Gimme a BEET

I've been shooting Skin Food by Aubrey products this past year, and one photograph has stood out among the rest as a personal favorite between us.

It was really fun to come up with a creative giveaway with her for her Instagram Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaways. Since she is such a good friend, she encouraged me to sell this beauty in my print shop. Even though I take thousands of photographs, it's still nice to hear someone say that a certain picture inspires them. Sometimes we lose a connection with our art because are viewing it on screens and it is so easily forgotten once we edit or post it. When we touch it with our hands, the pixels have a different effect on us. This was a really proud moment for me!

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You can see more print options in the link below. I personally like the rug for a kitchen!

Tether & Fly | Society6 Shop

In other news, I took those heels right off as soon as she snapped that picture.

Winter Skin

When the Damian noticed the toilet was flushing slowly, he looked at me and asked, "Do you need to use the plunger again?" 

He remembered I did it last year and didn't blink at the thought of me using it again. Eight years ago I would have never dreamed of learning to unclog a toilet, because there was always someone to do it for me. Now that we've been our own the better part of two years, I have learned to Google & YouTube my way through many "adventures" around the house. It is reassuring that my four year old sees me as a more capable handy-gal than I used to see myself. 

When Kevin saw me applying for college this morning, he said I was too old to go back. I explained that I'm not.  

He said I already went. I explained the reasons for checking out the requirements of finishing my bachelor's degree.

He said I would be gone all the time. I told him probably not, but if I were it would be for a good reason.  

This conversation echoes the many we have had and will have about being a secure unit of three. There have been many decisions to make and many opportunities to consider as I map out what the future looks like. I've finally been able to start moving toward the goals that used to be fragile ideas in the back of my head. Honestly, I don't have a lot of choice but to adapt and evolve. Staying the same is not an option. Once we thicken our skin and see the world with new eyes, I believe there is a strength that surprises even our own expectations of who we can be.

I want to make sure I'm raising boys who embrace a life that is not conventional.

Time to shovel the driveway & officially begin our Christmas season.

-Andrea

Stoddard Ave Pumpkin Glow 2012

Did you know Dayton is home to a longstanding Halloween tradition of displaying hundreds of candlelit pumpkins on the hill behind the Greek Orthodox Church? Imagine the love poured into this collaboration from the volunteers who band together to gift our city this breathtaking sight.

The ethereal event is known as the Stoddard Avenue Pumpkin Glow. It could easily be the backdrop of a classic movie set, and it is undeniably an interactive artistic experience. No picture will ever compare to the almost sacred vigil of watching the pumpkins' delicate candlelit fires dancing in the late October chill. I suggest you bring a mug of coffee, or cocoa, as you stroll along the hill and marvel at all the intricate creations. The Pumpkin Glow is situated in the historic & charming Grafton Hill neighborhood near the Dayton Art Institute. The area is surrounded by gorgeous homes & many residents are the very ones who generously carve the pumpkins for the grand show. 

A couple years ago, I took my sons for the first time. We walked the streets waiting for the sun to set. In 2012, Kevin (6) & Damian (2), seemed so big to me. We were at the beginning of another deployment and I was spinning my tires in work obligations & single mommy duties. It can be tempting for me to skip these little activities when I am overwhelmed, but I hastily decided to make the six minute drive that I do not regret.

These pictures remained untouched for two years until I lost them in a corrupted hard drive. Thankfully, I had backed them up and could retrieve the files. When I opened this folder to see a fuzzy hat on my Damian & Kev's innocent little smiles, I cried. Each imperfect photo is meaningful, and not just because I thought I would never see them again. I didn't consciously know that this season was the slow beginning of becoming permanently separated. Or better explained, I couldn't admit we would eventually divorce. This night marked a new habit of celebrating who we are and where we live. It is what I now refer to as "tether and fly."
Instead of extending all of my energy pining over an ideology of happiness that is no longer possible, I find joy to be abundantly available when I'm brave enough to accept it from unconventional places.
I do not regret the six minute drive.
Now I realize they were oh so small and this was oh so big for us.

"It’s fleeting, and that’s what makes it so special.” 
Judy Chaffin

You can read more about founder Judy Chaffin and her story and vision for creating the legendary Stoddard Avenue Pumpkin Glow in this article by Dayton Most Metro.

The Pumpkin Glow on Stoddard Ave is a free event at 8:00 PM on
Thursday October 30, 2014 and Friday October 31, 2014

Say 'hi' if you see me there! I will probably be telling Damian to stop trying to make the pumpkins roll down the hill!

-Andrea

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own.  The images from this post were taken with my Nikon D700 and edited in Lightroom. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.

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I now use multiple hard drives to back up files as well as an upgraded Dropbox Account and a cloud based backup company called CrashPlan that I highly recommend. 

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Surrendering to Autumn

My "Grandpap" Bell passed away Friday morning. I'm thankful I could kiss his warm cheeks & visit with him during his final days. Gathering with my family to celebrate his life was a special, sacred event. It was filled with joy, honor, and plenty of humor. I am still processing what I want to tuck away in my heart from what I have witnessed throughout my life & this week relating to him.

