Excuse the crappy iphone picture…this is what your comments bought the Calgary Interfaith Foodbank. I shopped off of their ‘wishlist’ which can be found on their website. 1L juice containers, baby formula, macaroni and cheese, canned tomatoes, canned fruit, canned meat. Someone from the foodbank actually contacted me to thank us for our donation(I say us because there is no me without you). They also sent a sheet of facts that I thought I’d share with you as well:

The majority of our clients are the working poor struggling to make ends meet, and who are occasionally unable to do so.
Our Mission is to provide quality emergency food to those in need.

Clients

. 124,713 Calgarians came to the Calgary Food Bank last year (an increase of 40% over last year).
. 41% of our clients are children.
. 15,607 clients were referred by partner agencies.
. We provided 9,825 families and individuals with referrals to 262 community agencies.
Programs
. Through the Hampers for the Homeless Program, 14,254 food hampers were distributed to those living with inadequate housing.
. The Emergency Food Hamper Program distributed 49,054 food hampers (an average of 222 per day).
. Over 85% of clients receive an Emergency Food Hamper three or fewer times per year.
. 3.7 million pounds of food industry donations were distributed through Regional Food Distribution to 26 other food banks in south and central Alberta.
. 2.6 million pounds of food was distributed to 94 Calgary charities through the BP Food Link Program.
. The Macleod Dixon Milk for Teens Program provided additional milk resources for the growing bodies and minds of 11,740 adolescents between 13 and 17 years old last year.

. 57,342 litres of milk and 2,346 containers of infant formula were distributed through the Children’s Milk Program to 1,000 homes. Children received fresh milk through 6,665 individual deliveries by the refrigerated Moo Juice Van.

Resources

. The Calgary Food Bank distributed $20 million dollars worth of quality emergency food with $4.3 million dollars of funds.
. For every $1 donated we can distribute $4 worth of food to those in need.
. We are neither a government nor United Way agency.

Volunteers

. 80 – 100 people volunteer per day.
. 4,074 individual and group volunteers gave an incredible 93,201 hours.

(numbers are from the Calgary Food Bank’s fiscal year September 1, 2008 – August 31, 2009)

Right  now they are having their big Food Drive at the CBC building downtown! Not to mention that there are foodbins at pretty much every grocery store in town. It is a quick and easy way to give back to your community. I know it’s been a tough year, but that just means that it is more important to remember those who are not as fortunate as us! Thank you all for commenting on my blog!!! Your support to me and the foodbank means more than you know!

Aris Wells!!!!!! A fellow photographer and online friend from Greensboro, NC, USA!!! $10 itunes gift card coming your way!! I’ll email you directly to get your mailing address and send it off to you.

Of course, the real winner is the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank who will be receiving 52 items for their shelves!!! 52!!! Thanks everyone for supporting my blog and my local community at the same time!! Have a great weekend…we will be digging ourselves out here

This young couple approached me with a desire to capture their relationship now…young, in love, in university. What better place to act as a backdrop to their love than the university itself. A quick session on a cold day. They, at least, had each other to keep them warm!!!

I think it’s a Vampire Weekend kind of day…love this video so I thought I would share. Winter is officially here. Good timing really since I have so much work to do whilst sitting and staring at the computer that now I won’t feel bad about not being outside. I will crave gingerbread though and since I am off sugar will find that troubling Happy Tuesday!!!

So, are you all wondering what yesterday’s blog post was all about? Me, too…I guess the bottom line is I’m currently working some stuff out and I would love to hear from my loyal blog readers what you would love to see on the blog…more pictures? photography tips? more about me drop a note in comments or send me an email because I would love to hear from you!!

My hockey family session…how Canadian am I??? I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile, but had to find the right family to do it with. I couldn’t have asked for a better family!!! These generous souls bought my gift certificate at a silent auction benefitting Epilepsy here in Okotoks. I doubt they knew what they were getting into-hahahaha-but I do know that they are getting a custom coffee table book with their disc of images as the book is the BEST way to showcase these images. Here’s a brief look at some of their more ‘formal’ family portraits(I use the term formal rather loosely as I don’t think that there is much that is formal about my work-hahaha).

I love these hockey images because here’s the thing…the little jabs at each other, the hugs of encouragement, the celebrating together and the laughing….ooooooohhhhh the laughing. This is what a family is to me…

You can see other images from this session here and here. Happy Friday Go play with your kids!!!

Yay me!!! I’m off to one of my favorite cities(isn’t it one of everyone’s favorite cities?!!). While there, I am super excited to be shooting some great families, my good friend’s maternity images, and have lunch with some online friends. I will have limited access to email, but will do the best to answer emails in a timely manner. If it is a photographic emergency, please text me or call me (403)479-3262. And, try not to be jealous…just try!!!

