Looking back over this list I can’t believe how many things I have accomplished since the last time I updated it Still waiting on that Thai though Jayme lol Almost halfway done!

1. Go on a Wednesday afternoon picnic with my husband and my dog Two wednesdays ago by the canal

2. Teach Freddie (my dog) to roll over

3. Go on a trip to Europe

4. Shoot a destination wedding

5. Go on a roadtrip – destination unknown

6. Have lunch or a real conversation with a photographer I admire

7. Make my mind up about having children

8. Buy a new house

9. Set up a home studio in said house

10. Smile more Smooshie makes me smile

11. Get my photo taken at least once a month for the next six months ( I never take photos of myself as it’s something I hate) – 5 months in a row! soooo close!

12. Do a portrait session with my family Completed April 13th – To be displayed in a blog post shortly

13. Do a portrait session with my husband (We don’t have any formal photos since Christmas 2003 unless you count our wedding photos) Thanks Sam!

14. Participate in a workshop

15. Attend WPPI again but do the Business Institute and Master classes as well
16. Get my business to go in the direction that I want it to with the clients that I want

17. Make sure that this time when I attend WPPI – I go a few days early so I can photograph all the landscapes I want

18. Do at least 5 seniors sessions

19. Donate my time to a local cause using my photography skills Donating prizes to Mainstream Golf Charity

20. Tell my husband one thing that I love about him (that’s different from the day before) every day for a month
21. Be a second shooter for a photographer I admire

22. Plan something great for our wedding anniversary

23. Spend more time with my mother

24. Take my little brother back to Canada’s Wonderland

25. Take my 19 year old brother out to a bar for drinks just the two of us

26. Give everyone of my bride’s a little gift to thank them for the gift they have bestowed upon me

27. Join the chamber of commerce Joined April 24th

28. Donate more money to charities or donate more time

29. Buy lens, end and body caps for all my gear and actually keep them without losing them for an entire wedding season

30. Lose 20 pounds before the end of the year – Completed 2009 – lost 24 pounds so far (not the way I would have wanted to though)

31. Go out dancing with my best friend Stella’s – April 25th

32. Have a get together with all my brides for the upcoming season

33. Get a few new backdrops for the studio

34. Create a really great mother’s day and father’s day gifts

35. Recover the panels in the office

36. Participate as a vendor in a local bridal show

37. Try thai food

38. Get together with some friends from out of town and catch up

39. Photograph a “first peek” session before the ceremony

40. Become a member of “Now I lay me down to sleep”

41. Deliver all of my brides and grooms their photos online within two weeks of the wedding

42. Quit pop – for good this time (don’t laugh it’s a serious addiction)

43. Swim in the ocean Did this with Bryan when we went to California such an amazing trip

44. Go fishing (haven’t done this in a long long time)

45. Add 10$ to a savings account every time I complete something on this list

46. Get my full G

47. Take a photo that represents each of the words in the 100 snapshots challenge ( http://thaumaturgise.wordpress.com/101-things/pictures/)

48. Go camping at BYNG

49. Go camping in Algonquin

50. Print some of our wedding photos to hang in our living room

51. Learn conversational Spanish

52. Learn conversational Italian – bought the book and CD and I am working on it !!!!

53. Take Freddie to puppy obedience classes

54. Take a tropical vacation

55. Learn how to snorkel or scuba dive

56. Take photos from the top of a mountain

57. Ride in a helicopter

58. At least three times in this period – push past my fear about something – and climb over the wall to do it anyway (ask me more if you’d like to understand this)

59. Research one new thing I’d like to learn a month – whether photography related or not (and blog about it) for six months

