I'm leaving on a jet plane....

Well, Monday I am heading out for a few days to New Orleans! This is a really spur of the moment trip and I'm so excited. Although I am feeling sooo guilty for leaving my girls and Marky Mark. I have a friend going to New Orleans on business and she said "why don't you come?" and well.... I do love to travel!

So, at first I said "no" - I need to be a responsible mom. Then my amazing hubby said "well, I'm happy to have you home - but I think a break would be nice for you. Why not go and enjoy yourself." Seriously. I love this guy!

With the help of friends and family filling in for child care - I'm off tomorrow morning and back on Thursday!! Can't wait!! Watch for the pics when I return....

Happy Valentines Day!

I know I'm a couple days early for Valentines but wanted to wish all of you a happy one! Hope you spend the day celebrating love - be it with your significant other, family or friends.

Here are a couple photos from my girl's Valentines cards this year....





And this wasn't from their cards - but is still fun...

I Had the Time of My LIfe....

My birthday is on Boxing Day (Dec. 26 for our American friends) - honestly, that can suck sometimes. But this year my sister gave me a great gift! She gave me tickets to Dirty Dancing (the Musical) which we went to today. I love going to the theatre - but it doesn't happen often enough anymore sadly. Think I need to change that!

Anywho... the show was in the Royal Alexander Theatre which is gorgeous. Today is the coldest day ever anywhere in the world - felt like 50 below!! Needless to say we didn't stroll around Toronto today. I am kind of partial to having feeling in my hands and feet.

Back to the show - it was amazing! GREAT set, good cast. Way better Johnny than Patrick Swayze. And Canadian Idol winner Melissa O'Neill sand, along with another guy (trying to figure out which actor it was because he was AMAZING) did most of the singing and they were phenomenal! What incredible voices!

It was a great day. Fun to hang out with my sister. We are so opposite it's hilarious. She takes good care of me and my scatterbrained ways. For example, I'm always late. She's always early. Today I Was running late, I threw my jacket on, ran out the door and went. Not realizing I now live in the Arctic I forgot mitts and scarf. When I meet up with Marcie - she has a mitt and scarf for me "just in case" I forgot mine. Shes so good.

We didn't take many photos as it was SO cold (speaking of cold - I heard that we have had more snow this year at this point than in the last two winters combined! I'm done, Jack Frost. Thank you very much and good riddance!).

Here is my favourite pic of the day....

Girls Getaway

This weekend started with a bang with Friday's big snow storm! By evening the roads were cleared and I was still able to go on our girl's getaway! A group of 11 of us went to Niagara - just to hang out, dream, laugh, eat, interpretive dance, laugh some more, and gab. It was a mix of people - some old friends, some new faces - and a great time away! Here are each of us individually against a yellow wall I got very excited about in a parking lot...



I laughed more this weekend than I have in a long time. Laughing until you're crying. I needed that - thanks girls!! After the time at teh hotel a few of us (along with my hubby) played a new board game "Quelf". Unbelievably hilarious and random.



And Carolynn also was on this getaway - I always refer to her as my sanity here at Krista Jefferson Photography - but she is also one of my best friends. If you get us talking about how much we love each other we usually start bawling. I love this gal.



I am thankful for good friends today. It does the soul good!! Thanks!

Back to Reality

Well, last week - on what I understand was a bitterly cold and nasty week of winter - our family went to Florida to visit my in-laws. Even though it wasn't the scorching hot I love - it was warm and not -30 like here, so it suited me just right!!

I purposefully left my gear at home and brought only a borrowed point and shoot (thanks Carolynn!) and our video camera. This way we could focus more on people and less on pics. At points it was painful not to have my beloved cameras, but I think building the memories with the fam was worth it!

Here's a look at our week away...




Finally there! The girls soaking in the rays!





we went to SeaWorld for 2 days - the girls LOVED it!!












We fed sting rays....





And dolphins...



They loved the rides!




Then Madi decided she wanted to be a dolphin trainer - here's dad being the dolphin as he and the girls enjoy a morning swim!







and that's the end!

Bookaholic

I am an absolute book-aholic. I love to read. Last year after reading "Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons" -a book about a book club! - I started a book club for just a couple girlfriends. We've read some great books this last year (The Birth House, Time Travelers Wife...) and I'm excited to see what we'll discover this year. When I went to Costco the other day to pick up this month's book ("A Year of Living Biblically" - looks funny!) I didn't find it - but did find two others I snagged for our trip next week. I've already read one though - "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen". I am such a Jane Austen fan. Pride & Prejudice being my all time fave. This new book is a novel - I had to keep reminding myself that it was a novel and not a biography. It was a great read - blending the feel and storyline of all the great Austen novels into one fictional story of Jane Austen herself. I'm sure I'll have others to recommend as time goes on! If you have any book suggestions - would love to hear them!

Q&A with Mark

I thought it would be fun to get to know some of the “staff” here at KJP. First up, is none other than the love of my life – Mark! I am so thrilled to have not only a supportive husband but one who is willing to be part of this Big Dream. He has dreamed with me about the business, encouraged, offered great suggestions and is helping out with bookkeeping and administrative tasks. Thanks Mark!

So here is a bit of a Q&A for you to get to know my better half – with some of my comments along the way. Feel free to ask him any of your own Q’s in the comments section!


