Infant Loss Awareness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryley was born through an emergency Cesarean. Her heartrate suddenly plummeted, and a rush of people came into my hospital room and started prepping me for surgery before I even knew what was going on. Of course, all the emotions and ‘what ifs’ start racing through your mind, while trying to trust in the Lord and have peace that everything will be okay. I can barely write this wihtout choking back the tears even to this day.  She was born 20 minutes later, and I’ll NEVER forget the feelings of relief and GRATITUDE that washed over me the moment they brought her over that curtain to introduce her to me……. many aren’t so fortunate. I can only imagine the agony I would have experienced if it had gone the other way.

With that knowledge, and the immense gratitude that I feel each and every day for having my daughter, I decided to use my photography to bless others in need. I was honored when NILMDTS reviewed my photography and accepted me into their organization!

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is a non-profit organization that sends a professional photographer to hospitals for families experiencing the loss of an infant or child. This service is completely free to the families we serve, and we do not receive any monetary compensation for our work. The NILMDTS photographers provide each family with a beautifully designed, black & white slideshow of the photos they take at the hospital. The images are truly priceless, and greatly help families through the loss of their infant/child. 

I am honored to be involved with NILMDTS ….especially knowing the profound impact it has upon the families that need this service!

Please keep reading & consider the gift of preserving a family’s few brief moments with their precious little baby…… for a Lifetime!           YOU   can help provide that!!!

Love & Blessings,

            

    

    

 FROM NILMDTS HEADQUARTERS:     

With an average of 2-million hits per month on our web site, imagine if everyone contributed just $5 to the organization!

 

 

Your donation truly will make a significant difference  in the continued success of NILMDTS.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is recognized as an IRS 501(c)3 charitable organization (Tax ID#77-0656322) and your donations are always entirely tax deductible.  When you donate, you will receive a thank you card that serves as your receipt as well as an enclosed card you may to send to the family of whomever you made the donation in memory of.

 

With the Month of October being recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, The Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation holds its Annual Fund Drivefor six weeks starting in mid-September and ending in October.    President Ronald Reagan enacted Proclamation 5890 in October of 1988 to recognize that each year, approximately a million pregnancies in the United States alone end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of a newborn child.  Reagan stated, “A national observance offers us the opportunity to increase our understanding of the great tragedy involved in the deaths of unborn or newborn babies.  It also enables us to consider how, as individuals and communities, we can meet the needs of bereaved parents and family members… ”       If you are in a place to make even a small contribution to NILMDTS, please know that doing so will continue to allow the organization to provide improved resources, training, communication, and other tools necessary in support of our amazing contingent of professional photographers who provide the gift of free remembrance portraiture to families in need.   Our next project we are working on is an online, interactive webinar version of our Formal NILMDTS Training taught by Co-Founder Sandy Puc’ allowing anyone in any country with access to a computer to complete the course online.  Donations help make programs like this a reality!    Your Donations Support the Organization in Many Ways -    * By supporting the continued education of our volunteer photographers  * By allowing us to further our outreach to hospitals and hospices across the world  * By offsetting the costs associated with outreach efforts including Formal NILMDTS Traingin Seminars  * By supporting the Family Forum which creates a productive and supportive haven for healing  * By supporting the Photographers’ Forum which provides a helpful environment for our member photographers to express their feelings and receive advice on the various issues that they face in this noble work  * By supporting the day to day operations of our Headquarters Offices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put me over

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick post. I just noticed that I’ve had 1,948 views.  I thought it would be fun to send a post asking for you to visit my site & send my link to friends and family to put me over the 2,000 views mark. Let’s see how fast you all can ‘put me over’

Thanks a BUNCH!!!

Love & Blessings, Heidi

Angie’s Exhibit…

The image of me on my h.a.e 411 page was taken by my good friend Angie Bechanan. She was the first photographer friend that I made when I moved here to Jax.

Angie has an exhibit at the Energy Lab Art Gallery in St. Augustine, and has an upcoming event that I’m passing along. She’s an awesome photographer. Many of her captivating images are from missions trips that she’s been on. I always love seeing her fantastic photographs when she returns. 

Stop by, tell her Hi, and let her know you heard about her exhibit on my blog! Maybe you’ll even see me there too! I’m looking forward to it

 

Here’s a quote from her website….

Testimonials

“After just a few visits to our projects overseas, Angie has single-handedly turned one of our biggest weaknesses into one of our biggest strengths. Her compelling images convey what is impossible to communicate through mere words–her pictures intimately and immediately connect supporters to the living, breathing people in need of our support.”
Robby Brumberg, field reporter, assistant editor of Hopegivers International

 

To check out her site, click on her name or on the exhibit announcement above.

 

Love & Blessings,

Heidi

Back to Orlando

I have family in England that I only get to see every few years. My grandmother and grandfather were born in England, so I have an extended family over there. I didn’t get to meet them all until I was 26. I’ve been over 4 times since then, and every so often parts of the family will come to the U.S.

 

This is my grandmother’s sister’s son Brian (my mom’s cousin)  & his wonderful wife Jane.

A few photos from our trip down to Orlando to visit them while they’re on vacation down there. 

 

 

 Then to the Fun Spot…we’re waiting to take Ryley to the big parks until she’s a little older.

 

She’s only 2 (not even 25 months yet)… and she’s getting so big

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ryley thought she was really driving. Look at the concentration….

 

Making a new friend. This little girl was ADORABLE! 

 

 

Then we went to Wonderworks on International Drive… it was built to look like it’s upside down. It’s packed full of really fun stuff to do. You can easily spend HOURS in there.

 

Pretty cool, huh? I think the adults had more fun with the bubbles than Ryley did!

 

This wall was so much fun!  Our hands and faces…. That’s Ryley’s little head at the top, Jerry’s in the middle, and that might be mine on the bottom. Look at Ryley’s cute little hand prints down below…

 

 

 

 

 

This place is called Gator Golf. It’s built on top of a man-made lagoon type thing and is full of baby alligators. You can feed them. It attracts a steady stream of passers by. Ryley was a little scared at first…

 

Checking out the gators…

 

This was just a few of them.  Cute little critters aren’t they?

I have more catching up to do on my blogging, but that’s all for now.

 

I hope you all are having a nice week. It’s almost FRIDAY

Love & Blessings,

Oh, HAPPY DAY!

Just a real quick post today to share some good news … 

I’ve shared a couple stories from my trip down to Orlando for the Florida Professional Photographers Convention.  What I haven’t mentioned yet, is that I took the Certified Professional Photographer certification examination while I was there. Yesterday, I received a much anticipated letter in the mail which read, 

“Congratulations, you passed the exam.”  Oh, happy day

Becoming a Certified Professional Photographer is essentially a three part process. First you have to submit an application.  From the time of acceptance you have 2 years to successfully complete the process. One part is passing a detailed examination of your professional photography knowledge, which encompasses a wide range of content, including an understanding of technical skills, composition, proper lighting, etc. This is the part I passed.

The second part is to have my images reviewed by a panel of experts and be judged Qualified. I will be going through that process this fall.

Just like teacher certification, you have to recertify every 5 years. This proves you’re continuing your education, staying current in your field and maintaining the level of expertise required to be a Certified Professional Photographer. It’s especially important now that the digital era has increased the number of inexperienced, low-cost photographers.

Currently, there are very few professional photographers in the United States who have earned this credential; only around 5% or less. For example, out of the hundreds of photographers at the convention, there were only 5 of us who took the exam; some who didn’t pass the first time.

So it’s a great way to stand out from other photographers, and help potential clients choose me over someone else

I have to thank my mentor Mike (The Photography of Mike Permenter), and professional photographer friends Keely (Mikkean Photography), Kim (Kim Kirk Photography), Scott (Shutterly Perfect) and Tammie (Amore Studios) for motivating, encouraging and supporting me through this process!  And of course, I wouldn’t be where I am without my early start in Jacksonville at Gumps Sports Photography with Jeff, Karen, Lorrie, and Angie (who encouraged Jeff to hire me)!

You guys ROCK!!!

Here’s a quick pic of me and Keely during the conference goofing around outside PF Chang’s in Orlando, taken by Mike Permenter.

 

Goodness, this wasn’t such a quick post after all!  Thanks for reading!!

Love & blessings,

PS~ I wrote the post fast this morning and forgot some things. I remembered that the last thing I did before I opened my exam book was to thank The Lord for my talents that He’s blessed me with, and I put my exam in HIS hands. I thanked Him when I read the congrats letter, but HE should have been the first person I publicly thanked. 

Thank you Lord and please help me with my forgetfulness! Amen.

High Tide Heels- what a hoot!

Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine….. 

all these storms make me feel like a pair of these may be a good idea!

 

 

What do you think?  Pretty sweet huh?  Living in Florida during hurricane season can be a bit nerve wracking, so a little humor helps.

 

Speaking of storms… that reminds me! My friend Tracey’s a new aunt! Her sister & brother-in-law, Kristen & Shane, live on Hilton Head Island and had their first baby during Hanna. Welcome to the world on September 5th Taylor Marie and CONGRATULATIONS Kristen & Shane

(photo sent to me by Tracey Crowder, taken by family)

That is one of the GREATEST feelings in the world right there!

 

On a serious note about this storm season, lets keep in our thoughts and prayers all of the people whose loved ones have lost their lives and the thousands who haven’t eaten due to Gustav & Hanna.  Haiti has been hit particularly hard.

Have a nice weekend!

PS~ Inspired by the High Tide Heels, I checked out the funpic site, and found some great photos of the World’s Largest Mosaic created with photos submitted by the public on August 23rd, 2008 .  It’s huge… you’ll be amazed. Way Cool!

The images on funpic are in a different language, but there are some really great shots! The images speak for themselves. If you want to see them click here.  I also found an article about it at allvoices.com in English.

Meeting Hanson Fong

I’ve always hoped that I would get the chance to hear Hanson Fong speak. He is an icon in photography who has contributed an immense amount to the photography world. Hanson was at the Florida Professional Photographers Convention last week, so I made sure I attended his seminar. It was everything I had expected and so much more. He gives off so much energy and enthusiasm that it’s impossible to walk away unchanged. I left craving more, but was content with finally getting to see him speak in person.

 

 

 

 

It got even better though.  I am now the very happy owner of the Canon 5D that I’ve been wanting for so long. It was slightly used so I got it for half of what it’s worth. I know….. so how can THAT be better than meeting Hanson Fong???????  It was HANSON FONG’S CAMERA!!!!! 

 

 

Me, Ramfis, and Hanson

 

Hanson was so awesome when he found out I bought his camera. I had a great time talking to him and hearing his stories. He even gave me a few private pointers.  Hanson’s super excited about passing on what he has learned to other photographers, so it doesn’t take them as long as it took him. Really really sweet guy.

 

My awesome mentor, Mike, took the photos of Hanson and me. Thanks Mike!

 

Love & blessings,

Prayer Update

We got some encouraging news this evening! Up to this point, Karen was not able to be placed on the liver transplant list. However, with this stay in the hospital, the doctor said it may now be a possibility! When God is in control, nothing is impossible….

Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers!

Love & blessings,

Labor Day

Sharing some pics from our trip to the playground today….

 

 

 

 

 

Ryley spotted her reflection in my bumper as we were leaving…. I had to be quick with this one! She doesn’t stay in one place long, and getting her to “redo the moment” is not an option

 

 

Then, back home for some swinging….

Hope you had a fantastic Labor Day Holiday!

Love & blessings,

 

 

 

Please Pray

Jerry’s mom, Karen, and family need our prayers!

After being in the hospital for a month with liver failure resulting in significant fluid retention and fever, Karen was released and was living with and being care for by her sister Nene. It’s become too difficult for Nene to care for Karen, so last week the family had made the difficult decision for Karen to move into a nursing home. There she would have a doctor assigned to her and plenty of staff to care for her. 

Unfortunately, Karen is back in the hospital with pneumonia and toxic ammonia levels from the fluid build up. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must be to have your body shutting down on you like that, and how helpless her family must feel. Thank you all for your continued prayers!

Love & blessings,