Last night amongst the boisterous family fun, I had three seconds of intense concentrated elation. I enjoy football. I enjoy food. I enjoy family and I enjoy puppies. So, Super Bowls are typically rather enjoyable occasions. Last night was no different, until the Olympic ads started playing.

I'm a sucker for the ads that pull on your heart strings and, like every red-blooded American who grew up holding their breath during the Olympics and who swelled with pride any time our national anthem rung out, those Olympic commercials always get me. This year, however, I was - I'll say it again because there's really no better word - elated when 41 seconds into the Lindsay Vonn Olympic Ad they blipped three glorious seconds of a beautiful portrait session of her, a style and purpose of portrait that appeared to be just like my mentor's, while "This Girl is On Fire" belted out in the background. 

In those awesome 3 seconds, I was beaming. Lindsey was being celebrated through portraiture. The whole commercial celebrated her triumph and her journey to being the four-time Olympian, two-time Olympic medalist that she is and those three seconds... in those three seconds she embraced the scars that got her there. She embraced the scars that represent her deep struggle and pain. I LOVE how much attention they gave to her scars and her radiant smile as they highlighted the divvets and ripples permanently etched on her skin. I geeked! 

I am so proud of all the people who acknowledge and honor the pain they have gone through, who fight the battle to get out of their struggle. I am proud of all the people who take the time to celebrate and acknowledge their efforts and their victories. I am proud of a being part of a niche in the photography industry that provides the opportunity to celebrate with and for these people with beautiful portraits they can hold as a reminder, a trophy and I'm proud of all the people who see scars and wrinkles and age spots as notations of accomplishment. 

(Check out the commercial below.)