We are home now and I've learned to make friends with the typical overcast October sky. Even the fickle wind that demands we surrender our golden leaves is welcome at my door. Grey clouds, gentle raindrops, and blustery Ohio mornings are ingredients in comfort food weather I crave in order to pause and refresh. Renew. I've found it's easier to take on the world once I cave to the truth that it can't be done without a proper night's sleep.

Earlier in my life, I neglected the importance of letting myself breathe after a long week, a big project, or being around a lot of people. My mind isn't always convinced that I should embrace this pattern of listening to the limitations of my body, but I am working on persuading it that I should. I even read a highly informative book on this topic, because I'm a big girl now.

Today was about not thinking too much about the past and certainly not forecasting too far into the future. 

We ordered Scholastic books (online, because I missed the teacher's deadline). We, I mean, I, cleaned. Kevin did homework & told me funny stories about his day. We talked about African Elephants (Kev's new obsession), and ate canned soup for dinner. I would be lying if I didn't admit that touching these familiar pages brings back one of my favorite past times from elementary school. 

They finished their evening with a rainy walk to visit their Grandparents' house, our neighbors. Kevin was gone before I could blink, let alone grab a camera.
Damian wasn't far behind his big brother.

I hope the boys remember this season as fondly as I always will.

-Andrea

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. The images from this post were taken with my Nikon D800 and edited in Lightroom. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.

Print Shop is Open

Thanks for all of your support with this project, I am overwhelmed with the response! I've been working on this site for such a long time that it is a little intimidating to realize that now my words aren't just buried in a series of hidden pages anymore. On the other hand, it's a relief to have it launched. :)

This week felt undeniably like autumn for us. While I adore the golden colors we are seeing, lately I've been inspired by denim blues. Damian & I picked up some plums at Monnin Fruit Farm last weekend, and spent one afternoon pretending they were dinosaur eggs.

He knew they weren't real, but he was a good sport. He has become more interested in dinosaurs, requesting I read his big brother's old books on his prehistoric fascinations. The shame continues as I mush up the same ole' pronunciations I did four years ago. You try to say, "MICROPACHYCEPHALOSAURUS."

If I read over them quickly, he doesn't notice I have no idea what I'm talking about. 

"We pretended they were eggs that belonged to dinosaurs that I can't pronounce."

Print Available by Tether & Fly on Society 6.com

This morning I've added two autumn prints to my Society6 shop.

Shop Tether & Fly | Society 6

Hope your weekend involves coffee, naps, and rain.

-Andrea 

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. The images from this post were taken with my Nikon D800 and edited in Lightroom. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.

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Broken Mum

Cool mornings and shorter evenings have a way of catching me off guard in the bustle of breaking in a new school year's momentum. Before pumpkins are fully ready to catch my attention, I have a quiet tradition of carefully selecting a few bundles of mums for my little porch. Each year I anticipate the moment I will dress up my shopping cart with their color, because they make that routine grocery trip a fancy little occasion for me. 

Soon after I put them on my front step, I noticed one mum bush was leaning. On closer inspection I realized that a large chunk of the plant had been knocked over, presumably by a familiar soccer ball. It was suspiciously re-planted, as only as 8 year old can attempt to cover an accident. I discarded the broken stems and turned the plant so that the living petals faced toward the sun.

Over the course of a few days, the brave remaining buds delicately opened without any sign of regret for the pieces that died. They did not dull their colour as a curtesy for the clusters that would not have the chance to bloom. They did not seem to mind the void so clearly obvious in their misshapen remnants. They absorbed light & transformed into their potential.

This morning I continued the quarrel in my thoughts about the way I share bits of my life. How can I possibly focus on what is beautiful when destruction exists next to every curated photograph? It is a topic I have discussed often, (ask my friends), and one that will likely always persist in order for me to pursue balance. This morning I inched closer to clarity on this subject while I admired these berry hues.  

"I can spend my time mourning what is broken and my energy consumed by events I can not change. Or I can celebrate what courageously still blooms & revel in the beauty of the season I live in. " -Andrea Bell | Tether & Fly

These mums gave me more than I paid for them. They illustrated the attitude I need to embrace.

I could spend my time mourning what is broken and my energy consumed by events I can not change.
Or I can celebrate what courageously still blooms & revel in the beauty of the season I live in. 

It seems to be the only logic that could possibly spare me from fits of madness.

-Andrea

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. The image from this post taken with my Nikon D800 and edited with Lightroom. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.

Welcome to Tether & Fly

"This year I didn't make resolutions.
Just plunging forward with a sensitivity to act on the things I've been putting off."

-Andrea Bell

View from a hospital where I worked as a newborn photographer for six months.

There is a haunted beauty in being the first one here.

It reminds me of spending the night in an empty house before the movers come to fill it. I am nervous and excited for that day, hoping I gave this my best. For now, I'm enjoying how my voice echoes in the halls and the adventure of eating pizza on the floor. 

It is the splendid moment between imagining a dream & being close enough to touch it. 

-Andrea

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. Images from this post taken with my iPhone4 and edited with Afterlight. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.