Stillmotion Take Action Challenge Complete!

Dream Big, Dreaming  //  6th September 2013

We did it! ;) We completed the Stillmotion Take Action Challenge! When we signed up in May, I remember feeling a little overwhelmed just by adding the dates to the calendar. For 11 weeks straight, we received a challenge on Monday, on Tuesday we had a 1-2 hour live webinar to discuss the challenge and the results from the week before, and then on Sunday we had to submit our completed film project by 11:59 p.m. PST. (I put the specific time because there were many weeks that we found ourselves pushing the deadline of 2:59 a.m. EST! ;) ).

We signed up for the Challenge because we have this dream. The dream, that we have shared a few times here and there, is to produce a documentary! We took on the challenge as a way to learn as much as possible about the art of filmmaking. As photographers, we have a little bit of understanding… but to be completely honest, cinematography and photography are completely different! We knew that going in, but we were reminded over and over again each week.

When I was feeling overwhelmed just by putting the dates on the calendar, Ryan reminded me that this was our FUN! Filmmaking was something that we were completely excited to learn about and this was a fun opportunity to do exactly that! Fun… yes, I would definitely say with confidence that we had fun throughout the Challenge. However, I think we can both say with confidence that it was definitely hard work too! We pushed ourselves BIG TIME to complete the challenges and grow as much as possible with every opportunity we were given. There were many weeks that Sunday would roll around, and after traveling for a wedding on Saturday and still feeling the exhaustion from the wedding, the last thing we wanted to do was START the challenge for the week! Those were the days we definitely struggled, but we knew we would gain so much by challenging ourselves and completing the assignment! We had some of the world’s best cinematographers (yes, they won an Emmy!) at our finger tips and that is pretty incredible in itself! During our weekly webinar meetups, we began to feel like they were our friends just hanging out in our living room! ;)

The Take Action Challenge is now complete… 10 assignments later and a final project complete, we can now say we have a much better understanding of filmmaking! ;) We won’t go as far as claiming we are pros! ;) But we definitely learned a TON and we are so incredibly grateful for the experience!!

Huge thanks to the whole Stillmotion team for putting so much time and attention into educating filmmakers from around the world! They are literally changing the industry and it is AMAZING to watch! We are so grateful for their talent, passion to educate, constructive criticism, honest feedback, and love they put into everything that they do!

On Wednesday, Stillmotion shared a post on their blog about the Take Action Challenge and they asked us to chime in to share about our dreams for the documentary! We are so incredibly honored to have our story featured on their blog in hopes of inspiring others to follow their dreams too! Check it out and leave them some love! http://stillmotionblog.com/2013/09/04/taking-the-leap/

Also… just a quick plug because we love them… Grant and Baker, from one of our all time favorite documentaries (“I’m Fine Thanks”) are now part of the Stillmotion team and were HUGE contributors to the Take Action Challenge! If you have not already done so… download I’m Fine Thanks. ;) It will likely be the best $5 you will ever spend… because it WILL change your life! ;)

Just for the fun of it- we had to share this iPhone behind the scenes photo! ;) haha! If this doesn’t scream fun, I am not sure what does!?! ;)  Side note… but incredibly important note: HUGE thanks to the Simer Family, the Coates Family, Marissa Walch, and everyone else who participated in our films at the very last minute, of course! ;) You all are AMAZING!!

A Ski Lodge to Ourselves

Dreaming, Our Dreams  //  5th August 2013

How much fun is this to think about…

What if we had a ski lodge all to ourselves? What if we brought together some AMAZING people to just take a break? Take a break from all of the craziness that fills our to do lists and just have fun. What if we gathered a group of friends together and took a vacation to a magical place that had everything that we could dream of doing and the comfort of doing nothing at all!

These are just a few of our “what ifs” that went through our brains when dreaming of the AMAZING Life Escape! We dreamed of a getaway where we could gather with new and old friends and just be. We craved an opportunity to escape to an AMAZINGly beautiful location and just soak each other in. We wanted the location to have a little bit of everything without making us feel guilty if we wanted to do a little bit of nothing!

