Last night, I was getting the kids ready for bed and couldn’t believe how dark it was. But what took me by surprise was the realization that it was only 8:30pm! Oh friends, Fall is around the corner. Our long summer days are coming to an end. But with all the ups and downs of the summer, I have to admit that Fall is my favorite season. I love trading the BBQs for homeade soups, seeing the leaves turn vibrant shades of red, and then smelling the fireplaces on evening walks–C-O-Z-Y! I love Back to School parties whether it’s shopping with the kids or getting our new box of homeschool supplies! In fact, check back tomorrow because Kari/Mamabloo is bringing you a HILARIOUS Back to School “Photo Tale”! And last but not least, I love that Fall brings the fresh start of CONFIDENCE workshops after a lazy summer break! Woo-hoo ladies! The countdown has begun!
Brian and I are SO looking forward to meeting you all! San Antonio is the only city with seats still left! DC and San Francisco are both SOLD OUT! Woo-hoo! And you know what this means…(drum roll) we can start the Running on Empty Contest for DC!
The DC CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop is SOLD OUT! The weekend is September 17-19. It’s a lively group that includes a couple ladies who were our models at the NY workshop! They had so much fun they just had to come back on the other side of the camera they said! Everyone’s been emailing, saying why they are coming, what they hope to get out of the weekend, sharing their fears, insecurities and enthusiasm. Brian and I love reading their stories. We can’t wait to meet them all! But there is one mystery woman we have yet to meet! She is our future Running On Empty winner. If you fit the profile below, apply today! The deadline is this Thursday at 6pm, PST!
If you know a MOM who is;
A. Running on Empty
B. Lives near Washington DC or has mileage to spend
C. Can arrange for a sitter and get the weekend free, starting Friday, September 17 for Meet & Greet night all the way through Sunday night, September 19.
D. Most importantly, has a PASSION for photography
Nominate her TODAY! Nominations must be in by Thursday night, 8/26 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 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, especially when they are Running on Empty.
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 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 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!
We’ll collect all the nominees, have a committee of wonderful moms vote, and then announce the winner in the next two weeks!
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, August 26th at 6pm PST. Nominations MUST be posted as a comment on this blog post. Either your email or the nominees email MUST be included on the blog post to qualify (you have to write it in). Nominations emailed or posted on other blog posts may be overlooked. Please post all nominees here. Thanks!
For more details about the CONFIDENCE WORKSHOP, CLICK HERE!
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We have just a couple seats left for our San Antonio, TX CONFIDENCE Workshop! CLICK HERE to get your spot!! It’s the only one open right now. San Francisco’s completely FULL.
Hi MeRa!
As a former CONFIDENCE! workshop attendee, I am wholeheartedly nominating my dear and oldest (as in friendship years, not age!) friend Alaine.
Alaine is THE most devoted mother I have ever met. She has 5 children (4 girls, 1 boy) ranging in ages from 12 to almost 2. She is also an extremely proud aunt to 6 children! The 11 children in her life are her source of inspiration and her driving force behind her photography. She is one of 5 children herself and their big family loves to call her their family photographer. 🙂
Alaine is one of the most organized, creative, patient and caring individuals I have the pleasure of calling a friend. She makes being a mother to five children look easy (I really don’t know how she does it). She hand makes their birthday cakes, plans out elaborate birthday parties, thinks of creative crafts to do on a snowy or rainy day, coaches their soccer teams, scrapbooks the kid’s school careers, is the Girl Scout cookie Mom, volunteers at school…the list goes on and on. I usually get tired after reading her Facebook updates because she never ceases to amaze me!
Alaine has had a passion for photography long before mine ever began. She started out with a film camera and once their first daughter was born it seemed like she could never get enough images and began to cover her walls! She switched to digital a few years ago and I know she loves it. Her home is filled with pictures and walking through it you can watch her family grow, year by year. It’s an amazing tribute to her stunningly beautiful children, I love to visit each year and spend my time absorbing the love on her walls. It brings me peace to see the loving environment she and her husband have created.
