After we go to bed she is up all night surfing the web learning tutorials on photo shop and finding more inspirations for the next photograph she wishes she could take.

Because of our financial situation, she is unable to attend the workshops. She has signed up for local workshops through the local camera store, but I think meeting you and Carey would give her so much more scope than I could ever hope to give her.

She is not a beginner by no means. She has a beautiful “eye” and has been trying to get her foot in the door for 4 years while raising our boys.

I would love to give her the opportunity to see her dreams come true and find inspiration again to keep building her business.

We have been together for 10 years and she is my world. I want her to recapture some of herself she has hidden away…because THAT is why I fell in love with her.

My sister has always been an inspiration to me, whether she knows it or not. She met her (now) husband Jim around the time that I graduated from high school. He was a relative of an ex-boyfriend and had 4 young children. They spent a lot of time together and eventually she moved in and helped to raise the children. They talked about marriage but it was complicated, he had to track down the children’s mother to get a divorce. As well as I can remember this process took several years of utter frustration.

As the kids grew up, I could see that my sister really wanted to have a biological child with Jim. I was heartbroken each time she had told me that she miscarried. After multiple losses, she sought help from a specialist and eventually found out that she had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). She underwent many different treatments for PCOS but so far none have been successful.

Sunday June 3, 2001 was the day that truly changed all of our lives. At 8:45pm, my sister’s 15 year old step daughter Erin was seen getting into a car outside of her friend’s house. No one has seen or heard from her since. Erin has been missing for almost 7 years now. She was classified by the police as a runaway but other circumstances have lead our family to believe that she was abducted. For more on Erin’s story visit http://www.helpfindachild.com. My sister and my parents have become advocates for missing children and are involved with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. My sister is a volunteer for Team Hope. They provide support for families of missing children. (www.teamhope.org) Erin’s disappearance has been very difficult on my sister and her family.

My sister just recently reached a new milestone in her life. At 38, my sister just became a grandma. Her grandson was born on January 31 and she has another grandbaby on the way that is due next month!

Between all that she has on her plate with her job, volunteering, and her family, I don’t know how she does it. She never takes time for herself. She loves photography and has a new found inspiration in her grandchildren. I would love for her to be able to attend the workshop. I think this might just be the “jump-start” she needs to keep her motivated to continue doing all of the wonderful things that she does for others.

I’ve thought for a couple days whether or not to enter, and decided to go out on a limb and nominate myself. At the very least, I think it’s therapeutic to write this out. Thanks Me Ra for your heart and thoughtfulness in offering this opportunity… your entry struck a chord when you talked of women who have miscarried.
Over the past year, I have had 2 miscarriages.
The first time, we of course struggled and hurt as anyone would. But I also had the added complication that it was diagnosed as a molar pregnancy (you can google the term if you are unfamiliar with it). A molar pregnancy has the added risk of abnormal cell growth which, worst case scenario, can lead to cancer. Thankfully, mine did not seem to progress so severely and in time, my HCG levels that they monitor as an indicator returned to normal. However, as a result, we were told we needed to wait a while before trying to conceive again to avoid any further risks. I had recommendations of anywhere between 6 months to 1 year of waiting. It was hard to deal with not even having the hope of trying for another baby for several months.
My husband and I have always wanted a big family, and we are blessed with a wonderful 2 year old daughter. With the desire to have kids closer in age, we were eager to be able to try again for another baby. So we leaned more towards the “wait 6 months recommendation”, and started trying again.
Well, we got pregnant again pretty quickly. But we had our first ultrasound about 2 weeks ago, and it showed an empty sac… along with 2 more follow-up ultrasounds. They diagnosed it as a blighted ovum miscarriage (a more “normal” kind of miscarriage). This second time has been harder to handle in many ways, as I feel like I hadn’t recovered from the first time and am being hit doubly hard. The grief is beyond words.
(As a side note, I happened to get probably the worst cold I’ve ever had right in parallel with all this going on… and so physically, I was even more ragged and sleep-deprived through it all)
Well, I decided I’d prefer to let this one pass naturally, as I emotionally wasn’t ready to go back for a D&C. But then just earlier this week, the doctors were concerned because my HCG levels were continuing to increase at a non-typical rate…. So now they are concerned it may be another molar pregnancy… which has may have many complicated implications.
So I ended up having to have a D&C after all, so that they can test the tissue and see what exactly is going on. (I actually just had the procedure this morning, and am at home recovering today)
I can’t even think about the idea of it being another molar pregnancy at this point… and will just cross that road when/if it comes. I also am more torn or hesitant about trying for another child in the near future, feeling the need for more time to heal.
In the midst of all this, I am so thankful for my beautiful 2 year old who does give us much joy. And I am saddened – but learning to accept — that she may not have siblings who are close in age with her to play with and bond with. And we’re learning – or trying, at least – to trust in God’s timing and control, as His ways are higher than ours. And trusting in Him to grow our family in His time. I am so thankful for many people who have prayed for us, and I know that has pulled me through some very dark days these past couple weeks.
A trip to San Diego for a weekend full of photography sounds like a much-needed and wonderful getaway. Since having my daughter, photography has become such a fulfilling creative outlet for me to capture precious moments of my daughter, as well as doing the same for other families.

