Photo of the day - A Dedication

Today's photo is dedicated to my friend Mary. She sounded like she could use some inner peace today, so I hope this helps create that.

I took this photo while at a wedding for a former boss of Austin's on their property up north a little ways from us. It's a huge piece of land with some beautiful scenery and plant life, they guy did high-end landscaping and clearly took care of his own space as well. I loved the way the petals of this lily fell, and the slight reflection in the water.

Photo of the day

This photo was taken inside the dome of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany. My friend Larissa took me on a walking tour of the city one day when I was there over a weekend with nothing to do. When I say walking tour, I mean WALKING TOUR... we walked ALL OVER the city, for like 8 hours... my legs felt like goo... :o) It was great, and many awesome photo ops... and it helped me see the city in a little different light than I had previously held it in. Plus I got to know Larissa better, and she's awesome :o)

a fabulous weekend...!!!

Mum and I just got home from a weekend in Ohio where we were visiting my adorable goddaughter, Natalee, and her parents (Dave & Mary) :o) We had a great 3 days hanging out with them, giving mom & dad a chance to have a night out to themselves, and bonding with my Nat! She's gonna be 4 in a few months and is constantly moving... she loves to talk, draw, and colour... love fairies and Farmyard Tales, and she hates eating... in fact she has gone on record in the past as claiming she doesn't like food. It's funny when it isn't frustrating, we're all hoping she'll get over that soon!

We visited the West Side Market on Saturday, which totally made me want to go cook some huge fresh complicated meal... :o) Dave & Mary are part of a co-op that gets them farm fresh foods, so I'm gonna research that for up in our area and see if I get us into something like that too... the food is MUCH healthier, and it supports local agriculture, so I think it would be awesome.

There are a ton more photos, if you want to see them just click here :o) I'm looking forward to seeing her again, hopefully in a couple of months again once it's summer and we can all go to the zoo or something fun like that :o)

Notecard Sales

So my notecard sales have been going pretty well, and I'm really pleased with the response I've been getting to them... I currently have 3 sets available: Doors & Windows, Bridges, and Flowers. It's great to see I've finally found a product that works for people, showcases my photos, and doesn't cost me too terribly much in time or financial investment! If you haven't checked them out yet, you can order through my website www.ShutterbugDesign.com
The photos included in this entry are one from each series (each set contains 10 different photos on the front of blank notecards). Enjoy!

Leading with IMPACT!

So the early bird registration for our program Leading with IMPACT! ends this Friday... and I'm still waiting to get our first official registered participant...! We have a few who have RSVPed as "yes I'm coming" on our various networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) but haven't actually registered yet... despite my promptings and reminders.

I have put soooo much work into this program, and I know it's still a few weeks out, but I am soooo worried that it will be a no-go at the last minute because not enough people are registered! :o/

So if you read this, and you know anyone who is into leadership development, or needs it, or wants it, or whatever, please send them to www.ImpactSuccess.com/events to register! I'm offering discount codes for anyone who is a chamber member or for anyone who is coming in from out of town... just ask!

Photo of the day - A Memorial

Stephanie Curry, 16; Devon Spurlock, 19; Erica Haudek, 15; Jordan Michalak, 16.

I don't know any of these kids, but my heart goes out to their families this morning. All four teens were killed Monday night by a drunk driver who had started her St. Paddy's Day festivities early. This morning's Free Press contained details of the accident, profiles on each of the kids, photos of their mourning parents and classmates... and all I feel is anger and grief. I like to celebrate St. Paddy's too, I wear the green, I'll even have a drink or two, but I value the lives of those around me (and my own) too much to even pretend to impair my own judgment so much that I would get behind the wheel of a car and take other people's lives into my own hands. I am angry with the driver who decided that (even after her friends asked her not to drive home) she should get in her car and turn the keys in the ignition. I am angry that she was so selfish and stupid that she took the lives of 4 kids, and put her own life at risk as well. She has destroyed thousands of families due to a single bad decision. I'm not only angry with her though. I'm angry with her friends who the FREEP claim asked her not to drive herself home. I'm angry that they didn't take her keys away, offer to drive her home, or call her a cab. Most of us have been in situations at some point or another where we have turned a blind eye to a friend getting behind the wheel who we know shouldn't... I've done it myself, I regret to say. I am thankful that my blind eye has not resulted in a nightmare phone call, but you can believe that from now on, I will be keeping both eyes open. It's sad that people treat it as a tired cliche now, but it's true: Friends don't let friends drive drunk.

One thing that has always fascinated me about the Catholic Church is their extreme respect and honoring of the dead. Most of us feel we need to go through the grieving process quickly. We need to go through the various ceremonies, wait a couple of weeks, but then we're expected to move on with our lives. We get the exception of special anniversaries (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc), but for the most part, society doesn't want to deal with it. I respect the fact that the Catholic Church gives an outlet for people to remember and honor the dead, no matter how long they've been gone.

