moosh in indy.

(For those of you who are not from Indy, could care less about social media and/or the Super Bowl, please bear with me, I plan to get very philosophical towards the end.)

Through a very convoluted process, 46 people in Indiana were invited to be a part of a group to help promote the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

I didn’t think much of it, I saw one passive aggressive tweet here, one snarky response there…then I started to look into it. I’ll admit, when I found out the group was selected using Klout, I was a little confused. While Klout may be considered a bit of a joke in the social media community, my Klout is pretty darn high (70/100) so that I didn’t make it into a “Klout thing” with such a high Klout score? It felt like getting a 34 on my ACT and not making it into the college of my choice.

There was a lot more involved in selecting the 46, however the explanation of the entire process left many social media people in Indy reeling. One of my most favorite things about Indianapolis is how tight our social media community is. Everyone watches out for everyone else and very rarely is there contention.  The Indianapolis Social Media community helped me win $5K from Quaker for Gleaner’s Food Bank. We have an entire group of girls that gets together on occasion to do various dorky and amazing things. No one is excluded, if you can make it? Great! If you can’t? Maybe next time! Didn’t know about it? We want you to join us!

Back to this 46 thing.

I infiltrated.

Instead of stewing, I found out who it was that I needed to talk to. I composed an email with links to posts on my blog about events I’ve photographed and attended in Indianapolis.

I know what I’m good at.

I’m good at taking pictures of things and I’m good at telling a story with them.

Apparently it worked. (Or as one of my friends commented “I guess all that stuff you speak about at conferences about selling yourself actually works.“)

If you think you’re perfect for something but were overlooked? Don’t get mad, get active. Find out who’s in charge…tell them about your interest. You may not be included right away, but you’ll be on their radar.

In 1989 my dad said I should work for Hallmark and I truly believed him.

In 2007 I wrote a post about how fantastic Hallmark is, at the end I suggested that one day they should hire me and that they wouldn’t regret it. I emailed a link to my post to Hallmark Customer Service.

In 2009 I got an email inviting me to Hallmark world headquarters.

In 2011 I worked with them on six month campaign.

In 2012 I signed a contract to work with them for another year.

If there’s something you really want? Grab it by the (proverbial) balls and (nicely) tell it why you’re the best choice for the job.

Believe in yourself.

Because I believe in you.

The Super Bowl in Indy is going to be amazing because the people here are amazing. All 781,870 of them.

I hope you can make it here one day, because this city is amazing.

(Now if someone knows someone who could get me a real! live! media! pass! to the Super Bowl? THAT would be my ultimate success next to tricking Cody into marrying me.)

((One more request, there’s a local all girl rock band I really dig called Neon Love Life that has a chance to get into the Super Bowl/Rolling Stone concert line up but they need our help with votes. Even if you’re not local...could you spare a vote for them? They help with a girls rock summer camp in Indy that Addie will hopefully attend next year.))

Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. ~ Barbara Kingsolver

I looked out at the class I taught in church today, a room filled with about 20 women of different ages and backgrounds. I doubt many of them are familiar with what I do, let alone do it themselves. I told them there is validity in all of their stories and that they need to tell them. To each other, to themselves, to their children, to strangers…they never know when their story will touch someone or bring someone back from the edge. You may think you have nothing to add, nothing to say, but you do…you have you to add.

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~ Anaïs Nin

I have dark hairs that grow from strange places. Unmentionable things happen to me on treadmills. I sweat far more than should be considered ladylike. I think Tom Selleck is outrageously handsome and yet I would want him to be my dad all at the same time. Up until yesterday I hadn’t cleaned my shower for months. I hate tampons. I spell things wrong on purpose to make sure spell check is actually working. Maybe that’s not what Anaïs had in mind when she wrote that, but C.S. knows what I’m talking about:

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one” ~ C.S. Lewis

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~ William Wordsworth

OH YOU GUYS. The breathings of your heart? That is just lovely and wonderful and I hope one day to do just such a thing, it sounds wonderful.

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.  ~Ansel Adams

Photography has carried me few the past few weeks in a way it never has before. I don’t see it as a chore, I see it as a privilege. I was given a gift to be able to see things differently than the other people around me, but I know there are moments that cannot be captured by a camera, or moments I cannot do justice to, so I just enjoy them. If I have to interrupt a moment to get a photo? I’m not doing my job right.

If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera.  ~Lewis Hine

There was one particularly intense moment of Emily’s labor last week where I’m not sure anyone knew what to do, especially me. It was moments before Paul was born and I didn’t know where I should be or what I should be doing, she was in so much pain. “Do I take a picture of this?” I wondered to myself. “It’s not like she invited you here to do her nails.” my brain replied.

So I took the photo.

I could tell you how hard Emily’s contractions were, or I could show you this photo.

Even *I* could feel that contraction.

