Kat Hargest
I have so many hopes and dreams for my photography business. I would love to have my own studio one day and travel to exotic places for sessions. One dream of mine is to work with a charity to take photos for kids who are terminally ill. I would love to capture some happy memories of them for their families to cherish.
A while back I had the opportunity to make one of these goals a reality. My sister called and asked if she could donate my services. A fellow mom she had met thru a moms group was diagnosed with cancer. The group was providing meals to help fellow mom, Kat Hargest while she was undergoing treatments. Instead of food, my sister wanted to give Kat family photos. I loved the idea. I had no idea what kind of gift was in store for me.
Kat was the most encouraging, enthusiastic person I ever knew. Her emails were full of !!’s and ALL CAPS showing her love of life. And it wasn’t phony or preachy…she really loved God and this life He gave her. Her is a piece of one of Kat’s posts:
I AM BLESSED! Jesus is using me in HUGE ways!! i've never once asked why i have stage 4 lung cancer (non smoker.. 10 percent of the population)! He is with me always and i see His amazing grace every minute of every hour of every day!! He is my rock and He is my healer!!
Can you imagine such strength? Such optimism?
That was the only time I saw Kat. She lost her battle with cancer recently. Never has one person in such a short time frame made such an impression on me. I am told that many others feel the same way. For a few hours I was given the gift of watching a family love each other and love the life they were given. Joy, that is what Kat gave me. Go ahead, while you are online google “joy”. Don’t worry, I will wait…and don’t cheat, it only takes a minute.
Isn’t that beautiful? Thank you Kat Hargest. You inspired many and will be missed by all.
MOPS of Frederick is having a pancake breakfast fundraiser this Saturday for Kat's family. I hope that all my local fans can make it to the Frederick Church of the Brethren to help support this amazing family.
Fall is Here!
I love this time of year; crisp breeze, leaves changing colors, apple pie and so much to do! Did you ever notice once Fall gets here every weekend is so busy until January? I decided to squeeze in some Autumn fun this weekend in between sessions.
I was lucky enough to start my Saturday seeing this little guy again.
You should hear how he says his name, it's just too cute.
We decided to check out Reynolds Farm in Waynesboro since I have heard so much about it and had my nephew all day (there will more on this character to come as you will see him frequently and he is a blog entry in and of itself!). It's a great family fun spot. Admission is reasonable and games are around $1. We did the corn maze, went on a hay ride and picked out a pumpkin. I would definitely recommend checking it out.
Then it was off to pick apples. After all, I did have an apple pie to make!
Today was a beautiful day to be outside.
What's the perfect ending to such a great day? Apple pie as promised of course! This was by far my best apple pie yet, just ask Cooper....he had 4 slices!
I hope you had a great weekend as well. I have lots of sessions coming up and a Halloween mini-session so check back in soon!
Good night Gracie
Two years ago on a dreary May morning, our sweet dog Nikki passed away. She was our girl; our pride and joy. We weren’t sure we could ever get another dog after losing Nikki. We tried to rescue a wild scrappy dog named Abby a year later; she needed more than we could give her so we ended up giving her to a family with lots of grand kids and dogs to play with her. We just weren’t ready.
Then came Gracie.
I got a call from my cousin, who rescues animals and was determined to get us another dog. (Thanks Daniel!) He said he found the perfect dog and then he played dirty! He told us Gracie’s story. Sometime this summer a not so nice person decided to load up 2 puppies and drop them off a mile from the local shelter( really not so nice person, you couldn’t go one more mile!!). A man on his way to work in the middle of the night found Gracie along the road, she had been hit. He moved her safely to the side of the road and called the police. When the police came they found a little male puppy perfectly fine and took him to the shelter, not knowing that Gracie was close by. The kind man stopped on his way home from work the next morning to see if Gracie had been picked up. Poor Gracie had been out all night in a storm, all day in 95 degree heat and was covered with flies. He called the Antietam Humane Society who took her to the Wayne Height Animal Hospital where they were able to save her by amputating her leg.
We got the call to come meet the sweetest little puppy. So we went and after hearing her story how could you not take her home! Gary wasn’t as convinced she was “our girl”, so we fostered her for two weeks even though I knew all along she was ours, right dear ;). After two weeks who wouldn’t fall in love with that sweet face?
Gracie has been an amazing surprise for us. She loves to snuggle and sit on my lap. Her little tail never stops wagging….she is just so happy. And she can run! She can run so fast. I am teaching her how to sit and even though she can’t shake, I am determined to teach her “high five”. Gracie has decided to sleep with us, right in between of us….we found our girl. So for now, Goodnight Gracie.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped Gracie, the kind man who stopped twice on the street, the Antietam Humane Society, Wayne Heights Veterinary Clinic and Daniel, I knew you would find us our dog.
