Friday, December 26, 2008

HEART, MIGHT, MIND AND STREGTH


As a Christmas gift to my brother-in-love, Ken (Erin's husband,) I am starting a new weekly blog entry entitled, "Heart, Might, Mind and Strength." This blog will be dedicated to my experiences and observations of service in my life, whether I am giving service, receiving it, or just witnessing it. This is in Ken's honor, as he and his family have always been a beacon of love and service to me, and I am blessed to be part of thier family!

The title of the blog comes from the scripture in The Doctrine and Covenants (of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Chapter 4 Verse 2 that reads: O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength. . .

Since today is Christmas, and the world is full of good cheer, I had the chance to observe a lot of small moments of service today, and I'd like to share some with you.

Sometimes it's the littlest thing that makes a difference.
For the last week, I have been working a side job distributing flyers for Broadway shows in Times Square. It's a real glamorous job, and I even get to wear a sandwich board while standing in some very cold whether (note the sarcasm.)
It has come to my attention as I try to distribute these flyers (playfully chanting "Save-a-lot, See Spam-a-lot!") that there are a few types of reactions I get. There is the curious acceptance from the people who want to know what I'm talking about. There is the people who avoid eye contact and just take what I hand them, only to drop it on the ground about 10 second later. There is the people who get annoyed, scowl, and vere wide to avoid my reach.
But there is a type of reaction that I actually find is the most frequently displayed. They make eye-contact, shake a gentle "no" with their head, and smile a pleasant "Thank you" right after. Whether mouthed or audibly spoken, I noticed that the simple courtesy they give actually makes my day a little brighter. I'm so grateful for those little moments and the time that people take to give them, when they could easily just pretend I don't exist.
It's a reminder to us all that the easy and simple act of a smile and a "thank you" can be the gateway to giving service to everyone we come in contact with.

So, imagine a little smile, a little "thank you," and a very Merry Christmas from me to you.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Erin Hall

Yesterday, the skies parted, the air was warm, and I had one of my favorite photo shoots to date. Erin Hall is a professional dancer who works with me at LuluLemon (hence the Lululemon gear she has on!) She was such a sweet girl to shoot, and she has the most incredible eyes I've ever seen! And the light was incredible! I couldn't narrow it down and I ended up editing 17 photos! (easy to do with 5 inches of snow falling suddenly out my window today!)
Hope you enjoy!

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My favorite shot of the day. . . check out that broken ankle!
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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Let It Show! Let It Show! Let It Show!

So, last week, my friend Ryan contacted me to put together some promotional shots for his forth coming Christmas Cabaret! Boy, did I not quite realize what I was in for! We met up at Columbus Circle, and proceeded to cause a commotion as we looked for locations throughout mid-town! The best moments were when people would shout, "Love the suit," and he would respond in his signature showman voice, "Just trying to spread a little holiday cheer!"
By far, one of my favorite shoots to date!
If you're in NY on the 17th, be sure to catch his show!
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