As disturbing as it is to watch, in reality what I experienced was 50 times worse than the film shows. Films have time limits, and budgets. All things considered, it showed an enormous amount.
Test Your Knowledge of Brainwashing
I made these as a fun little way to help educate people about brainwashing, which is really just abusive psychological manipulation.
Brainwashing is just a nickname for a series of known psychological processes used to manipulate someone against their will. It’s unethical, traumatizing, and it literally changes what is happening in the brain – without the person realizing what is happening.
Read More »How Could I Have Believed Him?
Even after all these years since “The Great Deception,” I am still learning how my heart, soul, brain, finances and life were hijacked by a monster, and yet I could not see him for what he was. In the beginning, my very first therapist suggested that I learn about “anti-social personality disorder” to help me be more safe in the future. Disclaiming that she was not diagnosing him, she showed me a list of the characteristics.
For some reason I was shocked to know there was actually a “type” of people like this in the world. I wondered about Adam.
I mean, Adam spoke constantly about the scriptures, about helping the poor and needy, about doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. I truly believed that he owned nothing but his carpenter tools and that his life was patterned after Jesus Christ, the center of my life. I could have never, not ever, fathomed that a man so engaged in actively presenting a show of doing good, could actually, simultaneously, and completely – be cold-hearted and evil. Like two different people. Or that his appearance of being normal and righteous was just the mask of sanity.
The primary reason he was able to lead me like a lamb to the slaughter, aside from me being incredibly naive, was:
1. I believed his “Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon” (aka “historical documents”in the documentary) were authentic. You won’t know how much power this has unless you understand Mormon history.
2. He used coercive mind control techniques.
In the minds of LDS (Mormons), whoever translates the Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon will be considered a prophet. This was not unique to me.
What the public also doesn’t realize, and what “Prophet or Predator” does NOT make clear, is the deeply-ingrained Mormon tenet that 14 million other LDS people believe today. And I used to believe this too::
1. There is a living prophet today and he speaks for God SEE HERE
2. What the living prophet says takes precedence over what deceased prophets said in scripture SEE HERE
3. That God will not allow a prophet to lead you astray SEE HERE
4.That you must follow and obey the prophet SEE HERE
5. That a prophet is authorized to get revelation for you and has your eternal life in his hands. SEE HERE
I was not the first person nor was I the last person to be deceived by this man. In fact, to this day Adam has a following of unsuspecting people who believe the very thing that gave him such power over me, and authorities do nothing about it. It is for this reason I shared my story publicly.
A few quick clarifications to “Prophet or Predator.”
1. I did not ‘give up’ my children. SO STOP IT!
Adam demanded that I make the “sacrifice of Abraham” and that I “give my children up for adoption” if I wanted to merit eternal motherhood and live with them forever. The film was just cut to say, “He wanted me to give up my children” then they showed me sending them away in some car. The documentary did not show a scene at the jail where I lied to the prophet and told him I had obeyed, but I HAD NOT. The storyline skipped thatand showed me sending the children off in a car, but it was never made clear that I was NOT obeying Adam when they went to their father with whom I shared legal custody, with whom I was legally bound to share them anyway. Please understand this word: INSTEAD. Instead of “giving up my children” which implies “permanence,” I sent them to their father early. It was a change in schedule. There was nothing permanent about this – we shared parental responsibility. And for that more than anything else, I have been reviled.
THIS IS UNNECESSARY AND RIDICULOUS. Shame on whoever decided to opt for sensationalism over the truth at my expense when they knew these facts. Even Jack, from the film said, “Why did they use THAT phrase in the description? That is absolutely the wrong phrase to use if a single mother sends her children for visitation with their father.” This would mean every divorced female who has let her children go to their father, as she is court-ordered to do, could be described as having “given up her kids.”
I shared the story of Adam pressuring me to give up my children PERMANENTLY because it showed how cruel he was, how his fiancee (Sister Jackson) was keenly aware of this and did nothing to stop it, but more importantly, I have been informed by current survivors of Adam’s game that he has put other women through a similar test - requiring them to legally give up their children – and it is my understanding is that THEY HAVE ACTUALLY DONE IT.
