the one where ava gets to go too

paris. ava is coming with me to paris. 

initially, this was the plan. it's what irene wanted, what ward and I wanted (well and you know it's what ava wanted) but the circumstances, they flipped and they flopped and for a while there it just didn't seem possible. though the more we thought about it, the more we talked about it, the more we realized just how important it was that she do this, how major it'd be for her to come with me-- to connect with kids from a different part of the world, to explore what it means to see the world differently. and then, paris. to experience paris, one of the greatest cities in the world. 

these are the kinds of experiences that crack a person wide open, that change you forever and even though it seemed financially impossible (and impossibly impractical), we wanted to give her this. more than anything. so we decided we'd do whatever it'd take to make it happen. and now, thanks to irene (and a few other key people), it's a done deal. still, there's a boatload of work to do. and so ava has thrown her proverbial hat in the ring. 

for a limited time, prints of her photographs will be for sale in my shop and all proceeds will go towards the cost of her end of the trip. these are images (the images you see above) that have been carefully selected by her and friends, SHE IS EXCITED. that someone might actually buy one, that someone might actually want to own one. it's been a lovely, heartbreaking sort of thing to witness and of course, my mama heart wants to burst into a thousand pieces. instead, I'll just try and hold it all together while I pass along along the necessary information:

to purchase one of ava's prints please go {here}

(local portland people, there will be an extra special opportunity for you-- more on that tomorrow)