Photographer by Heart

I enjoy being behind the camera more then being in front of it. I truly should have made this my number one career goal! I love this picture

I didn't know how serious Verbal Abuse is:

A master at verbal abuse can damage your self-esteem while, at the same time, appear to care deeply for you. The use of words to punish is a very covert attempt to control and regardless of how loving your spouse may appear to be, verbal abuse is wrong and can be just has harmful as physical abuse.

Protect yourself from abuse

I hope passing along information helps at least one person. Even if me one day.... If you are - or suspect you are - in an abusive relationship, there are steps you can take to help ensure your safety, says McMahon. In a heated situation, stay away from the kitchen - reportedly one of the most common places for domestic violence - where there are too many potential weapons. Also avoid any small rooms, such as bathrooms or closets, where you can be trapped. Call 911 as soon as possible. Get medical help as soon as possible if you've been hit. Take photos of any injuries to yourself or your children. Try to keep a phone with you at all times, and memorize emergency phone numbers (such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE). Set up a system with a trusted neighbor - such as flashing your porch lights on and off - to alert her that you're in danger and you want her to call the police. Keep a small suitcase packed for yourself and your children, with key documents like your Social Security card, health insurance card and driver's license. If you're being stalked, get an unlisted phone number, screen all your calls, and frequently change your driving times, routes and other daily habits. Alert the security officer at your workplace if you think you're in danger. Finally, says McMahon, pay attention to your instincts. "If you're feeling bad about the relationship - even if you don't know why - don't ignore it. Listen to your gut." Domestic Violence and Abuse: The Facts If you wonder whether domestic violence is really a problem, consider these numbers. • Battering. About 572,000 assaults by intimate partners are officially reported each year, and at least 170,000 of these assaults require hospitalization, emergency room care or a doctor's care. • Sexual assault. Every year about 132,000 women in the United States report rape or attempted rape - and more than half of them knew their attackers. Domestic violence experts estimate that many more women are raped but don't report it. Every year, 1.2 million women are forcibly raped by their current or former male partners, some more than once, according to the National Association of Women. • Death. Every day 4 women die in the United States as a result of domestic violence at the hands of their husbands or partners. The number of women who have been murdered by domestic violence is greater than the number of soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. Domestic violence is a grim reality, but you can help protect yourself by watching for early signs of abuse and getting out of an abusive relationship as quickly as possible

Insecurities - Un-healthy for realationships

WHY DO MEN GET JEALOUS? Whatever form a man's jealousy takes, the root cause is always the same: insecurity. There may even be a connection between male jealousy and infidelity, says psychologist Gladeana McMahon. 'Men aren't so sure these days about who they're supposed to be. Should they be the provider, or an equal partner? This uncertainty breeds insecurity and, in turn, jealousy. 'Some jealous men may have problems entering into a monogamous relationship because they find it too scary to commit to one person - what if it goes wrong, or she lets him down?'So these men split their emotions. They can be insanely jealous of their partner, but being unfaithful to her provides, they think, the emotional security of not putting all their relationship eggs in one basket.' _______________________________________WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS?• If he grew up around infidelity. 'If he saw his parents cheating on each other, he may have grown up thinking that's what people do, and be carrying a great deal of mistrust,' says Gladeana.• If he's been cheated on. He may well be asking why he should trust you if he was so badly hurt before.• If he has a poor self-image. If he doesn't believe he's worth much, then he's always going to question why you stay with him - and whether you'll continue to.• If you're more successful or more highly paid than him. A common jealousy trigger, as it strikes at the core of every man's sense of his own status. Glance at any celebrity magazine and it's clear how the relationships between famous women and not-so-famous men have a habit of hurtling towards the rocks, usually amid tales of the man's jealous outbursts. Exhibit A: Jennifer Lopez's short-lived marriage to choreographer Cris Judd, punctuated by tales of the groom's jealous tantrums. ______________________________________Many women misread the signs when entering into a relationship with a jealous man, interpreting his possessive behavior as caring, even romantic. Others may choose to ignore the jealous outbursts, or try to anticipate or avoid the situations which spark them off. This, says Gladeana, is a major mistake. 'You must never back out of dealing with his jealousy in the hope it will go away - it won't,' she says. 'But by learning the right way to tackle it, he'll soon come to know that as soon as he starts suffering pangs, you'll always notice and won't let him get away with it.' ______________________________________HOW TO HANDLE A JEALOUS GUY1. Recognise it as a problem - both of you.2. Make a commitment. Him: that he genuinely wants to change his behavior and will work at it with your help. You: that you won't change your behavior to accommodate his. Never stop doing things to 'keep your partner happy.' He'll just find other things to get jealous about.3. Look for the reasons for the jealousy. It always comes down to an insecurity about one thing or another...but what? Perhaps his self-esteem needs building up - he may not feel, at heart, that he is loveable and his jealousy may be a way of testing this. You need to talk together about how the jealousy manifests itself and discuss how you'll deal with it when it next happens.4. Work out a 'jealousy code'. This is a sign, either a word or a gesture, agreed on and known only to you two, that either of you can use when jealousy is becoming a problem. It acts like a sort of 'time out' in difficult situations and signals for you to help each other.5. Don't pamper him. 'Changing your behavior to try and avoid jealousy is an example of pampering and never cures the problem. What does is encouraging him that he's doing well in trying to deal with it and that you recognise how difficult it is for him,' says Gladeana. Never, ever say that the jealousy is acceptable. Support him, but never collude with him.6. Get help. Jealousy is one of the most frequent problems brought to relationships counselors....

