Our Family Pictures on Hawaii with Jonathan Canlas Photography!

When my husband Romie and I decided to be his mother’s caregivers — she would live with us and we’d take care of her every need — we never realized how much it would change our lives … lots of ups and downs. And patience. To watch someone you love slowly lose grasp of the little things the rest of us find so simple to do, like feeding yourself, is not easy and almost heart-breaking. Her name is Pacita, but she’s known as Lola to her many grandchildren and their children. This is Lola’s diary…

As a portrait photographer based in Portland, Oregon, I photograph other people’s weddings and families all the time; I document their precious time together … The laughter, the tears, the joy, the memories of it all. Sometimes I get so focused on creating memories for others that I overlook my own family— I can’t ever forget about my own. (I hope you don’t forget yours either.) Last fall, when Lola’s dementia seemed to have gone for the worst, my husband Romie hugged me in silent tears … We felt helpless because nothing we did was making any difference for her. She was a stone, zombie if you will. So, we vowed to do whatever it took (and immediately!) to get beautiful images by one of my favorite family photographers: Jonathan Canlas. I don’t have any professional portraits of my own grandmother to treasure; she passed away years ago yet the pain still runs deep and I wish to have beautiful photographs of us together before she was sick. Because I didn’t want Romie to miss on having incredible portraits with his mom… We made it happen even though we had no idea how we could really pay for it all. But, I’d rather make memories than regrets.

(If Lola could still speak, she may say): “Want me to smile? Give me MONEY!!”