60. Go kayaking again – somewhere picturesque

61. Be a little more risky

62. Get regular pedicures this summer

63. Get regular massages this summer

64. Get signs made for the office

65. Install the fixed phone in the office so that when I lose power on the portable I can still answer calls!

66. Prepare flyers and promotional items for the bridal show

67. Plant the garden in the backyard

68. Dress Freddie (my dog) up for Halloween in a doggie Halloween costume

69. Change phone companies

70. Launch portrait site

71. Blog a video once every two weeks

72. Create an official charging station in the studio

73. Enter 5 photography contests

74. Shoot a “wear the dress” session in my favourite place in Ontario

75. Create a standardized logo file with my logo made to fit samples, envelopes, letterhead etc…

76. Get my hard drives under control

77. Finish MD photo book

78. Delete old and unecessary facebook messages

79. Order new business cards

80. Book a wedding out of province

81. Teach a basics course on how to take better photos

82. Finish office reno

83. Finish this list

84. Get glare free glass for all of my frames

85. Clean out my car – top to bottom and then get a car wash that includes the inside of my car

86. Order sample prints for comparison

87. Create supplier pricing binder & customer pricing binder Completed!! This past week thanks in help by Brianne!

88. Order new batteries and charger

89. Go to bed on time more

90. Read more Bukowski

91. Take a cooking class

92. Drink more water

93. Switch around the den and the dining room

94. Have a garage sale

95. Organize my entire house

96. Read the 57 other books on the BBC’s top 100

97. Reconnect with some friends who have fallen by the wayside

98. Be a “doer”

99. Clean out my closet

100. Take Freddie for more walks

101. Get up in time for Sunday breakfast with the in-laws again

I still get teary eyed when I read the blog post for their wedding – Karyne and Johnny were one of the sets of clients last year that really had me evaluate how I wanted to continue doing business. I wanted all of my clients to be like them, easy to work with, totally trusting and head over heels in love with each other. Since their wedding they’ve added a new addition to their family so I was very happy when she came back and asked to get some family photos done. Here are a few from our session at the pumpkin patch . . .

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

We headed out to the pumpkin patch with Tina and RJ – they wanted to get some family photos done and also some photos of Tavish in his costume – so Bryan and I decided to make it a family thing and brought Nate along too Can’t wait to see what kind of trouble these two get into as they grow up!

Cutest giraffe I’ve ever seen!

Yup that’s my little Nate – a pea in the pod and Tavish playing bongo’s on his face lol

Us with our smooshie

some Mommy cuddles

and Daddy kisses

and one last one of Tavish

Thanks again guys for a great day!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

I can’t really decide between Jenn or Tricia as to who made me cry more during this wedding. Before I begin to tell this story I just want to take a moment and thank both of them for their very kind words. It’s not expected to be thanked at the end of the night and yet when it happens it’s a nice treat. I heard not once but twice during the night the most effusive and kindest praise I could ever ask for and it brought me to tears.  Thank you to Jenn and Todd for trusting me implicitly to capture your day, to your families for having me along on yet another wedding and to Tricia for insisting on the dress (it was gorgeous) and that you use my services. I can never find enough words to thank you both so I did the next best thing – took photos the best way I know how; from the heart. I hope you enjoy them and cherish each other on whatever your next adventure is.

One of my favorite moments of this wedding day was leaving the preparation at the bride’s house and while I was half in my car I heard a joyous shout “I’m getting married today!” Jenn was out showing one of her neighbours her dress and was exclaiming for all the neighborhood to hear – much the same way she had been doing all morning. I think the realization that she finally gets to be Mrs. Ethier, officially made her so awe struck that she seemed to need to remind herself. It was as if she was in a dream and expected someone to pinch her and she would wake up but each time the “pinch” came and yet the day still remained and the celebration was still to come, at last Prince Charming. Arriving at the church to a little bit of a quietly excited but still nervous Todd I was so excited for these two, since I’ve met them I’ve always known how great they are together. There’s a true and deep love and I shed my own tears as Jenn came down the aisle with a smile on her lips and happy tears in her eyes – on the arm of her father; who looked so incredibly proud. Everyone in that church,family and friends alike, had faces alight with joy for both Jenn and Todd. I couldn’t be happier and Sam and I couldn’t have had a better time. From “pound it’s” to the entire grooms side of the wedding party doing this crazy dance to some major Maple Leafs hating we really enjoyed this wedding. Here’s a few of the samples . . .

Todd and Jenn seem to collect turtles so we thought this was appropriate

Jenn’s pretty flowers

Jenn’s sister helping her put her earrings on

The ring bearer “pounding it” with a few of the groomsmen – this was so cute

this one turned out to be my favorite

and to finish I’ll leave you with this one as I couldn’t believe my luck – this wasn’t planned ahead of time I just happened to notice the fire pits the day of the wedding and asked if there was anyway to light them at night – so glad we stayed for this one

Thanks again to you both!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Sam! Yup, I think the amount of photos I’ve taken of her could be around the million mark lol but I love that I know her well enough and have shot her enough times for her guard to be completely down in front of my camera. If I can’t shoot a wedding with Bryan my next go to person is Sam (and yes Katie you are next in line after that ) and I can’t believe we’ve only known each other for 3 years. I think we probably spend on average one hour a day on the phone but at times that number is probably closer to 3 or 4 lol (I know it’s terrible right?) We’d been planning to try and do family photos but the pregnancy and being busy afterwards threw a bit of a monkey wrench into things but thankfully we were finally able to work something out. This was my first time shooting her whole family and we had fun chasing Caleb around Merritt Island and Bryan even came out with Nate for a little bit. Here’s a few from our shoot . . .

