Photo dreams ...

One of the most difficult aspects in business for me is prioritizing. There are *so many* things I want to do. *So many* pieces of equipment, etc I want to get ... but what is at the top of the list?

For the last few years, going to the annual WPPI convention/tradeshow. There's so much "buzz" about it ... and I'm just itching to go, but life keeps getting in the way. The last few years, I've had a full time job that was not conducive to leaving for a week-ish. Now ... we'll see. Erik and I have *talked* about going to Vegas, and I'd love to even go to a day of the activities ... we'll just have to see.

The above video is one in a series to "pump us up" ahead of the main event. :-) It's long, so if you wanna watch, get comfy. It's a reality episode about a bunch of photogs trying to make a short film in 24 hours. I frequently stalk a lot of their blogs, so it's amusing to see them act/interact with others. On some, I think "oh, I would have pictured their voice differently" or some such silliness.

Here's hoping for Vegas this year .... ;-)

# 23 — Play in a real poker tournament

... CHECK!


Sunday, I played in a amateur poker tournament! Yippie!

Lemme say it was WAY different than playing with my poker buddies in Hays. There are formal and official ways to bet and raise. I NEVER knew this! Seriously interesting.

I didn't end up on top ... but I *did* make it to the first break.


But when we "colored up," I only had $3K in chips left. Ouch.

I was small blind, and had a solid hand of pocket Qs, and flopped a Q. Yay! I doubled up ... and then had a straight draw, and even GOT it, but my opponent got a flush on the river. Ugh. I was OUT. There were 4 spades on the board and I *figured* she had it ... but I was pretty tired, and figured, what the heck .... we'll see if she's got it!

It was interesting .... Erik actually observed that things that would've won me a round in my Hays circle (trips) didn't land me on top in the tourney. Interesting, interesting.

Well, another 101 in 1001 list done! Maybe there will be more to come soon!

#1 — Marry the man of my dreams

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yup. Erik and I are hitched!!!!!!

Yesterday was AMAZING and we were blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who lifted us up with love.

Thank you to EVERYONE who came to celebrate with us, and also thanks to those who joined us in thought and prayer.

Please cruise over to the Heartland Photography blog by CLICKING HERE to check out the photo preview and writeup by Mike. I'll post here when more photos are up, as well as the kickin' slideshow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And DO leave comments on the Heartland blog. We call them "blog love" and Mike and Heather deserve a TON for all of the hard work they did yesterday!

Oh, and I love, love, love the photo at the top of this post!!!!!!!! Seriously. It is my favorite. Mike pulled a few faves to show at the reception, which is always a delight.

When planning the wedding, I knew I wanted something visual for our exit from the church. I'd seen this before with multi-colored petals ... and we opted for red. I don't know about you, but I think it looks FABULOUS! The best part about doing this is as the couple, you can walk through and ENJOY it as opposed to run like hell to avoid bird seed or wheat or whatever people throw at you. Believe me, as the photographer, we end up with it on and in us as well .... it ain't pleasant. This was WAY cooler and MUCH more visual!


And I grabbed this image from Mike's blog. I don't have a direct link to the post, but to visit Mike's blog, CLICK HERE.

Mike IS correct ... I didn't pick up a camera all day. It was tough, but they did a killer job. What he DOESN'T know is I snapped a few images when I dropped my dress off at Erik's hotel room Friday afternoon. After seeing Heather work, however, I might have to consider switching careers and joining the circus ... because I think her images will put any I took to shame. ;-)

Phew ... I'm really chiseling away at this 101 in 1001 list!

#55 — Write/mail Jeanel a letter once/month for 6 months

... DONE!!!!!!!!!!

I wrote my friend, Jeanel, once a month for 6 months.

To some, that might seem like a silly item to have on my list, but I don't think so. Jeanel and I roomed together in college. After college, she joined the Peace Corps and headed to Niger (pronounced knee-jer), the poorest country in the world (it's in west Africa).

Anyhow, I had the honor of an invite to spend a few weeks with Jeanel, so I jumped on it ... you can check out my chronicles of Africa by CLICKING HERE.

After Niger, Jeanel kicked in the US for awhile, but her heart was in Africa (and I can't blame her!). She soon landed a job with Mango Tree and back to Africa she went. I'm just so proud of Jeanel for following her heart (but I miss her like CRAZY!!!!!!!!).

I'm a firm believer in the belief that everyone likes to receive hand-written letters. When she was in Niger, I fairly regularly sent mail, but once she returned, I've been a slacker ... so undertaking letter-writing for 6 months was a big accomplishment for me!

Thus, crossing off yet another item from my 101 in 1001 list.

#2 — Quit my full-time news job

... not done YET, but today I gave my two weeks notice to the Hays Daily News. Another 101 in 1001 almost out of the way!

