worth remembering: creative escape 2011

when i began this journey and attended my first creative escape, i had no idea it would become such a huge part of my life for the next years that followed. i remember feeling so fortunate and lucky that i was picked in the lottery to attend in 2009 that i kind of made a deal with myself to just savor every second because in my eyes the opportunity was truly "once in a lifetime". in 2010, i decided to just take a chance and enter the lottery anyway. odds are, i would never be able to go again right? well, low and behold i attended the 2nd creative escape and it was even more fabulous and amazing than my first experience. after that second one, and when it was announced that this year, 2011 would be the last one it was an absolute given that i just had to be there. and what can i say...this year was completely incredible from start to finish. what a journey it has been. nothing beats the beauty of the desert. the hotel that hosts the convention, the sheraton wild horse resort and spa is truly fabulous. i love the atmosphere, the colors, the smell, the sound, the landscape. the music that fills the lobby and every corner of the hotel is so comforting and relaxing. it truly is a piece of desert paradise. and yes temperatures may have reached record setting high's of 119...but absolutely nothing could keep this girl away from just absorbing it all and snapping a few photos of the gardens around the resort. it is the best. sights like these i never want to forget. this years theme "worth remembering" brought us all back to the 1950's. the decor of creative escape made me think of poodle skirts, saddle shoes, ponytails, diners and ice cream floats. i loved the theme, and what was even hotter than the temperatures outside was mr. bazill's bright red shiny t-bird that dazzled during the thursday bazaar event. i was so lucky to see maggie holmes again too! she is an incredible photographer, scrapbooker and designer. she taught at last year's creative escape and this year she attended as a student. she had the most beautiful table set up during the bazaar full of her creativity and photography. she is also a momma to some of the most beautiful children i have ever seen! what an absolute treat it was to see her and chat for a bit. love her! she is someone i truly admire in many ways. next up on thursday was heidi swapp's mini class. she taught the coolest project! we were all able to YUDU screen our very own creative escape apron that we got to keep. we also were able to sew our own blossom as an accent to the apron which was really fun for me because i learned a new way to create flowers. oooh the possibilities! next up was the trunk show which always is my top favorite of the event. all of the teachers set up a table displaying some of their favorite projects. nothing beats being able to see projects i have admired through blogs, magazines etc. up close and personal. very inspiring. i also love how each teacher's personal style is so evident throughout their display's. a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy. the ideas one gets after seeing such beautiful display's are incredible. my heart and mind are full for the next 10 years easy! it is always such an honor to be able to just absorb and enjoy the albums and projects. i feel very blessed that i was given the chance to have such an intimate glance into their creative life. i can appreciate that because scrapbooks are so personal, and such treasured possessions that it is really incredible how willing and open the instructors are to sharing their stories. thank you so much for that. meeting ali edwards. there are no words. all i can say is wow. this woman is amazing! her stories, her passion, her simplicity, her truth. everything about her makes me excited for life and for documenting my own. she makes it feel possible and exciting. i have always hoped that one day i would be able to learn from her. i believe that my believing and putting it out there created this moment and i am truly so appreciative and grateful. meeting her was a full circle moment for me. her class was amazing. one of the best parts about creative escape is not only the amount of creativity and learning that happens, but the incredible people that come and the friendships that are created. the women that i met throughout my years at creative escape will forever be with me and are some of my most treasured. we had so much fun learning, laughing, crying, scrapbooking. there is nothing more powerful than that of like minds and being together with you all doing what we love is truly the best. i am so grateful to have met you all and am a better person for it. heidi swapp delivered the keynote this year. her story...i do not have the words to even begin to describe her story. all i know is that her words and images touched me to the very core. her openness and passion are beyond anything that i have ever been around and because of things i had seen and heard through her presentation i am forever changed. my perspective has changed. my desires have changed. my belief in scrapbooking has intensified beyond measure. never underestimate the power of photographs. she is everything i love about scrapbooking and photography. there will never be enough thank you's to offer to her to how she has changed my life. from my first CE to the last CE, she is and forever will be an angel to me. she is one of those people who has come into my life and left footprints on my heart. once CE wrapped up, we spent the remainder of our time shopping and enjoying a relaxing sunday in HOT chandler, arizona. it was so nice to spend some girl time together. enjoying one another's company, sharing stories, and eating some amazing food! i will never forget the food at ling louie's and that banana spring roll dessert. be still my heart! right now, i just feel so full of thoughts that i am not sure if i can adequately express just what these past 3 years have meant to me. but one thing i DO know is what i believe. and what this event represents is exactly that. i found another quote the other day that i believe to be true with all my heart. it is something that i want to include in my life everyday. "surround yourself with people that inspire and uplift you. people who think big allow you to expand. you cannot put your hand into a pot of glue without some of it sticking and likewise you cannot interact with inspired people without some of that rubbing off on you" - John Demartinil. what i have learned, how i have been influenced for the better, how i see the world now, how i want to continue living my life has all been impacted and empowered by my time spent here and the people that i have met and the relationships that have formed. it is so bittersweet to say goodbye. my heart is sad, yet my heart is happy for everything that i have embraced. thank you so much CE for the life changing experience. eternally grateful am i.

