Road trip to the Upper Peninsula

Here's a video from our trip up to see Pearl's family.

Christmas Road trip from Matt Parks on Vimeo.

Best of Weddings – oh my goodness….

The “best of weddings” bridal show was held this year at the Lancaster Convention center downtown. This is where as the name describes the best in weddings come out to showcase their creative abilities, and showcase they did. The displays where mind blowing and truly showed some of the incredible talent that resides with in Lancaster County.

Pearl and I were asked to stand with one of our new friends, Jeremy Hess, at his photography booth just to help field questions and mingle on his behalf with the brides and families coming through. He really had to twist our arms but after about .45 seconds of thinking about it we said we would. When I arrived Jeremy tossed me a camera and asked if I wanted to document some of the room, I thought this time for about .42 seconds and skipped away to see what I could see.

Here’s a couple images of what I saw. I was really impressed with the venders and would gladly recommend any of them. So if you’re ever in need of production company, linens, cake extraordinaire, invitation able to work magic with anything paper lady, or a great photographer I have a couple of names for you.

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The world's greatest nephew.

This was written while Pearl and I drove to through Virginia on our way to surprise my mom for Christmas, a couple of weekend's ago.

So this blog has been a long time coming. For example I took this pictures back in October and I’m just now putting my thoughts towards it. The reason for the delay… I just didn’t know what to say, believe it or not I, Me, Matt Parks, was at a lost for words.

Well, to be honest I’m still at a lost for words so here it goes.

The pictures below are of my little nephew Gabe. He’s a great kid, full of energy, respectful and sweetness, yet just enough rowdy, roughness and one could say just plain ol’ Boy to be lots and lots of fun. Pearl and I simply love the kid.

The thing with Gabe is that he’s growing but not at a normal pace. Not slow enough to cause worry, yet not fast enough to call normal. He also bruises really easily, I would say I got that from Pearl, but since he’s my nephew from my sister, that’s just not possible and even though I’m from the south I’m not from that part of the south.

Another thing is that he’s “tummy”, which I’ve learned is baby language for gut, was always sticking out, like he’s got a little beer gut, but once again I’m from the south but we don’t nurse on bud, at least not most of us, and why am I saying us, I’ll never nurse unless God has a really crazy trick up his sleeve.

Last thing, Gabe’s liver and Spleen were always a little large. Once again, each thing by themselves the doctors where able to explain away, it was just when all were together that caused some questions to start being asked.

Those questions led to a year that turned at least 2 of my brother-in-laws 3 gray hairs their snowly color, and caused my sister to shed more then a couple of hand fulls of stress-anxiety induced tears.

After a year of testing, year of probing, year of worrying and coming up with some of the funniest stories ever told of a 3 year old in a hospital gown Gabe was finally diagnosed with Gaucher disease.

Gaucher disease is a disorder where your body is missing the enzyme necessary to break down the fatty substances in one’s blood. The fat then builds up over time in an organ, that organ fails and as of 10 years ago they would have simply removed that organ, scratched their head in bewilderment, then a couple of years later removed the next organ, and this would continue until they removed your very last organ for burial. Great process… NOT.

But we live in an amazing time in history, a time where we have enough freedoms and knowledge and all the other glorious things that make the world good for scientist to have enough time to stop making bombs and test hamsters. Chinese hamsters in fact, and in this testing of Chinese hamsters they discovered that their ovaries carry the missing enzyme to correct Gaucher disease.

So now, my nephew instead of building up fat in his organs till it kills him around the age of 30 he can go to Atlanta every two weeks for a 3 hour infusion of this missing enzyme and live, live a normal life and be a normal kid.

So the pictures below tell of our journey. Of leaving early in the morning, forgetting shoes, fighting traffic, arriving at the center, Gabe starting the infusion, us walking around, putting together puzzles, and watching movies while he’s attached to his little backpack-enzyme-infusing-life-giving machine full of Chinese Hamster Ovaries magic.

We finished this treatment with a nice round of Indian food and then watched Gabe’s little eyes finally give out during his car ride home. I’m amazed at our bodies and how wildly they are created, finely tuned and put together. I’m disgusted that the brokenness of the world extends past the selfishness and hate of grown ups and some how finds it’s way into little boy’s body’s, yet I’m humbled that God loves us so much to not leave us in the middle of this broken mess called humanity but gives us creativity, intellect, and insight to be able to correct some of the wrongs we see around us.

Here’s the pics, hope you enjoy.

