Veronica Ponce Photography & Design

Live And Learn

Actually, Jessica here hasn't even scratched the surface. She looks much older in these shots, but she just turned 15. She hasn't even begun to live the life that will be hers one day. She really has no idea how it will turn out. At 15 you have the freedom to live one day at a time and just take each thing on as it comes your way. It's actually quite beautiful to live this way before pressures and circumstances guide you and your choices.

At 15 the world is like the open end of a funnel. Your possibilities are endless. You feel you can be or do anything you want to. There are no limits on your opportunities. But as you get older, the choices narrow down and you start to see the things in front of you through the small end of the funnel. You limit yourself and you learn to gauge experiences accordingly.

Don't get me wrong...I have no desire to be 15 again. I loved my teenage years but they are difficult times. We are being shaped aggressively during these years. In my case, I was so sensitive on the inside and yet so tough on the outside. I tried to have it all together but life kept throwing me curves and without emotional maturity to confront or address situations, I absorbed all of the emotions. I suffered from ulcer pains a lot during these years. Every time something would happen to affect my nervous system, I would have a physical reaction to it. I didn't know how to process things so I internalized everything and that was very unhealthy.

It's an amazing thing -- life. In this gradual progression of our internal and external beings we travel through this seemingly endless journey of growth, knowledge and change. We evolve and we adapt and along the way, we somehow fool ourselves into believing we have all the time in the world to do "great things." And we misinterpret greatness because we begin by giving all of its merit to the external qualities we see.

That is the world of a 15-year-old. It's like being blinded to the things that are right in front of you. You're in the same place but you don't see things the same. When we were teenagers we we sure that we would not repeat the same mistakes as our parents and that we knew "better" or "more" than they ever did. Surely they were not people just like us going through the exact same things. No...things are different now and our parents could never understand.

That's what we believed, right? But then we grow up and we have kids and we realize that the cycle will continue and we are now part of the other side of the spectrum. And the view is so different from over here -- much more so than it was when I was 15-years-old and ready to change the world. And just like we did, Jessica, and all the other teens we encounter, will learn this. But they will have to learn it their way, in their time. Just like we all did.

And one day, before, we even realize we're doing it, we find ourselves saying things like "I was young once, too," or "I've already gone through the things you're going through now," or "One day you'll understand," and we see those same glares of disbelief that we used to give our moms staring right back at us. Funny, huh?

Yep...we live and learn every single day.

Not Politics But Perspective

If you know me at all, you know that I am not politically motivated or active. I don't really follow the news and am a firm believer that God is in complete control and no "politician" is really going to "change" things or change the world. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, of course, but it's just not something I am really passionate about.

Nevertheless, I couldn't resist posting this today.

This is my brother giving a speech to the national press corp in respect to Cubans. I think in these four short minutes he covered some very important and fundamental realities about freedom and liberty. Freedom is God given...it is not something that we should ever have to negotiate and it shouldn't be man's decision to make. We are all really free spiritually of course, but this is a common sense approach that hits close to home.

Being the child of exiles has a special meaning and privilege in itself and I really enjoyed this speech. It's only 4 minutes. I hope you take the time to view it and think about it. If you've never thought much about Cuban issues before, maybe this will put it in a different perspective. I am not a diehard activist in any way but I am proud of my "heritage" and I do get disappointed with all the misconceptions about Cubans in this country.

So, take a look and let me know what you think... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Freedom Is Not Free

I thought for a long time about this post today. I felt encouraged and motivated by the very topic of freedom. Tomorrow we celebrate the birthday of our great country, a time when we gained our freedom to be and express ourselves within our God-given right to do so. Most people don't give it much thought. It is just another day off from work; or a busier than usual day at work; or a chance to spend the day having fun. It is so easy to take freedom for granted when you have never had it stripped from you. For those of us who live in "free" nations, independence means nothing more than day-to-day living. What can we really claim freedom or liberty from? A job, a relationship or an experience? Maybe. But freedom really means so much more than that. Freedom means responsibility.

I Will Reluctantly Concede...

Okay...you know that expression "never say never." I use it all the time but I REALLY mean it this time.