Alaine is never without her camera and I know that she would give anything to learn how to ‘get out of that auto mode!’ I often wish we didn’t live an hour and a half away from each other because I would love to spend hours with her, showing her how to capture stellar images of her fun loving clan! There is no doubt in my mind that given a weekend where she would learn how to properly manipulate her camera, Alaine would blow us all out of the water with images that rock. She just needs that CONFIDENCE to do so.
I know that never in a million years would Alaine spend the money on herself for a workshop. She is too devoted to her children and her loving husband to put herself first. She needs a break. She needs a weekend to allow herself to be Alaine with a camera. She needs to spend some time with other women who have the same passion for photography as she does. She needs to recharge her battery and return to her fun loving clan, ready to capture the loving world she has created and refill her walls with even more images!
**I love you Alaine, with all my heart. You are my constant daily inspiration as a Mom, a Wife, a Friend and without your friendship over the past 22 years, I’d be lost. It’s an honor and a privilege to nominate you for something you are so deserving of.
Respectfully submitted with love,
Jane Ammon
jane@janeammonphotography.com
for Alaine Sheeley (a really awesome mom…)
Sigh… I’m going to have to suck it up and nominate myself I suppose. Feels awkward tooting my own horn. I don’t like to do so but I really want to go to one of your events but after spending $20,000 (YIKES) for my daughter’s wedding… well room and board is about all I could come up at this point! Even though I live in the Seattle area… I’m more than willing to travel to get the training I so desperately need. Plus, it would be a VERY welcome distraction to my current state of mind. My pity party is in FULL swing!
This couldn’t have come at a better time for me as just this morning and 5 AM I watched my daughter (22, my youngest) and new son-in-law pull away in their U-Haul. They are on their way to Montana to start their new life together… and I am happy for them but broken hearted all in one. What a complex of emotions this brings. If anything writing this out will be therapeutic for me.
I no longer feel like a mother. I do feel like a woman with grown children… but with nobody around to “mother”… I don’t know what to do with myself. I suppose this is why I have chosen to focus my photography business on Maternity, infants and children… to fill the gaping void. I do feel empty, and I’m so busy, with 3 photo shoots waiting to be edited, I don’t have time for a pity party… so “Running on Empty”… fits me perfectly.
My son just turned 26 on Sunday. He was born 7 weeks premature. I thought we lost him, but he survived even though he got down to 3lb 14 oz before he started to gain weight again. When I was pregnant with my daughter my uterus prolapsed and I had to be on bed rest for 6 L O N G months. I could have lost her too. This is why I have such a longing in my heart to not only deal with maternity and live births… but I just recently learned of a program called “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep”. I will be turning in my application to volunteer my services for their organization. It will be heartbreaking, but I feel so fortunate that my two were born alive and relatively healthy. Shiners Hospital helped with my son, so because they are in Portland, I will be volunteering at Seattle Children’s Hospital. (If they let me.)
Being a fairly new budding photographer I have so much I want to so and a TON I have yet to learn but this is what I know I was meant to do in this chapter of my life. Somewhere along the way I will earn a paycheck, but that’s going to come when the time is right, I can’t focus just on that. Right now in my journey it’s time for me to give back. I need them just as much as they need me. So really… perhaps I’m being selfish?
2009 – 2010 has not been kind to us. My husband was a long time employee at Washington Mutual and was let go. He was unemployed for 7 months… we lost our home. If you want more details you can read my profile in the SOAR forum, but long story short my husband found an awesome work from home job and we were totally blessed and found a beautiful home on Highway frontage and now I am about to open my photography studio out of our home. The sign goes up next week! Truly when one door closes another door opens. And now that my career as a mother has come to an end… my career as a children’s photographer begins. The seasons of life…
So? I humbly submit myself for your Running on Empty contest. I love your work and training style MeRa and follow you anywhere.
Thank you for the opportunity,
Delanae Lindstrom ~ delanae@delanae.com
I am nominating my friend Erin Hamson. Her and her husband are some of the most selfless people I know. They are adoptive parents to one, biological parents to two, and foster parents to many. They make many financial sacrifices for Erin to stay at home with their three (or more) kids. She recently told me that her beginning photography business is just for some extra cash so she can go on a date night with her hubby. I know she would greatly appreciate a chance to expand her photography knowledge and get a much needed break.
