Photo Wednesday: Calgary Expo in Pictures

If you have read my last entry you will know that I had an amazing time at Expo.  I have spent the last few days going through photos and reliving all the great moments. I have pulled together some of my favourite photos from the weekend and wanted to share them with you all.  I tried to pick different ones than I included in my Facebook album but there are a few that are the same only because they represent some of the best moments.  Anyway I hope you enjoy them.

The first set of pictures is of the guests that I had the best interactions with.  Everyone was super friendly and nice but Cary Elwes, Michael Shanks and Nathan Fillion were super sweet and nice.  They were chatty, polite and made me feel special.


Cary Elwes - Princess Bride

Cary was the first media guest I met at Expo.  I also confessed he was my first crush which led him to call me a sweetheart.  How can you not love him :-)

Michael Shanks - Stargate

Nathan Fillion - Firefly, Dr Horrible, Castle - all my favourite characters wrapped up into one handsome man.

 The second set of photos is some from the very first Parade of Wonders (POW).  It was a really cool event that will hopefully happen again.  It is amazing to see so many people dressed up.

Steampunk Bender (aka Jason one of my best friends)



Casper Van Dien goofing around after being white hatted.  He looks nice in a cowboy hat!

 

The next set of photos is from my favourite panel of the whole weekend.  It was the Stargate panel.  I loved watching Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks interact with each other.  It just made me want to hang out with them for a few hours.

They make a great looking team.

 

I just love this photo!

The last set are just some random photos that I love.  They include a couple from the Weird Al concert, a pic of Nathan Fillion from his panel and the lovely Expo mascot, Emily during the Princess Bride Panel.

Seriously I just want to curl up in his arms for days.

It must have been so cool to hang out on stage with Cary Elwes and Chris Sarandon

 I took a whole lot more photos and even trying to find just a handful was a challenge.  It was an amazing weekend and I'm already counting down to next year.

Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2013

It is official I survived my second Calgary Expo and although I wondered if they could manage to do better than my first year I have to admit that this year blew it out of the water.  I will warn you know this blog entry is about to be filled with gushing and hormones but I want to not only share my memories but write them all down before I forget any of them.  In the span of three days I managed to do 8 photo ops, 8 autographs, 6 panels, a parade and experienced so much fun and excitement that I’m sure I have already lost some of it in the shuffle. 

 

The first thing I want to do is send a HUGE thank you to all the staff and volunteers that helped out and worked the Expo.  You guys are amazing and always do such a wonderful job.  I know your job is probably often time thankless and you probably see more than you fair share of cranky people but you are wonderful.  I know for me personally I had some very great interactions with some of you from random high fives while I waited for my Steven Yeun autograph, or the countless of you that I asked for directions, and of course the ones that I just got to chat with a little bit, you all helped to create a great experience for me and to keep me smiling.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

Expo this year was a whole new experience.  Compared to last year there were a lot of really great changes made.  Everything from adding more room by adding the Big Four building into the mix to having better labelled lines, it all seemed to make things run more smoothly.  (I have a small confession to make at this point and that is that I did have a VIP pass this year so my comparisons are a little skewed but since most people are saying the same thing I figure it must be true for most.)  I felt the energy of the place was a lot more positive this year, which also might have just been that my energy was more positive not having to spend as much time standing in lines.  heheh.  In all honesty though I really do think people were having a great time and there was a lot of love, excitement and enthusiasm filling the air.  For me the having more space as well as being able to easily and freely walk outside if need be helped the whole place feel less busy, less intimidating and less crowded.  It helped to keep my stress level down to a minimum.

 

As I mentioned above I did have VIP tickets this year and I have to gush (ok maybe brag might be a better word) at least a little about the experience.  As crazy as my schedule was this year I was able to do twice as much as I did last year.  Sure I still had to pick and choose and couldn’t do everything I wanted but I certainly got to do a whole lot of what I wanted.  As a scrapbooker I couldn’t help but be excited about the opportunity to get more photos and more autographs because that is what people ooh and aww over when they look at my books.  It is also what I get most excited about but mostly because looking at the photos or the autographs brings me back to those few seconds I got to be standing up close and personal with some of my most favourite crushes.  I knew right from Friday that I wanted to be able to do VIP again next year but it was sealed today when my heart was breaking thinking I wouldn’t be able to get into the very full Nathan Fillion panel but after a quick trip up to the VIP room we had someone lead us in through the back to make sure we were able to get to seats that were reserved for us.  I have never felt more grateful for something in the moment as I did then.  Part of that is also do in large part to the wonderful volunteers that were there to help us.  A huge thank you specifically to the VIP helpers.  It was great to know we always had someone to talk to if we needed help.

