Words cannot describe the day I had today... and a very exciting portion was dedicated to the photo shoot you see above (more photos here).
With all the different assignments I have to get through, it is wonderful to have roomies who are "willing" to join me on my crazy adventures. A huge shout-out to my bestie Jo who doesn't hesitate at the list of odd requests I throw her way. I'm guessing she is just thankful she didn't have to wear a gasmask for this one.

Some photo taking tips:
1) Take more photos not less..
2) Don't be afraid to make your subject hold odd poses- some of the weirdest angles make the best photos.
3) Hair and makeup = try something crazy (photos like this need to have some pizazz to them; seriously go nuts- tease the hair, add the liner, go big or go home!)
4) Laugh a lot- it's supposed to be fun
5) Have some good tunes playing, something that gets ya pumped up about being completely ridiculous for your shoot!

Here's to the next project!

[k]

fashion*able



I'm nearing the end of the semester of school- with only a few weeks left people are always encouraging me, stressing the fact that "I can do it!", that when grad comes I can do anything I want. The reality is those are dangerous words for me because, well... I WANT to do EVERYTHING! And as hard as I try, there never seem to be enough hours in the day to do all that I want to do.
Believe me- I've tried... and it's to the point where people ask me if I even sleep anymore- ha.
I can assure you I do sleep, but there is just sooo much I would rather be doing! I want to finish school (and finish it well... not just say I survived it), I want to take more photos, do more running, spend more time in the kitchen, hang out with my friends and family more, spend time being creative, spend time laughing, spend time having good-deep and meaningful conversations over an exceptional cup of coffee... I want to make better coffee, get away and travel somewhere, spend more time at home, spend more time designing things, spend less time sitting on my bottom, spend more time reading, spend more time crocheting, spend time overhauling this blog, spend time walking the trails in the woods, spend time jumping off of cliffs, or sitting in a canoe on a lake. All of these things I can do... but it seems that my biggest hold up is that I CAN'T do everything.
Some days I get a chance to do a few of these things- sometimes I try hitting two birds with one stone *(like laughing till I cry over a game in media production that I may or may have taken a bit tooo seriously- lol- now people know just how competitive I can be. Or studying with friends while drinking great coffee, or having a crocheting party while investing time watching my new obsession (Community).)

Sometimes you can do a few things ya want... but doing everything isn't an option. The sooner it seems I learn that the more time I'll have to just sit, take a big breath, and relax... apparently something people say I need to try more often.

So while I run off to do something else... sit and ponder... relax... and listen
[k]

you*CAN'T


My friends A&C are waiting and have been for some time now.
Over three years ago they began the LENGTHY process to adopt. Without a shadow of a doubt, they are some of the loveliest people I know and yet, their journey has been a difficult one. They tried to adopt locally in Canada, but seemed to be getting no where. So recently, they've decided to make the treck across the globe and live in Africa for a year so and adopt from over there.
I got a chance to photograph some adoption/family photos for them before they head off, and let me tell you what a blessing it was.
I'm excited for their journey, their story, and maybe in the next year a visit with them in Africa while they wait for their little loved one to join their family.

To their little one: Although we don't know you by name, we're excited to see you!!! You are loved already *(more than you probably know), but you well worth the wait.


And while we wait... we listen to this.

waitin*for you


Celebrating thankfulness, with cancer?

Here in Canada this past Monday we celebrated Thanksgiving- a time to reflect on al the blessings we have in life, both big and small. We celebrate with family, a big meal, and a day off! (I was extra thankful for the day off because I had assignments galore to do.)

On Thursday I also celebrated my dad's 61st birthday. 61 years of life lived- 27 of which I've been able to be a part of. I'm thankful for him in my life: the wisdom he has shared, the rock he is in my life, the epic facial hair he is known for, the love he has for his family, the faith he walks out on a daily basis.

This year I was especially thankful, as this year also marks the year my dad faced cancer head on.  In 2011 he was diagnosed and started receiving treatment. It wasn't one of those "nice" cancers *(not that there are any nice ones)- it was one of those ones you wish on nobody; not a friend or foe. 

This past year was where everything really happend- bone marrow transplants, a douce of treatment wiping out his entire imune system, his beard disappearing, and his slow steps to recovery. I honestly can't even begin to imagine what it was like for him, but I know for me - it was hard seeing my strong dad no longer physically strong. It was difficult trying to figure out how to help. It was painful wanting to fix something I couldn't. I didn't really talk about it much, because it seemed that the more I talked the more real it became. And the more it seemed people in my life were being affected by the c* word.

