NEW BLOG LAUNCH!!!! (#95...check!)

Ok---don't waste any more time looking at this post. Go DIRECTLY to my brand new blog!!

www.melissajill.net

#55....check!

55. Go camping

I just got back from an awesome weekend camping up in the Show Low area. I grew up camping quite a bit in Minnesota and some in Florida but I think the last time I was camping was back in college in Ensenada, Mexico. So I put this goal on my 101 in 1001 list because I really enjoy getting away and soaking in nature.

Some of my close friends--Erik & Marisa Spletter--who have 3 kids just got some camping equipment and are planning to do a lot of family vacationing camping-style. And they invited me along! I was excited because not only was I going camping and spending some time with friends, but I also got the chance to cheer Erik on as he did an Olympic triathlon (quarter of the length of an Iron Man). But I'll get to that in a minute.

The top photo is the view from our campsite. Can you believe how beautiful it was!? Erik & Marisa just brought along their five-year-old, Karina, and left the other kids with grandpa and grandma.


Karina is quite the rock climber for her age!


Marisa enjoying the view:


Erik and Karina checking out the sunset:


This is what it looked like from where they were standing:


On Saturday, Erik did his triathlon and it was super-fun cheering him on and documenting the race. He completed the 1500 meter swim, 20-some mile bike and 8-some mile run in under 3 hours! I can't even imagine trying this but he's done it a number of times!

I love this shot of the race starting:


And this was total luck, but I caught Erik giving us a thumbs up as he swam past!


Here he is heading out on the bike:


And starting the run:


And finally crossing the finish line:


A congratulatory hug from Marisa afterwards:


Way to go Erik! You're amazing!!

The only bummer about the three nights we spent out there was that there was a fire restriction in effect and we were only able to have a campfire one night :(. So I felt a little jipped about that. But we kept ourselves busy with some fun games most of the time:


And I turned my camera over to Erik for one fun shot of me and Marisa:


Thanks so much for the fun time guys!! I can't wait to do it again sometime!

In other news, my email is back up and I have a bunch of emails waiting for me in my inbox from when I was gone. I'm not sure if I'm missing any so if you don't hear back from me in the next day or two, try resending. Thanks for your patience!!

Disaster Update

So...the website is back up and so is the blog. Let me know if you click on any links that don't work somewhere or find any photos missing where they should appear--just leave a comment here so I can get all my bases covered.

But email is still down. No telling when that will be fixed. Feel free to email me at melissajill@mac.com in the meantime or communicate through the comments on my blog.

Tomorrow I'm heading out of town AGAIN to take care of #55 on my list -- Go camping! I'm excited to get out of the heat and head up to northern Arizona once again. It's going to be weird, though, going a full 3 days without any contact with the outer world via email or the internet. I'm sure I'll go through some hard core withdrawals. I guess if my email is going to be down, this is a good time since I won't be able to check it the next couple days anyways. But I'm very sorry to those of you who I haven't gotten back to. Please be patient with me! Things are going to slow down and I'll be able to get on top of everything again soon.

#64...check!

64. Be on "Simple Photo Minute"


I'm so excited! My friend, Dane Sanders, a wedding photographer in OC that started his business up around the same time as me and helped found OSP (Open Source Forum) has this great thing for photographers called "Simple Photo Minute." He puts together short videos that are educational and seek to help wedding photographers simplify their lives and businesses. It's great and I've been watching the weekly podcasts for over a year now.

When I made my list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days, I put this one on there. About a month ago, I filmed a segment of myself walking through how I run my client meetings and Dane used it! Click here to view my 1st Simple Photo Minute!

The Puppy's Name Is....

Dixie!

I decided to name my new puppy Dixie. It's a fun name that fits her personality, I like the south and she's tiny like a dixie cup. I don't have any deeper reasons for picking the name. Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the decision. It definitely helped me a lot to have so many ideas pouring in!

I caught this video of Dixie tonight finding the "other dog" in my office. It's hilarious.





Isn't she SOOOO cute!? Now if I could just get her potty trained and get some work done....

#4....check!

4. Get a dog

I did it! I finally got a dog!! Isn't she CUTE?