Thanks for considering my nomination.
Melissa (melissa{at}thecorkums.com)
I would like to nominate my wife Kristy Freeman. She is the mother of 2 wonder kids, a dog, plus sometimes me. She has had the dream of becoming a professional photographer for years and opening her on business. She would like to open an antique themed studio. Over the years every time she had the opportunity to peruse her dream for one reason or the other the door was shut. It seemed to happen over and over. It has been heart breaking watching the women of your dreams being hurt time after time to preserve your way of life. She has sacrificed every dream she has to make sure our family came first. She even put her dreams aside to work for me, just to make my job easier. I would give anything for her just to have one more door open. I would push her through it and make sure it didn’t close. I owe her everything I have in life and now it’s her turn. She is a wonderful person and is passionate about photography. Now that our kids are old enough it seems she thinks time has passed her by. For her to have one more chance at her dreams would mean the world to her and I would give anything to be able to give her that opportunity. She has never let our family down and has always put everything aside. It seems as of late she has given up on this dream, so yes she is running on empty and I ask that you help me fill her back up. I would love to surprise her with this blessing. Just so she knows that we do appreciate everything she done for us over the years and all the sacrifices have not gone unnoticed.
Thank you for time and the opportunity to fill my wife back up.
Donnie Freeman / dfreeman@mclaughlincommunications.com
I am writing to nominate my dear friend Claudia. She is a tireless and selfless mother and wife, and an extraordinary friend. She is raising four young children (often alone) as her husband travels frequently for his work. They have lived all over the globe because her husband works in third world development. While this may sound exotic, she has had to deal with her children’s illnesses in countries like Armenia, where clean water and medicine were scarce. She manages all such crises with aplomb and grace. She is a gifted writer (she has a blog on expatriate life), seamstress (she makes most of her kids’ clothes), baker, gardener, etc. I am constantly amazed at how much she manages to do with four kids! She has spent the last few years dedicating herself to becoming a professional photographer – in part to fulfill her artistic passion and in part to bring in extra income. She recently shot her brother’s wedding and I was blown away by the progress she has made ON HER OWN. Having said that, she has often commented to me on how she would love to attend your workshop, but with four young kids and living abroad, the overall cost is beyond her means. I know she has family in Washington, D.C., and miles she could use to get there, so the D.C. Confidence workshop would be a truly amazing gift for her. Thank you for your consideration and I wish you all a great workshop! All my best, Monique Kovacs Nathan (monique_kovacs@hotmail.com).
Hi MeRa,
I’m going to be shameless and nominate myself. I feel really weird about this, but my friends are encouraging me and I honestly have to give it a go.
Photography is my passion. It took me forever (or so it feels) to figure that out. My whole life I felt in search of a voice that would allow me to bridge gaps with people, share the world as I see it, understand how others see it and maybe just see it more clearly. Photography is it. The light, the colors, the people, the lack there of. I can’t get enough and I REALLY can’t get enough of sharing that. It’s not just about finding my creative voice, it’s about helping others find there’s.
In the last couple of years, dealing with being laid off from work, finding a new job, health problems, etc. I’ve been even more clear about what I want to do. I’ve been reading books, this site, practicing, trying to get better, trying to make this into a side business, just trying, period. I have jerry-rigged my little point and shoot to within an inch of it’s life. Umbrellas and tin foil, sunglasses as filters, me, precariously leaning over like a Cirque Du Soliel act… I have done pretty much everything I know to do to just get that shot, until I can get that better job, that gets me that better camera and a little more ‘know how’. Alright, a lot of ‘know how’, but I love it.
Having said all of that, I feel awkward entering this contest. I don’t know if I belong here. Why? I am not a mom. I was almost a mom, but complications with my Lupus have not allowed that to come to full fruition. Sparing you any sob stories beyond that, I’ll just say that I AM nonetheless running on empty and such an amazing workshop is well beyond my economic reach.
So, that’s all. I’m feeling rather ineloquent and awkward, at the moment, but I have to at least try. I wish and all of the participants of your workshop a wonderful time. I’ll be following along, no matter what. 🙂
Thanks for your consideration.