She’s gonna be a heart breaker – as long as it’s not my son’s heart lol  Sam and I have already banned them from dating

I love the giggles that were escaping from him as he ran down the hill – snapped this one real quick after one of his bouts of freedom

Love her face

Finish off with this last family one!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Back in college when I took social work – (before I had decided to pursue photography as a career), I was working at a Niagara Falls youth shelter for my work placement. There were parts of my placement I loved and parts that I disliked but I definitely liked the challenge no matter how terrifying some of the things I saw were. My supervisor, short on staff, asked me to help fill a void on the midnight shift and I remember being a little scared but definitely eager to try my hand at it. Nighttime seemed to be when the most things went down and although I wouldn’t be completely alone my over active imagination did create a few scenarios for me. Thankfully though one of the people sharing part of the shift with me was Ida – I hadn’t had a chance really to work with her before then but Ida was in the same program as me but a year ahead. I remember sitting in Shelly’s office and chatting a good portion of the time with Ida about the most random things and I loved how down to earth and real Ida was. She didn’t have any problems being honest and was pretty sarcastic too!

Fast forward after graduation and through my decision to start my business and colour me happy when I get a facebook message from Ida regarding her wedding. I knew that I’d have fun and although I’d never met her fiancé I knew I would probably like him – so Ida and I met and she brought along her adorable mother. I have a special place in my heart for Mrs. Astorino – her and her chocolate peanut butter squares (don’t ask – she looked through my albums and was very complimentary and just had this great aura about her. So they were all signed up to have me shoot their wedding and on we go to the engagement session. Some of you who have read my blog for awhile might remember these two. I knew that Ida’s fiancé was probably someone really nice and easy to get along with but nothing prepared me for Les. After the engagement session where Les pretended to be a moose for the benefit of some Niagara Falls tourists I knew the wedding day was going to be spent trying to shoot through tears of laughter.

Needless to say that the photos on the limo bus (that had a stripper pole) will never make the blog but will definitely be a memory for the books. Les’s contribution to entertaining the tourists this time around involved removal of clothing near downtown Niagara Falls! Sam and I were in stitches most of the day – it was a day of two best friends laughing their way down the aisle and into a marriage that will be full of laughter and good times. Check out a few of the G rated images from the day!

Les and his groomsmen walking down the road by his parents house

Pretty Ida in the window at her parents house

I love this one

We got some stares for this one but this was such a fun wedding party I just wanted them to have some fun in the photos!

It was such a gorgeous day

Love the gentle embrace

Finish off with one from their first dance

Congrats again you two – can’t wait until your album comes in!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

I love, love, love, love working with friends and family of past brides and grooms – over and over again. It is a compliment in the finest form when previous bridesmaids, groomsmen or family members of past brides and grooms contact me for their special day. I have shot Katie as a bridesmaid at Krystle and Pete’s wedding, as a maid of honour at Lacey and Dan’s wedding and also worked with her professionally as Katie is a co-ordinator at the Crowne Plaza. Needless to say when we were at the end of Lacey and Dan’s reception and Katie asked me to photograph her upcoming wedding I was thrilled. Mike and Katie are the perfect couple – both have a fun and happy outlook on life and were made for each other. Mike actually served in the army in Afghanistan and I for one am so thankful for men and women like him who serve our country and I am especially happy that Mike made it home safely, for Katie’s arms is where he belongs. A more intimate and private affair their wedding at Hernder’s was truly a touching event. Katie said her vows like I have never heard any other bride say them; as happy tears kept welling up in her eyes she said her vows as if they were poetry and they were – an ode and a promise to always be each other’s best friends and be there no matter what. Katie brought me to tears a few times that day, one of my favorite moments is when we were taking the formal photos and I heard Katie exclaim in joy at the rain “Micheal – looks these raindrops are all the tears we will never have to cry during our marriage!” This is one of the most optimistic and all right downright romantic way to look at rain on your wedding day! But I should expect no less of Katie – I was so happy to be  there to photograph these two crazy lovebirds – as my first wedding back after the baby it was a nice way to ease into things. Check out a few teasers from the day . . .

