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    I'm not the official photographer for the CNDC, so even though I did take my camera to the event, I didn't sit there with my long lens hoping to snag a few shots.  I sat there as a parent... watching my kids' every move, enjoying every single beat of their dance.

     

    Some moments are un-photograph-able if there's such a word.  And I found that most of the moments were just that.  Made to be taken in, enjoyed and admired.  

    However, there was this ONE moment, when Gabriela and her friend, Shannon.  This was my view of them as they watched the numbers before them, ready to go on stage and perform.

     

     

    I've never been more proud of my kids than I have been this weekend.  Not because of their many GOLD medals, Trophies and placements, but because they found a passion, developed a skill, and were not afraid to show the world. Their ranking wasn't the goal.  The goal was to get up there and not be afraid.

     

    Their goal was the path, not the medal.  The medals help, of course, but more than anything they're the reminder that if you work hard enough and have courage, you can do anything.

     

    There's another thing that I'm very proud of and I'm not afraid to say it: I'm proud of their dance school, Kickit Dance Studio, for having such dedication to all of "their kids", committing to teaching them the highest standards of performance, and most importantly: conduct.  When you're in a venue where kids from all over Winnipeg are competing, you see that not everyone behaves the same way.  Not everyone is polite (though many were indeed!) and not everyone is taught the same technical standards.  But one thing that really stood out was that some schools dress their kids inappropriately.  

     

    One number that really stood out to me was this tap solo by a little girl who couldn't have been older than 10, from another dance studio, whom I had heard was an amazing tap dancer - so I was looking forward to seeing her.  She came on stage carrying a prop that looked like cell bars and her song was Jailhouse Rock.  She was wearing the shortest shorts with huge frills sticking out of the back of the shorts (like a can-can dancer), short top showing midriff, and very suggestive sensual moves that would make anyone blush.  She got second place.

    I don't know who to blame: the dance studio for allowing that kind of performance, the teacher who choreographed the dance, the girl's parents who agreed to have their child look like that, or the CNDC who rewarded her with gold anyway...

     

    All I can say is thank you Kickit, for dressing our kids appropriately and choreographing their dances according to their age as well.

     

     


    Last weekend Jascha and I and our neighbors headed out to Boissevain to pick up some perennials, drop off some 1/4 down.... you know, the usual stuff you do in Boissevain (???)

     

    Nanci and Steve have these great friends out there who we've heard about since the first day they moved in next door (pretty much), so we were super excited to see their place.

     

    When we got out there, I could hardly believe my eyes!!!  I never knew there were hills this close to the flatlands!!! Why didn't anybody tell me that? You've all been keeping me prisoner here in the prairies, with this beautifully hilly town just 3 hours away!!! I've been here so long, I almost got vertigo going down those hills!

     

    In any case, our time there was fantastic and I would like to thank Merle and Marilyn for their incredible hospitality by posting these.

     

    Thank you thank you thank you!  My garden will be beautiful and it'll have a story to tell.

     

    Here's some images:

     

    The view from our room:

     

     

     A little treat:

     

     

    One of my favorite features of their home:

     

     

    Their AMAZING vegetable garden!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Supper on the fire:

     

     Bison, Chicken and Venison.  Brazilian style!!!

     

     Some of the views:

     

     

     

     

    Guys, you've raised the bar on hospitality and good times!  Thank you and let's do it again!

     

     

     

     

     


    If you keep up with Boge culture, you must know that the tie was broken when baby Jackson came into the world last year... 6 boys and 5 girls all under the age of 9...

     

    But, the tie is on again!  Katyiana Ginette Boge (Jamie and Ghislaine's baby) came into the world just over a week ago and is cute as a button!  I can't believe how much she's grown already in just a few days!  I'm specially excited because I get to photograph this little cutie - and I get to pass on the millions of pink clothes to her and her big sister Anastasia! Yay for the girls.