 

Now I warned you I would probably do some gushing well for those of you who don’t want to read it I suggest stop here because I’m about to start gushing.  The Expo was full of amazing good looking men (and women although I probably don’t give them nearly as much of my attention as I should) and I had some great experiences that I have to share.  If you are stopping here you should walking away knowing Calgary Expo is AWESOME!  The volunteers are AMAZING!  Everyone should go in 2014.

 

At first when I thought about what I wanted to write in this section I wanted to tell you everything but I have quickly realized that would make for a very very long blog entry.  I don’t think I’m nearly entertaining enough or witty enough after three long days to pull that off so I’m going to try and recount some of the most amazing moments.  I want to share those moments with you that moved me, excited me and had me squeeing inside.

 

One of the very first amazing moments was my autograph with Cary Elwes.  I have loved him for a very long time, in fact he was one of the three crushes I have had since I was young (the other two were Alan Alda from MASH and Dick Van Dyck from Mary Poppins if you are curious).  I LOVE Princess Bride.  It has always been one of my favourite movies and anytime I’m sick it is still the movie I love to curl up on the couch and watch.  I was excited and nervous to meet him and knew of all the autographs I planned I wanted to actually be able to say something to him (normally my shyness kicks in and I just blush).  As he finished signing my autograph I screwed up my courage and confessed that he was one of my first crushes.  He smiled and called me a sweetheart for saying that and I died a little inside.  It didn’t help that this was followed with a quick photo so he had his arm around me.  I was on top of the world as I left his table.

 

Another of my favourite moments is captured in a photo op.  I was standing in the middle of Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks.  Of all the photos I did this one has the biggest smile.  I was so happy and excited in that moment.  It was only a few seconds but the smile in my photo says it all. 

 

Of course I can’t talk about photos without mentioning my chance to have my photo taken with Nathan Fillion.  It was quick because he had so many to do but he still smiled, asked my name, and shook my hand before wrapping his arm around my back and getting really close for the photo.  Let me tell you it was not a bad place to be standing right next to him like that.  I’m pretty sure my pulse jumped and temperature rose.  I wish the moment had lasted forever.  Oh and he also thanked me as I left.  That is something I love because so many of the famous people I have met don’t do that. The ones that do always stand out and that makes them all great.  Nathan Fillion is a class act.

 

I experienced a few completely random moments including some line dancing that broke out on the top floor of the Big Four but I will admit whenever I think of this Expo and the random stuff that happens when you are just hanging out one memory will pop into my head more than any I’m sure.  When John Barrowman came out Saturday morning for his autographs Casper Van Dien was with him.  When he went to leave the area he ducked down under one of the line barriers and when he stood up his backpack caught it and he knocked it down.  It was priceless to see him trying to fix it while making jokes at the same time.  It was hilarious and completely unexpected, which somehow I think is sort of standard for him judging by his many entrances into places. He has a loud personality and is certainly not afraid of having a good time.

 

There were also two moments that are special because they moved me.  In fact in both cases I had tears in my eyes.  The first of these two moments was in the Wil Wheaton panel.  A new mom asked Wil to record a message to her new baby, Violet about why it is awesome to be a nerd.  His response was powerful and moving.  It was full of acceptance and encouragement.  It was enough to make anyone want to declare that they are a geek or a nerd.  It gave me goosebumps. 

