Our Washington DC Confidence! Workshop is SOLD OUT except for ONE SPOT. We set this one aside for a deserving mom and know we’ll find one who could really use a break right now.
Do you know a mom who needs this kind of group and weekend getaway? Her own ‘play group’? A woman Running on Empty? Nominate her today. Let’s turn life around and put a BIG SMILE on her face and lift her spirit!
If you know a MOM who is;
A. Running on Empty
B. Lives near the DC area or has mileage to spend
C. Can arrange for a sitter and get the weekend free, starting Friday, October 7th 7-9pm, for Meet & Greet through Sunday evening, October 9th, about 7pm.
D. Most importantly, has a PASSION for photography
Nominate her TODAY! Nominations must be in by Thursday night, September 15th at 6pm PST.
We will announce the winner in time for her to jump in and make all the arrangements. So make sure your nominations are all in by Thursday at 6pm PST. If you are not familiar with this contest, read Me Ra’s description below and see what it’s all about! Moms are one of the most beautiful parts of creation. This contest is all about acknowledging their beauty, even when they are Running on Empty and they sometimes know it least of all.
“Here’s how it works!
In honor of how wonderful moms are and all that they do and give, Brian and I keep one spot reserved in (almost) every workshop for a special mom like YOU! That’s right, you (or she) will get a free pass to the upcoming CONFIDENCE Workshop in the DC area! (Please note, we don’t provide room/board and travel.)
To nominate a mom, you must post a comment telling us about the mom who you think deserves a big break in life! If you are a mom, you’re probably laughing because we ALL deserve a serious break. But the moms we’re looking for are the ones who have had a ridiculous amount of stress in their life whether from trauma or things just not going her way this year. She is a mom in your life that needs a serious blessing to come her way. She needs a serious surprise that gives her empty tank some fuel. If she is a woman that has miscarried, she is still a mom in my mind b/c I know her heart became a mother’s heart the moment she found out she was pregnant. Don’t hesitate to nominate her too.
I’m proud to say that some of our previous winners stepped out on a limb and nominated themselves. Take courage in them and feel free to nominate yourself if you know you need a serious break. Who knows, you may have your house remodeled by Oprah!”
xoxo Me Ra
We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next week! Being as wonderful as they are, it’s not an easy job. As one said recently, “After reading each story I’d say, ‘I’m voting for HER’.” Each one of you is so deserving.
Nominate her today and turn her day around! Oh, wait! Don’t forget to let her know you’ve nominated her too! If I was a mom nominated I’d love to know my friends were thinking of me whether I won or not! Deadline for ALL nominations is Thursday 9/15 at 6pm PST. Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post. Nominations emailed or posted on other blog posts may be overlooked. Please post all nominees here . Thanks! (A tip: write in Word or other program first, then cut and paste over – just in case.:))
What do past attendees say about the CONFIDENCE Workshops? Take a look at Me Ra’s birthday post where over 100 women shared what a difference this workshop has made in their life. CLICK HERE to read their comments!
The blog is open! Enjoy your week ~ Genie
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Our Sacramento Workshop is this coming weekend – here we come Sacramento!! We have a few spots open – have you been thinking about it? At the lovely Amber House B&B near the Capitol. CLICK HERE to sign up!
Dallas, November 12-13 CLICK HERE! Four spots left!
Seattle & DC SOLD OUT!
I am nominating myself which is extremely hard for me to do because I never ask anyone for help, which is exactly why I am a good candidate for the Running on Empty Scholarship. All my life I have been doing what others expected of me or needed from me instead of what I wanted and needed to do for myself. Sometimes it was well meaning parents that thought they knew what was best for me, sometimes it was circumstances that created roadblocks that I couldn’t find my way around. At 42 years old, I look back at decades spent taking care of everyone else and earning a living providing for everyone else. While I don’t regret the choices I have made for my family, I am ready to ask for a little bit of time doing what makes my soul sing. I have loved photography since I was 11 and for my 40th birthday, my husband bought me a Nikon D300. Having that camera in my hand is like holding freedom. My world always feels right when I’m looking through the lens. Harder is allowing myself the time to learn how to use it and giving myself permission to pursue my dreams. I have four children, one with autism, and a demanding job as an air traffic controller. I rarely feel like I have time to sleep, much less have time to spend on this dream. Seeing Merakoh speak via the internet at the EVO conference sparked some desire to find a way to get started. Her DC conference was sold out. Then I saw her facebook post this morning and decided I had to try. I live 30 minutes outside of DC so I can be there. I will find a way to get off of work, I have done enough favors over the years, that I can ask for some now. You can see some of my work and writings, every photo was taken on automatic, at liakeith.tumblr.com. Please pick me!
