1. Sometimes I have so many things racing through my head I a) can’t sleep and keep my poor husband up tossing and turning all night just as much as I am b) start to feel like I’m suffocating in my own thinking because I want to do so many things and I cant decide where to start and c) think I need to invent a time warp machine that would help me – and others I’m sure. There’s the answer, eh!?

2. I’m getting super excited for two upcoming events.  Next week I am headed to two days of Photography goodness at Inspire Boston — I know some of my sweet friend will be there and I look forward to meeting many more.  Any other New England area photog’s headed down to it?  The second event I’m super pumped for is Dane Sander’s — Fast Track Photographer Workshop! Dane is coming to Boston with his amazing workshop and I know he is going to fill my creative and business cup with crazy amounts of knowledge and I just can’t wait for it!  I’ve been part of Dane’s forum for a long time and I can’t wait to finally meet him!

3. Whats with the snow?  Apparently states that don’t get snow are getting crazy amounts, and states that do get snow are getting even more?  I’m kind of scared as the weather seems to be getting worse the older I get, or maybe I just pay attention now instead of just praying for snow days   Too bad Jackson hates the snow – when do they start liking it?  He just cries.  I have video to prove it.. perhaps I’ll get that on here too.

4. Speaking of video – Oh how we LOVE our FlipHD video.  That thing is awesome.  I know I keep talking about it, and I was supposed to be doing some work with it to put on the blog this morning at the Apple store, but due to a reschedule that’s postponed   – The greatest part is it fits in my pocket or diaper bag or even my purse. I love being able to capture little moments of the kids here and there.. The inner geek in me loves technology so much its ridiculous.

5.  Technology really is amazing.  Rick and I were watching a show last night about Colgan aircraft and how the airliners have such different requirements for regional jets and all that jazz.. but then it got us thinking on how its crazy that we can ACTUALLY fly. I mean the logistics of it are just insane, which is really why I don’t like to think about it to be honest.  But it did remind me of a funny video I put on my facebook a while back.. still makes me laugh everytime though.. check it out:

6. I love to people watch. It’s one of my favorite things to do, second to laughing I think. Which is quite nice since the two often go hand in hand. Sometime I look at the way people do things and it makes me wonder how they think thats a good idea? But isn’t that the amazing thing that we are all so different and can look at the same situation but do something completely different? Fascinating really. I love to see the way people interact. React. Hence my psychology degree I suppose.

7. I just reconnected with a friend from college via Facebook this week. Can I just say how excited I am!? Ms. Sherry and I were very close in college, and after college we lost touch for a bit. Not for lack of trying but we just kept missing each other and after a few years just after I had Jackson, I think, we reconnected over email. Unfortunately we lost touch again and I have spent the last few years searching for her. Little did I know she was married and didn’t use her maiden name so clearly I couldn’t find her!! Well, although I don’t like facebook for a lot of things, I do LOVE that it brought her back to me! We chatted the other night as if no time had passed at all and already are making plans to get the girls from college back together for a mini reunion. EXCITED. yes, cannot wait for that! See, inner geek – love technology. So glad to hear from you Ms. Sherry – So glad we’ll all be getting together soon.

Do you keep in touch with your college friends? High school friends? You should. Not because you have to, but because it might be nice. I know everyone says – ‘well if i wanted to keep in touch with people I would,’ but sometimes life happens and things get in the way — not that its an excuse — but sometimes you just need a little nudge to get back in touch. And then you pick up where you left off. And its awesome.

8. What is also going to be awesome is the newborn session I have on Friday. I cant wait to get my hands on a little peanut — I’ve been missing them! I know she’s going to be a little doll.. stay tuned for the sneak peak on that!

9. I can’t believe I’m actually going to say it but I can actually start to understand the needy feeling for gym! Yes, that’s right, I actually find myself needing/wanting to go. The girl who used to hate it! Crazy I know. Although running yesterday was killing my knees — apparently I’m not spring chicken anymore… perhaps I should switch to the elliptical? We’ll see…

10. He let me take his picture! Yep, Jackson said I could take his picture — not before I bribed him of course – totally not above it! But, he agreed so we could make his valentine. As soon as I loaded his images on the computer I was stopped in my tracks. He.Looks.So.Old. What happened to my sweet little baby? He’s all grown up and I can’t believe how fast time is going by. Check it out for yourself…

