Pitchfork Hugs

In my last post I mentioned falling into obscurity, not meaning to sound negative, but there is the obvious lack of work and dramatic months-long pauses between posts. I have vocalized not finding our people in Omaha, accidentally blaming Omaha, but it's really been going on since we left our little home in the national forest surrounded by California desert to live a life on the road (that only lasted three months before we were taking care of grandma in Saint Diego). In all reality, neither of us have worked with any photographers or models but each other since about 2001, as a family, on family adventures, because that's all that really matters. 

These two beautiful souls are our life. We have gone out of our way to not only make sure that they are safe and happy, but that they have the charmed and magical childhood that we didn't get. They have experienced more in their first decade than a lot of people experience in their entire lives. They have been raised with love and absolute emotional care. I am fully aware that the average person might look at our artistic lives and nomadic, gypsy hearts as something detrimental, but I can assure you that we are in all of this for them. In fact, I have written that the only reason we're even in Omaha is because they wanted to have a public school experience, which we couldn't do in California because ... well I'll just leave that one alone. Of all the places and options we had for public school, Omaha looked the best. I can also assure you that because of this public school system, we have been forced to have some pretty uncomfortable conversations with our girls about things they heard at school and at friends' houses because we have done such a good job of sheltering them from so many things.

That wasn't a hit on this public school system, or even remotely about the particular school our girls have attended, at which everyone has been absolutely amazing.  It is a basic understanding of public schools in general, and the way this society is conditioned, which is why we went to significant lengths to avoid it. The girls wanted this experience, so we are doing the best we can to navigate that minefield, and both of them are thriving in their own ways, so we keep navigating (secretly hoping that they will get tired of the silly drama and want to just travel the world with us, homeschooling themselves).

To get to the point, Omaha has finally discovered our creative life, and it is being presented in a less than favorable light amongst few, whilst also being accepted and celebrated by others..... more the latter. Upside is that we no longer feel like we need to tiptoe around who we are and what we're about. Downside is that we have at least one sharpened pitchfork aimed right at us, and we are standing strong, as a family, with open arms, because we know that such attacks are always driven by fear and pain and suffering and trauma, and we are not about that.

We are about love and understanding and tackling the pain and suffering head on. I have spent years serving a medicine that helps souls dig to the root of traumas and purge them, and my partner works amazingly with SPED kids at the girls' school, which is a job I always knew she would thrive at because I know her beautiful soul, and I know that she speaks their language because of her own pain and suffering. 

We are about raising our girls, in a world that objectifies women, with natural, non-sexualized, body positivity, while also teaching them to respect their bodies and have healthy boundaries, and to love themselves and be powerful goddesses, without being dependent on others opinions. There is a basic rule that goes along with being our kind of naturist: if you don't want to see someone naked, don't look at them; if you don't want to be naked, don't take off your clothes. We have at times been given fear driven slack for taking our girls to nude beaches (where they are free to be naked or not. no one cares), but I can tell you that the people we've met in those environments have been some of the most beautiful and genuinely kind souls we've ever met. I can tell you with 100% confidence that they are safer with us at the beach than they would be in most churches, and I have no problem saying that, even in Omaha. 
I think it's time we all start looking deeper into different windows, until we start to finally see the beautiful reflection of ourself.

I would also like to add that the only reason I post photos of the girls on this blog is because that's what it's become... our family. The people who still read my ramblings have been following us for years and have watched these girls grow up here, because that's who we are. 

This is us.

... and also, the Bible was written by gypsies, wandering through the desert, living in tents, and teaching that the world doesn't have to be how everyone else told you it's supposed to be.

Let's go shoot something, Omaha. I'm tired of pretending I don't exist.