~Veda Taylor
artbyveda@gmail.com
I am nominating my dear friend, Veda. She will downplay it all for you, but she is running on empty and has been for a while. The past few years have not been kind to her. She had a string of unfortunate events, topped off with a diagnosis of Lupus. Lupus is one of those illnesses where you can be making it by one day and unable to get out of bed the next. When your body is fighting itself every day, simple things like keeping a job and important things like keeping a pregnancy can be very hard.
In spite of it all, Veda still goes out of her way to help people. She plows through her challenges and inspires us along the way. Veda has a hard time thinking of herself as a mom since she has no living children. She might not even realize it, but she adopts people – she takes care of and protects her friends and family in the most amazing way, and it is an honor to be among them. I consider her a mother to her spirit children and to her closest friends and family.
I have never seen someone take such beautiful portraits and scenery with a point and shoot. She has the unbelievable talent of connecting with people and bringing out their inner beauty in every photo she takes, even of complete strangers. A conversation with Veda is never casual – she jumps right into the deep topics and forces you to think more creatively. She truly can see the beauty in everything and allow others to see it, too. Photography is her gift and while she is modest about her talent, she is not hesitant to share her amazing perspective with the world. I know that with it she will heal many lives, including her own. She just needs a little push from the confidence department.
Veda was one of the many women who dreamed to win the SOAR scholarship. I think sitting down to put the applcation together helped her realize that this is her calling. She will use photography to teach people to overcome obstacles, to think openly, to find beauty in mundane things – including themselves. She has spent all her free time learning everything she can on her own. She contiunes to dream big and pursue her plans to spread her amazing perspective of light and beauty.
Please consider Veda for this workshop – once she is filled back up, there is no doubt she will run with the inspiration and spread beauty wherever she goes.
ps contact her above or me at sweetriverphotography@gmail.com :O)
good luck to all the candidates – you’re all amazing!
Good Evening MeRa,
So, I already know whom I have in mind to nominate this, Veda Taylor. The problem I’m having is formulating all the reason why she deserves this. Its not because she doesn’t deserve it, but because of all the things she does and who she is that makes her deserving of this!
From the moment I met Veda I had this instant connection to her, something about her just screamed “awesome.” At the time I couldn’t tell what that “awesome” was, but I sure enough found out later. No matter what Veda puts her mind to, no matter what Veda touches there’s always a nurturing hand behind it. Her work always seems to come out with such beauty, things that I feel that people often take for granted. Whether its a picture of a friend or landscape, I always get the feeling, “Wow I’ve never seen it this way before.”
She is one of the most resilient women that I know. I’m sure through all the times she rather stay in bed and pull the covers over her head she always comes out on top. She makes me want to strive for my best, and for someone who doesn’t have the most expensive equipment out there, I’d certainly put her up there with some of the worlds most renowned photographers. I hope that you will give her and the world the chance to see what she can do, and let people see life, beauty and awesomeness through her eyes!
Thank you for your consideration!
-Catherine
I am writing to nominate Anne Mary Wood-Mann, my aunt, godmother, and constant source of inspiration! Anne Mary or Auntie Anne as I call her, is a graphic designer who has branched out into the world of photography. Her tag line for her photography business, Sirango Photography, is “melts hearts” and after witnessing her take photos and seeing the work that is produced from the different photography sessions, I can truly say that she not only melts hearts, but touches the hearts of the viewers. Focusing on infants and children, Anne Mary uses her energy to capture a moment that will melt the hearts of the kid’s parents.
I got a first hand look at my aunt’s photography business this past summer when I was her “nantern,” which is the technical term for someone who is a nanny and an intern. While running a graphic design and photography business, Anne Mary is also the mother to a 5 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. While Anne Mary loves her business and making art, she also loves her family a great deal and dedicates her time to making sure her kids grow up in a fun and loving household. During the summer my aunt stepped out of her comfort zone (and mine too, being her nantern) and pushed her photography business by driving around Massachusetts searching for perfect locations for photo sessions as well as having day long photo sessions at parks and photographing multiple families throughout the day. During these sessions, I was the photographer’s assistant (the one who made all of the goofy faces to make the kids smile and laugh) and these experiences let me see just how passionate Anne Mary is about melting hearts through her photos. Even when the kids wouldn’t smile or parents were overstepping their boundaries, Anne Mary kept a positive attitude and kept clicking the camera to insure she caught the exact moment of the child’s happiness. Her determination throughout these sessions allowed for her to show the parents fabulous and amazing photos! One of the children even got a modeling job due to one of Anne Mary’s heart melting photos.