Until next time.. Much love,

Jackson was a newborn and I had started snapping crazy amounts of photographs of him.  I didn’t want to miss anything.  I didn’t want to forget anything. I knew with every passing day he was one day older, one day bigger, one day away from this newborn little precious miracle I loved more then myself from the second I knew he was going to be my son.  I knew in a blink he was going to be graduating! Although photography had always been a passion of mine, I never had any ‘formal’ training.  I played with my camera, tried different things, tried to figure out but mostly didn’t really know what I was doing.  When I was getting married, I did a lot of research on ‘The Knot.’  I was kicked over to ‘The Nest,’ after I had Jackson and there were some women there that were in my exact same position! They loved taking photographs of their children and they were learning about their cameras and how to get the photographs we’d all fallen in love with online from other great photographers.  Those women started a message board and before I knew it we had so many members who enjoyed the love of photography and many of them had young kids at home so it was an instant bond!  It was there that I became to ‘know’ Lyndsay.  We have never met, and I’m not sure she will ever know how grateful I am for her gifts she doesn’t even know she’s given me, but I know. And I am forever in debt to her.

She made a post one day about a friend of hers, Erin Cobb, whose daughter was in the running for the Gap Casting Call.  Sarah (Pigbear as she is nicknamed!) needed votes to win so Lyndsay posted the link to Erin’s blog and of course on Erin’s blog you could click to vote for Sarah!  It was that day that I added Erin to my favorites and have been following her ever since.  I started reading about her and her adorable little family and I felt like if she lived near me, we’d totally hang out!  That’s the amazing thing about blogs, isn’t it?  We feel connected and friendships for people that we may really have never met – how incredible.   It was about that time that Rick and I began seriously considering photography as a business.  I had been doing a lot of thinking and a lot of praying about it.  I had just finished my Masters in Elementary Education and received my license to teach, but Jackson was a newborn and I was nannying at the time.  I needed to work but with the great family I worked for, he could come with me and I could still work and watch him grow up – again, a huge blessing.  Should I go back to teaching just because I could? Should I try to start a business following my passion? Who knew which was the ‘right’ answer?  We discussed it, a lot.

One night after Jackson went to bed I was reading Erin’s blog and she had posted about her friend Wendy Schulz.  Wendy had mentored Erin and took her under her wing to teach her about her photography and help her grow into what she wanted to be.  After I read Erin’s post, I immediately went to Wendy’s blog and saw that she started offering an online workshop – to do the same thing!  SOLD.  I talked it over with Rick and we decide this was it.  Let’s give this a shot.

So I signed up for Wendy’s class and without a doubt, SHE is the reason I am where I am.  She gave me challenges and feedback that has taught me about myself, about my camera, about my craft.  She is amazing. She is inspiring, and boy is she hysterical!  I have since sent Wendy a few of my friends and even my cousin Jake took her online course.  I’m sure her waiting list is long, but if you want to know about photography from one of the greatest teachers, SIGN UP. You won’t regret it.

So lets recap.  Lyndsay ‘introduced’ me to Erin. Erin ‘introduced’ me to Wendy, and Wendy is what gave my business the foundation  to become a business.  Well, this past week Erin was visiting her friends in Boston and asked if any Bostonians would like to come out to get together — It was about a second of  before I responded – ME ME ME! Remember, we were friends in my head already! Ha..

So luckily, Rick was sweet enough to come home after a long day of work and let me take off to Starbucks to meet Erin, finally!  In typical Boston fashion, there was traffic so of course I was late but nevertheless, I made it and guess what…  She was JUST as sweet, if not more, in person!  Just like I knew she would be!  She jumped right up and gave me a hug and we all started laughing right away – like we were all old friends.  Just the way it should be with someone who has helped shape your life, right!?

Ellen and Diana are from Boston and also follow Erin’s blog so it was nice to make new friends too -  Samantha and Erin have been friends for a long time and the 5 of us had a great visit together just chatting it up!  The time passed too quickly of course, but hopefully the next visit Erin makes to Boston we’ll have some more time to catch up!

Totally ‘borrowed’ from Erin — You can see her thoughts from our meet up here:

(l->r) Ellen - Erin - Diana -Yours Truly - Samantha!

So Lyndsay, Thank you for posting Erin’s link.  Erin thank you for posting Wendy’s link and Wendy, thank you for making me jump when I wasn’t sure their was a net under me.  Turns out I didn’t need it anyways thanks to you.. For that, for all of you, I am grateful

We are grateful.

Much love.

Thankfully,