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capturing moments

Lost & Found

Finding Treasure My maternal grandmother is my earliest recollection of the impact of combining words and photos. I was so blessed by her “pen pal” style letters that periodically landed in my college mailbox. They always included a couple of photos from our last visit, or the latest treasures that bloomed in her garden. Whenever I saw my name written in her handwriting, waiting to be discovered in my mailbox, my heart would flutter with excitement. My Mama Dede was such a fun loving role model in my life. She had a laugh that would make anyone smile or join in- whether you were in on the joke, or not. Reminiscing brings it all back again… so much love. I am so blessed.  Partners in Crime Not only a master gardener, Mama Dede (known as Edith to her peers) was president of her gardening club in the town of Elizabeth City, NC.  She would design, organize, decorate and make the town bloom with her [...]

By |2023-05-24T16:45:19+00:00May 24, 2023|connection, declutter, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos, preservation|
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The REBL(TM) in Me

Ever have a time when you're smiling on the outside, but screaming on the inside? It was like a tropical storm in my head; Wind swirling around, large objects tossed around, smothering any sense of peace and adrenaline was at an all time high. Upset, hurt feelings, raw emotions raked the back of my mind. But they were there to prompt me to practice what I preach. HERE'S HOW IT STARTED Wednesday: A grumpy text message from a friend who wanted to unload on me... I decided to get my family going before reading more. Notifications waiting for me- The tuition check money was withdrawn TWICE rather than once.   I walked away and let the dog out. Headlines of collections for the family who's home had burned down, a sob stuck in my throat as I prepared food for the pets and put the kettle on for tea. Urgent interruptions from family members- not all important The technology that wouldn't cooperate Thursday: The dog [...]

By |2023-02-12T19:33:00+00:00February 12, 2023|capturing moments, finding help, online course, personal growth, Photo Tips, photos, preservation, Sharing Photos, Uncategorized|
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Finally- A Breakthrough

It happened when she decided to put her needs first. Then the clouds broke up and the sunlight poured in... Finally. Adversity; conflict, natural disaster, loss, and major changes give us choices. The people who take times like this and create something new and beautiful are the people that inspire me most in life.  Enter Janica.  A single mom of 3 kids, the oldest of 5 siblings. She's not afraid of carrying the kind of heavy loads that many shy away from. Janica LOVES her family above all else, and works 2+ jobs to support them.  They call her their 'ROCK', but she’s still human. Janica’s lost both of her parents in 2014, and she then took on the responsibility of her parents estate, their home, and managed to send her oldest off to college while balancing her own home and two jobs. Strength embodied. Pushing her grief down, to be strong for her family, she decided not to make any immediate decisions regarding the family [...]

By |2022-11-07T00:33:52+00:00November 7, 2022|declutter, Digital Peace, digitizing, finding help, gifts, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos, preservation, Sharing Photos|
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My Fire Story

The one time I felt completely hopeless, my house was burning with all of my memories inside…. It was an absolute nightmare smelling something on fire but having NO IDEA where the smoke and flames were coming from. I began checking items like my computer, cords on the baseboards, and that’s when I smelled something. I ran down the hall. Smoke seeped through my child’s bedroom carpeting, but no sign of flames to be seen.. I sprinted down the stairs to find 5-foot flames licking the side of our garage refrigerator.  It was right next to the car with a tank full of gas, the snowblower and a full tank of fuel.  Holy S$&%, I needed to act quickly Shoes, daughter, scooped up the cats into a suitcase … We got out FAST, grabbing my cell phone and then dialed 911.  Then the smoke detectors started wailing … like nails in my ears. Trucks, sirens, helmets, smoke, commotion, adrenaline. I held my daughter on [...]

By |2022-10-31T02:46:35+00:00October 31, 2022|capturing moments, Digital Peace, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, online course, photos, preservation|
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ICYMI: A new lease on life!

Confessions of a Control Freak (COACF-recap) ICYMI - The past few weeks have been full of pain. Just kidding! Quite the opposite.  The “Confessions” or “COACF” series was intended to create honesty, vulnerability and authenticity here in our safe space of photo lovers.  I’m clearing out a lot of emotional and habitual clutter to make room for so many wonderful things to happen. Here’s a recap or remedies we’re relishing: Self-compassion is a shortcut that allows us to welcome positive change Finding trust means letting go of old beliefs that get in the way Trading in perfectionism for joy means letting go of a lot of head clutter And the list of small, measured changes that make the greatest impact over time! Life is precious, memories are priceless and when we share our best memories with those we love, new wonderful stories are created … It’s like the butterfly effect!  Wikipedia says the butterfly effect is when a small subtle change can cause much greater [...]

