{Studio Update}

Wow...it's been way too long since I've been able to post anything here, and I cannot wait to be back into full swing - I'm itchy to be back behind the lens and creating again....

Without getting too personal, I wanted to make sure it's clear that me not booking sessions and working on designs is only TEMPORARY. This is my life's passion, and I am in no way "abandoning ship" because of my recent {annoying} medical blahs. I will be back in action as ASAP, so please stay tuned to my website/facebook/blog for dates on when I'll start booking again. I cannot wait to be back to "me" and finally have a chance to get all my new 2010 goodies out there for you to enjoy...I know despite this rough start, 2010 is going to be an amazing year for many reasons!!

I've gotten a lot of e-mails and calls wondering what's up, if I'm OK, and if I need anything. I really appreciate all the concern and support, and just want to give a quick explaination of what's happened. It's been a long, strange trip to say the least...I've been diagnosed with a rare disease called Wegener's Granulomatosis. {you know you're a "medical marvel" when there's an episode of "House" that has your disease! hehehe} Only 3-5 out of every million people will have this, and there's only 14 doctor's in the entire country that specialize in it's treatment. In the late 50s, it was a 100% fatal diagnosis...thank goodness for being born in the 70s!!

Basically it's a vascular disease that attacks your lungs, kidneys, and liver...I'm extremely lucky and was diagnosed before it got beyond my lungs. It's something I'll have to live with and be vigilant about staying on top of the rest of my life, but it is something that I will go into remission with - and hopefully stay in. There's a lot about the disease that's still unknown, and there's no cure yet...and it's just a really weird disease. I've lost some of my hearing, will eventually need to have a nose job because of cartilage damage, {well...maybe I'll book a weekend in Beverly Hills when I get that done. I'll blend right in there! hehehe}, and cannot believe how much work I have to do to rebuild my lung capacity. But, I have a huge pile of pills that are starting to work their magic...this week I've actually been able to take full, deep breaths!!! yippeee!!!

This week has been a huge step for me so far - for the first time in 8 or so weeks, I drove myself somewhere, was able to go food shopping, and even take my dog for a walk...crazy to think that at 30 these would be huge deals, but they are- and it felt so good!! I'm hopeful that all the craziness that has been my life is finally coming to an end, and that soon I will learn that I'm in remission...then I can work on getting my lung capacity back up, and finally get back to my energetic self. {and back to the gym!!!} 'Till then, I'm continuing to be a "good little patient" and focusing on getting myself healthy again...

If everything goes my way, I'll be back at my computer late next week to finish up editing past sessions & events and getting caught up on custom book designs & orders. I cannot thank everyone enough for the patience and understanding in the delays. I'm starting to feel more and more like "me" everyday...and it feels so good!

See you all soon!!