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Snow, Snow, Snow...

I love the snow!

Seriously, I do. Being from Georgia snow was an invitation for all of life as we knew it to stop, heck even the slightest possibility of snow was a cause for all the local grocery stores to sell out of milk, bread and eggs and the real reason to celebrate, for us to skip school! What makes me laugh is that the people mainly buying these things hadn't eaten them in years, plus what are they making? french toast? Is that a tradition I'm unaware of?

Well, for whatever reason whenever it snows now I revert back to being 12; pubescent squeaky voice and all and find myself jumping up and down wanting to go play in it.

My toys have changed a little over the years. So now instead of grabbing anything I might be able to slide on, lunch tray, cardboard box, whatever, I find myself picking up my camera and heading out (and trying really really hard not to slide on them!)

So here's a couple of pictures of tonight's tromping. After being out for ten or so minutes, tired of trying to hold an umbrella and shoot, and the fact my fingers where in too much pain to press shutter button, I had to head back in.

enjoy!

And if you happen to find yourself with some snow this season, let your bad self cut loose and have some fun!

Merry Christmas! Only 20 days to Christmas!!

Advent... pause

The Advent season is upon us. This is a tradition that for thousands of years has rhythmically called the Church to step out of the rush of life and to pause, to reflect, to remember and savor what makes it’s Faith tradition so rich. The liturgical calendar calls upon two season of slowed reflection, Advent and Lent.

Pearl and I have decided to observe Advent this season. You will find at the center of our table a collection of 5 candles and you hopefully will also find us each morning sitting down in front of them, Pearl with her random bowl of cereal and me with my yogurt. We are trying to spend these opening minutes of our day reflecting, reading passages from the Bible, and basically trying to sync our lives, desires, fears, worries, passions, etc to the teachings of Jesus. During Advent there are traditional passages the Church has reflected upon, passages that highlight certain themes leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

A friend recently gave Pearl and I a book that has collected these passages and then provided a little commentary on how they apply to this season of reflection.

A sentence from today’s reading stuck a cord with me:

“the Greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something… To see is poetry, prophecy, and religion, all in one… Seeing is a difficult art, as is hearing.”

As I walk through this season, remembering and reflecting on the cornerstone tradition of my Faith, I hope I can see clearly. To not see what I want to see or what I’m prejudice to see, but to see the truth around me, the love around me, the joy and warmth around me. I recently had a professor ask us if we will force what we see to “fit” what we already thought, or if we would allow what we think to be shaped by what we see.

This season… I want to see the holidays a new. To not just see an empty passing of yearly rituals, but to see the beauty and wonder of this amazing time of year. May I continue to pause each morning and allow my thoughts, desires, fears, and worries to bend to the way of love, joy, peace, and hope.

A little Decorating and dinner with Friends

This past Sunday held a tradition that Pearl and I love! The tradition of decorating the house, putting up the tree, and busting out the Christmas CD’s. This year friends joined us in the festivities. I now find myself cozily sitting next to our tree enjoying it’s delightful presence. I simply love having Christmas lights up, there’s something about those tiny white lights welcoming you to the living room. Welcoming you to slow down… to be with those you love, to tell stories of old, and to make some new ones as well.

I love it!

Ps – I asked Pearl to marry me at a Starbucks down in Georgia. After she said yes we purchased that years’ “Starbucks’ Christmas ornament” and have each year purchased another. So when you see the picture of us kissing putting up a red coffee cup ornament, that’s way. It’s silly, but deeply meaningful for us, and just so you know, we now have 6 cups hanging on our tree!

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Tree Lighting 2009

Friday night Josiah and Abigail Conrad joined Pearl and I for the lighting of the downtown Lancaster Christmas tree. It felt like winter was upon us for a couple of hours. The cold air whipped around the square, we packed tight into the crowd for coverage, sang Christmas tunes, listen to tubas do they’re tubaing, as well as hand bell choirs ring their chimes, Santa made a brief appearance, and a massive tree was lite. The thing we laughed about the most was how the tree was turned “on” all night and then turned “off” to light it up, I think someone mislabeled the switch. We loved it! The night ended with some ice cream, hot cider, and a movie. Simply delightful!

Thanksgiving… what a day.

