Last week, I traveled to Salt Lake City for a photography convention. The timing was crazy with the morning sickness. My poor roommates put up with a lot – thank you, Susan and Nancy!. (More on those sweet girls later).

It really was an amazing conference. Hearing Ashley Ann, from Under the Sycamore, Joy, from Wildflowers Photography, and Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love were my highlights. In the world of what we should and shouldn’t do with our cameras… how we should process an image or how we shouldn’t… I was reminded why I love photography by these women.

I love the joy it brings.

I love that photography has been what I have leaned on to risk living the life of my dreams. I am indebted to photography because I have risked being less than good enough in order to risk being around my children more.

Elizabeth shared a poem from Jack Gilbert and this portion flew through the air and latched on to my heart:

We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world.

Yes! I want to be stubborn and find the beauty and love and truth, regardless of the ugly and sad and hurt.

I am willing to learn and let other people watch my journey in order to find dirt under fingernails and step on Doritos smashed into the carpet.