My aunt is a wonderful and creative person (and I’m not just saying this because she’s family). She would be a wonderful addition to this conference because of all the positive energy she puts forth. I have no doubt in my mind that Anne Mary could help inspire other photographers as well as learning some new tricks to help improve her portfolio. And while she loves being with her family, it might be nice for my aunt to talk to people over the age of 5 🙂
To view her work you can visit her website: http://www.sirangophotography.com
Thanks for considering Anne Mary Wood Mann – you won’t find a more dedicated and creative person out there!
I met my nominee, Shannon White (my Wife) in 2002. At the time she had been doing photography as a Hobby for around 10 years. I quickly got involved with her ventures having no experience in Photography whatsoever (really just so that I could spend ever moment wither possible), I would do things from carry cameras, change rolls of film, to changing batteries. After we married Shannon and I decided to the the hobby into a business.
After 3 years of successfully finding base clients and keeping fairly busy on our days off from our regular jobs we decided to give all that up for an opportunity for me to get into Law Enforcement. This required a move out of State, away from Shannon’s family, friends, and most of all; the entire client base she had worked so hard to establish.
We moved to Raleigh NC where I quickly entered the academy (unpaid) while Shannon took on a full time job in Customer Service to support us, all the while starting over with establishing our business. During all of this time we came to the realization that having children would be next to impossible, if not impossible all together (like 3% chance). All of our extra resources; both physical and financial went to fulfilling our dream of being parents.
After 10’s of thousands of dollars, and years of trying we finally gave up our dream of being parents. Shannon one day decided to try one more time on our own using the last of the medication we had. We were successful and Shannon and I were now going to be proud parents of, not 1, but 2 beautiful babies. Shannon was forced to quit her full time job the week the babies were born, we moved into a smaller house to afford a mortgage after her loss of income. Shannon still had hopes of fulfilling her lifetime dream of having her Photography Business where she wanted it to be.
Now 2 and a half years later, and Shannon has successfully gotten the business off the ground AGAIN (all while raising 2 beautifull kiddo’s) to where we are actually making some of the money needed to support us and for Shannon to be able to attend some of the workshops, seminars, classes and expositions that she has wanted to attend but never been able to.
In February of this year we went through fertility treatment again to expand our family to where we want it to be and were unsuccessful. We had completely given up on having another baby. Shannon while being a stay at home mom juggles the twins, picking up after them and cleaning the house; Shannon now runs the business all on her own, and recently established a charitable program through our business called Ella’s Touch (http://lifelongimpressions.com/giving-back-ellas-touch/ ).
We found out days ago that we were pregnant, without even trying. We couldn’t be happier to have another child however just 3 months ago with the chances of getting pregnant given up on we removed the maternity rider from her insurance to save more money.
Now we are faced with the realization that we will be paying for all medical costs of Shannon through her pregnancy, and the delivery and care of our new baby all on our own. This means that Shannon once again will not be able to attend any of the things that interest her to further her knowledge, and experience in Photography (her love and passion).
That being said (I know it is long winded) I ask that you allow Shannon the opportunity to attend your workshop, because she truly is “Running on Empty” although happy doing it.
Dear Me Ra,
I am once again going to nominate myself. Each time I enter I know the odds and each time I understand why another more than deserving mom is picked. I always think just give it up it is not meant to be right now. Yet each time another workshop and another running on empty contest is announced I can’t resist. I’ve been running on low for years just when I need to feel confident and at my best (turning the big 3-0 and graduating with an associate degree), I’m on E.
