Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Jody and I had a wonderful Christmas, we drove out to Vancouver, stopping on the way in Banff for two nights (photo above and photo below), spent Christmas with Jody’s dad and step-mom in Vancouver, and then spent the next three days in Whistler with Jodys’ mom, step-dad, and Jody’s sister and her family. I’ll post some photos and write much more about it in a few days! And then we drove home over two long days, and got back late on the night of December 30.

On New Year’s Eve I was so excited about the new year and a whole new beginning, a new start, and so many things to look forward to this year! I had so many resolutions swimming around in my head, broken into a couple different categories – Business and Personal. And I couldn’t wait to get started!

Then I got sick with a terrible cold that went on for so long (and I’m still coughing and feeling the urge to cough all the time, I’m so ready for it to be gone!). I had a fever, the worst sore throat ever, cough, sore body, it was not fun. But maybe the worst thing was that I wanted to get a fresh start on the new year but couldn’t! I kept reading on Twitter and Facebook how it seemed everyone in the whole world was getting started on their resolutions and hitting the ground sprinting, and I was laying on the couch under a blanket, with my humidifier in front of me, trying to stay positive.

I’m mostly better now (except for the annoying cough, why won’t it go away!!!), and now I’m finally getting started again! I have tons of things on my to-do list, and I have about 5 blog posts to do this week (cause I’m so so so behind in blog posts)! And I’m so excited about all of it!!!

I want to post just a few resolutions here, my full list is so long (and I LOVE making lists so anything I can possibly think of goes on it!)! But I’ll list a few, both to make myself a little accountable and also so I can look back at the end of 2010 and cross them all off (cause I’ll have done them all!)

Some things I want to accomplish in my business in 2010:

- Get a new computer with big monitor (check!!! I had to put this first cause I already did it, at the end of last week, a gorgeous new 27″ iMac quad-core! I LOOOOVVVEEEE it!!! And it’s much better than my old 15″ MacBook Pro screen, and the computer is so lightening fast compared to the MBP, too! (Of course the MBP will continue to be used and be very handy, but this huge screen and fast processor is sooooooo nice!!!!)).
- Finally create a real website. First one I’ll do myself so I can get it up fast, then later when I’m fully branded, hire a company to make a really fabulous website based on my brand.
- Pay for full image design and branding. So so so so important. I’m trying to decide if I want to go with the company I love (but who is booked until July), or go with another company (I’m sure there are many other good ones). I’ll decide by the beginning of next week (so I can put myself on the waiting list or get on the waiting list of another company).
- Put together a fabulous home office and studio in my house. We have the room cleared, we know the basic layout. I have a design and inspiration folder and lots of ideas. Jody will build my desk area, I know the couch I want, and I’m narrowing down the rest. I want to have it finished by May 1 at the latest.
- Shoot at least 20 weddings this year, max 25 weddings. Limit all other shoots to off-months so I can devote 100% of my working time to my brides and grooms.
- Have a fabulous selection of sample products available. Also by May 1 at latest.
- Have one of my weddings published, whether in a magazine or at fabulous online site. (Crossing my fingers on this one, I have hopes thanks to one of my fabulous brides!!!)
- Become proficient in using off-camera flash and basic studio lights.
- Improve at my editing abilities. Very subjective, but I know some of the changes I want to make.
- Create an organized system for my business, with steps I follow for each shoot and wedding and tight timelines, and a schedule of what I do on each day of the week.
- Outsource a portion of my work.
- Have dedicated “work” hours. Work efficiently during those hours. Don’t work during off-hours. Create and keep a balance between my business and my personal life.

Some things I want to accomplish in my personal life in 2010:

- Grow a vegetable garden this summer.
- Plant herbs in cute pots and grow on a windowsill.
- Find more recipes to easily make/increase my repertoire.
- Eat breakfast every day.
- Take my vitamins every day.
- Exercise twice a week. (I know it should be more, but I need to make it manageable or I’ll quit once I fail one week!)
- Have a date night with Jody once a week.
- Read more books! (I already started this, and I ordered a bunch of books today on Amazon!)
- Make time for my friends/be a better friend.
- Call my grandparents more often.
- Clean the house once a week, not just before we have company.
- Improve my decorating in our house – look for good furniture pieces, decorate and use our personal items better (I’ll be taking inspiration from my friend Lindsey!!). Read my design magazines every month to get ideas.
- Dress more stylishly. I need help here. I want to work on my image that way. I already bought a fabulous pair of boots this weekend, but it’s only the beginning. And this scares me cause I’m not a good shopper and I get overwhelmed! But I have a partial list of things I need to slowly buy to give me a better wardrobe and some more stylish outfits to choose from!
- Think of nice things to do for the people I love and do them. I wish I were better at coming up with things to do, creative and sweet and touching things. I usually think of things after I should have done them, and usually just admire other people who are good at this. But I’m going to make an effort to plan more, to think more, to be more proactive in this regard.
- Be more organized in all facets of my life, from getting things done to putting things away (and finding places for things), to keeping track of things I need to do. I’m really bad at this and I hate it, I’m a terrible multi-tasker, and I also so often say “I’ll do that in a bit” instead of doing it right that second, and in a bit I’ve already forgotten it completely. So along with being more organized, I’ll add that I’ll make an effort to do things immediately when I think of them, instead of waiting and forgetting.

I think that’s good for now! I wrote more than I planned to write! And there are still lots more, but these are the biggest ones I think, and for the most part most important ones (except I KNOW I’ll think of some I left out and add them in so I’ll have a complete list!)

Here’s a peek at what’s coming up in the next few days, in my way-behind-flurry-of-catchup-blogging! ::

Cindy & Bryan’s Wedding


Gabrielle at almost 1 year

Amelie & Ellyce

And little Zoey at 6 months

I’ll be back soon with much more blogging!!

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