Wave

That's what Ian does when someone leaves the room, when a meal is over, when you put something away. And that's what I'm doing to Niki's World, waving goodbye. I have been through many stages of cutting this, that and whatever, making room for life as we now know it. I applied a scalpel to my Etsy shop more than once, and just this week I hit it with the machete and closed it. After much soul searching, hour upon hour of sitting up with Ian between dusk and dawn, and innumerable tears, it came down to two activities that I just can't drop - journaling and taking pictures. Unfortunately, Niki's World did not "make the cut." So I bid adieu to the blog, making room for more play time with Ian, taking better care of the dogs, working at the job I love even more than I thought I would, spending time with my husband and family, running errands, and seeing where this life leads. I am blessed to have all that I have and that I'm able to do all that I do. Thank you for taking this short journey with me. Perhaps I'll be back someday.... 

5 pm On A Friday

February 24. That's the day our baby boy became a little boy. I swear I saw the last wisps of baby leave his body, as he sat before me. We were on the floor, having a snack, as he shooed the dogs away from his Club crackers, kept saying "Mama," sat perfectly upright in his little boy t-shirt and pants, asked for another cracker when he was ready, and crawled over for a hug when he was full. It was joyous and traumatic. Ahhh... motherhood. Equal parts heart break and heart explosion, as he grows and evolves and develops. My life looks so much better through his eyes, and I had a good life to begin with. I love my almost 1-year-old little boy. 

Do You Believe In Miracles?

In May-June of last year, I quit my professional job to stay home with our son. Our brand spankin' new baby boy! It was a joy, and a treasure, and a dream. We agreed that I would stay home for his first year. We looked at "if A happens and B doesn't and C gets a raise..." we could swing it, because during the pregnancy we hadn't planned for this turn of events. After the first of the year, when Ian was about 10-months-old, we looked at our finances again, talked about our future plans, discussed lifestyle options, now accounting for the happening of A AND B without C. We determined that come March, I would start to look for a job, giving me a couple of months to weigh my views on part-time versus full-time versus offering child-care in our home. I ruled out full-time pretty quickly. I envisioned pushing papers and counting paper clips, waiting for the clock to strike noon OR having a couple of other people's kids running around our house, so I could stay home with Ian and still get paid. 


Just a few days later, I received an email that a job I had been interested in for like two years, even while happily working at my previous job, had suddenly come available. It was with an organization for which I had volunteered for years, I had great passion for the mission, the skill set matched my experience, and the position was open without warning. I let them know that I would appreciate the chance to learn more at their convenience. Within a week I had a meeting. I was the only one who didn't know, until it was over, that it actually was an interview. And five days after that, the offer was made official. I am once again gainfully employed!


The position has been changed to part-time - whoot whoo!! My mom will come to our house and watch that "no longer brand spankin' new" now "on the verge of walking and in to everything" little boy - double whoot whoo!! I start the week before his first birthday - can you say, "per our agreement?" You can not underestimate the power of timing - one of the few things in our world that is truly beyond our control. I can still see myself sitting on the futon in Ian's room, visualizing my days spent any number of ways, after March, and gauging my feelings about it. I can still feel the emotions rising up in my stomach, as I didn't like this one or that one. 


This is my dream job. I've had two other dream jobs in my life. It's the kind of opportunity you accept and have faith the pieces will fall in the right places. I know I will miss Ian in the mornings and wonder what they are doing. I also know that if I'd said no, I would have forever wondered what else in our lives would have been different because you never know how A connects to B and leads to C.

Happy Valentine's Day

The Best Way to Age

I was thinking today about how everyone says, and it is so true, that your concept of time is different with children in the house. E will be one next month, and I certainly haven't gotten any younger in the past year. I have determined that having a kid in the house is the best way to age.  You're barely aware of the passage of time, except for watching him - the looks on his face as he matures, his development as he learns how to walk, his vocalizations as he talks in his own language - and you're nothing but thankful for this opportunity to view God's world through someone else's eyes. It is one of the best gifts. Not that I'm a proponent of go forth and procreate, unless that's your wish! Here's to the passage of time, at any rate, with loved ones by your side. 


