You only get 18 summers, 18 holiday breaks, 18 years…

I wrote a blog post 2 years ago about the fact that our time with our growing children is not limitless…that we should make time for adventures with our children while they are still young. Then suddenly I found myself (and the world) in the middle of a global pandemic. In the early weeks of Covid, there were days when I felt as if our little family of four was falling all over each other with very limited adventure opportunities. Bored and overwhelmed at the same time.

Then one cold day last March 2020, in the middle of the lockdown, my son declared, “We need to go fly fishing.” After a little research with Mass Wildlife, we decided that fly fishing on a weekday in Western Mass was a  good, safe outing. We used the 1 hour ride out to the Swift River as a driving lesson then fished and hiked all day. He fished. I hiked and photographed the terrain. A new tradition was born.

The time spent each week on the banks of the river and even in the car, was time well-spent with my son. We talked endlessly about the world, about the virus, about fishing… It was a luxury to be out in nature watching Spring very slowly arrive. Some days were longer than I would have personally liked, but my photography business was closed and honestly, all I had was time.

At about the same time, we created a consistent “Game Night” tradition with our daughter. We did a good amount of cooking and baking, but games seemed to become the ritual.

Covid and 2020 (and all that came with it) really slowed our family down. With my portrait business closed for months, my husband’s work travel grounded, and the kids sports and activities completely stopped (then abbreviated), we found time to find each other. It’s been an incredibly difficult time for many reasons and truly awful for those who are sick, but we have tried to find the blessings.

Now that my portrait business is back open–with careful safety protocols of course–I find that I have fallen in love with the beauty in portraits all over again. Whether it be a High School Senior navigating through a crazy pandemic senior year or a family finding the beautiful moments of being together–I have a new appreciation of the art of portraits. Life is messy and it’s beautiful. I love to capture those moments.

Watching my kids grow still takes my breath away. And it’s crazy to even say, but my son will be 18 at the end of this summer… “in the blink of an eye.” It gives another saying new meaning: “The days are long but the years are short.” These Covid days are sometimes very long, but believe me, the years are short. Although delayed by the lockdown, my son got his drivers license. He is on the road and doesn’t need me to drive him to his fishing spots anymore…

Life is too short not to enjoy these moments and document them along the way.
Preserving memories of childhood for a lifetime of enjoyment brings me so much pleasure. I hope you take many snapshots of your adventures along the way.

Contact us today if you’d like to book a portrait session to capture the moments for your family.