Roller Derby. Ever heard of it? Remember it? Neither was the case for me! Until a few months ago..

My bro, Freddie, was blessed enough to meet a sweet girl, Allie. We heard about her here and there and noticed a bit of a sparkle in his eye when he’d talk about her…. oooohhhhhh Freddie liked Allie!!!! It was about time he asked her out – and lucky for him, she agreed As he was getting to know her, of course as his nosey sister, I was after him for some details or at least some info! “She plays Roller Derby,” he said. What the heck is that?! Had never heard of it – didnt know what it was or even how you played it! For someone that is the Dodgeball Champion, this was a perfect match for him!!!! She loved her Roller Derby – he loved his Dodgeball… perfection! He said we should come to a game sometime… so we did! Last night. We didn’t get to meet Allie aka “Maura Buse” (hahaha) after her game since Jackson was ready to leave after the first period, but she was ROCKIN’ out there!! Rick and I can’t wait to go to another game – it was so fun! But we might just have to leave Jackson home next time.. Although he loved it – it was a bit late for him…

So “De-De” (as jackson calls Freddie) Nicely done. Tell us when you’re coming over for dinner with “Allllllliiiiiiiieeeeeeeee”

love you-
k

ready to take on dad in a derby game!!

at first glance… checking out the arena while they were warming up:

Introducing… ‘Maura Buse!!!’

‘Maura Buse’ in the blue…. in the intro as to how the game is played!!

Cheering with De-De!! — Go, Go, Go!!

Jack was sad when the girls would take a spill — anytime someone fell this was the face he made while shouting “OH NO!”

The girls in action!!

What a awesome boyfriend – sportin’ the gear for his girl!!!

Love you guys — now freakin get over here will ya!
xoox

Chocolate cake, Mom?

I definitely didn’t have any chocolate cake, why do you ask?

but that little face just melts your heart — I would have even given him the chocolate face for that look!!

isn’t he just the cutest! our little buddy came over for playdate last week and his eyes are just too beautiful not to photograph!

just a few quick posts… more to come soon i hope… not enough hours in the day!

blessings,
k

Heavy title I know. But really. How do you say thanks to someone that has changed your life? and to make it even more complex its not even likes its a really close friend – its a stranger – well, a stranger that you feel like you’re friends with but really you don’t really know that much about them! Confusing, I know.

When I first decided to get into photography as a business I came across a photographer, David Jay.He is a wedding photographer based out of California and I immediately fell in love with his passion. His photography is great, but his passion for what he does is amazing. Aside from being a great photographer David has really found it his calling to help OTHER photographers succeed. That’s right – he wants to help other photographers. This industry sometimes has the stigma of being very cutthroat and very closed from each other. Perhaps the pendulum is swinging the other way towards working together, but we aren’t quite there yet (on the East Coast anyways! West Coast is GREAT at this!) I joined David’s photographer’s online forum and started reading a lot about him and what he was doing. I couldn’t believe everything he was doing to help better so many strangers. As time went on, I invested a lot in his products as well as his philosophies. It was infectious – I wanted to help other people too! I answered any questions I could and shared anything I found with as many people that would listen!

I was blessed enough to spend today listening to David Jay speak again. I’ve seen him before and I am a member of his forums so I hear what he’s up to often but there is just something powerful about listening to people you admire. Although I knew some of what he was talking about, it is like a little dose of confidence. I love that about him – he makes you believe…

So back to my title – how do you say thanks to someone who changed your life? Although it may sound a little dramatic it really isn’t. David has opened himself up like a book for so many others to benefit from him and his learning/mistakes/gains; he has really changed my life. I know you’re thinking ‘How!’ David is big on FREEDOM. Freeing up your life for ENJOYING your life. When I first started on this journey – I cannot tell you how many countless hours I spent trying to figure out what an efficient workflow would be.. THIS was supposed to be an industry that gave you a bit of flexibility? for WHO!? I was losing more time away from my family, more time away from my fast growing infant, less time sleeping, and just piling on more work!??! THAT was not what I signed up for! Hard work, yes. But EFFICIENT work was not where I was. David has given me a freedom I never knew existed. By sharing his way of working efficiently – it was as if the Angels sang!! When I first learned about it a few months back, I was floored. Although what he shares isn’t for everyone and I don’t adopt everything he does – but to be able to hear and understand his approach was life changing. I couldn’t believe it but once I tried it for myself and saw all the time I got back in my life I was almost moved to tears. Again, sounds dramatic but really – I was. Why? Well, think about it – I had precious moments with my newborn son back, I had quality time with my husband, I could catch up with my best childhood girlfriends, I could devote the time and energy into learning tools and education to further my photography instead of being a slave to my computer! I could sleep again!!! Now, DON’T get me wrong – there is a LOT of hard work that goes into this industry AND my work. The difference now is I am using my precious time WISELY. I am not using energy where I don’t need to and I’m not burning myself out… which I would have done very quickly had I stayed on the route I was on..

So, how do you thank someone that gives you a gift so big? – the best I have is my word….

David Jay, Thank you. Whether you ever see this or not I just wanted to say it. You have given me more then I could ever repay you for – The best I have to offer is my friendship. Thank you for opening your heart. Thank you for giving me my memories with those who I love. Thank you for giving me my life back. May you have many more blessings in 2008.

Forever grateful,

Keri

**David took a picture of his after the seminar today and when I went to post it I realized it was on HIS camera not mine! hahah Ooops!

****Edit… DJ sent the file over after all What a sweetheart! Thanks my friend!
Check out the rockin’ Tom Brady jersey!! He knew what part of the country he was in

Hey Photographer friends..

If you’re looking for a rockin resource to pick up a few quick tips check out [B}eckers new place - The [B] School Blog. He is going to be launching The [B] School in March but in the mean time he has created one ’short’ every day to give back to the community just about things he does… love this guy – hope to meet him one day and thank him for all the awesome advice he’s share! I’ll stop rambling and just let you check it out for yourself….

hugs,
k