 

The other moment that moved me to tears was one I didn’t expect to affect me as much as it did and that was the moment when I had a chance to flip through the program guide and I saw my name with “contributing writer” printed in front of it.  I will admit some of the emotion may have come from the fact the first time I flipped through I didn’t see the article and I thought maybe it got left out after all.  When I looked a second time though I saw it right at the very front and as I re-read what I wrote I was filled with pride.  Even now thinking about it I’m getting emotional.  I have dreamed of seeing something I wrote published and there it was.  It wasn’t a long article and I’m still not sure it was a great article but it was pretty damned cool to see it.  Even better than that though was a little while later while sitting at a table I watched someone actually take the time to read it.  This moment was a dream come true and instantly I was happy that I was going to be able to share it with my Nan who is 94 and has always cheered me on because I wasn’t sure I would ever have anything published in her life.  On the flip side of that I also felt a loss at the fact I couldn’t share it with Will.  As wonderful as every other moment of the expo was I’m sure those memories will fade but this is one memory that will always be with me.  One day when hopefully I’m a much more published writer and someone asks me about the moment I was first published I will with pride and love be able to share this memory.  I can’t finish this part without throwing a thank you to Lindsay.  If you are reading this thank you for offering me the chance.  It means more to me than I know how to put into words.

 

I truly think this Expo was incredible and epic.  I’m so excited to start working on my scrapbook for it just so I can relive these moments and all the rest.  The last three days have been overwhelming.  Memories have been made and dreams have come true.  I am so glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful, caring, accepting and supportive group of people.  As judgemental as the world can be there is nowhere as accepting as a comic convention and I can’t imagine ever missing a year now that I have experienced the world.  I look forward to my third, fourth and twenty fifth conventions.

 

PS Stay tuned for my photo blog entry where I will share a handful of the photos from the weekend.

Photo Wednesday: Nothing Like a Well Loved Toy

I have been thinking a lot about the photos that I have picked up for these Wednesday posts and why I love them.  The reasons have always been so varied but one thing for sure is that they all make me smile, remind me of great moments, and even tweak my heart a little.  They are photos that I look at over and over and ones that I want to share with everyone.  This week's photo is one of those.  It is of Kaitlyn (one of my adopted nieces and daughter of one of my good friends) and her favourite stuffed animal, Bunny Brown.  Bunny Brown has been very well loved and very much reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit.

Every time I look at this photo I get something different out of it.  When I first took it and was looking at it on the camera I thought it was cute, much like many of the photos I took the day we visited Discovery Wildlife Park for the first time.  When I uploaded it on to the computer and pulled it up to the size of my computer monitor I realized that it was a really special photo.  Then I went and had it printed as an 8x10 for a scrapbook and that is when I fell in love with it.  Part of it is the colour - I love the way the pink pops out (nothing like choosing your background...of course now I recognize the need for a good background but I will admit when I took the photo it wasn't even a thought in my mind).  I also love that you can almost feel the love that Kaitlyn has for her rabbit. 

The coolest thing about the photo in my opinion is that now when I look at it I also feel some nostalgia for my own childhood.  We all have a favourite stuff animal or toy (or in my case a blanket) that we loved to carry around.  My hope is that when Kaitlyn is much older I can present her with a version of this photo and it will bring back all the great memories of a simpler time.  It will remind her of a friend that kept her company, protected her from the world and learned all her secrets. 

365 Photos = 365 Captured Memories for 2013

Last year on January first like a good Creative Memories Consultant I was online and checking out to see what was happening for resolutions and photographs, trying to steal ideas that I could bring to my parties or to my own photos and I came across the idea for taking a photo a day. As I looked at digital stuff that people had done for the year before I thought how cool they looked. On a whim I decided to take up the challenge. I was going to take 366 photos (2012 was a leap year) and going to create my very own photo a day book.

This was the first photo I took (and considering I have spent the last week incredibly sick it makes me laugh now that how I spent my NYE is in fact how I’m spending the end of the year) I joked that I would be happy if I made it to February but truthfully figured I would be able to keep it going until the spring. The reality was I actually made into October having only missed a handful of days when for whatever reason I gave up on the idea. Now sitting here on Dec 31 I’m kicking myself for not gutting it out for a few more weeks but that has just fired me up for this year.