How long have you been interested in photography? 
Ever since I received my first little point and shoot in elementary school

Where do you get inspiration for your photography? 
I love to look through books of black and white photography. For some reason, I am very drawn to the stark contrasts presented in black and white photography.

If you were a teacher of photography, what is the FIRST thing that you 
would want your student to know? 
Remove the lens cap.

What's your favorite meal? 
There are several "perfect" foods: a fruit, yogurt, trailmix & granola parfait; pizza; pita's, and; submarines. I love all of them. (In the last year Mark has become a health food addict – while me, the supportive wife, is a huge fan of McDonalds or other gross, greasy foods. Mmmmmmm….)

How did you and Krista meet? 
Krista and I met at a bus-stop in Toronto while we were both at Bible College. She was going to jail (Krista the "good-girl" is really just a charade) and I was going to work. (Ha! Ha! Yes, I was on my way to jail… but it’s not what you think! I was teaching math and English at the jail. I was a volunteer teacher in the jail for two years – lots of fun and some interesting stories)_

What words best describe you? 
Easy-going, quiet, devoted, hard-working. (I completely agree!)

What inspires you? 
Other people's stories. (Mark comes across as quiet - but he is an exceptional listener. Such a gift.)

Do you have any other artistic interests? 
I enjoy the culinary arts...mostly because I really like eating.

What is your favourite song today? 
Alicia Keys - No One (whenever I hear it on the radio, it goes through my head for the rest of the day)(that's just my favourite today, though...there are several on my radar right now: Timbaland - Apologize; State of Shock - Money Honey; Kanye West - Stronger).

Share a favorite photo that you have taken. 
While I was at college, I took a series of food art photos...they are probably my all time favourites, just because they were fun. (I forgot about these! I’ll have to dig these up – hilarious!)

Finish the sentences....

A girl can't live without.... 
Warm socks (slippers), comfy pants and a cozy blanket. (Can you tell we always have the thermostat debate in our house? I’m always cold! He also has 5 sisters and now two daughters so he's use to us girls)

Something I did in 2007.... 
I became certified in Infection Control. (Mark is a Public Health nurse in Communicable Diseases. If you need to know about washing your hands or the pandemic – he’s your man!)

Gifts I received for Christmas.... 
 a lovely new housecoat (to go with my slippers, which I've had for a year now...both of which give ample evidence that I am now officially an old fart).

I can't and I won't..... 
willfully eat anything containing plump, juicy raisins (dry, shrunken raisins are okay; plump, juicy raisins remind me of flies with their wings and legs cut off).
.
One of my New Year's resolutions... 
I refused to make any this year.

Wedding Musings

So, I took most of December off and am just getting fully back in to the swing of things! Tonight I had two wedding consults with future couples - love these. Before I book anyone's wedding, I like to meet them. Make sure we "click" and to hear their story. I'm looking forward to a fun season in '08 . We have some great venues, gorgeous couples and fun weddings on the horizon. I can't wait. As I talk about weddings to couples when we meet I get so anxious to just go snap their wedding TODAY! I absolutely love what I do!

Dirty Dancing

Tonight we had a staff meeting here at KJP and are dreaming for bigger and better things. Ways to serve you better and best meet your needs.

But part of a new year is also looking back at the year that's passed. 2007 was a great year - I can't believe how many fun weddings, adorable babies and great families I was able to be a part of - thank you.

Today I got an e-mail with a link to one of my favourite memories from my 2007's weddings... Joel & Rachel's first dance!

Jack Frost

On our way up to the farm yesterday there was this gorgeous frost on all the trees - looked like I had stepped into an infared photograph. Just stunning! I only snapped a couple shots but it gives you the idea!

Christmas Past

Well, I am happy to say I did not take as many pictures this Christmas as normal. I'm happy to say that because instead of being behind the camera, I was able to be enjoying the festivities instead. It was a fun Christmas and I must say age 5 might be the perfect age for Christmas! Madi was excited beyond belief about Santa and the reindeer (she's a bit animal obsessed so she cares more about the reindeer than Santa) and was fascinated by the Christmas story still. Eden at 3 is also a fun age - where she could care less aboutthe multitude of presents - she gets one she likes and is done.

A few highlights of Christmas...

-Madi has been begging for an animal - any animal!! - but with Eden's allergies we can't commit to a dog. So we got them a guinea pig! They could not have been more thrilled! Madi sits by the cage, sings to Gordy, "reads" to him and is working hard on getting him to feel "comfortable" with us. We have a wonderful friend Amber who has had guinea pigs for awhile - so she is coming over tomorrow to teach the girls about how to care for it. Yeah!

-Eden asked for "bubble gum and tax" for Christmas. We have NO idea what the "tax" is - and if it is "tax" or "tacks" or "tacs" but needless to say she was ecstatic to get bubble gum. She just gets really upset if we leave off the "and tacks" when we mention her gum.

-the girls also got a kid's digital camera to share. I guess they've watched mom take lots of pics because Madi was HILARIOUS! "Okay, everyone get over here now. Okay, mom move a little this way. Hmmm... dad, can you pick up Eden actually I can't see her. And let's try that again but this time can you move here..." and so on. Adorable. Made me proud.

