Tips for Better Life

It seems this has been a year of alot of new things. When you spend 7 months of the year working on nothing but weddings and other photographic jobs, you find things slide right off your plate. Now that we are on a bit of a quiet respite we are playing catch up with all that slid off. Basically we are cleaning house on every level. I cant believe half the paperwork and stuff we are sorting through! On the physical side we got a Wii for Christmas and my lovely husband bought me a Wii Fit to go with it. I mentioned it sounded like a cool way to get my exercise in. So out he went. But wow it was harder to find than a cotton ball in a snowstorm! But it was so worth it …I LOVE IT!!! and can I just say its the BOMB!!! It is everything I needed. SO with all the spring cleaning going on and the physical exercise and the eating better and the spiritual back on track I feel really motivated and happy. When I ran across this I just had to post it…

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Sleep for 7 hours.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did the previous year.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink plenty of water.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
14. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
15. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
18. Smile and laugh more.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don’t compare your partner with others.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
28. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
29. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
31. The best is yet to come.
32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
33. Do the right thing!
34. Call your family often.
35. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.
36. Each day give something good to others.
37. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
38. Share this with someone you care about 

Now lets get out there and make it a wonderful day!

Wow, it was such a busy year that we just now got serious about putting up some of our favorite 08 weddings shots on the splash page of our Website!

Check out the newest and well…some of the ones we just couldn’t take down…  : )

www.lydellphoto.com

We have some fun stuff coming in the next couple of months so watch for that!

A TRIBUTE TO FRIENDSHIP

On Sunday Mark and I were joined by some dear friends at church….(and what a wonderful service it was! It was about how we as Christians can come off as intolerant, judgemental, and hurtful). I wish I could take the time to really cover all that went on cause it was really really good…but what I really want to express is my heart about something else.

True Friendship.

I am talking about our dear friends Scott and Donna. They have been a part of our lives for about 14 yrears now. We havent been everyday friends in the sense of seeing each other everyday but friends who have always stayed in touch and got together whenever we could kind of friends. Do you have people in your lives that if you don’t see them for long stretches and then you get together and its like you havent missed a day? Well, when we said good bye to them as they left the coffee shop where we met up with them for a quick catch up before they left I felt a tug on my heart that told me how lucky I am. Knowing we may not see them for some time (unless we find out way to (OSPW) in the spring, I found myself as always, uplifted and affirmed. They have a way of always doing that for us. This is their gifting. Affirming people. It is no wonder that their daughter has become the beautiful young lady she is and the amazing dancer that she has become. She is, Jaimy that you have heard us talk about many times and have photographed as recently as the Nutcracker. ( see slideshow below)

When we come away from spending time with them we always feel loved and like somehow we are special. I dont know how they do it but they do it well. I think they listen. I mean not just uhuh now let me tell you about me…but they LISTEN and think about what you are saying and ask really good questions. I have to say when we said good bye today I got a lump in my throat. I will really miss them until we meet again. I wish I was more like them. They are probably even thinking what is she talking about??? But its true and I feel so blessed to have them as friends. It’s an heartwarming feeling to one day realize how God has surrounded you with His love with those around you. Those who love you and pray for you and think about you and make time for you. I am missing you so much already and you just left…. 

Thank you Scott, Donna and Jaimy your amazing friendship means so much to us…. to the next 14 years and beyond!!!!

Gosh I wish I had brought a camera that day so I could post up a pic of you two here…Donna you are looking so good its a crime I dont have you up here!!!!

Love, US

*********************

 EDIT: It looks like we may be heading to Seattle in the spring instead of our Vegas trip this year so we will be able to see them again and in a town I have always wanted to go shoot in! YAY!!

I wish I had photos up for you but Mark is really trying to get our last wedding slideshow up so I dont want to put anything up until he gets that up. Soooo I will just chit chat with you instead.

Here are some things I am thinking about for me maybe you might find it interesting?

1. What are you hoping to do in 2009 that you havent done yet?

I would like to learn to do something new and different not sure what yet. Maybe the guitar??

2. What would you like to try again that you failed at or let slide in 2008?

Health! Eating, vitamins, juicing, etc….

3.What would you like to see happen within your spiritually?

Realness I am so sick of rank and file, canned, rhetoric. I want real.  

4.What kind thing do you think you can do on a daily basis that would make a difference in someone’s life?

I got a letter today from my postman thanking me profusely for leaving him a gift of peanut butter cookies for him on boxing day in my mailbox. It made me realize how little we thank people who serve us everyday. Yes, in the rain sleet and snow!

It made me want to brighten someone’s day just a little bit everyday when I read it.

What do you want for yourself this year?

Okay thats all I got I am going to bed!

Slideshow to follow soon!

WELCOMING IN THE NEW YEAR!

We are heading out tomorrow to check into our hotel that sits along the river to watch the fireworks at the Tower Bridge at Old Sac. it is going to be such fun and a great way to greet the New Year! We will have a nice dinner at a local restaurant then back to wander around Old Sac with all its festivities before the fireworks at 9 start. Then at midnight there is another fireworks show and a first ever West Coast New York Style Ball Drop downtown just a short walk from where we are staying. We have friends and family staying at the same hotel so it will be alot of fun!

We wish all of our friends, family, and bride and grooms all the best as we move into the new year! And if you are local and dont have plans you should check out downtown (old Sac) for all your New Years fun, its going to be a blast!  

HECTOR AMEZCUA/hamezcua@sacbee.com

Be back with our own photos later!

Downtown on our way to the ice rink ….

 Mr. Snowman watching over the lonely ice rink….

Lone shoppers hurrying home

A stained glass melancholy moment

The children have all gone home to wait for their gifts

Taking a cigarette break he looks out on the cool Christmas Eve
downtown street under the cover of a bridge 

Even the streets are empty of their chariots…leaving behind
only their red steaks….

Leaving Kst mall and walking to Old Sac

Old Sac is known for its trains!

.

 and for Joe’s Crab Shack….

What a fun colorful place! 

Joe’s elf hard at work!

Just outside is this beautiful view….

A newly wed in need of a camera operator so they can have
a shot together! What a great looking couple!

Some parting shots as we leave downtown…

 Of course what wedding photographer could resist some
beautiful dresses we saw in the store windows on the way out of town!