The Glen House isn’t actually a ski lodge- but it pretty much is exactly that! ;) It is located at the base of a ski slope right alongside a golf course. The estate has a 20 seat state of the art movie theatre, 2 hot tubs, 8 spa-inspired bathrooms (all with multiple shower heads and body sprays), 3 kitchens, 4 bars, a pool table, multiple fire places (indoor and outdoor) and so much more… which is already more than we can even imagine!

The reality is, it is not likely that we could afford to take a vacation like this by ourselves, but by including friends (new and old) we all can have a dream getaway together! The thought of having the Glen House all to ourselves to do as much or as little as we want just makes our hearts smile! We are dreaming of what we will do when we arrive in November and this place is our little escape. What would you do if you had a ski lodge all to yourself?

Over the next few days, we will be sharing a little more about our plans for the AMAZING Life Escape! We have two spots open for two additional couples to join us for the Escape! If you share in our dreams for a little getaway- you should definitely join us! We would love to have you. Plus, if you sign up this week you can save $351 by using code AMZESCAPE. We can’t wait for you to Escape with us!!!

Always Expanding Comfort Zones

Dream Big, Dreaming  //  31st July 2013

Just before leaving the house at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning, I did a double take. I had walked past the book I was in the middle of reading and at the last minute decided I should bring it along! I typically always bring books on our travels… however, most of the time I never even pull them out of my bag! Our flights are usually the perfect opportunity for me to cuddle into Ryan’s arm and just let my mind wander!

Saturday morning was a bit different. I was more awake than normal and I was so ready to be in Portland. I was definitely a bit anxious… or maybe excited is the better word? ;)! Let’s just say, letting my mind wander would have just resulted in a very antsy flight!

I pulled out Kevin Hall’s Aspire and opened it to the chapter titled Ollin. Ever since hearing Kevin speak at Showit United earlier this year, I have been looking forward to exploring this word a bit more. I had never heard “ollin” used… but I certainly liked the way it sounded (“all in”)! It pretty much means exactly that… but on Saturday it meant even more. The words on page 195 stood out to me in a way that I never wanted to forget. “…much of what we want and seek in life that is meaningful and significant is just beyond the edge of our comfort zone. If we’re not willing to venture ‘out there,’ we will never find and have all that we truly desire. We will never fulfill our complete purpose.”

As you may have already discovered, Ryan and I are dreamers! ;) We are the kind of people who blurt out “crazy” ideas when they come to our minds and then we find a way to make them happen! Sometimes that is a good thing… well, actually all the time that is a good thing! ;) It doesn’t necessarily make this life easy or without challenges along the way! In fact, very recently we had a life chat… and we found ourselves craving simplicity… as soon as the words came out of our mouths, we knew immediately that we likely would not be as happy or fulfilled if we didn’t do the “crazy” things in our lives.

Our trip to Portland was a long time coming. We had a few months to pull our thoughts together on this “crazy” project and get our minds around what was to come. However, with the extra time to think came extra time to fear and doubt and second guess. Every time those doubts came to mind, we ALWAYS came back to the feeling in our hearts of knowing we are on a mission to fulfill a greater purpose! We have a passion to live this life in a meaningful way. “To reach our goals and dreams, to experience life in full color, to soar to dreamed-of and hoped-for heights, we have to expand our comfort zone.” Reading Kevin Hall’s words reminded me of just how grateful we are to be on an adventure of always expanding comfort zones! ;)

AMAZING Marriage Project Documentary

Dreaming, Our Dreams  //  26th July 2013

As I think about what I want to write in this post, I am truly at a loss for words. I went to Pinterest in search of some inspiration for a quote or two on following your dreams. I found many… of course! ;) (Thank you Pinterest!) But with each one, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with everything that I would want to say.

A few months ago, Ryan and I had this crazy idea… The AMAZING Marriage Project. The goal was to photograph 15-25 married couples and learn as much as possible from them about what makes their marriages AMAZING! As the nominations rolled in, we quickly realized that our crazy dream just wasn’t crazy enough. There was more to it, for sure! The stories that many of you shared with us blew us away! They touched our hearts in a special way and we knew they had to be shared with more than “just” photographs! Our passion quickly grew and our dream exploded into something that we see as a mission to touch the hearts of others and hopefully make a big difference in people’s lives! From that very moment where the crazy idea popped into our minds, our dream evolved into a plan to create an AMAZING Marriage Project Documentary.

