{Personal Expressions} 2011 Recap - What a wonderful year for Memorable Jaunts | Naperville Lifestyle Photographer

Living life to the fullest - that's what 2011 has been for Memorable Jaunts. I am truly blessed to have had unwavering support from my family and my friends as I embarked on the Memorable Jaunts adventure more than a year ago.

From being one of the first to read each and every ramble of mine, to cheering me on and giving me unsolicited publicity and shout outs, family and friends have had confidence in me even when I doubted myself!

My clients put their faith in me and gave me complete creative freedom in each of their shoots and walked away with a smile on their face, giving me a confidence boost more than words can convey!

This past year, I have photographed families, babies, and kids. I did lifestyle shoots as well as product shoots - from one memorable jaunt to another!!! My travel tips and articles got published several times in the Go West Young Mom website and I even conducted the first outdoor Memorable Jaunts family hike in October. As a family, we had some amazing and memorable travel jaunts - both domestic and international. 2012 promises to be a year of travel which has me waiting to pack my bags and hit the road :)

As any small business owner knows, success is not only defined by money but also by your relationships. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with Shari Ralish, owner of Peaceful Parlour and Mary Krystinak, owner of Mary's Wholesome Living. These two are such amazing women and I am so proud to call them my "friends".

Memorable Jaunts is always ready and willing to give back to the community. I regularly photograph pets at West Suburban Humane Society. I hope to continue this tradition in 2012!

I feel full - I feel satisfied :) Did I get what I wanted? Yes - and so much more. 2011 reinforced my dreams and gave me new ones which I will be chasing after in 2012 :).

I wanted to take this moment to say "Thank you" to everyone that Memorable Jaunts has interacted with in 2011 and hope to have an opportunity to connect again in 2012, even if it is as a friend instead of a client! - HAPPY NEW YEAR and see you all in 2012!!

Here is a glimpse of what Memorable Jaunts did in 2011!

{Personal Expressions} Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow | Naperville Lifestyle Photographer

What happens when you wake up to a blanket of white fluffy snow? And what happens when this phenomenon occurs over the weekend?? Why, you let out squeals of delight and make time for sledding, build snowman and having snowball fights!

That is exactly what happened this past weekend - and we did all of the above even though the snow was just a couple of inches of powdery white stuff that melted away before the day was over. We had a ton of fun and loved the explosion of color all around us. Have you noticed all the colors seem to pop even more when they are surrounded by white????

Happy snow, Happy Holidays!

My rose bushes have never looked prettier! - I LOVE these roses with the dusting of snow on them.

Brown and White make a great color combination! :)

This picture speaks to all the fun we had in the snow! - Thank you mother nature :)

{Lifestyle Portraiture} Sneak Peek - Mary's Wholesome Living | Naperville Lifestyle Photography

I had such an amazing opportunity this past week - I got to photograph Mary and her holiday cooking class while they met and cooked up a storm. The evening was so perfect - dinner made by Christy of Two Mothers Food using the freshest ingredients possible, triple ginger cookies and kolackies made from scratch, Mary's famous ginger beer and wonderful company of some amazing women.

Mary wanted to have pictures taken for her class and I was happy to oblige! - I tried not to get in the way of these serious bakers and absolutely loved it. The pictures speak for themselves - the atmosphere was so relaxed. Mary is such a wonderful teacher and you know she really loves doing this by just looking at her - her body language and her voice and tone were perfect!....I think this is the best way to learn to cook...have Mary teach you! :)

Enjoy your sneak peak, Mary and thank you for this wonderful opportunity!

I love this one - Mary not only shows you how but also passes along little tips and tricks on what to look out for when you make the cookies at home - on your own! AND she makes you practice in class!

How beautiful is this - go from a bunch of ingredients to perfect, moist ginger cookies!  yummy!!!

The culinary experience did not stop there - Christy and Mayome of Two Mothers Food prepared the most amazing pasta and salad right then and there. We feasted! (yes - that is truely the right word) on our dinner while the cookies baked!. 

Two Mothers is a zero waste kitchen. No plastics anywhere and we used real plates, silver ware and cloth napkins during our meal!!!!

{Personal Expressions} I heart faces - Furry Faces

Oh boy! - I spent so much time deciding which picture to post but in the end had to go with this one. I fell in love with this one - he was so mesmerizing! His stare is so powerful and so dangerous. Makes me wonder what's going on in his mind!

This is one animal you dont want as a pet! :)

My entry for the "I heart faces - furry faces" challenge.

See all the amazing entries here.

{Personal Expressions} Decorating the house + Writing wish lists + Visiting with Santa + Lights galore + Snow = Christmas time!!!

What defines the holidays?

1) Adding a bunch of decorations
2) Writing and re-write your lists of wants verses needs!
3) Having sweet smelling roses that spruce up the house
4) Squealing with delight at the first snow of the season
5) Marveling at the lights and Christmas decorations that seem to surround you
6) Finally achieving hand and finger coordination to put up decorations on the tree
7) Loving the red and green all around
8) Getting a jump start at buying and wrapping your gifts AND finding a place to hide them till Christmas day :)

I think this is going to be my Christmas card for the 2011. Certainly easier to get these models to stand till while I click away - getting the family to do it is another story!

Here to a busy Holiday Season! :)