     

    We always wonder who will be the next to break the tie and I can tell you right now it won't be me... Krista,  Lori and Ghislaine (again) are up for it this time!

     

    Enough "Boge Talk"! Time for some pictures!

     I was sitting there visiting with Ghislaine and Mom and then all of a sudden, Sebastien (we call him Sea-bass) runs into his bedroom and grabs his pillow, which is a signal to his mom that he wants to hold baby K!  

     

    He is just in awe of her... 

     

    Then all of a sudden, he just starts watching TV and holding her, like it's no big deal, he's just doing his job.  Just like his dad!!!   

     

     

     

    Then we try to get Anastasia in the picture and she just isn't quite interested at first...

     

     

    But then, all of a sudden, she is ok with it for about 2 seconds, so I have to work fast!

     

     

     

    Then I get this little sweetie pie all to myself... 

     

     

    Naked Newborns are always a good subject...  And naked babies in their mommy's arms... oh so sweet...

     

     

     

     It's always good to finish with babies in the makeup case, isn't it?

     

    Thank you for letting me come over, guys!  Time to update the family picture, quick, before the next one comes!

     

    Love, Tante Patty!

     

     

     

     


    Fresh Powder is a marvelous thing.  Ask any skier, they'll tell you it's the stuff they all dream of!

    I say "they" because if you saw me ski, you'd see what I mean...  It's been 11 years of "beginner classes" and then some.

    But hey, I love my family, so I keep going!  One of these days I'll get it right yet!

     

    So, anyway, back to my fresh powder story... We get to Steamboat for our annual ski holiday, and there's NO powder, anywhere!!!  The grass is green, people are walking around in T-Shirts and we're thinking: Good thing there's a pool!  

     

    It's a little disappointing to go all that way, spend all that money and end up sitting at the pool all week, but hey, it's family time.  I won't complain (see second paragraph!)

    However, as we're getting dinner ready for 35 PEOPLE (!!!) we look outside and its snowing... it's not just snowing, it's SNOWING!  Falling by the FEET, not inches!  So I put on my skis - Jascha say they'll eventually expire for the lack of use, just like my golf clubs, but hey, maybe then I'll be able to trade them for a snowboard - and off I go!

     There's no way that I'll take my expensive professional camera on the hill, so I go with my little trusty iPhone and here's the shots.

    All skiers, prepare to drool...

     

    There were times my boots were completely buried in the snow!

     

    Here's the ski village shortly after.  On the bottom left you see grumpy pants, Sabrina (from the back), not impressed to have to walk in ski boots.

     

     

    That one day was the "funnest" day I've ever had skiing!  Thank you Hans Jr and kids for skiing with me and being so patient waiting for "Tante Patty".

     

    I really think that maybe I need to give up the two planks and just go for one... (ie Snowboard).  What do you think?  Is it waaaaay harder?

     Oh, and on getting stuck... One of the prices you pay for all this beautiful "fresh powder" is that you just can't drive on it!  So, because every trip needs a good story, we ended up spending 24 hours stuck in Laramie, WY, in quite the "horror flick" motel, until the roads opened up.  

     

    All in all though, great trip, awesome company, great family and friends and hey, FRESH POWDER! 

     


    If you don't know Kuzco and Kron, this won't be nearly as funny but still worth the read...

    See, I have two girls, Gabriela and Sabrina who are 8 and 6 years old and who have been watching me as a photographer for their whole lives.  They just don't know any different. They sit in the other room while I have consultations and they see the pictures that I take of Weddings, Portraits, you name it! So the other night while we had some friends over for dinner, they were doing a "consultation".  

    I didn't realize this, but this is what I found after.  As you see, Kalina and David are getting married, and I'm guessing that Bm stands for Bridesmaids but I'm not sure what Bt means.  I know it's the list of the Groomsmen: Kuzco and Kron ring a bell and I think I know the Ryan guy but not so sure about the others:

     

     

     I guess they absorb absolutely everything that I do!  Here's some shots that I got of them this fall and haven't been able to post yet...

