I so look forward to Monday afternoon when I will get to see my little friend Claire and her brothers for some updated photos. It's been one hectic week as we move forward here at Soulumination. I can't thank Bob Condiotta of the Seattle Times enough for yesterday's front page story in the Sports section, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003280540_uwfb29.html>. I get a bit teary when I think how many people he reached with his writing and the lovely photos taken by Amanda Smith. It is certainly a different audience than we've had and I am sure we will get more requests for photos than ever with this exposure. From my heart I send him my very best.

The Husky Nation CD is selling steadily now and we just ordered our second thousand. You can imagine we love these young men of the Huskies for the dedication and their touching gentleness with our kiddos. I want to mention a man who has been unsung but truly a big part of this project, David Thompson of Soul Sound Audio. He has worked with Alex to make this dream a reality and I am truly grateful for his generosity and his skill. You can visit his site at www.soulsoundaudio.com.

My dear friends and clients, Dan Evans, Jr., and Clint Mead, also deserve a pat on the back if you see them, for so quietly and expertly guiding us through PR and other pieces of this project. We reach out to them for expert Husky advice, as anyone who knows them can attest to the fact that they are fans in the biggest ways. Tell your friends about the Husky Nation project and please call in to KUBE and KISS to request that they play this fun and upbeat music.

We have heard from two new families that we will be serving soon. They were referred to us by the Providence Hospice group and it will be my honor to work with one family, and my dear friend Kurt Smith will work with the other next week. Kurt has been a best friend to me in photography, and he and his wife Leah sometimes surprise me with one of my favorite treats, farm-fresh eggs from their charming chickens. Kurt has been working with Soulumination quietly since we became a foundation. He has been kind enough to record the opening show at St Marks, along with Jeremy Leffel and Greg Johnson, as well as joining me at a speaking engagement to get some photos for future work. I know Kurt will do an amazing job with this family and I thank him for his years of support in a business where I often need a quiet chat with someone who understands.

I have been forging some new friendships here in Ballard and my staff and friends can tell you that I am hooked on spending time recording the daily life of some interesting new friends who go about their business day after day, quietly working hard in a dying industry while dealing with all kinds of reactions from the public. They are the members of the Suquamish Tribe who fish the waters near the locks here in Ballard. I have always had a strong interest in the native cultures of our land and am a fan of silver carved jewelry from regional tribal artists. Yesterday I took the article with me that was in the Times to share it with a friend, George, who plays ball in the tribal leagues. I showed it to another young man, John, who works with the youth of their tribe in teaching cultural enrichment programs. He told me to apply for a grant from their Appendix X program. It made my head spin to think that these men and women who I am now recording with my camera may well reach back in support of the children of Soul. Life sometimes leads me in directions that seem scattered and random to people that are more organized and mainstream than myself. I have self-doubts that stem from this stream-of-consciousness way I write and live, but so often lately there are signs that show me to move forward, to follow my heart. So I will try to remember to honor the impulses that make my day so full and rich and trust that so much good comes from a little caring. Our board member, Lori Sawyer found this native American saying that she sent me after I told her about the possible grant application. It seems so appropriate: "Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way."

Soon this will be posted and you can see our dear Claire and 'our' Husky, Marlon Wood with Ellie Jo, but not without the kind touch of my pal and confidant, Fred Moody. He so kindly edits each blog to try to make it a bit more coherent than in its original meandering state. He corrects the grammar and spelling and I am so thankful. Fred is a source of weekly and sometimes daily laughs through his email comments about my whirlwind ways. Fred, you make such a difference with your quiet, gentle approach to life.

I close as always, in love and peace, Lynette

Its nice to know that the Husky players, Alex Mercier, Marlon Wood and Chris Hemphill, are so devoted and gracious that they will come to help out the Husky Nation project even after a really big win that must leave them physically and emotionally drained. These men, along with Quintin Daniels and Roy Lewis, are making headway in so many ways for us right now. The discs are starting to sell at a nice pace indeed. What a victory on Saturday and what a boost to Soulumination to be tied to such a team in such a caring way. I believed in them from the moment I heard about the CD and now after reading the Sunday sports section I see the town is starting to realize that these men deserve respect.