-this Christmas we had the girls give gifts to some of their friends - they had to give something of their own that they liked (not really a gift if it's broken or you don't like it!). It was amazing to watch their generosity as they were giving things I was wanting to hold on to because "it's too expensive" or "too new"... but what am I teaching them then? We made notes explaining why they chose those gifts for their friends. Definitely a major highlight of the holidays for me.

-I got way too much and won't begin to mention gifts as I'll leave something out - but wanted to mention one thing. My sister gave me "Dirty Dancing" (the musical in Toronto!) tickets for me and her for my birthday today!! She knew Mark had NO desire to go - but I did!! Can't wait to go see it in Feb with her!!

And a few photos of the festivities...

Although I didn't get a photo of it (since we were rushing out the door) Madi put about 15 of these bows in her hair for church on Christmas Eve. I let her wear them as she was SO proud. She looked beautiful - as only a 5 year old can.


Eden was so excited about her slippers - she wore them saying "I got slippers!" quite excitedly.


Our girls are book-aholics (which I love). They received a ton of books for Christmas - here they are hearing the Christmas story with Grandpa (my dad).


The girls got two big presents to share... one was a guinea pig (now named Gordy)


and the other was a kids digital camera - here's Madi taking a picture of the tree


And the girls all cleaned up and ready to go see family!




Opening presents at their cousin Hannah's house


Every year my parents take the grandkids out shopping for gifts for the family - and every year Hannah (now almost 7) buys my dad gumballs. She gets SO excited about giving him gum balls. Thing is - my dad doesn't ever chew gum - but Hannah loves to! Smart little girl!


Cohen reading a book with dad


The country girl rolling a snowball for a snowman


And the city girl's snowman attempt


Then Boxing Day (my birthday!) we head up north of Guelph to Mark's family's Christmas festivities. We stopped in Guelph for a visit with his grandpa ("Poppy" as we call him) which was very special. Here is Poppy with just a few of his grandkids and great grandkids.


And Poppy and the girls getting a quick snuggle before we leave


Then on up to the farm. The girls had fun with all their cousins! A few of them here...

Naiya


Jack (Who Eden asked "Can I marry you today?")


Emma


Aydra


and there was lots more kids and people - but I tried not to snap too much!

A fun couple of days - but I'm so glad to be home now and just hang out with the family and let them enjoy their gifts!

Christmas Morning Recipe

I am horrible in the kitchen (understatement!) but I love a big breakfast on Christmas morning. My sister introduced us to this great recipe - you make the breakfast the night before! Sweet! So, I thought I'd post it here for you too...


Day old French bread in 1 inch slices
5-7 eggs
3/4 cup milk
brown sugar
1/4 lb melted butter
cinnamon

"Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam. Sprinkle brown sugar on bottom of the pan. It should be 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with cinamon--I use a lot. Pour melted butter over this mixture. In separate bowl, beat eggs and milk. Dip bread in. Allow bread to absorb egg mixture (I count to 20 each side). Place in pan. l Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 375'. Turn bread pieces over (very important). Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown."

Merry Christmas!

Well, the blog has been fairly quiet since I have taken December off from photo shoots. It has been great going to the kids concerts, baking, eating too much baking!, hanging out with friends, and just being "mom". We have enjoyed laughing more, dreaming, connecting and life!

I have been able to go out with my staff gals - Beth and Carolynn. That was fun and we all got mushy and were basically doing the "I love you more" routine. I love these two so much! I also got to go away with mark for our 11th anniversary. And I got to enjoy some annual traditions as well. Each year we have the "Goodson-Jefferyear" party with our good friends the Goodyears. We exchange gifts, eat lots and play games. Always fun and with those two quirky friends we know we'll laugh lots. And then we had the annual "Martin-Bucek-Jefferson" party where we have the kids come in their Christmas best and we exchange gifts - we always buy all the kids books, the Buceks give craft supplies to all the kids and the Martins always give homemade PJ's for all the kids! I also got to got to Jacob Moon's "Christmas at the Casbah" this year - Hamilton has so much amazing musical talent. Unbelievable. And then a few days later went to the FRWY Christmas party with heaps more good musical talent. Man - I wish I was musical. Think this is the coolest talent. I can't even clap never mind play a guitar or sing in tune. But I love music!

A few more days of festivities where we get to see lots of family and continue to celebrate Christmas (and my bday!). Can't wait!

Things are a bit elfy around here!

I have received this elf greeting from a few friends - and had to try it - follow the link to see KJP staff's Christmas greeting to you!

LINK

Happy Anniversary - to me!

Well this past week (Dec. 6) I celebrated 11 years with my favourite guy in the world. 11 years - time flies!
It has been a great 11years - with lots of ups and downs but I'm still left wondering how I got a guy so much better than I deserve.
We were able to go away for a night kid-free this weekend and here are a couple photos of my hubby - eat your heart out ladies!!

All dolled up for a night out (I convinced him finally to put a dress shirt over this t-shirt!)


Our tradition of always jumping on a hotel bed when you arrive


Don't worry - he really is normal looking - he's just goofing off. He's a pic from the summer to prove he's normal!



And a few pics of the snow from up north!

All I want for Christmas... continued

Madi seems to think you need to send Santa a daily letter. Here are ones from this week....

Dear Santa

How are you today? I hope your reindeer are feeling good. How is Rudolph? How is your elves? How's the polar bears? How's the penguins? How's the seals? How is the walruses? How's the snowmens?

