We are so glad to be back in the studio! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. We are a little behind on the blogging so I thought that I would give you a sneak peak of our first newborn this year.

Hope you enjoy!

-Cassie

Best,

Nichol

NOW… let’s talk about this rockin’ cool 1967 Karmann Ghia.  Kate just had it restored and left the outside as is just for Me to photograph all of it’s amazing texture and then she completely restored the inside to perfection.  Okay… she didn’t really do it for me but I am SO glad she left it as is.

Here are a few of my favs…

Peace,

Nichol

And at Mom's Request... the lights.

And last but not least…my favorite image…

Peace,

~Nichol

Cassie

In Mid-May of this year I had to have surgery that was going to put me out for the next 6 weeks.  I was still in bed just a week later, on my birthday,  May 21st.  I was definitely getting my fill of news and renting nearly every movie that even seemed semi-appealing.  On May 22nd, the very next day I saw something on the news that just made me gasp. As I watched footage of what had just happened in Joplin, so close to where I grew up, I instantly felt sick to my stomach.  I wanted to get up and get on the first flight there to see what I could do.  Knowing that was not really a realistic option, I just tried to heal and pray for the people of Joplin from afar.

Two weeks after the massive tornado hit Joplin Missouri, and just three weeks after my surgery I had an opportunity to travel to Kansas City for business and it was a trip that I refused to turn down.  I also knew in my heart I could not get this close to Joplin and not go see what I could do.  A good friend of mine, Jamie Schultz of Jamie Schultz Photography was also going on the same business trip.  We talked and both decided to fly in a few days early, rent a car, and head that way all the while having NO IDEA what we were going to be able to do.

When you saw the media coverage on the television, it was horrific to see the damage.  But, I am telling you that nothing….NOTHING can describe how overwhelmingly horrific it was to see in person.  Jamie and I arrived there and were without words.  We just gasped over and over again as we looked to the left and then to the right.  At times I forgot to breathe.  It was unbelievable.  We parked the car in an older neighborhood near the school, it was the “Sweet Light” hour in the evening. We grabbed our cameras and kind of walked off going our own separate ways for the next several minutes.  When we reconnected we still could barely speak, both of us were a bit emotional but keeping it together as we documented and assessed where we felt the greatest need was or where we could make the most impact on our short trip there.  It was such a vast area of devastation that it was hard to even grasp what we could do.

We continued to drive through different neighborhoods.  The only way I could describe it was that there was an eerie silence, a calm that was very uncomfortable and a massive area of devastation that still felt like the fury of the tornado was still present.  There was not so much as a bird flying, a bug, a mosquito…nothing.  It was 100+ degrees out in the very humid Mid-West.  I could not believe there were no bugs.  I saw lots of birds but they were killed in the tornado.  That rain wrapped twister came through so fast and flattened such an enormous area that I could not even believe it.

There were so many stories, so much loss, so many sentimental things.  There were day planners, pictures, framed art created by the children that lived in those homes.  There were homes that had so many pink toys and things that you just knew a baby girl lived there.  I wondered if she was okay.  I wondered what all of their stories were.  There were baseball gloves, monopoly games, and coloring books.  There were homes where only the door was left standing and trees that looked as if they were literally plucked from the ground and laid on their side, roots and all.  There was clothing, tipped wagons, wheelchairs, pianos, and American Flags…. lots and lots of American Flags.  I must have lost it and cried so many times that night, especially when I saw the flags waving in unity.  What could we do to help? The Home Depot was literally shredded.  The Jo Ann Fabric demolished.  Business after business destroyed.  At the McDonalds Play land everything was GONE except the play structure itself.  There were buses ripped in half and a school destroyed in so many places that rebuilding it was going to be a daunting task.

That Sunday evening as we walked around, we only got to talk to a few people.  One of which was an exhausted soldier and a State Trooper.  Both of them had the look of sheer exhaustion and a blank stare that told a story all it’s own.  Jamie and I decided to head back to Pittsburg to the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at for the night and try to figure out a plan of attack.  How could two moms, photographers, women make an impact in an already inundated area in such a short time?

The next morning we woke up and  decided what our plan of attack was going to be.  We hopped in the car and headed on the short drive to Joplin.  While in the car, we utilized texting and Facebook to it’s fullest. Within 20 minutes between Jamie and I, we had raised over $1200 in pledges from friends and family.  Our goal was to purchase as many meals for the workers with gift cards that we could.  We bounced around from Schlotzky’s to Subway and on to McDonalds, and many other places.  We purchased lunch for workers that were in line behind us.  We watched exhausted workers cry as they tried to figure out who in the room had just bought their lunch.  We were blessed to bless them.  We may not have rebuilt much during our short day in Joplin but we did make an impact.  We re-energized workers, fed many people, provided many smiles, saw jaws drop and tears fall, gave a few hugs, made grown men cry and hopefully planted many seeds… seeds in all of those watching what we were doing.  Hopefully they too were moved and inspired to see what they could do no matter how small to help and see how they could be a part of blessing others.

Please don’t forget the people of Joplin.  They still need our help.  The rebuilding is going to take a while.  I was blessed to go and document it.  I am blessed to be able to use my gifts to share with you just a bit of what we saw and experienced while we were there.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers and consider doing something, anything small or big to help out.  Jamie and I saw first-hand what a $10 gift card can do and the positive impact it can provide.  I think almost all of us can afford to bless someone with a $10 gift card or a $10 book for the children who lost all of theirs.  Just my two cents.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.  To the people of Joplin, the volunteers, and to the medical and emergency personell, I thank you for all that you do and wanted to say that  you have left your mark on my heart and soul forever.  I love and bless you.

Peace

~Nichol

This is the high school…

Another image of the school…

So many stories…

So much loss…