Today started out like any normal day. I helped my sister bring my nephews to the doctor and then we stopped at the mall to pick up a mother's day and birthday present for my mom. We stopped by the pet store in the mall and I honestly didn't plan on getting a dog--just oohing and ahhing at all the cuteness. But they had the most adorable little minature schnauzers! I've grown up with these dogs--they are perfect cuddling size, don't shed, and are super-cute. So I spent some time with three different dogs and ended up falling in love with this little sweetie. She's only 2 months old and very tiny. She has a really calm disposition and snuggles right up to you instantly. And she wants to be as close as possible to you. Right now she's asleep on my lap as I'm typing.

As of yet she has no name yet. So if you have any ideas, please comment! I don't really like people names for dogs and no food items or typical dog names. But I need to come up with something soon! Right now she's just "sweetie" or "puppy."

Off to search the internet for name ideas....

I feel like I just had a baby or something :).

#67....check!

67. Find good legal music to use on slideshows


I'm still working away on my list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. It's going pretty well but I'm working on some bigger goals that are taking me a little longer to complete. For instance--running 3 consecutive 10 minute miles--I'm realizing that is a BIT of a stretch for me. But I'm going to eventually get there.

When I was at WPPI in March I came across Triple Scoop Music -- a new company that is working to bring musicians and photographers together. For photographers, finding good music that is legal to use is tough. Everything is copyrighted and we could be sued hundreds of thousands of dollars for using a song without permission. But large music labels and famous artists don't tend to respond to our emails about wanting to use their songs on our small business websites. They're selling the rights to the songs to people who are making movies for thousands of dollars. We're chump change. So it's a dilemma. We want good music but it's nearly impossible to get the permission to use it legally.

So I made a goal to find some good legal music to use. There's a lot of royalty free music sites but the songs are generally pretty cheesy. But thankfully I found Triple Scoop Music at WPPI and had them put together a custom CD for me with 10 songs I picked off their website. They have some decent stuff. I still think there's a ways to go in bridging the gap between musicians and photographers but this is a good start.

Check back on my website soon to see some fresh intro slideshows with some of the new music. I will also be using the new songs on my upcoming wedding slideshows that I link to on my blog. I'm sure you're all getting tired of the old stuff :).

#45....check!

45. See Brian Regan, the comedian, live

Last night I went with three friends--Julie, Scott & Sarah--down to Tucson to see my favorite comedian. (Sorry I had to use the one where you were talking, Sarah, the other one was blurry. :)) This guy is HILARIOUS. It was so much fun laughing all night. He does the best voices and facial expressions, to the point where, it doesn't even matter if what he's saying is funny--he's just funny to watch and listen to. And one of the best things about him is that he's clean, which is something that is hard to come by in comedians these days.

Here's a fun video of one of his bits:




Fun times!

#88....check!

88. Watch the movie "Born into Brothels"

Last night I had Liene Stevens of Blue Orchid Designs over. I've gotten to know her a little and we are becoming fast friends. She brought Philippino food and I gave her a little crochet lesson. Here's Liene starting a baby blanket:


She's going to be done with that in no time :).

We also watched the movie "Born into Brothels." I first heard about this movie by reading Liene's blog and it peaked my interest. So I put it on my list to make sure I didn't forget I wanted to watch it. I know it's an easy goal to complete, but I wanted to make sure I was intentional.


The movie was about a young photographer, Zana Briski, who spent a few years living in the red light district of Calcutta, India. She got to know many of the women who make their living through prostitution as well as their children who live in some of the worst conditions I've ever seen. She got all of the children cameras and film and began to teach them about photography. It's amazing everything she poured into them -- even working tirelessly to get many of them accepted into boarding schools so they could escape their bleak fate in the brothels. This movie is definitely a "must see." I'm going to watch it one more time before returning it to the video store just to try to take more of it in.

Thanks Liene for a fun night! Can't wait to do it again!

#11....check!

11. Order pens for my business

This is one of those things I've had on my list of things to do FOREVER--something that would be good to do but is easy to put off and never get around to. So I put it on my 101 in 1001 list and I got it done! I feel so official now having pens with my logo on them :).

At receptions I put out little forms for people to write their email addresses on if they want to be able to view all the photos online. So it's great to have these pens to put out with them. And if people take one home with them--great! I have 500. :)

#3....check!

3. Blog every day for a month


It feels good to check this one off my list because it's a big one. I can't believe I did it! Every single day since February 6th I have blogged. When I started my blog last April I couldn't imagine coming up with something worthwhile to say a couple times a week let alone every day. But this last month has stretched me and helped me to think outside the box with blogging. I think it will help me going forward to make my blog interersting and keep it consistent--even if I'm not posting every day.

Tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane for the Carolinas. I will be shooting a wedding in SC on Saturday and visiting friends in both the Carolinas the rest of the time I'm there--a week total. So it should be fun! I will be available by email and phone but it's hard to say what internet connection will be like so I'll try to blog a couple times. Hope you have a great week!

Duh...#75....check!

So I was just looking over my 101 in 1001 list and realized that #75 is Upgrade my 17" laptop. I did that! Fun to check off another one without even realizing it :).

Thanks for all your comments on my blog guys! I love reading them. I still can't believe how cute my parents are...

Hope you have a fabulous day!

#78....check!

78. Take photos of my parents


Yesterday my mom came over to hang out with me during the day a little. She had just had her hair done that morning and looked so cute. So I said we should do a photo shoot with her and my dad on one of the days she gets her hair done and she said, "How about today?" So we did it! It was a little sad though cause it was SO windy so I don't think you get the full effect of the hair-cuteness. But look how cute my parents are together!! They are some of my favorite people in the world and this August will celebrate 33 years together. I'm proud of them for sticking through some tough times. They know the meaning of their vows, "in sickness & in health." My dad nearly died of a brain aneurysm 5 years ago and his recovery has been a long one. But he's doing well and we are SO thankful to be able to still have him with us.

We had fun taking some photos with my dad and both of his babies:


He loves his motorcycle. Yes, my dad is a hard core biker-dude.

Those of you who know him are laughing right now. He's a gentle-spirited electrical engineer nerd in real life but I think the motorcyle helps him feel like he's a little more on the cool side :).

He had so much fun with these photos:




Then we took some shots around Freestone park.





And finally ended up in old town Gilbert where we ate at the new Oregano's there--yumm! But we took a couple shots while waiting for our table.



Love you mom and dad! Thanks for everything you've done to bless me and impact my life!!

#50....check!

50. Solve the Rubik's Cube

When I was around 6 or 7 years old, I had a Rubik's cube and was in awe of my older cousin who could solve it. It blew my mind. It's always been one of those challenges that seemed impossible. So I thought it would be fun to figure out the mystery... and I have conquered! I know--I'm a big nerd for spending my time on this. I've always been a little nerdy--got a minor in math in college. But it's fun to be able to solve it and have that sense of accomplishment.

#38....check!

38. Spend a whole day with Jess out at her place


So today I was supposed to have an engagement shoot but the couple had to postpone last minute so I took my whole Saturday off to spend time with my good friend Jessica which just so happened to be on my list. Now you may wonder why spending time with a friend would be considered a legitimate goal. Jessica has been my friend for a long time. She has two kids--Sydney is 8 and Grant is 5. I've been friends with Jess long before she had Sydney and we've been through a lot together. Last year she got remarried and she now lives out in the boonies beyond the limits of Queen Creek -- about a 45 minute drive from me. And our relationship has changed a bit this year. I don't get to see her nearly as much and have only made the trip out to her house once. Isn't that sad? So I decided I needed some quality time with her and would make the effort to go her way.

But we didn't spend the whole day out at her house. We started the day at Grant's little league game. Which was a lot of fun. Here's a great shot I got of one of the little leaguers at bat:


Here's Sydney playing with her most cherished toy--an American Girl Doll. I haven't seen Sydney in months and she is getting so big and seriously talks like a grown up.


This little guy is playing the outfield and is totally prepared for any fly ball that may come his way:


I love this shot of the team as they wait their turn up to bat:


After the game and lunch we made the trek back to Jess & Daniel's house. They live off a dirt road and burn their own trash and they don't even really have a city name to call their own. Right now they're "borrowing" "Queen Creek" for their address even though their house is 10 miles beyond the edge of town. I give them a hard time for living so far out. Here's their house:


We went next door to my friend Lindsay's house. Lindsay is also Jessica's sister-in-law. She is pregnant and I got this great shot of her:


She was watching some cute dogs. Check out these ears:


We hung out for awhile working on a school project with Syndey. Here's Sydney--I can't believe how gorgeous she is!


To wrap up the fun-filled day, we went ice skating! Sydney made the honor roll so this was her reward. It was the first time ever skating for both Sydney & Grant!

Getting laced up:


The whole fam:


Now mind you, all of the following shots were taken while I myself was on skates on the ice. Pretty impressive, I know :).