Try different ways to tell your stories. More words, less words, more photos, no photos, all photos. Every story can be told in a hundred different ways but only your story can be told by you.

So do it.

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I’m excited to be a part of Blissdom this year as a photography community leader, I’m also excited that Hallmark will be back at Blissdom for the third year in a row to help you tell your own story and focus on the little moments that make everyday life a special occasion. It’s a literal dream come true to partner with Hallmark in 2012 on their “Life is a Special Occasion” campaign again and I thank them tremendously for believing in me and for sponsoring this post.

sunday.

monday.

tuesday.

wednesday.

thursday.

friday.

saturday.

(Ignore the lice and this week was tops.)

Vivi’s third week in 7 different photos on babble.

see the first seven days here.

second seven days here.

I had a conference call with my beloved Hallmark today, and as we talked of special occasions and making the mundane magical, I sat with a nit comb in hand picking through every golden curl on Addie’s head. Lice and life sound a lot like each other, and right now? Lice are my life.

Sorry about that Hallmark.

I’m going to be honest, the last 24 hours have kicked my butt. MY BUTT. I’m exhausted both emotionally and mentally and it’s just over a pile of bugs CRAWLING THROUGH MY DAUGHTER’S HAIR. But really, it’s cool. This too shall pass.

You want to be grossed out by society? Have your kid get lice and then go out in public. Suddenly everyone is crawling with little invisible bloodsucking bugs that are ready to destroy any hope you had at happiness.

(Did I mention I’m *minorly* overwhelmed with life right now and may be erring a bit on the dramatic side?)

It’s just bugs. It’s no big deal that I fell asleep last night resisting the urge to tear off my skin at every tickle.

*sigh*

I have that emotional build up where I know I JUST KNOW I’m going to lose it at some point, all out messy snotty cry with heavy sobbing followed by hiccups and burning cry eyes for  24 hours. I can feel it brewing and festering. Woe be unto whoever is around when it all comes crashing down. (What? Why yes, PMS may be involved, why do you ask?)

I kind of wish I could just get it over with. I’ve even sat here trying to make sad faces in an attempt to get it jump started, but so far no luck. It’s like that one whisker hair you can ALMOST pluck with your fingernails but not quite and you don’t have tweezers but you know it’s there and it has to go and WHY CAN’T I JUST GET IT OUT ALREADY.

********************

In other news.

A bunch of ladies (including Addie and I) went on a lady date to Disney on Ice thanks to some tickets provided by Feld Entertainment (thanks Feld!) Dude, you guys? Disney on Ice is spectacular (aside from them remaking the songs from Cinderella, don’t remake songs from classic Disney movies, just don’t do it.)

I took more pictures of the actual show which you can see here, but more importantly (and a far better selling point) are these faces right here…(It will be in Indy until Sunday before moving on. Go. Seriously.)

Soooo….how’s lice life for you?

(Disclosure: My family was given complimentary tickets to attend this event. I was not compensated for my attendance. Opinions are purely my own, especially the Cinderella songs. All facial expressions are also genuine.)

Today the Internet is supposed to blackout to protest! boycott! STICK IT TO THE MAN! in regards to SOPA.

But I can’t blackout today, too many of you are hurting (and truth be told if I blacked out the chances of you ever seeing me again would be super slim, technological I am not.)

Divorce, depression, difficult life situations, abusive partners, unfaithful spouses, strong willed children, infertility…while I can’t fix how broken you feel, I can say that I have survived many of the things you are dealing with.

I am still here.

Stronger than I have ever been.

Perhaps by not blacking out I’m saying in my own way why SOPA needs to make like a tree and leave, we need each other. Forget movies studios and wealthy musicians, regular everyday people like me need regular everyday people like you to go through the messy stuff together, even if it’s just through words typed out on a screen.

I fell down, you caught me and waited for me to stand up again.

Now that you’re down I can’t forget how much you supported me.

While I can’t do much, I can do what you did for me.

You can make it out of the other side of this. You will make it out of the other side of this. Perhaps a little more battle weary than you’d prefer and with a few more scars…but you will get stronger, perhaps not today, but eventually.

You are stronger than anything broken inside you.

Please take care of each other.

**************

Not to downplay the severity of this particular topic, I close with a humorous picture of my chubby naked baby.

I figure if she makes me happy, she’ll probably do the same for you.

xoxo

Sunday.

Monday.

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

Thursday.

Friday.

Saturday.

“I’m so optimistic I’d go after Moby Dick in a row boat and take the tartar sauce with me.” -Zig Ziglar

‘Twas a good week around these parts. You?

********

View our first week of 2012.

Also: Vivi’s second week on Babble.

Emily,

Last night I was with you as you brought your fourth child and second son into this world.

Truly one of the best nights of my life.

I know you were pretty busy with getting him out so you may have not noticed everything that went on, but I did. And damn, you’re really good at making and birthing babies.