One of my favorite photos! I love being a Auntie!

Modeling Photos

10 Habits of Happy Couples

What does it take to be happy in a relationship? As I sit back and look at what made us happy; I see why were often so happy but also see what I sometimes forget in the heat of the moment.
I found that I would sometimes have all the best intentions ideas and thoughts in my mind but we find at times we are human and human nature sometimes is to do what we've always done.
Never give up on true love -
1. Go to bed at the same time (I almost could smack myself when I think logically. I love being in my huns arms)
Remember the beginning of your relationship, when you couldn't wait to go to bed with each other to make love? Happy couples resist the temptation to go to bed at different times. They go to bed at the same time, even if one partner wakes up later to do things while their partner sleeps.
2. Cultivate common interests (we do amazing here)
After the passion settles down, it's common to realize that you have few interests in common. But don't minimize the importance of activities you can do together that you both enjoy. If common interests are not present, happy couples develop them. At the same time, be sure to cultivate interests of your own; this will make you more interesting to your mate and prevent you from appearing too dependent.
3. Walk hand in hand or side by side (i love this about us)
Rather than one partner lagging or dragging behind the other, happy couples walk comfortably hand in hand or side by side. They know it's more important to be with their partner than to see the sights along the way.
4. Make trust and forgiveness your default mode(I believe I'm making this my default mode more and more)
If and when they have a disagreement or argument, and if they can't resolve it, happy couples default to trusting and forgiving rather than distrusting and begrudging.
5. Focus more on what your partner does right than what he or she does wrong(today tomorrow and always)
If you look for things your partner does wrong, you can always find something. If you look for what he or she does right, you can always find something, too. It all depends on what you want to look for. Happy couples accentuate the positive.
6. Hug each other as soon as you see each other after work(love hugs)
Our skin has a memory of "good touch" (loved), "bad touch" (abused) and "no touch" (neglected). Couples who say hello with a hug keep their skin bathed in the "good touch," which can inoculate your spirit against anonymity in the world.
7. Say "I love you" and "Have a good day" every morning(love this about us)
This is a great way to buy some patience and tolerance as each partner sets out each day to battle traffic jams, long lines and other annoyances.
8. Say "Good night" every night, regardless of how you feel(taught a very long time ago)
This tells your partner that, regardless of how upset you are with him or her, you still want to be in the relationship. It says that what you and your partner have is bigger than any single upsetting incident.
9. Do a "weather" check during the day(ha ha how many times do we not see how excited our partner is about something)
Call your partner at home or at work to see how his or her day is going. This is a great way to adjust expectations so that you're more in sync when you connect after work. For instance, if your partner is having an awful day, it might be unreasonable to expect him or her to be enthusiastic about something good that happened to you.
10. Be proud to be seen with your partner(Love this in couples and I believe we have this)
Happy couples are pleased to be seen together and are often in some kind of affectionate contact -- hand on hand or hand on shoulder or knee or back of neck. They are not showing off but rather just saying that they belong with each other.
Happy couples have different habits than unhappy couples. A habit is a discrete behavior that you do automatically and that takes little effort to maintain. It takes 21 days of daily repetition of a new a behavior to become a habit. So I know I need to look at this everyday and each month maybe touch up here or there to keep the smiles going.

