9 Years Ago

9 years ago today, I woke up at 7:03am to my first contraction. Exactly, 13 hours later, Bob stumbled as they told us it was a girl. Bob was so nervous about having a daughter. Fathering a daughter seemed to him an incredible task. I can tell you that he has more than risen to the challenge. There never was a bigger daddy's girl. And, this past year has seen their relationship grow to such a beautiful place. I will remember her 8th year as the year they paddled out to Mexico Rocks in Belize every day of our vacation together. How she begged him to teach her poker--he will proudly tell you that when she is in college he is assured that she will keep all of her clothes on when things turn...um...the way they turn in college. Mostly, this will be the year that she truly grew into herself.

Georgia has not always been an easy child. I wonder though if any child ever truly is...but, she started out as painfully shy and insecure. A perfectionist who turns completely frustrated when she cannot do something well right off the bat. As a toddler, we were often left at our wit's end with no where else to go. So, we would just hang there(some of our friends who have witnessed this hanging are laughing their butts off at us--it was never pretty let me tell you). But, slowly she grew out of these things. Slowly, she gained the confidence she needed to stand on her own two feet and this year she has emerged as an outgoing, confident, and fiercely determined little girl.

She started Acro this year and when she couldn't do a cartwheel, she came home and insisted we clear the living room for her to practice. Within the week, and after no less than 2,000 cartwheels in our living room, she had perfected them. She has grown into a go getter...she rises from bed ready to work and will not stop until we tear whatever project she is working on out of her hands well past her bedtime. Occasionally, we still see glimpses of that shy, insecure girl, but they are getting pretty few and far between. We could not be more proud of how far she has come and more excited to see where she will go...because she is headed there with gusto.

Happy Birthday my darling little one. I love you more than you can ever know(I promise you that's true). Some photographs taken today(moments ago) in the same spot as the one above only many years apart. Ripped leggings and all...the real G.

~ Dana

The 5 Minute Project

2014 is going to be the year of projects for me. I have one big personal one brewing(honestly, it's been brewing for the better part of my life so I am excited to sit down and figure out exactly what flavours we have in there). That was pretty cryptic I know, but I am aiming to spend February figuring it out so that I can share it with you in March. But, today, I want to talk to you about a small project I started last year that has grown into a group project. Last year, I started to capture 5 minutes of my life every now and then. No pressure. No timeline. And, then, on a whim...I started a blog and asked others to play along.

I quickly became overwhelmed and knew that there was no way I could keep up with that one. ha. Soooooo...I started thinking. How could I keep up with it? And, it became obvious that gathering a group of regulars who could post along with me would be the way to go. But, who to ask? I made a list. And, you know what? They said yes.

So, now I have the most amazing Group of Eight. That's what I have named us. And, I think you should head on over to the 5 minute project blog and be BLOWN AWAY by the awesomeness of the people I have surrounded myself with. Truthfully, I am lucky enough to call some of these people long time friends, a couple of them internet friends and a couple of them new friends(whose work I greatly admired).

ANDREA HANKI: If you don't know her, you have certainly been hiding under a rock. I have known her since before she had kids(so there-ha). And it has been my extreme pleasure to watch her success balloon and her family grow(her kids are amaze balls). In case you need her links(for the 2 of you who don't know her), here they are Pink Sugar Photography; Pinksugarland; her instagram. She is so cool that I am constantly amazed that she thinks I am somehow cool enough to be her friend.

CHRISTINE POBKE: But you should always refer to her as Pobke. Or simply Pippa's mom. ;) She is an American living down under who I first met on twitter and we quickly became friends when she sent me a parcel of cookies from Australia. That is all it takes to become my friend. Ha. And, before there was Pippa, there was a trip to Vegas for WPPI. She is my social media guru. And, she takes the most darling photographs of her baby Pippa. If you have somehow not heard of her before now, here are her links: Pobke Photography; her instagram.

JOSH SOLAR: If you ever say hi to Josh, the first thing he will do is open his arms and say 'I'm a hugger'. He should just wear a shirt that says that ;) I have known Josh for a few years now and watched him and his wife grow The Happy Family Movement and build a life for their family that is both inspiring and honourable. If there is a more genuine person on earth than Josh, I have yet to meet them. Here are his links: The Happy Family Movement; Solar Photographers, his instagram.

DANA PUGH: In case you weren't sure where you were, this is ME. I'm Dana Pugh.

SUZANNE GIPSON: One day late last year, an image came through my feed and I said to myself 'hey ho...who's that?'...it was Suzanne. I didn't know her, but we had mutual friends. Soooooo...like the Facebook stalker that I am, I started following her work. I don't think I had ever said two words to her before I asked her to be a part of the group. I asked her because she was a new found love and I wanted a front row seat to her work. I was COMPLETELY surprised that she agreed to play along. Here are her links: Suzanne Gipson Photography; her instagram(it is ridiculously good).

REBECCA CHALMERS: I've heard she has a secret island where she spends her summer and if you follow her work, you will see that it is obviously a magical place. Either that or she is just some sort of magician. I've known her online for a while now and I am convinced that 2014 will be the year we will meet. Maybe there will be the same 5 minutes captured through two different set of eyes. Now, that would be cool. Especially if it were on her island(look at me angling for an invite). Here are the links to her magical work: Bee Chalmers Photography; her instagram.

EL HOGAN: El emailed me awhile back to tell me that she too had started photographing 5 minute projects...just one of those funny coincidences of great minds thinking alike ;) So, obviously, I wanted to know who she was. I went to her site and just love her work. I also found that I had pinned one of her photographs on Pinterest way way back. I am excited to get to know her a bit better. Here are her links: El Hogan Photography; her instagram(be prepared to be amazed).

ALPANA ARAS: I have known of her work for many years, but it was only recently, when she was posting photographs of India on her instagram that we begun a conversation in earnest. And, then, one day I looked at one of her photographs and realized we were in the same place(I was in California). We went nuts trying to find each other and, once we did, spent many hours talking and scheming--especially about ways to visit India together. You can find her work here: Storybox Art; her instagram.

So, once you go and look at all of their work, you will see why I am so excited to be doing this group project with them. We are leaving Fridays open for submissions from everyone else and I am excited to see what gets submitted. If you would like to play along and blog a series, make sure to let me know and use the hashtag #5minuteproject :)

You can find the project here: 5minuteproject.com 

~ Dana

Gender Differences

A big pile of snow in the front yard. The likes of which they say we haven't seen since 1901. What to do with that big pile of snow depends greatly on who you ask. There is nothing quite as thrilling as hitting your bullseye. Except for maybe when it is your kid sister.

There is something so right about this being the first family session sneak peek on this blog. Long time clients who are now more than that. Love these kids(and their parents aren't half bad either).

~ Dana

Just Me

  The time has come!!!

I am so excited to share with you guys my brand new ... well ... brand new everything!!! Woo Hoo!!! After over 6 years as a monkey, I can tell you that I am happy to now be JUST ME.

In the hopes of getting you all to really explore the new site(and I mean REALLY explore it). I have hidden a prize. Two actually--even though, they are in the same place. One for you regular folks and one for you photographer folks. Within the prize, is a word that you need to find to claim it. I'll throw in the added incentive that the first person who uses the contact form on this site to tell me the word will also get a $50 Amazon gift card.

And, I'd love to hear what you all think of the site? Favourite part? Favourite picture? Have you seen the cool Facebook page yet? Have you liked it? Do that! And, I plan on being a blogging machine so check back for some great posts soon!

Thanks for checking me out ;)

Dana