First off, shut up. You are amazing. I actually found myself jealous of how glowing and beautiful you were at 3 am after pushing a baby out with no drugs. I saw a glimpse of myself in a window as I walked out of the hospital and *I* looked like the one who had just been through the hardest physical task of my life.

While you were out walking with Charity, Michael and I sang the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel Air, if only to prove that anyone born between 1975 and 1985 should know every single lyric by heart. Then Shireen and I got in a rap off about you on twitter. Sorry for my momentary lapse in professionalism. I joked with Michael that I was his doula, there to get him drinks and whatnot, I offered to press on his hips but things just got awkward.

At 8cm dilated you began talking about the Goodwill Outlet, and about needing gloves to make it out without any communicable diseases. It was a conversation we could have had over dinner, with strangers or sitting around at your house. But no, you were in labor and discussed the finer points of Goodwill Outlet shift changes until you were knocked speechless by another contraction.

You kept saying how exhausted you were, that you just wanted to curl up and go to sleep. If there were any moment that I wanted to take all of your pain away from you it was then. Just to give you 10 minutes of rest from what you so bravely doing.

That being said, labor and delivery nurses shouldn’t yawn so much. I don’t care what time it is. Just an observation.

I especially liked it when you where hunched over in the bed and as you heard me come near you muttered “I’ll bet I’m making you totally want to do this again.”

Being able to keep in touch with your mom and sisters through the whole thing was pretty spectacular. There’s a very good chance I won’t be there for the birth of my nephew at the end of March and being able to see how your sisters rallied together for you and made jokes about their own labors, including one that took place at animal control and one that happened in a room down the hallway…I’m pleased to be counted as the 5th Dutch sister.

As far as the moment your water broke? If there were awards given out to women for listening to their bodies and demanding everyone else listen as well? You’d win. You knew that kid was coming and that he was coming now. When Nurse Yawns said ‘hold on‘ and you responded with ‘GET THE DOCTOR IN HERE NOW.’ I gave you a silent little standing O from the back of the room.

It went so fast. One push his head was out. Half a push later you had a baby in your arms. I perfect little boy with long fingers, full lips and a wrinkly little back.

At one point you yelled ‘I CAN’T DO THIS!‘ the sarcastic part of me thought ‘It’s a little to late for that now Em.’ while the rest of me, completely in awe of what you were going through shouted “YES YOU CAN. YOU ARE SHOWING BIRTH WHO’S BOSS.” I kept quiet of course, aside from the clicks of my shutter, you had plenty of other people cheering you on, including your doula who said very matter-of-factly “Yes you can, because you’re doing it.”

And just like that he was here.

You probably didn’t get to see Michael’s face. He’s so in love with that tiny little seven pound body and even more in love with you. I hope that being able to see his face in these pictures made it worth having me there. The joy of a man becoming a new dad, even for the fourth time…it’s palpable, fleeting and one of the most powerful emotions out there.

As I left you were snuggled up tight with your son, surrounded by the dim, warm, quiet that happens after all the excitement and intensity has slowed down. That magical time when it’s just you and your baby.

People commented on how lucky you are to have a friend like me, while I’m certainly not going to argue with them (what? humility is overrated) I am going to say it is me who is blessed to have you as a friend.

Our friendship may have started because of the Internet, but it was designed by God.

You are forever a part of my family and heart.

Thank you.

Thank you for being you.

And thank you for letting me be with you two years ago and last night as you welcomed your sons into this world.

xoxo

-Casey

(note: my mobile theme is wonky and won’t show photos on most mobile devices, sorry about that, click for full site to view photos.)

DUDE YOU GUYS I CAN TASTE SUNSHINE.

This cat, he hides in the curtains all “YOU CAN’T SEE ME” style and then runs out and attacks your ankles as you walk by.

Ninja style suckas!

Then there’s the one eyed cat who got tangled up in a cord tonight and tried to escape by chewing my leg off THROUGH MY PANTS as I tried to help him.

He has an actual grumpy time. 7 pm to bedtime this cat is the most crotchety cat in the county.

The night before last, Cody admitted the only reason he uses blankets is so monsters can’t get to him as he sleeps (perfectly logical.)

At some point in the night his hand slipped out from under the covers and over the edge of the bed.

Wink nibbled his fingers.

It’s taken Cody approximately 48 hours to recover.

Thankfully when it’s just Vivi and me during they day they keep their psychotic cat tendencies to a minimum.

Unless there’s a squirrel outside, in that case ALL BETS ARE OFF.

They’ve only been here two and a half months but I honestly can’t remember life without them.

Or these guys.

Why yes that is my husband wearing a chubby baby whilst doing dishes…

On an even more unrelated note…

This is a photo of Vivi victoriously holding up a wooden chew toy shaped like Indiana, much the same way He-Man held aloft his half of the Power Sword.

I have…THE POWWWERRR!