Oh my goodness – this is amazing! I know just who needs this! I want to nominate my best friend from college – Claudia. Even though we haven’t lived in the same state since college, our friendship has remained a constant over the past 20 years with frequent phone calls and as many visits as we can work out. This past Christmas Eve, I received a call from her at 2 in the morning, and through the tears learned that her 4 yr old son was immediately sent to CHOP hospital when a doctor discovered a mass in his abdomen during a regular doctor visit. Over the next few weeks he was diagnosed with a very rare presentation of Stage IV Neuroblastoma. He has had countless surgeries, hospital stays, 6 months of chemo, full body radiation, and most recently, a month long stay in the hospital for a bone marrow transplant. During that month, he was not allowed to leave his room, was unable to eat, and had constant horrible side effects that really, are just about too awful to put into words here. I cannot even begin to imagine the unspeakable, unbearable things her Mommy heart has had to endure through all these moments. In addition to caring for her son, she and her husband also have 3 other children, ages 7, 2 and 1. They have been surviving this very scary roller coaster ride one day at a time but are so exhausted and hopeful and scared all at once as doctors are trying to save their son’s life (literally,teams from around the world are weighing in on his care). Currently, their son is unable to leave the house (except for hospital visits) due to his depressed immune system, and is going through further radiation treatment, as well as a 6 month course of immunotherapy ahead. So while they have already been through so much, there is still a long, uncertain, and scary road ahead. Still, Claudia is the kind of person who relies on her faith to get through each moment at a time but can be very real and honest about how gruelling this has all been. What has been amazing for me to see and just such a perfect example of who she is, is that in the middle of her own tragedy, she is constantly showing love to the other families/kids she has met at the hospital who are affected by childhood cancer. When their family is given a gift, she has often passed it on to another family who she thinks needs it more. She talks of other kids/families on the treatment units with such genuine compassion and tries to think of ways to add a bright spot to their day – to give to them, both in tangible ways and in offering up an encouraging word or just being a supportive presence to them. At a time when it would be completely understandable to be “selfish” – she shows her heart for others who are in the midst of their own tragedy. OK, I could keep going on and on about her, but lets get down to the specifics of this blog: She LOVES photography and over the years it has been so neat to watch this passion of hers grow. She especially loves taking pictures of kids/families and is so talented! I feel like this workshop is coming at a perfect time for her as she would be available (as in, her son is not currently in the hospital), and mostly, she has sounded just so exhausted, spent and emotionally beat-up after coming back from their month long hopspital stay. Obviously, their family resources are very tied up in their sons treatment right now, and this weekend in DC would be such a blessing to her. I would LOVE for her to have a chance to escape this crazy nightmare for a weekend and recharge her batteries with something just for her – she so needs it! I don’t envy your job of having to pick one person, as I’m sure everyone entered will so deserve it, but please, PLEASE PLEASE pick her! I can’t think of a better way to brighten her day – it would be a highlight during a stormy season for sure! Thanks for the generous opportunity!
