Alisha's Fundraiser

Hi all!

Today I woke up early... well early for me anyway ;o)... and went to Straw Hat Pizzeria to keep the Hulls company during their fundraiser for Alisha. For those of you that don't know, Alisha is a very special little girl. She was born with Camellia De Lange Syndrome (CDLS). CDLS is caused by a mutation in the genes. For Alisha this meant severe digestive tract issues. For the first several years of her life doctors were trying just to get enough nutrition to stay in her little body for her to grow and be healthy. They finally realized that she also has Celiacs disease which means that she cannot have gluten (aka: wheat). Alisha's Parents and Doctors worked hard and found a routine that worked for her to keep food in her wee body. Alisha is currently on a feeding tube and carries a small backpack around with her pump in it so that she can move around. Alisha has grown so much but really does not like wearing her backpack all day long or having her pump beep in the middle of her preschool class. Alisha is finally starting to eat a few grains of rice, some small crackers, and drink water. However she is a long way off from being able to eat enough to sustain her. Alisha was accepted into clinic in New Jersey that will provide treatments for her to help her learn to eat food. Please visit her blog and donate if you can.


So where was i.... Oh yes! The fundraiser! We stood outside and held signs for people to come in and buy pizza. Straw Hat pizza agreed to donate 50% of purchases to Alisha's treatments. Even Alisha was out there yelling "Pizza!! get your pizza!!" She also threw in the occassional "CAR WASH" which they will be having on Saturday.

Even her Uncle Jared got in on the sign waving! and for him that's quite a feat itself!So many people came out and showed their support for Alisha and her family! I was so impressed by just the random people who came up and donated what they could even above and beyond the pizza purchases. It was fantastic! Even Bri showed up to show her support! well... she was kinda of tired :o)


Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that showed up and did what they could for Alisha. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Lots of hugs and love,

Zhetta

The worst part....

944....945...946.... Okay I think I have come to the conclusion that the worst part about being a photographer is not the fact that every person that knows you wants you to bring your camera to any function you ever attend. No, that is not the worst. The worst part is all the post production work that goes into organizing, sorting and gently tweaking the photos that you took during the day. Makes me wish I took fewer photos ;o) Well... maybe not because then I would only have one or two to choose from instead of six. I must admit though, I have improved a great deal about getting the SOOC (straight out of camera) shots so there's not as much editing. After I give the photos to the bride and groom I will post some before and after shots on here for all to see. But as of right now... I am going... to pass ou-....zzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

Today

Hi all! I think I'm going to skip the obligatory "I'm sorry i haven't blogged in months" apology. You all know me and know that, well, I get to things when I get to things. I've been enjoying life with my new storm and not ever having to log into my computer.

Recently, I have had enough offers for my side hobby for it to possibly be considered a business possibility. I've had back to back referrals for invitation design and if i must say so myself they are looking pretty smart.


I'm working on putting some on my site but I need a few releases signed first. Each design gets a little more creative. It was nice this time that I had a bride that wasn't on a super tight budget. Mind you my invitations are STILL cheaper than the going rate out there for custom designed invitations. But it's nice to have more than a $250 budget to print 600 invitations. I also have my second Wedding Job for photography coming up on Friday. I'm super nervous about screwing everything up. This is for my friend Ben and his lovely soon to be wife, Carrie. I keep having flashbacks to my friend Brian's wedding his crack photographer who was secretly in love with him and sabotaged his wedding photos. But the situation is not what theirs was and I am not that crazy you know who that was also my roommate. Ben & Carrie are two very relaxed people. I honestly think that even at my worst they would still like my photos as long as you could see all the people in them :o) but I am pretty good with a camera (so I'm told) and I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my photography and even more so because I want their day to be perfect! So I have a feeling all will go well. Now if only I can put in an order for the wind to stop :o)

Other than my photography and design stuff my real job is going well. almost done with all my training and headed to my new supervisor. Should be interesting as she's already requiring a lot and with my affinity for not getting along with fellow females very well, it should make it even MORE interesting. But I'll just work hard and keep my head down. Works most times.

