Here a are a few little highlights from my weekend:

* Finally gave snowboarding a real shot (I’m a skier). Nearly broke my wrist, but besides that I had a lot of fun trying it.
* Drank more tea than I probably consume in a whole week. I was in tea-heaven.
* Had my first bucket of Poutine at Fritz. YUMMMMM.
* Also had the best cup of hot chocolate ever from Blenz Coffee. If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with hot chocolate! (Hot chocolate snob right here)
* Tried alcohol-infused gummy bears. Not good.
* Sat on a toilet that had more buttons than my tv remote. And the seat was heated…
* Finally went to a legit Dim Sum restaurant and tried many new things. Like duck feet.
* Went to Duty-Free for the first time and happened to catch the Superbowl Halftime show. Awesome.

Well that is my weekend in a nutshell. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Happy Monday.

This hits home for me.

…and maybe it does for you too?

It seems like every year I go through this. This thing. This thing that eats at me. I’m not proud of it…
I’ve had so many conversations with other photographers about this same topic, I don’t think I’m alone. I’ve said it before…this isn’t new. It’s so easy to get caught up in looking at the person next to you and wonder why you don’t have the success they have. You begin to beat yourself up and dissect everything you do or don’t do. There are so many things I love about being a photographer…seriously, so many. But there are also things that I hate…if I’m going to be honest here.

I hate that we somewhat have to “sell” ourselves in this business. It’s a weird thing to try and do successfully without making yourself seem full of it and disingenuous. It’s a game I’d rather not play…ya know what I mean? Another thing I’m not fond of, but realize how impactful it can be is:
SOCIAL MEDIA.
Oh social media…I have a love/hate relationship with you…oh yes I do. I’m trying to get better at using social media as a marketing/connecting tool…but OH MY GOSH it can be such a DISTRACTOR. I think my productivity has gone down a significant amount since I joined TWITTER. Gosh dang you twitter…

Okay enough venting about that, back to what I was saying…
I had a very lovely conversation with a friend last night and it really made me think. It made me realize just how much the quote I posted above is SO DEAD ON TRUE. “COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY” Being comparative has taken my joy away. Always looking at the person next to me has taken my joy away. Feeling like I have to portray some type of “cool kid” status has taken my joy away. *sigh* I’m exhausted people. And please don’t think this is a “woe is me” type of post…it’s more of a venting post that I seem to come out with every other month or so. I know y’all just love em’…right?! RIGHT?! hee hee.

The fact that I have this struggle does not surprise me one bit. The one thing I struggle with most in life is just being content. Being content with my life, my work, where I live, the list goes on. I know God is working on this with me. The thing that gave me peace last night after I had this conversation with this friend is when she said, “It’s all His and for His glory anyways. We have to be willing to lay it all down at any time. It’s all His”. I love you Jenny. She could not be more right about this. I have to stop wasting time comparing myself to those around me and just focus on glorifying the One who gave me this freakin’ gift in the first place. Easier said than done of course but this is a challenge for me and for anyone else who feels the exact way I do.

Here’s to challenging ourselves and being content with not being the “cool kid”. Happy Thursday.

Photo Credit: Ryan Flynn

It all starts with an idea.

A dream.

We all have them…we all imagine ourselves making these dreams and ideas come to life, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. So then life goes on and we dream some more. It’s a constant challenge to follow through with an idea and make it a real life thing. But when we have *that* moment…the moment when you stop and think “wow, this is actually happening…I’m actually making this dream come to life“. And it’s moments like those that we should all be striving for.

My sister Jonna and her fiance Donald (if you missed their engagement session, check it out!) started with an idea. A dream. They had a vision, executed it, and made it come to life. And I am so very proud of them for that! I am so excited to share their news with you all today!…

Today is officially the launch of LOUD LION.

I encourage ALL of you to check out their site…check out their awesome shirts! And definitely take advantage of their GRAND OPENING special. For all you t-shirt lovers…I can’t tell you how comfy these shirts are…I own 3 already and I can’t seem to take them off : ) no joke. And to end this post I thought I’d leave you with a little note from Jonna & Donald that I think describes their vision for the business perfectly.

“We are passionate, a little nerdy, but we own it and hope you do, too. It’s not about fitting in with trends, being ‘cool’, doing what others expect of you. Loud Lion is about doing what is inherently YOU, being authentic, creative, and living life out loud.”

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!!! IT’S 2012!!! WHAT. THE. HECK.

I feel like time is flying by right before my eyes and I just want it to slow down. I really, really do.
This weekend I did something that I need to do more often. I did something simple, but it gave me so much energy and made me feel so full.
Visiting my sweet little (or not so little anymore) cousins couldn’t have happened at a better time. I love these kids to death, they are the only cousins I have in the state of Washington so they are pretty special to me. I can’t help but feel old after seeing them though…the oldest is basically a MAN now and towers over me…it seems like yesterday I was running around giving him piggyback rides. *sigh*

Time keeps moving along and so do our lives. But one thing doesn’t change for me…family.

My family will always be my favorite thing.

Where do I even begin with this lady? My sister Jonna is my best friend. Plain and simple.
She knows me inside and out. She knows when something is wrong and she knows just the right things to say to keep my encouraged.
Things weren’t always this way though…growing up I was still that annoying little sister who always wanted to be one of the “big girls” and constantly tried to hang out with her and her friends. Sorry Jonna. : ) It wasn’t until I got out of high school that my sister and I really got to connect. We’ve seen each other go through it all…the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I’m so extremely blessed to have a sister like her. I don’t know what I would do without her.

Happy Birthday Jonna, I love you so much sister.

I thought I’d stick with the theme of sharing funny/embarrassing photos from our childhood to keep things entertaining. Enjoy.

Love her.