[running: New Shoes.]

A new category.  Did you notice?

Running ... me.  Who'd of thunk (I love that word ... leave me alone *grin*)?  Well - after yesterday's 5km, I realized that my arches just ain't what they used to be.  I noticed that I could feel the ground on that soft part under my foot ... a place that used to be high up and out of the way.

SO.  Apparently, I am suffering from another icky result of having a baby.  Like the weight gain, sleepless nights, raging hormones, falling-out-hair and crappy skin wasn't enough (oh, doesn't it make you want to have another??  HA!).  So seems as though my rapid weight gain with Katia has flattened my feet.  Yay.  

The solution?  Oh, a shiny new pair of runners.

Ok.  So maybe not the colour I would've picked .., but here's what I learned today:  You don't walk into the Running Room and ask for pretty runners.  Nope.  You choose the ones that work ... and man, do these feel GREAT.  Kinda makes my old runners feel like flip flops.  And I can't WAIT to try these Sauconys out on my next morning run.

And ... did you see my camera water mark on the image?  Pretty nifty, eh?  Well, maybe not for THIS image, but I was just trying out my new Lightroom 3.0 and it'll let me watermark my images in one simple step.  Pretty pumped about that too ... 

Enough already ... tons to do, gotta run.

HA!

Have a good one ...

[redhanded photography: Peter & Corinne]

Why, hellllloooooo there.  It's been a while.  Well.  Has it?  Hmm ... maybe not.  It's all a blur.  But I thought I'd give an update none-the-less.

1.  Summer has been wonderful.  I'm starting to get used to relying on sunshine and warm wind.  Our day revolves around this - and I am so thankful that we haven't been trapped indoors since school's been out.  The boys love our daily trips to wherever we choose that day ...

2.  Running has become my safe addiction.  I'm not toooooo addicted.  I mean, I love it - but it's not something that consumes my every day.  I'm still running every-other-day, so three to four times a week.  I ran my first 10km on Saturday night and it was glorious.  But long.  And now that I've done it once, I feel like I need to be doing it again and again.  But I'm listening to my much wiser runner friends who remind me to BE SAFE first ... not to over do it and injure myself.  So yesterday it was 5km in 35 min.  I can't believe that 5km is my short run ... and it only took six weeks to get there.   AND - my hubby was a SWEETHEART yesterday ... showed up with a brand new Lulu Lemon running spandex capris and tank in hot coral and grey.   He told me he was proud of me ... that was the loveliest thing he could've done ... just recognizing my hard work was enough!   

3.  Although I initially gained weight when I started running, the last two weeks I have seen weight begin to fall off.  I've lost over 8lbs in two weeks ... how I hope that the trend continues.  But that's unlikely, so for me it's more about being diligent with my exercise and watching what I eat.  Simple enough, and the more I run - the more I'm like, "Gee ... I ran today, and that sugary thing isn't worth it ... "  ... so that's a good thing.

4.  Business is crazy.  CRAZY.  I've done six shoots in eight days and three client interviews/meetings ... so my evenings have been dedicated to keeping up with the editing.  I'm a bit of a loon when it comes to turn around time.  I like to get things edited, burned, and off my computer as quickly as possible.  I like to finish one project before the next starts ... 

Ok.  That's it for now ... and you?  Where are you?  I've done a bunch of posts and ... silence *grin*.  Hopefully you're too busy enjoying the sun and family to comment ... love it when you do, understand when you don't *wink*.

... I have a new post on my Redhanded site.

Stop by if you get a chance ... would love to have you.  And keep coming back, too!  With a bucketload of shoots, that means a bucketload of posts!


Have a great one!!

[Katia: Eleven Months Old]

Um.  Eleven months.  That pretty much means a year.  A YEAR.  My baby is not a newborn - although she's only 16.7lbs, and some people give birth to babies almost as big.  She's a wee little thing, full of coy looks and matter-a-fact baby talk.  

I took the kids to the park yesterday, and while the boys played I took some pics of Katia.  Nothing sweeter than a tutu on a little girl, no?

Our little Bella Bean ... we never knew that such an important piece of our family was missing, until you came along and filled it up.  

