Frisbee Golf in December?

 Normally when Grandma and Grandpa come visit we have 5-8 feet of snow! This year in Minnesota we  have NO snow! Mike and I love it. Matthew, not so much. We were hoping for a chance to cross country ski again but we settled for Frisbee Golf.

 Such a handsome group of men!

 The wind up...

The throw

This is when Cheryl and I ducked out to go finish the Christmas shopping!

What happens when you leave the boys alone at home

Mike's parents are here for Christmas. Cheryl and I went to do some last minute shopping. Grandpa wen't to get his hair cut. Mike and Matthew...well they made these.

They begged me not to blog them...but there is just no way I can't share these. 

I can just hear Grandma Dot laughing! 

More photos to come from our visit.

We have our Gingerbread House build off here after the Denver Bronco's game.

Unlocking a mystery...

Tonight I was looking for some photos on my computer.

 This photo of a very boney bride caught my attention...I save a lot of photos I like from photographers that inspire me. I was sure I did not remember this one. Then I noticed that there was a bunch of them.

I started looking at all of them...

 This one of her resting on the chair made me stop breathing for a second. 

 This breast cancer ribbon was next to them so I am thinking it was part of them and it is maybe her story. I don't know...I know that I have never seen these photos before. I KNOW I have never seen these photos before. I pulled up the file information and would you believe these photos were saved on my computer in June of 2009. I did not own my computer until October of 2009. 

Now...I need to know. Who is this woman? Is she okay? What is her story? 

This...This is why I love photography. 

I don't want to take pictures to make money. I want to tell stories like this one.

I want to give people like this girl thumbprint on this earth...long after they are gone.

If you have ever seen these pictures, please let me know.

I really want to know more.

Jenny's Birthday

A few weeks ago my fiend Jenny celebrated her birthday. No, I did not forget it! It was just not a day to post about it. You see Jenny spent the day at a funeral for a 12 year old boy. It was and still is horrific. 

As kind and giving as Jenny is her day was made his day. She spent the day serving a family that would not celebrate any more birthdays with a child they loved so dear. Jenny was given the gift of thankfulness for her birthday. I could not put into words how wonderful she was on such a day. 

Jenny gives without expecting anything in return, she listens without end when I need her too, she is all the things I try to be. I am so glad she is in my life...even if I had to fight to be her neighbor yet anther year! Oh, and she still loves me even though I sent her an email while she was in Florida that read..."Jenny, this sucks we are moving to Montana and we leave in two days" ~Monica

For someone who is so good at talking sometimes I am horrible at wording things.

Did I mention that she had I dream we would move while she was on vacation and she would return to an empty Willits house.

In case you are wondering about the photo...Jenny is one of my biggest fans(along with Shana) who believes in me even when I don't believe in myself. Therefore she always says yes when I beg her to let me photograph her family. This includes her and Mark.

Mark and Jenny probably have more sexy photos than most models do!

Thank you Jenny, I am sure I would be crazyville if you were not holding my hand all of last year(figuratively). No matter what life throws at me, I just hope you are next door. 

~Monica

How to make a Bayblade stadium Part 1

Matthew has been really into these new toys called Bayblades. They are basically glorified tops. They spin and battle just like the ones from years back. The cool thing is that you can take them apart and build them differently. Each one has different speeds, and attacks..etc. 

Well the tops cost as much as the cheap plastic stadium to battle them in?????There was no way I was going to pay $10.00 for a cheap plastic tub. Seriously? So I asked Mike to make something with Matthew. Lucky for Matt he has a crafty dad.

 Mike and Matt started it right after school. Oh, I should mention that Mike also loves Bayblades. He and Matt have been battling each other. Mike even had to get his own Bayblade.

 This is the secret of the stadium. The center has to be sloped down so the tops will eventually battle. Mom scoured the store searching for any ideas and I finally found this plastic Christmas plate.

