Happy New Year!

2010 has a nice ring to it. It has 5 rings to it if you live in our beautiful city of Vancouver. I'm excited to see what the new year will bring. Always topping the list is that the year brings great health and happiness to all I know and love. And now, more than ever, I want this to be the year of adventure.
Here's my mini list of resolutions for 2010:
-be true to myself-let happiness guide me
-go on an adventurous/active holiday to somewhere I've never been before
-be a conscious consumer - remember to buy local, use cloth bags and support small businesses, take any steps I can to reduce my carbon footprint
-get in great shape - keep up with yoga/running/spinning
-improve my photo skills-take another photo class
-spend a lot of time with friends/family
-read a book a month
-find some great new dining spots
-explore BC's great outdoors by trying new hikes/new paddling spots/new weekend getaways
-do what I can to kick shyness to the curb

Basically the overall goal is to make the year count. As we all know, it's not the years in our life that counts, it's the life we put in our years.

Top 10 photos of 2009

Here's a little sample of my favourite photos of the year. In 2009 my love affair with photography exploded. I am happiest when my camera is in my hands because it means i'm feeling inspired and living in the moment. For various reasons these images capture great memories for me. I hope you enjoy them too.

top 10 pix of the year

First Model Photo Shoot

back to basics

Less is more. I'm not sure if it's recession fallout or simply part of aging, but I find myself gravitating towards all that is pure and simple. Maybe it's backlash from the media's obsessive elevation of society's drain hair to "superstar" status for doing nothing: John and Kate plus hate, Loser Lohan, the "real" housewives of H.O. Why is superficial drama the new reality?
I'm on a back-to -basics pilgrimage (without the bottled holy water): Shopping at local farms, cooking with fresh ingredients, themed pot lucks with friends, drinking wine by the fire (even if it's electric), watching bands perform (who actually write their own music), riding bikes like kids (fast and frenzied), running (somewhat fast?), digging in the garden, yoga, great books, photographing everything, movies and shows with refreshingly original writing, travelling (near and far), a great cup of joe, laughing with friends (not via a texted LOL) - pure, organic moments. Is this a midlife crisis (without the supercool car?)

pat & matt

a few more favourite photos from this year...

the return of the blog

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've updated this blog. I'm excited to start it up again. I've missed writing. For the past year, writing has definitely taken a backseat to photography. I've just fallen head over heels in love with photography. Thanks to digital cameras, photography is such an accessible and instant art form. These are some of my favourite images from the past year. I just love the character in these faces, and love these characters.

A new year

These are the most significant images for me from 2007. My heart was taken to the greatest heights and the deepest sorrow in 365 short days. With the births of Jack Bland and Josh Chalmers-We, the world is undoubtedly a better place. I can't wait to watch them as they make their marks, step by step. Of course, life also has a way of throwing you curveballs, moments that are so enormous and life-changing that your world is never the same. September 23, 2007 will never be forgotten. It was the worst phone call of our lives and in the blink of an eye, one of our best friends was gone. Flying to Africa, a few short days later, for a trip I had dreamt of since I was a little girl, suddenly felt entirely wrong. I wanted to grieve and be surrounded by our network of friends and family. But now I suspect Africa was my place of healing. There's something that happens to the spirit as elephants, giraffes and zebras stroll by you set against the backdrop of the Serengeti. A fire erupts in your belly as you fall asleep in a tent to the sounds of roaring lions on the other side of very thin canvas. Your heart is taken to new levels when a classroom of African children sing happy birthday or write you love letters. Scotty's death has changed my outlook on life. I know that I was the luckiest woman because I got to hug him and kiss his cheek and tell him I loved him a few hours before he died. Life is fragile. Moments have to be counted.
My sweet friend Cathy has called 2008 the "year of the birth". It is the year for new beginnings, new adventures, new chances. The only resolution I have is that everyone I know and love has a happy and healthy year, follows their hearts and lives life as big as they can.

jack- pix from a proud aunt

Best of Africa Pix

Africa through my eyes

White Rock in the winter