Good Bye. Hello.

Oh 2010...

Blog. Wow. Thank you. It's been 5 years and four million times a learning experience in the goodness of mankind + the internet. Blog readers are good people. I have felt supported and connected and documented and validated and motivated and full of gratitude. Thank you, blog.

Me. Oh, my. I am getting older. This was a good year for me because I fell in love with photography and the connections that it brings out in people.  I see something in people. I never would have thought that I would have started my photography journey in February and by December started up my own photog business. It make me beyond the moon happy to not only see the love, but feel it in my photos.  I love editing photos that make me stop, laugh, and have to regroup because I remember the moment.  It feels comfortable + authentic. I have found my style and love that it is me, and only me and can never be reproduced by others.  YEAH. THIS. FEELS. RIGHT.

Me.  I am thankful that I have learned that things are merely things are merely things and can NEVER fill a void.  Oh, and I only bought one coach purse in 2010- which was a REGRETTABLE moment of weakness and returned it a day later.-   I'm a true work in progress.Seems it takes me a couple of tries at things to settle in, feel comfortable and get it. I'm feeling really good about life and what I understand will happen next. I know more now. 

2010. The hard parts have been far outweighed by the goodness. You have been overly generous with me and I appreciate that. I am humbled. Some parts of this year seemed frustrating and uncomfortable.  2010 was a big reminder that life is what happens when you're making other plans... The good stuff wouldn't have been possible without the uncomfortable parts... so, hey 2010 - it all works out in the end.

2011. You haven't started yet, but I have big + simple plans based on what I learned in 2010... Moments, laughter, hugs. MORE PHOTOS. Much, much more goodness.  2011, lets work on Roots. 

Much Love, 

Me

With Merry To All.

It's never cold where heart abide.

Winter.
Snow.
Family.
Snow Angels.
Anticipation.
Magic.

Sparkle...less.

Dear December,

For a month that started with such promise - you are letting me down. Which sucks because I love you.  December - can we turn this around? I'd rather be making up than breaking up,

Your biggest fan.

xxoo

Peace+Love.

It's been a long while since I have posted.  Life and my photography business have been keeping my very busy!  I love it....I also love this season.  So my love and peace and gratitude.  

Thirty-Three.

Yep, that's right!  I'm thirty-three years young today.  I love my birthday as most people celebrate it too with their advent calendar.   Enjoy your weekend as there are not many left until Christmas! eeekkk!

Happy December.

It's my favorite month of the year and not just because it's my birth month.  Well ok, that too!
Happy December to you all!
A time to give, hope, love, share, pray, help and hug.

"Before going to bed
After a fall of snow
I look out on the field
Shining there in the moonlight
So calm, untouched and white
Snow silence fills my head
After I leave the window.

Hours later near dawn
When I look down again
The whole landscape has changed
The perfect surface gone
Criss-crossed and written on
where the wild creatures ranged
while the moon rose and shone.

why did my dog not bark?
Why did I hear no sound
There on the snow-locked ground
In the tumultuous dark?

How much can come, how much can go
When the December moon is bright,
What worlds of play we'll never know
Sleeping away the cold white night
After a fall of snow."
- May Sarton, December Moon

Tis the Season 4 Holiday Cards!

Check out this amazing deal for holiday photos!

The HOLIDAY PHOTO CARDS.If you’re like me – you probably feel pressure to send out Christmas cards. BUT IF YOU’RE NOT LIKE ME – you probably send them. I start with good intentions and then usually drop the ball somewhere along the line because I get all hung up on the PERFECT DESIGN. NOT THIS YEAR. We are ready to go. I got carried away when I was designing cards and ended up with some really pretty versions. AND IT IS THE SEASON OF SHARING…

SO I am making them available to you. Steal of a deal at $20/design. You send me the (high quality) photo of your choice and I will set it up in the holiday 5×5 of your choice and SEND IT BACK TO YOU DIGITALLY. In HIGH RESOLUTION. Then you can go and make as many copies as you want WHERE-EVER-THE-HECK you do your photo printing (personally, I love MOO.com, WHCC, MpixPRo). Costco, Walmart, Target, whatever. Go nuts. (MOO.com is having a sale this weekend!)

GET ON IT. Christmas is approaching and this is SO easy.  CLICK HERE!

Nuf Said.

Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey.  Oh and how cute is she? LOVE this new pic a took and totally depics our a journey...see it! 

Swirling, Twirling Wind.

Patience.

If it ain't one thing, it is another.  If things went the way they were "supposed to go", well then, we would all have more time to do the things we wanted to do, but it just ain't all about us, duh! 

So...what does the phrase "suppose to go" mean anyways????  I think it is the way "I"  think things should go and well, "I" did not write the book on the way things should go, therefore "I" should not get so frustrated when things go the way they go because maybe, it is the way they were really supposed to go...