The boys have a good start on the stadium. I will post more pictures to come. I will even post pictures of them battling once it is all done.

A weekend with friends

 Most of you know that I became pretty close to Matt's second grade teacher. I could never put in words how much I adore her. She is one of the many women who make me stop and think "why couldn't I have a mom like that". If you think that she is special you should meet her adoring husband. Mike and Steve have a lot in common. Becky and Steve invited us up for a weekend at their cabin. This was the view from the house when we got there. 

 Becky asked Matt to bring a friend from school so he would not be alone. Matt was super excited about teaching his new friend John how to fly fish...Mike was worried that this was a pretty high hope going into winter.

 Saturday morning bright and early he set out with the boys to give it a try...just as the temperature decided to drop. 

 Matt was really excited to share his favorite hobby with his friend.

 John, like Matt was a very quick learner. 

 forward...back..pause..forward...

 John was actually picking it up quite fast

 Then I looked over at Matt..Can I just pause to tell you that he has inherited his dad's cast. It was poetic. I was so impressed. I actually decided to run up to the cabin and get a different lens to film it for all of you to see...

Problem with fly fishing in the cold is that your hands get wet and you start to shiver. Mom returned just in time for them to be walking back up to the cabin. 

 Mike and Steve got a little work done too. I think this leaf business is never ending. Becky and I went out to razz them but just as we did...the weather really changed and we flew back inside to sit by the fire. 

 Yep, the first snow storm of the season! Just to get out of the cabin we took the boys to the bait shop in town. 

 The lady laughed at us when we asked were the flies were. Um...it is winter???Everyone here is deer hunting until the ice freezes enough to haul the ice fishing huts out. HA! 

This was the view this morning before we left. Amazing still right!

Okay, the cabin was wonderful and being able to relax was great. However, I think I would enjoy being in a cardboard box with this family. 

Thank you so much Steve and Becky for inviting us. We are so greatful. The boys had a blast and they did not want to leave this morning. 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

I just have to share...

 I had the pleasure of photographing this little girl a few weeks ago. How lucky am I!!! She is the cutest thing. I had to share my favorite 3 photos of her.

 She loved to crawl right up to my camera. I thought that was fantastic. Just look at her eyelashes! 

This might be one of my all time favorite photos. Those are her eyes folks! I did not do much to these photos at all. 

Hope they make you smile as much as they do me. 

Where are we?

You know it is bad when I get an email today from Jenny asking..."Are you OK?" 

It took me back for a second...hmmm....why would she think I am not okay? Oh, that is right, for months and months she got to hear me cry about my lonely life. Now, Mike is here and we are working from the time the sun comes up until the sun goes down and then in between I have done photo shoot after photo shoot.

It suddenly occured to me that I have not had any time at all to do anything else. I have not been able to read a magazine, be on Pinterest(an amazing website), or even call my BFF. 

Maybe part of it is that I work for an evil dictator that pushed me to get going at 7:30 in the morning when Matt walks out the door. Maybe part of it is that our new frames are starting to take off and be a hit. They are so darn beautiful too!! Maybe it is just having more energy again now that my life does not feel so sucky. Maybe it is just working beside my amazing husband. 

Whatever it is, it is nice.

I am almost caught up with my photo shoots. I will share more of them in the days to come. I know most of you prefer to see pictures of our family and not strangers. However, I want you to see who I am becoming as a photographer. I am finally liking her:-)I know that sounds strange but Jenny and Shana can attest to the fact that I have a hard time owning my own style. 

These photos are from a family shoot I did for a friend. Truth be told it was to prove to them that I was not the worst photographer in the world after I had failed(my words btw) at an earlier shoot over last winter. Some of these photos will probably be lifetime favorites of mine. The best part of this shoot was the thank you's I received from Brian and Betsy. 

Yes, I am finding my style...between 3:00 and 3:15 when I get my one and only coffee break. 