The past few years have been emotionally hard. Just after my husband asked me to be his wife, I was told my mother had stage 4 breast cancer. While the stage 4 diagnosis was wrong, it was tough to enjoy the wedding planning while watching the most important woman in my life battle cancer. Meanwhile unknowing that my sister had her own battle with bipolar depression. For years and somedays still, I fear for the phone call you never want to get. Combined with the ups and downs of motherhood and from being employed, unemployed, employed, then unemployed again within a year. Luckily, I took a chance and went back to school for graphic design which lead me to photography. Art and Photography are the calm within my crazy mixed up world.
I often feel like I am alone in pursuing my dream. My husband has been working 6 days a week for the past two years to support our family. Even though he has a business degree, he doesn’t have the time to help me start up a business. My family, friends, and even my husband don’t understand. When people say “I want to be a teacher” or “I want to be an engineer” everyone agrees and thinks it is great, but when you say “I want to be an artist” or “I want to be a photographer” you can hear the negativity in their response – photography is only hobby. I always feel that I am pursing my photography dream quietly in the background trying to go unseen. Yet I realize that quietly is not the way to succeed in this business. I feel like I am waiting for the people in my life to give me permission and support to try.
I do hope I can join you in DC. It is just a hop skip and jump from Detroit and I’m fortunate to have family there.
Thank you so much for offering these wonderful opportunities and for considering me once again.
Stephanie Doran
stephanie_doran at hotmail.com
Hi Me Ra!
Thank you for this opportunity to nominate a Mom and for your generosity to provide this for her. You are the best!
As soon as I found out about the Running On Empty contest I immediately thought of my sister, Charleen. Charleen is married and a mother of four incredible children. She loves photography and is great about capturing the memories and moments in her kids lives that are treasured, unique and genuine. She has a desire to pursue her love of photography beyond just a hobby. She is passing on the wonderful art of photography to her children,too. But that dream is being squashed right now for many reasons.
Charleen is a caring person that puts everyone else’s needs in front of hers. She is constantly doing for others and sacrificing way more than anyone knows. This is a lifestyle for her. She has the daily load of teaching her children, running her home, volunteering at church, taking her children to their sports activities, being a great wife and helping her husband run his own business.
To top all of this off, she is the only relative that is near our parents, so much of the brunt (and joy) of helping them falls on her. My mom is not well and my Dad is full time caretaker for my Mom. There are many times when she has been called late at night, at the last minute, or early in the morning and is asked and expected to help. She has taken them to many appointments, shopped for them, and the list goes on. As women, we tend to place guilt on ourselves when we feel we don’t live up to our expectations or the expectations of others. It can weigh heavy on her heart trying to balance taking care of two families. I feel so helpless being over 8 hours away. I never feel like I can truly give back to her all the appreciation that she deserves.
The past few years have been very tough on their family, also. Charleen has been burdened with keeping her husband’s spirits up and helping him with his business as it went down with the economy. She is always looking for ways to help out financially. Struggling to make ends meet, keep normalcy in the home and keeping a positive outlook has taken a toll on her. As Mom’s, we want the best for our children and when we feel we can’t give them what they deserve it is heart wrenching. They have had to miss our family reunion vacations and many other trips. It tears her heart out each time she tries to explain why they can’t do something.
Watching this from afar has been challenging for me. We help when we can but I feel helpless on a daily basis. I miss being around her. The AMAZING thing is she never complains!!! She takes each day with all of the gusto that she can muster up. She is always concerned with how we are doing and loves hearing about the successes of our family. She always gets excited for me when we talk about photography stuff and share photos.
I can’t think of a more wonderful experience for her to be at the DC Workshop especially because I would be able to see her have the time of her life. It will be my first Confidence Workshop,too. How exhilarating, memory making,special and incredible it would it be to share the workshop as sisters. Let alone knowing that she will be renewed, reenergized, relaxed, and re-confident (if there is such a word!)
Thanks, Me Ra, for the potential opportunity to have an incredible “real sister”hood weekend!!
Wow!
Thank you for your commitment to sharing your blessings.
Cathleen
On behalf of Kim’s friends, I am posting this nomination for KIM MYERS – a budding photographer, devoted wife, mother of two young children, and a woman who always puts others before herself. She is always willing to make the sacrifice, happily and humbly, as she provides emotional support for those around her, including her husband who recently experienced job loss as a result of the recession.