    First, my very sexy husband!

    Here's Gabriela:

    Sabrina:

    The latter is such a drama queen (who could she possibly get that from?) that I know I'll be picking out a dress for the Oscars one day...  Hopefully she uses her powers for good, not evil...

     Classic bunny ears:

     

    Then a progression that tells me they've seen too many "romantic" pictures...

    I'm the only mom that takes pictures of the kids all the while telling them to please stop kissing!

    I couldn't love them anymore than I do...

     

     Their connection is unlike any other I've ever seen... Best Friends, inseparable. 

    Too many years with a camera poiting at them, you think?

     Check out the Drama Queen on this one:

     

    Would you believe me if I told you that I really DON'T tell them how to pose?

     

    And this is how I knew that the photo shoot was officially over...

    Life is good, isn't it?

     

    I'm so blessed.

    I invite you to look around yourself this Season and count your blessings too... They are all around you and they come in all shapes and sizes.

     

    Happy Holidays!

     


     

     


    The time of the year is slowly approaching where I can hook you up with some stuff that isn't Wedding Photography, or Portrait Photography...  It's way too cold in Winnipeg for all that stuff, so even though we don't really stop photographing, we get a little break and get to finish albums, do print orders and post some images from my travels!

    So I thought I'd share some with you today and  announce the Grand Opening of my online Art Store. In it you'll be able to order some of my travel photography from Europe, Canada and the USA.

    Pre-register here and get U$10.00 off your order.  You'll also be notified when the Grand Opening actually happens.

    Click here!

     Anyhoo, here's some of our images from our recent trip to Arizona.  

    Our friend Matthew organized  a Desert Storm Hummer excursion to the Senora Desert, and though skeptical of these "tours", we went and were pleasantly suprised!  Steve was our guide and he was fun and super knowledgeable.  Warning: this tour is not for people who have frequent trips to the Chiropractor or serious back problems! This Hummer travelled over any terrain imaginable to man!

    Here's some images for you!

    Here's me looking dorky, and no this image will NOT be for sale!

    Our guide Steve surprised us with a Tarantula that was hiding in his Hummer the whole time.  Maybe that's why they warn you to only use closed toe shoes on the tour.

     

    Roberto had to try holding it too!  Tarantulas are actually not poisonous.  Their sting hurts like a bee sting, but it won't kill ya!  STILL, no thanks!

     

     This here is a Tomatillo (some kind of desert tomato):

    And then the Saguaros!  They are hundreds of years old!  They have to be at least 85 years old to sprout their first arm, so you can just imagine how old this guy is!  They are the most protected cacti in the United States.  You can go to jail for harming one of these!

     

    Some more cacti:

     

     

     

    A couple of days after our friends left, we went to Sedona to spend the day... The drive was absolutely stunning!  It's amazing how as you get higher up in Altitude, the climate changes and so does the vegetation.  No more Saguaros and a lot of red dirt! I should say soil or clay or something eh?

    The sights in Sedona are very popular, and I'm sure you've seen these mountains on postcards before:

    I was just blown away at the Blue Skies everywhere. 

    Then just a little further North on the way to Oak Creek Canyon, you see this:

     

     

    Back in Sedona, we went to the Chapel on the Rock.  Yes, an actual church! Designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright student, Marguerite Brunswig Staude, the chapel was built in 1956 and rises 200 feet from the ground between two large red rock formations.

     

    Once you climb up there, this is what you see.  (oh, when I say climb I mean drive.  You didnt' think I was actually going to climb that, did you?)

    And this is the view of the Chapel from the top:

     

     The inside is magestic.

     

     

    And here is the most Photographed spot in the United States.  Cathedral Rock at Sunset.

     

    And here is me and my husband on holidays!!!  You won't see it very often, so enjoy!  Yes, I still look like a dork, but there was red dirt everywhere, you just coudn't wear your Jimmy Choos to this place!