Now, I feel like THIS:



(Photo by Steven Hausler when I was on assignment at Blue Sky Miniature Horse Farm a few weeks ago).

I am not doing the "salty stomp" out of the news business. It's just time for me to move on past Hays. I need something more fulfilling in life. I enjoy writing, but it is not my passion. It doesn't get me out of bed in the morning or keep me up late into the night. Heartland Photography fits that bill and I'm elated to have the opportunity to go full time! (UGH! I swear, once I'm full time, the new Heartland Site will go LIVE!!!! I can hardly wait to share it with all of you!)

There are SO MANY people who have helped me to get to this point — encouraged me, let me cry on their shoulder and given me sound business advice — they range from my parents who instilled a sense of independence at a VERY young age to Erik who is my number one fan to Mike who really helps me kick my photos up a notch!

There are MANY others (Sarah, Robin, Nicole, Angela, Kim, Kitty, Liana, Tyff & Jeff....), but there's not enough hours in the day to give blog love to those who have helped me. Please know I thank each and every one of you from the depths of my soul.

Dream, dream, dream, dream...

A few weeks ago, I saw the following quote in a post on the suber-fabulous Jasmine Star's photography blog that struck such a deep chord with me.

I can hardly read this quote without tearing up ... and this seems like an appropriate week to share it with you. (BTW, JD is Jasmine's husband)

"Money should never be an issue when dreams are concerned and, JD says, I've given him another reason to wake up and go to work. To him, my aspirations don't have a pricetag."

(emphasis added!)

A poem

Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die,
Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly,
Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams go,
Life is a barren field,
Frozen with snow
~Langston Hughes

This poem/saying was on the bathroom mirror growing up. I must have read it in a literature book and liked it ... and I am spending a lot of time thinking about it this week.

A better update, and less cryptic post coming Wednesday, I promise!

#83 — Plant a garden

.... CHECK!

Saturday, some friends came over to help me till a patch in Erik's backyard for a garden. Sunday, Erik and I went to pick out our plants!

We planted:
Goliath tomatoes
cucumbers
basil
squash
snap green beans
3 kinds of lettuce
AND STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!! (but to have better fruit next year, we have to pluck off all of the flowers, so no berries this summer).

Yet ANOTHER 101 in 1001 item accomplished!

(note: Monday's strong rain washed out a portion of our beans, so I'll have to re-sew them over the weekend)

I'll be sure to bring you updates throughout the growing season! :-)

OH ... and I totally muddied up some shoes, so I got some super-cute galoshes for the garden! (Gotta LOVE sales at Target!)


Erik thinks they're super cute, so I hope he doesn't stretch them all out with his big feet! ;-)

#28 — Attend Liana's Photo Business Boot Camp

... CHECK!

It feels SO GOOD to check another item off of my 101 in 1001 list!

A few weeks ago, I read on the BBC blog that Liana was taking applications for a scholarship to her Business Boot Camp. After begging Erik and dad to nominate me, I threw my hat into the ring! I was a finalist, but didn't make the first round of cuts. BUT Liana had several last minute cancellations, so ALL FIVE finalists got to go. The last night, she said there were dozens of applications, and she had a hard time narrowing it to the top 11 .... let alone the top 5. To be among those in the top five is a HUGE honor.

There were six of us at the workshop, and FIVE of us were there on scholarship. I'm guessing Liana didn't turn a big profit on the workshop (especially since she gave us three days, as well as cooked us lots of yummie meals!). From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU LIANA for your generosity!

Pictured are my super-excellent classmates (from left) Jamie Delanie, Ellen McRaney, Marie Bunke, Michelle and Liana Lehman.

The experience was UNBELIEVABLE! I took a very good, hard look at our business numbers and am WAAAY more comfortable with my task of running the book end of our business. We also talked about goals and dreams .... and Liana encouraged us to dream BIG! I can't wait to share when those dreams become a reality!

It was also super-fun to give the other attendees ideas for their business. I am excited to see them grow and blossom! I'm ALSO excited for our book club. I keep telling myself I *need* to read business books, but don't get motivated to do it. With some friends reading the same books, it's gonna ROCK!

ANOTHER wild wedding dream!

SO, last night, I had ANOTHER weddding dream!

Why is it that wedding dreams aren't all flowery, warm and fuzzy?

THIS time, in my dream, we forgot to send out the wedding invitations (crazy, I know). So, at the last minute, we were calling and e-mailing people, asking them to come to the wedding.

I can't imagine my dreams getting much stranger, but I'm SURE it's possible. *sigh*

According to our wedding web site, there are only 183 more days until our wedding (I seriously had to look it up, I'm NOT one of those brides who is counting the hours and minutes until Erik and I are married — YET!)

So, that's 183 more nights where it's possible I'll have crazy dreams. THEN I hope it will end!