Grant was really tentative at first and either held onto mom or the side:




But then he got this walker-looking-thing that helped him not fall and gain confidence. It was really cute:


I caught this action shot of him wiping it even with the walker:


But then he got rid of the walker and was wizzing around the rink on his own. He had a blast!


I got some cute shots of Jess & Daniel as well--still newlyweds :).






What a fun day! Thanks guys for hanging out! I hope it's not too long before we do it again :).

#70....check!

70. Finish crocheting the blanket I started years ago

I'm excited to report that I just checked off my first goal on my 101 in 1001 list! Woo-hoo! It's not a huge one but it feels good to make some progress nonetheless. Over three years ago, probably before I started my business (although I can't remember for sure), I put this blanket in the back of my armoire and forgot about it. Recently, while cleaning stuff out of my bedroom for a garage sale, I found it and remembered that I used to love to crochet. I used to enjoy a lot of things but the last four years have been mainly consumed with starting my business. I love it and it's great to be focused so I don't have any regrets. But I used to be a lot more domestic and craftsey. So I put it on my list. I had to look at the instructions again and re-teach myself how to crochet--that's how long it's been. But I did it and only a week later - it's finished! I didn't realize it but it was close to 90% done sitting in my armoire this whole time! How sad is that? I could have been using it this whole time! But it feels good to finish a project. And I love the blanket. It fits in my living room perfectly!

Happy V-Day to me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My gift to myself this year is a photography conference with Joe Buissink and Marcus Bell. So I'm heading to LA for the day and it should be great fun!

I am still working on my 101 in 1001 list - only 13 goals left to make it to 101. I'm purposefully waiting until after the conference today to finish the list because I know I'm going to come back inspired and will be able to finish writing my list in no time. In the meantime I've been working on some of my goals, including blogging every day for a month. I'm going strong at just over a week now, so I'm feeling good. Stay tuned to see if I make it!

If you haven't created your 101 in 1001 list yet, I encourage you to do so! It has definitely stretched and motivated me in just the last week alone! Three people have emailed me with their lists and if you'd like to read them for inspiration, check out this post.

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day and remember to give your single friends some love today :).

It's Catching On

So I'm making some progress on completing my list of 101 in 1001 - not actually checking off goals yet, but just finishing LISTING them. Mandy Hank, another local photographer, emailed me and said she was motivated by my post to do her own list of goals. I was excited for her and then found out that she thought of 101 things before me! She ripped some of my ideas off and then I ripped some of hers off, it's been great.

So if you're reading this and feel prompted to try to come up with a list of 101 goals for yourself, I would love to hear about it! And you don't have to be a photographer to do this - Marisa, Julie, Shannon - I know you're reading this :). If you have a way to post your list, send me the link and I'll post it here for others to be inspired by. If you don't have a way to post it, just email me your list and I'll post it for you. Fun!

Here's a few lists to help inspire you and get you going on your own:

Jessica Claire
Mandy Hank
Melissa Jill
Liene Stevens
Kate Wall
Jennifer Bowen

Go us!

101 in 1001

So I mentioned in my last post about the Debbie Allen seminar I went to last night. She encouraged us to write down our goals. This isn't the first time I've heard that. Jessica Claire, a photographer I love, shared her list of 101 things she wants to do in the next 1001 days on her blog. It was fun to read through. I guess I'm not that ambitious of a person. I used to be much more so. I used to be much more goal oriented. Don't know what happened to that.

But for some reason, this time, I was motivated to try it. So I started writing things down last night. I like lists. I like to check them off. But this is overwhelming. Debbie Allen said that if you write down your goals, they seep into your subconscious. So I'm just going to see what happens. I'm not going to be primarily motivated by my list. I like to live life, listen to God, and see what happens - be open to opportunities that present themselves.

I've only gotten to 51 goals. I am stuck! I guess I'm pretty content and don't want too much. And some things I want most don't really fit on a list like this - like getting married to the man of my dreams who likely doesn't exist. But it's not like I can work toward that goal. Another reason I'm stuck at 51 is because I've already accomplished a lot of goals in life so far. I've done so many things I've wanted to do so far. So I need your help. Post a comment if you think something else should be added to the list and I'll consider it. And I'm going to keep brainstorming and adding as things come to mind.