     

    Hope you enjoyed it!

     

    Please comment!!


    I am NOT crafty!  People that know me, like Yoko and Brownyn (crafty!), know that I don't have a crafty bone in my body.  Just like the shy bone that I'm also missing...  You get the picture...

    But when Yoko told me she was doing a workshop with kids to make a card for Santa, I signed up my kids.  They LOVE crafting (which is a thorn on my side, like the SNOW/WINTER thing - more on that another day).

    If that wasn't enough, I also planned Sabrina's birthday party at Yoko's studio!  See, I'm NOT crafty (broken record... I know), so signing up my kids for a craft party with Yoko meant that I just had to pay and show up and Yoko would do the rest!  She even provided the cupcakes and cookies from Sweet Impressions and for a small fee she also provided the Loot Bags!  It's like hiring someone to do your laundry!  It's a dirty job and it's better when someone else does it!

    Let me tell you, best investment I ever made!

    Here's some images of the Santa Card Workshop.  Yoko created these amazing cards and also gave the kids cookies to leave for Santa and the Reindeer (don't tell Santa, but we ate the cookies in the car on the way home - my kids kinda know that Santa, well... never mind, don't want to ruin your Christmas).

    Inside the cards you have to check off if you've been naughty, nice, etc. My kids lied.

     

     

     

    Here Gabriela looks like she swallowed the Canary...

     

    Here's the very very yummy cookies!

     

     

    Here's Yoko giving out instructions.  The kids clung to her every word!

     

     

    Here's some of the stuff that gives me hives.

     

     

    Gorgeous cards though!

    Here's Sabrina's card.  Santa will KNOW that she's my kid!!!

     

     

     She might not be crafty, but she has a great sense of style!  Check out the nail polish!

     

     

    And now images of Sabrina's Birthday Party.  Two crafts, two days in a roll.  I just about had to use my Epipen!  Thank God Yoko was the one doing everything!  I tell you, if you have crafty kids, this is a birthday party idea that you just can't pass up!  Call Yoko right now!!  They book up fast!  204-774-2918 or visit www.greenvites.com.

     

    We chose a Fashion Paper Dolls party where the dolls are made from Post Consumer Waste paper.  The kids got to colour the clothes, and accessorize.  There are boy-ish themes as well like Paper Airplanes, etc.

    Here are the Loot bags that every kid got at the end of the party.  They contained craft supplies and more paper dolls.

     

    Here are the dolls:

     

     

    Here's Yoko raising the bar, showing the kids the doll that she coloured and decorated the previous day.

     

     

    Here are my nieces Juliana, Arabella and my nephew Owen listening to the instructions:

     

     

     

     

    Again, my child may not be that crafty but she does have an amazing sense of style!

     

     

    Yoko, being an actual fashion designer by trade, had these lying around:

     

    Here's Lovissa's funky doll:

     

    Hmmm, I wonder who Gabriela gets this face from:

     

     

     

    Yummy cupcakes!  Yes, I had one too!

     

     

    Thanks for reading and looking! Now please leave a Comment!  I LOVE comments!

     


     


    Enjoy.

    Posted by: offthepage in Personal on

    Tis the season for the yearly Holiday Run Around my friends!  The season where we need to wrap things up figuratively and literally and get ready to send out some Holiday cheer!

    I'm all done with sessions for the year.  I'll still be doing some sessions here and there for some clients that live out of town and only come home for Christmas, but as far as Christmas orders go, they're all in and getting worked on.

    So, as you pick up the pace in the shopping and spend time with your loved ones, I just wanted to share something that I learned from my friend Jeremy today, though I don't think he knows what an impact his words had on me.

    Enjoy.

    Enjoy your parents.

    Enjoy your kids.

    Enjoy each other.

    No "thing" you want, no "thing" you have, is more important than the people in your life.

    So, thank you Jeremy for reminding me today.

    May we all hug our loved ones a little longer and shop a little less this Christmas.