I have to say that I am very thankful that I married someone so incredibly driven. 

Dear Mark McCutcheon, Please borrow my husband on Friday to build your table. I could really really use a day off.  ~Monica 

A million things...

 There are a million things I love about my son. It would take me all day to even tell you half of the things that make me love him so. 

One such thing is heartfelt crush that he has had since he was in 1st grade.Mike and I don't encourage mini relationships or girlfriends at this age. However, there is no denying that he has fallen hard for this girl. We recently found a school picture of her's tucked safe inside a  protective case inside his backpack! I guess it must be dedication as he has felt this way since 1st grade.

When I told Matthew that we were going to join her family for trick or treating tonight he was super excited...FYI: She is not the devil! She is the crash victim. The first picture of Matt is him watching her get her makeup applied. Cracked me up to watch him. She recently broke her collar bone and her parents made her have a costume with a crutch to slow her down.

There goes Huck Finn...following his crash victim down the street. 

It really was a fun Halloween. I had great expectations for pictures. I did not do as good as I hoped. I will post more about our perfect night soon.

Sweet dreams:-)

Where the men are men...and the women are home(happily)

Mike and Matt took the long train ride back to Montana earlier this month. It was time for AC and Matthew got to join the men for his second time in his short life. 

Mom got almost a week to myself. It was easier this year than last as far as the panic attacks were concerned:-) Probably because I stayed so busy. 

 Montana was of course as pretty as ever.

 Matthew loved every minute of the trip...he actually tried to talk Mike into staying. Who needs a mom when you can live off the prairie? Even if you experienced your first "scope eye" 

This is Matt and one of his AC  BFF's. This life long friend got a new puppy this year. His name was Copper. 

Copper and Matt quickly loved each other. Matt's dream is to bring a BFF back next year for Copper. 

 Every boy needs a furry best friend. (Matt took this picture by the way)

Can you see the dog in this photo? That is another one of Matt's furry camp friends. His name is Badger and Mike adores him too. He is actually Mike's camp heater at night. Dogs must just love the Willits. 

Hey! Look at that a picture of Mike at AC. He has actually been nicknamed the camp historian. His photos have greatly improved of the past few years. 

This is my favorite of his from this year. I love it for many reasons. It truly is Montana. You see Montana came up with a plan to encourage land owners to let people hunt on private land. Land owners actually get paid for hunters, that sign in each day. If you are a registered hunter and you sign in the land owner gets credit. The men of AC take this very seriously. They love being able to help support fellow Montanans. They make sure to make the rounds, signing at each of the places they hunt every day of camp. This picture to me makes me proud to be from such a place. 

Just a quick update on us:

We have been doing really well. For some reason Mike and I have been busier than ever. Not in a so busy I have to cry when I think about it kind of way(like last year) In a checking things off our list and working together kind of way. Mike has really helped me get things back in order with home and my business. Matt is happy. 

simply...we are good.

sorry for the shortage of posts. 

I always think of you Dot, and how much you love seeing us. I will try to do better. 

Apples apples everywhere!

Mike and Matthew were gone the past week on the annual "men only" trip to Montana. I ended up down on the SE part of town. I saw a sign for apple picking on a road I had never been on. I was up for an adventure so I took the road. When I came to the top of the hill I saw it...It was one of the prettiest orchards I had ever seen. Such beautiful big apple trees! They were spaced farther apart than most orchards. It was breathtaking. I stopped and picked a few apples and promised the woman running the orchard that I would return...with my friend Jenny who LOVED orchards. Tuesday after school(and Matthew) I did return with Jenny. We had so much fun!The lady met us at the gate and gave us the royal treatment. She was so kind. We spent about an hour picking apples and taking a few photos. Then we went down to meet up with her to "check out". That is when she gave the kids bread to feed the chickens and had the kids pick more apples off the ground to feed the cows. It was the best day ever for them. 

