One of the things we do every year, is "Boxes of Love". Our church organizes the event - asking families to fill up a box for a little boy or girl in Zambia.
Our kids love this ... it's become a tradition. They go shopping for the items, and help put the boxes together. It's actually a great family-bonding thing to do ... we talk about what we have and what others need. We talk about being generous, doing more than is asked ...
The kids love to help ... although it really is 20minutes of sheer chaos ...
Even Katia got in on it this year ...
This year, we went a little crazy. But that's only because we really feel that God is calling us to be more generous than before ... it's a challenge - because you can always feel like you can do more ...
We did boxes from each of us ... and by the end, I was bit of an emotional wreck. I can't imagine the lives that these boxes are going to touch ... The world is so small when you know that the Cars T-shirt you bought is going to be worn by a 6 year old in Zambia ...
Style. It's something that I've never possessed ... I dressed like whomever I was dating. Does that make sense? Grunge, preppy, conservative, tree-hugging ... I've tried most fashion faux-pas, just trying to be who I thought "he" wanted me to be.
Pathetic, I know.
But I'm a happily-married-grown-up now, and I have definite things that I like. True, I don't always dress the way I'd like to ... I'm not going to miraculously grow an extra 4 inches to wear some of those super-cool outfits - and not all the clothes in my closet were good purchases either ... so sometimes I don't really represent myself well.
But as I've started to love fashion and style (I think mainly because I never have to fear of turning into a house during pregnancy again), I've thought long and hard about what I like - about what I think is "me". I like edgy, grownup clothes ... clothes that make me look like a woman, not a little girl. I also think being in the photography industry has made me feel more pressure about how I dress and present myself. I don't like looking like a kid.
You laugh, but just last week I led worship at my church and I had 3 different people comment in the hall to me (with big grins, I might add), " ... you looked like you were 15 years old up there today!!". Not sure if that's a compliment *smile* ... but I I'll take it?
I guess that's why I LOVE grownup clothes ... womanly clothes. Clothes that are sophisticated, well tailored ... clothes that make me look taller (heels), or - yup - even older.
Now, I asked my hubby the other day if he liked the way I was starting to dress ... pencil skirts, stilettos, leather jackets, chained bracelets ... and you know what he said? "No." Ha!!! Seriously ... I was kinda expecting a, "... yes." But - again - not his fault. See, when we were dating, I turned into what I thought it was that HE would like. Conservative ... simple. I wore skirt suits to church, Club Monaco plain t-shirts and jeans. I wasn't even close to being a rocker then (I say that tongue-in-cheek ... I'm far from a rocker.) Style has changed, and I have definitely changed too.
I say all that ... but I do care what he thinks. Although I'd love to, I won't get my ear-tragus pierced. And I won't get a sidecut (above the ear on one side, longer on the other) - because he's probably right, I'll regret it two weeks later. He keeps me in line - and hopefully not looking like a walking-mid-life-crisis *grin*. And let me say, he doesn't HATE how I dress ... if he did, I would change it. He just doesn't like all of it ... and hey, I don't always like what he wears either *grin*. I love edgy clothes on guys ... and even *gasp* a good tat sleeve. My hubby ... never. *grin*.
I love black and white, always have. So - while I would LOVE to get all decked out for New Years Eve with heels and red lipstick ... that won't be the dress-code for our night. So, instead, I've chosen to live vicariously through Polyvore and have created this little pin with some things that I would love to own.
But don't. *grin*
Anyway ... that's my post for today. So, I ask you ... do you like how you dress? Do you even care? When you look in your closet, do you think it represents you well? Are you waiting to lose that 10lbs before you invest in how you look? Would you think that having Stacy & Clinton show up at your door with $5000 would be a lovely thing?? Oh ... I'd take it, for sure!!
Well, like most of you, I'm up to my eyeballs in new images taken over the Christmas holidays. Between school Christmas events, family Christmas events, birthdays and now - New Years - it's the busiest time of year for my camera.
Speaking of which ... Nikon is supposed to be having a MASSIVE announcement the first week of January. I've been waiting, literally, for years to upgrade my camera. I cannot WAIT for this announcement and hope it's the D800 I've been finger-crossing for.
I'm a camera user, for sure. I LOVE photography, and not only as a business - but in capturing our family's lives. I'm pretty good about staying on top of it ... I love to sit and vege by the t.v. when the kiddies are tucked in at the end of the day ... I love seeing images that were taken ...
And I LOVE creating digipages.
Click images to enlarge ... and hey - have a great one!
First off ... I keep forgetting to tell you about the stuff happening on my RedHanded site ... why don't you all just join the page, and then I won't have to worry about it *grin* ... There are a couple of new posts there, including a shoot from a family from our church. Their little girl is now one ...
You can see that post HERE on my RedHanded Photography blog.
And like I said recently ... I have a lot of digipages that I've completed lately. That 2011 clock is a-tickin'. And I'm crazy about stuff like that ... I need to get it done.
Here's a few more pages that I've been working on lately ...
I've actually created about 4 blogposts all lined up to share ... so more to come.