Annette and I do not have the hardships of others, we have been blessed with a great responsibility to serve others and seem to have many blessings because of this service. We know that service means sacrifice and Annette demonstrates these qualities everyday. As I am currently on vacation from my responsibility as a Chaplain, I have noticed Annette is never on vacation from her responsibilities of being a full-time mom. Wouldn’t it be amazing to send Annette on a retreat, not only to grow and learn, but to rest for a few days while Dad takes on the responsibility and samples sacrifice on a two-year old level? It could be scary for Dad, possibly more frightening than a deployment to a war-zone.

I hold no reservations in nominating Annette to attend your seminar. She is dedicated to her love of photography and your seminar would provide her the opportunity to continue her life long learning goals. It would provide fuel for her tanks as God will surly call us to serve the men and woman in the Armed Service in harms way in the future. Annette’s sacrifice to our Country should not go unlooked and this seminar would help her to understand that people notice those who sacrifice. Those of us who serve in the Armed Forces know it is truly those at home that sacrifice the most.

Thank you for your consideration in choosing Annette to refuel her tank as she continues to learn and grow as a woman, wife, photographer and most importantly a mother.

V/R

Troy D. Allan
Chaplain
US Army

Jamie is a wonderful, caring and God-fearing woman. She married a man about 13 years ago and after several heart-breaking years of trying to get pregnant, they decided to visit a fertility doctor. Jamie underwent IUI several times and after almost giving up hope, she learned after taking a super-ovulation drug that she had 5 eggs mature. The doc assured them that there was less than a 1% chance all 5 would fertilize. After a sonogram confirmed all 5 eggs did fertilize, Jamie learned she would soon be having quintuplets. YES, 5 BABIES ALL AT ONCE. Jamie was hospitalized at 19 weeks and stayed in the hospital until she gave birth to her five boys on December 14th, 1999. The boys were 2lbs and under but all went home within a few months.

I could go on and on and tell you how hard the first few years of life were for this family but the gripping part of the story comes on the boy’s 3rd birthday. Jamie’s so-called loving husband delivered her a letter on this day and told her he could not live there anymore. The stress was getting to him and he needed a break. This very selfish person left his five sons (did I mention one has severe cerebral palsy and another is developmentally delayed?) and his jobless wife on the day after the boy’s third Christmas. He assured Jamie this was a temporary situation but Jamie soon learned he moved in with his lover who also had children…three young boys. As I mentioned, Jamie had no job as she was the stay-at-home mother to these beautiful little boys. After welfare and WIC and child-support, Jamie still could not support her fatherless family. She went back to work and had to find a college-aged kid to nanny her children. In return, the girl received her room and board as this is all Jamie could afford.

Fast forward to now…God blessed Jamie with a loving man to spend her life with. John also has a son and she loves him very much. John is incredibly supportive and loves Jamie and all five boys very much.

After surviving several heartbreaks throughout these past 9 years, Jamie is well deserving of a trip to San Diego. She is definitely running on empty taking care of five feisty 8 year olds and a new husband while working full time throughout the week. Briley needs extra attention as he is special needs and that also takes a great deal out of Jamie. She is a budding photographer and a wonderful, caring and very fun woman who is full of life. I nominate the bravest woman I know, I nominate the most faithful woman I know – I nominate my cousin, Jamie! She is my inspiration.