Ok, so it was really only a night for me, not a week. But a very… very long day that felt like it could have been a week.
Started with a two-hour drive from KC to Manhattan, where I would pick up my daughter, who was to walk the runway for Mady Durant, LaRae Fashions, an amazing designer who Abby has done some previous work for. Already being incredibly behind due to the fact that it was the first week of classes (in her first year of college!), and there were things she could not miss, we were in a hurry. I grabbed her and we continued straight through to Blair, Nebraska, where we’d spend several hours watching hair and makeup artists complete their part in this.
While I sat on the couch thinking about all of the ponds, fields, draws, corn, and general countryside we’d driven through for the past three hours, and what it might be to walk through it in a month or two…
Upon completion – or near-completion, anyway – of the beautification process required* (for the record, every single one of these girls are gorgeous long before the hair and makeup folks get to them) to own a runway, we convoyed up and headed to Omaha.
And then, several days a couple more hours later, the show actually starts. And it’s worth the wait.
There is nothing I enjoy more than being a part of my kids’ lives. Following Abby around on as many of her journeys as she will allow me to, and finding my own way to participate, in this case through my photography, is one of the most fulfilling things in my life. Even if I’m not great at it (the photography part), it gives me an opportunity to add some value, create a positive affect on and for others, and keeps me close to her. Especially right now, when she is no longer physically close.
And I love what modeling has done for her. It has been an important part of her gaining the confidence and independence she needs to move forward, maintain the momentum of life. She has grown quite close to this tight-knit group of friends, and I love that she has a group of mature, self-confident people around her that lift her up and push her forward. And so have I. Being involved has given me the opportunity to be a part of this “family” – I have so many new friends in photographers, models, model-moms, people in the industry, etc. It’s an absolute blast for me.
I know, get to the pics, right?
The show wrapped up and we left Omaha around 10:30, making the same back-roads journey to Manhattan, where I hit my son’s futon at about 1:45 am. Got up a few hours later, had breakfast with him, and hit the road. Ten hours of drive time, and a day and a half invested in less than ten minutes of runway visibility.
And you know what?
I’ll do it all over again tomorrow, as long as she’ll let me.