me right now.

life right now. busy and full of excitement. so far, this month has started off perfectly. a relaxing long weekend, work, wedding to photograph in saskatchewan, more work, a few photo sessions and then last but certainly not least the event that is quickly approaching, creative escape. mix into that some beautiful sunshine weather, visits with friends, cozy summer nights...beautiful august. i am so excited for this month. so grateful for so many things. mostly i am grateful right now for creativity. for the love and desire i have within me to just celebrate life and embrace it. i find it so fascinating, i really do. often times i can feel kind of like an outsider. it is weird, but sometimes i guess i just feel misunderstood. like others think it is funny, or silly, or weird. or they just don't get it. sometimes this can bother me, and other times i just feel sorry for them. it is a shame that their life is just passing them by and they are not choosing to see it for what it is. i find comfort knowing that i do get it. i do see it. i don't need something tragic to happen in my life for me to gain perspective, or appreciation. i feel it everyday. and for that i am eternally grateful and celebrating what i see, feel, and do. i am so happy that i take the time to write things down. to journal, to take photographs, to document. it has forever changed me for the better and continues to do so. thinking about creative escape i am so grateful for that experience. for the people i have met, stories i have heard, inspiration that has never left me. that experience alone has been tremendously life changing...and all thanks to scrapbooking and creativity. so as i sit here in anticipation of this last year, i am finding comfort in new ideas, brainstorming projects, wondering what we are going to learn. it is so exciting for me, i am counting down the sleeps!

28 reasons...

happy 28th birthday to this boy. it is so hard to believe that when you came into my life you were only 19...and now look how many years has passed and it still seems like i just met you yesterday. there are so many ways to celebrate you and what you have brought into my life. since it is your 28th birthday, i thought i would take a moment to celebrate you in 28 ways...28) you love to make me laugh 27) you take care of all of the "boy" jobs around here, and do them perfectly! 26) you love my cooking, and always tell me that supper was good! 25) you are always so considerate, whether it be checking in with me or popping me a quick phone call, you care what i think and feel. 24) you have so many awesome friends who are very important to you 23) you cook breakfasts on (most) weekends 22) you work so hard at everything you do 21) you create goals in your life, and always successfully work towards achieving them 20) you love our dog 19) you are the neat one, always hanging up your clothes in your closet 18) you are always wanting to help me out, to make things easier for me, and you care to do that and will say it 17) you love to have fun 16) you like to shop for clothes (which can make shopping together fun!) 15) you have passions in your life, and i adore that 14) you kiss me on the cheek every morning before you go to work 13) you wash my car for me always, i don't even have to ask! 12) you are excited about becoming a dad one day, and tell me often! 11) you care about my dreams and things that are important to me 10) you love to surprise me 9) you are patient with me when some things i get involved in take up a lot of my extra free time 8) i love it when you watch my girly tv shows with me, and you don't complain! 7) you take me for soft ice cream 6) i love hearing how you are excited for our trip to NYC 5) you care so much about others 4) you are an amazing listener 3) i adore your patience 2) you encourage me when i am in doubt 1) i love hearing you say how you love the life we have and share together. happy 28th birthday to an incredible person who makes my world brighter and more promising everyday! we have so much fun together, it has never stopped. xoxo

blessed.