Isn’t Katie gorgeous? I love her red shoes

I love how completely lost in the kiss she is

Totally love that they were willing to travel across the street in the rain to get a few photos near this field – you know me and fields

Thanks again Katie and Mike for having Bryan and I along – it was an honour!

Wishing your friendship and love,

Amanda

I’m pretty sure my son is gorgeous

Here’s a few snaps of him at one week~

His cute little feet

Love his little face

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Jason Mraz is a genius – I love this song – it helps my worry wart of a mind concentrate on the fact that the world will not end if I am not perfect and to let go of my anger about worthless things. I want to breathe deeper breaths, laugh more and share love – this song reminds me of that

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed instead
Of running around
And pulling all your threads saying
Breaking yourself up

If it’s a broken part, replace it
But, if it’s a broken heart then brace it
If it’s a broken heart then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your own name
And go your own way

And everything will be fine
Everything will be fine
mmmhmm

Hang on
Help is on the way
Stay strong
I’m doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine
Everything

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you’re shocked it’s just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Yeah everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
And know your name
And go your own way

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic (Go your own way)
Is it Mother Nature’s sewing machine?

Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own, know your name)
Hell no reason go on and scream
If you’re shocked it’s just the fault (Go your own way)
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

A picture of quiet radiance and contained excitement was what met me at the door to her parents house. Liz was itching to get into her dress and waiting for me before putting it on. Even though it was her wedding day some of the first words out of her mouth were to inquire about how I was feeling and how the baby was. See, we were both pulling for the same thing – that I get through September 5th without going into labour! Doing a wedding 9 months pregnant was crazy – fun – tiring – joyful and emotional. I could not have done it without my amazing team of papparazzos – Sam, Bryan and another fulltime photog; Rick Denham. I have second shot for Rick before so it was fun to have him come a long on this side of things and he was a HUGE help!

I am so terribly late in blogging this wedding but I still want to tell the story from their day. I first met Liz and Ryan through Caitlin – one of Liz’s co-workers and very good friend. Caitlin and I had worked together on a few weddings at Hernder’s back when she was doing her placement for college there. So when Liz and Ryan came in for their first meeting they mentioned not wanting to be too long because they had their puppy at home so they had to limit their time. Well, knowing that I talk a lot (yes, despite my awful blogging habits in person I am a little miss chatterbox) I knew that we would probably run over and well I love animals anyways – so I invited them to bring their Jack Russell – Eddie along. What a perfect play date for my Freddie and even if they decided not to book me Freddie would make a new friend and work out some energy. I am so glad that they brough Eddie with them because we definitely ran over and by the end of it I knew that we would be working together!

Through all the planning, the engagement shoot, and the wedding the thing that struck me the most about these two was their complete ease. WHO plans a wedding and isn’t stressed about it? Well I guess having one of your close friends as your wedding planner helps but more than that they had a great attitude about the day. Both of them couldn’t wait to be married and in fact Liz drew more than a few giggles during the ceremony as she was practically dancing around as Father John announced them – she just wanted to get to the kiss – because she missed Ryan and couldn’t wait to walk hand in hand down the aisle with him.

It was so awesome to be there and witness two best friends and soulmates celebrate their relationship, love, families and characters together in such a special way. Thanks again reading my panicked e-mail in February and listening to the fact that my due date was a mere 2 and half weeks from your wedding day and sticking it out with me. I know I had a backup plan just in case but your faith in me is priceless. On that note – on to the photos!

Liz’s gorgeous dress

A gorgeous photo of the rings by Rick – these two are avid baseball players

Liz snuck in from the side and surprised everyone – doesn’t her face just look so excited!

So in love

Happy little family

Yup – the entire wedding party played baseball in formal attire at the botanical gardens – photo by Sam

Pretty picture by me of the girls

Awesome picture of the guys by Rick

so at ease with each other

yes – i climbed down a small ravine while 9 months pregnant to get this shot! So happy Bryan had disappeared back to the hall at this point

and I’ll finish off with a fantastic capture by Rick during the first dance

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda