Who's That Girl?

There are few women who truly inspire me in this world. The few that do, however, manage to push past my laziness, guilt, or pride and spark something to life inside my psyche that goads me into action. This lady is one such woman! I first saw Elizabeth Kartchner's face on the cover of CK Magazine (my scrapbooking "bible" that I had subscribed to for years) a couple of years ago. I remember taking note of what a cute girl she was and wondering what was so special about her that the magazine would choose her for their cover. I read on and have been devotedly following her submissions and, eventual column, for the magazine ever since. Imagine my surprise and delight when this past August, I was involved in a photography workshop where Liz and her husband, Collin, were asked to be the models. I was giddy! Turns out my group wasn't assigned to shoot them, but that wasn't going to stop me from making contact with this girl. I marched right over, introduced myself and started snapping pics. I later entered one of them in the workshop photo contest. I have to admit, I felt a little star-struck! She was a lovely girl and really fun to talk to. Collin gave me some great shooting pointers as well. (And, they are Timpview alum and know John--go T-Birds!) We connected on Facebook and I have kept tabs on her through that and her blog (followed by many women!) That's how I found out about the publication of her scrapbooking book and launch party at one of my favorite boutiques--Dear Lizzie. It was so fun to see her again, chat for a few minutes and get my hands on her book! She is an incredible designer, the best of the magazine if you ask me. The ideas and things she is involved in really do inspire me to be more creative, more dedicated to my hobbies and, even, a little better wife and mom (that is, when they aren't making me nuts wondering, 'How does she have time to DO all of this??') I'm a little jealous, really. But that's okay--it's a good motivator to keep trying. So here's to you, Liz, for constantly propelling me forward! (And you're just so gosh darn adorable, how could anyone not love you??)

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

I love the Christmas dance season! (Okay, I love any dance season!) Every year, Natasha dances with her studio at The Festival of Trees to raise money for the children's hospital. I hadn't seen any of the practices, so it was a treat to see the dances performed. Natasha then danced Saturday night in her Christmas recital. The Christmas-themed costumes and choreography were adorable. Natasha is such a great dancer and I love to see her progress with each performance. She is getting really good at cute facial expressions while she dances and her pirouettes and leaps are looking better and better. She was stressed about the "toe roll" in one of her dances, and was ecstatic afterwards that she had done it! We were grateful Grammy Su, Grandpa Bar and Uncle Johnny came to share in the event. We love to watch you dance, our beautiful dancer, and especially love you!