I just got this little bad boy here and it has literally changed my life! :)

Just in Time for Father's Day

Here's a preview of my latest digital kit going up at Two Peas today...I really got inspired by Father's Day this year somehow. I will have another theme (also Father's Day related) going up at Scrapblog as well.

Have I ever mentioned how lucky/blessed I feel to work with these two companies? I have been so lucky to work with amazing people in the scrapbooking industry. Designing is truly a love/passion of mine that, unfortunately, I never seem to have enough time for these days. But little by little I am working my way through my workload and I will get caught up... I will get caught up... I figure if I say it enough times it has to come true!!! :)

Sometimes You Just Need Someone To Hold Your Hand

When we face life's trials and tribulations, it is often our natural response to turn to those closest to us for support and/or comfort. Often these people will immediately begin by giving advice or suggestions on how to handle the situation. But really, no matter what they tell us, how they tell us or when they tell us, sometimes all we need is someone to be there to listen and hold us. Invariably we will end up doing things our own way because, as unwise as it can be, we are all sort of predisposed to relying on our own experiences as our greatest teachers.

Perception versus Reality

I think it's a pretty fair assumption to make that most people judge themselves based on their intentions but others judge us on our actions. Usually there is a huge chasm between the two. If you did a survey and asked people to name five qualities about you, their interpretation of you would probably differ from your perspective of yourself.

Are You Living The Life You Thought You Would Be?

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered how you ended up where you are today?

I'll bet many of us could look back on the plans of our childhood and see that not every dream we had necessarily came true. For some of us the changes were voluntary, but many of us found ourselves in situations that took control of our path somehow. Maybe it was something in your childhood, or maybe it happened in adulthood. But at some point, we diverged and we didn't even notice.

Or maybe you've reached a point in your life where you've decided it's time to change your path...or your personality...or your choices...or your relationships...or your career...or your religion...or your location. It happens. Well, aren't you lucky that you get to make that choice?

I Guess It's A Good Sign When...

...you enjoy each photo session more than the last. I swear, each time I finish one I think, "This one is my favorite." But then another one comes along and it becomes my favorite and so on... So that means I still love what I do which is soooo important!

I've come to realize that I really enjoy photographing all sorts of different things...from people to objects to still life...with the exception of studio work. But there is something about photographing a child...I can't explain it...but it's still something that thrills me...especially when I see the end result.

It is truly my pleasure to be able to capture these little moments in their lives...and that's not a sales pitch -- I mean it. I feel so honored that they trust ME because these years will fly by and they will always look back and remember this time based on the pictures I took. I think that's a big deal!

So, thank you to everyone who has given me the opportunity to share a little piece of your lives. I hope you realize how seriously I take the responsibility and how much I love doing it!!!!

I hope the end result shows how much joy I get from my job. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! :) :) :)

She Looks Up To Me?

I did something recently that I haven't done in a long time...

I designed something "just for fun."

I was in the middle of an assignment when I stumbled across this picture and I knew instantly that I had to document it. You see, Sienna is going through a stage lately where she wants to be just like me. It's so cute because she decided she wanted to have her own camera so she could take pictures "like mom." She takes it everywhere and she loves being a photographer...

It got me to thinking, of course, about the day that she starts thinking I'm not so cool anymore or doesn't want to hang around with me. I know that eventually (hopefully) she'll outgrow that stage and we'll be closer than ever, but it's going to be hard to go through...especially since I'm enjoying this one so much. She and Savannah both are constantly saying that I'm their "best friend." They love to hang out with me and go on mommy/daughter outings. Sienna wants to work out like I do, take pictures like I do...you name it...she wants it. It's such an awesome time in our relationship and I really hope that I'm planting those seeds well for the future so that even when they realize I'm not actually that "cool," they'll still love to hang out with me!!!

I posted this page over at the digital gallery in Two Peas and I want to give credit to my girls Kate Teague and Cherie Mask who designed the background paper ("Adelaide" kit) and the little birdie brush ("Spring Wings 'N Things" Brush Set). You can pick up these little goodies over at the Two Peas Digital Section if you're interested in them!

Anyway...play time is over for now. Back to work!!! Thanks for indulging me on this little detour...