I've been a good girl.

Love Madi
---------

Dear Santa

I wanted you to know my phone number, it is ____. I just wanted you to know that we're all girls but one boy. Our house number is #__.
-------
Dear Santa,

Sorry that I didn't say "deer" for Christmas. I like those animals.

love Madi.

All I want for Christmas...

This year I had my animal loving Madi (age 5) tell me her Christmas list. This is what she came up with:

Dog
Cat
Mustang (horse not car!)
Dolphin
Real Live Mermaid
Meerkat

Then later we typed out a Christmas list she dictated to me to e-mail Santa - she wanted:

a horse farm
a cow farm
a sheep farm
a dog farm
a cat farm
an everything farm

These gift items are sure going to be hard to wrap!! Whew!

Made me think about gifts I received growing up. Hands down my favourite gift as a child was my Cabbage Patch kid. That was the year they were huge and my parents had explained that there was no way they could get one for me - so I was prepared not to get one. Christmas Eve my mom got a call from a co-worker that she had two as one she had ordered just came in - and offered my mom one! I screamed on Christmas morning and LOVED my Cabby ever since! We went everywhere together. I still have her (to Mark's disgust).

Another favourite childhood Christmas gift was the ugly Ken doll. I should explain - it was not my favourite toy - I hated this thing because it was so ugly! - but somehow my Grandma and I got this tradition of trying to give it to the other person without them recognizing what it was. Great big boxes wrapped up - with this hideous
doll inside. It was a second hand doll with wild matted hair and I remember he was wearing a "mumu" that was crocheted. Don't know where he ended up - but it would be fun to give him to my Grandma again!

Another memorable Christmas was in high school (or was it college?) when I finally got my own ski equipment. As the youngest child I always got hand me downs from my sister and brother for equipment. So excited we went skiing just a couple days after Christmas - and the roof rack came off the car (on the Skyway bridge!) and our skis were destroyed!! Even though we had just left home we went on to Blue Mtn anyways and rented - we knew if we went home we'd just vent about what had happened - so we just rented and had a great time anyways!

And one year I sang the song "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" so much that Mark bought me a hippo chia pet! Very fun!

What gifts do you remember most vividly - giving or receiving?

The Jeffersons

Here's a few recent snaps from the last week or two of our family...

I love Christmas! We have our anniversary this week (11 years - how did that happen?), Christmas, my birthday and Mark's birthday all in about 6 weeks of each other. So fun!




I got my hair done (are you shocked? ) and Beth was over so she snapped some pics of me - sitting on my kitchen floor!

Madi has taken to arts and crafts with a passion - love it! Here she is in her "princess" dress colouring a picture.

Just Eden eating breakfast - but I loved the light!

Eden cuddling with Madi while they play video games. Well, while Madi plays and Eden watches.

My winter loving girl Madi

The fam (do you know how hard it is to get a family pic with a self timer?)

Sisters

On Sunday I had the privilege of shooting a large family group - 6 sisters and all of their significant others and kids! It was a big group - but they know how to have fun!!


The whole gang


The cousins


The sisters


The "out-laws"


And the families

New Toy

Got a new toy today - a macro lens! How fun!!! These are a few things that were my first victim to the lens...

Eden sleeping


Pop Can


Madi's shoe

Happy Halloween!

From my skunk and lion to you - Happy Halloween!

My Girls

This Fall is going by in a blur and I'm snapping photos of everyone else's family.. and had to get out there with my own girls today and snap a few of them. I love Fall! Here are just a few from the five minutes I had my camera out - then I had to put the gear away and go back to my other job - "mom". Best job in the world!



Madison (age 5)



Eden (age 3)



And fun in the leaves!

Role Reversal

This weekend my husband and girls were away - and I crammed in a lot of girl time! I was able to go shopping in the States with my good friends Carolynn & Dawn, do a photo shoot for fun with Beth, have dinner with Leanne and a quick visit with Margie. That makes me happy! I love my friends! They keep me semi-sane - thanks!

One exercise that is so helpful for photographers is to occasionally be in front of the lens - gives us a taste of what you feel! So Beth and I for fun did a photo shoot - way too early - but it was fun!

Let me tell you quickly about Beth because I am so proud of her! She is only 18 - graduated last year from high school and she has talent to spare! Goes to show age really doesn't matter - it's just a number. Beth has been assisting me at weddings this year and has been involved in different ways here at Krista Jefferson Photography. And we have some big dreams for furthering her involvement here. She just told me today she recently won an award for her photography skills - way to go!! Without further ado - here are my photos of Beth and hers of me... she's the cute young thing in case you couldn't tell us apart :-)

I hope you dance...

We went to visit Mark's Great Grandpa last night for an early Thanksgiving. Madi and Eden adore him. Normally it takes Madi a long time to warm up to people she doesn't see very often, but when she saw Great Grandpa she grabbed his hand and they started to dance. I'm not sure which one of these two enjoyed it more. These are the times I'm especially happy to have my camera ready!

Dreaming

I've always been a dreamer - and I feel like this business is a dream becoming reality for me. I feel so blessed and grateful. I am always dreaming of ways to improve, expand and grow... watch for more on that!

While cleaning up the basement recently I found a box of old letters from my hubby, Mark, from when we were dating. We've been married 11 years this December so these letters are from a few years back! I found a note he had left me once that said this and it resounded with me...