I will blog about it if I confirm this, but whether the women did or did not make it legally permanent, they are not to blame. This is a psychological cruelty beyond comprehension!!!
THAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT INFORMATION.
That’s like Warren Jeffs.
It is my concern for other mothers and children that I shared the story at all. If you want the Utah Attorney General’s office to check into this monster, you can CONTACT THEM HERE.
Adam is a man who one time kidnapped his little children from his ex-wife under conditions that would today qualify for an Amber alert. He hid them from her and cause her horrific agony for 3 years!! This is a man who has many children by several wives, refused to pay child support, and gave up parental rights to several of his own children rather than pay child support. One judge called him “reprehensible,” and worse. Another ordered him to take classes to correct his “Criminal Thinking.” This is a man who, when recently faced with a trial for criminal non-support, convinced those he’s deceiving, manipulating and exploiting TODAY to sacrifice their personal assets to pay for his crimes. Just like he did me. These people are educated, wonderful people, mind you. They are not stupid. They were not acting on blind faith, nor do they have free choice.
They are being deceived, manipulated, psychologically abused and exploited – and they do not yet realize it! THIS IS NOT FREE WILL.
He is the master of the double-bind, or what Dr. Janja Lalich calls the “bounded choice.” According to Dr. Lalich, controlling or ensuring the outcome of a situation using emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually manipulative tactics is not free choice!
Adam compels people to give up their families, to sever ties and never again communicate with certain beloved family members or friends – lest they face eternal consequences.
Why do they listen instead of run? Because they are deceived and psychologically abused but do not know it. They believe Adam has authentically translated the Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon from actual, tangible, ancient metal engravings. In THAT forged document lies his power to deceive and damage the lives of believers. MORE INFO ON THAT HERE.
2. “Prophet or Predator” obviously could not include everything in 43 minutes.
The documentary did not include much about Mormon doctrine at all, and this is vitally necessary to understand how this happened to me without simply attributing it to my being a gullible idiot. I grieve that this was not included, but perhaps it was my own fault because I told RAW TV that I did not want to hurt the Mormon church. Maybe that is why they skewed the story to make it look like I was motivated by the love a man, when that factored ZERO into my decisions. ZERO. Fundamental Mormons do NOT marry for love, they obey the prophet. The docudrama included next to nothing about Adam’s use of predatorial grooming, psychological manipulation and assaults, mind games, mixed messages, fabricated miracles, references to examples in church history, brain confusion, double-binds, spiritual blackmail, the revision of history, abuse of power, threats of consequences, coercion, threats to my mortal life, threats to my eternal life. It did not include the part where he told me that at least one of 3 men were monitoring me at all times. It did not show the physical violence and rape which I endured, although it was implied. It did not show my crying out for help about my abuse, asking questions or begging for the truth from the other “believers,” including “Sister Jackson,”who was me planning my suicide and funeral when I thought there was no way out, nor did it adequately show just how complex this deception was, that it wasn’t just me and Adam, and that his deception was facilitated by a small group of people. That is why my reality became a false reality, and when nothing made sense, my exhausted and questioning and terrified brain gave up it’s ability to think critically.
There are no experts on the documentary who explain that brainwashing (aka coercive thought control) is the brain’s survival response to severe psychological abuse, and how, once you are brainwashed, it changes the way your brain functions on a neuronal level, making it next to impossible to just wake yourself up and start thinking straight. In one hour, how could they tell an incredibly complicated story, and also go into dissociation, cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias, cult mind control, coercive mind control, traumatic bonding, undue influence, religious abuse, rape trauma syndrome, human trafficking myths, situational coercion, and post-traumatic stress disorder?
Those who have filled in the blanks with their own skeptical world view interpret my experience as case of someone with mental problems who was incredibly stupid. This interpretation leaves people safely believing that what happened to me would never happen to them.
Those who have filled in the blanks with their knowledge of Mormon beliefs and history, or their prior experience with cults or sociopaths, interpret my experience as a case of psychological torture by a master manipulator who played on my beliefs so he could benefit himself and his helpers at the expense of my dignity and my life.
THIS SUMS UP THE SYSTEM THAT BROKE ME DOWN
I’ve learned a lot since then. I’d like to share it with you. Please keep reading.
