T-minus three and a half days.

So much to do, so little time!

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now with everything that has been going on around me. The closing on our house is this Friday. We just sold our beloved Delica van. We begin our 1,150 km drive to Vancouver Thursday night in a U-Haul with two cats in the cab. We are leaving Smithers with considerably more than we arrived with 4 years ago. And neither of us are really stuff-people.

To be honest, I hate packing. I don’t know anyone who does like it. Although it feels really good to be getting rid of certain things and start paring down our belongings. Neither of us are people that like to be tied down by large commitments like owning a home, we have come to realize. At this point in our lives, anyways. It feels really good to be in a more fluid state again. And I hope our kid will be flexible enough to go with it for the first few years until we come to more of a place where we can settle down again.

It’s kind of sad saying good-bye to the first home you’ve ever owned. I didn’t think that it would affect me as much as it is…..or maybe it’s all those crazy hormones. Yup, I’ll blame the hormones.

I won’t have very good internet access after Thursday and I’m hoping to take in a bit of the Olympics over the last weekend. It might be a bit until I get myself all sorted out, but expect a big posting when I do!

I look awesome these days, but very excited! Sweat pants has become a regular clothing staple, even in public. Wow.

On an entirely different note, I have been granted membership to Greener Photography, which I did a posting on last week. I’m pretty excited about this and look forward to learning more as I go along with my business. There are a few small things I have to change so I will be spending some time after our move doing some research into CD/DVD recycling, low-energy desk lighting and reusable batteries.

One of my goals this year was to apply for membership to Greener Photography which is a community of professional photographers that agree to adhere to certain environmental standards in their businesses. On their website, the 4 core values are described as this:

1. Preservation ~ Conserving the resources that go into creating photographic images.
2. Reduction ~ The good old 3 R’s!
3. Local Production ~ Shipping goods can produce an enormous amount of pollution.
4. Cruelty-Free ~ Fair treatment to animals and people.

The organization has been going through some major changes the past year, including a new membership system. I’m just waiting my turn to apply! I’m really excited to begin networking with other photographers who have chosen to go this route and what kinds of ideas they are coming up with in regards to “greening” their businesses. And it’s not just about making my business “greener” but also a daily reminder to make better choices for the planet.

I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes as we are preparing to move and waiting for the arrival of our first kid and I can’t wait to start finalizing some things so I can reveal them to you all!

I received my photos from Kristie today, who is leaving on a jet plane to Australia tonight as well. I don’t know how she does it, she is a wizard. Thanks so much, Kristie!

Here are a few from my session with Kristie Larsen Photography. My next maternity photoshoot will be with Emily Hoskins of Liberty Tree Photography down in the Lower Mainland. That session will be very different and a little more editorial. I’m trying to stylize it after an English afternoon garden tea in the Scottish highlands meets punk idea. Stay tuned for that one in a month or so!

I am really excited to announce this little open house event that my friend and fellow photographer, Emily Hoskins of Liberty Tree Photography, has posted on her Facebook page. I am really happy that I will be in the Lower Mainland in time for this open house. I’ve wanted to visit this co-housing community since I heard about it a few years ago and now have an opportunity to see it!

My husband and I have been increasingly interested in faith-based intentional communities and have been doing some research online into different kinds of models in North America. An intentional community could be anything from en ecovillage to a commune, where people who have a similar vision live and work together. One of the more established faith-based ones that we have found is based out of the inner-city in Chicago called JPUSA (Jesus People USA), where 500 people live together and all of their goods and property are held under a common fund. Their model of living is based on the biblical New Testament way of living where living communally and pooling resources not only benefits those living in the community but can also reach out to others outside of the community. We have been thinking about this kind of living model for a while now and how that would look or what that would personally mean for us. I really love the thought of being a part of a faith-based live-work community that grows its own food and is self-sustaining in many ways.

The Yarrow EcoVillage is not a faith-based community, however its goal is to “build an environmentally sustainable community , with cottage industries and an organic farm based on cohousing and permaculture principles.” A sort of live-work type of situation that is self-sustaining. I could see this type of lifestyle meshing very well in the future with not only being a mom but also a small business owner doing photography full-time. It’s an idea that I’m not sure will pan out for us as a family but it’s certainly something that we keep revisiting and are very interested in.

OPEN HOUSE AT THE YARROW ECOVILLAGE

What: Reviewing the community plans by Chuck Durrett, one of the leading design experts on co-housing in North America and take a look at some of the new buildings on the property. A general information open house on co-housing right on the EcoVillage property.
Where: 42312 Yarrow Central Road, Yarrow
When: March 6th, 1-4pm
Who: RSVP’s are not mandatory but appreciated. You can do that here.