I came home and made the best applesauce I had ever tasted!

If you need apples let me know and I can tell you how to find this little hidden secret in Rochester!

Thank you Sue, for your incredible hospitality. 

The mug

 Years and years ago...okay, 15!!! I worked with an amazing woman. Her name was Mary Carol. She was one of the first real women to influence my life. She was one of the kindest and smartest women I have ever met. I treasured working with her. I watched her walk away from gossip, be kind to others always. It is not a joke when I tell you that she could not hurt a fly. Literally, she would catch the flies in our classroom and let them go outside. She taught me so much. I was really young back then and I made a lot of mistakes. I honestly don't know how she believed in me, but she did. 

Right after I got married to Mike I moved on from that job. It broke my heart to not work with her anymore. The years slipped away and with it so did our bump into each others, and such. A few years after I stopped working with her, she lost her very amazing husband to cancer. It has always pained me that I was not there to help her through that time. She of course handled it with grace. She put her energy into her children. They now have grandchildren. I may not see her anymore but I still stay connected with her life. She was a foundation in who I am now.

She gave me this mug on my last day working with her. It has survived 4 moves(2 cross country) and probably thousands of cups of coffee. I can't use it or look at it without thinking of her. It is like having coffee with an old friend when I use it. Well...a few days ago when I poured my coffee into my trusty ol mug, coffee poured all over me. 

It seems my old trusty mug here, has finally seen it's last cup of coffee. Funny how something like a broken coffee mug can almost bring you to tears. I can't bear to think of not having coffee with an old friend. Even if it is just the memory of her.

Mary Carol, if you ever get a chance to read this. I want you to know that that was probably the most uses and appreciated gift you ever gave. Besides your friendship and your advice. I am older and wiser now and I am so very thankful for knowing you.

be still my heart...

You would think that I would pass on these; I hate studio photography. I have more pictures of Matt than most people have photos. There is something I just love about them though. The idea of the same photo over and over again year after year.The idea of growth through a photo. It just gets to me. I wait in total anticipation for them to show up every year. Then they do, and I feel my heart stop. It always makes me think...where was I when I was his age.

With the passing of Steve Jobs I have found a quote of his that really makes sense when I look back on it. Steve said that in order to connect the dots in our life we have to look back rather than forward. Then we hope that all the dots come together. 

Fourth grade found me at yet another new school. My family had moved to Choteau Montana when I was in third grade. That is where I met my friend Lori. She married the boy that lived across the street from her. Craig was the boy I had a third grade crush on. She teased me about it, then married him!  Then in fourth grade we moved to Great Falls Montana, this is the city that housed the true man of my dreams. Mike and I moved to Billings to go to college. Lori and Craig had gotten married and moved to Billings. Craig got Mike the job he had the past 12 years...

Hence, this is where all the dots come together. Craig invited Mike to come to Antelope Camp with all of his buddies and dads that had been going for years. Mike was of course hooked after one year. Now he has Matthew hooked.

Okay, so to bring this full circle...

Looking at this photo makes me thing about how things the dots really do connect as we look back on our life. It makes me think about how Matthew's life is starting to fill with dots. I wonder if he will look back some day and connect them. I wonder if the boys he meets at Antelope camp will be the groomsmen in his wedding. I wonder if he will get a job because of someone his wife knew in third grade. I wonder if they will someday connect and come full circle. 

Then I realize that they almost have to, right. 

Matt's Campaign Speech

Mike started videoing a little bit early to catch the nerves as Matt waited on deck. He was one of the only kids to memorize his speech. In fact there was only one other student, and she was running for class secretary. Can you guess who that was???Yep, Hannah! Actually, Hannah was the influence on Matt to memorize it this year. He does a great job of making it look like he is just talking from the hip, but we spent two days saying it over and over again.
Win or lose he did his very best. I tried to get him to say "It's simple vote for the dimple" but he just rolled his eyes and walked away.