Read more: How To Be Happy in a Relationship- 10 Habits of Happy Couples - Woman's Day

Learn to be receptive of that gift.

 Love is a gift.
You can't buy it, you can't find it, someone has to give it to you.

Fear

Fear is what gets in the way of true love for a surprisingly large number of people.  Fears come in many different shapes and sizes.  Fear of not being loved in return, fear of getting it wrong, fear of rejection, fear of what other people think, fear or social ridicule, fear of ending up alone, fear of loss...and many variations of these themes abound.

Hard Life Hard People Knife through Heart Feelings of never being able to fix it.

At 32 years of age I've had amazing times in my life and love life but if I go over it I've been hurt so bad and put down stepped on and expected to just be! However with the awful moments 2012 has had and with how hard of a year and all the tests I've been through; if I died right now at this moment.... well I would have died a happy women!

Thank you for this feeling -  

“We walk alone through this world, but if we're lucky, we have a moment of belonging to something, to someone, that sustains us through a lifetime of loneliness.”

Babe

“I love you breathlessly, my amazing man.”

Love

Love is Beautiful it has the ability to make the Sunshine in the Rain!

Hey you... yes you... yes me!

Compassion for yourself enables you to witness your feelings, thoughts, and actions with acceptance, caring, and understanding as you would when empathizing with another. Compassion is expressed with gentleness, tenderness, and generosity of spirit – quite the opposite of self-criticism, perfectionism, and pushing oneself. When most people are stressed, overwhelmed, or exhausted, they attempt to do even more, instead of caring for themselves. If you weren’t nurtured as a child, self-nurturing can be absorbed in therapy over time. You’ll learn to integrate the acceptance and empathy offered by your therapist. Self-compassion differs from self-pity, which is a judgment about your situation or feelings. Rather than acceptance and compassion, self-pity says, “It shouldn’t be this way.”

“You can cry, ain’t no shame in it. “

If you’re sad, express it. We’ve created ideas around crying today such that people repress themselves, which isn’t healthy.
Crying is a very natural thing for all of us. Don’t be ashamed about it just because you’re human.

It’s you. You’re the one i talk about all the time, and the one. I can’t stop thinking about. The one that can make me laugh when i don’t even want to smile. The one that can make me feel better in 2.2 seconds. It’s you that I’m crazy about.

Sometimes you have to be strong for yourself. You have to know that you're a good person and a good friend. What's meant to be will end up good and what's not, won't. Love is worth fighting for but sometimes you can't be the only one fighting. At times, people need to fight for you. If they don't, you just have to move on and realize what you gave them was more than they were willing to give you.

Not perfect!

And no relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater. But, the love we have for each other is bigger than these small differences. And that's the key. It's like a big pie chart, and the love in a relationship has to be the biggest piece. Love can make up for a lot

Ignore me if you must

Acknowledge me now, or lose me forever.

Don't be stopped!

I understand that your heart is broken. You’re sad. I get it. But don’t let that stop you from living your life. Get out of bed every morning. Do your makeup. Smile. Get through the day. And whenever you don’t feel up to it, just look at the boy who did this to you. Do you think he cried himself to sleep last night? Probably not. As a matter of fact, I’ll bet you that he’s doing just fine. So when you wake up and you feel like laying in bed all day, just remember that he has other plans.
girl, live your life, in spite of him.

Who is he??????????

I thought I could resist you
I thought that I was strong
Somehow you were different from what I’ve known
I didn’t see you coming
You took me by surprise and
You stole my heart before I could say no.