a wedding gift?

My cousin is getting married this July (and I thought I was done with weddings...) and she really didn't want to shell out $2400 for wedding photos. She looked at my photos when I visited the family on Saturday and said that I should take the wedding photos. NO WAY! Seriously, I would never agree to take pictures of her wedding for various reasons. Mostly I have little to no experience, don't have the right equipment, would be completely stressed out, and would never forgive myself if my pictures sucked. Did I mention that I don't have any experience and I'm not a professional? I'd barely call myself a beginner. So, I firmly opposed the idea and later suggested one of my friends.

Getting to my point...
She emailed me today and asked if I'd be willing to do the reception photos if she would "buy all the film and whatever else you would need."

I think I'd be willing to do that for her. But, I don't know if it is a great idea. Here's where you come in: please email me or leave a comment and let me know what you think.

I know that there are a lot more expenses than just film and I'm sure that she doesn't realize how expensive things can get. I was already planning on attending the wedding (in Savannah) so the traveling expense is expected. But, there's the film, the time it takes to prepare everything, the processing and printing of the film, the reprints, etcetera. Shooting the reception is probably a lot less stressful than the ceremony, but still stressful. I had already planned on being there the week before the wedding, so I should be able to do some test shots and look at the location and everything beforehand.

So, let me know what you think. :-) Thanks!

Seasons of Love

The previous 365 days have been amazing and difficult all at the same. A lot of life has happened in that time and I am grateful for it all.

• Tuesday evenings
• silent conversations
• honest answers followed by holding hands and lots of tears
• hope of something more than friendship
• watching new parents
• the feeling of overwhelming love for my niece and “wuv yous”
• blowing kisses and having them returned from my nephew
• intense and honest conversations with my mom
• old hymns sung together while he lay on his death bed
• watching planes land while eating McDonald’s
• unanswered e-mails, unreturned voicemails, and no phone calls
• buying my first painting
• living in an apartment with just me
• adding a cat to my apartment
• Sunday mornings
• making meals together and then enjoying our efforts
• deciding to make an effort to face really painful parts of my past
• feeling "unstuck" after so long
• admitting that I feel ignored and unwanted
• visiting the Newport Aquarium with most of my family and enjoying it
• being valued enough to not settle for a surface-level relationship
• learning more about photography
• builing new friendships
• being a part of several weddings
• continuing a friendship even in different countries
• flying by myself, missing my flight home due to a delay and staying in Chicago by myself
• my Sangha
• following through on the hard stuff, even when I don't want to
• realizing some conversations that I thought were necessary, really are not
• forcing myself to follow through on the essential conversations to continue a friendship
• being surrounded by loving people in marriages that love their spouses immensely
• laughing more than crying
• loving more than hurting
• living more
• feeling more free than I ever thought I could feel

I watched Rent (the movie) with Holly, Trav and the Penwells a week ago today. It affected me quite a bit, surprisingly, and inspired the post above as well as a hopeful feeling for what 2006 will hold.

Here are the lyrics to Seasons of Love:

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred
moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
six hundred minutes

How do you measure- measure a year?
In Daylights-In sunsets
In midnights-In cups of coffee
In inches-in miles
In laughter-in strife

In-Five hundred twenty-five thousand
six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the Life?

How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love?

Seasons of love.
Seasons of love.

Soloist:
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan

five hundred twenty-five thousand
six hundred minutes
How do you measure the Life
of a woman or a man?

soloist 2:
In truths that she learned
or in times that he cried
in bridges he burned
or the way that she died

all:
It’s time now-to sing out
Though the story never ends
Let’s Celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends

Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Measure in Love

Measure, Measure your Life in Love

sweet hugs

sweethugs
Originally uploaded by delightfuldaisy.

This is making me smile. A lot.

I just want to feel loved...