Monday, May 26, 2008

A Moonstone Adventure

Weekend at the beach! Memorial Day over at the beach has been a family tradition since I have been in high school. Family motto growing up has been,"A family that plays together stays together!" You never know what adventure is next - "little" bike rides that end up two towns away from the intended destination, dune jumping on hidden dunes, temporarily loosing my dog on the beach (thought she drown chasing the birds), rollerblading, playing on the beach, fighting the crowds at Firestone or Splash cafe, the list goes on. This weekend we traveled north past Cambria to go see the elephant seals (or slugs as we like to call them). They were pretty interesting. Watching them try and move down the beach was quite a site. After that we had a wonderful lunch in Cambria - Main Street Grill - yummy! Then it was off to Moonstone beach. A little stretch of beach that isn't sand - it is all little rocks. Moonstone rocks are the rare commodity there. These are the kinds of rocks that many jewelry makers love to use. We quickly found ourselves digging in the rocks to find the best of the best for our collections. Very therapeutic I have to say. Keeping the pebbles out of mallory's mouth was an adventure in itself. A little jump rope and some fun in the waves, it was a great day! I hope you all had a great memorial day weekend. Here are some pics from the days trip.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

CMP Summer Updates

Here are some new changes and updates for you.

1. New 10 day ordering policy!!! - (don't flip out)

I know we recently changed it to 90 days but that is not working. I am blaming this on my computers. All 3 are maxed out and there is not enough room to work. So we are solving this issue with a 10 day ordering policy for all pictures before they are archived. This way you are ordering your pictures and actually getting them when it is still current in your life. I know this will be a shock to you but I know it will be better for everyone in the long run. You can do it!


2. New Family sitting fee price - $200

Family shoots are usually twice as long and require a lot more from everyone. This package includes the DVD sideshow. So how do you define family? That's a tough one. I have decided that anything more then two children is twice the work so we will go with that So a family shoot can be defined as a family including parents up to 7 people or more then two children.


3. Fall Reservations: Yes I am already getting inquiries about fall shoots. My calender is not yet up so I am now taking fall reservations. I will be creating a couple packages including Christmas cards. At this time I have not finalized those details. If you now that you want to reserve a spot then shoot me an email and I will add you to the reservation list. Once the calender is ready those on the list get first pick of the dates. So time to think ahead!


4. I will be taking the month of August off . Too Hot for pictures anyways!

Thanks for all the support everyone. I love working with all you.

Here are some pictures from a conference I was at in April.



Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Sharing my Adventure

Hello everyone - yes I am back from paradise. We had a fabulous time and would highly recommend this trip to anyone. Ambergris Caye, Belize is a very relaxed place with great scenery, food, and diving. Central America for those of wondering where it is. We did 5 dives in all including the BLUE HOLE. (I feel like I should get a special patch for diving that one.) The Blue Hole is a dive desired by many divers around the world. It really was a once in a lifetime experience. The boat ride 2.5 hours out in the middle of the open water on a small boat was an experience in itself. Love the Dramamine! Then all of a sudden we felt like we were dropped right into a postcard titled "paradise." The dive was amazing, and terrifying all at one time. We dove to 150 ft with literally the abyss below us and to the side of us. I felt like Nemo's dad and Dory in the movie where they head down to find the mask that dropped. Then all of a sudden you see these huge stalagmites and stalactites. 20-40 ft long. Huge. Look to your side out in the water and sharks that look like baby great whites circling. Kinda crazy. I was pretty proud of myself for doing it and not freaking out! Truly once in a lifetime experience.


The other dives were incredible! The coral was huge and colorful - fish plentiful and lots of eels, rays, turtles, and sharks. I tried my first hand at underwater photography - sort of hard to get great composition as i float away. I tried. so I hope you enjoy a few pics from our latest adventure. I used the Canon G9 with a underwater housing - Love it!

Thanks for all the birthday cards! I had a wonderful 3..0.. stay tuned for lots of updates.
Our resort - Matachica



The Blue Hole - A Perfect circle that is a sink hole from the ice age. The dark blue is the outter rim.Half Moon Caye - Where we had our picnic lunch - we thought we might find Wilson from the movie castaway.

This is George - Friendly little guy who lived in the lagoon behind town.