Today the players joined our lovely Ellie Jo and her parents, sister and paternal grandparents for an updating of her photos and a PR shoot with a lovely photographer with the Seattle Times, Amanda Smith, who was shooting for a future article by Bob Condotta. Ellie Jo was just three months old when I met her, and she is coming up to her second birthday this winter. We had some laughs together today and I think we will have some really nice photos to share soon. I am posting photos of Ellie with the mighty Dawgs.

We were also joined today by a new volunteer, Leo Lam, who is an incredibly talented photographer and educator at UW. He has offered to help us and I am so thankful for the expertise that he is willing to share. I am sharing the photo he captured today of the men who were here today. It was such fun to see Ellie Jo's sister on the shoulders of Chris Hemphill, as it made her the tallest person in our courtyard by a couple of feet and she looked so cute up there.

Later in the day I was joined by another new volunteer, Greg Johnson, professional chef and aspiring filmmaker. Greg is married to my dear friend and assistant Dawnelle and father of the darling Finnley. He has just offered to work with one family each month to create a short film as part of the legacy of their child. We both worked with a new family that has that charm and appeal that I so often see in our families. Their son, Blake, is five years old and suffers from a condition called Vein of Galen Malformation. Once we have releases, I will share the shots with you,u as the love and gentle approach of this family melted me and I feel so honored to have had the chance to record that special charm.

I am off tomorrow with dear friends to go to the Olympic Mountains to gather Chantrelle mushrooms and celebrate my dad's 80th birthday. I would like to again thank Brenna Fallon for her hard work in having a yard sale to benefit Soul, the check arrived on Saturday along with a check in honor of the new Soul baby that Tara photographed and a lovely donation came through the law firm where my friend Kari Brotherton works. To all of you who help I send the endless thanks of our parents and am so thankful that we can move forward to serve each family.

I close as always in love and peace, Lynette

Well, it's truly fall, I guess, since just a month ago it was light out when I would get up early to start work and now it's dark and feels so different. I will miss those sunny days as they truly lift my spirits. Today another Husky game and I continue to be amazed at the dedication of our players and their willingness to make the Husky Nation project work to raise funds. I heard from many clients this week that they had seen us on the "megatron" during halftime last week. Makes me chuckle to think of images of Soulumination at Husky stadium; really, the angel babies are taking us to places that one would not normally imagine. It is so wonderful to take the idea of honoring lives to a whole new group of young and vital people. As you listen and watch the game today, keep our men in mind. At every game, know my heart does that same thing it used to when my own daughters played soccer; I now feel a part of it and I feel so much pride that it is almost as if they are my children. Never having had sons, this is a fun way to be involved and get to know such incredible young men. Alex Mercier has to wait one more game for playing time as he has another slight injury that will keep him off the field, but in good time he will be out there and I tell him I will be with him all the way to the goal line.

I am sharing a photo of my new friend Victor today. I am lucky to live near this charmer and will hopefully get to see him again soon. I have been in touch with his parents and have a client that works with medical devices that are relevant to the treatment of his epilepsy. I am thankful to Steve for his willingness to jump right in and share articles and possible connections with this wonderful family. Victor's photos will soon be on our gallery and we will share his entire bio then, but as you can see he is a very cute kid. Keep this champ in your thoughts as he is a little fighter.

Today's wedding is the one where the bride and groom have given a generous donation to Soulumination as the favor for their guests. Those of you who know me can most likely imagine that I will shed a few tears today. Julie and John are a couple that I so admire and Julie and I have worked with numerous families together, so my joy and thankfulness are causing some tears already. It will be a day to remember.

I wanted to let you all know that we are planning an artist show and sale on December 9 and 10. A portion of all sales will benefit Soulumination and I hope you will consider attending. It will be here at my studio and we will show some of the new work of Soulumination. I am so happy and content in this new location. If you haven't visited us yet, this will be a festive opportunity to come see and support the foundation. We are thinking of having a basket to raffle with donations from each artist participating, so that in itself would be something special. At this point we know we will have work by Patty Grazini, Michael Peterson, Tynan Kogane, Tamara Stroud of Baby nouveau, Sidni Sobolik of Paper Peace, photo albums by our great supporter Susan Krueger, amazing cookies by Lily West, jewelry by our own Christine Garrigan, some work of my own and I will let you know as more artists join the fun. This will coincide with the popular Ballard Art Walk so it will be an opportunity to support artists, Soulumination, and do some shopping for special gifts.

We delivered photos to four new families this week and I again thank photographers Michael Good and Tara Clark for sharing their talent with this project, I couldn't be more pleased. I heard from one mom we delivered to that the day after I took photos of her beautiful baby girl, she started losing her hair. So thankful that once again things worked out as they should and we caught her in her full glory. I will be working with a new family on Sunday and will be able to share his photos with you soon. I also have our Ellie Jo and family joining us on Sunday for a shoot with a Seattle Times photographer and Husky player Alex Mercier. I have been wanting to update Ellie Jo's photos as she is doing so well and growing so fast and they have kindly agreed to let the Times feature Ellie Jo in their upcoming article about Husky Nation. On Monday afternoon I will welcome Claire and her brothers to my studio once again so you will see Claire again soon, and she has mastered crawling so this shoot will be lively indeed and a celebration of an important milestone.

Tuesday is the national news Emmy award presentations in NY. It would be so amazing if the Today Show should win for our piece, but if not we are in great company and that broadcast touched so many people that we have already won. As I now look out to a glorious sunrise in Seattle I will close as always, in love and peace, Lynette

This morning while riding my trusty bike and watching the Today show I saw the teaser for tonight's Evening Magazine and sure enough there were "our" Huskies throwing the ball with Andrew and Jack, who are pictured here today. Be sure to tune in tonight or watch it on the big screen at the game tomorrow at half time. I heard from the musician, Alex that other teams at the U are using the songs and that various members of the football team have been caught singing along with those tunes.

The last week has been very busy and I visited Children's to work with 2 new families. I returned a second day to catch a grandpa with his first born grandson before he has to leave to return to his home state. I am always amazed that the families are so strong and good and full of hopeful grace. The 6 year old boy I worked with has such beauty and I couldn't help but touch his face for a second before leaving the room both times. His has some unbelievable charm and his mom and aunts are all such strong and beautiful people that they will stay in my mind forever. The little baby I met was as pretty a 3 month old as a person could dream up. She has lovely brown hair and blue eyes and a smile to melt your heart. If you follow this blog you must wonder how each child can be such a light for me. I often wonder that myself but in 18 years of shooting, each bride and each family and each child reaches me in the same way. It seems that when its time to work with the next person their particular appeal becomes the focus not just for the camera but for me personally. That is why I try to remember to thank my clients for sharing their days with me and allowing me to hone my skill so I can do this type of work.

I want to give sincere thanks to my treasured clients and friends, Linda and Cameron for their generous donation. This is their third generous gift and I am so very grateful. Also I am so grateful to next weeks bride for her incredible idea of giving a donation to Soulumination instead of party favors. Her future husband works for a company, Russell, that will match the gift. This type of caring gift will make such a difference. We have had more requests than we ever imagined or budgeted for so these thoughtful people are so important to the work.

We both met and lost a new baby this week. I met this family in June for a pregnancy shoot as they knew at the time their angel son would not survive. Our new associate Tara went to the hospital to record this lovely family at his arrival. Sadly he did not survive the birth, but the photos are so lovely and touching and again this family has been so gracious in that we have seen the announcement of his birth and passing and they have asked that people consider donating to Soulumination. It takes your breath away to know that we have make a difference to this incredibly family.

I must run to a shoot, but I close as always, in love and Peace, Lynette

I am just home from a quick trip down to KIRO radio. I got a call today asking if I would come down to be on the Ron and Don show and tell about the work of Soulumination on a special part of their Friday show where they honor what the call "Hometown Heroes." It was a very sweet experience, and I am so thankful for their kind recognition and the lovely donation to the project from Aamco. Of course I share this sweet honor with everyone who so patiently backs me up here in the office, and to the new shooters for Soulumination: Sarah Mattingly, Jeremy Leffel, Sandra Cohn, Tara Clark (who is out shooting for us tonight, I believe), Michael Good (who did an amazing shoot for Soul yesterday), Susan Doupe (who is waiting for her first child to have a clear time), Kurt Smith and Amy Sherrer (who have both been kind enough to take shots of events that needed recording for our use in telling the story of my work with project), as well as Jim and Katarina Garner, who did a shoot for a lovely young woman who didn't fall quite in our mission, but who so deserved to have some lovely photos.