__________________________________________________
A decade zipped by, I continued to blame myself, so I put the whole experience in the freezer and read a lot of brain books as I tried to rebuild an incredible life with my children. Only recently, as in the past several months, have I come to realize what my first therapist was trying to tell me. What happened was more than just a malfunction on the part of my brain. In my opinion, Adam Nobody was a narcissistic cult leader skilled in psychological abuse, and a con-man who preyed on the beliefs of innocent, unsuspecting Mormon women to feed his sexual needs and finance his lifestyle. And he may have been worse.
Now I’m not saying that Adam is a sociopath, and even if I believed it, it would only be my opinion.
But I will say that all women should study the traits of sociopaths just so they will never be as naive as I was.
Special Research Project of the Quantum Future School
“Imagine – if you can – not having a conscience, none at all, no feelings of guilt or remorse no matter what you do, no limiting sense of concern for the well-being of strangers, friends, or even family members. Imagine no struggles with shame, not a single one in your whole life, no matter what kind of selfish, lazy, harmful, or immoral action you had taken
And pretend that the concept of responsibility is unknown to you, except as a burden others seem to accept without question, like gullible fools.
Now add to this strange fantasy the ability to conceal from other people that your psychological makeup is radically different from theirs. Since everyone simply assumes that conscience is universal among human beings, hiding the fact that you are conscience-free is nearly effortless.
You are not held back from any of your desires by guilt or shame, and you are never confronted by others for your cold-bloodedness. The ice water in your veins is so bizarre, so completely outside of their personal experience, that they seldom even guess at your condition.
In other words, you are completely free of internal restraints, and your unhampered liberty to do just as you please, with no pangs of conscience, is conveniently invisible to the world.
You can do anything at all, and still your strange advantage over the majority of people, who are kept in line by their consciences will most likely remain undiscovered.”
MORE INFO ON SOCIOPATHS/PSYCHOPATHS HERE
Think about this:
- The prevalence rate for anorexic eating disorders is estimated a 3.43 percent, deemed to be nearly epidemic.
- The high-profile disorders classed as schizophrenia occur in only about 1 percent of [the population] – a mere quarter of the rate of antisocial personality.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the rate of colon cancer in the United States, considered “alarmingly high,” is about 40 per 100,000 – 100 times lower than the rate of antisocial personality.
Nearly 4% of the population are considered sociopathic, and as a society, we do not talk about this, we don’t filter people for this and we certainly do not prepare our daughters for this. The kind, gentle, sweet, nurturing, forgiving Mormon and Christian women who have a Ph.D in prayer, unconditional love and seeing the best in people. People like me see a wolf in sheep’s clothing think it’s a real sheep who needs to come in from the cold and have some warm milk and cookies.
It’s really hard to see red flags when you’re always wearing rose-colored glasses.
Thank goodness my therapist, Marjie, lent me “The Gift of Fear,” by Gavin de Becker. That book changed my life, I swear. It taught me how to recognize red flags and think protectively. Finally, I had a formula, a check list, by which to rationally judge people instead of assuming they think like I do. I shared these things with my daughter. Poor girl. When other mothers were having their daughters read books like The American Girl and Harry Potter, my daughter was reading The American Girl and Harry Potter, along with The Gift of Fear, Combatting Cult Mind Control, and the DSM-IV Handbook. What had I done to the innocence of my little girl who slept in the pink canopy princess bed? My experiences and discussions and PTSD and constant worries for her safety obviously shattered her fairytale worldview since our life on the farm. But she’s always been wiser than I ever was. Just like her brothers. And I’m glad.
Because there are sociopaths all around us. “The high incidence of sociopathy in human society has a profound effect on the rest of us who must live on this planet, too, even those of us who have not been clinically traumatized. The individuals who constitute this 4 percent drain our relationships, our bank accounts, our accomplishments, our self-esteem, our very peace on earth.”
Yet surprisingly, many people know nothing about this disorder. READ MORE from the original web site
FYI – Sociopath and Psychopath are interchangeable. Sometimes people use the term spath for short.
Humans Without a Soul?
