This blog is less for the public, and more for my own preservation of the previous year. Tomorrow marks another birthday for me, and truly I don’t feel any older. Just like last year, I’m still breaking out like a teenager — so who knows when that one will end.

Personally, I’ve spent the last year totally re-directing my energy into photography. I’ve got a GO-JILLION photos that I never turned into something more than a snapshot. So in terms of focus, I left the rental/real estate/insurance gig in the dust for the sake of doing something that I truly enjoy. So in terms of personal growth, I’ve been homeschooling my ass off and learning everything that I can to make a living off of pictures. So far, I’m still a starving artist, but I have faith that will change. Especially since my shiny new business cards are coming! (Everyone knows that when you get business cards you make it big, right!??)

Here’s my year in review:

• We moved to a new shanty by the beach shortly after my last birthday. (Yes. Shanty. 1150 square feet is freaking tiny.)
• Mr. T’s Mom came to visit us at the Shanty for about a month. We hosted and cooked a lot of food.
• I had the joy of taking Pey to Hollywood (per se) for a taping with Heidi Klum. Not a great TV show, but our first LA gig. That was seriously fun.
• I’ve spent way long hours reading, shooting, editing and learning the ropes of how to do this picture-making thing.
• More hours spent on the internet than humanly possible. (Thanks, Pinterest. I hate/love you.)
• Lots of time at Disneyland and the beach. I live in SoCal for good reason.
• Sticking to a really tight budget. (See aforementioned bullet points.)
• My Grandpa passed, and is in a wonderful place smoking a cigarette and flying an airplane without a care in the world.
• Spent an entire month doing a super-fun scavenger hunt for a forum I belong to. (About 400 wacky items were on the list, and Mr. T and I hunted down many of them on some great dates.)

Using this kick-ass tutorial found on Clickin’ Moms, along with my two very willing models, I created this fun capture of my daughter’s recent sleepover with one of her besties, Brandi.

Once I figured out how to group each photo with the block that I wanted to work with, it was easy as pie. Now for my Disneyland & Beach Storyboards. This is going to be a rad shooting weekend!

(Special thanks to Beth Ross for an awesome tutorial… Phew! That was easy!)

This year I…

• Visited Disneyland (a lot) : )
• Spent many hours cuddling in bed on Saturday mornings with my husband (Thank you, Rick – I love those mornings… : )
• Dyed my daughter’s hair – fun seeing her grow up
• Watched my son “graduate” from elementary school
• Cheered on my husband in his first half-marathon
• Partied on New Year’s Eve with my kids with Rock Band and DJ Hero
• Made an unforgettable journey to Hawaii
• Renewed my vows with my husband
• Have experienced an awful pain in my hip for nearly the entire year, diagnosed as either arthritis or “fluid” in my hip joint
• Began, and left, my old job at CRS
• Envisioned my own company
• Created and received my first business cards
• Established a PO Box for my company
• Started my blog
• Enrolled for school for myself (but didn’t enroll for classes, haha)
• Got a new camera, and can officially say that I have a ton to learn

I can say over the last year that I’ve learned, cried, laughed, loved and smiled. I can look forward to the new year, and my new memories and experiences. Still no gray hair, and plenty of breakouts to remind me that I am still young.

Until the same time next year….

~d

So long - 2009-2010

Some folks wonder how or why the magic stays alive for us. For me, it’s more than a mouse and the cash-cow that is Disney. For me, it’s a continual learning and parenting opportunity. I am positive that every visit to “the land that Walt built” offers valuable life lessons. Here’s my view.

Disneyland…

• …teaches my children the value of waiting for something. They need to stand in lines and be patient. Whether they are hungry or the person beside them smells like a commercial for why Europe needs deodorant – the patience requirement is there for the kids. They want something – they wait. Humbly.
• …gives us ample time to talk to one another. I have a captive audience, and an endless array of topics. We talk about what appropriate behavior is, see plenty of examples of poor behavior (ie; line cutting, cursing, skimpy clothes, bad hygiene, bratty children with parents who are indulging them, etc…)
• …allows for some autonomy for the kids. After our millionth trip to “the park” (our regular term for the place), the kids know their way around. I can stay in New Orleans Square while they hop over to Frontierland or run for some Splash Mountain passes. With very limited ways in and out of the park, I fear less of them randomly disappearing. (I am usually more afraid of strangers and weirdos on my own street when they ride bikes…) They get small freedom, and I get small breaks.
• …keeps my house clean. (Well, cleaner than if we stayed home.) The kids need to complete chores in order to go, and while we are gone, nothing is self-destructing at home.
• …teaches my children how to interact with new people. They can approach Cast Members and ask questions, make a friend with a child their age in line, say excuse me and thank you plenty of times each day, and they learn too – that many adults lack these attributes.
• …keeps my kids young. We learn, we talk, enjoy rides, games, food, conversation and enjoy just being together without the distraction of TV and video games.
• …teaches them the negotiation/compromising skills. If Peyton wants to do something that Jake does not, she needs to sell him on why he should go on a ride. OR, she needs to barter and compromise and ride something he wants to ride or do. In the big world, they call it “win-win”

For me, the *magic* is much more than a princess signing autographs or a swashbuckling pirate ride. It’s a million parenting opportunities that I know my kids will absorb. They probably don’t even realize that it’s happening, but they are growing up in a theme park. I am blessed by the chances I am given to teach them life lessons in a highly cultured environment.

Spoiled?…. Maybe.

Brats? …. Not on my watch!!

~dana

I have put this blogging/business/project off for far too long. I have been shown that starting somewhere is far more important than starting nowhere, so here goes. For years, I’ve been wanting to express my creativity and use my God-given talents. And for years, I’ve always thought that I am far to behind the rest of the bloggers/photographers/entrepreneurs to “catch up”. So here’s to being the new kid. I look forward to sharing my work. If you have been at this for a while, and you would be willing to share your wisdom, NOW is the opportunity to share your experience with a newbie.

If you are a blogger or entrepreneur ahead of me – what wisdom and help would you offer the newbie version of yourself???

~d