Some dream of things that are and say "Why?" but you dream of things that never were and say "Why not?"

Family

Well, since we were all there at Saturday's wedding and involved - the girls were flower girls, Mark did the ceremony, I took pics... thought we should get a couple snapshots of us too!

Happy Birthday Madi!

Friday my Madison turned 5. Five seems so significant - no more toddler or preschool - she is now a little girl. And it is strange how all of a sudden she is growing in her abilities and interests - as if the age 5 was a step for her into a whole new era.

I love tis kid so much. She is very tender hearted, she will be the first to offer kisses and hugs when she feels comfortable with you. Her imagination is through the roof. She loves to laugh and play and brings me so much joy. Her name means "Gift from God" - and she has been one of the best gifts I ever could receive.

Friday was a bit unusual of a birthday for her - usually on a birthday we will spend the day celebrating that person - but with it being a school day, and then having to head 2 hours north to the farm for the wedding rehearsal (she was a flower girl) and with all the hustle and bustle of a wedding - well... it wasn't a typical birthday. But she was a trooper and so happy with the smallest celebrations and now this week we will do her party which should be a lot of fun! Watch for pictures from that later this week!

Here is my darling girl who I love sooo much heading to school on her birthday (yes, she wore the crown all day) with the horses she bought with money from GG (Great Grandma). She is on a huge horse kick right now!



And that night the girls shared a bed at the farm - this is how I found them cuddling - Eden has her thumb in Madi's mouth! Too funny!

Last and First Days

Yesterday was the last day of summer vacation for our family. Today was the first day back to school for Madi. What a mix of emotions! Here's a glance at us enjoying one last night at the beach pre-school and my big girl going off to French Immersion in SK!













And the First Day of School!

Happy (unofficial) last day of summer!

Today is the un-official last day of summer. I am so sad to have Madi heading back to school this week - and my baby girl is starting French immersion this year in SK! At least I have until Friday before she starts - Friday I'll be an emotional wreck I'm sure. I LOVE having my girls both home. It's been a great summer of camping, playing, biking, trips to the beach and building memories.

Must run - we're off for one last family bike ride!

KJP Party

This past Wed. I held our first party - a chance for KJP (Krista Jefferson Photography) to say "thanks" to everyone! It was a lot of fun - a great turnout for ice cream sundaes, live music, photos and fun.

A HUGE thank you to Kevin Coghill who (along with his brother AJ) provided music. Kevin is an amazing musician - and provides guitar lessons. If you are in the Fergus area and are interested in lessons - or are needing to book a great musician - let me recommend him! His contact info is cognackers@hotmail.com and 519.843.4534

Another BIG thanks to my team - Carolynn and my hubby Mark for helping prepare. Mark was also serving beverages and food all night. What a keeper.

Anyhow - I had a backdrop and lights set up and did photos of anyone interested - and they will have their choice of a free 5x7 from the photos taken.

It was great to connect with people and gab! I hope you all can make it to the next party!!

Here are some of the photos taken...



This is my fave pic from the night. These are my beautiful parents...



My daughter Madi insisted on bringing her own camera and taking a picture of me taking a picture of her....



And without further ado...

News & Musings

If you haven't seen or heard - I offer GraphiStudio digital albums - they are GORGEOUS! When I went to WPPI in Vegas I scoured the vendors and decided on this company for their exceptional products and service. Not sure what the heck I'm talking about? Digital albums are basically a bound coffee table book with your images. These are now included in my wedding packages and are offered in my baby packages - using images from maternity through the baby's first year. They also make great Christmas gifts filled with family images.

All this to say I just heard that the cut off date is October 1st for Christmas! If you are a recent client and are wanting a digital album - let me know soon so I can begin the design process for you and get you your books by Christmas. I got my Sears Wish Book today so Christmas is just around the corner!!
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Speaking of Christmas - I am now booking into October. If you are wanting Christmas cards or gifts - book your sitting now to avoid disappointment!

Likewise 2008 is quickly filling up for weddings - so if you are considering our services, please check if the date is still available! We are beginning to book for 2009 also.

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I read in the CAA Magazine I got today about "babymoons". Basically a "last hurrah" honeymoon of sorts for parents-to-be. Doesn't that sound great? Supposedly hotels and resorts now offer babymoon packages. Where was this idea 5 years ago when I had my first?

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I'm looking forward to Wednesday night's party - just a casual get together - chance to meet new faces (I only know by e-mail!) and get reacquainted with old friends. Hope to see some of you there!


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Today when it feels like Fall here - gets me in the mood for September. I am looking forward to routine but so sad to have Madi back in school again. I love having her home. She is starting french immersion this year in SK (or "French Emergency" as she likes to say) and I'm beginning to worry about that too. Mothers are blessed with guilt and worry. Speaking of worry... did I mention Mark picked up his motorcycle tonight? Eeeks!


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I send e-mail updates out about once every month or two - if you are not on the list but want to be.. pop an e-mail to: info@kristajefferson.com with the subject line "Sign Me Up!"

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As always - go out and celebrate life & love!

So long!

The joy of a Friday wedding for a wedding photographer is - I get to go camping with my family! So I am off for a bit to go enjoy the family. Good times.