Whew, glad I got that figured out but,  I have to wonder, because "I" know all of that stuff then why do "I" get so flustered when things go differently?

Because "I" am human and that is the way things go..dang Adam & Eve and that stupid apple!

Photos by Amy N. from Bella Vita Studios.  Check her out!  One of the leading photogs in MN + she is totally fam!

Remembering 10.13.92.

…this is how this one goes…

…sometimes my heart is too heavy and my mind is too jumbled and as much as I look for words, they don’t come...

…sometimes I can’t wrap my brain around it.  It’s too big and too much and I wonder if there will be a day that I can fully accept that this is how it will be for the rest of my days…

…sometimes things happen out of the blue…unexpected…

…sometimes there’s nothing else to say but it's OK.  A breath stealing, heart hurting, mind tingling OK…

......most days I forge ahead living my life…my days…the ones I am here to live.   But today, this day for many reasons, is just so much harder than most......

Get Inspired.

This is ONE action for a set of actions I'm creating in PSCS5 called, A Little Bit Vintage (get it, bit, as in Bits of Life). Love.Love.  Click the pic to see it enlarged...Enjoy

The Walls Fall.

…sometimes my heart is too heavy and my mind is too jumbled and as much as I look for words, they don’t come...

Charm.

I am head over heads in love, and I really don't care who knows...LOL
This is my fav pic from this weekend's sessions...

CopyCat.

Hello October.

It is a delightful day when you can whisper goodbye to September while sitting on the sidewalk marvelling at the beauty of the seasons. In a light jacket. In a light breeze. In cinnamon sun. OH I KNOW - shut up about that already! I can't. I am delighted!

I have to do a lot in a short amount of time. But, that's nothing new. I plan on hitting the road running. If I work hard - I just might get myself caught up before Christmas. THAT WOULD BE SO SWEET!! Happy weekending...

GO!

Oh yeah...I was featured here today...

Owls, Elfs, And Beanies, Oh My.

Lots of wonderful knits and crocheted items to photograph.  Lots of up and coming sessions.  Love me owl hat...makes me smile oh so much and the best thing, I made it!  Pics soon!  Jealous...you should be, this is just the start!

In other news, I love this photog and have been in contact with her.  This makes me all smiles.  It does not however make me happy when others try to copy work that is not their own.  I mean I am all for doing YOUR own thing but when YOUR so called own things is someone elses', well that just plain sticks.  Sorry it had to happen to you Skye and by someone I know.  I'm ashamed for her.  You rock Skye and always will!  Here's to all the photog to keep it real! Ok, now I will step off my copyright box and blow a good bye kiss...

Happy Friday.

It seems like forever since I have posted....and well it has been.  Life has me pulled every which way!  I've been in and out of the doctor's office trying to figure things out....no worries...it's in God's hands!

Sparce.

It has been a whirlwind of a summer break and now school is back in session and rolling along.  I've been quite the creative busy bee working on Actions for Photogs, Greeting/Card Templates for the upcoming holiday seasons, branching out and creating my own designs for Photogs branding, taken an advanced photog class, found inspiration & laughs from may thrift stores + Goodwill's, and of course shoot with my trusty Canon like a madd woman.

I have scored some awesome photog friends this summer, both local and not...AZ, TX, & UT you guys rock my heart out loud, daily!  Thanks for the inspirations, you dolls know who you are!  Glad we have stayed in touch and that think called facebook really made it easy!  Who knows, all the dolls may soon meet up and shoot a wonderful scene together, making memories and capturing hearts alike....but that is hush, hush for now....

Stay tuned for all the photog announcements... These are the BITS OF LIFE that count...

Swoon.

Happy Friday.  Next week I will be starting back with TGIF...as for now, I swoon over these pics of Miss Alannah Jade.  Oh how I love her!  She will be 3 years old, soon!

Catching Up.

I have had a wonderful bout with my fam bam and I'm getting ready to head back to the land of Oz.  I have so love the time up north.  Not all the flooding + humidity but time with the family is what really mattered.  I am also taking my Advanced Photog class right now along with getting the year started.  Here's to keeping a busy schedule!  Looking forward to getting back into a scheduled routine!  And if you haven't checked out my photog blog in a bit, blog hop on over there and show me some over.  Now a post would not be a post without a couple of photos...enjoy!  Happy 8.9.10...11:12. LOL

Short on Words...

Warning....may sick ya out...it does me! Nuf said!

Unplug.

TGIF.

I've taken on tgif as a new spiritual practice and absolutely love it.  So what about you?

I'm trusting I already have within me all I need to succeed at being who I want to be.

I'm grateful for another day of grace.

I'm inspired by those who will not let go of their dreams no matter what their reality is.

Listen Here.

