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3.30.2010

98 things - #10 || vancouver wedding photographer

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10. sing to a dying parent.

ugh. that is a hard one to swallow. today was a difficult day this afternoon. one of my dear friends' 27yr old cousins was admitted to the hospital with liver and kidney failure, then went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't revive her. so terribly sad.
what's more...she is leaving behind her husband and 2 small children.

i suddenly was in shock. my heart went out to that young husband, who will now be a single dad..and lost his best friend..

my heart broke for them all. needless to say i spent the evening curled up on the couch with my kids. 

my thoughts and prayers are with my friends' family members today and the coming days... xo 


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portrait sesison giveaways! || vancouver wedding & portrait photographer

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if you follow me on facebook, you will have seen my post about giving away 3 portrait sessions.

it's true i am! :)

here's the deets:

1) portrait sessions must be in greater vancouver.
2) portrait sessions must take place during the month april.
3) you need to comment below with why you think you (or someone you want to have a portrait session should have it).

how will i decide once people post comments? i'll raffle them! you have until tomoro noon to post comments... three easy steps...now go! :)


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98 things - #9 || vancouver wedding photographer

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#9 - sing to a child.

the best part of #9 is when the child sings back.. or you break into a crazy duet and dance.. not saying that i've ever done this sort of thing.. :p this is probably one of the more fun things to do...try it if you have never. the child (or YOUR child) may look at you kinda funny if you don't do it often (or they might look at you kinda funny if you are a cheeseball - no experience there at all either..) it's guaranteed to be a good time, regardless. :)

here are a couple children i sing to..sing with.. :)


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3.28.2010

the las vegas strip lights & neon! || vancouver wedding photographer

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while i was in vegas my mom texted me, "dont you just love the lights at night?"

didn't i?! i LOVED it!! i could have tooken WAAAAAAAAY too many photos of vegas at night. but i didn't. i showed some restraint. ;p i had to get the las vegas sign, the sparkly mcdonalds sign and of course the venetian hotel..which, strangely, didn't make me feel like i was in venice, even tho they replicated some of the monuments there.. there's NO place like venice..but that's for another post. :)

enjoy!


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98 things...#6, #7 & #8 || vancouver photographer

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yesterday was crazy...we cleaned our old house..had a good cry and said our goodbyes to the rooms and then came home for a nap before we went back to our amazing italian neighbors and had a fabulous meal and even more fabulous time together. (wow, that's a LOOOOOOONG sentence!!) they have been more than amazing neighbors..they are some wonderful friends. i love that geography doesn't change that stuff. :)

i apologize for not doing my 98 things. so today i'll triple up...3!

#6. tell richard simmons to just shut up and sit down.

#7. paint a mural of your imagined past lives.

#8. buy a pair of castanets and learn to use them.


not gonna lie..i had to look up castanets - and when i saw what they were, i was like, uh ya i wanna learn how to use those little bad boys!! :)

i only had my iphone with me last night, so here's a snipet of our lovely meal.. :)



3.27.2010

italian lessons begin! || vancouver photographer

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some of you may know i'm planning a photo tour to italy in the fall - if not, check out the site - FOLLOW YOUR HEART...TO ITALY.

in preparation for that trip, i have registered for....

CA08 - LET'S GO ITALY - Italian for Travelers

If you are planning to travel to Italy, what better way to enhance the quality of your experience than by acquiring knowledge of common expressions in Italian. In four lessons you will learn the basic sentences that will allow you to communicate in various situations you may find yourself in as a tourist in Italy.

4 Week Course Timeline: 4 weeks, one lesson per week: a total of 10 hrs of instruction


it's for the month of april..perhaps i'll do some more in june (may i'm gonna be gone for a week!)
i'm super excited! :)

just had to share.

ciao!
xoxo
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3.26.2010

another season awaits || vancouver photographer

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many of you are gracious enough to follow my blog...follow me on twitter..follow me on facebook. why, i'm not sure, but you do!

even though some of you i dont know personally, there's a connection, you know?

so about some of the "big news" i was tweeting about... without further adieu..my dear "lover" penned this over the last couple days...

“Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see.”
19th century theologian William Newton Clarke

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go”
T.S. Eliot

3 years ago we started on a journey. Long story short...we purchased a home in Burnaby that we affectionately dubbed “the house”. Many people partnered with us as we dreamt. We loved on the community. We explored the dream of living out the reality of Jesus in this city. And we have had so many wonderful encounters with Him and with the people He loves in Vancouver. We lived something that I truly wish everyone could live. Faith. Hope. Life...in the beautiful mess of this wonderful city.

I love that following Jesus is a journey. It is not about accomplishment. But it is about obedience. It is about authenticity. It is about walking with Him. It is about pursuing the dream of the Kingdom.

I have been reflecting on where we are and how we have gotten here during a conversation with a young leader in Western Canada. He asked me if I still believed in what we were doing. We have worked hard to get here. We have had to spend lots of time raising money and travelling, which is a tiring endeavour. We have chosen to engage our community and learn to breath the air of this city. And sometimes we have had less than kind responses to our passion from fellow believers who ask ,‘What exactly are you doing?’

This is what I know today:
God has a dream. And the dream is called redemption. The transformation of men and women, boys and girls; of people of all races and colours; of all cultures and belief systems; of all languages and geographical locations; of all perspectives and theological persuasions; of all political perspectives and intelligences; of every kind of brokenness and reality; into a people who are captured by hope simply because they know Him.