It might seem like a bit of a silly challenge or resolution but I can tell you that my goals of becoming a better photographer and paying more attention to the little details that happen around me that got me started last year were more than met even though I didn’t finish the challenge in 2012. I learned a great deal as I tried to stretch my brain to find interesting and beautiful pictures to capture the moments of my day to day life. I endured a bunch of teasing from my family for taking way too many photos of the cats but when I look at the photos there were a lot of really great moments captured that I never would have paid attention to but got me really excited at the time (From the announcement Wil Wheaton was coming to Calgary Expo, to adventures in my first Union rally, to the birth of a new baby, to even something as silly as that really cold morning – and let me tell you trying to photograph a thermometer at 6:50am before going to work is more challenging than you would think).

Although I had goals that I expected what has surprised me is the unexpected benefit that I found in the last two weeks. As I have been dealing with the passing of my cat, Molly, I realized I actually caught on film a lot of the things she did that made me feel very special. They were little moments like her cuddling against my chest or Molly curled up in her favourite chair. At the time they were just a photo for the day to meet my challenge but they now mean so much more to me. In going through them I was able to sort through some of my emotions and remember the really great things about my cat. I have also changed them into a beautiful memory book that whenever I’m missing my cat I can go back and look through and smile.

So my challenge to all of you this year is pick up your camera, your cell phones or anything that you are using to capture memories at least once a day and capture a moment. I will do it with you and try to keep you motivated. This time next year you will have 365 memories captured. To make it even more special anyone that completes this challenge and is willing to give me your photos I will create a digital scrapbook to display the photos for you. (It will be up to you if you want to buy the book but I will put it together for you.)

Let me know if you are taking up the challenge. Let me help keep you motivated as I try to keep myself going. This year will the year I get it done! I wish you all a very Happy New Year. May all your resolutions be met with the same determination on Dec 31st 2013 as they were created with on January 1st. 2013 will be the best year ever!

Photo Wednesday: Brave Explorer

There are a handful of pictures that I have taken that I think are really great and this happens to be one.  I love the clarity I got in Zoe's face.  I'm sure my neighbours probably thought I was a little crazy lying on the ground trying to get the shot but in my eyes it paid off.  I love that the colour of the browning grass matches her colours.  What can I say small things make me happy :-)  Anyway I hope you enjoy this photo.

Photo Wednesday: Brave Young Men

As this will be my last photo Wednesday before Remembrance Day I wanted to share a couple special photos.  A few years ago, on a mission to get photos for a scrapbook, I took over my parents spare bedroom and scanned over 500 photos from their albums and from my grandparents albums.  These are two of the photos I found.

Grandpa is the top row third from the left.

Grandpa is the bottom row fourth from the left.

These are a couple of photos that I had never seen before.  The only picture I had seen I have included below, it was of him in his uniform.  Most of you know I love history and specifically World War history.  I have spent hours upon hours reading and learning everything I can about the two wars that shaped our world.  Part of the reason I am so driven to get this infomation is because I never really got a lot of information about my Grandpa's time in the war.  I never felt comfortable enough to ask him and since it wasn't something he ever talked about I never got to hear the stories.  What I do know is that when I look at these photos I feel pride for him.  When I look at the photos of these young men I can't help but wonder what became of them and who they all are.  I'm sure there were a great deal of stories between all of them.  I may never know the truth behind those faces but I hope to find out at some point.

I would also like to share two more photos.  These are the individual photos I have of both my Grandpa and my Grandad in their uniforms. I'm grateful that both of them fought in World War II and both of them survived, when so many did not.  

Grandad - Ralph Taylor

Grandpa - Ken McBryan

I hope you have enjoyed a little piece of my history.  I also hope everyone will take a few minutes on November 11 this year to remember all those who have fought and still fight on our behalf.

Photo Wednesday: Remembering

This week's photos are some old ones I dug out of scans that I have.  They are of my Nan (on the left) and my Aunt Daisy (on the right).  Sadly we lost my Aunt Daisy on Saturday so I wanted to do something to remember her.  I will write a blog entry this weekend but for now here are a couple of photos to share with you of two amazing woman who I look up to, admire and love.

Photo Wednesday: Greenery

Well I have missed a couple weeks but I'm back with lots more photos to share.  This week's photo is one of my favourites (yes I know I say that a lot - but really am I going to choose the non favourites...probably not...hehehe).  I figured with the snow that has fallen this week in Calgary a little green might be nice.  It is a picture of one of my cats, Molly.  Anyone that knows me knows I take a lot of photos of my cats, they are like my children in that respect I suppose.  The hard thing with the cats is getting a really good photo of them, especially of Molly. 