The bad part is I got home last night after midnight - two photo shoots this morning (starting at 8:30am) so I was a bit groggy - somehow I managed to sit in grape jam or something on my tan pants. I found out AFTER the photo shoots. Nice.

Sleep and I need to get reacquainted!

Seriously - I'm having SO much fun this summer snapping photos. People are GREAT - so creative, enjoyable, and just a lot of fun to photograph. THANKS!!

Party!

Hey gang!

As I have said over and over and over again - I am so thankful for such incredible support from so many in regards to Krista Jefferson Photography. I am thankful for my amazing clients, for friends who pass along my name, and for people who like to look at my photos and talk photography!

So, I think we should get together to celebrate. Some of you I have only met online - and would love to meet face to face!

I'm hosting just a casual party to get together, have fun and "celebrate life & love". A chance for me to say "thanks" for your support. A chance for you to meet me, my family and the support behind KJP.

I have rented the FRWY coffee house (they are on summer hours and closed weekday evenings) at 333 King St. E., in Hamilton. Right at the corner of King & Wellington under the "Downtown Hamilton" banner. Wednesday, August 22 at 7pm. Hope you can come! Please let me know if you are attending so I know how much food to have!

Excited!

Just coming off of holidays - I'm itching to get back at weddings! Well, the next 10 weeks I have 10 weddings... and I'm pumped! Tonight I met with 4 of the couples who will be getting married in the coming weeks and I just feel so blessed to have such great clients who are so cool. I can't wait for each wedding - fun! Praying that each of these couples enjoys the coming weeks with minimal stress! Thanks for letting me be a part of your day!

Family reunion

On Saturday, we had a family reunion up in Huntsville that was the last Hurrah! of our vacation. The only sucky part was - we had planned to go up Friday night and camp in the area, but they called for thunderstorms so we stayed home and just went for the day Saturday instead. And the weather was PERFECT on Friday! Oh well.

Back to Saturday. It was a great day up at Mark's Uncle Gary & Aunt Maybeth's home. There was lots to do - tubing, canoeing, fishing, jet skiing, swimming and so on. The beach was perfect for kids with a very shallow sand bottom. My girls had the time of their lives with heaps of cousins around to play with.

Here are just a few photos from a very fun day!

The whole gang of us...



Mark's two sisters Aidan and Erinn along with Erinn's daughter Aydra on the tube (love Aydra's face!)



My mother-in-law and Mark's cousin Ceilidh on the tube



Some of the older kids canoeing



My father-in-law taking a much deserved break



Mark's brother Richard and his daughter Naiya



Eventually you'll meet all my nieces and nephews - it may take awhile as it is always increasing - but let me introduce you to the lovely Miss Naiya. (Sept. 22 Mark's little sister Kate is getting married - all the nieces and nephews are in the wedding party so there will be heaps of pics then!)



Madi LOVES the water and her new thing is swimming underwater. Here's my fish emerging for air.

Wild Water Works

For our girl's birthdays (starting at age 3), instead of spending money on more stuff they don't need - we give them the gift of doing something as a family instead. Making memories. Today to celebrate Eden's 3rd birthday we went to Wild Water Works. It was GREAT! The girls loved it and we were there from the time it opened until 5ish. We didn't plan to stay that long but someone - not mentioning names (but the only other adult in our family) lost the key to our van while on the water slide! Ha! Ha! Good thing we had a spare at home!

The one thing I wanted to mention was my brave little Madison. She was just tall enough to go on the "body slides" (not the ones you use a tube on). So, I climb all the way up to the top with her while Mark took Eden to the kids pool area. We get to almost our turn and I ask the lifeguard "So, does she just sit in my lap or how does this work?" And to my surprise I'm told she has to go by herself down.

She's 4 years old! She's little! But she is so excited that I agree.

He suggested I go first so I can catch her at the bottom. This means I have to go down and leave my little, tiny, precious Madi at the top to come down all by herself. I go over the plan with her over and over and then I go down the slide looking over my shoulder the whole way feeling immense guilt. The water slide is long and VERY fast - and you feel like you're going to splash right over the side on some of the corners! I'm almost in tears thinking of my firstborn coming down their alone and how scared she'll be. I wait at the bottom, biting my nails, listening for Madi's crying....

And out comes Madi beaming from ear to ear laughing. "Can we do it again. Mom???" What a kid!!

Vacation Stats

We are just home from the first leg of our vacation. We have been house sitting and dog sitting for our good friends Tim & Monica in the big town of Zurich, Ontario. It was great to get away form the city, enjoy small town life and just relax as a family. Tomorrow we head out to WIld Waterworks as a family before a BBQ with family from out of town. Friday we head up North to Huntsville and camp overnight as we have a family reunion on Saturday. Sunday I have some photo shoots I'm looking forward to!

Anyhow, here are the vacation stats at present:

57 minutes of Madi trying to convince us she needs a horse and wants to live on a horse farm. (Even when we told her dad is deathly allergic to horses and she'd have to choose a horse or dad - she chose a horse. Sorry Mark!)

24 minutes following the above of Madi practicing talking like a cowgirl. "Yee-haw!" "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

74 people, characters, animals and names Eden insisted we call her. "I'm a kangaroo... I'm Tarzan... I'm a ballerina... I'm Madi... I'm the mom.... I'm a triceratops..."