Hope to see you there!

No time like the present to get those small things on the 90 in 2010 out of the way.

I’ve only been working on this one for a week and was very surprised it didn’t take very long. I have only one dry, patchy elbow (not sure why only one) that I have been determined to sort out eventually and the timing was great since I got that lovely gift package from Kate at La Petite Maison Decor and Design a short while ago. Included in it was this fabulous foot cream from Belle de Provence which has solved all my problems. From heels to elbows. It’s an olive oil-based cream with a light mint scent that isn’t one bit greasy and soaks in completely immediately. I must say, there isn’t much out there that impresses me body cream-wise but this is one product that I would definitely keep coming back to.

On a personal note, we only have two more weeks here in Smithers to go and are busy with a lot of things right now ~ selling or renting our house, packing up our house, wrapping up work and figuring out the best way to get me to the city at 35 weeks pregnant (especially since they don’t let you fly after 36 weeks and I certainly can’t sit in a car for a 14 hour drive). There has been a lot of last minute changes or developments and things still keep evolving but I’m opting to try to stay fluid with it. No sense in trying to stress over things that I don’t have any control over!

And on a bit more of a concerned note, a number of days ago I had noticed that the baby’s movements had changed drastically from kicking and punching at all intervals of the day to very small, squirming infrequent movements….so I had my first fetal Non-Stress Test (NST) yesterday. It was pretty neat to be able to see the baby’s heart rate fluctuate like that on the little print-out and the nurse was satisfied with what she saw but told me to keep monitoring my kick counts in case this lack of movement is an issue that could be developing. I know that fetal movement starts to slow down around the 33 week mark because of lack of space, but this was too drastic of a change for me to not be concerned about. I’m just glad that the baby is moving a bit more now and seems to be doing really well from the heart-rate monitor test. It’s a little nerve wracking being pregnant….I think the first thing I just might ask when the baby is born, is “Is it normal?” I’m sure every woman who has had children has this thought looming somewhere in their minds…

I do believe I have also been feeling recognizable Braxton Hicks contractions. They don’t hurt at all but as of yesterday, I have been feeling this tightness. So many changes in this last little bit. I don’t even know whose body this is anymore!

Yesterday I had my first ever studio shoot! As a photographer, it’s always a little weird for me to be on the other side of the lens, but it was a lot of fun to have my first maternity shoot done with Kristie Larsen Photography in her home studio in Smithers. Kristie is a newborn, maternity and child photographer and her work is always adorable (how could it not be with such cute models?), clean and fresh. We did a variety of things from classic black and whites to some goofy ones of me jumping and blowing Hubba Bubba bubbles. Not at the same time though. That would be insanity. It was great fun and I look forward to seeing some final edits when she comes home from her vacation to Australia in 5 weeks!

One of her latest images that I love!

*Whew*

DONE! Slowly plugging away at 90 in 2010.

I finally finished this book, about 2 years after I started it! I normally get into a book with gusto and trail off towards the end without finishing it, but this one - this one I was determined to finish from beginning to end. I’m not really sure why either because I have about 3 other books on my shelf that I started at various points in the past little while. I’m horrible with books that don’t engage me from the first sentence. Unfortunately, this one was a difficult one to get through.

The title is Lolita in Tehran:A Memoir in Books and it was written by Azar Nafisi, a literature professor who taught at 3 Iranian universities before settling in the USA. It’s a complex book and she weaves a number of different elements together; the Islamic regime and political climate during her time in Iran, her experiences as a literature professor by infusing classical American authors into the story and following the lives of 7 female students she mentors through an at-home literature class she teaches. It’s a heavy book and I found it difficult to stay engaged in, not only because classical literature is not something I am passionate about but the discussions on the Islamic regime and the impacts it had on the women in the novel were disturbing at times.

But, I managed to finish it this afternoon. I wished I could say I felt more accomplished but all I feel is relief. Now I can go read something fluffy and fun! Any suggestions?

Another unseasonably warm winter day in Smithers means good times for a little out of doors family photoshoot. I have been talking and making arrangements with Kristie of Kristie Larsen Photography for a little while now to do a session trade ~ a set of outdoor family portraits for a studio maternity session for myself later next week. It’s really neat to be able to network with other photographers and always a privilege (and perhaps a little intimidating!) to shoot for each other. I had a great time meeting Kristie and her little family, even though the wee one was getting a bit cold and tired it seemed, but a trooper nonetheless. It’s tough work being cute like that for the camera!