Who would've thought that I would be into pink and barrettes??  I've always been a mohawk and jeans kinda mom ...

What a little munchkin.

Have a great one!

[digiscrap: Catchin' Up ... ]

WOW.  You guys came in droves to check out Tim and Lacey's wedding ... 240 hits.  That's crazy - more than double of what a "busy" day is 'round here.

We were gone last week to Penticton ... had a great time.  The boys were CRAZY about the pool.  I need to post the video of Josiah swimming the width of the pool underwater, and coming up and down for air.  The kid is THREE.  He's so stinkin' cute.

And since our mornings started at 6am-ish, I went to bed early most nights.  And I would sit in the silence with my laptop and try and get a page or two of scrapbooking done.  With over 300pics taken AGAIN last week ... if I don't keep on top of it, it'll drown me.  I found myself scrapbooking JANUARY pics.  That's ok.  The snow looked inviting in the 36C heat ...

And on another note, I kept up the running while I was away.  Two 5km and one 8km.  This week, I'm going to up my short runs to 6km.  I think two 6kms and one 8km (maybe 9?) ... we'll see.  I'm trying to heed to my friend's advice and make SURE that I don't injure myself by pushing too quickly.  That would suck.

I weighed myself this morning.  I am down 5.6lbs since last Sunday.  So, everyone was right.  It has taken me almost 6 weeks of being faithful, and now the weight will hopefully start falling off.   I still have  along way to go, but as long as the numbers go down - I'll be thrilled.  Plus, I'm starting to be in the best shape of my life (which isn't saying much).   Even when I did the BL last time, it was through strict dieting, not diligent exercise. 

Ok.  Enough already.  Here are some pages.

click the images to enlarge

Have a great one!

[weddings: Tim & Lacey]

Since I've ventured out into photography, I find that I leave my camera behind on events that photographers are hired for.  I like to capture the best images, and if I can't - then I just don't bother.  But when we got our invitation to TandL's wedding, I knew I had to bring it.

I've known Lacey for a long time ... in fact, I was her piano teacher for a number of years.  Her and I are so alike - and it didn't take long for her to find a special place in my heart.  I've had the joy of sharing in her massive accomplishments, and seeing her tears in harder times.  And when she met Tim, I just knew that this was going to be a life changing time for her.

Their ceremony was so well thought out.  So much time and preparation - it was obvious.  From the incredible way the church was decorated, to the live worship that melted my heart and brought me to tears.

I was sitting close to the back ... and my dear hubby wanted the isle seat *sigh*.  So, I had to attempt to get a few photos with my zoom on.  How I wish I could've been closer ... Lacey's moment was so full of God and love.

I never realized that Tim was so gifted with his words.  The vows he wrote had all of us girls in the audience looking at each other with our jaws dropped.  I could sense that the guys were like, "Come on Tim.  You're making us look bad."  *grin*

One of the sweetest moments was when their mentors prayed a blessing over the couple.  And each set of parents also spoke life-giving words over their children.  It was really a beautiful thing.

The reception made me feel like I had stepped directly into the pages of a Martha Stewart magazine.  The white tent was place on the "front lawn" of Lacey's parents home ... and the parking?  You parked at the neighbours and got a funky little hayride, complete with harmonica serenade.  

I'm all about the details ... and every single one was so well thought out.  The sunshine-y yellow with the  twine and lavender, the bluegrass band, the Rice Crispy wedding cake ... so country, so simple, so classic.  Loved it.  There were urns of the yummiest lavender lemonade, but my favourite detail was the seating arrangement that was penned onto the glass panes of an old french door.

This wedding, as beautiful as it was, was all about the people.  Tim and Lacey made each guest feel so loved and important ... We laughed at the speeches, ate a fantastic meal ... and pocketed as much candy as we could from the sweets table.

And dear, sweet, crazy Lacey.

And ... I even got to snag a pic with her.

After all was said and done, it was time to par-tay.  They had the BEST live music ... and Lacey even serenaded her hubby.  We danced, we laughed ... had so much fun.  So much fun.  So much fun!