My good friend Kelly Sue took this picture on our last play date. 

James brought home a balloon for me, which Ian loved (and thankfully wasn't afraid of).

Ian and Razzie play together all the time. Razzie loves it, and hates it!

Finding Biodiversity In Your Own Backyard

As a photographer, I occasionally check National Geographic's site for contest updates because to see one of my photos in their magazine would be a dream!! They didn't have any contests running the last time, so I poked around and clicked on an article about how their photographers use technology in the field, wherein I met Joel Sartore. Joel is from Nebraska and in 2006 he was looking for ways to stay close to home to help his wife, who was recovering from breast cancer treatments. He contacted the local children's zoo in Lincoln and had the idea to photograph the beasts not in their pseudo-natural environment but against stark black or white backdrops, helping to keep all things "equal" in terms of proportion and dimension from ladybugs to lions. That day's worked evolved into a goal to catalog every species in American zoos, recognizing that we have the best zoos in the world and someday not all of those animals will even exist. The Biodiversity Project was born. Sounds like... ho hum, probably been done before. Probably not. Check this out! 

And this one.

Then there was this one. 

The animals fly, hop, slither, and slink into Joel's mobile photo studio designed just for zoo animals. They have covered about one-third or 1,800 of America's zoo animal population in the past five years and intend to get them all. Images from the Biodiversity Project are available for purchase and help support the team's work. You can get an 8x10 for only 40 bucks. Scientists approximate that over 100 species become extinct every day! Imagine how our biodiversity is evolving without us even knowing it. 

Stop! Baby Time!

Dear Friends and Family,
It is with a hanging head that I write an apology for the delay with which you receive cards, emails, texts and pictures from me now. I am operating on what I lovingly call Baby Time. It is roughly 1x3 of the pace at which I formerly moved. Formerly being before the arrival of Ian Nikalos and everything taking three times longer than in that previous life. It has been almost 11 months now that he has been in this world and I can fairly say that equation has improved from 1x4. I am proud of this. I hope to some day attain the 1x2 level, but I understand that will likely be the peak of productivity. I love Ian, he's the light of my life, blah, blah, blah. I have accepted that getting out the door, unpacking the groceries, and even going to the bathroom now happen on Baby Time. It's kind of like Dog Years - 1 year is 7 years to a dog. Or, Marriage Years - that formula being a little more complicated, of course. Some years are like 1, those are the happy, fun ones. Some are like 5. Some are like, oh, I don't know, 20! Thus, as a woman of 40, with two dogs, one child, and a husband, God knows how old I actually am or what time it is!! Please keep in touch. 
Love, Niki

Nothing Says I Love You Like...

I'm running a sale on Naggys Shop, my online photography store. Perhaps you've visited it? The link is to the right. I sell my nature photography cards, prints, wall art and downloads direct from me to you. In honor of Valentine's Day - two hearts beating as one, you had me at hello, and nothing says I love you like a handwritten letter - I'm offering two cards for the price of one! Please shop the store and pick out a couple of cards. I took all of the pictures, designed each of the cards, and will be the one running to HyVee to drop them in the mail. Talk about personal service! In this time of politics and cold weather, I hope Valentine's Day warms your heart, gives you a caring hand to hold, and comforting memories to cherish.   

Danglers done, dude

Yep, that's right. I said it! Dangers. Done. Dude. I have had a pile of "danglers" or projects that have accumulated over weeks, months, years in various stages of neglect from supplies purchased to half done to in need of updating to that would be a good idea. They are done!! I completed three scrapbooks, two wedding photo books and reorganized two storage spaces. Now, I can focus on writing and photography with a clear head, because the nagging "what about me... I'm not done yet... I thought I was a good idea..." the projects were doing is gone. I'm a "clean slate" kinda gal. I love a clean slate and the feeling that comes with it - no baggage, no nagging, no worries. Starting to write on the blog again gave me the perfect motivation to tackle those projects once and for all, so I could focus on my loves of writing and photography. Here's to clean slates, finished projects, organized spaces and clear priorities. 

