Last Wednesday ( August 11, 2010) I shot a really fun Family Portrait Session for my sister Damiana and her three girls. They are all such Beautiful young ladies. The only draw back is that they all wanted to do the same poses...so if I came up with a nice pose for one of the girls the other two sisters had to pose that way as well...so it looks like a lot of repeat poses, cuz it was! Ha Ha, I had a great time...they are gorgeous lil models. To see more of the images...go to my website at http://www.LeticiaWilsonPhotography.com and click on my "Portraits" I made each of the girls their own gallery and also click on "Family Portraits" there you will find them under "Damiana King Family" and "King Sisters" galleries. They are a very Loving family. and Mom (my sister Damiana was so emotional that day cuz her lil girls are growing up) I caught some good candid shots between them all.

THE KING FAMILY

JORDANA

DANARA

DARAH

THE GIRLS 

COUSINS 

THE WHOLE FAMILY

LETICIA & DAMIANA

Finesse and I just returned from a much needed Mother/Daughter month long Journey. The time away was just what we needed to rekindle our friendship.  We are a great Mother/Daughter Team once again. Here are a few pictures from our trip to Texas. I got a few shades darker, Finesse turned 19 while there, and had lots of good times and made lots of memories!

This next Collage is of us with My Glama Girls...They both started wearing eyeglasses, while we were down there. Poor Babies, but they are still Adorable!

This next collage is of pictures that I took with my Droid phone on one of our many walks. I didn't get a chance to edit these images

This next collage was also taken with my Droid phone...so not the best pics. But I had to capture my Castroville Country Dream Home. It has a beautiful wrap around porch, 2 bdm., 2 ba., only 1,300 sq. ft home but it sits on an acre with about 30 pecan trees, and is river front property...I want it!

This is my Hometown...Castroville, it is an Alsation town. I miss it, I went to the movies as a kid in that theatre .50 a movie

Candid shots of Kasidy playing in the river. We stayed at my Cousin Bill's home, he lives right on the river. Danyel found a perfect heart-shaped rock...she was so proud of it! 

Staying here was unbelievably peaceful...we'd get up take our coffee down to the river and talk, think, feed the ducks, pray and meditate on life.

This next collage is of my Sister Laura (LuLu) and her husband Steve and my Brother Robert (Bobby) and his wife Rina and myself on our last night there. Lulu had me over for a Farewell Dinner. It was a lot of Fun. I left the next morning Friday at 6am and got home Saturday night at 10pm.

This next Collage is of our Welcome Home...Aww Adam really missed us. He even used my arts and crafts stuff and my glue gun to make this welcome home sign, Whata Guy! He had Orchid plants for each of us, and huge Godiva Chocolate bar for each of us, Dark Chocolate for Finesse (her favorite), milk chocolate for me (my favorite) and a dozen pink roses for me! He said I can never leave again : )

The Chernoff Family were such a joy to work with...They were a fun group! Thank you for allowing me to photograph your Beautiful Family, you all looked so nice for your portraits ; )

So yesterday...I texted my sister Damiana, whom I had not spoken to in over 4 years, and she texted back and said that my timing could not have been better...So we proceeded to bond and talk about what was going on in our lives, and I invited her to come to my home and spend the night so we could catch up.

She had never been to my home so we met at the mall, we made it home had some pizza and wine and just caught up...it was so nice! To talk to someone who was cut from the same cloth...someone who grew up in the same dysfunctional home and who can empathize with all of my thoughts, struggles and fears. We have so much in common...I always felt like I didn't belong in my family, like I had been adopted into this family, which is weird...cuz my family always joked with me and told me that I was adopted or that I was found on the doorstep...they knew I was very sensitive, and they always tried to hurt me, and it worked they did. I was always made to feel like the black sheep of the family.

Well, my sister Damiana and I are so similiar...nonjudgemental and sensitive to others feelings as well as to our own. We talked and laughed and cried and told old stories...some funny, some sad. I am so glad to get to know my sister and friend.