Ahhhh! CRAZY! ;) We have been talking about it among family and friends over the past few months, but I do not believe we have said it out loud on the Internet! ;) Eeek! That is a big deal, friends! ;) This is a crazy dream for us because we really do not know much about cinematography- let alone the world of documentaries! ;) We have so much to learn and over the last few months we have dove right in! The one thing we do have right off the bat is an amazing amount of passion to make a difference in the lives of others! This dream to touch people’s lives through this documentary is one that we pretty much have not stopped thinking about from day one! And every time the thought goes through our minds, a huge smile fills our hearts!

Along with the excitement, the past few months have reminded us that with crazy dreams also comes crazy fears! Believe me, the fears are incredibly present and it has already not been easy! ;)… and likely will only get harder! lol. One day we have no doubts and then the next, every single possible fear is being thrown at us like ping pong balls in a really bad game of ping pong! (Believe me, without hand-eye coordination, I have been on the receiving end of many of those bad games! ;) lol!) Here’s the exciting thing though… the beauty of dreams is that there is ALWAYS a way! Through every fear and every challenge we face, we can make it happen! (I say this as a reminder to ourselves to always follow that happiness in our hearts and the drive from above.)

On Sunday we have a crazy important meeting that we have been looking forward to for months! ;) We are making our way out to Portland (again) to meet with our AMAZINGly talented friends from Stillmotion! We are praying that this meeting leaves us with even more clarity in our pre-production plan to make this documentary happen!! We will definitely be sharing more details in the near future!!! (especially with all of the AMAZING couples who have been nominated!) We will definitely be seeking your help and encouragement along the way too!! If you are praying friends, we would so appreciate your prayers for safe travels and clarity in knowing our next steps towards making this crazy AMAZING dream a reality! And if prayers are not your thing… maybe you could send positive vibes?!?! ;) Please! ;) We would so appreciate it!

Here’s to making dreams a reality and saying really scary things out loud! ;)

P.S. This is another perfect opportunity to just say Thank You! I know this post has been a little bit all over the place… because honestly, our minds are a little bit all over the place right now! ;) We are excited and scared, but we know you all will be by our sides to help along the way! THANK YOU for always being that support for us! We are so grateful for you!

What Does Family Mean to You?

Amazing Life Manifesto, Dreaming  //  10th July 2013

A few weeks ago we had one of our brides and grooms and their families over to share their wedding photos with them for the first time. As we gathered in our living room, the family started asking us about our family. We quickly pulled out our “What Does Family Mean to You” album and started sharing all about the fun we had making the album! Then we got really crazy and decided to share the video we made to go along with the album! As the tears filled my eyes again, I was reminded of how truly special our family is! Our bride and groom and their families were in awe. The love that radiates the pages of that book and the truth that is shared through the words on the video struck us as if we had never seen the pictures or heard the words before. That evening we were blessed with the reminder of how truly special family is… and even more importantly… how truly special OUR family is!

During the photo shoot for the album we asked everyone the same simple question, “What does family mean to you?” Today we wanted to reflect on that a little further. So we decided to think of a word that starts with each letter in family.

Faith: Family is having faith in each other. Faith that we can count on each other no matter how hard or difficult something may seem. And having faith that someone will always be there to stand by our side.
Always: Family is always there. If we need advice on taking a new job, taking care of each other when we are sick, or just someone to make us laugh and turn a not so good day into a happy day, we can always count on family.
Memories: Trips to Disney World, campfires outback, graduations, weddings, and so many more. The most important memories in our lives have always been when family surrounds us.
Inspiring: Family is inspiring! It amazes us to see all the incredible things our family does each day with their lives. We are all unique and different but all amazing and inspirational!
Love: Family is unconditional love. No matter how difficult things may seem in life, family is there to love us unconditionally.
Youth: Thinking of family brings back memories of our youth, playing tag, baseball in the backyard, and fun family picnics. Youth is also the refreshing of family with new children, nieces, and nephews. No matter what, when we are around family, we never feel old, but instead like we are always in our youth.

I think Liz’s MeMe summed it up best: “I pray every night that our family loves one another and does for one another… When anybody is in need that they will be there to help them. That’s my prayer of life.” – MeMe

So tell us, What does family mean to you?