My sister, Mary, is amazing. She gives selflessly every single day. In addition to homeschooling her two boys with a lively 3-year old in tow, she has created community with her neighbors. Every Wednesday she hosts “Wednesday Dinner”. Show up and get your fill of delicious food, conversation, and fellowship. She has hosted a couple “Stop Hunger Now” events in her area, literally putting thousands of meals in front of those that go without. And she and her husband are answering God’s call on their life to adopt a girl from Rwanda. Just today she received notice that they got a match! What an amazing gift it would be for Mary to have the ability to take pictures of her new family. Her husband recently purchased a DSLR camera for her and she has been tinkering with it. She would gain sooo much knowledge sooo fast if she was awarded the spot in the DC Confidence Workshop… just in time to go pick up her new baby in Africa.
Hi – Me again. I forgot to put this in the earlier comment, but this is a link to Claudia’s blog about her son and his treatment if you want to check it out: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaellandis
He’s a cutie!
I would like to nominate my wife, Keri, for the Running on Empty Mom for DC. She is my high school sweetheart and best friend. We have been together for 18 years and been married for 10. I love her and can’t think of a more deserving person for this opportunity. God has led her in many directions career-wise. She started out as an art teacher, then a Mary Kay consultant, then a Director of Christian Education, and now as a stay at home mom.
We have two wonderful children, a son, Cortland, and a daughter, Graci. Cortland will be 4 in November and to say he is energetic would be an understatement. He is an early riser, the only one in the family, and does not stop until well after the sun goes down. I am projecting that he will grow up to be an Olympic gymnast, a circus acrobat, or a Hollywood stuntman. He cannot find enough things to jump off of, run into, or flip over. He literally bounces off the walls, to the point where we have actually discussed putting padding on the walls. Graci just turned 1 in August and is starting to follow in her brother’s footsteps. She has started to walk, but also is also starting to climb on things. She loves her brother and you can tell that she wants to do everything he does.
We live in a 2 bedroom house, so Graci sleeps in our room. However, Cortland usually ends up there as well. Graci is also teething now, and seems to have been for months. This results in many nights with little sleep, especially when Cort is up bright and early. When Graci does cry, Keri is the one to get up in the middle of the night to care for her, while letting me sleep. She also gets up with Cort in the morning, again letting me sleep in.
Earlier this year I completed my Masters degree. During that time, 3 ½ years, Keri gave me time to work on assignments, papers, and tests by taking care of the kids. Keri continues to make all of the meals for the family, does a lot of the housework, and necessary shopping. She also just recently participated in and finished her second triathlon in August. If you haven’t realized this yet, she does everything. She even gives me 1 night out a week on top of all of it. In return, I also give her 1 night out a week, but she feels guilty in taking time for herself and either only takes a couple hours or doesn’t take it at all. Even when we get a babysitter to try to spend time with each other, she feels guilty, and feels she needs to get back to the kids, so we don’t get a lot of time together either. We have a couple hours of seeing each other each day after I get home from work and before the kids go to bed. When the kids go to bed, she is usually so tired from the day’s events and trying to keep up with the kids that she goes to bed as well.
Earlier this year, Keri told me she wanted to go to the Dallas photography conference, but that it was almost a $1000 to attend. I told her that if she wanted to go, she would need to make the money to attend. As a Also earlier this year, she bought a $500 lens for our camera without telling me. Probably, because she knows I would’ve said no. I was upset with her, because it’s money that we didn’t have. However, she booked a wedding from someone at our church as a photographer at no charge. The family ended up giving her a monetary gift for her service, and that, along with a garage sale that she put together in August has paid for the lens. Since then, she has booked a second wedding to try and build her portfolio, and will also start to work in the portrait studio at Target.
Our 10th anniversary was this year and we have grown to a point where we don’t get each other gifts or go out anywhere, because it costs money. This goes for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas as well. So for once, I would like to give her a gift that she really wants. Please consider Keri as a worthy recipient of this opportunity. I know that she can do well once she gains the confidence in herself and her talent. Writing this is something that I would normally not do, but I know that she loves photography and deserves a break to refuel. It’s the least I could do for all the things she has done for me. Even if you don’t select Keri, I know that she will enjoy reading this, since I don’t usually tell her how much I appreciate her. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Simply put, there is no mom more deserving of your precious gift to attend the Washington DC Confidence! Workshop than, my twin sister Keri Anne Johnson. Keri is indeed “Running on Empty” and her tank is in need of being filled. Attending the Confidence! Workshop is exactly what she needs to refuel and recharge to be the person God created her to be.