so it has been awhile. wow, almost a month. i honestly do not know what has gotten into me...it is not that i have stopped journaling or writing...it's just that maybe i needed a bit of a blog break. but then i think of all of the amazing blogs out there that inspire me endlessly and i think to myself, i better get on some entries! at the end of it all, it is the collection of thoughts, stories and moments that i am wanting in the end, even if i do not have something amazing to say...at least i have something jotted down! reflecting back on this past month it has been such a whirlwind! so many things going on, awesome moments and beautiful memories. i was very fortunate and lucky to be able to photograph 2 weddings this month, one was on my own the other i assisted. they were such fun times and awesome creative outlets for me. then there has been visits with family and bbq's which has also been awesome. i think the best part of summer is the memories we create. life just seems to have a different pace. yes, it goes fast...but it just feels good all at the same time. on sunday we celebrated my aunt's birthday. it was so neat and nostalgic being down at the cabin all together. i remember being there as a kid, in the summer and how i thought it was one of the most amazing and cool places on earth. to this day, i still do. it is so beautiful out there...and how one forgets until you get back out there and see it for yourself. i love how seeing something so simple as a curtain pattern, or familiar dish can bring you back so many years to one moment that all of a sudden just comes alive in your mind. again, the power of memories. it was neat because we all took time to take family photos of each family. it was so much fun and so amazing to see how everyone has grown and where we all are in our lives. at the end of the day, we are really lucky to have one another, to be healthy and happy and blessed with all that we have. no matter what we will always be there for one another. truly open and there. my girls. i love these people like no other. our bond with one another is something words cannot even begin to describe. we have had so many awesome moments...laughing, crying, sharing...i think God everyday for having these people in my life. nothing is more comforting than knowing no matter what, i will always know that they will be there for me unconditionally. i am so grateful for our past memories and our future ones, because i know they will be simply awesome. i am looking forward to the weekend, more time to celebrate as it is matthew's birthday. then we begin the month of august. :)

just so right.

well, it has been such a whirlwind since the middle of last week. and it has been awesome. watching one of my closest friends get married, and being so lucky to have been a part of the day was a moment i will never let go of. it was so beautiful for so many reasons. i love how it feels to be so happy for someone else. it's a happy that you just cannot contain that just wants to come out and be alive. and that is the kind of happy i have for her and her new husband and their new life together. i just admire her for so many things. she has such strength and devotion in her, and i know that no matter what she will do in her life, she will only experience great things for everything that she has chosen to do previous. there were moments of her wedding where i was really able to witness true love and devotion. never giving up and never letting go. believing in something when you have every reason to turn the other way and let go of all that you have hoped for. it was amazing and i loved it. thank you again for everything. xox now that the wedding is over i will be focusing my time on my own photography, working and completing an amazing course i am taking called "soul restoration 2" and it has been so awesome. i have been busily completing and creating inside my art journal and so far i absolutely love it. the projects are so amazing, thought provoking, and even just for my overall creativity it has been a perfect boost. i am so thankful that there are people out there putting out such incredible courses and that with the internet people all over the world are able to connect and learn from each other. I also read the most awesome quote today and it really made me think and even be more grateful for opportunities to learn and grow and stretch yourself beyond places you thought you could go. The quote reads "I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth, then i ask myself the same question" ~Harun Yahya yeah...makes you stop and think hey?

think.

so let's just say i have been away thinking. a lot has gone on in the month of may, and i guess you could say it lead to a personal "shut-down". just some space, time to breathe, time to clear my head, time to help, time to think. it is not as if there has not been stuff to talk or write about, but i think in life we just all need a break sometimes and maybe my month of may was it. every now and then i often find i am at a loss for words to describe a certain way that i am feeling, or thinking. the other week i came across the above quote and it was like, "aaahhh...FINALLY some sweet inspiration". i just LOVE this. thank you for re-energizing my heart. right now i am just in between a lot of things. photography, projects, wellness, weddings etc. it has been really good and for the first time in a while i just am feeling really content. not necessarily caught up by any means, but just content. today i actually took 20 minutes and just laid outside on the grass. i closed my eyes and really listened to the wind, the birds, the calm. it was so nice and i just truly felt grateful for that moment. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif grateful that the sun was out, grateful that their was a beautiful breeze to compliment and ride on it's rays. happy that i had the afternoon to do that and blessed that i took the chance to do so. happy is also an upcoming celebration. one of my best friends will be getting married in a few short weeks and i cannot be happier, or luckier, that i get to be a part of her big day and watch her become a brand new wife. it is a very exciting time and i am really looking forward to the big day. i have also been busy posting some photography love on my life artistry photography blog. beautiful families celebrating themselves, one of my most favorite things. :)

welcome may.

welcome may, i am happy you are here. it really does seem so surreal how we are already in the month of may. for the record, 2011 has really been going at warp speed. the days and months passing by so quickly that at times i feel like before i can even get a grasp and handle on the month that it is, poof...it is over. the next month quickly takes up it's place and so life goes on. the past few days have been very difficult to process. a family that i know lost one of their loved ones. at a very young age and in a very tragic way. it has been so surreal to even begin to understand how things like this happen. why. such a popular word and question for so many, yet at the same time so powerless and useless at a time of such sadness. no one knows why. this whole event has really had me thinking over the past few days about everything. about the present, about life, about dreams and hopes, about plans. about the fact that we are all here on borrowed time and when that time has to be given back...so hard to comprehend. so as much as i look forward to a brand new month it is with such sadness and confusion in my heart. right now, more than ever i am thankful for many things. for LIFE, for breath, for extra time, the extra daylight with sunshine. for apples and fresh veggies, for cold water and my running shoes. for stretching and yoga, for journaling, for friendships.

