Christa Hann – Portrait Photographer

We recently cancelled our satellite services, which means no regularly scheduled tv programming, and thankfully no depressing news (I had boycotted the news quite a while ago anyway) However there are times when I do enjoy relaxing with some tv, preferably sitcoms.  When I feel like this, I turn on one of my ten seasons of Friends. Yes I have all ten seasons on DVD. This is the only tv show that I have ever purchased to own.

Since January I have watched the last 4 seasons, and it’s the best thing I could have done during these dark and gloomy winter months. I have laughed so much, especially at the Gag reels. If you haven’t seen the gag reels, I highly recommend you checking them out on You Tube. If you’re a fan of Friends you will laugh harder at the gag reels than the actual episodes. Love it!

On a sidenote, we have purchased a better internet service, and the two shows that I do still watch, Grey’s Anatomy and Dallas, I simply watch online on their given networks a day or two after the show airs. Do you think this is a shift in the way we will eventually watch tv? With smart tv’s, everything “on demand” how long before we are all cancelling traditional cable & satellite and relying solely on netflix and other online channels?

Just a thought for a Tuesday! Hope you are all having a great day!! And if you need a laugh, go watch the Friends gag reels, now   You can thank me later.

I don’t have time to join in with your pity party. Poor me….why me? Sure we all have bad days but if most of your days are filled with being a victim instead of changing your circumstances, then I have no patience to listen to you.

However, if your days are filled with talks of dreams and the action plan to get there….boy oh boy am I your girl. I could listen forever! I want to hear how you’re taking control of your life, how you are giving back to the world. I want to hear the excitement in your voice when you talk about that one thing that makes you tick. Or those many things that make your heart so full you can’t help but smile.

What’s that for you? Your family? Baking cookies? Helping the elderly? Writing? Your list is your own.

How are you living your life today that’s bringing you closer to the people and the things you love? Is there one small step you could take today that will even slightly move you in the right direction? What are you doing to create opportunities for yourself? I believe God helps those who helps themselves. Don’t be crying woe is me, don’t be waiting for that silver platter. Don’t look at all those closed doors, look for the open windows!

I want the Christa Hann brand to be more than just pretty photos. I want it to be a community of women that love themselves, live authentic lives and want to be a positive influence in the world.  I want it to be a community of women that can share dreams, create action plans together on how we’re going to get there, be a soft place to land when we fail miserably but an encouraging voice that pushes us onward when we want to quit.

Yes I’m driven but I hate when I see that blog post that says, go get what you want, nobody is going to give you permission. Sure, I don’t need your permission to live my life, but I would love to feel like I’m not alone and that at least one person is cheering for me along the way.

Today in some small way, I’m offering this to you. Not permission, but a  cheering section. Today I’m telling you, you are not alone. I’m behind you. Today you might have had another door closed in your face, but today I’m offeing you a window….climb on through.

Hello February!

January has been a great mix of getting things done, planning for 2013 and resting after a very busy Fall & Christmas season. February however looks to be busy getting more things done and implementing all the 2013 plans. A time of rest is done and it’s time to kick it back into high gear.

A few of the things on my plate this month…

Register Jesse for Junior Kindergarten. Yes he’ll be 4 in September and the school days have quickly come upon us. This makes me sad.

I have two portrait sessions plus a creative shoot scheduled for this month, super excited    If you’re interested in a March session I have 3 openings remaining, none of which are for the weekend of March 22-24th because I’ll be in the Halifax/South Shore area….woot, woot to mini vacations.

Weather permitting we have a day of ice fishing planned on the Family Day holiday weekend. This week alone we”ve had Spring weather and extreme Winter weather, I can barely plan outfits for the next day, let alone in 3 weeks.

Keep doing Insanity. We took a week off because Kristen hurt his calf, yes I could have continued without him but truth be told I’m just not motivated to do it alone. I’m a social butterfly, what can I say?

I’ve started calling Daycares for when Kristen returns to work in the spring, this stresses me out both emotionally and financially. Seriously 2 grand a month? Yikes!!

And a whole mish mash of photography stuff, like rolling out an amazing client experience, looking into some new products/services that I could offer, and a few more odds and ends.

How’s your February looking? What kind of plans have you made yet, if any? Anything new & exciting that you’re attemping to do? Happy Friday friends!! Don’t forget tomorrow is Groundhog dog, here’s hoping Wiarton Willie doesn’t see his shadow.

Truth be told I was afraid to have a girl. When I was pregnant with Jenna, I kept telling everyone I thought I was having another boy, although the pregnancies were completely different, I was quite content to have another boy and leave it at that.

Then September 18th, 2011 came around and we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Jenna. I was ecstatic! I couldn’t have been happier. That said though, I’m scared.

I know what it’s like to be a girl, I went to high school, I’ve seen Mean Girls, in fact, even in adulthood I’ve seen circumstances where women have outright acted like cats…yes I said it, women are cats! I’ve seen the claws come out. I know, I know…not all women are competitive and insecure but I know how they can be when they are and that means tearing everyone else down in their path in a sorry attempt to make themselves feel better.

I have seen first hand the sadness pre-teen and teenage girls have went through because of low self-esteem, feeling like they don’t belong or being bullied. I’ve seen them go into such a dark place that all you can do is speak kind words and pray for God to give them some sort of peace in their mind & heart that is full of turmoil.

And that, that scares me.

I know we’ll encourage Jenna as much as we can. We tell her she’s beautiful, we will do our damn best to make sure she understands that true beauty isn’t skin deep. We’ll let her chase her dreams and be a soft place for her to land when she fails. But we are left to only hope and pray that she isn’t a victim of the cruelty that is ever present in our world.

I feel the same about Jesse, but being a girl myself, I really don’t know if the standard is the same for boys, is it?

Having Jenna has only re-confirmed why I love to photograph women! I want them to see and feel their own authentic beauty. I want them to feel awesome about loving themselves and not feel judged for being true to who they are.

They say “it takes a village” to raise a child, I hope that the amazing women who are already in my life and the women that I continue to meet become my village. The village that both Jesse & Jenna will grow up seeing.  Grow up knowing women with confidence, women who deeply love their husband and their children, women who lift each other up, women who inspire & encourage.

I realize I can’t protect Jenna from everything but I can surround her with good, and with that thought alone, I’m not so scared anymore.