Peru 2014 - Part 1

August 15,

After some flight delays, we finally made it to Lima about midnight. Customs went quickly, and my friend Giancarlo was waiting excitedly for us. He had a friend with a private taxi to take us the hour ride from the airport. I was surprised we held a conversation in Spanish all the way to the hotel. We stopped to pick up some water (still don't drink the water applies here), and I thought I would get some grape juice. Afterwards I realized it was chicha morada - a famous drink made from corn. We checked into Hospedeja Benavides that is close to Giancarlo's  house. It costs $20 per night, has wifi, a private bathroom with hot water and a full sized bed and a TV. It was perfect for the price, and we have not come here to stay in a room much anyway. I was up early to get a strong coffee and contact home, letting everyone know we were here.
Giancarlo came to pick us up at 9:00 and we took the big suitcase with the things I only needed in Lima to his house, and met his in-laws. Then off to get breakfast and cold medicine for me. We stopped at a little place and I got what seemed to be a type of Shepards pie called "causa" made with mashed potatoes and chicken salad with peas and carrots.  I tried to order Mark a ham sandwich, but he ended up getting a potato and meat of some kind sandwich. He also got fresh squeezed orange juice, but I drank most of it because of the delicious pulp.
I had never seen grassy areas like in the photo, some with smaller squares. It is so they can park without destroying the small areas of green space they have. It seems that most people in Lima have dogs to walk, of all different breeds.
At the farmacia G insisted we buy a small bottle of rubbing alcohol to sniff for altitude sickness. (It works). Then we went back to his house and he asked if we wanted to go with him to take the dogs for a walk - SURE- we said. Five miles later, we returned with two tired yorkies, a tour of the neighborhood, and much information gained from conversations with my sweet friend.

Then it was off to the train station and then taxi till we got to the bus station.

We were glad G guided us through. We were still trying to get our traveling sense about us.

More and better photos to come in the following posts.

Finally ready to Share

Twenty years ago this week, I was feeling extremely large and definitely not beautiful.  I was about to give birth to my daughter.  The thought of maternity photos was not a nice one.  But my husband Mark was learning portrait photography.  We had a room in our home where he had studio lights set up to perfect his love of photography.  He asked me to do maternity photos, and I said "no". He begged me to do maternity photos, and I agreed.  I have never regretted that decision. I didn't know a the time that I would only have one child.


Until today, only a few people have seen any of my maternity photos. They were beautiful, personal, and I have looked over them for 20 years now. And I think they are beautiful. I am ready to share a few of them, especially for the ladies that are not sure they want maternity photos.  At the time these were taken, all I could see was the big pregnant woman I felt like, even though people told me I looked good. I was healthier then and any other time in my life.  My only regret now, is that my sweet husband was not a part of these photos.

The two little dogs that were in our lives at the moment served as the "sibling" poses. We are "those" people who refer to our dogs as children.  Vixen, the Papillion  always fluttered around my belly when I was pregnant. After Natalia was born, she fluttered around her sleeping baby, keeping just enough distance to stay out of hair grabbing reach.

When to do Senior Pictures???

It is the time of year I am getting a lot of calls about Senior Pictures. Here are a few thoughts I have to help you decide when is best for you, your schedule, your family, and your style.

 Traditionally, most students had them taken before school started for their senior year.  This was to make sure the photographers could get the images ready for the yearbook deadline in September.  Most schools now contract a photographer to schedule these yearbook/formal photos one or two days during the summer. This works great for the schools, but not always as personal as you might want for your special photo session. Just because you are required to use the school photographer for the yearbook photo, that does not mean you cannot choose another photographer for your personal
session.

Are you going to be super busy after school starts? This applies to a lot of athletes that have practice after school everyday, games that run late into the night. Also football gear can sometimes cause more breakouts to the skin.  If you have college classes or AP classes you might not have much flexibility to leaves school for a photo session. If you are working, it might be harder to take off work for a photo session.  In these cases, summer before school starts is definitely a better choice.

If you are wanting outdoor photos with nice green trees and grass, it is better to have them done before mid October. Wildflowers are blooming like crazy in the fields at Hardgrave Photography during the last part of September - first part of October. Even now in July, we have lots of wildflowers.

If you are wanting "fall colors" you need to plan very carefully. In our area, the colors usually do not change till the first week of November, and they are for a limited time!  Also by they time the leaves change, daylight savings time has changed and our outdoor times are much shorter - you will need to plan on taking time from school.

Keep the holidays and "senior" expenses in mind. Usually you will order your photos about a week after your photo session. After school starts, you will have homecomings, and depending on your school, other dances -some formal, others not. Traditionally, you will order cap & gown, senior trinkets, and invitations around the first part of November. 

Your "Senior Page" in the yearbook has a deadline too, usually before the Christmas break (check with your yearbook advisor). This is the page you can use some of your digital images from your professional session along with images from your childhood.

If you want snow pictures... it is almost impossible to predict a snow day in Arkansas, and you probably don't want all of you images in the snow - so if you have your session taken before then, and want snow photos, I will give you a free mini session with discount on purchased prints from the snow session.  You just have to be able to get here!

If you want to do photos now, but are a little worried about the heat - don't be. I will make sure you are kept cool and we will come back into the cool after each clothing change. You will not be walking, hiking, running (unless you just really want to, or it is part of the image). Even when we go on location away from the studio, you will be in the air conditioned van until everything is ready for you.

If you are thinking about spring photos - just be aware that it really does not get pretty outside until April, which puts you close to graduation.