And let me just take a moment to wish you ALL a very Merry Christmas. The celebration of Christ's birth is not only pivotal to our calendar, it's pivotal to our lives. His birth led to His death and to our salvation. I look forward to spending time with family and with Him, during this very special holiday.
** ok. I'm sick in bed ... wrote this last week ... thought I'd post it today instead of talking about my Dec17 Shalom Day ... honestly. I don't have the strength ... Trevor Linden it is. **
If you're not from Vancouver ... this post will probably mean nothing to you.
If you're not a long-time-Canuck fan ... this post will probably mean nothing to you.
*grin*
BUT. If you ARE either of those ... you just might like this one.
So ... I was in Yaletown, a trendy part of downtown Vancouver, waiting for a client to show up for a photography shoot. I was standing alone ... no one in sight ... and then I noticed two well-dressed men laughing and talking. They were coming towards me, but the sidewalk was being redone, so they were on the street.
They stopped and I thought to myself, "man, those look like hockey players."
Well dressed, they shook hands then parted ways. He turned around. He was still a good ways away, but my heart jumped just a wee bit.
It was #16. It was Trevor Linden (if you're a die-hard Linden fan like me, you'll love THIS ARTICLE I found on him).
Now ... again, you have to BE a Canuck fan to know who this man is. He is the face of all that is good in Vancouver *big grin* ... his number is retired, his legacy lives on. He played in game 7 during the 1994 season ... and I watched. He's now 41 ... and more "Trevor" than ever.
As he got closer, I tried to act cool, "... do I? don't I?"
I had all my photography equipment ... but quickly opted for my iphone.
He kept walking towards me, no one else around, and smiled.
"Um ... would you mind?" I asked with a bit of a squeek in my voice.
"Oh, totally!" he smiled.
Now ... he's, like, a giant ... and I'm, like, a midget.
He put his arm around me, got down close as I stretched out my arm to capture this:
I assure you ... my ridiculous grin was authentic.
And he was wearing cashmere.
And he smelt good.
The photo was over, and he started walking backwards - saying "have a good one", and I just about kicked myself for not coming up with something intelligent to say.
Ah well ... at least I was brave enough to capture the moment. And now I can cross off #87 on my bucket-list *grin*.
And what was the VERY first thing I did? Why, I sent the epic photo to my hubby of course, who immediately responded, "where are you? is that Trevor Linden??"
To which I replied ... "yes it is. that's how I roll."
Today is December 16 ... my mom's birthday. A day that our family celebrates who she is, what she daily gives for us and what an integral part of our family she is.
Last night we all celebrated together ... a wonderful meal and birthday cake, she received gifts and love from us all ... It was an evening full of deep discussion (our family's good for that ...), seemingly solving the world's problems *smile* and dashed with much laughter and good times.
A couple of days ago, a FB friend of a FB friend posted a link called "Why Men and Women Can't Be Friends". There were some deep-rooted comments, and it peaked my interest ... so I watched it.
You can too ... click the movie to watch.
So. What do you think??
I was actually a little dumbfounded by it all ... because if I had been asked, I would've responded like most girls (except the whole "my guy friends actually like me" thing ...). Growing up, the majority of my friends were guys. And although I dated a fair bit, I didn't really date guys that were first my "friend".
But now, as an old-married woman *grin*, I found this video a little ... sad? And have come to a couple conclusions about it.
First ... let me back up. After I watched it, I had a number of conversations about it with various people from my church. Just like the video, guys would smile - get a bit awkward, maybe pull a funny - and say, "no." The guys were pretty adamant that men and women can't "just" be friends. And girls? The complete opposite. In fact, many would say the same thing: "... most of my closest friends are guys."
Strange, no?
So ... why do guys and girls view it so differently? Why are girls somewhat bothered at the fact that maybe this is true - that guys really AREN'T their "friends". And why are guys so sure of the fact, and seem to be totally ok with it?
Here's what I think.
In order to think this video has some merit, you need to look at the demography of who's being asked: college students. I'm going to assume that most people interviewed were between the ages of 19-23. And that, in itself, has massive weight on the answers. Girls are fairly naive, but pretty good at flirting by that point. Guys? Territorial. Hormonal. Trying to prove their masculinity. Most ...ok, hear me out, are just figuring out who they are. They probably don't even want an ACTUAL relationship ... they probably don't even really know how to. So their views are built on those things ....
This, being spoken from an old-married woman, remember?
Another thing to take into account, is the definition of "friend". For girls, if you can laugh and say "hi", you're probably a friend. "Friends" are someone who you don't feel uncomfortable alone in a room with *grin* - someone who is probably a FB friend, someone you see every few years. For most guys, this doesn't cut it. To a guy, I think it's a word with a much deeper, weightier meaning. A "friend" is someone you can bear your soul to, someone who's there through thick and thin, someone who's there when you need them the most.
For example, when I was asking people at my church what they thought of this, I asked a guy if he was my "friend". I've known him for 10+ years ... and I was surprised when he said, "well, no. You're more of an acquaintance."
Oh.