Before I Die...

I Stumbled Upon the Before I Die... What Is Important to You project recently and was moved. It was started by Candy Chang in New Orleans. She's "an artist, designer, and urban planner who likes to make cities more comfortable for people. She is a TED Fellow, an Urban Innovation Fellow, and was named a “Live Your Best Life” Local Hero by Oprah Magazine. By combining street art with urban planning and social activism, she has been recognized as a leader in developing new strategies for the design of our cities." Her site gives permission to repost information about her projects and I do so with enthusiasm and pride. I would love to do this in Sioux Falls (South Dakota)... and the wheels turn.

BEFORE I DIE by Candy Chang

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you. With help from friends and neighbors, Candy turned the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New Orleans into a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and remember what is important to them. Before I Die is an interactive public art project where we can share our hopes and dreams in public space and discover the aspirations of the people around us. Stenciled with the sentence “Before I die I want to _______”, the wall helps improve our neighborhood and our personal well-being. It’s a question that changed Candy after she lost someone she loved very much, and she believes the design of our public spaces can better reflect what matters to us as a community and as individuals.

The responses have ranged from the funny and creative to the thoughtful and heartbreaking: Before I die I want to… sing for millions, see my daughter graduate, eat a salad with an alien, see the leaves change many times, be someone’s cavalry, straddle the International Date Line, cook a souffle, hold her one more time, make it in the hip hop, help numerous children, see what I’m like as an old man, tell my mother I love her, make peace with Ohio, abandon all insecurities, be completely myself, evaporate into the light… The project was featured in Oprah Magazine and NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams, and The Atlantic called it “one of the most creative community projects ever.”

After receiving many requests from people around the world, she and her Civic Center colleagues created a Before I Die Toolkit to help you create a wall with your community. Thanks to your passion, this wall is turning into a global participatory art project and expanding to cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Portsmouth, Querétaro, Almaty, San Diego, Lisbon, Brooklyn, and beyond – see other walls on the project site! You can also take a piece of the dream home with you with a limited edition painting and submit your dreams on the project site. We are currently developing a new website to provide more resources and help people showcase their walls around the world – stay tuned! The project is growing every day and together we can make public spaces that encourage us to reflect and, through our collective wisdom, help us live better lives.

2011, 41′ x 8′, Chalkboard paint, stencils, spray paint. New Orleans, LA. Self-initiated with permission from the property owner, residents of the block, the neighborhood association’s blight committee, the Historic District Landmarks Commission, the Arts Council, and the City Planning Commission. Installation assistance: Kristina Kassem, Alan Williams, Cory Klemmer, Anamaria Vizcaino, James Reeves, Alex Vialou, Sean Knowlton, Carolina Caballero, Earl Carlson, and Gary Hustwit. Concurrently installed in East/West Galleries. With support from the Black Rock Arts Foundation.

After one day – completely filled out!

Once the wall is filled, we wash the board with water and start with a clean slate again. We are documenting all responses and some will be included in a book.

Update March 16, 2011 – This out-of-pocket project now has a pocket thanks to the Black Rock Arts Foundation!

Update July 6, 2011: Take a piece of the dream home with you with a limited edition painting! More here.

Update Sept 22, 2011: “Our thoughts are to the individual as our art is to the community” More here

Update Sept 22, 2011: Make a wall with your community with the Before I Die toolkit!

Thanks to your passion, this participatory public art project is currently expanding to cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Portsmouth, Querétaro, Almaty, San Diego, Lisbon, Brooklyn, and beyond - see other walls on the project site!