“He does bizarre and self-destructive things because consequences that would fill the ordinary man with shame, self-loathing, and embarrassment simply do not affect the psychopath at all. What to others would be a disaster is to him merely a fleeting inconvenience. Some researchers have begun to seriously consider the idea that it is important to study psychopathy not as an artificial clinical category but as a general personality trait in the community at large.
In other words, psychopathy is being recognized as a more or less a different type of human.
One very interesting aspect of the psychopath is his “hidden life” that is sometimes not too well hidden. It seems that the psychopath has a regular need to take a ‘vacation into filth and degradation’ the same way normal people may take a vacation to a resort where they enjoy beautiful surroundings and culture.
To get a full feeling for this strange ‘need’ of the psychopath – a need that seems to be evidence that “acting human” is very stressful to the psychopath.
Also, read Cleckley’s speculations on what was ‘really wrong’ with these people. He comes very close to suggesting that they are human in every respect – but that they lack a soul.
This lack of “soul quality” makes them very efficient “machines.”
They can be brilliant, write scholarly works, imitate the words of emotion, but over time, it becomes clear that their words do not match their actions. They are the type of person who can claim that they are devastated by grief who then attend a party. CHARISMATIC PSYCHOPATHS are charming, attractive liars. They are usually gifted at some talent or another, and they use it to their advantage in manipulating others.
They are usually fast-talkers, and possess an almost demonic ability to persuade others out of everything they own, even their lives.
Leaders of religious sects or cults, for example, might be psychopaths if they lead their followers to their deaths. This subtype often comes to believe in their own fictions. They are irresistible.
He is generally superficially charming and often makes a striking impression as possessed of the noblest of human qualities.
He makes friends easily, and is very manipulative, using his ability with words to talk his way out of trouble. Many psychopaths love to be admired and bask in the adulation of others. The psychopath is a manipulator, who knows exactly what makes us tick and knows how to manipulate and influence our feelings.
They have the talent to spot ‘kind, caring’ women.
Mimicry is often used to convince others that the psychopath is a normal human being. He does this to create a false empathy with his victim. The psychopath will try to make you believe he has normal emotions by spinning some sad tale or professing profound, moving experiences; the truth is, most psychopaths go through life as in an incubator, touched by few and having no real compassion for others; but they will lie to convince you that they have normal emotions.”
They present the person they think you want
“Most psychopaths are very arrogant and cocky. However, when charming a potential victim, they say all the “right” things and make you believe they are kind-hearted souls; not always, but often enough. The truth is, psychopaths are not altruistic and do not really care about friendships or ties. Some are also able to feign concern about the lower classes and profess that they are on the side of the underdog, the poor, and so forth. A psychopath may claim, for instance (if he’s from a low socio-economic class), that he dislikes rich people intensely, but at the same time, he will inwardly yearn and envy what they have. Our world seems to have been invaded by individuals whose approach to life and love is so drastically different from what has been the established norm for a very long time that we are ill- prepared to deal with their tactics. As he demonstrates, this philosophy of the “plausible lie” has overtaken the legal and administrative domains of our world, turning them into machines in which human beings with real emotions are destroyed.”
In short, the sociopath is a predator.
“If we think about the interactions of predators with their prey in the animal kingdom, we can come to some idea of what is behind the “mask of sanity” of the psychopath. Just as an animal predator will adopt all kinds of stealthy functions in order to stalk their prey, cut them out of the herd, get close to them and reduce their resistance, so does the psychopath construct all kinds of elaborate camoflage composed of words and appearances – lies and manipulations – in order to “assimilate” their prey.”
What does the sociopath REALLY get from their victims?
“This leads us to an important question: what does the psychopath REALLY get from their victims? It’s easy to see what they are after when they lie and manipulate for money or material goods or power. But in many instances, such as love relationships or faked friendships, it is not so easy to see what the psychopath is after. Without wandering too far afield into spiritual speculations , we can only say that it seems to be that the psychopath ENJOYS making others suffer. Just as normal humans enjoy seeing other people happy, or doing things that make other people smile, the psychopath enjoys the exact opposite.”
The sociopath ENJOYS making others suffer
“Conscience seems to depend on the ability to imagine consequences. But the fact seems to be that they act based solely on a sort of Game Theory evaluation of a situation: what will they get out of it, and what will it cost? And these “costs” have nothing to do with being humiliated, causing pain, sabotaging the future, or any of the other possibilities that normal people consider when making a choice. In short, it is almost impossible for normal people to even imagine the inner life of the psychopath.”
