly fashion photos
on the bloggity.

I do not claim to be any sort of fashionista.
I'm not even sure what I'd call my style.
How I would define it.
I suppose it would depend on where I was going..

.....


Here are some outfits that I wore last week:

The get-up that started it all.
Dress: Blue Elephant
Sweater, Shoes, Socks: Target

Top and Skirt: Gap
Shoes: Payless

Dress: Francesca's Collection
Top: Gap Outlet
Sweater: Anthropologie
Shoes: Target
Knee fat: Pregnancy #1

Sweater: Adidas Outlet
T-Shirt and Pants: Gap
Shoes: DVS (via Ross Dress for Less!)

And there you have it.
A week in the life of me.

Almost a week anyway...

Cheers,
A

Haute? Or Not?

It was a little chilly yesterday,

so I wore a sweater.

With a dress,

tights,

sandals.

And socks.

I recently read in Vogue

or Marie Claire

or In Style

about adding a pair of socks to strappy heels

for a pop of color.

Socks with sandals is generally a huge faux pas.

But this?

I think it's fab.

Thank you, fashion-magazine-I-read-that-one-time-somewhere.

Cheers,
A