Selected press:
“They’re the stuff of everyday life from people of all walks of life… Young or old, rich or poor, the [Before I Die] wall does make you think as you walk by.” —NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams

“Before I Die is merely one of the most creative community projects ever.” —The Atlantic

“Through a series of large-scale projects that combine installation art with social activism, Chang has encouraged people to engage with public spaces to let their voices be heard.” —O, The Oprah Magazine

“Death can inspire life. Especially in New Orleans, on the corner of Marigny and Burgundy, where the Before I Dieproject has used the specter of urban decay and death to create art and inspire. Using a boarded up house as a canvas, artist Candy Chang transformed a haunting reminder of blight and divestment into a powerful affirmation of human life and imagination.” – Life and Times

“The notion of turning a neglected space into an active invitation to engage with your community and get to know your neighbors is a wonderful embodiment of enlightened urbanism. What’s more, it’s a reminder that not all meaningful social platforms are accessed through a screen — an inspired antidote to the Foursquarification of urban social quasi-interaction.” – Brain Pickings

You have permission to use above photos for publicity about the project. All photos by Civic Center. If you are a publication and would like a press kit with high-res photos, please contact us.

The word on the street: O the Oprah Magazine, The Atlantic, Wired, Brain Pickings, GOOD, Post Secret, Times Picayune, Wooster Collective, WeTheUrban, Design Milk, Creative Review, Life and Times, HOW, Juxtapoz Magazine, and many more. Read more about the project in an interview with Juxtapoz Magazine.

The Best Spot On the Face of the Earth

James went to CES last week, the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. Think six hundred thousand eating, breathing, drinking, swagging, modeling, selling, walking, partying, displaying, autographing, meeting, glad-handing people and electronics. James has been in the business for like 17 years! He's not a CES virgin, the show is always a blast and this year he sent me a few photos. Ahhh, phone pictures - the highest quality.


This one was the coolest. Men In Black 3 artists and actors were in the Sony booth, showcasing characters for the upcoming movie. 

As usual, celebrities were everywhere. 50 Cent introduced his own line of headphones, and appeared to be auditioning for a role in the rumored Entourage movie. 

Xzibit of rap and The Fast and The Furious fame, showed us how much we're all alike and all we really want is peace. James said he was actually really cool. 

James got home Friday afternoon and we had an evening of our usual posturing. He was acclimating to being home and I was acclimating to sharing again. Saturday we were talking about what to do with our day, taking care of Ian, watching hockey on tv, when we agreed that home is still the best spot on the face of the Earth!

A Year In The Life

I am considering doing a Year In The Life photo series. I don't want to commit to a 365 Project - taking at least one picture every day for a year. Not that I don't take that many pictures, my husband can attest to that. Mostly because it takes me on average 3-4 weeks to dump them from my camera to the computer. I'm working on that, in the name of Niki's World.

This is Congo. He's a Basenji - neurotic, smart, athletic, sleepy, and able to find a spot of sunshine in any room at any time. This doesn't look very comfortable, but don't tell him that. You'll just piss him off.

A Boy and His Dog

I was going to enter another I Heart Faces contest, and do it right this time. Apparently I didn't read ALL of the rules last time and forgot to post their button on my page. I thought, "I'll do it better this time." Of course, that would include knowing which day of the week it is, and realizing that the contest ended yesterday. Oh well - not meant to be this time obviously. Here's my Max and Ian story anyway.

This is Max and our little boy, Ian. He was born in March of last year. Max was 12 when this picture was taken in October of 2011. Maxi passed away 15 days later. As most photographers might do, I panicked the next day I woke up, thinking I didn't have any good, recent photos of Maximillian. I'd raised him since he was 8-weeks-old, he'd been sick off and on since the summer, and on October 27, he became violently ill and passed away within the day. I cried, and cried. I hadn't taken a lot of pictures of him over the summer and fall because he wasn't looking his best and I didn't want to do him like that. October 28 my heart was in my shoes. I dumped the pictures off my camera, reviewed and cataloged, then came across this one. A small percentage of his passing was made okay. I'm not saying it's the best picture I've ever taken, but it is the best damn picture I have ever taken. I love and miss you, Maxi.

The Mare

I took this picture last November. You know when you're editing and proofing your own images and actually fall in love with one of them? Bliss. 

I...

I write.

I take pictures.

I raise our son.

I take care of our house.

I take care of our Boys (two dogs).

I am a wife.

I am a daughter, sister, in-law, friend, granddaughter, niece and aunt.

I love to decorate and gather new information.

I must travel or my wanderlust implodes.