Psychopaths are good imposters
“At the same time, psychopaths are good imposters. They have absolutely no hesitation about forging and brazenly using impressive credentials to adopt professional roles that bring prestige and power. They pick professions in which the requisite skills are easy to fake, the jargon is easy to learn, and the credentials are unlikely to be thoroughly checked. Psychopaths find it extremely easy to pose as financial consultants, ministers, psychological counselors and psychologists. And that’s a scary thought. Psychopaths make their way by conning people into doing things for them; obtaining money for them, prestige, power, or even standing up for them when others try to expose them. But that is their claim to fame. That’s what they do. And they do it very well. What’s more, the job is very easy because most people are gullible with an unshakable belief in the inherent goodness of man.
Most people are gullible with an unshakable belief in the inherent goodness of man.
The victims keep asking: “How could I have been so stupid? How could I have fallen for that incredible story?” And, of course, if they don’t ask it of themselves, you can be sure that their friends and associates will ask “How on earth could you have been taken in to that extent?” The usual answer: “You had to be there” simply does not convey the whole thing. Hare writes:
What makes psychopaths different from all others is the remarkable ease with which they lie, the pervasiveness of their deception, and the callousness with which they carry it out.
...And this is why they are so good at using Game Theory. And unless we learn the rules of how they think, they will continue to use it on us with devastating results. Normal people HURT when treated cruelly and insensitively. Psychopaths only feign being hurt because they perceive hurt as not getting what they wanted, and tried to get by manipulation!
And unless we learn the rules of how they think, they will continue to use it on us with devastating results.
In the book Violent Attachments, women and men have noted the particular stare of the psychopath – it is an intense, relentless gaze that seems to preclude his destruction of his victim or target. Women, in particular, have reported this stare, which is related to the ‘predatorial’ (reptilian) gaze; it is as if the psychopath is directing all of his intensity toward you through his eyes, a sensation that one woman reported as a feeling of ‘being eaten.’ ”
Psychopaths are slippery
“Psychopaths are notorious for not answering the questions asked them. They will answer something else, or in such a way that the direct question is never addressed. But this raises, again, the question: how come smart people get taken in by them?”
Why do we fail to pick up the inconsistencies? How do we fall for their stories?
“Part of the answer is that the oddities are subtle so that our general listening mode will not normally pick them up. But my own experience is that some of the “skipped” or oddly arranged words, or misused words are automatically reinterpreted by OUR brains in the same way we automatically “fill in the blank” space on a neon sign when one of the letters has gone out. We can be driving down the road at night, and ahead we see M_tel, and we mentally put the “o” in place and read “Motel.” Something like this happens between the psychopath and the victim.
We fill in the “missing humanness” by filling in the blanks with our own assumptions
We fill in the “missing humanness” by filling in the blanks with our own assumptions, based on what WE think and feel and mean. And, in this way, because there are these “blank” spots, we fill them in with what is inside us, and thus we are easily convinced that the psychopath is a great guy - because he is just like us! We have been conditioned to operate on trust, and we always try to give the “benefit of the doubt.” So, there are blanks, we “give the benefit of the doubt,” and we are thereby hoisted on our own petard.
Psychopaths view any social exchange as a “feeding opportunity,” a contest or a test of wills in which there can be only one winner.
And in many, many cases, the victim simply refuses to believe the evidence that they are being victimized. Psychological denial screens out knowledge that is painful, and persons with large investments in their fantasies are often unable to acknowledge that they are being deceived because it it too painful. Psychopaths feed off preying on people Psychopaths view any social exchange as a “feeding opportunity,” a contest or a test of wills in which there can be only one winner. Their motives are to manipulate and take, ruthlessly and without remorse. [Hare] The callous use of the old, the lonely, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, the marginalized, is a trademark of the psychopath. And when any of them wake up to what is happening, they are generally too embarrassed to complain.
One of the chief ways psychopaths prey on others is to make use of the normal person’s need to find meaning or purpose in life.
