A funny story...

A funny thing happened on the way to graduation...

About 10 years ago, while I was in my final year of college I found out I was pregnant. No problem, I would just need a maternity graduation gown. Baby is due in July; graduation is in June. Perfect! We had been married for 7 years already and frankly we were overjoyed to be pregnant.

I went straight to work after high school. I didn't need college to be a great photographer, please. All artists work lousy jobs for lousier pay until they get a break. I knew all this. What took me a few years to realize was that the dream of being a photographer was not going to pay rent. I was talented and I made some money but I suppose I was missing that adventure gene necessary to go out and take on the world. I was in a committed relationship and we fully intended to be together forever, have kids and the whole shebang. So whisking off somewhere to make a name for myself just wasn't there. I did a brief stint as a children's photographer, and as an architectural photographer, did some freelance work, even managed to get published and win a couple of awards. But raking in the dough like Annie Liebowitz I was not. Subsequently I went with my next innate ability dealing with kids. I have always had a natural ability when it came to interacting with children. Although my kids might balk otherwise, I'm pretty good with the preschool crowd. Maybe it's that my Mom is an early childhood expert, maybe it's that I'm the 5th of 6 kids, or maybe it's that I became an aunt at the age of 7, who knows but the talent is there. And I have come to appreciate my knack for relating to little ones as a talent. So I jumped into early childhood education. I really enjoyed the work and moved quickly through the few ranks that there are. Still there was one major problempaying the rent. You weren't going to be living the high life on the salary of and Early Childhood Educator. Most people saw me as barely more than a glorified babysitter. It is sad but true how very little the majority of people know about the immense importance of the early childhood years or that the early childhood years continue through to age 8. The significance of true play is lost to most grownups yet they wonder why children aren't better problem solvers and independent thinkers. Lest, I get started. Dealing successfully with children is an art form and I am an artist. Why not combine my two strong suits, photography

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