Amidst the uncertainty of their day-to-day living expenses, Kim continued to search for meaning and goodness in all things, despite what life presented. When her cup is on empty, she continues to fill others’ cups, and that is what I think the aim of this contest is.
She is a mother, a wife, a friend, a sister, and a daughter, and, most significantly, she is passionate about how photography can bring happiness to others. This opportunity for Kim would be life-giving to her, but afterwards, in her own way, she will quietly and humbly pass the beauty of the experience on to others through her gifts and grace.
Joyfully, I make this nomination in the hope that Kim Myers will have this unique opportunity to step out of her role as a full-time wife, mother, volunteer, and friend to all, and let her cup be filled to the brim. ?
Sincerely,
Team “Kim”
Hello Me Ra and Family,
I don’t know exactly where to begin…but “Running on Empty” does not even begin to describe my wonderful wife, Rachel. That is why I would like to nominate her for this wonderful event.
I try to be a supportive husband on every level and I would love to be able to send her to the Confidence workshop on my own, but there are just some things that I cannot provide. I would not have known about your contest had she not left your blog up on the computer (not sure if it was an accident or a subtle hint), but I do know that she would not feel comfortable nominating herself. She brings up topics from your blog often but has never asked for us to pay for her to go to one of your workshops because she knows that I would list numerous other priorities. I greatly believe in her talent and desire to improve and even helped her put together a video for your “SOAR” contest; but, like so many families out there, paying for the workshop is just not something that we can afford right now.
My wife started her photography business a few months ago after a great deal of support from friends, family and saving for and purchasing her coveted Canon 5D Mark II and 70-200mm L-series lens. I tried for many, many months to push her to start the business earlier so that she could earn money towards the equipment, but she strongly believed that she couldn’t charge anyone for anything until she had the proper equipment. Since becoming dedicated to photography she has spent every bit of her free time, which isn’t much, reading every respected photography blog (especially yours and Carey Schumacher’s), watching every on-line tutorial, reading books, and even taking a night class on Photoshop. I think that her business is moving along fairly well for the short time that it has existed and that she is producing truly wonderful pictures, but I can tell that something is missing. She consistently asks me to review every photo session and we are always discussing and trying new approaches to marketing. I definitely think that she needs more confidence…more confidence in her abilities to take and edit great pictures and definitely more confidence in her ability to market herself to the public.
The toughest part of this endeavor is that I feel like she is doing it on fumes… She is a dedicated wife, very giving mother of two very demanding little girls (ages 5 & 2), and is currently playing caretaker to her elderly grandmother. Between dance lessons, piano lessons, art classes, gymboree classes, soccer, Daisy Girl Scouts, stroller strides, playgroups, play-dates, regular doctor’s appointments for grandmother, church and a rigorous workout regimen for herself I do not know how she finds time to breath, much less start a business and make it successful. Lets just say there are many late nights dedicated to photography. To say the least she is super-human, yet here I come to throw even more stress into her life. I am in the United States Navy and have relocated her and the family twice in just the last two years. Forcing her to leave friends that she worked hard to make and start over again and again. If that wasn’t enough, the latest unknown in the long-line of unknowns is the recent recommendation from the Secretary of Defense to shut down my command to save money. Currently we do not have a final decision, just a lack of knowledge and an uneasy feeling about our future destination. I think that not knowing is the toughest part for her…I know it is for me. Being a military wife is not an easy task, but she handles it with grace and understanding. She has so much understanding that she has provided 2-3 free photo sessions a month, since starting her business, to deploying, deployed, or returning from deployment military service members and their families as an Operation Love Reunited photographer.
I know there are many deserving women out there, but please take this time to consider my wife. I am afraid that she may not just be “running on empty”, but “out of gas”. A weekend spent away from all the stress while concentrating on photography and hanging out with like-minded women would certainly re-charge her batteries and drive to succeed.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Chris Sutherland
Bravosierra98@gmail.com
ICO
Rachel Sutherland
Rachel@rsutherlandphotography.com
Briefcase (check), coffee (check), car keys (check), hug/kiss for my 6 year old son (“Make it a good day, and respect your mother”), hug/kiss for my 4 year old daughter (“Love you peaches, listen to mommy today”), hug/kiss for my wife (How lucky am I?), leaving through the front door last thing I hear before the door closes – “MOM! HE HIT ME” “DID NOT!”. Click, off to another day at work (for both of us).