But spring came, and he was doing better. He wasn't able to do the normal farming routine *(but no one minded- he was still around). The boys took over seeding, spraying, and harvest was soon underway. I spent my time documenting it *(my IPP- which was inspired by this journey of my dad, and wanting to make sure we had life on out family farm captured.)

And then all of a sudden here we are. It's fall. It's a time to celebrate. It's a time to be thankful.

In the mids of this past year - I didn't think there was much to celebrate or be thankful for. I was certainly not thankful for cancer. Looking back though, I see how much I do have to be thankful for, and how even in the middle of the c* word I could rely on a faith in a God that is bigger than even these situations. That even in the bad of life He is walking along side.

I am thankful for my dad, for one more year with him in my life, for the potential year ahead. Yes.

I'll celebrate that.

the C*word

If you have ever read my blog before, one thing is certain- my life is governed by a little program i'm in called Creative Communications. It's a lovely two year program that pushes you to the brink of sheer insanity and back *(you think I'm being dramatic? Think again). Many of us in CreComm suffer from minimal sleep, a strickt diet of caffeine, and a fondness for overflowing schedules- my roommates can vouch for this. But as much as we consider our lives to be crazy, we do pride ourselves in that very fact. We live for the moments pushing ourselves to the max, and then telling everyone who we come into contact with that the last time I had to eat something other than something from the Tim Hortons in the school cafeteria was two weeks ago.

Having said that- we need all the help we can get when it comes to making sure we get through the two years as unharmed as possible. Cue the CreComm*Toolkit= things that have helped me get through CreComm, tools, tips tricks, things that every communicator could use. 

So what's todays recommendation of things I can't seem to live without?! 
Google Calendar:
If you don't have a Google Account- GO NOW. Get one. Use it for your emailing, your blogging, your documents *(don't even get me started on Google docs! They are group project's answer to prayer) but also your calendar. 
I don't know how many times this thing has saved my butt. I have about 5 different calendars on it, telling me everything from assignments that need to get done, classes to show up to, coffees to attend, and meetings I need to show up for. Without it, I honestly would be lost. 
I make sure I set up not only the who, what, where or when, something needs to happen, but I set up allerts telling me when things are going down. This might not sound interesting to you, but when you have a HEAP of things on the go- to get an email *(and txt message) saying that in an hour you better be somewhere- that you may or may not have remembered you said you would be at... you will thank your Google friends that you made it in time.  
I kid you not- at the beginning of the school year because I had to get used to new schedules and stuff I forgot things frequently and it was thanks to a txt reminder from my calendar that I was supposed to meet up with someone to hand something off to them. Without it I would have been hooped. 
Google Calendar also syncs well with your phone, or iCal, or whatever other things you use. 

*HINT: Regardless of what calendar you chose to use, my biggest piece of advise is be consisten. Pick a system and stick to it. Don't deviate, and build it into your lifestyle. When you have something going on- or 10 different things going on- write them down, and be sure to check back *(or in Google's case- have them txt you when things need to get done! You'll be thankful you did.)

CreComm*Toolkit

Welcome to blogXperiment #1! 
It's Wednesday- so welcome to my*world= and some of the amazing projects I get to work on.

A few weeks ago I had the most wonderful time photographing my friends s&s at their wedding... Yesterday I got to hand over the finished photos and hear about how life is goin' for the newlyweds. Sigh. They are tooo cute.
You can check out some more of their photos here.
* Some things I learned from this shoot....

  1. You can never have enough memory cards on a wedding day. I felt like I was always filling cards up... so right after the wedding I started to purchase/stockpile a heap of 16-32GB cards. ha.
  2. Group photos are something you have to practice a LOT to get good at. 
  3. Bright sunny days suck. So I tried to work with them instead of fight them. 

And yes... if've you've been following some of my crazy projects in the past you may have recognized these lovely two from this...

[k]


wedded*bliss


Welcome to the official blogXperiment lab!
I've decided it's time for me to step up to the plate and take a swing at some blogging changes.

So... here are the rules. 
1) Post at least twice in one week.
2) Each day that I blog on has a specific topic- like...

    • Monday= 30 day challenge updates
    • Tuesday= HELP*CreComm (tools ya need to survive Communications living)
    • Wednesday= my*World: projects that I'm working on.
    • Thursday= Photos: tips/tricks/projects
    • Friday= Simple*life
I won't be posting every day, but hopefully by doing this it'll get me into a routine of blogging and experimenting with different topics that are near and dear to my heart- and deciding what I really want this blog to all be about. 

So raise your venti, light ice, nonfat caramel macchiato! And Go!

[k]
*feel free to comment and let me know what you think about the good, bad and ugly of this all.

blogXperiment*101

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