By |2022-10-10T15:36:32+00:00October 24, 2022|capturing moments, community, Digital Peace, digitizing, gifts, managing photos, online course, personal growth, photos, Sharing Photos|
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Confessions of a Control Freak; Trust

ARE YOU A RULE BREAKER? Do you remember when we were kids and we would forget our homework, then make up an excuse… whatever it took to cover our tracks, or maybe it was hiding a bad grade from parents? You know… the one that they had to SIGN? Then the feelings of failure were enough to try to cover it up… then there were consequences for that?!? UGH painful lessons in earning trust! Control Freak part 2 here; Let’s talk TRUST.  Apparently I collected trust issues through the years. Anyone else? Maybe that’s why so many folks don’t trust technology. There are so many excuses, things we have to sign without understanding, then updates cause us to not trust something we don’t fully understand.  TRUST is where I’m finding the most opportunity for growth in myself right now; Self-trust, trusting others, trusting technologies, trusting nature … It’s an enormous concept.  One year from now I imagine myself reading this, thankful for how far [...]

By |2022-10-10T15:24:58+00:00October 10, 2022|Digital Peace, freebie, managing photos, online course, personal growth, photos|
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“I was about to slam my computer shut…

...because I couldn’t find my photos, and then your email popped up.” I opened this message from a subscriber of mine recently. I understood. This is what I deal with all the time. Not the first message like this  and it won’t be the last.  It happens all the time. It can feel like some kind of ‘Photo Gluttony’. There are simple fixes that have lasting success and I love to help them get back on track and feel immediate hope and prompt relief! And NO you don't have to stop taking photos... it's what comes NEXT, that needs some adjusting. :)  People take more photos today than they ever have before, in addition to old devices full of thousands of jpegs. They're important and they're in lock down, in all different places. People cannot manage memories trapped in all sorts of places- out of sight; out of reach. They struggle to find the ones they are looking for, let alone sharing and enjoying [...]

By |2022-09-26T20:11:03+00:00September 26, 2022|capturing moments, declutter, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos, Sharing Photos, special event|
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I was once a bank teller- HATED IT!

Did you know this about me?  First of all- NO DISRESPECT to any bankers out there. I actually may have loved it if I’d taken a different approach. No placing blame, it’s just a story with some lessons.  I was in college and needed a summer job. I jumped at the opportunity to collect a regular paycheck -without considering if I’d LIKE the work. I can honestly say it was the WORST job experience of all time for me. Can you relate?  Looking back, it’s now easy to find so many good lessons that were waiting to be learned from every experience- even the unpleasant ones. At the top of the list- knowing what I DON’T like is just as important as knowing what I DO like.  Without a challenge, or negative emotions to help us recognize something we dislike, how else would we look for something better to aim for and appreciate? Rewards are all around us, waiting to be allowed in!  Now [...]

By |2022-09-15T19:15:02+00:00September 19, 2022|capturing moments, connection, digitizing, finding help, photos, Uncategorized|
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The Perpetual Worry Wheel

Are you stuck on the ‘worry wheel’ of emotions about losing your family photos to the next natural disaster?  Do you find yourself overwhelmed when it comes to managing and protecting your family’s stories? Insurance can never replace your lost or unprotected photos from the next hurricane or tornado. You can’t put a price tag on family memories no matter how amazing your home insurance policy is. If you’re afraid of losing all the precious memories you’ve created over the years, and don’t know where to start, you’re not alone. This is why it’s so important to have help organizing your family’s memories so they are not lost or forgotten and can weather any storm. After 2 decades of working directly with families protecting their treasured memories, I developed a system that I want to teach you. If you’re sick of worrying about losing memories and want to protect them, you may just need Digital Peace; A self paced online course (with live support)  [...]

By |2022-10-01T17:33:28+00:00September 7, 2022|Digital Peace, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, online course, Photo Tips, photos, Sharing Photos, Uncategorized|
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Don’t drag emotional truckloads with you

Did you know the average American car owner buys 9.4 cars in a lifetime? Imagine if you parked every car you ever owned in your driveway or garage? How much space would that occupy? And what if they can no longer be driven? Do you keep the broken down ones, bring them with you if you were to take a job or retire across the country? Of course not!  The added expense and logistical annoyances are too great to consider this. Trade in, sell or donate them and welcome the space for vehicles that serve you.  And yet it happens all the time with our captured memories; Our photos and memorabilia are completely irreplaceable if they were to be lost, so we literally drag 'emotional carloads' from one place to another until we either decide to UPDATE the formats, edit them down, or do the unthinkable; Toss them out! Some see little value in these captured moments, but let's be honest- That's not the [...]

By |2022-08-26T15:54:58+00:00August 22, 2022|capturing moments, community, connection, declutter, digitizing, finding help, managing photos, Photo Tips, photos, Sharing Photos|
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