Merry Christmas to all! ...and a little birthday wish :)

Merry Christmas everyone! :) 

Have a great time with those close to your heart. Be blessed in every way this season. Make long lasting and warm memories with your family and friends this Christmas.
May you be blessed with a new year filled with met needs and dreams come true, where change is our friend and change means always that we've grown in wisdom and compassion, and we've grown to be better people.

Don't forget The Reason for the season.
May God bless us everyone! :)

...and the little birthday wish is for a sweet little girl, born on Christmas day last year, a girl that is very much loved by Audrey :)
Happy first birthday Carly! We love you lots. xoxo

p.s. I'm checking out until after the holidays ;)

A thought on passion and purpose :: Tuesday's random image of the day

...From one of the lovely sessions I had this fall. A good looking family, beautiful places and gorgeous light. 

I came across this quote yesterday morning, and it stuck with me:

'Some people ask, “What if I haven’t found my true passion?”
It’s dangerous to think in terms of “passion” and “purpose” because they sound like such huge overwhelming ideas.
If you think love needs to look like “Romeo and Juliet”, you’ll overlook a great relationship that grows slowly.
If you think you haven’t found your passion yet, you’re probably expecting it to be overwhelming.
Instead, just notice what excites you and what scares you on a small moment-to-moment level.
If you find yourself glued to Photoshop, playing around for hours, dive in deeper. Maybe that’s your new calling.
If you keep thinking about putting on a conference or being a Hollywood screenwriter, and you find the idea terrifies but intrigues you, it’s probably a worthy endeavor for you.
You grow (and thrive!) by doing what excites you and what scares you everyday, not by trying to find your passion.'
~ Derek Sivers 

Friday - Random image of the day :: Portland Or. Children Photographer

There's nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child.  ~Frank A. Clark

Miss Eliana.

Change, Growth and Discovery :: Thursday - Random image of the day

"Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever or whatever abysses nature leads, or you will learn nothing."
~Thomas H. Huxley

I need help finding a chair - "the perfect chair"

I've been looking for a little while now for a fun chair to use as a prop for my photo shoots. I've got the perfect locations to use it in. I just need to find it. Apparently I haven't been looking hard enough.

That's where I need your help. I haven't been able to put enough time into the hunt, between putting a great amount of time into building the photography business, being a full time graphic designer, a full time mom of a two year old and a wife (listed in no particular order :). 

Some of you love to look for stuff and come across cool finds or know people that love to look for stuff and/or always come across the right thing at the right time.

Well, here is what I'm looking for - a victorian style chair or even a little sofa. No, it does not need to be in great condition. I'm going for the vintage look - victorian, but vintage. A mossy green, purple, burgundy, red, blue, chocolate brown, or even a mustard colored one would make my day :)
I'll post a few pictures I came across on google (and links to the pages where I got them from, for credit) to give you a better idea of what I have in mind. I am not trying to get a new one, so do keep that in mind when you come across chairs listed at a few hundred or thousands of dollars ;) I might be interested in those in a couple of years when the studio is up and running, but for now I am looking for something that I can haul around and have in different outdoor settings. 

What's in it for you? A fun (free) portrait photo session, the printed set of all the proofs from the session (20-25 5x7 prints) and three digital files of your choice, from the session. That's if I buy the chair you find. It is a hunt definitely worth your time ;) You can tell I have my heart set on one.

Over the last few months I've seen several fellow photographers come across great finds, comparable to the images posted, and get them for anywhere from free to $40 (estate sales and Craigslist). So I know that those rare gems are out there. It just takes the right person to find them. And maybe you are the right person. Unless you see me posting pictures of it know that I am still on the lookout and keep hunting :)

Thank you for spreading the word about this. You have my gratitude.
E-mail me if you have any more questions, or you think you found what I'm looking for.