Refreshing

Life gets hard sometimes.

Things don't always go how you plan.

People let you down. Hurt you.

Kids drive you up the wall.

Days like those can wear heavily on your soul. Bring you down.

On one of these days, holding my daughter while the nurse hurt her (froze off the many warts that have invaded her poor little fingers), smiling and fighting back tears while Kate looked at my face and through her own hot tears wondered why her momma was letting this lady hurt her like that, running errands and making my way through the list of never-ending to dos,

a spilled diet coke all over the back of my car (thanks, Kate)... I found myself in Long Beach.

One of the things I loved doing most in the summers when I was growing up, was going

to Mother's Beach with Tante Be. So, naturally, since I was only a couple of blocks away at Whole Foods,

I made my way down Appian Way and pulled into the parking lot.

It made me smile.

A couple of months ago, I came to see it and the park was under construction.

Now, there was a brand-spanking-new state of the art playground right on the beach and

the way Kate's face lit up when she saw it erased any sadness I may have had.

She literally ran to the playground smiling.

She kept jumping up and down with excitement as we walked toward the cool-lookin' swings.

(By the way, she doesn't normally wear belly shirts...this is Ella's shirt

because Kate spilled the diet coke and I didn't have an extra change of clothes for her.)

My little monkey

A little help from the big sister

I love these girls

Kate made herself a new little friend. A very cute little boy named Max.

There's just something about sitting by and watching the kids play while snapping away

shot after shot of photos that is so therapeutic. Even on the worst days, when everything

that could possibly go wrong, has and it feels like there's no beauty in life...

I find it, right there, through my viewfinder that yes,

there is in fact beauty in the world.

Photography is my passion.

It's my release, my therapy and it makes me happy.

But not as happy as those girls in the pictures make me.

Until this...

I got a sandal chucked at me after that last shot.

Miss Thing didn't want to leave the park.

Yeah.

She spent some time in the corner for that one.

(But I couldn't help laughing the second I turned around and she couldn't see me.)

Where does she come from???!