Listen to the clues. The next time you feel real joy, stop and think. Pay attention. Because joy is the universe's way of knocking on your minds door. Hello in there. Is anyone home? Can I leave a message? Good! The message is that you are happy and that means that you are in touch with your purpose. -Steve Chandler

Hello July.

July brings...
Lots of family celebrating...
Moving things...
Ikea...
Photos...
Shoots...
The rents visiting...
Fresh fruit...
Book edits...
New friends...
Cupcakes...
Mall of America...
Great Spirt Lake...
New Phone...
Stories...
Fishing...
Tubbing...
Eating...
Thrifting...
Music...
Connections...
Unplugging...

Fantastic Friday.

TGIF.

Happy TGIF! I hope you join me for this weekly practice. What are you trusting, grateful for, and inspired by this week?

Today I'm trusting my decision to support + love myself first and the rest will come...


Today I'm grateful for the fact that the "journey" is never over....


 Today I'm inspired by people who are creative with limited resources...

Social But Alone.

Social media is like gas – it expands to fill whatever space you give it. The questions become:

1. Are we so busy blogging about our families that we’re actually ignoring them?

2. Are we so consumed with sharing our experiences that we’re actually missing out on our lives.

Here’s what I’ve learned (and desperately struggle to practice):

We don't need to apologize to our children for working. They don’t need us to be sorry, they need us to be present.

It doesn’t matter if we engage with technology and social media to feed our families or to feed our souls; it’s our work. It’s important and it’s not the problem.

The problem is being constantly distracted and never fully present.

Just Because.

TGIF.

Happy TGIF!

What are you trusting, grateful for, and inspired by?

I am trusting that its ok to be vulnerable sometimes and let yourself go..Instead of counting and thinking about every step we take, its better to be yourself...

I am grateful that I have learnt to see the good things in whatever happens...

I am inspired by the kindness of others...

New Tresses.

SoulHappy.

Designing for my Soul...this may just be my book cover...

2" Forward

Have your friendships ever turned out to be 'pretendships?' Sometimes it's harder to make amends with an offended friend than to capture a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with iron bars. Any story sounds true from a friend until someone sets the record straight. I have no problem letting my feelings be known, in my time.

Although I've become a much better friend, I realized that is not the key to friendship. I've always tried to be aware of what I do and what others to do to me. My entire life, I have gone in and out of being available. I think many of my friends thought I was being flaky. Everyone in life has friends, but nobody truly can teach you how to be a good friend. I just learned through experiences. I had "friends" who did things to me that was not very friend-like. I vowed not to treat my friends like that. I am there when my friends need me and I listen.

I want to love my friends through the hard times + not judge them. I want to be a selfless +  humble friend, one that is willing to accept the fact that friends are, indeed, flawed. And I want to confront my friends when they are doing harmful things to themselves; not stand idly by after just “mentioning” it and leave them to their own devices.

It starts with my own two feet!  My best friends are truly my sisters.  They got my back, through thick and thin!  And my bro too! Love and miss ya!

Pennies From Heaven.

Definitions are dangerous. 

They can incite passionate debate and heated discussion. That's OK. I'm not afraid of debate and discussion. I am afraid, however, of having no common language to talk about the most important experiences of our lives.

Love will never be certain, but it's a  A deep sense of love and belonging that is an irreducible need of all men, women, and children. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong.

When these needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We grow numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick. There are certainly other causes of illness, numbness, and hurt, but the absence of love and belonging will always lead to suffering.

Love people. LOVE.

TGIF.

Trusting. Gratitude. Inspiration. Friday.

Today I am:...trusting myself to balance.

...grateful for sunny summer days,  mother nature's wink at me.
...inspired by the recognition of beauty as something soulful, deep and ever-present.

Holy Cute.

Maintain Happy.

I keep remembering one of my Guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort.

You fight for it

strive for it

insist upon it

and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations for your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments.

-Eat, Pray, Love

Cake.

One word, CAKE. Alannah is a true TREI gal! Just a short post as I am loving the time with the fam bam!

Cute As A Cupcake.

How cute is she!  Her name is Molly and she reminds me of my niece Alannah, very photogenic!  She shoot with my in the mugly, ugly weather + was an awesome sport!  She was only disappointed that my wheelchair was not pink! LOL Her reward for a terrific shoot, the cute cupcakes I give people! Yum-O!  To see more from the session, click the photo!  Happy Blog Stalking....

Lily.

Lily, or as Alannah calls here, Lila, before a much needed hair cut! LOL Poor thing!

Ordinary Courage.

Today I am...


Trusting...that if I remain patient + transparent, the next "right thing" will show up in my life
Grateful...for brief windows of peace + serenity. They give me hope amid the chaos.
Inspired...by my decision to follow my own spiritual path. After years of trying to fit the mold, I've finally started honoring my own personal journey

RePurpose.