WWFS?

(Photo by David Jay)

Ok, so "What would Freud say" about my dreams?

I have admittedly been through the wedding planning process before, but have NEVER had wedding dreams in my LIFE until the last month or so. Early Thursday morning, I had my second wedding-related dream.

Erik's friends tell me they've had them before and that it's not uncommon, but I'm feeling wierd about them .... is this normal??? Especially since the wedding is about 7 months away!

So, my first dream was shortly after Robin's wedding. In the dream, Erik and I had to hurridly move our date up to shortly after Robin's wedding (don't ask me why because I have NO CLUE!). We were rushing around and trying to get things sorted out .... and that's all I really remember now (hey, gimme a break, it's been almost 2 months since THAT dream).

Fast forward to early Thursday morning. My dream involved Erik and I having a destination wedding. Hmmm....sunny, warm beaches instead of this frigid mess of Kansas? Yes, please!


(Photo by David Jay)

Anyhow, we were having the ceremony, but our photographer, Heather, showed up just in the nick of time (I KNOW she'll be on time with bells on her toes to the wedding in September, so I'm not worried). Then, we tried to get group photos done, but didn't get through them before the ceremony, and we couldn't get them done afterwards for some reason.

THEN I saw a breathtaking sunset and wanted something beautiful and artsitic with Erik, me and the sunset. The problem? There was no photographer to be found! EEK!!!!!! (REMEMBER: this is ONLY a dream!). At that point, I grabbed my camera and was trying to set up a photo with Erik and the sunset, then run into the frame while the camera was on a timer. Strange, I know. In the dream, it didn't work.

How strange is that????

Ok, so share YOUR crazy wedding dreams!!! (Please, someone tell me I'm not the only one having these!).

101 in 1001

So.......there's a project called 101 in 1001. The basic idea is you come up with a list of 101 things to do in the next 1001 days. I first encountered it on Jessica Claire's blog, and again on Melissa Jill's blog. I thought I'd take the plunge as well. I actually started the project on Jan. 21, 2007, but am a little late to post it to the blog.

I haven't exactly got 101 things down yet, but wanted to at least start the project!

I also wanted to avoid cliches like "get more fit" or "flatten my tummy." ACK! CLICHE!!!!!!!!!!

Since the list is incomplete, I'm taking creative suggestions.

Also, here are a few other bloggers who are doing this (disclaimer: I know NONE of these people, but wanted to show I'm not off my rocker for attempting a project like this.

- I LOVE the last two items on THIS blog!

- Here, Here, and Here are three more I liked.

Without further ado .... here's my list (so far):

Start: Jan. 21, 2007
End: Oct. 18, 2009 (I found a really cool date calculator on Kristin Greenlee's blog.)