There are 10 of us kids in my family, however, I felt as tho I grew up in a 2 kid family, because only my sister Sylvia who is 2 years older than me was in the house when I was growing up, cuz the other 8 children were grown and married. So I never got a chance to really know them. And Damiana is one of those siblings that I never got a chance to get to know...I always admired her beauty, and wanted to look just like her when I grew up...I would stand there at her dressing table as she fixed her hair and put her make up on and would just stare at her with Awww...wishing that I would grow up to be that beautiful someday.

So I am so glad to have her back in my life, she only lives an hour and a half away, in Stanwood, Wa. So we have plans to keep this friendship going, and to help each other out through our difficult times that we are both struggling with, as well as our difficult past that we have still got to learn to let go of.

So we stayed up talking late into the night, and then woke up and had coffee together, and shared more of our similiar interests. We then got dressed and went to the bank...She bought my mustang and I bought my dream car, a Gold 1997 Jaguar last night, so we went and took care of the monies and titles and everything. It was as tho I traded my poor mans dream car (the mustang) for my Real Dream Car ( the Gold Jag). So we went and took care of all of that, and then we went to lunch, and she came home and test drove her new Red 1998 Ford Mustang. She loves it! Then we said goodbye and made plans to see each other very soon.

Satan is so sneaky...if he can't get US to faulter, he will see to it that we get attacked from the outside in.  So although, the Fit hit the Shan on Thursday...we were determined to not let Satan beat us down, we made it to the meeting on Sunday, and then afterwards we went to Red Lobster and brought Roselie with us and we celebrated the closing of our house as well as celebrating the priveledge of being a united family of sheep in Jehovah's Loving Organization. Although at first we dont always understand why things happen the way that they do...we do later, it all comes to light. Well, already after prayerful meditation...I can see WHY my family is going through this, Jehovah sees to it that things get taken care of...and this is one way that he saw to it that a wrong be righted, even if it hurt our family in the process...Jehovah knew he would give US the strength to power through this, too. And we are, it is not easy, but we are. We are a united family, we will stick together! I did not struggle in raising my kids all alone for so many years to let anyone divide us...I cannot and will not allow that to happen, and with Jehovah's help we will make it.

So we went out and celebrated anyway...everything will work itself out. Here is what I ate on Sunday at Red Lobster...it was delicious!

Why can't things just go right for one day? Just one day of happiness even just semi-happiness? I know we wont have true happiness until we are in the New World, but just one semi-easy/happy day is all that I ask : (

I was in the middle of planning a celebration for Adam...to thank him for buying me such a beautiful home, we had officially closed on the purchase of our home today, so I was gonna make him a cake with the words Thank you on top and then a picture of our home and on the bottom his name, Adam...so the cake would've read "Thank You Adam" I wanted him to see it when he got home from work. And I had planned for us to go to Red Lobster and then come home and eat our cake and finish celebrating...but then "Whoosh!" right smack in the middle of my planning Satan hits us with a ton of bricks...Grrr!

Well, the Purse Party was a total success! Everyone had a great time, there were about 24 of us...It was alot of fun. Lots of us got gorgeous handbags. I had my eye on two handbags...but didn't want to pay for two, and surprisingly because enough people bought handbags I got a big enough discount that one of my handbags was FREE, WooHoo! Plus, just for hosting I had a choice of a pair of sunglasses or  a Coach wristlet purse, so I chose the wristlet.

My sister Pauline and her husband and a couple of her friends were able to make it from Gig Harbor. Also my niece Teri and her husband and son made it from Gig harbor, Teri and her family spent the night. So this morning we had our coffee and visited and then got dressed and we took them to The Bakery in Black Diamond for breakfast, and then walked the food off by taking a tour of the Black Diamond Museaum and jail and caboose, it was alot of fun.

                                                    FEBRUARY 15, 2009

So we have been Leasing with Option to buy for about a year...and now we are finally there! We should close the first week of March...WooHoo!

Life has been pretty crazy...so much has happened to our family in the past 2 years, I am surprised that I have survived (and without medication: ) Believe me there were plenty of times that I needed it! With Jehovah's help we made it...not quite done going through things, but Jehovah has given us the strength to continue so that is what we will do.