They will pose as grief counselors, or “experts” of various sorts that attract followings of people who are looking for answers. They are masters of recognizing “hang-ups” and self-doubts that most people have, and they will brazenly pander to them to gain a follower to use later.”
Psychopaths brag about deceiving and exploiting people. Victims are their trophies!
“Psychopaths, if they know that they won’t be penalized for what they express, are very happy to boast about their prowess in deceiving others. The man, assessed above by his prison psychiatrist as having made such remarkable improvement, was described by Hare’s staffer as “the most terrifying offender she had ever met and that he openly boasted about how he had conned the prison staff into thinking that he was well on the road to rehabilitation. “I can’t believe those guys,” he said. Not only do they covet possessions and power, but they gain special pleasure in usurping and taking from others (a symbolic sibling, for example);”
What they can plagiarize, swindle, and extort are fruits far sweeter than those they can earn through honest labor.
“And once having drained what they can from one source, they turn to another to exploit, bleed, and then cast aside;
Their pleasure in the misfortune of others is unquenchable.
People are used as a means to an end; they are to be subordinated and demeaned so that the antisocial can vindicate themselves…” READ MORE from the SOURCE
Read More »Seeking strength from God tonight
I am right now just off my knees from turning everything over to God tonight as I slay the biggest dragon of my life. So finally, I quite procrastinating, and I opened the Bible (which I haven’t read in ages because it triggers my PTSD) and just for fun I did one of those let-me-open-this-and-see-where-it lands in case something cool and relevant is on the page.
And I opened to Phillipians 1:27-30. Look how awesome and appropriate!!!!!!
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel
28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.
29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him
Crying.
Sorry.
Read More »Subjugating Women Through Polygamy. Utah, Hello???
Last night I watched a wonderful documentary on ABC’s 20/20 called “Breaking Polygamy.” I am a feminist and an activist for women’s rights, so I had previously written a piece to go along with a petition to sign, but I never launched it. I always worried that it wasn’t quite right, but today seems like a good day to put it online and see if I can get some quick feedback so we can get this party started. Here’s a clip, in case you missed it.
Read More »Brainwashing is Psychological Abuse
In her book, Brainwashed, Kathleen Taylor describes her research on brainwashing and “discusses how the extreme social psychological pressures that people undergo in brainwashing programs change the neurology and physiology of the brain.”
Read More »A Year of True Love – How Did I Get So Blessed?
Today when I woke up, Tolga was excited to ask me if I read what was on my facebook. While I was sleeping, he posted the picture above on my facebook wall, and along with it he wrote this love note.
Read More »Did You Know My Real Name Has A ❤ ?
Years ago when I divorced, I decided to drop my last name and legally change my name to “Christine Marie” – the name I went by as a children’s book author. When I signed my name on the state’s name-change papers, I added a heart after my signature – like I always did. Read More »
265 Days Until Emerson Comes Home
I updated Emerson’s missionary web site – boy did I have a lot of catching up to do!
Read More »Tolga Figures Out How to Pose for a Dog Portrait, Ha!
Every time I tried to take a photo, Tolga and my brother’s Boxer were looking in different directions. Tolga figured out how to solve the problem. Click a photo to read the caption & see his ingenious solution!
Read More »Bambi Had Her Puppies! (Warning: GRAPHIC PHOTOS)
WARNING: There are graphic photos in here.
Read More »Bambi – Pregnant Chihuahua
This is what Bambi looked like duringg our wedding on 11-11-11 and then more recently when she was pregnant.
Read More »Meet Cookie Monster – the Big Daddy!
With the birth of Bambi’s new puppies, and the need to find loving homes for them, people have been curious about who the daddy is. Well, here he is!
Read More »Haunting Photos
The Traverse City State Hospital of Traverse City, Michigan has been variously known as the Northern Michigan Asylum and the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital. It has for many years been called the “11th Street Academy”. Tolga and I stumbled upon it not realizing what it was, but we were fascinated and felt those paranormal chills. Enjoy the pics.
Read More »Puppetry, Nevada Wildfest, Me & Tolga
We represented fotoluv & photography at the Nevada Wildfest. It was a fundraiser for the Lili Claire Foundation.
Read More »A Mutated Rose Ate a Bee!