I used to talk alot about myself on this blog. Then…I got busy. Busy with life…with work. It was like therapy…like my journal…writing on here. Then people actually started reading my blog and I got to wondering if they really wanted to hear what I had to say. Especially if what I had to say was maybe not all that uplifting or fun or happy. Well, today, I need to write and so you all can read it or skip it, but I’m going to write it for me.

I grew up performing in a Children’s Theatre company(St. Albert Children’s Theatre)…bet a lot of you didn’t know that. We did musicals under the gifted director, Maralyn Ryan. I had a dream. I wanted to be a broadway actress…yes, it was a crazy dream. And, it was not to be for any number of reasons–not the least of which being that I didn’t have the necessary hunger or drive that is needed to reach that level of success. You need either that or a great deal of luck. I did however make a lot of lifetime friends and form many of my values and beliefs while in the company of these people. After high school, I made the easy transition to life in the Theatre Arts program at GMCC with Maralyn’s then husband, Tim.

Anyone who has had the privelage of attending that program knows that it is not a school, it is a family. Last week, that family lost its patriarch, Tim Ryan. My heart breaks at the thought of him not being there even though I had not seen him for almost 5 years. He was a wonderful teacher who inspired greatness not through tyranny, but through a great amount of respect and love. You became the artist you could be because you wanted him to be proud of you. That is always the best kind of teacher. AND,  he laughed with you, at you, and sometimes at nothing at all…a big booming laugh that just made you laugh as well(and if you know me at all you will know that I LOVE TO LAUGH).

I may no longer act(sometimes I sing, but you will have to buy me a pretty present to get me to do it–ha!), but I learned the lesson of storytelling from Tim. And, I have taken that with me in to my work as a photographer. My understanding of truth and beauty comes from those days on the stage and my ability to get it from my clients is a direct result of having watched him get it from all of his students. I also learned a much bigger lesson–a life lesson. I learned that you can be an artist and not need something to fall back on Watching him and all my other instructors there was so inspiring because I learned that artists don’t let life happen to them–they make it happen.

Today I wish I was in Edmonton celebrating his life with all of his other former students. Young and old…ones who have only begun to appreciate the gifts he gave them and ones who have long ago realized that they’ll never know them all. If you are a Canadian who has seen a play, then you have been touched by his work. The community of artists around the world has lost a great asset. To everyone who knew him, my thoughts and hugs to you today…to his family, Kate, Bridget, Laurie, Maralyn and all…thank you for giving him to us so freely.

Sooooo, this session was awhile ago…and, if you are really familiar with my work, you will recognize them. This lovely Calgary interior designer and I met ~cough~ some years ago when she hired me to manage her store in Inglewood. Since then, we have both got married(on the same day), had babies(both times I told her I was pregnant, she admitted she was as well–our kids’ birthdays are days apart), been stay at home moms, and started our own businesses. To say her kids are familiar with me is an understatement since I have known them since they were born

At her birthday party this year, her friends and neighbours were there. Turns out they own Pure Cycle and Calgary Cycle here in the city and they were kind enough to loan us one of their Electra Cruiser bikes for a session. We were all set and the session was designed around a dress that the mom often wore and I loved(and thought she looked HAWT in–that is always important)…well, right before the session the mom tried the dress on AND someone must have shrunk it in the wash(we’ve all been there). DRESS EMERGENCY!!! Panic…what would they wear???? In comes Mommy Wear Daily to the rescue!! Piecing together things from her closet(no need to shop girls with Kim’s help you can shop your own closet!!!).  Disaster averted…until we lined up for the first shot and the wasps attacked. MAN THEY WERE BAD THIS YEAR!!!! And, well, mom got bit!!! Oh my…we were off to a shaky start. But, mom put on a brave face(those bites hurt) and we got some fantastic images…thought I would finally share them with you all!! Getting caught up and actually blogging some sessions!!! Enjoy a little late summer sun to warm your fall toes!!

My Friend, Tara and her family have given up their birthdays in order to try and raise enough money to build a well for families in Africa. The did this after seeing this video:

They are almost half way there, but I figured they could use some help. So, I thought I’d help spread the word. Every little bit helps you know…give up your latte tomorrow and donate the $5 to The Whitney Well…I know times are tough, but they would be a lot tougher if you did not have clean water to drink. We here in North America, even with the challenges we face, can not even begin to fathom the challenges that so many people face on a daily basis.  So…if you haven’t already done so, consider what I ask…skip Starbucks and send the money their way:

Whitney Wells

Thanks Tara for always being inspirational…

I saw this on the blog of the lovely Wreckless Girl and wanted to share it with you all…seeing Amy play live is a treat. A treat that warms you to your toes…I thought we could all do with some warming up on this fall day…enjoy!

http://www.vimeo.com/4648513