Whenever you pull out a camera Molly starts crying and whining and running away from the camera.  I figure she thinks it is going to steal her soul.  So when I can catch her off guard I'm always amazed at the photo.  I knew when I took this photo that it was good, but it wasn't until I blew it up that I realized just how much I liked it.  I love the way the green of the grass reflects in her eyes and I love that her head is just tilted enough to show she is curious about something. 

I have actually done more with this photo than I have with many.  Not only has it been printed as an 8x10 and put proudly and prominently in a scrapbook but it is also one of  the photos that often can be found on my computer desktop at work.  I have also put a 4x6 copy up on my wall of favourite photos.  It is one of the photos that I look at and think that maybe I can take good photos.  I hope you all enjoy it as well.

Photo Wednesday: Sharing my Memories

This weeks photo is one that was taken this summer and one that has actually been included in a previous blog entry. 

This photo to me not only is one of the coolest moments of my life, but it also sums up why I scrapbook, create photo albums, sell Creative Memories and why I think preserving our memories is just about the most important thing you can do with your time.  Having my Paul Brandt scrapbook completed meant that I could share some of the memories I had from his concerts with him.  It gave me an opening to actually be able to have a conversation with someone that usually leaves me starstruck. 

That particular scrapbook though could also have been an album I created for a travel companion or maybe a calendar that I could give as a gift, or a photo panel done in memory of a loved one.  They are ways that I get to show the people that I love how much they matter to me. It makes the other person feel as good as it makes me feel to do it.

So for all of you who are checking out these photos or reading my blog take a look at your computer and pull out an image or two that you love and print them.  Put them in a picture frame or even just tack them to a wall.  You don't need to do anything fancy but do you really want to hunt through thousands of photos to find your favourites when you need a lift.  Trust me when I say that it's not as hard as it seems and that the rewards of surrounding yourself with your memories is a great boost to any mood.

Photo Wednesday: A Little Family Love

This week's photo was taken in August 2010 when my brother,sister and I invaded Vancouver Island and my parents home. 

I have a few reasons for loving this photo.  The first is that I have wanted to have a family photo for years.  Although my Dad enjoyed photography we never actually had a family photo done.  When I was scanning photos for a scrapbook I did find one that dad must have taken on a tripod but my brother is only a bump in my Mom's tummy so it shows how long ago that was.  So I love the photo because finally I have a picture of my whole family. 

The other reason I love this photo is because when I look at it I flash back to an amazing day where no one was fighting with each other.  We were laughing and having fun.  Dad was trying to chase away wasps and we were all just really goofy.  I sometimes forget how much I love my family (especially when we all butt heads, which when you are as strong willed as most members of my family, happens a lot) but it is moments like this that let me enjoy them and celebrate the fact they are my family.  I'm glad to have a photo to help me remember this moment in time.

Photo Wednesday: My Happy Place

Hello All,

  I have decided to take a note from a fellow blogger (and friend) and start doing some regular weekly postings with set themes.  The first I have decided to start is photo Wednesdays.  Most of you know I strongly feel that photographs are a very important part of our lives.  I work very hard to try and help people protect, preserve, display and celebrate their photos with one of my side jobs as a Creative Memories Independent Consultant.  I have decided to bring a little of that to my blog by sharing some of my favourite photos and what they mean to me.  I hope you will all enjoy the photos as much as I do.

This first photo is by far one of my very favourite photos of all time.  It was taken in 2008 while I was in Europe.  It is a library in a monastery in Melk, Austria.  When I look at the photo I can still smell that amazing smell of an old library - like old worn leather.  I can still remember clearly the awe I felt as I looked at all the old leather bound volumes and the desire to read all of the books.  It was by far one of the most peaceful and beautiful places I have ever been.  The true power of the photo for me (and why I turned it into a photo panel as well as why it is often my desktop background for my work computer) is that whenever I'm stressed or frustrated or in need of some creative inspiration I look at the photo and remember my few moments in that library and everything seems calmer.