Have yourself a Merry ‘little’ Christmas?

There was really nothing ‘little’ about it, to be honest! With a full house of family and friends (some that came as far away as Ireland) , some guitars and drums, just a ‘couple’ bottles of wine *wink wink* , and lots and lots of food and the merriment began! There was dancing and singing until the wee hours and we all survived yet another Christmas in the country. Now begins the power nap until New Years Eve and I’m sure it will start all over again.

As my mother in law lovingly proclaimed...”We are blessed”.

We certainly are.

Santa Baby.

One thing I’ve learned very quickly is that once into photography, you can spend ‘alottamoulah’ adding to your vast array of peripherals. There is always something that you need/want... and your equipment costs can add up rather quickly. My prof at Algonquin had a bag of equipment that he unpretentiously calls his “go to” cameras (yes,plural) and lenses for his job with NRC which would amount to a small fortune. I've been trying to educate myself on the different types of equipment so I don’t get all starry eyed on the overly pricey items which the very nice salespeople will try to convince me to buy and I don't need. That being said, I wanted to send out a message into the universe to Santa. There is a box in my closet.....and I will love it with my whole heart.

I sat in the Westboro coffee shop sipping latte and listening very intently to my new friend Harry, a professional photographer living in eastern Quebec , talking about his photography business and trying to absorb as much information as I could about developing my photographic skills and my new business. I realized very quickly that I could probably sit there with an intravenous coffee drip for the next four hours to stop my mind from collapsing into a fog! We barely cracked the surface of what there is to learn. As we’re chatting I’m telling him about my mild dislike of a certain Adobe product which shall remain nameless and how I’ve been struggling with said product. He reassured me that even with his years of experience he still doesn’t use all aspects of the software. It was I think a very nice way of saying “give yourself a break”. Well I’m happy to say that in the last few days, I believe I’ve turned a corner and have started to do some editing that I don’t dislike too much. How’s that for being positive?!

small town. BIG HEART.

How much do I love small towns!? There is something about a tiny rural community that has been in existence for 100’s of years and is home to a handful of families, most of them with the same surname. The people may not have all the amenities available in a big city, but when given an opportunity to celebrate an event, they have a collective spirit that is unrivalled. It’s as if the entire community wraps its heart in a huge bow and hands it over to you. That’s what it was like this past weekend when the Olympic torch went through Almonte, a small village near Ottawa where my husband’s family grew up in and still lives. Steve, Jordan and I (armed with my Nikon!) headed out to be a part of the festivities. They served up hot chocolate and a free lunch at city hall, carollers sang Christmas songs and puppets from Puppets Up! which is another really cool event Almonte hosts waved Canadian flags with all the excitement of a child at an amusement park. The falling snowflakes were so big they seemed to take up your entire palm but that only seemed to heighten the enthusiasm. Peter Trus, the young hockey player & torchbearer could hardly hold back the tears when the crowd broke out in “Oh Canada” as he tilted his torch to the awaiting Elizabeth Manley. I was so happy my daughter could experience this historic event “small town style”.

The company you keep....

It seems like, on a daily basis I am humbled at how amazing my family and friends are. They all have such different stories. Their personal successes range from attaining corporate hierarchy to having grown the perfect rose and just about everything in between. I just know they are wonderful to me. One such person is my dear, dear friend Betty Anne. This woman is an angel. There isn’t a person who knows her who has not been touched by her kindness and huge heart. And boy is she talented! She decided a few years ago she wanted to paint more and decided to take it up more seriously. Anyone who has been to my house will know her ‘covered bridge’ painting that hangs in my family room. She was looking at some of my photos the other day and asked if she could paint one. I think that was Monday? Thursday she sent me a picture of the finished product. Amazing! And thanks BA for the extreme compliment!

Looking for a sign.

"Hmmmm" I say. Today is the last photography class for this semester & my final assignment is due. We have to present our portfolio, showcasing our work over the last 4 months, and... we're having the first BIG snow storm of the season. What dad would have refer to as a "doozy". "Hmmmm" I say again. Is this a test? Is it a challenge from Mother Nature asking me "How badly do you want to get to where you want to be"? followed by "Is what I have to show any good"? and "Can I make this happen for me"?
Somedays logic has no place in a dream. It's a a roadblock to success. It stopped me from pursuing my singing career with the Eagles, from marrying Adam West and becoming Mrs. Batman and even getting my childhood dream job at Mr. Hooper's store. OK, OK, my point being, I believe you can't sit back and wait for your dreams to come true. If you truly want something, you have to make it happen despite the storms that face you. One day I was out snapping away when I said to myself "Is this stuff any good? I just wish I knew." At that very moment, I looked down at the ground and saw these painted words starring back at me. Some days we find our inspiration in the most unexpected places.

We're moving on up! ...or down I guess it is.

Ok, how happy am I!? I've had my office at a desk in the hallway for the last 5 years. It's a very nice hallway and it has served it's purpose but it's really small & I've spilled over into the dining room with paperwork and files. The great news is that we're are getting our basement finished and I'll now have my own office/studio! Yeah! I'm trying to decide how to appoint it but I know it will be fabulous. I've attached a pic of my present space and my new unfinished space. It's so big! The possibilities are endless.

So that was basically painless.

Did you ever have one of those days when you did something and then hold your breath thinking something unforseen would happen because of it? Well that, as my dad would say, "is where we are today". It's day 2 and this blog has not shattered my world. I don't know why I thought it would. I actually had such awesome comments from my family. I love that my husband Steve is sitting over there on the right as my first supporter. Always my cheerleader. Always in my corner. Today, I can exhale. Back to my assignments.

There is no looking back now....

Well today is kind of a big deal for me! I've embarked on a new career path. I'm studying to become a professional photographer. Like all of us, I have no idea what the future holds but I'm so excited by my decision to throw caution to the wind and go for it. Anyone who knows me knows I have jumped into many endeavors over the years. Some, I was a rock star! Some, not so much. All of them, I gave my best.

Today is the roll out of my BLOG which will chronicle my journey, to share my experiences with my family and friends and maybe inspire even one person to pursue something they were passionate about. This is my one small step...this is my walk on the moon.