I took today's photo at a cathedral in Mexico City last spring. I was in town for a senior leadership meeting for one of our clients, and a group of us decided to walk the 4-5 blocks down from the hotel to the cathedral. There was a lot of historical stuff wrapped around this particular cathedral, but I'm afraid I don't remember any of it. I was so taken by the beauty of the building that I couldn't focus much on the little plaques with dates and names and facts (normally I love reading those too, but I was just too artsy this time).

I want to dedicate this photo, and each of the candles in it to Stephanie, Jordan, Erica and Devon, and to their friends and families who have been absolutely blindsided this week by an experience that no one should ever have to have.

Please let this entry be a reminder to you all that we are all human, and therefore we all make mistakes. It is however also our duty as humans to look out for one another, and to try our best to help those who are unable to help themselves.

Photo of the day

An apple a day... anybody else craving one? Seriously, I had breakfast already but I'm starving... lol maybe because it's already almost lunch time... man! where did my morning go??

I took this shot in an apple orchard a couple of years ago when my cousins and I went apple picking. I'm pretty sure there's a photo from that trip of Austin and I sharing a cob of corn as well... mmmm... I do love food! :o)

Happiness & Harmony

What City Should You Live In?
	You should live in Paris. The city of lights will appeal to your appreciation of beauty and romance. You are a lover and a poet by nature, and Paris' sensitive charms will be a perfect match for yours.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

New Merchandise!

Yay!! My new note cards came in! I now have 2 lines of note cards for sale online featuring my photography. They come in packs of 10 with a unique photo on each card and are blank on the inside. There are two different series of note cards: Doors & Windows and Bridges. I have Flowers on the way but haven't gotten all of the merchandise in yet. If you want to order them, just add any photo in the album to your cart, then in the shopping cart page select "note cards (10 assorted)" in the product listing. They are $12 per pack (incl. s&h) and make great gifts ;o)

10% of all profits go to feed Detroit's Homeless, and the rest goes into my house fund so I can finally get my own place... so please buy lots and spread the link around so other people buy too! :o) I'm also willing to create customized series for you, so if you see other photos of mine you'd like to have made into note cards just let me know!

And now for today's Photo of the Day...

I took this photo in Gatlinburg, TN on my first trip there with Austin a few years ago. He was so excited to take me because his family had gone there on vacation every year for a week when he was growing up. His grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brother and parents would all trek down there and have a blast. We had an incredible weekend hiking, camping, hanging out in the arcades, and walking all over the town so Austin could show me all of the places he used to go and hang out and eat and play etc. etc. It was really cool to see him in an environment that held so many great memories for him! This heron was hanging out in the river that runs through the town and I just had to take a photo of him to share with my mum... as I was shooting him, he decided to fly away, and I managed to get some great action shots!

Photo of the day

It's been freezing out again the last 2 days, but I'm still in a Spring kind of mood, so I figure screw the weather, I'm posting a springy photo today! :o)

I took this photo in my aunt & uncle's backyard last spring while I was in a particularly inspired mood (I took like 100 pictures in their yard that weekend...) I really liked the way the water was sitting so nice and neatly on the leaves waiting to be photographed... plant life can be soooo accommodating!

There's really not much of a story behind this one, but I liked it and it enhances my spring mood, so I hope it does the same for you!

Photo of the day

This photo will be featured in my soon-to-be-released bridges notecard series. (I'm just waiting for the product to come in in order to launch it...)

I took this photo on a walk to the metro with Xander and Austin when Austin and I went to the Netherlands last fall. We had a fantastic trip, and it was amazing to be able to share that part of my life with him. (more trip photos here) Xander, Patricia and Tim live in a great house on the very outskirts of town, with lots of room for development, which right now means lots of nice green empty space and canals.

Our first attendee!!

OK for those of you who have no idea what I do for a living, a quick summary so you understand the following entry: I work for a consulting group that develops and facilitates customized leadership programs for clients. We are currently in the midst of launching our first public seminar Leading with IMPACT! which I have taken lead in setting up and marketing... it's been a HUGE undertaking, and while I'm really excited about the program, there is still that element of panic that no one will sign up...

well today I logged onto our company facebook profile and discovered that SOMEONE IS PLANNING ON ATTENDING!!! They haven't officially registered yet, but they responded in the affirmative to our facebook event page, so I'm super super excited!!

I'm also excited that I will soon be blasting this blog out to my newly created photo newsletter list (newsletter is a bit of an overstatement... more like "random emails when I actually have news to share, like once every 3 months" list...!)

So right now, I'm doing a happy dance in my head, and needed to share it somewhere coz I'm stuck in the back of a program right now and can't even tell my boss the good news coz he's standing in front of the room giving instructions...

YAY!!

Photo of the day

Ok so this photo has nothing really to do with my mad skills, photo composition, technique, or any such fancy thing. I chose this photo because it makes me smile. I have finally begun the overwhelming task of completely reorganizing and backing up my photo archives (if you are not already familiar with the very specific reason for this ie my entire collection being "temporarily misplaced to Jakarta by Northwest"... ask me sometime... now that I have them back it's a much funnier story, and I am able to tell it without having heart palpatations...) and in doing so I have rediscovered some real gems... like this one.