I have the girls this month...and this month has been a struggle, they came back from Texas very angry (atleast Danyel has) she just has an angry undertone to all that she says...especially when she speaks to her little sister. I dont know if that is because that is how she is spoken to in Texas...or if she is just ticked off inside for all the garbage that is going on in her little life. But with all the stuff going on right now literally in my home, she is a bit hard to deal with...I am trying extremely hard and doing alot of praying to be extra patient with her. What I meant by all the stuff going on literally in my home is that...My son Daniel moved back home, so we cleared out our rec. room which has it's own bathroom and closet (actually it's the coat closet) and that is where he is staying, it is kinda like a studio apt. And so now all the stuff that was in there is in my family room...the pool table, hockey table, furniture that was in there is in with the family room furniture. The place looks crazy like a swap meat or something...stuff everywhere. So that is kinda how I am feeling inside as well, a bit chaotic...so Danyel has tried my patience a bit on this visit, but I am trying extremely hard to be patient with her, because I know she is going through so much inside, as we all are.

On top of all of that I am in the middle of painting the interior of my home so I have furniture pulled out from the walls and in the middle of the rooms. I have this thing about Pink...I just LOVE IT! So I had to get it out of my system...my formal living and dining rooms are both "Powder Pink" just 2/3 of the wall and the bottom third of the wall will have wainscoting. My kitchen is Powder Pink as well...it should look nice once we have our Stainless Steel appliances and Black granite countertops, and I am doing some creative stuff with Corrugated metal in my breakfast nook...that gives it kinda an industrial look, looks awesome with the pink, and de-feminizes it for Adam's sake. The adjoining Family room is "Cinnamon Spice" looks like chocolate brown....looks good with the pink in the kitchen and breakfast nook...except that it makes me and Finesse both hungry for chocolate, probably wasn't a smart choice for paint color in a room that is so close to the kitchen. I can just see it now the walls making us crave chocolate, and us just going to the fridge for something, anything to satisfy our craving...Hello pounds and fat!  I guess, next I should pray for will power : )

So the girls are napping right now, we just got back from the playground...I am gonna go give the kitchen a second coat and then be done with that. When Adam gets home he can help me take the pool table and hockey table apart and store it until Daniel moves out. We have got to get them out of the middle of the family room, we have Theatre night tomorrow evening...gotta reduce some of the chaos before then.

Well, that is about all for now...TTYS (talk to yall soon)

The Chaos in my Family Room  (The Red curtain, is actually a tablecloth to give Daniel privacy in his room) That is a cutout into the Rec. room, but it looks kinda Yucky with the table cloth hanging there, not sure how else to give him privacy tho. 

                                                                Russ and Roselie taken in August '09

I just cant believe that it is already February...So much has happened! I haven't posted anything on here since December. Haven't done a whole lot with my photography lately...lost some of my desire. I need to get it back, it is my passion, so I need to rekindle that.

My Spiritual Dad, of 18 years...Russell Taze Poggensee, passed away recently. I have never experienced anything like that in my life. Sure people I have known have passed away before, but I have never seen the progression of death right before my eyes. When we brought Russ home from the hospital he was still talking alot, and joking and quoting scriptures, My family and I lived with Russ and Roselie for 2-3 weeks to help Roselie with all of Russ's physical needs. Like I said he was very talkative and stuff in the beginning but each day thereafter, you could see him going downhill...less talkative, weightloss, changed breathing, more phyical help needed each day, what was so sad to me is that his mind was still as Sharp as ever and for him to know that we were having to assist him with all of his physical needs (Russ was a very modest man) so it was very hard on me as I know it must have been to him. It didn't bother me to assist him at all, but it hurt me to know that he was aware of all of the assistance that he needed, I didn't want him to lose his dignity like that!  But...then the day came when it was all over, he took his last breath and fell asleep, with all of us there...everyone he loved and that loved him, for the first time since he had been home right there in the same room with him at the same time...I think he chose that moment to say goodbye, we all got to say goodbye and then we had a prayer and then he took his last breath and fell asleep.

