Bonfire Madigan in SF!

This is my lovely cousin, Madigan Shive of Bonfire Madigan, playing at Cafe Du Nord in SF. Awesome show!!

Happy Easter!

Barbie Turns 50!!

This is too funny...I couldn't resist!

I am a proud member of Zonta International!

Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy. Zonta members volunteer their time, talents and money to local and international service projects, as well as scholarship and award programs aimed at furthering women's education, leadership and youth development.
About Zonta
Zonta International is a global organization
of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy. Nearly 33,000 members belong to more than 1,200 Zonta Clubs in 67 countries and geographic areas.



Zonta's Mission Statement:


Zonta International seeks to:

improve the legal, political, economic, health, educational and professional status of women through service and advocacy;

work for the advancement of understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of executives in business and the professions;

promote justice and universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

be united internationally to foster high ethical standards, implement service programs, and provide mutual support and fellowship for members who serve their communities, their nations and the world.

Join our brand new charter, the Zonta Club Sacramento Metro: http://www.zonta.org

To all of my fellow Blackberries-

Do you have an old BlackBerry® Pearl(TM) smartphone or BlackBerry® Curve(TM) smartphone that you have been thinking of trading in for a new BlackBerry smartphone?

Now is the perfect time to do so. How? Activate your new BlackBerry smartphone, send in your old BlackBerry Pearl smartphone and you could receive up to $75. Or trade in your old BlackBerry Curve smartphone and receive up to $100!

Don't have a BlackBerry Curve smartphone or BlackBerry Pearl smartphone? Don't worry, now you can send in your old cell phone and you could receive $50 towards a new BlackBerry smartphone.

It's all part of the Flip To BlackBerry smartphone trade-in program being offered by T-Mobile. You just have to activate your new BlackBerry smartphone with T-Mobile and send your old phone back to us along with some other information in order to receive your check. Trade-ins from all Carriers will be accepted. Offer is valid until April 30th, 2009.


It's that easy! To get started, visit http://www.blackberry.com/redirect/rdr?sap-client=110&target=http:%2F%2Fwww.flipyouroldphone.com%2F&mig=49C204C34507350FE10000000A659D4A



P.S. Remember, this is a limited time offer. So flip your phone today!

Font Conference!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I saw this on my friend Charr's FB page and LOVED it!!

The studio flooded!

So on Jan. 13, 2009, I walk into my studio and guess what? I can hear what sounded like a huge waterfall running behind my walls and I have water up to the top of my shoes! YIKES!

This was totally bogus. I quickly call my plumber, Michael, (you're awesome!) start crying as I realize what was happening, then try to figure out what to save first and take outside. arrrrghhh!


The water restoration company, J & M Environmental come to take over. They pumped out about 125 gallons of water that morning and started the drying-out process.

Thank God it was in the 50's and sunny, pretty mild for January in Sacramento.

People kept slowing down in their cars looking, as if I was having a garage sale.

This is how much soaked into the walls.



The Calvary arrives...

with lots o' energy-sucking machines to dry out the studio.

We had 4 huge dehumidifiers and about 6 mega fans blowing air around the studio for a week. Going down there was like entering a super hot and muggy wind tunnel. Some of you can attest to that.

After a week, I called my good friend and fellow photog Jonathan Orfanos, in a panic saying, "They are moving everything out of here. Now."

With a crew of 4 guys and in just a couple of hours, they had just about everything I own to run my business in boxes...going bye bye
:- (
Everything had to be moved out and the flooring pulled up before my studio turned into a mossy rainforest.

And wouldn't you know it, the sky started clouding up and turning dark AFTER everything was moved outside, and after a week of sunshine.

Guess what was under my pergo laminate flooring??

Yes, asbestos tiles from the late 50's... Good times.

This is how my studio looks when it is outside. In case you ever wondered.

So next comes the asbestos cleanup crew.

Once you get suited up, you stay in until you are finished.

One of the guys going in said he would take a few pics for me (since we weren't allowed to go in)

Quite the preparation process to enter the building

I had never seen anything like this...

How many doorways do you have to unzip to get into??

The clean up continues...


Where the broken water pipe valve was - and where the flood originated from.

Wow. Looked like a trucker's party outside my place.

And then it started raining. Do you ever have days when you feel like you can't win?


Tom took off to rent a u-haul to take our stuff to a storage unit, and the studio is officially sealed off until the asbestos abatement guy says it is ok to re-enter.

Our good friend Neils lends a hand

Of course the creek started rising.

Getting everything to the storage unit.


And then about 5 days later, out storage unit was broken into, and the stuff that didn't have water damage was robbed and vandalized.

The Citrus Heights Police were right on it.

Moving forward: My good friend and fellow photog, and house painter extraordinaire, Ian, comes over to repaint my walls. Nice job!

I guess I should have offered him lunch sooner.

Next step: New floor. Thanks to my former employee and friend, Kelly, we got a sweet deal from Tile 2 Stone in Rancho.
She also recommended professional tile installer, Patrick, to tackle the studio next.
And he did a wonderful job. I already have him lined up to do the stairs, and my kitchen and guest bathroom. The old linoleum we had just doesn't go with the new tile. You know how that goes.