I have known my wife Kim since we were 13 years old and have a relationship that is indescribable. I am blessed everyday to have her in my life. That said, I honestly do not know how she does it, I know she is tough (tougher than she’ll admit) but to deal with the daily stress of kids, house, husband, and the tribulations of the past 11 months she is beyond tough. My wife has shown me the meaning of hard core.
Last October I was let go from my job (sadly not uncommon in these times) and my profession has been so decimated by the recession that it was only just two weeks ago that I finally secured full time employment. Between October and two weeks ago our family had so many what if scenarios running through our heads – what if I don’t find a job…do we sell the house?, do we move?, do we move back in with my in-laws (eeek!)?, do I go back to school ($$$)?, do I change professions?, does she go back to work?, what about the kids? What if…..?. Amazingly as this craziness is swirling around us she does not freak out. Yes, an occasional melt down to release the stress but she stays resolute we will adjust, adapt, and conquer. We cut corners and save wherever possible – she has a binder full of coupons indexed and arranged for each grocery trip, seriously it is a bit scary and if it didn’t save us so much money I would be worried. Unfortunately one of the items that got cut was the Confidence workshop, we just could not justify the cost. This was painful on many levels as photography has steadily become my wife’s refuge, her solace from the madness of life, and more importantly she has found herself within photography. With her constant support and caring for our family she always put herself last and eventually she began to question who she was. Esoteric stuff, yes, but pretty serious stuff when you look in mirror and only see other’s needs, joys, and happiness. So what started as a hobby became a lifeline and she found herself in photography. Photography has given her a way to express herself, it is something her own, and her passion brings us great joy with her beautiful photos.
My wife has been through an amazingly uncertain time, sometimes I carried her and more often she carried me and the family. While we are certainly not out of the woods yet, it is my wish to thank her by giving her the opportunity to attend your workshop. Thank you for your consideration and not to worry I’ll sit the kids!
gwain_1@hotmail.com
This whole year for me has been about pushing my comfort zone. My birthday is in January and I chose the OPI nail color “Yes, I Can Can” as my signature shade for this year to keep my confidence level as high as possible. I find, as I look at my polished nails (sometimes not even done very well by myself) I am chanting “no I can’t can’t” who do I think I am???? The major step out of my comfort zone was applying for the SOAR scholarship and actually submitting the video. The notion that I COMPLETED a goal I set out to do was a huge step in getting me out of my comfort zone and was the catalyst for pushing myself further in photography.
I must put on a pretty good show as my beautiful niece/nantern nominated me for this amazing opportunity. I have been gifted with two amazing children who teach me every day about how to be more of myself. My son is passionate about trains and legos and my daughter refers to herself as “Super” Orla…I see that passion, that love, that amazing self acceptance and I am inspired by my very own children – at 5 and 3 they are some pretty impressive teachers. I want them to always own their passions and what they love and be true to themselves. I figure the best way for me to show my children, my supportive amazing husband, and my beautiful niece that you must follow your passions (even when you are terrified) is to step out of your comfort zone and ask for what you want….
I ask that you will please consider me for the final seat in DC. Every time I take a picture I put myself through hell…will they like it, do I even know what I am doing, am I meant to do this….there are so many other people better than me, more skilled, more saavy, what am I doing!?!?!? In asking for this final seat I hope that your amazing energy would be the shot of confidence I need to keep pushing my comfort zone and following my passion (even when terrified).
I have seen the benefits of doing what you don’t think you can…I have followed the SOAR ladies on their journey this year and I am truly inspired and humbled at their talent, beauty and passion. Please help me prove to myself YES, I CAN CAN! Please invite me to DC for that last seat which I am counting on as a huge shot of confidence that I could really use at this point in my life and making my dreams a reality.
Thank you…and in honor of my 3 year old “Super” Orla I will sign off as “Super” AnneMary – a mom learning self-acceptance and courage from her kids 🙂
annemary@sirangophotography.com
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