When I woke up and went downstairs to see where my husband was, he had a look of bewilderment on his eyes and could barely find the words to explain what he had just witnessed.
Read More »Michael Marin – A Nice Blog Item?
Recently I was challenged on why I am “championing” Michael Marin, the former banker who was found guilty of arson and then killed himself in court. In short, I’m not championing “Michael Marin,” I just think people should know his side of the story. The prosecution fed so much misinformation to the media that the public is convinced that Michael Marin was a criminal and a con man, and I have a hard time with that.
Read More »Michael Marin: A Different Perspective
A couple nights ago, a friend randomly asked if I had heard about the court suicide story headlining the news. Indeed I had.
Read More »Believe
“I’m an optimist in the sense that I believe humans are noble and honorable, and some of them are really smart. I have a very optimistic view of individuals.”
More quotes on believing:
Read More »You’re From Michigan if…
I saw this on Pinterest and couldn’t resist sharing it. You know you’re from Michigan if … (read and smile.) To this graphic I would add – “If you’ve been to at least one sleepover that included having to put bait on a hook.”
Read More »
Photo Walk & Tolga Pics
Tolga and I went to the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas to take a photo of Lola modeling in a big advertisement somewhere in the building. While we didn’t find her photo yet, I did take the opportunity to photograph lots of other things, including Tolga!
Read More »Tolga in the Valley of Fire
These were photos I took with a cheesy little camera on our mini-honeymoon, taken at the Valley of Fire.
Read More »Rambo, the Dog Hairstylist!
Rambo, my grand-dog (owned by my daughter Lola,) has a dream of becoming a hairdresser. When our good friend Nick O’Toole came over, Rambo just had to give him a new hairstyle.
Read More »Emerson’s Birthday
Today, the 28th, is the day we would have celebrated Emesron’s birthday on most years. This year, he will have his 5th birthday tomorrow (the 29th) – on his mission.
Read More »fotoluv
Tolga & I are testing a new little photo-sharing service we put together called “fololuv.” It’s easy – you don’t even have to register.
Read More »New Beauty Ad I Did
Here’s another ad I designed for the Stephanie Hill brand in New Beauty Magazine. The gorgeous model is Jessica Hinton.
Read More »Creative Photo Work
We take photos of some of the most creative people in the U.S., and it’s a riot.
Read More »New Logo
I made this new logo for iMedia Candy. I know it’s a bit bright and whimsical for a ‘tech company,’ but it’s my thing. Personally, I love it.
Read More »Cat Tries to Revive Dead Friend
Tear-jerker. A cat refuses to believe his friend has died and tries everything he can think of to wake his buddy up.
Read More »Tolga Wrote 1st Online Craps
Did you know that Tolga Katas wrote the first online craps software? Yup. It was finished in 1997 and he called it Ultimate Craps.
Read More »Magazine Ad
The beautiful Stephanie Hill created a new anti-aging skin care line, and I had the honor of doing the graphic design work
Read More »Torture, Sacred Trust & Human Rights
Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs continues to use his ecclesiastical power to impose tests of faith that inflict severe mental anguish on his followers. Granted, it’s no revelation that the convicted felon disregards the laws of the land – that’s why he’s in prison. But somehow, from prison, he was practically able to install his own totalitarian government and reign like a tyrannical dictator over a group of vulnerable, unprotected people. And he did it with the silent approval of officials.
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Flowers
Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.
Henry Ward Beecher
Get Inspired by Mother Teresa
Have you ever seen a photo of a young Mother Teresa? Odd, to think that she was a normal child once. As a young girl she decided to live a life of serving others and she never waivered from that path.
Read More »Wedding Rings
Tolga and I both got rings in Black Hills Gold. There’s a legend that those who wear Black Hills Gold will have good fortune.
Read More »Romantic Storybook Wedding
After many wonderful years of being in love and of dreaming that we would one day get married, we finally officially became husband and wife.
Read More »Our First Dance
This is a cell phone pic that someone took when Tolga and I were dancing our first dance as husband and wife. It is such a sweet memory.
Read More »New Name, New Life, New Blog
Just getting started in a whole new life. I am the luckiest woman on the planet earth! I’m busier than a bee though.
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