But I asked another guy, a married guy, and he said, "of course Tawn!!" Which leads me to this very warped conclusion.
When you get married, you kinda become ... asexual. *grin*. What I mean by that, is that other people generally see you as "off limits", so there is no sexual tension. A guy isn't going to look at me and say, "wow - that's one hot, married, mother of three." No. Now, of course there are exceptions to this ... and there could even be arguments that some find married people actually more attractive - for whatever reason (boo). But that hasn't really been my experience ... for me, married guys and girls can be "friends" because they're already taken.
Besides, we're not talking about whether guys can be interested in married women or vice versa - we're asking if any man and any woman can JUST be friends.
But again ... you have to DEFINE "friend".
Under the guy's definition ... no. Men and women can't JUST be friends. Because if a girl is bearing her soul, sticking it out through thick and thin, there when he needs her most ... she's probably married to him. *grin*.
I think the whole notion that it's a black and white, "NO" is just silly, though. I mean, it's just plain logic that not every man is interested in every woman. So the women he's NOT interested in ... can't they be friends??? OR is it that guys just want all or nothing ... that if they're not interested in you in a relationship-sort-of-way ... that they really can't be bothered and don't want any sort of relationship at all?
Hmmm. I might be on to something there ...
Where am I going with this? Hmmm ... I don't really know. But it's interesting, no? I'm curious as to what you think ...
"... can men and women JUST be friends?" Can't wait to read the comments on this one *grin*.
My church's Christmas Production is over ... and I really want to write about that experience. There's the bump-in with Mr. Trevor Linden (go-canucks-go) ... There's stuff going through my head about a youtube video I recently watched called "why men and women can't be friends" ... *grin*.
But first ...
It's almost the end of the year and I've been working, working, working at getting my digiscrapping up to date. Yeah. It's been hard, and I'm not quite there yet. But I will be ... hopefully. Only about 7 sets of pics left to scrapbook before the end of my "fiscal" year *grin*. The Christmas season begins the next year ... as I do books for my parents and inlaws - always starting with the previous year's Christmas.
I will say, that my creativity has been lacking. Honestly, I've just been trying to get it DONE. So ... not inspiring, but ... completed.
Ok ... just a simple post ... but I'm pretty excited about this.
I was awarded 6th Place for my entry in the "I Heart Faces: On Your Feet" photo competition. What did I win? Oh, nothing *grin*. But ... out of 599 entries ... I got 6th. Just having my work viewed and critiqued by other photographers is a great thing ...
So. This is the second time this fall that my one of my images have been placed in the Top10.
Yeah. For me ... pretty exciting *grin*.
Check out the image I entered and all about what happened on the post on my RedHanded Photography site HERE.
Apparently, I didn't give my hubby enough options the first time around ... which, I know couldn't possibly be true with 20 items on my list. It just means he didn't like many of them *grin*. Ah well ... that's how he rolls.
SO, this is what he said to me ... no word of a lie: "Just post it up on your blog ... I'll get it there." HA! My hubby has finally learned the benefit of this blog ... even if it is only once a year *grin*.
More items?
Alrighteeee then ...
Lens Cap Strap Holder. I always misplace my camera lens cap. I usually tuck in in under my tank around my waist ... but it would be so nice to HAVE a place to put it while it goes on and off my camera ... Please excuse the horrible Canon advert. I am a Nikon girl through and through. $18.00 online.
The Ring Flash Adapter. Staying with the camera theme ... how cool is THIS?? Only $40.00 and I think it'd be a fun little toy to try out ... And I feel it necessary to remind my hubby to talk to SL about our PO box in the US. Just sayin ...
Professional Hair Flatiron/Straightener: I have one ... but it's really cheap and it doesn't work NEARLY as well as the one my hair-stylest uses. Yes. I'd like a really good one ... not sure what kind? Please give me some advice on this, ladies *grin*. They run from about $59.00-$200.00 ...
Gold chain. I'd love a simple, thin, "when-the-light-hits-it-you-notice-it-then" gold chain. Maybe with a little thingy on it ... like ... a flat circle disk, or a gold-ball, or a ... diamond? Oh, now we're talking *laughing* ...
kickboxing classes. Oh yes, you read that right. Hey hubby, if you're reading this - NR knows all about this ... she's taken a couple of classes and said it's awesome. I THINK this is the right site HERE ...
songwriting recording gear. Hubby, are you still there? We have a few rockstar friends who could give some advice on this ... nothing fancy. Just to be able to use Garage Band on my mac.
new runners. yup ... I need some. My runners have had it ... size 6/7. Ones that can house my running chip ... I love orange still. Kinda my colour when it comes to running ...
ok ... I know, these are all quite "out-there" ... but really, I gave a pretty crazy list last time, no?? Ok ... I'm having a very difficult time thinking of anything else ...
I mean, Bodyshop, jewelry, gift certificates, camera treats, photography nicknacks, time with YOU *hubby ... love dating you *kiss** ... honestly? Whatever I get, it doesn't matter.
Christmas is always great because of who I'm with, not because of what I get. But you know that already.