It has hit me really hard...not doing to good!

I have got to snap out of it...we had a Circuit assembly recently and that was truly wonderful, and uplifting. But I still can't seem to shake it.

Before Russ passed, a couple of weeks before...there was a bit of joy, my nephew (Timothy) was baptized at the Special Day Assembly. I will attach a few photos of that at the end of this. It was a very happy day, but in the back of my mind was everything else Daniel's problems, my grand-children, Russ and so many other things.

Well, I am determined to shake myself out of this somehow...talk to yall soon!

Finesse, LuLu ( my sister), Timothy (LuLu's son), Me, and Danyel, Pauline ( my other sister) holding Kasidy

LuLu and Timothy

Russ and Roselie's 65th Wedding Anniversary June 14, 2009 (Their last one) taken at my house.

For the past 4 years that we have been back to Wa. everytime we got together with Russ and Roselie, Russ would mention a movie "Spawn of the North" that he and his sister saw when he was a teenager, and we got together with them OFTEN! So we decided to go online and surprise him on their anniversary, with a copy of his favorite movie "Spawn of the North" and I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, his reaction when he saw it.

After he opened it...we went upstairs to our Theatre Room and had Popcorn, candy, soda and wine and watched it, He loved it!

How cute are they?

Also as part of their Anniversary gift from us...we got them those bears in their yard...Because everytime we were with the Poggensee's, if we passed a Brown Bear Car wash, Roselie would say I need those bears for my yard. Or if we were out in service and saw some bears in peoples yards...she said she needed some too. So we got these bears for Roselie and the Movie for Russ for their 65th Anniversary! The morning this photo was taken, we were all on our way to a weekend trip to Leavenworth. **This Sweater that Russ is wearing (he wore often)... Well, Roselie gave it to me after he passed away, and I wear it every evening that I watch TV, like a warm hug from Russ!

Well, Daniel, Adam, Finesse and I all went to court this morning at 9:30 am. Kasandra and her mother were there with their attorney. When the court room opened up we all went in, but then Our attny asked to speak to Kasandra's attny. and they hashed out a deal and then each attny, brought it to their clients, it went back and forth  a few times. And this is what we ended up with.

Each parent will get the girls for a whole month every other month, when that parent has the kids they will be named "Primary Cutodial Parent", Daniel will pay for all the airfare (which Adam and I will be paying...cuz he can't afford it), and Daniel will continue to make Kasandra's $400 car payment, that and the airfare will be in lieu of Child Support, and each parent should allow the other parent to speak to the girls freely while with the other parent (something Kasandra had not been doing...Daniel has only been allowed to speak to the girls 5 times in the 2 mos. she has been gone, in spite of his daily attempts), we will have a retired judge as a mediator starting in Feb of 2010 to begin mediation to get permanent orders in place....if we can't come to some sort of agreement, then it will go to court in September of 2010. 

This will all start in Dec. I will fly down there on the 2nd of Dec. and get the girls ( she tried to fight us on returning them back to her by Christmas, cuz she wants to spend Christmas with them) but I told the Attny. that we would not budge on that. We have only seen the girls for 1 week in the 2 months that they have been gone. And like I said, Kasandra has only allowed Daniel to speak to the girls 5 times in that 2 mo. period, so we were not about to budge on that....So we ended up with the girls the full month in Dec.

Our attny. said that when she went up to have the judge sign the order, that the judge said that that is pretty close to how he would have resolved it as well.

So all in all...I guess it was a Good Day! 

Monday I sent out Red Velvet Theatre Newsletters to all the Friends...letting them know that we were resuming with our usual Saturday Theatre Movie Night. We were going to be Featuring Star Trek...and within acouple of days, people had reserved all 15 seats. We had a wonderful time last night! Very nice to be able to put all the other stresses of life aside for a few hours and socialize with our Friends. We had Pizza, Popcorn, Soft Drinks, and Candy to munch on during the movie. However, At the last minute we had 4 cancelations but we still had 11 people over...it was Awesome! Look forward to having the friends over again next Saturday! To see our website go to http://www.RedVelvetTheatre.com it will give you a little history of how we started movie night.

