Issy Schmid Imaging

Austin and I took Lola for a walk in the snow. Our little dog acted like a complete nut in the snow, and it was hard to take pictures of her because I was laughing so hard. Austin and I took a few photos of each other just for fun too. I am not a fan of the cold, but how can you not love snow? And…. snow glitters!

The strangest thing happened when I stopped over my mom’s house to give her a Canvas print. She handed me a letter than was addressed to me and the return address was from my highschool. The strangest part of the letter is that it looked like my handwriting. Well, thats because it was. Apparently, during my senior year of highschool (9 years ago) we wrote letters to ourselves which included a list of goals to be accomplished over the next ten years. Next year will be ten years, so I suppose my highschool sent them out to give the graduates of the class of 2000 another year to make their highschool dreams come true. This letter caught me totally off-guard, but it was a glimpse into the person I was at that time. I’m also surprised that I met as many of the goals as I did without ever remembering that the list even existed…

And… here is the letter:

Dear Issy,
Well, I’m a senior now and its been a great year. I managed to work really hard hours and still keep my grades up. Amy and I are still best friends and I hope we stay that way. I’m so excited for college. I can’t wait to go. The prom was so much fun. The senior trip was awesome too. I had so much fun with Nina and the Dillella’s. I think that Dink and Amy are going to miss me the most. It is going to be really hard for my mom because she is so overprotective. Remember to never give up. Never forget all of the fun times. I am ready to take the next step in my life. I think my family is proud of my accomplishments. Stay strong, and don’t ever give up.
Love, Issy

And now the list that I wrote in highscool…. I will mark off which ones I have actually accomplished:

1. Go to Australia
2. Get good grades in college – completed
3. Get a good job -completed
4. Bunjee Jump – 1/2 complete (I didn’t actually go upsidedown but I did bunjee in a holster)
5. Skycoaster- completed
6. Skydive – 1/2 complete (I did indoor skydiving)
7. Cheer in college -complete
8. Have a pet on Campus (we weren’t allowed)
9. Stay at the shore – completed
10. Get a VW Beetle – completed
11. Go to every club on Delaware Ave- completed
12. Shop till I drop – sure
13. Drive a racecar
14. Meet Tara Lipinski (when I was a kid she rollerskated at the rollerskating rink where we hung out so when she went to the Olympics we were so excited to have seen her skate long before she was a competitive figure skater)
15. Meet Kerri Strug
16. Get a BMW Z3
17. Stay best friends with Amy – completed
18. Always keep live flowers in my room
19. Go to the mall of America
20. Keep in touch with highscool friends – 1/2 complete because I could have done a better job at this
21. Make lots of money (I’m sure I would define this differently 9 years ago)
22. Go to Cancun
23. Go back to Disney -completed
24. Go on Road Trips (funny that I wrote this because I get car sick)
25. Have lots of parties in the summer – 1/2 complete due to the word lots
26. Own a salon w/Amy
27. Build my own computer
28. Have a rollercoaster in my back yard (this is one I actually used to daydream about, but I didn’t remember it until I read it. My dad and I used to talk about what it would take to build a rollercoaster)
29. Braid all of my hair -complete (Amy braided my hair that summer and I ended up getting sunburn on my scalp)
30. Remember what Mrs. Loushay taught me (I’m not sure what I meant by this, she was my Spanish teacher)
31. Spend time with Poppy -complete (when I read this it made me cry. My grandfather had gotten sick that year and I was scared we were going to loose him. I felt as if I hadn’t spent enough time with him, so I made sure that I would never feel that way again. Poppy passed away Dec 05 and I’m grateful for every little moment that I did spend with him)
32. Visit Tori and Frankie- complete (my little cousins that I used to drive home from college to see)
33. Pull the best senior prank
34. Party during senior week
35. Stay close to my parents – 1/2 complete
36. Come home to visit sal (I have no idea what this one means)
37. Drive to Ny to surprise my aunt
38. Own every color gel pen
39. Have an inground pool- complete
40. See my sister go to college -1/2 complete (Dink went to cosmetology school)
41. Help my parents (not sure what I meant by this)
42. Play softball next year -complete
43. Grow my own garden -complete
44. Lookout for Dink -complete (I’m still doing this)
45. Get away from my parents -complete
46. Stop drinking coffee to stay awake – complete
47. Stay awake in school – complete
48. Enjoy college -complete
49. Dont work so much so that I can concentrate on school

It doesn’t take much to make me excited. For example, when I get home and there is a package waiting for me.. That is always exciting. The most recent package was my new business cards. Guess what, they are pink… Hard to believe huh?

So, I just returned from the annual Digital Wedding Forum (DWF) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. I must say that it was quite a shock to step off the plane in Philly to a mere 18 degrees after being in 70 degree weather for a week. The best part of going to the conference is seeing all your friends from all over the country that you don’t get to see too often. I have to say that more than anything, you come away from photography conferences being inspired and getting the motivation to try new things and make things happen. I went to some really great seminars and got to meet some really great people. I cherish the friendships that I have made through photography. During the seminars, in addition to taking notes, I always start writing ideas. One of my ideas was to turn our little room downstairs into a meeting room. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but tonight I actually put the idea into motion. I went to home depot on a mission..
Tonight’s shopping list included: (for all the other do-it-yourself types would will understand)
1. 9 sheets of Sheetrock
2. 5 gallons of spackle
3. 100 sq ft pergo flooring
4. Steel outside door
5. Wood inside door
6. 40 ft molding
7. 40 ft chair rail
8. Electrical Supplies
9. Primer
10. 3 gallons of paint
11. Misc (screws, glue, cleanup, trashbags, liquid nails,etc)

And… so not to completely bore you… here are some pics…

Saguaro Cacti are protected in Arizona. They take 60 yrs just to grow one arm.. Amazing huh?
Me and the Dolce Girls from Minneapolis, MN

So, If you haven’t read the post prior to this one… go ahead and read that first to get caught up on how I got to this point.

Anyways, The Elf costume was a big hit, and I’m proud of my home-made creation. Anyone who knows me, knows that when I commit to something, you always get a hundred percent, even if it’s just an elf costume. I spray-painted my shoes to match, found some crazy elf socks, and spent a good amount of time on my Elf make-up. I have to say, I felt like an real Christmas Elf after it was all put together! Now, its just a matter of where I’m wearing my Elf costume to next… Maybe I will show up for Christmas family Dinner in it, maybe I could hand out gifts for toys for tots, or some other charity… I will think of something, but this will not be the last of the Elf Costume!