spring.

oh i how loved this weekend. the pace, the sunshine, the birds outside, the meals. it was so good. i loved how it was full of spontaneous unplanned things. the conversations, the visits, the mood. it was a beautiful weekend and it makes me feel like spring is on it's way (finally!). today i even had a late afternoon nap, which was truly such a treat. this weekend was full of so much goodness and gratitude. for the people in my life, the connections we share and the moments that we create together. it just is, and i love that. it is sometimes so easy to forget all that we have in such a fast paced materialistic world that influences in sometimes not the best ways. with so many distractions i often feel that it is a constant struggle to maintain focus and attention on the things i know matter. they can often get blurred in the dust and shadow of everything else. but i will continue to persevere and push forward and turn away the negative forces and influences that try to make their way towards me. life is full of little moments everyday that are just simply awesome. as the last week of april approaches i am excited for it. it is going to be a great busy week ahead.

picture on my wall.

i received this photo as a gift from my best friends years ago. a photo of new york. looking back it is funny how things work out and you do not even realize it at the moment. back then i guess i would have labeled myself as intuitive. but maybe, not really aware that i was? in any case, i have just always been so fascinated with visiting this city one day. this picture has been displayed on my wall since 2002 and i look at it everyday. it is also a very significant picture for me because not only was it bought for me for my birthday by my best friends, but it was bought at a time in my life when i was going through a very difficult time (or so i thought) in my life. since then i have always thought, "one day...i will be there". kind of that bucket list deal. well, low and behold 9 years later on my birthday i receive the most amazing and spectacular words-cannot-even-express-moment from my husband...a trip to new york! right now at this very moment i am just trying to process the whole thing. it is really coming true for me! i am such a believer now in intuition, and on cultivating and manifesting your life, but did i know much about that 9 years ago? not really...maybe i was just not conscious of it but it was happening all along? such a mystery to me...but so sweet all at the same time. i guess on of the most beautiful parts of this whole moment for me is witnessing the connection and unfolding of being married to someone who helps me achieve my dreams. someone who cares about my heart, and my goals, and my thoughts, and my hopes. my "one day i will..." kind of thing. and i guess the best part is that it is not even the big deals where i am bearing witness to this sort of thing. it is the everyday unnoticed moments that also serve to make my dreams come true. the whole package. it takes my breath away and makes me so grateful to have found such a beautiful person to share my life with. of course it is real life, and we all know how UN-glamorous it can be...but i guess the beauty and mystery of this world lies in finding those hidden moments and really looking beyond to find those sparkling times. i am so excited for this upcoming trip. to see, and be, and do all that i have dreamed of and looked forward to. i just cannot wait to stand in central park...look to my left, look to my right, look down at my feet planted firmly on the ground and say to myself, "i am here".

awake and here.

wow. so ok...it is already almost mid april. seriously, i know i say it all the time but WHERE oh where has it gone? this is crazy. i guess i know where it has gone. between life and work and all the oh so good extra, that is just the way it goes. feeling pretty excited for spring, the extra sunlight, the spring run off...birds singing in the morning. so awesome. also getting ready for some busy weekends ahead. my 29th birthday (eeek!) is just one week away...gosh. seriously? i honestly can close my eyes and remember what i thought when i was 15 at this very moment. the thought of being 29 seemed sooooo far away. i would always sit back, wonder and imagine what my life would be like at that age. what the world would be like. and now...was it what i thought it was going to be? am i where i should be? life for the most part is pretty awesome. i am feeling probably the strongest i have been. both mentally and emotionally. after having a somewhat rougher year last year it is so refreshing and such a blessing to be where i am right now. for that i am truly grateful. i am so happy too that i have been really sticking with my new years promises in maintaining, sustaining and working hard to strengthening myself with exercise, proper eating, mindful living and practicing daily gratitude. so far, so good. and i truly do feel so much better for it. there are so many great things to be looking forward to this year that i have to keep inspired, stay strong and focused. there have been so many things on my mind that i could sit and type for hours. but it is late. it was a long week and my bed is calling my name. excited for an awesome saturday tomorrow!