Oh - here's the list and I'll update it on this same post as things progress:

101 goals in 1001 days

1. Print & hang photos in my upstairs living space
2. Learn to grill meat
3. Blog every day for a month - completed 3.6.07
4. Get a dog - completed 5.10.07
5. Invent something
6. Flatten my tummy
7. Take a road trip and stop along the way at cool places to take photos
8. 2nd shoot at a wedding with Jessica Claire
9. Shoot a wedding on another continent
10. Take a cruise
11. Order pens for my business - completed 3.19.07
12. Get a wedding into Grace Ormonde
13. Enter some photos in a print competition
14. Speak at PartnerCon
15. Read one book per month for 3 months to benefit my business
16. Research a well – known photographer of old
17. Travel to Europe
18. Visit the Mibu tribe in Papua New Guinea
19. Take a dance class
20. Write down the systems of my business – create a manual of what I do
21. Win another WPJA award
22. Join Toastmasters
23. Develop a business exit plan
24. Visit Andy & Shannon in NH once a year
25. Market myself in Portland for summer weddings
26. Update my wardrobe – needs help!
27. Practice the guitar each day for a month
28. Throw a party
29. Get my office TV hooked up so you can see the internet on it
30. Get my phone set up so I can access the internet anywhere on my laptop
31. Organize my office closet
32. Do the splits
33. Visit Becky in San Diego while David is in Iraq
34. Visit my grandparents on the farm in Nebraska
35. Babysit for the Swansons
36. Buy out my parents' investment in my house
37. Create a photo book of my nephews for my sis
38. Spend a whole day with Jess out at her place - completed 2.24.07
39. Tape record my grandma telling stories
40. Improve the packaging of my products
41. Learn how to make sticky rice (Thailand style)
42. Stay at a luxury resort & go to the spa
43. Develop a menu of favorite dishes to make on an ongoing basis
44. Get Michelle Neese to visit me
45. See Brian Regan, the comedian, live - completed 4.1.07
46. Take a painting class
47. Visit Australia
48. Learn Lightroom software
49. Go skiing again
50. Solve the Rubik's Cube - completed 2.25.07
51. See a musical on Broadway
52. Shoot the cover of another national magazine besides Destination I Do
53. Figure out how to get video on my blog and then post videos - completed 3.24.07
54. Take a story-telling class – I'm horrible at this
55. Go camping - completed 6.3.07
56. Put up window treatments in my house
57. Book 20-25 weddings each year
58. Begin sending out anniversary cards to past clients
59. Take a carriage ride in Central Park
60. Go on a picnic
61. Become CPR certified
62. Go to an APU Chrismas Choir concert
63. Babysit my nephews once a month for a year
64. Be on "Simple Photo Minute" - completed 5.16.07
65. Get a wedding published in Arizona Bride Magazine
66. Post on OSP once a week for 3 months
67. Find good legal music to use on slideshows - completed 5.2.07
68. Go to Serrano's with Shannon at least once a month between now and Aug.
69. Do something to help raise awareness for autism or help find a cure
70. Finish crocheting the blanket I started years ago - completed 2.16.07
71. Add 7 more intro slideshows to my website
72. Update the "press" page on my website
73. Take more photos for Portico (my church) and add them to the website
74. Read a classic literature book I haven't read before
75. Upgrade my 17" laptop - completed 2.28.07
76. Look into a health savings account
77. Visit Shannon after she's married and living in Chicago
78. Take photos of my parents - completed 2.28.07
79. Do a photo shoot with Josh & Natie without the kids
80. Visit one of the 15 states I haven't been to yet
81. Donate blood
82. Have a neighbor over for dinner
83. Watch a sunrise
84. Write a letter to the child I sponsor in Niger
85. Go apple picking
86. Run a 10 minute mile for 3 consecutive miles
87. Clean out the packaging material in my garage that needs to be recycled - completed 3.20.07
88. Watch the movie "Born into Brothels" - completed 3.30.07
89. Go to a photography gallery
90. Get some canvas prints made
91. Try an in-studio viewing after the wedding
92. Refine workflow to get album designs done 2 weeks after weddings
93. 2nd shoot weddings with 3 local photographers
94. Improve my website search optimization
95. Upgrade my custom blog to use larger photos - completed 6.13.07
96. Implement surveys & gather client feedback at numerous points throughout the customer experience
97. Look into hiring a publicist
98. Partner with Sarah to begin a signature line of print products that incorporate my photography
99. Upgrade the proof books I offer
100.
101.