If you only want indoor photos, then you don't even have to worry about the weather, only about when the timing is best for you.

I hope this helps you decide, no matter which photographer you use.

Home from Acuña!

Home from Mexico, where there are two new houses built for two families that needed them. I always have mixed feelings coming home from a mission trip. I love my country and enjoy the pleasures and abundance we have here. I also enjoy living in this area where we have a sense of security. 

 On the other hand, I am reminded of how much I waste, how much my solution is - "just go buy a new one". How much clean water I dump out, use to bath in, and flush, without a thought of how precious clean water is to most of the world. It is the aftermath of a mission trip for me. I feel humbled, sad, happy, and honored to have had this opportunity.

Many people wonder how we choose the people we build for. There is a board of Pastors in each community that Casas por Cristo builds in. Those pastors together look at applications and advise the staff of Casas Por Cristo. Sometimes people are on the list for a long time. There are certain requirements, like they must legally own the land. When we go to build, we do not know of what faith (if any) the family practices. Our mission is to show the love of Christ through our actions of love.  The houses are little, and basic structures, with a concrete floor, 2-3 rooms, wired for electric, but no plumbing. Walls are insulated and drywalled, but the drywall is not finished out by the volunteers. The houses have blackboard on the out side walls, covered by chicken wire (to hold on the stucco) and then stucco (cement mixture). The family must finish out painting the outside and drywall. The roof is insulated and covered with black paper and rolls of green roofing. This type of house is appreciated, it keeps their family warm, and dry, even though it was built by mostly unskilled volunteers. Many times, the families, neighbors, or pastors, will help on a worksite, and or feed the volunteers a meal - which is expensive when you are talking about feeding 25 people.

 This week I met some amazing people who are seeking, following, and sharing the love of Christ. A young man that is being called to ministry, and is fearful of that, but left his business, and is following His call. A missionary that has a great balance of instructing us, but empowering us to learn. A pastor that was called from alcoholism 14 years ago, and followed His call to a much less appealing part of his country from his home where the climate is beautiful, the economy is better, and was safer than the border. I visited college and high school students on our team that grow in their faith, are not afraid to stand up and share their faith. I met a teenage girl that gave me a present, when she doesn't have much at all - I was there to show her the love, and instead, I was being shown. I was invited to make a fool of myself by a group of teenage boys up the street, by dancing with their group. Of course I have no rhythm, but they sincerely had fun and I had more fun. I rode in a van of good men with excellent conversations - the kind of men that put their families first. I met 71 year old man that could out work us all, was so funny, loves Jesus, but still struggles with sin, just like the rest of us. I met an 18 year old girl with a 2 year old baby that shared with me her concerns about raising her baby in an impoverished border town. Arturo,  a young man with epilepsy recognized us as Christians and asked us to pray for him by name.  I could go on, but you get the picture.

So, who got more out of this trip - the families who have new, but humble homes, or those of us that went to serve and now have humbler hearts?

Passport photos

Did you know that I do passport photos at Hardgrave Photography?  Passports are not a big part of my business, but I do a few a month. But be prepared for me to be nosy about where you are going. I love to travel and love to hear about other people's travels. The cost is only $15 and takes about 15 minutes.

Tanzania, Africa

Until 2008, I had never been outside of the USA. I had not even seriously thought about traveling to a foreign country - then my life was changed. 

In 2008, my daughter, Natalia, was old enough to go on the church mission trip to Mexico, and I was not going to let her go without me. I had doubts and fears, but I just really wanted to go. I had heard stories from other people that had gone, and it sounded like a cool thing to do. I had also heard the "horror" stories about Mexico, all from people who had never been there in person, and only got their information from the news channels.  I prayed, overcame the doubts, went, and a whole new world opened up to me.

Antigua, Guatemala

I am ready to travel the world now!  Mexico, Tanzania, and Guatemala have already been visited, with plans to visit them all again, and Peru is on the list this year. I had a 85 year old woman come in last spring to have her passport photo done. She told me that she doesn't get to travel much anymore, but keeps her passport up to date  "just in case the opportunity comes up".  I think that is great advice that I will do also.

If you are considering getting a passport, here are a few links you can use to get the ball rolling.

https://www.usps.com/shop/apply-for-a-passport.htm

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports.html

Acuña, Mexico

Bridget & Zach Engagement Session

Bridget & Zach 

Bridget is my sister's youngest child - the baby - just like me. The first blond, green eyed child on our side of the family, and adored by us all. Always up for adventure, she spent time interning in Florida and the dream of the beach wedding - someday was born.  I am so happy she met Zach a few years ago and fell  in LOVE with him. They are good together - I can see it.
It was an honor for me to do their engagement photos, and I can't wait for the beach wedding in August!!  I love this girl, hmm, woman, and I am so proud of all she has done and for all she will do with her new husband Zach.
 

Family visits

What a wonderful weekend I had! Cousins from Iowa came to visit with 3 grandkids and a friend. 
It was funny, because we all know that Zeba loves kids. I told her the day before the kids were coming and they were at the house when we came home on Friday afternoon. After the initial trampling...she settled right into playing with them. Saturday morning she woke me up at 4:30 wanting to go wake them up and play. By 6:30 she had them... and all the adults up for the day and the kids in the pool a little later, jumping in on her new floatie.

We spent time at the lake with more family, took photos of the kids  (of course), and talked about memories from childhood and family members that have passed. Good conversations, GREAT kids, wonderful guests - all made for an unforgettable weekend.
Love y'all Joe, Valerie, Blake, Skyler, Joselyn, & Leah!