Like many amazing moms, Keri has been battered and bruised. While she was pregnant with her first child, Keri’s confidence, passion, and heart were shattered when while trying to start a career, her boss and trainer, whom she trusted and worked with told her (out of his own selfishness and conceit) that she should never have gone to school to get a degree, and should ONLY be a stay at home mom. She was so deeply damaged and belittled it was as if a vampire had sucked the very life right out of her. There is no one in this world who knows my sister better than I do. We have been inseparable since birth, and Keri has tragically not been the same since that day. The childhood rant “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a cold and heartless lie. Ugly words do hurt and they did serious damage to my sister.
Keri is the most incredible, loving, passionate, intelligent, and giving mother. One week of trying to keep up with her stay at home mom schedule does me in. She is amazing, and I don’t hold a candle to her. She is capable of doing absolutely anything she desires; including being a working mother, if that is what she aspires to be. Unfortunately four years later, she is still rebuilding and trying to pick up the pieces. Anyone who is passionate about having a career and fulfilling one’s dreams must understand how life-changing that moment was for Keri and her family. I see glimpses of the confident sister I once knew, the one who without hesitation would step forward and give all she has to give, but that person is still slightly buried and has very little left to bestow.
In life, Keri continues to juggle many roles: stay-at-home mom of two beautiful children, wife, friend, sister, daughter, granddaughter, teacher, youth leader, and lover and learner of life. And while she has for years struggled to find her niche, she shines with inspiration when she is behind the camera!! I can see the self-assurance in her eyes when she reveals the precious moments in her life that she caught on film, and from behind that lens I can finally see my sister!!! Taking photographs transports Keri to an oasis, a safe place, where rather than be depleted she is revived. She has an exciting career ahead! Unlike the thoughts of her former co-worker, Keri’s journey is not over, though she is indeed “Running on Empty.” This mom is weary and worn. Won’t you please fill her up!
The comment above my previous “Kristy says” comment is written by my brother in law Craig and unbeknownst to each other, we both nominated Keri for the Washington DC Confidence! Workshop. Craig is a man of very, very few words and his comment in itself has moved me to tears. My sister Keri is so deserving of this gift! Please fill her up!
My wife,Stacey, has not gone to bed at the same time as me for the last year (there’s editing to do). She’s stopped watching our nighttime shows with me (got to get ready for tomorrow’s shoot). She’s stopped playing board games with me (the blog needs updating). The neighbors gave us a hot tub, which I now enjoy by myself (the print order has to get in). Oh, and we no longer talk in the car (because posting comments on photographers’ Facebook pages satisfies all her communication needs).
No, we’re not getting divorced; in fact, we’re very much in love. But she is also in love with photography and creating a career for herself in it. She started out like most mom’s-with-cameras, just wanting to take better pictures of our four small children (I assume I don’t have to mention how busy the little ones keep her). Then, one day, she came home with some laminate flooring and a big roll of back-drop paper. “I’m creating and a natural light studio,” she declared, and with that, our four small children were begrudgingly forced into careers as unpaid models. But soon, her friends began asking her to shoot their kids and newborns. With a few of those under her belt, she started shooting mothers-to-be and then entire families. She’s now even doing regular fashion shoots for a local children’s boutique.
I think her work is amazing…truly. She has the ability to capture the essence of people and really bring those emotions out in photos. Unfortunately, she doesn’t agree. I know it would mean the world to her to have the chance to learn first hand at your work shop. But it would also mean the world to me—if she starts taking better photographs because of your workshop, then she won’t have to spend so much time editing every night and maybe, just maybe, I could cuddle on the couch again with buddy.
You can check her work out at http://www.littlebabybluephoto.com.
[…] (genie@fioria.us) To read Claudia’s powerful story, along with all the other nominees, CLICK HERE.We also had ONE spot that just came open for DC. If you’d like to grab this spot, email […]
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