(in NO particular order)
1. Marry the man of my dreams — DONE!!!! Sept. 27, 2008
2. Quit my full-time news job — DONE!!!!!!! June 4, 2008
3. Learn how to speak rudimentary Italian
4. Go on a vineyard tour in Italy
5. Learn to juggle
6. Earn as much from Heartland Photography in one year as I did from any previous job
7. Adopt a child internationally
8. Learn how to play (basic) piano
9. Dye my hair — DONE!!!!!!! Oct. 24, 2008
10. Develop a long-term documentary project
11. Attend WPPI in Vegas
12. Put 10% of my income into a retirement plan
13. Put another 10% of my income into investments
14. Play the stock market
15. Buy a share of stock in Apple Inc.
16. Travel in Africa (again)
17. Become a member of a wine club
18. Read one book a month for one year — DONE!!!! April 21, 2009
19. Buy a new car — DONE!!!! July 27, 2009
20. Buy a gold coin
21. Eat veggies grown ONLY from my garden for one summer
22. Practice yoga 2 times/week for six months
23. Play in a real poker tournament — DONE!!!! Oct. 19, 2008
24. Be interviewed on NPR
25. Go to Mt. Rushmore
26. Go to Washington, D.C. — DONE!!!! Jan. 20-24, 2009
27. Join a fantasy team
28. Attend Liana's Business Boot Camp — DONE!!!! April 29-May 1, 2008
29. Fly first class
30. Have a Heartland booth in a bridal show — DONE!!!! Jan. 4, 2009
31. Purchase an original piece of art — DONE!!!! Jan. 29, 2008
32. Book 20-24 weddings/year
33. Take a SCUBA diving class
34. Have something ELSE published in Better Homes & Gardens magazine
35. Have a wedding featured in a magazine
36. Hit the 1 gallon mark for blood donation — DONE!!!! June 24, 2009
37. Visit the center of the continental U.S.
38. Take a walk on the beach (of a warm, tropical-like place, not an inland lake!) — DONE!!!! Aug. 14, 2008
39. Finish one of my "in progress" quilts
40. Keep tax information current on a monthly basis (i.e. don't wait until the end of the year to get organized!)
41. Send birthday cards to everyone on my birthday calendar for one year
42. Make peanut butter fudge — DONE!!!! April 26, 2009
43. Do not get a plastic bag at a retail store for a month (i.e. use a cloth bag I will keep with me) — DONE!!!! Nov. 21, 2008
44. Replace all possible lights in house with more eco-friendly light bulbs
45. Make one new recipe/week for 3 months — DONE!!!! March 11, 2009
46. Keep my car clean (i.e. no junk rattling around in the back seat/on the floor) for 3 months — DONE!!!! April 14 - July 14, 2009
47. Floss every day for a month DONE!!!! April 14 - Oct. 10, 2009
48. Take a dance class with ERB
49. Learn to belly dance
50. Develop and implement a regular backup system for my computer
51. Volunteer as a classroom aid in a local school (to read to children)
52. Document the birth of a child (scheduled July 2009)
53. Read "How to Win Friends & Influence People"
54. Participate in the Bike Across Kansas
55. Write/mail Jeanel a letter once/month for 6 months — DONE!!!! 3/12/08, 4/14/08, 5/3/08, 6/30/08, 7/30/08, 8/24/08
56. See the northern lights
57. Go to Nicodemas, Kansas; learn a little about its history
58. Photograph Castle Rock at sunrise
59. Go to the Grand Canyon — DONE!!!! May 23, 2009
60. Paint a room in my house — DONE!!!! Feb. 17, 2008
61. Read pages 1&3 of the newspaper EVERY DAY for a MONTH
62. Take my vitamins every day for a month
63. Develop a newsletter for HP — DONE!!!! Nov. 20, 2008
64. Have a photo published on Trash The Dress Web site
65. Make my own hot chocolate mix — DONE!!!! Jan. 19, 2009
66. Be a counselor for diabetes summer camp — DONE!!!! June 15-19, 2008
67. Photograph a wedding in Hawaii
68. Eat authentic sushi — DONE!!!! Jan. 23, 2008
69. Attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C. — DONE!!!! Jan. 22, 2009
70. Go to groundhog day activities in PA!
71. Tour the Boulevard brewery in Kansas City — DONE!!!! June 18, 2009
72. Tour the Harley Davidson factory in Kansas City. — DONE!!!! June 18, 2009
73. Photograph a family for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
74. Participate in a triathlon (as a team member, not solo!!!)
75. Get my 3 a day for an entire month!
76. Enter photos in a competition
77. Donate my portrait photography services to 2 auctions/year — DONE!!!! March 22, 2009
78. Get large canvas prints made
79. Get karenmikols.com UP AND RUNNING!!! — DONE!!!! Feb. 28, 2009
80. Go visit Bobby Ann & Vern in their winter nest, catch spring game while in Arizona.
81. Go to the Salt Mines in Hutch.
82. Finish filling out this darn list — DONE!!!!
83. Plant a garden (to eat veggies from my garden #21, I have to HAVE a garden!) DONE!!!! — May 4, 2008
84. Re-do the master suite in Erik's house (bedroom/closet/bath)
85. Get a stinkin' blog counter figured out on this blog — DONE!!!! Aug. 19, 2008
86. Get the new Heartland site up and RUNNING. — DONE!!!! June 1, 2008
87. Have an article I write published in an industry magazine (wedding/portrait photography industry)
88. Put the odometer on my bicycle — DONE!!!! June 2009
889. Make a batch of lemonade FROM SCRATCH (well, I don't have to grow the lemons!) — DONE!!!! Oct. 15, 2009
90. Visit Miss Susie in Independence — DONE!!!! June 28-30, 2009
91. Blog stalk a blog COMPLETELY unrelated to photography for ONE MONTH.
92. Keep the dining room table clutter free (i.e. no Karen piles) for one month — DONE!!!! Sept. 22, 2009
93. Finish sanding/re-staining the wooden chest — DONE!!!! March 8, 2009
94. Clean/organize the garage so one of us can pull in during the winter — DONE!!!! Oct. 9, 2008
95. Do a blog post exclusively about Esse ... show photos from my kitty's youngest days. — DONE!!!! Sept. 12, 2008
96. Get 2008 wedding album designs completed/to the printer/binder before 2009 weddings begin.
97. Lift weights 2x week for 3 months (to encourage strong bones and fight off osteoporosis) — DONE!!!! April 16, 2009
98. Get that tree taken care of in the backyard. — DONE!!!! June 1, 2009
199. Build a patio with the limestone; eat a dinner al fresco — DONE!!!! Aug. 17, 2009
100. Visit "baby Paul" at college — DONE!!!! Nov. 9-10, 2008
101. Pray night prayer every night for a month — DONE!!!! April 25-March 25, 2009