Life other than that is pretty much the same as it was this time last year. I do miss having Jeremy around. My mom found a Valentine's day card from him while I was moving and like any self respecting mom she read it :o) Don't worry it was PG ;o) She asked me how he could have changed his mind and just quit. I didn't really know what to tell her. I don't really know myself. He never did answer that question for me. But I find myself realizing that it doesn't matter too much. I've gotten over my obsessive need for closure from past relationships. I suppose all I need to know is that it wasn't working for him and that's enough to end a relationship. No need for "whys" or "what did I do wrong". Life works itself out. I have my awesome family and some terrific friends that help get me through.

Speaking of friends. We had Joe's birthday party at my house and I must say it was a lot of fun. I felt bad though because I didn't have much for the kids to do and I had to keep asking them to stop running around (i hate being a fuddy duddy). but other than that we had a good time with games, pirate themes, and the dart pistol i bought Joe....There were a few casualties ;o) Anyway, life has been good and fun :o) I hope all of you are doing well too! lots of hugs and loves!

Andrea

Juan Mann....

Sometimes all it takes is Juan Mann to make a difference. In my web surfing adventures this evening I ran across two real gems. The one you see in my previous post and this one. Now, I'm not a hippie or a believer in free love but I am firm believer in the power of a Hug. When I worked retail at the Church bookstore I found myself hugging a lot of people and I mean a LOT. Sometimes they were sad, sometimes they were happy, or sometimes they were grateful to meet someone who would listen to them for just a little while. I don't know why and I never really question why people would so willingly hug me. I've always been a soft around the edges person and soft around the middle too ;o) And the truth of it was though, I actually enjoyed the hugs as much as those people. It filled something that I've missed a great deal lately. Mind you, I still get my fair share of hugs from my friends and family. But sometimes, you just need to hug someone who is or recently was a perfect stranger. I applaud that this man had the courage to fill a need for himself and for others. All it took was Juan Mann to make a difference... enjoy!

looking for a stranger to hug,

~Z~

How a Goof made the world smile.

My Favorite brother in law (my only brother in law) sent me this video today and i just had to share. I was expecting some funny joke video of someone doing something goofy, and well... it was :o) But it was also very touching. First I was amazed that "G" had found something on the internet that I had yet to see and any of you who know me know that I have seen just about EVERY internet clip and e-mail trend. But then I was immediately amazed by this little number. At first I laughed at the goofiness of this man but then I settled in for the long haul. I found it all together enchanting and by the end I was a little misty eyed and even a bit envious that Matt had been able to do something I've wanted to do since I was little, Travel the world! I don't mean just the tourist sites but to see and enjoy the people and places. I deeply admire his ability to visit so many places and put a smile on at least a few people's faces (mine included) and it all stemmed from a goofy little dance that he does so badly and yet, so well :o) So take a look. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I did. And if you're interested in finding out a little more about Matt, Click Here. In the mean time I'm going to go drool over his travel log ;o)

Envious Explorer,

~Z~

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) @ Yahoo! Video

Just for Heather Hu??

Okay Heather! Here you go! a link to your sisters wedding photos! i know you have a hard time navigating my photo page so let me know if you can't figure it out!

Love you! hehe

~Z~

Song of the day...

My Canadian ex boyfriend e-mailed me this song the other day and I rather like it. It makes me want to jump around and have a little fun :o) Plus it adds to the way I've been feeling lately. I'm feeling good about life, a little lonely in the quiet moments, but nothing too terrible or depressing. I'll hopefully be starting school again soon (paid for by The Phone Company)and working towards getting my bachelor. I've got a great job and I'm starting to be able to pay down my debt. Life is pretty good. That's all for now. Gotta get some sleep. I'll blog again tomorrow about my weekend. So go have some fun and Jump around a little! Ciao!

~Z~