Today’s Valentine’s Day marks our SEVENTH together as a couple. And that I get to spend another one with Clinton tonight, cooking each other a fabulous dinner for two, is not something I take lightly. Our very first Valentine’s Day was spent in Japan – the place that we met all those years ago. Year two was spent apart because of our LDR (Long Distance Relationship). He was in Canberra; I was in Seattle. Every visit ended in tears because we never knew when we’d get to see each other again. Year three was when I decided to follow my heart, make a big leap of faith, and move to Australia. Year four I spent with my fiance. Year five he spent with his bridezilla. Year six we went over the top. Because we were newlyweds. And year seven? We will spend the evening cooking a four course dinner. Drinking wine. And appreciating that neither of us will ever have to worry about when or if we will see each other again. 
[Photos courtesy of my wonderfully talented friend, Casandra.]
Valentine’s Day [Canberra Children's Photographer]
A Birthday Boy [Canberra Family Photographer]
I absolutely love birthdays. I’m certain my parents always secretly wished for a daughter who would eventually outgrow child-like obsessions (it’s lucky, then, that they have my big sister who actually acts her age). “I’m sure she’ll get over this stationary craze,” my dad would say to my mom. “Surely she won’t want a toy refrigerator filled with fruit and vegetable shaped erasers for the rest of her life?” Sorry to break it to you dad, but I do. And my father in law has dubbed me his Lighting Nazi Coordinator during Christmases at their home… I don’t think I’d be exaggerating when I say that I basically threw a tantrum (okay, mini tantrum) when he admitted there were no fairy lights to decorate the patio. “But it won’t be CHRISTMAS without fairy lights!!” Now they have two boxes full of fairy lights and every December, Don indulges me by putting them up. And birthdays? Oh boy. You’d never want to forget my birthday. Not if you want to be my friend. (I kid, I kid…sort of.) : ) My mom always calls me a few days beforehand and says, “Okay. I think I’ll send you cash.” To which I always say, “But moooh-ooooohm!! Just think of something pretty and send it!”
I know. I’m a child.
The point is, birthdays always have this very magical, very happy aura about them. And why not? It’s the day of your birth! It should be celebrated! So when my friend Petrina asked me to document her family on her son’s birthday, I beamed. “OF COURSE I’ll photograph you guys!” It was as if I thought it was MY birthday. It could’ve been, for it was a wonderfully fun afternoon, full of people who love and care and adore each other. Enjoy your preview, Petrina! Hope you guys had a fabulous day as well! 
Winner! And a Surprise! [Canberra Photographer]
Fact 1: I took several tips from my recent blog post about how to save money, applied those tips, and voila! SAVED MONEY!
Fact 2: Living a bit more financially smartly didn’t inconvenience my life.
Fact 3: It’s only been a week so Fact 2 might appear more optimistic than it otherwise would be.
So what, exactly, did I do for one whole week? I shopped at the local discount grocer for all the basics (hey, don’t hate on Aldi – any store that sells hard drives and capsicum is alright by me!): saved $50; I packed lunch for me and the He-Pobke: saved $60; aaaand I haven’t even gone out for coffee yet: saved $15. (Yeah, I know I’m sounding pretty darn smug right now, but not buying coffee was the hardest thing EVER!!)
Thanks for sharing all of your fabulous money saving tips with me last week! I couldn’t pick a winner based on the Best Fact as, let’s face it, they were all pretty brilliant. So I had to rely on my ever-so-trusty Random Number Generator to pick the winner for me: JEN! I’ve emailed you some details regarding your free session, so congratulations and thanks for entering! Here’s Jen’s awesome tip:
“Maybe more important when you have kids but hey, grocery shopping is expensive for everyone … so what I do is a big shop at Aldi once every 2-3 weeks, buy as much as you can there that you know you will use (or freeze) before the use-by dates and not waste. Then you can drop in to Coles or Woolworths for the essentials in between, or little special faves that you can’t live without, and it won’t send you broke! And the other thing that works for us is if you’re going to entertain, or go out for a meal with friends – make it BREKKY! It’s cheaper to have brekky at a cafe than lunch or dinner and you can still make it a long nice relaxed chatty one. Or it’s cheap to do at home – bacon, eggs, muffins, a big fruit platter, fresh juice … yummy and won’t blow the budget! Good luck Christine. xoxo”
And now for the SURPRISE. A big fat surprise. I can’t tell you what it is just yet (and ooooh I can’t WAIT to tell you what it is!!) but I’ll leave you with some pictures that may or may not clue you into said surprise. Feel free to hazard a guess below! I may sprinkle in a few clues over the next few weeks!!! (And no, I’m not pregnant.) 
What You’re Born With… [Canberra Family Photography]
I’m a firm believer in accepting that people are born with certain talents. I admit I haven’t always been this wise, mind you. It’s something that I’ve learned to believe after decades and decades of trying to convince my family that I was musically gifted. “No trust me, it’s your ears that are tone deaf, not my voice,” I would say. And then there was that time in middle school where I thought I was a brilliant dancer after having made the school dance team. “Mom! I made it! I made it!” I yelled. “Really? How many people tried out?” she asked suspiciously. “LOTS. Lots and lots. And I made it. Wheeee!!!” (I may have embellished this point slightly.)
Only in my wiser twenties would I learn the truth about myself: I can’t sing, well, because I wasn’t born gifted that way. (But it didn’t stop me from high-jacking the karaoke machine to belt out such classic tunes as “We Built This City” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”.) And my dancing looks about as cool as my dad’s dancing. (Sorry dad, but it just ain’t that cool.) But along the way, I did learn a lot of other things about myself: I love meeting new people and feeling that spark of energy flow between us. I’m pretty good at telling stories. And I’m awesome at names. You tell me once and I’ll never forget it.
Now, I’m not saying people can’t develop great skills or learn to be amazing at something – but I genuinely believe that you are born with certain instincts, talents, idiosyncrasies that make you uniquely you. And I couldn’t have been more convinced of this very fact after meeting Little Liana, daughter of my friend Renee Bell. Liana is only five. At five years old, she can throw ‘fierceness’ back at Tyra Banks’ face. And then some. Never have I seen a child so naturally comfortable in front of a camera, and so wonderful at it!! The girl was workin’ it. Mark my words: this little sassy pants is gonna be the fiercest model yet! Watch out, world! 
Thanks for letting me come along on this fashion shoot Liana and Mike! And thanks for being such awesome models, Little Liana and Renee! xx
February is the New January [Canberra Photographer]
Every January 1, I make a list of ridiculous goals that I know I’ll never cross off in the span of a year: travel around Australia; learn to speak another language fluently; buy a house. “With my gumption, surely one of these goals will be crossed off!” I tell myself every year. And without fail, every year, my gumption fails me.
This year, I decided to do something new: it was no longer going to be the year of big, sweeping, life-changing resolutions; rather, it was going to be a year filled with little, eensy weensy mini resolutions. And so far, I’m proud to announce that I’ve succeeded in eating less cookies, walking more, limiting my coffee intake to one a day, spending more time with my hunky husband, and reading for fun. At the top of my list of goals, however, was a financial one: if we’re saving for a house, how can we adjust our spending habits to ensure the best possible savings habits? Luckily, Liana’s Business Boot Camp coincided nicely with my “spend less, save more” mini resolution – and after becoming a Boot Camp Survivor, I’ve learned that the small steps I need to take within my business also need to be taken in my personal life.
So naturally, when ANZ recently announced their “Febusave” initiative encouraging women to save in small steps, I signed up to be a Febusave Ambassador. Mini resolutions are achievable, so my goal is to pack my lunch every day. And eat less junk food (it’s expensive AND bad for you!). And go out for a coffee only once a week.
I want to hear your money saving tips! I’ll pick a random commenter to win a free photo session with me, so comment away!! Contest closes 7 February at midnight, and the winner must travel to Canberra or Sydney for the photoshoot. And to get you to think all cute and fuzzy thoughts about saving, here’s a picture of the adorable T-bear happily sitting on his adorable mom’s lap… happy saving! 