Tim and Lacey ... thanks for including us in your fantastic day.  We wish you every blessing under Heaven ... xo

[tias: The Loose Tooth]

I've been dreading this day ... 

Anyone who knows me, knows that when push comes to shove - I'm not a huge fan of change.  I like the way things are ... I spend a lot of time and effort making things efficient and right, so when they change - well, it irks my core.

I admire people who thrive on change ... although I DO like to change my hair a lot - does that count?

ANYWAY - on Saturday night, I randomly asked Tias if he had any loose teeth yet (why, I'll never know...), to which he said, "yes".

Whaaaaat??

And he stuck his tongue on his bottom tooth and it wiggled as he stared at me.  He actually looked like he thought he was going to get in trouble.   

He said, "I just felt it today ... "

So, I grinned the biggest grin ever and said, "OH MY GOODNESS, Mattias!!!  This is so exciting!!  You're going to lose a tooth!!!  Can I feel it??" ... while he began to beam.

Meanwhile, I am thinking, " *sob* My little boy's smile is going to change!!"

What to do, what to do?

Well ... again, if you know me?  Out came the camera today, with the idea of a digiscrap page where I can keep his smile forever.  Oh - little one.  You're not so little, are you.

My handsome little boy ... can't stop him from getting bigger - so I'll just have to celebrate it *grin*!  This kid has my HEART ... and the little summer freckles make him cuter than ever.

So.  That's some big news 'round these here parts.

Andddddd ... my Redhanded Photography blogpost is up ... interested?  Come stop by - would love to have you ... 

[redhanded photography: Jason & Cindy]

Last week's wedding took place in Yaletown.  That place is full of style and class ... made me a little nervous, to be honest.

There's a teaser up ... full post will be ready tomorrow.

Click here to view the preview.  Love getting comments ... are any of you still out there?  'Been kinda quiet (all you silent ones out there ... you know who you are *wink*!)

Have a good one :-)!

[digiscrap: It's Been a While ... ]

I don't even know if there's anyone out there ... Summer months should mean being ah-WAY from the computer.   But with friends and family all over the place - I thought I should give a wee update.

We were away last week, and I managed to get a whack-load of digiscrapping done.  AND, I found some of my past pages on Yin's site again ... you can check here site out here.

Here are a few of my faves ...

Double click the images to enlarge

There's a lot going on, for sure, but for today - I'm totally excited for a friend's wedding today and getting dressed up and celebrating with them.   

Hope your day is full of sunshine and love too *smile* ...

Have a great one!

[talk: So Much.]

Ok ... only have a few moments here and want to give an update as to what's been going on around here.  

We were gone last week, to the Okanagan.  Love it up there.  Except the weather wasn't totally lovely, but the friends that we went with, were.  So many pics, so many laughs, so much so much so much!  And one of the most BESTEST parts (I know, not a word ...) was that I finished 18pages of digiscrap!!  I spend all my time documenting other people's lives, that it was SO great to spend some time on my little fam.

Then yesterday, I photographed a wedding in Yaletown.  I was super nervous - and only had 45minutes between the ceremony and cocktail party ... all the images I had HOPED to get, we didn't have time for.  But here's the thing - it's their wedding *smile*.  They just wanted to get back and BE at their wedding ... so it was all good, and their portfolio will mainly be candids as apposed to portraits ...  As a photographer, I would've loved to have done more - but they were super easy to please, and just wanted to do one location and get going ... 

Today - about 30minutes ago to be exact - I ran 7km.  Yup.  That's what I said ... SEVEN KM.  Unbelievable.  I think that 5km has just become my short run ... I was told to do "5, 5, 7" now each week.  So I'm gonna give that a try for 3 weeks and then bump it up to 5, 5, 8.  We'll see ...

Tonight, we're off to my folk's place.  One of my cousins from NZ arrives today, and our family from Seattle, Vancouver and the likes are all heading over for some yummy supper and fun times.  Gonna be good!!

Now?  I'm off to go berry picking.  We have some of our dearest friends staying with us this week, so AL and I are taking our kids to the patch ... here's to hoping we don't lose them *grin*.

That's it for now ... have a great one!!