Tomorrow is Gabby's memorial and I will be at a wedding, but my heart will be with her family. I have a second wedding on Sunday that my daughter Lulu will be working as my assistant on, and then we will have a couple of days together at our cabin. I am so looking forward to some quiet time. I love my work, but this time of year is always very intense and I am so excited to just really escape. I want to thank all the amazing returning clients and the brides who have allowed me to continue to work in photography. It is one of my passions, and besides the personal gratification I am so thankful to all who have backed Soul in so many ways.

Tonight I salute my dad, who turned 80 today and who was especially sweet when I told him about the "Hometown Hero" recognition. Also a special thank you to my father-in-law, who sent a lovely donation this week. Both men are very dear to me and I am a lucky woman to have their support and guidance.

I would like to salute the playing of 'our' Husky, Roy Lewis, in last week's victory over San Jose State. I was listening to every play on the radio and have to say that Roy had a big part in this opening victory. I tease our players that all we have to do to sell the CD's is have them win some games. So hopefully soon we will see Alex, Quinton, and Chris back in action and helping lead us to more wins for the team. There have been very nice articles in local and regional papers this week and we are hoping the AP story will hit the nation this week. Watch for a very nice piece about the Husky Nation project on Evening Magazine a week from tonight and again at the game against Fresno State at halftime. I am so pleased to say that my daughter's high school, Bishop Blanchet, is stepping up to help raise funds by selling the CD at Braves football games. Alex is a graduate of Blanchet also, and I am so very thankful for the support of the school.

We have been receiving more calls than ever for new Soul families. Today we completed a delivery to Children's for a family I worked with last Thursday, who were hoping to receive their prints before the memorial service on Monday for their son. I thank Moonphoto and our own Christine for getting this out in a timely manner.

I am posting tonight two new Soul children, Conner and Trevor. Their complete bios will be up on the site soon, but I wanted to share them with you as they are both very special boys from such memorable families. I met little Trevor before he and his family moved to the midwest. His mom and I hope to maintain contact, as she is someone I can talk to so easily and she is so steady and so calmly purposeful. Trevor has a rare syndrome called Zellweger. The other cute face here tonight is one charming redhead named Conner, who is from a family of wonderful redheads. He is battling SCIDS and his mom was the donor for his bone marrow transplant. He is one of the happiest little guys you could meet. I hope to take some shots for the entire family when Conner can be out and about. I hear his brother is one great kid and it will be my pleasure to see this family again.

I have only a short time on this beautiful morning to write of loss and triumph. My heart is so tender as I write that we lost our lovely Gabby this week. She and her family walked into my courtyard this spring and brought such grace and sparkle with them. That little girl was a treasure and will be sadly missed by any who knew her. My sympathy for her family can not be adequately put down in words, so suffice it to say that it is shattering to contemplate. She is pictured here today with her mom.

I am very happy to say that our pal Andrew came through his scans on Thursday with flying colors. He is at this time free of his tumor and it is nothing short of triumphant. He was so great with us last week when working with the Huskies. He is shown here today on the top of a big old Dawg pile and of course it was his idea to have everyone make funny faces. It is the first Husky game today and I hope Alex's songs strike a cord and that fans will support us as we had another new family on Thursday and are waiting to hear when we will see three more. The new family was facing the loss of a beautiful baby boy and the love filling that room was something remarkable. Their tears cut me to my bones, but it was so obvious that they celebrated this handsome little being in every way. The work moves ahead with such purpose and I am so thankful to Alex and the boys for their care and support. Go Huskies! Go Andrew! Go Alex!

We are sad to lose our wonderful friend Karen Trimble and her gift of amazing jewelry for each family. She has decided to take time with her family and so I thank and salute her amazing efforts this past year and know how she has touched the families with her loving creations. We are currently searching for the perfect replacement for these gifts at a cost that we can afford. If you have any leads, please let us know.

I close today thinking of my little friend Gabby, so the love and peace I send today is in tribute to one small girl with one amazing smile, Lynette