So I'm going to get a little personal here, but I almost lost my grandfather this year. Even though he's ok for now, he'd been on my mind even before his close call. He lives mostly down in Cudjoe Key, FL (which is really close to Key West), so I don't exactly get to see him very often. To me, he's always been one of the most interesting men...man? men I've ever met. When he was a little boy, still living in Cuba, he often did groceries and ran small errands for Ernest Hemingway!
But we were able to go down to the Keys for Labor Day this year and spend some time with them and my nieces. Before I had paying customers, these girls were my practice shoots, I'd get them all dressed up and just follow them around with my camera. I learned a lot about chasing toddlers around from them... And since they live so far away now and I don't get to see them as often, I try to keep my photos updated of them. I have loved watching them grow into the beautiful and caring young ladies they are today, and I feel blessed to be a part of their lives.
Chundou, my butterfly. the producer. She's always had her head on pretty straight, and even though she (like everyone else her age) goes through bouts of not knowing what she wants, she certainly has always had an opinion about what she wants you to do. I always thought she really would grow up to be a producer or be in politics, she's very convincing. She's also pretty artsy, she has a sharp eye for that great shot that many photographers have to train themselves to find and she is incredibly brave.
Zitong. My middle baby. My little lady bug. C-bear. She's not your typical middle child, she's much weirder. I can relate. When she was little she would make all sorts of animal noises, and now she's all about Hamilton, witches, anime, and cosplaying. She's a kid after my own heart I tell ya. This kid will move mountains, nothing can stand in her way. She's headstrong and hilarious. She's the type of person that can walk into a room, read and analyze everyone in it, and diffuse difficult situations with ease.
My little Mei-mei. My little bumblebee. This kid is as sweet as they come, she has always been a rock/shoulder even before she knew it. She was my rock for a long time, she saved me in more ways than I could ever explain, she taught me more about myself in her first 2 years than I had figured out in 18 by myself. She's not just beautiful and kind, she is brilliant (no, seriously, I think this kid is a genius but her mom refuses to test her) and she's quite the avid baker. She's been dividing and multiplying recipes since the 2nd grade.... I'm convinced it's witchcraft but that's because I can't do maths. Fractions and I do not get along and so we keep our separate ways.
My munchkins, they're almost too old for me to keep calling them that but I can't help it. I love them so.