Last night, I saw a commercial for Samuel Adams celebrating that they hold a mere 0.9% of the brewery market share. The ad clearly stated that they were dedicated to creating an artisan brew for people who love a beer that is truly spectacular, and that they’re not particularly worried about the rest of the market. This message is very different from the beer makers who want the majority of the market but may not be as dedicated to the art of brewing.

This commercial couldn’t have come at a better time.  Even though in my head I know I am not for every client . . . that realistically I don’t even have the time to photograph every client, I am still disappointed when someone decides not to book. It is like the nervous, starting-out-photographer I was six months ago takes control of my emotions + forgets that I have a target market!

The message from Sam Adams reminded me that I am an artisan photographer. I am a portrait lifestyle photographer focusing on finding connections inside the everyday.  It’s the small moments in life that hold all the deep meaning that I’m searching for, one click at a time.  I’m a creative person who has a special niche for my portraits.  I’m for people who want to preserve memories + document journeys+ tell stories.  I do not need the majority of the market to feel good about my business. It’s doing beautifully even with it’s minority share.

So go crack open a cold one (or if you’re like me, really, pour a glass of vino) and have a great night everyone!

Welcome June.

If you know me, you know that I HATE, with a capital H, shopping for groceries!  It is just a pain shopping for one person and planning out weekly meals.  Don't get me wrong, I love Hen House + love the people that work at the one that I go to!  It's just a big ordeal for me to hail all theses items around.  I really don't mind, my legs do!  I do love that Hen House helps to employe people with all different kinds of disabilities,  I am all over that!  To my surprise, I forgot my bags and had to use the paper ones they provide this evening.  This is what I found after zooming down the isles and heading home!  It's pretty refreshing!  Happy June!

The Lord is my strength and shield.  My heart trusts in Him and I am helped. -Psalm 27:8

Things.

These are some of my favorite things right now...

Perfectly Imperfect .

  

The reflection of a 30 something trying to make a difference, find brilliance, wear heals & look fabulous every single damn day!

Back on October 13, 1992 I was fighting for my life after becoming paralyzed from a car accident, I never would have thought that  this many years later I would be a successful teacher who believes in herself and makes a difference in the lives that she meets everyday!



My situation has led me to discover things about myself that I would not have before. I am proud not only of what my disability has taught me, but also of where it has taken me + whom I have met along the way. People have stayed + people have went about their way and left my journey.

So much in my life is because of this injury. No, life isn't perfect, but it wasn't perfect before I used a wheelchair either! Over time I have come to realize... It wasn't me who changed... It was my perspective! Being a gal that uses a wheelchair has reminded me to appreciate the little things in life such as being able to get out of bed each morning and enjoy the fresh air. I have begun to realize, it is not what I do in life that matters. It is who I am inside that truly defines the real me.

I have met people in my life that are blantenly uncomfortable around.  So be it I say.  Deal with your own feelings, in your own time.  

Recently I came across a man that took me by surprise.  Not because he was uneducated or unaware but because he seemed really sorry for me.  Like I could have never really lived a full life.  True story....If it takes being divorced at a young age to live a life, count me out!  Dude, feel sorry for yourself.

Having said all of this, I didn't get here overnight. It took me a bunch of years to come to grips with the gravity of it all. It took a great support system of family and friends, a belief in myself, an ungodly number of margaritas and a deeply engrained sense of humor. All that I have going for me defuses the all-consuming desire to lash out, to find and affix blame.

You don't need to walk to fall in love, to get married, have kids, get a degree, go to work or be a successful leader. Whatever you want to do, you don't need to walk to write, paint, take in a ballgame, go hunting, scuba diving, whatever. 



Napoleon said, "struggle is a decided advantage, for it awakens within you attributes which would otherwise forever lie dormant."


walking is over-rated

Beauty, Books, & Boxes oh my...

Hello Summer.

Document Today.

Random Confessions.

RANDOM CONFESSIONS:

I love Jesus- just not religion. 

I love my family so much. 

I eat too much dessert, but have been cutting back.

My favorite shows of the moment "criminal minds","ghost whisper", "The City", and "SNL". 

I stockpile beautiful fabric like it's Y2K. 

I plan on making beautiful cupcakes soon. 

I plan knitting a cute hat for a lovely. 

I plan to crochet a blanket. 

I plan on having a day with no plans. 

I have a thousand business ideas stored up in my head. 

The chocolate bars are my favorite. 

I need to drink more water. 

I don't like crust.

I will not pretend to like Glee to up my cool factor. 

I love teaching kiddos to read.

Kiddos make me smile+happy.

I love my photog business.

The perfect picture can often bring me to tears because I not only see the emotion, but feel it.

I use coupons. 

My family is very tight.  Mess with 1, get all 5 Trei kiddos+the rents!

I love crafting with my favorite friends.

I google everything. 

I think I can do anything (which is probably why I google everything). 

I want it all!