Daniel and I went to visit The Girls in Texas last month...The girls want to come home so Badly! Danyel said "Ama don't leave without me, don't leave me here...I want to live in my yellow house in Covington" How sad is that? To see the Full gallery of these images...visit my website at http://www.LeticiaWilsonPhotography.com go to my "Portfolio" and click on "Family Portraits" and "Children" galleries.

I thought it would be a nice idea...to start an "Image of the Week" here on my blog. I will begin with the image below...Let me know what you think...I would love to hear your thoughts.

Mt. Rainier ~ taken in August of 2009

Geez...I've had so many family emergencies come up that I was a week or so behind on getting Ciara and Randal's wedding package together to send to them. I worked on their Coffee Table Book for 3-4 days at the hospital as I sat and waited with Roselie and Finesse...and then when I go to Upload the book to the Book Company...I couldn't, Aaargh! Finally got it to work after a few days or so, meanwhile I was making her DVD Slideshow set to music and putting all 1,000+ edited images on a CD for her. And waited to get her choices for her 8x10's and 5x7's and threw in an additional 8x10, since I was a bit behind getting her her package. But This morning I finally got a response from Ciara of the images that she would like enlarged and so I placed those orders, and then 10 minutes later...The UPS Guy delivered our Coffee Table Books, Yay! (I ordered one for myself) So I will go pick up the enlargements in a sec. and get that package out to them A.S.A.P (By the way the Book is Gorgeous...I think she will be thrilled) Go check out Ciara and Randal's full wedding story images on my website... 

Ciara and Randal thank you so much for your patience and understanding!

Warmest Wishes,

Leticia

We had a very nice time, seeing all of our old friends from the Auburn Cong. and enjoyed alot of Encouraging information.

I just received an e-mail from Jillian Derpack, the Events Coordinator at The Clise Mansion. Jillian has been working on her very own blog for The Clise Mansion, she wanted to send me a link to her blog post of the Paplow/McMeins wedding  that I had the privilege of shooting last October 25, 2008 To see the Blog Posting of MY PHOTOS... click on: http://seattlebride.com/the-paplowmcmeins-wedding/#more-1576 . I appreciate the Credit to Leticia Wilson Photography and the link back to my website on her blog posting.

The whole blog looks wonderful...she was able to get alot of wonderful photographers to share their wedding photos here is the link to her blog: http://www.seattlebride.com/our-blog/ to see all of the photographers including myself...to see all of the photos by each photographer just click on the words "Read More" that is located beneath each photographers photo. I think Jillian did a wonderful job on her Blog...it really highlights the beauty of The Clise Mansion and all the many different rooms and the outdoors that are available to the Bride and Groom on their Special Day! 

A wonderful place to eat that you just must simply try is Krains Corner in Enumclaw, Wa. They have the most fantastic food ever. It is like Good 'Ol Fashioned Home cooking! My family used to live in Enumclaw and we discovered this place...and although we have now moved to Covington, we still travel over to Krains Corner for Breakfast...we could go to a Denny's or a Shari's, in Kent which is closer, but Nope...we travel back to Enumclaw to eat at our Favorite Breakfast Restaurant. They serve lunch and dinner as well, and have a full bar.

Krains Corner also has an antique shop inside that you can shop at while you are waiting for your food, or you can eat and then walk off your food in the Antique shop.

The owner is a very lovely, sweet lady. You must go by there and try it and say Hi to her!

I will post the address and some pictures soon.

Besides the fact that I am a Wedding/Portrait Photographer in Washington State, I am also a licensed Nail Technician in the state of Texas...I just did a full set of Acrylic nails on Finesse a couple of weeks ago, it was my first time in like 4 years...and I just finished doing her fills a couple of days ago, here is a pic. I embedded a lil daisy in the acrylic on one of her pinkys...simple but cute.