31 "dinosaur eggs" we found at the beach (aka large oval rocks) that we had to convince our girls we could not bring home.

5 "dinosaur eggs" we gave in on and are sitting in our van.

133 times we caught Eden lying on Phil the dog (who we were dog-sitting) although she is allergic to dogs.

1 stray cat we found Eden carrying around by it's neck.

47 times we said "Let's move out of the city" and dreamed of small town life or living in the country

5 times I fell asleep in the hammock, 4 afternoon naps, 3 movies I fell asleep during, and 2 car rides I slept through. I love sleep.

Laughs, trips to the beach, BBQ and games with new friends, early morning photo trip with Sandra, ice cream cones, watching the sunset, campfire & smores, reading books, hanging out with 3 of my fave people in the world (my hubby & girls), laughing some more...
so far so good!

I tried to leave the camera as much as possible - but I love snapping pics!! It's how I relax and what I enjoy doing. An e-mail I received today from someone who I'll be photographing next month sums it up: "I get the idea that Krista does not consider this to be a job, as she seems to love it so much." So true!! I didn't snap as much as usual - but here are a couple snapshots from the week so far...

Here's "French-Girl-Ballerina-Cowgirl-Madison" as she likes to be called now (in full) pretending to be a lion protecting her dinosaur eggs. Confused? Welcome to my world.


Madi - sorry, I should say French-Girl-Ballerina-Cowgirl-Madison, and I went down and watched the sunset one night. It was beautiful! The sunset and the company.



Lake Huron has some of the best sunsets!


I have a thing for clouds - my hubby will attest I comment on the clouds daily. Good clouds make great pics!


Eden (aka "SuperMarty" - that's her super hero name) having a heart to heart chat with Phil the Dog.


One of my many pics taken on my early morning photo trip with Sandra to the great town of Bayfield. More to come...

Happy Birthday, Eden!

I know, I know... I'm on vacation - turn the computer off! I just wanted to celebrate my wee girl's birthday yesterday! My youngest daughter, Eden, turned three yesterday. "Eden" means delightful and she has been a source of delight since we set eyes on her three years ago. Definitely love at first sight. Happy Birthday monkey girl!

Beaming at the birthday cake I destroyed - fortunately to a 3 year old, all she saw was icing and candles... and was completely happy.


Showing off her new pink cowboy boots - Eden is the accessory queen. Never without gloves, necklaces, hats or a purse. The boots were right up her alley!


I am Eden - hear me ROAR!


A quiet moment...


My biker chick


My littlest princess...






Love you Eden!!

Vacation!

If you do nothear from me in the next week or so - it is because I am on vcation! We are house sitting for my dear friend Monica up in the beautiful town of Zurich. Haven't heard of it? No one has! We are enjoying the hammock, campfire pit, her chocolate lab Phil, and the country air! She is close to some beautiful beaches and that's where I plan to spend my days! We are also close to my good pal Sandra - can't wait to hang out!

My assistant Carolynn is manning the business while I am away - so if you have questions - send an e-mail or call and she's got you covered! She's teh best - "my sanity" as I like to call her.

Have a great day!

Weekend Review

This past weekend I had the wedding of Tryna & Kevin's and maternity shoots on Saturday - but Sunday was another packed day with personal commitments.

In the morning we went to my nephew Cohen's dedication. He is so darn cute - and you'll have to take my word for it because I didn't get any pics of him!! (He slept most of the afternoon). I actually hardly took any pics so that I would instead talk to people at the BBQ/pool party - but here is one of my gorgeous 12 year old niece, Kirsten.



Then from there I headed to another BBQ/pool party for the Photography Guild I'm a part of. Nice to meet some of the families I have only heard about! Here's a couple snapshots from the afternoon...



Then I got home and had a brief visit with our good friends Doug & Tara visiting for out West. Haven't seen them in eons - great to meet their kids! Their kids are so adorable and well behaved! It was fun to talk cameras with Doug and kids with Tara. Didn't take too many pics - but here is one of wee Olivia who looks just like her mom!



A fun day!

Practice makes Perfect

In my wedding packages I offer the option of having me come to the wedding rehearsal. As a photographer - this is so helpful! Tonight I went to Tryna and Kevin's rehearsal - and I'm so excited for tomorrow! The church is stunning, the family and friends are fun - and I already knew I loved the couple!!

Here are a few snapshots of the family and friends enjoying the evening...

Waiting....


Loving...


Laughing...


Smiling...


Peeking...


Glowing... (love this lighting!)


Supporting...


Watching...


And I am a sucker for the old churchs! Here's a few shots from around teh church...








Tryna and Kevin don't stress... enjoy this last evening before the Big Day!!



Another reason I'm excited about tomorrow is seeing Tryna's co-workers! My good friend Leanne is a public health nurse and a big supporter of me and my business. She told one friend at her office about me who told another who told another... and now I think I've had the joy of doing photos for almost the entire office! I've done Christmas photos, 90th birthday parties, maternity, newborns, family, and now this wedding! This is a great group of ladies - and it will be fun to see them all again!

Long Weekend Fun

I posted some photos earlier of the fam on Canada Day - but here's a quick glimpse of our Canada Day long weekend!!

First, we went camping for one night with some friends. Here is Jodey - the oldest in the group - reading to all the young'uns...



Eden being a biker babe...



