Welcome to 2009 baby!

The New Year has finally arrived in all of its balloon dropping, confetti tossing, champagne toasting, kissing at midnight glory!  I love when the new year arrives.  It brings a feeling of a new beginning, a fresh start to another year of your life.  For me its a time reflect on the last year and make the appropriate changes in my life. Its a time to make new resolutions and re-commit to the old ones.  I look at the upcoming year as a blank slate.  Anything can happen and the idea of that is very exciting to me!

This year I decided that the best way to kick off 2009 was with a road trip!  I had everything all planned out, then I found out that it was supposed to rain the WHOLE TIME!  I was bummed, but plans were adjusted and John and I set out on our journey anyway.

We finally arrived at the Sheraton in Petaluma, CA. Which, by the way, was FABULOUS! Its right on the river.  I would highly recommend staying there if you are ever in Petaluma.

After dinner we arrived at the Mystic Theater in downtown Petaluma to see the Tommy Castro Band.  They are an awesome blues band.  If you are in to the blues, you should check them out.

The Tommy Castro Band.

Tommy jammin'

We headed up Highway 101 and stopped in the most adorable historic towns. We took a break in this park next to a river along the way.  It had the most beautiful, fall-colored trees.

This was the bridge over the river.  Then we headed through the woods and to the coast.

The beginning of day 3. It was MUCH colder on the coast.

We went to Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA.  The beach is covered in sea glass. It really is an amazing site to see.

We made a pit stop in Elk, CA.  This was the coolest toilet.  It even had skylights.  I was impressed.

We decided about 1/4 of the way down the hill just to take a look over the edge instead.

Luckily it didn't rain nearly as much as we thought it would and we had a great time!  I really want to post all of the pictures we took along the way, so maybe I'll throw some more in another post soon.  Of course I took TONS of pictures along the way!  Keep your eyes peeled, many of the new prints will be available in my Etsy shop soon.  I have a lot of new products in the works that will be for sale throughout 2009.

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that 2009 brings you all hope, happiness, and all of the great things that you want in your lives.

Quote for the day:

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

- Oprah Winfrey

I Fly!

I went to the vertical wind tunnel last night! It was SO MUCH FUN!  I'm planning on going skydiving in February for my birthday and I wanted to get a little idea of what it would be like.  That wind tunnel is incredibly powerful! The staff was so nice, and my instructor, Matt, was fabulous!

I got two turns to fly, but on my second turn my goggles came loose, so I got to go in a third time.  After everyone in my group got their turns, our instructor did a little demonstration of what you can do in there when you are really experienced.  The acrobatics were great! He put on a really good show. It definitely made me want to go back and do it again!

The Tree of Life...

...is in my Etsy shop!

Quote for the day:

"We can learn a lot from trees: they're always grounded but never stop reaching heavenward."

 - Everett Mamor

My Website!

It is FINALLY up and running!  

I'm so glad that all of the hard work has paid off and the website is finished! Please take a look.

www.saranorrisphotography.com

Quote for the day:

"The one thing that matters is the effort. It continues, whereas the end to be attained is but an illusion of the climber, as he fares on and on from crest to crest; and once the goal is reached it has no meaning."

 - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I'm in Love....with my new camera!

I just got a Polaroid SX70!  I don't think I have ever been this excited about anything that I got in the mail in my entire life!

Imagine my disappointment when I got home to find a little card in my mailbox announcing that my camera arrived, but it required signature confirmation and was being held hostage at the post office! Oh no!

I commute everyday and work a full time job, so 6:00 AM was the only time I could make it to the post office. For all who know me, I do not have to explain that I AM NOT a morning person. However, I made an exception for my new Polaroid friend and managed to drag myself down there at the crack of dawn.

My sleepy eyes perked right up as soon as I got that little box in my hands. I practically skipped back to my car! Of course I opened it right there in the parking lot! I had to use my car keys and a ball-point pen to tear through the packing tape. I must have looked like I was crazy.

Finally! There it was. In the early morning light, my new Polaroid and I met for the first time.  It was love at first sight. 

Where Were You Going

Sitting in traffic I noticed this empty suitcase lying open on the side of the road. Where was this person going? Where are all of their things? And how did this end up here? Honestly, its one of life's little mysteries.

This print is now available in my Etsy shop.

Quote for the day:

"Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity."

 - R.I. Fitzhenry

Sisters

These are two really sweet little girls!  They brought a kite to fly at the park, but the wind died down not long after we arrived. So we abandoned the kite and blew bubbles instead. They had a great time chasing and popping the bubbles.

As the sun was going down, the day ended with them making a "cake" with "sugar" on top in the sand.

Thank you girls for letting me take your pictures! I had a great time!

Quote for the Day:

"A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."

- Marion C. Garretty

A Little Flower

The day after I photographed Samson and Sedona, I got the chance to photograph their little sister also!

She showed up with a flower in her hair and in a fabulous little pink tutu that her mom got on ETSY.  I'm a sucker for anything pink! 

This was the happiest baby I have ever seen.  As long as you were talking to her and making silly faces she was loving it!  There was not one pouty face until we decided to change her outfit.  As soon as her mom took off her tutu she cried.  If I looked that cute in a tutu I wouldn't want to take it off either! But that only lasted a second.  She cheered up not long after and the shoot went on.

There were so many great shots from this photo session! Her face is so expressive when she smiles and laughs and I even caught a few great serious faces in there.  

Thanks again!

Samson and Sedona

When I agreed to photograph two boxers at the same time, I thought for sure this was going to be an exhausting and exciting photo shoot.  Anyone who has met a boxer knows that they are sweet hearts, super friendly and FULL of energy. 

 

But, when I met Samson and Sedona, I was really pleasantly surprised at how well trained they are!  They know so many commands and are really great at listening to their owners.  

When their pink flamingo came out of the toy box they were so excited. This would be my favorite toy too! It squeaked, rattled, crinkled and when you shook it, it made the strangest noise. Plus, its pink!

I got some really great shots and by the end of the photo session we were all exhausted!

Thanks so much for letting me play with you guys!

Quote for the day:

"Indeed our lives have been enriched beyond measure because of the love of a dog.  We have been adopted by that most irrepressible of clowns, the most intuitive of comforters, the most selfless of companions - the Boxer."

- The Boxer: Family Favorite

Pretty in Pink

Not long ago I spent a great afternoon playing with Sadie's big sister.  (Sadie is the Great Dane that I photographed not long ago.)

I loved her pink patchwork dress and UGG boots! I didn't realize that they made UGGs that small!

She started off a little shy, but before I knew it she was running around and having a great time at the playground. 

Thank you guys so much for letting me play with you!

I'm starting to work on getting a website soon!  I'm so excited!  I have been working so hard on building my portfolio and creating marketing materials.  I feel like I'm finally making progress in the right direction.

I'll keep everyone updated on the website progress and hopefully it will be ready to go really soon!

Quote for the day:

" Don't wait until everything is just right.  It will never be perfect.  There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions.  So what.  Get started now.  With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful."

- Mark Victor Hansen