I love my little brother to death, he is someone who will always always always be able to make me laugh. The boy is a complete cartoon when he isn't cranky ;o) This photo was taken in my aunt and uncle's backyard in Ontario last year Memorial Day weekend. Jared and I are both half fish, so it was great to be able to take advantage of a pool again. Jared has always been a fan of making the biggest possible splash when entering the water, especially if I am anywhere nearby. He *has* learned, however that this rule must ALWAYS be broken when I am nearby and holding my camera. He understands that getting my camera wet is an absolute death sentence. :o)

Actually whenever I have an immediate crisis, Jared is one of the first people to find a way to make it better. Back in 2006 we took a family trip back to Europe and spent a day in Brussels where I had taken probably 200 photos (Brussels is one of my favourite cities in the world). When we got back to Hetty & Herman's I immediately went to download my photos to discover that the card was empty. Mass panic ensued as did an ocean's worth of tears, and my brother spent the next 3-4 hours scouring the internet to find a way to recover almost all of the photos from my myseteriously cleared card. That is one of the many reasons he is my hero.

And so, dear readers (if I even have any... lol), today's photo gives you not only a fun little snapshot, but some insight into the absolutel love I have for my baby brother :o) If you have a sibling, go hug them now.

Photo of the day

Well I ordered another series of notecards to start selling on my storefront... the first series is a 10 pack with various photos from my "Doors & Windows" collection. The new series features various flower shots I've taken (including this one). I'm excited to get the stock in so I can launch the line (accepting pre-orders... $12.- for a 10 pack of notecards, incl. s&h!!)

I took this photo in Scottsdale, AZ at Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success seminar back in 2007. I was invited to attend the seminar because my boss couldn't go at the last minute, so he offered me his registration. I went in with pretty much no expectations, and ended up really having an incredible experience, and meeting some fantastic people...! The resort the seminar was held at was phenomenal, and it was pretty cool because one of my best friends from my high school years lives there now, so I got to see him a couple of times and catch up on life. I'm not normally taken by Arizona scenery (deserts only offer my eyes so much... at least the deserts I've seen thus far...!) but this place did a good job of bringing in the desert feel, and still maintaining the pretty (like these awesome orange flowers!) :oD

Photo of the day

I love going to the zoo. The last few years I've only been able to go a couple of times, but one of my favorite things at the zoo is the fact that the peacocks just wander around completely free, scaring small children and posing for photos :o)

I over saturated this because I love making the blue look all crazy... this particular peacock has no specific story, but I've witnessed many times where the Detroit Zoo Peacocks have chased toddlers across the walkway, both screaming and the parents laughing and taking photos. I'm totally going to be that parent some day... my poor children are going to be so traumatized :o)

I still feel pretty blah today, this cold is getting worse, so I'm staying in, gonna put on a fire, cuddle up in front of the tv with a blanket, a glass of milk and some double stuff oreos, and look forward to brunch with Austin tomorrow...!

Hopefully the warm weather will keep and I can get some extra rest and shake this cold... that would be happy.

Feelin' Fine

I woke up this morning and the world was on my mind...

Got nowhere to go, got no place to be,
And there's no monkey on my back that's eating me.
So I'm taking five as far as I can roam,
And if I close my eyes the world becomes my home,
When I step outside, when I chase the wind,
And I'm feeling fine, I'm feeling fine.

Now all the world's my home and anywhere's my block,
I swim up any river and I climb up any rock.
From the mighty northern Pole to the deep blue Tennessee,
Via Paris France - the fun is always free,
When I close my eyes, when I chase the wind,
And I'm feeling fine, I'm feeling fine.
When I step outside, when I taste the wind,
And I'm feeling fine, I'm feeling fine.

Close your eyes, pick a place,
Maybe in the ocean, or maybe on the driest land,
Now begin your journey with the world at your command...

(Feeling Fine, from the Rockapella album "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?")
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So yesterday was uber long, but I got sooo much done, that today, I'm looking at my to do list, and feeling pretty freaking great...! I've been working sooooooooooo hard on launching the marketing for our April seminar (Leading with IMPACT!) and even though no one has registered yet, I feel like I have done an anwesome job, and it's time to sit back and wait for a little while.

So now I'm off to kick some more @$$ and get a whole bunch more shtuff done... on to productivityland!! :o)

Photo of the day

I took this photo after a particularly frustrating shoot... I had been inspired on a break from one of our workshops at Resort Schwielowsee (about an hour outside of Berlin, Germany) and shot about 100 amazing photos while the sun and shadows were just perfect outside... also of a woodpecker who was most definitely showing off for the camera... I felt fantastic and ran back inside to download them and start editing... only to discover that the CF card was already in the computer... meaning I had just taken absolutely no photos at all. On the next break I was determined to redeem my own stupidity and headed back outside, camera in hand, relieved to see that the clouds hadn't ruined my atmosphere yet... :o) Just goes to show... we all screw up every now and then!