I am more convinced than ever that Jesus has an incredibly high view of humanity and through the dream of redemption, people have the potential of greatness. I truly believe that He thinks we can change the world.

We believe that Jesus invites us to venture out...out of where we ‘know’ what we are doing and into places that sometimes require great risk. And sometimes...sometimes we have to venture over mountain ranges without a clear idea of what’s on the other side.

Having said that...we are in transition again. For some time we have been feeling that we are ‘finished’ here in Vancouver. I wish I could explain it more clearly. But that has been our sense. But whats next? We have had no clue...until now. Chuckle.

As some of you know I have been helping Gentle Hands raise funds. If you are not familiar with what Gentle Hands does, check out www.gentlehands.typepad.org

They are a child and youth welfare and intervention agency based in the Philippines. They are on the front lines of rescue and rehabilitation of the medical, social and educational needs of at risk youth and children. They work towards improving human community through the love of Jesus and community centred care.

We have decided that it is time for us to head back to the mission field and throw our energies, efforts and gifting to the work of redeeming the young people of the Philippines and Asia.

I know, it seems wild. But you have to run with passion. And we choose to.

When? Sometime in the next year. We have much to do in preparation.

We will keep you updated on our journey. I am sure you have questions. Feel free to email us and we will fill you in on the details as we have them.

Let me leave you with a prayer by Sir Francis Drake that my best friend, Scott Wall sent me. It has captured my heart and urged me on. May it be so with yours.

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And push us in the future
In strength, courage, hope and love.

Jonathan, Tracey, Caleb n Rosie.


yes it's true. we are planning the next season. with anticipation..with excitement..yet..for me, with a little sorrow, knowing i will be leaving some very special relationships i have made here in my city, vancouver.

to my dear, dear vanphotogs - i have had the incredible opportunity to work with and have relationship with many amazing photographers in the city. all who have taught me so very much. i love our vancouver photogs community. libby, of course, is still involved.. (i'll leave her here!) and we are in the process of getting others involved, to take over different aspects of the group. what i have started there. it's a cool thing to pass the baton, i tell you. :) you guys are awesome. thank you for making the vanphotogs community a vibrant amazing community. you are it. :)

and to my friends - hello thank god for VONAGE and a 604#!! :) and facebook..this is not goodbye..this is "until we meet again".. i love you. you already know that though. :)

we don't know exactly when we are leaving..anywhere from this coming christmas to next summer...so we have time still..to coffee together..to eat together..to laugh and plan amazing trips to, oh asia, and of course italy together!

but i wanted to let you, my friends, know what was going on in our little life..because you matter. :)

with much love and affection,
tracey
xoxo
manila, philippines at night (oct 2009)
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#98 things || vancouver wedding photographer

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#5 vote from lust.

geeeeeeeez. i'm sooo not gettin' these last couple "things"... i did peek, however..and tomoro's is gonna rock. heheheh..

some more desert..cuz it was freakin' amazing..this was just as the sun was setting... mmmmmmmm :)


las vegas || vancouver wedding photographer

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in a weird sorta way..there's something about vegas i really like..

maybe it's the busyness.
maybe it's the huge, cool hotels.
maybe it's the amazing neon lights at night.

i'm not quite sure what it is..but maybe i'll go back.
just maybe. :)

freemont street (and the strip) - by day || vancouver wedding photographer

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i have never been to vegas until this last march.
i had pictures in my brain of what i thought vegas was like.
so when i got there and saw all the HUGE hotels on the strip, i was like..wow..this is not what vegas was like in my head.

until.

until we took a gander down to old las vegas, freemont street to be exact.

THIS was the vegas i knew in my head. :)
so this is a compilation of the strip and it's HUGE buildings and of old vegas..in the day.

(yes i took some at night too..but that's for another post!) :)


THE HUGE HOTELS AND SUCH ON THE STRIP:












AND GOOD OL' LAS VEGAS AROUND FREEMONT STREET IN OLD VEGAS:

















viva las vegas!! || vancouver wedding photographer

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at the beginning of march i, along with, oh 15,000 other wedding portrait photographers, made our way to las vegas to WPPI, wedding portrait photographers international.

i am gonna blog a whole buncha posts from my 4 days there.. i had some lovely adventures!

one adventure in particular was happening upon a newly married couple, ericka & justin, getting their photos taken in front of the infamous WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS sign by their limo driver. miranda, jeanie and i knew we had to intervene. :) miranda introduced us and in 30 seconds we were well on our way with a little bridal portrait session!

here's a few of my faves...i had my wide angle lens on that day.. oh baby..lovin' it. :)
and ericka & justin..thank you for being so gracious and letting us "snap".. have a fun life together!! :)







and of course the crazy photogs! :)


3.25.2010

98 things - #4!! || vancouver wedding photographer

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4. say grace to the goddess.

um..ok....?!? alrighty then..moving right along.. :)

here's an AMAZING photo i took while in the desert in nevada.
i took a ZILLION photos. no really..i did.
so i just picked one for you. :)

enjoy the greatness that god made. :)
xoxo



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3.24.2010

98 things a woman should do in her lifetime...#3 || personal || vancouver photographer

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3. ride a train through europe (better yet, the orient express).

cha-ching, baby!! i rode a train through switzerland, germany, austria & italy in september of 2008!! dang i'm doing good at this book.. :) next time i'll try the orient express.. :)

speaking of europe.. here's a collage of shots from one of the train rides on that trip.. enjoy! :)