Pearl and I had a delightful Thanksgiving celebrating with an old friend, Jason Mitchell. When we arrived at Jason’s house I asked what his Thanksgiving traditions were, to which he simple replied, “we only have one, to be untraditional.” He held true to his word and cooked one mean rack of pork, so no turkey this year. He also cooked cranberry carrots and green peas with goat cheese, sounds weird but they were great! Pearl and I then added the mash potatoes and of course the staple of my Thanksgiving meal, sweet potato soufflé.

It was really a great day.

Jen (Jason’s wife) was in Georgia visiting her sister who had just delivered her first child, but she surprised Jason by leaving at 4am and drove straight from south Georgia, took one bathroom / gas brake (yes only ONE!) and walked in the door around 3. It was crazy cute seeing Jason’s eyes jump at the delightful sight of his wife’s voice. Plus Silas and Siena (they’re two little kids) could not be more happy to see mama.

The rest of the day was filled with great conversation and of course board games and lots oh dessert.

blessings...

God is truly good. Yeah I know that sounds cheesy and like I should be standing in some sports stadium with a hack job poster around my neck with my shirt off, shaking my belly like a bowl full of jelly (just wanted to say that, jelly belly, belly jelly, I’m now smiling like a silly kid, ha ha). But truth be told, even when life is really tough and things just seem to be landing on you like a ton of bricks, The goodness of God is still lingering around, like breadcrumbs that fell on the floor that you never seem to be able to sweep up.

I’ve not had any bricks thrown at me this week, to which I say “thank you” but I have had moments to just pause and be reminded of just how good this life can be.

I could list the usual items of health, family, friends, etc. But for me I saw God’s goodness today in a couple of difference ways, I saw it in:
- a delightful cup of coffee with friends
- a phone conversation that instilled hope
- accidently deleting a file only to be reminded I had a back up made (3 times)
- enjoyed a delightful senior portrait session with a student I once worked with in student ministry
- sitting on the couch with my amazing wife eating spaghetti and just letting our elbows touch as we do whatever we’re both doing on our computers
- a run that reminded me I’m alive
- and listening to my coonhound snore next to me… yeah she loves us so much she’s wanting to sleep next to us one the couch.

Yeah, God is good. I hope I now can only continue to see the breadcrumbs of this goodness sprinkled all around.

Here are a couple of my favorite pics from today’s portrait session.

now... how did they meet again?

So what do you get when you cross a Canadian girl with a Lancaster boy, add in some form of social media networking, then sprinkle in some crazy driving, and a dash of adventure? Well, if you’re Robin Williams you might be able to manage some funny joke out of that mixture but for simple ol’ Matt, I say you get one pretty cool couple with one crazy story of how they meet.

I still can’t decide what I love more about their story, the fact that she drove from Canada just for him or that he somehow talked her into riding as he co-pilot to “help deliver” pizza’s as a way to spend more time with her, or if that they eloped to a local park to get married. Either way, I think they’re a pretty cool couple.

Here’s a couple of pictures from an anniversary shoot we did together.


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what a family...

We’ve all been around kids that make you ask if you are really sure you want to have kids of your own… don’t worry you’re not the only one with a little chuckle on your face and a kid in your mind. But hopefully we’ve also all meet kids who make you day dream about the day that you have your own. Every now and then I’ll come in contact with a family that simple is a delight to be with, where I totally lose track of the time and just soak in the seconds as the roll on.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I had such an experience. The Johnson family was truly a delight to photograph. The parents getting parenting, and set boundaries for their boys yet still allowed the boys to fully be boys, I hope I can do that one day. And because of these killer parents, the boys, well… they where just a blast.

Scott is an up and coming artist. We talked about the different forms he expresses himself through, and just between us I think he could be a slamming photographer. He had loads of great ideas for angles, and locations and props, he was like Niagria falls but instead of water he gushed out ideas. Super fun.

Marc (yes with a “c”) was their younger son, and I think he and I would have had some amazing stick swords fights and monstrous army missions if we were kids together. His mom asked if we could capture the “million faces of Marc”, to which Marc gladly made a million, yes literally a million, I counted, faces at me. It was awesome.

Here are a couple of my favorites pictures, form one of my new favorite families.

ps – I blogged a little about how the Johnson's pictures made my heart happy a couple of days ago. Here's the link


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a family I respect.

Pj and Megan were one of the first friends Pearl and I made when we moved to PA. Megan is a quiet gentle spirit that makes you feel like the world is a little better when you’re near her, no wonder she makes a great nurse. And PJ… well… he confuses me. I know PJ as a fun loving, thoughtful, reflective thinker who deeply loves others and his faith, yet I know his job is one that requires him to be level of tough and force that I just have trouble picturing him being. So, I guess I write that to say I deeply respect the man for being able to enter into tough environments with truly terrible situations and yet come home to his friends and family and be describe by adjectives that would never fit where he had just left. He has learned the fine art of leaving work at work and knowing how to pick up love and gentleness when he’s around family and friends. The two of them also demonstrate what commitment, giving, and serving others look like in a way that I only hope to be able to. They both have full time jobs, an amazing little girl, yet they both volunteer for what could be considered a full to part time role leading LCBC Harrisburg’s youth program. Simply an amazing family.

Well Emma, their adorable little girl was due for some pictures. They asked me to capture her first year and here’s the first of 3 sessions we have planned. She’s a great girl in a great family. Hope you enjoy the pics.

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BFF 4 Life.

What is a best friend??? You know your BFF. I once heard that for a healthy team, staff, relationship to from it needs proximity and play.

Well, to those two ingredients I can say Joel Smith and I excelled. We became friends in third grade during summer church came. We HAD to room together and I was simply ticked about that. Well, that week of having to share a bed, disgusting!, Launched a friendship that is closer then most of the worlds siblings, twins included, and if we were honest most of the world’s married couple.

We became friends in third grade, fumbled through middle school together, laughed through high school, lived all 8 semesters of college in the same 10x10 cement room, stood at the front of the line in each others wedding and along the way created some of the craziest, off the wall, side stitching stories the world has ever heard.

Joel is no longer a friend, he’s truly family.

During our last trip to Georgia Pearl and I were able to carve out some time to stop by Joel’s. Joel, Gwen, Pearl and I found ourselves talking, laughing, and slapping out knees as deep belly laughs erupted well into the night at when the clock was rolling past 3am we forced ourselves to stop talking and find some sleep.

We ended our time with a visit to some greasy spoon breakfast joint in Raleigh NC, which was amazing, and with a couple of pics. Here’s a few of my favorite.

So to Joel, Gwen and RK… love you guys!

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Horror, good stories, and an amazing family

I love storytellers, to be around someone who can just hold you on their every word and to create mini movies in your mind with the use of their adjectives and speech patterns. Yeah, I find myself longing to sit next to them… especially when there’s a new horror movie out, cause you see I may love a good story, but I hate horror movies. Nope, just can’t take em. If I was forced to watch one you’d find me in the fetal position sucking thumb about 3 second after the opening credits start.

So with that said let me introduce you to the famous Tim Moser. Not only is he famous for being a lighting Genius, as in designing the stage lights for some of the best concerts you’ll ever see, he’s also one of the biggest horror film fanatics I know who just so happens to actually be an amazing storyteller.

Tim and I meet through LCBC and I found myself captive to his stories while in the process of changing stage designs and lighting gels. But Tim is not a one man show, he also has an amazing wife, Katie, and 3 of the coolest little boys I’ve every meet. Countless stories come to mind of wild and weird moments Tim has retold of his boys. The five of them just collectively make one cool family.

Well, Katie contacted us about doing a family picture, but she wanted it to be around an experience, so to the pumpkin patch we went. We picked pumpkins, chased little boys, smelled cows and captured some fun memories along the way. Here is a few of my favorites. Hope you enjoy.

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a child's world...

We were to meet a few weeks earlier but as humor has it our beautiful park excursion turned into one wet-cold-windy fall day, it was simply nasty out. So we pushed our plans back. But this day, the sun was just right, the clouds amazing, and two extremely fun and energy filled kids were ready to rock and roll. So to Lititz Spring park we went with dreams of mini adventures in mind hoping to be played out on giant wooden trains, huge swings, and really odd looking rock things. As well as the secret hope of capturing some amazing moments in the midst of the play. Alisa invited us to join her family, capture some of the fun of childhood, and to simply enjoy some of the amazing fall leaves together. It was a blast being a kid again, playing, running, jumping, and living for just a moment without the worry and stress of being an adult. Oh to be a kid again. So, here’s a couple of my favorite moments and hopefully as you scroll through you’ll rediscover a little of your childhood in their smiles and full abandonment to play. Enjoy.

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a great lunch... an embarrassing lunch

So, I just had one of those lunches today that you walk a way from feeling like it could have some major impacts on your life. The kind of lunch you find yourself changing outfits a couple of times before cause you want everything to go just right. Well, today’s lunch was with a local photographer that I have admired for years, a photographer who really shapes much of the wedding market in Lancaster and Central PA, and well, to be honest his studio has an impact on the entire Northeast. Through some crazy events we met, he offered lunch, and I gladly offered to pay. It was great… I’m excited about the possibility of the things I’m dreaming about coming true. We'll just have to wait and see... ohhh the drama.

But here’s the embarrassing part. He went to check out my blog, which I was not expecting cause I thought we’d look at my laptop if he even wanted to see pictures, and what I realized as he was scrolling through the pages is that I haven’t updated in weeks. I’m currently looking at seven, yes 7, blog entries needing to be written.

So in good embarrassment fashion, I’m going to get my blogs up to date. Starting NOW.

or after I get back form running an errand for my wife, and going to class in philly, and... well I'll hopefully catch up tomorrow, yeah, I'll do it tomorrow.

so until then, here's a couple of teaser pics of things to come.

a really cool workshop and a really long shot.

So think of your hero.

Ok, I'm not talking about your dad or grandmother... although both of those really could be your hero (and secretly they'd be mine as well, and of course my amazing Mom would fall in there too), but what I'm talking about are those people who are in the same profession as you, and you find yourself watching what they're doing. Observing them, copying them, learning from them... secretly wanting to be them. Well, one photographer I look up to and love looking at her work and style and put a lot of weight on what she says and does is Jasmine Star, so if I ever wanted to be a west coast chick with a small dog, it'd be her...Ok, that may have been a little too much.

Anyway. Jasmine is doing a killer hands on workshop in New Zealand, yeah that's right New Zealand, and she's offering to give a way a seat. All you had to do was take a self portrait with a "star" in the picture, get it? Jasmine Star, a star in the picture... oh well never mind.

So here's my entry for a trip to New Zealand. I'll admit it's not the worlds most creative picture, but for having only an hour window to snap a self portrait, which was harder then I had planned on, it was what I was able to do. Pearl said I looked a little holocaustish... I think that means she liked the picture?

So one last crazy idea just to throw it out there, you know for kicks and giggles, if I don't win this thing... I guess I could let one you get it for me for Christmas, you know it's "only' a little trip to New Zealand, I hear plan tickets fit nicely in stockings, elbow elbow wink wink.






ps - I think I was only suppose to submit one image for the contest, so Jasmine I guess I'd use the top one, but if you like one of the other ones better feel free to use that one instead. Seriously, I'm ok with you doing that.

A happy heart…

So I find myself editing like a mad man today. I’m learning what the priceless words of “Time management” mean and can give you first hand examples of what it doesn’t mean. Basically I scheduled more shoots then I was able to turn around in my target edit time and I literally found myself looking at close to 15,000 photos needing to be narrowed down, color corrected, fine tuned, fixed, and to have zits and the like removed. So for 7 hours or so today I’ve edited, deleted, and edited some more.

But here’s the strange thing.

I’ve found myself strangely smiling. Not stocker looking at your family photos strangely smiling, but a true from the heart, no from my soul, smile. A joy or happiness that seems to seep out as I look at beautiful pictures of families being beautiful together. Of what love looks like, of what acceptance looks like, of what it means to have a safe place and caring home, and shoulder to cry on, for little boys to be fully boys and turn every stick around them into a sword, and then for “little boys” to grow up into dads who then play with their kids. To see what a family was meant to be.

So to the family who are loving and living as family’s should, live on. And may the love you live continue to ooze over to those around you, and may Pearl and I know that love, show that love, and wrap our family (no we’re not pregnant, but someday, hopefully not soon, but someday) in that some love.

I-85...

During a recent trip to Georgia to visit family I found myself in the passenger seat of my dad's jeep rolling down I-85. We were taking my Nephew to his bi-weekly enzyme treatment for Gaucher Disease (pronounced Go-shaa). If you've never heard of it don't feel bad only around 10,000 people in the world have been diagnosed with it, so it's not extremely common to hear about. Anyway, back to the jeep, I-85 and me in the passenger seat. I found myself during this particular trip holding my camera (surprise surprise me with a camera) as I was working on compiling some images to help retell Gabe's journey with Gaucher. Well, as I was editing the pictures from that morning I discovered these pics that had been snapped along the way and thought I'd share them. There's something about them that makes me like em. Something about the heaven's colliding with the rough oddity of man. Or the simplicity of curves, or the contrast of the colors, or something. Needless to say, I like the pics, and I hope you do as well