Then we headed up to my in-laws farm.. always lots of family there (as my husband is one of 11 siblings). So, I snapped some pics of the cousins...

Madi and her cousin Aydra



Our nephew Ethan



Our nephew Jack who just got his little afro cut and is looking so grown up now!



The baby birds the kids loved watching..


Our niece Aydra and the camera get along so well.. had to add a few of her!





Mark's sister Erinn and her son Jack cuddling after Jack's nap...



Madi in her favourite outfit...


Monday we had the big Canada Day BBQ at Madi's boyfriend Noah's house. These guys go all out - Canadian flags EVERYWHERE - I mean even in the bathroom! LOVE it! I didn't take a lot of shots there but here's a couple of the kids...

Madi's boyfriend (or at least one of them) Noah...


Noah and his sister Tagean have the best blue eyes ever!


And what's Canada Day without sparklers!!

Happy Canada Day!

20 Questions

This has been a busy week for me - by tomorrow night I'll have done 5 photo shoots in as many days and attended an evening of seminars - as well as gone to my daughter's TBall game, volunteered on a school field trip and in the JK class, gone for lunch with my mom, visited with a few friends and more. I love it all but am looking forward to a weekend away with my dear patient hubby this weekend!

But, I need a little fun to come home to....

I'm a bit of a nerd in that I love games. Scrabble (I carry around the list of all the 2 Letter Scrabble words in my wallet!), Trivial Pursuit, Settlers of Catan, Scene It... any game and I'll try to win! And have a lot of laughs while I lose...

I saw this game-type concept on a fellow photographer's blog and it sounded fun so I thought you might enjoy playing too. Here's how it works... ask me a question - anything at all that you've been curious about... shooting techniques, equipment I use, what inspires me, when I first discovered my love of photography, my favorite colour... basically anything!

Feel free to post them as a comment to this entry or email them to me if you prefer. I'll start a new entry answering your questions soon!

Buskers and Back Alleys

On Sunday we took our girls to the Busker festival in Dundas. They loved seeing people do all the things they're not allowed to do or try!







Then, I had my fun by finding some nice walls to snap some pics of Mark and the girls behind Dairy Queen and Burger King. Sweet!







A fun afternoon!

My Wood Fairies

Lazy Summer Day

Lazy summer day today at the beach with the girls and friends...

Happy Mother's Day... to me!

It is our family's tradition that every Mother's Day we do a family photo. You see, my husband (and often times my girls too) do not enjoy having their photos taken! But for one day a year, I ask for my gift that they cooperate. So, for the past few years we've been doing Mother's Day family photos each year.

Tonight we did the photos and I had forgotten how hard it is to take photos of your own family )especially when you're trying to be in them!). Here's a few from tonight...

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! And thank you to all of you who entered our Mother's Day contest - I laughed and cried as I read about the women in your lives who have impacted you. May we all be impacting the lives of those around us today and always.

I have two little girls and a hubby waiting for me to go play outside with them and enjoy this beautiful day! Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

Happy Anniversary

My parents celebrated 40 years of marriage last weekend. Wow! They went to New Zealand and Australia to celebrate and just got home. Last night we got together for a family dinner and to see the photos from their trip. We decided to do a family portrait as the last one didn't have our newest addition - my nephew Cohen! We got back to my brother's place as the sun was setting so we had to move fast but managed to get a couple quick snaps before it got too dark. Here is my family and my parents. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Grand Trip

People have been asking to see some more photos from my recent trip to the Grand Canyon, Valley of Fire, etc. while in Nevada for a conference. Here you go...

Proud Mama

Today I am one proud mama and my heart swelled at least three sizes.

A couple months ago we sponsored a child through World Vision. Madi has been trying to save any money she can since then to help give clean water. Today she decided she wants a "water sale" for our World Vision child - so the only way I could come up with to do this is for her to sell bottles of water.

I did up a quick blog so she can have her own spot to talk about this. It's HERE

Spring is in the Air

After a loooong winter - signs of Spring are all around! Last night we went for a walk after supper and saw the flowers starting to show! Hooray! My girls have been begging to run through the sprinkler, go swimming and camping every day for a month. Well, still too cold to do that - we did head down to the beach today and enjoy the weather (before it hits zero again later this week. Brrrr...).

Let me introduce you to my two munchkins.

First there is Madison who is four. Madison means "gift from God" and she is exactly that to us! Madi's imagination is wild - she went by the name "Arnold" for an entire year and most days thinks she's a zebra. Madi is just getting over the chicken pox right now.






Then little Eden, who is two. Eden means "Delightful" and she could not live up to her name and better! She is very easy going and loves to sing and dance. She mimics his sister's every move and word.




The girls get along pretty well for the most part. Although Eden does have a tendency to casually grab the top of Madi's hair as she strolls past and yank it really hard. They both love dinosaurs and bugs. Eden loves to colour - Madi is more interested in making up names for her crayons and playing with them. Eden loves to dress up like a princess - Madi loves to wear her "team" shirt (a football style shirt) and play baseball. When Madi gets scared, she calls her little sister to protect her. They are a constant source of laughter and joy.

March is finally here!

March is going to be an exciting month! March 23 I fly out with three other photographer friends to Las Vegas for a week to attend one of the biggest and best photography conventions. Can't wait to go and learn! learn! learn! I'll need another vacation to process all I hear and see!!