Entering Bayside church of Granite Bay

Looks like candyland!
------ MMS ------
Sent: Dec 26, 2008 00:32
Subject: Entering Bayside granite bay

Looks like candyland!
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Bayside church of Granite Bay

------ MMS ------
Sent: Dec 26, 2008 00:02
Subject: Bayside of granite bay

Christmas eve 2008
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Christian

------ MMS ------
Sent: Dec 26, 2008 00:19
Subject: Christian

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Fw: Bayside singers

------ MMS ------
Sent: Dec 26, 2008 00:15
Subject: Bayside singers

Check out the full moon!
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Christmas eve 2008

At Bayside church of Granite Bay
------ MMS ------
Sent: Dec 26, 2008 00:08
Subject: Christmas eve 2008

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The Fruit of the spirit

Click here to go the original link-

by Rick Warren

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
One of my fondest memories of growing up is my father’s garden. It seemed my dad grew everything in his garden. In fact, he always grew enough to feed the entire neighborhood. Whenever people would stop by our home for a visit, they’d usually leave with a sack full of fresh vegetables and luscious fruit.

The kind of fruit my father grew is just one kind of fruit – natural fruit. There is also biological fruit, the offspring of animals and the children of people.

Then there is spiritual fruit, and that’s what God is talking about in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (NIV)

The question is: How do we develop these character qualities? Obviously, God doesn’t just zap us one day and suddenly these qualities materialize in our lives. He uses a process that involves a partnership with us and also the time to grow.

It requires partnership. The apostle Paul describes this partnership in Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV), where he says “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” but then he also says, “for it is God who works in you ….”

It’s important to note that Paul doesn’t say, “Work for your salvation.” The Bible clearly teaches we don’t have to work for our salvation. It is a free gift of God’s grace.

In a sense, Paul is talking about a spiritual workout, just like when you physically work out to develop or tone muscles. We’re to make the most of what we’ve been given. God provides the power for our spiritual growth, but we must flip the switch.

It requires time. It takes time for fruit to ripen, and in the same way, there’s no such thing as instant spiritual maturity. When you try to rush fruit, it doesn’t taste as good. If you’ve ever eaten tomatoes that have been artificially ripened to speed up the process, then you know there’s no comparing them to the wonderful taste of naturally, vine-ripened tomatoes. It takes time for fruit to ripen, and it takes time for spiritual fruit to ripen in your life.

You can begin by telling God right now that you want to be a productive, fruitful disciple, one who cooperates with his plan.

Ask God to use his Word to change the way you think. Invite the Holy Spirit to have free rein in your life. Don’t hold anything back. Ask God to help you respond to difficult people and unpleasant situations just as Jesus would. God wants to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life, so partner with God on your spiritual growth and watch what develops over time.

Do you have Self-Discipline?

I enjoyed this and wanted to share it with my friends and family-
Diana

Daily Scripture Blog » How to Develop Self-Discipline
by Rick Warren

God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NCV)

*** *** *** ***

God wants you to develop a self-discipline that pushes you to do things, even as others are giving up.

Over the years, I’ve observed six key expressions of self-discipline:

People with self-discipline master their moods. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. People who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it accomplish most of what gets done in the world! “A man without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28 LB).

People with self-discipline watch their words. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths. “He who guards his lips guards his life” (Proverbs 13:3 NIV).

People with self-discipline restrain their reactions. How much can you take before you lose your cool? “If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it” (Proverbs 19:11 GNT).

People with self-discipline stick to their schedule. If you don’t determine how you will spend your time you can be sure that others will decide for you! “Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility … Make the best use of your time” (Ephesians 5:15–16 PH).

People with self-discipline manage their money. They learn to live on less than what they make and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went! “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets” (Proverbs 21:20 LB).

People with self-discipline maintain their health. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements. “Every one of you should learn to control his body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect” (1 Thessalonians 4:4 PH).

The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-discipline. It takes a power greater than yourself: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT/NCV).

The more I accept God’s control over my life, the more self-control he gives me!

Tags: Self-Discipline

Don't VOTE!!!

This is great...take a few minutes to watch it!
Di xo

The CrockPot as a Foot Bath

This is great! I subscribe to a blog written by a gal that vowed to use her crockpot everyday for a whole year. There are some great recipes if you check out her blog. This post was just so funny I had to pass it on to everyone.
Enjoy!
Diana
A Year of CrockPotting: The CrockPot as a Foot Bath

How true it is!

A different view of the bridge...
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A self portrait on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, 4th of July.

Happy Holidays!

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Tahoe-Donner Getaway!

Thanks to my good friend, Sandy Wilson of Wilson Vineyards, we were able to do a quickie getaway for a couple of days up to Lake Tahoe! We stayed at the beautiful "Wilson Summer Cabin" up at Tahoe Donner, then went down to Edgelake Beach club on the North Shore during the day to enjoy the pool, hot tub and lake.



Lake Tahoe during the CA wildfires, June 08
Taken at Tahoe Vista, North Shore about 4pm.
Getting ready to fish for Crawdads!
They just love posing for pics...(and no, it's not any easier getting pics of the kids when you are a photographer!)

Driving back to Truckee the first day.

The second day, Friday was sunnier at the Lake, but really smoky again once we went back over the hill to Truckee.
Crawdad Fishing!

Lake Tahoe Crawdad!
As you can see, it was so smoky driving home on Friday. There are about 1100 fires burning in CA right now...
Near Blue Canyon, CA 6.27.08

Person Wilson Vineyards

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