The Mambas

"Better bring some Mambas." He said it almost matter of factly as he hung up, after telling me that Dr Rich wanted to meet with him and go over his "salvage treatment" plan. That first day, back in June, when they said "stage three testicular cancer" we had mambas, then on the day of his first surgery we had mambas, and the first time they hung that iv bag full of the venomous bliomyocin, we ate mambas. So I grabbed some on the way to the meeting and we ate em up, as Dr. Rich talked about bone marrow transplants and more rounds of chemo.
Today we met with the organ transplant people up at LDS hospital, Celeste, the receptionist greeted us with an almost overly kind, "Brett, we are so glad you could make it" followed by offers of soda, water, cookies, a mask, an isolated room, whatever he wanted, and we knew that we had crossed into something that was bigger then mambas. Brett filled out paperwork, I spoke with a guy battling Leukemia, and then we went to see the doctor. He talked about the procedure, about the weeks leading up to the big event, when he would be poked and prodded, when he would do a bone marrow biopsy, and when he would take shots to build up his marrow, and how they would hook him up to a machine and hit a button and his stem cells would be harvested. He talked about the three weeks in the hospital immediately following, and how he would have two weeks to recover, only to start the process over again. Brett said he needed a day, just a day to take it all in, and then he would feel ok about it. I believe him. I think maybe I will bring him some mambas tomorrow though just to get him through.
I have to be honest, you four blog readers, this feels pretty serious now. We like to joke, talked about getting him an engraved Brass Ball ("RIP old boy" is what it would read) but there isn't a lot of joking on the organ transplant floor. So I am asking, please dear readers, if you pray, please pray for Brett. I think his salvage chemo starts on Tuesday and the rest begins right after Thanksgiving.

Yvonna and Charles

We spent the evening at Wheeler Farm, it was a blast! I met Yvonna earlier this year at Nicole's wedding, she was one of the best maids of honor I have seen yet, and I cannot wait to see what she can put together for her wedding! They are such a fun couple, they are so in love!

Saras Family

I don't have a lot of time to post right now, I am on my way to shoot Jessica and Kenny's wedding in Oceanside, but I wanted to hurry and upload photos for Sara and her family to preview, I appreciate their patience, it has been one CRAZY week! We had a great time and I have to say that her boys are ranked amoung the best behaved I have ever photographed!!

Donald Trumps House of Wings

Anyone ever seen that SNL skit? The one with a bunch of the cast dressed up in chicken costumes singing to the tune of "Jump" by the Pointer Sisters? "Trump! you know our wings will make you happy, Trump! You know our wings will fill you up, Trump in! If you want blue cheese it will be a dollar extra, Donald Trumps house of wings"? Anyone see it? It cracks me up to this day, but I can't find it on anywhere on the Internet. And as luck would have it, it has been stuck in my head for weeks now and has been the background music to numerous activities including photo sessions, airplane rides, and date nights. I need to see this skit before I burst out in song at the grocery store and do a little chicken dance (oh Amy Poehler, your chicken dance makes me laugh out loud) So if anyone at all has access to it, please, please let me know! I spent the better part of today trying to find it via google to no avail. Anyway, so that's whats going on with me these days. I definitely was humming it at the shoot with the Torgersons. These little ones are so so cute! And I love what they dressed them up in! So precious! Megan is in my Sunday school class and don't let her fool you, she is a sassafras deep down! Love you, Megan!

Digging in mommas purse..

This little sweety was so spent, she had been all smiles for an hour and a half and then we made her sit and take just one more, I love the look of exasperation on her face, beautiful little thing!!

Linda my love...

I like to bring a giant bag of gear to different shoots with me. Sometimes I don't even use the gear, actually most of the time I don't use the gear, but I feel like if I have the gear, I will feel much more legitimate in case I run into another photog while I am out. Generally speaking, I lose about one item on average per shoot. Sometimes it is lens, sometimes it is a flash, most of the time it is a lens cap. One time, I made a list of all the things I brought to the shoot so that I could go down the list and pack them back up so I wouldn't have to go crawling around on my hands and knees looking for my lens cloth, battery charger, flash or keys. Wanna take a stab at which item was first to be lost on that shoot? Thats right, the list. I would like to think that it is the artist in me, that I am so focused on my work that I can't possibly be bothered by mundane things such as cleaning up after myself, but unfortunately this behavior poors into my life as well. It is the reason I don't carry a purse as a matter of fact. If I carried a purse I would lose it and everything in it all at once, guaranteed. Anyway, due to my inability to remember my head if it wasn't attached to my body, I decided to seek out some help. And help came, in the form of the best assistant/second shooter on the planet, Linda. She is AMAZING, a great photographer, a great support when I am feeling down, and perfect for remembering to grab whatever it is that I put down on a picnic table and forgot to grab again before we switched locations. She and I make a wonderful team, she gets the most amazing shots and angles, things I never would have thought of when we are shooting a wedding. She is so amazing that she is coming out to shoot a wedding in San Diego next month and I can not wipe the smile off my face thinking about how we are going to rock that shoot together. I do feel a teeny bit bad that she has to work with me, just yesterday we were comparing working with me being a lot like working for Meryl Streep in the Devil Wears Prada because I just drop my stuff and don't even turn around again to make sure she has it all...but I sure have loved photography more and more since she came to be such an integral part of Carrie Butler Photography. We went up Mill Creek canyon with our families for a picnic and to try capturing some pictures of them while the leaves are beautiful, check out the cool pictures she took of us! And check out how beautiful her family is! I love Linda!! You can check out her photo blog by clicking here.

Hardee Boy

Remember the Hardy Boys? Those books were awesome, I loved them, and then choose your own adventure books came out and I never looked back, I am so fickle! Anyway, I shot the Hardee family the other night over at Wheeler Farm, and I must say, this little dude had the most beautiful blue eyes ever! It was a blast hanging out with them, and then Paige and Mia met me there for more fun while daddy went for a boys night at a Jazz game, Wheeler Farm is so much fun right now, if you have kids, there is a little campfire, and a wagon ride and halloween lights, I highly recommend it. Anyway, Amy, here are your previews...

Nielsons

Well, first I was their realtor, then we were friends and now I do their pictures, see, when you hire Carrie Butler, you just can't get rid of her. Although don't let that discourage you from hiring me, I am lots of fun, just ask Monyca Albondega.

Robin and Seth

Have you ever watched the e harmony commercials and seen a couple so fresh and so fun that you wished you could find them and become best couples friends with them? You know, have game nights, go on trips, celebrate important milestones? That is what it is like to hang out with Robin and Seth, they are so fun, and so sweet together, and so genuinely loving. It was a really fun afternoon, as a matter of fact, I had sore cheeks from smiling so big! I cannot wait to party with them for the New Years Eve wedding! Thanks, Robin and Seth, for a wonderful afternoon, and seriously, if you ever want to get together and play cranium, call us!

He slid down the railing under the assumption that I would give him five bucks for it, and had a sore backside. I owe you, Seth.

Secrets...

Gorgeous ring, designed by his best friends girlfriend, sweet, right?

Yum, cupcakes...