I am asked this question every time I meet someone new. It always seems to be the first topic of conversation with new acquaintances. In case you didn’t know my spouse and I operate a light commercial and residential plumbing company in Calgary, Alberta. Whenever I mention that my spouse is a Plumber the first assumption is that plumbers mostly just deal with clogged toilets. I wish that was true most days. It would make our business insurance much more affordable.
What Do Plumbers Do?
They install a variety of items integral to your home such as taps, toilets, humidifiers, hot water heaters, drainage, sewer, waterlines, and furnaces. Some plumbers specialize in in-floor heating, boilers, drain cleaning, water treatment, and commercial work. Some pursue additional training to install air conditioners and perform gasfitting. Plumbers exist to safeguard human health. This is why they are considered an essential service. Homes and businesses are uninhabitable when there’s no infrastructure to handle cleaning, handwashing, and basic sanitation.
How Did You Start Your Business?
Years ago my spouse was a Chef for several restaurants in and around Calgary and Edmonton. He was always fixing the kitchen equipment when it broke down. This was usually due to the lack of a maintenance budget from the owners. He developed an interest in repairing equipment and decided to pursue plumbing professionally. He spent his apprenticeships working for the top plumbing companies in Calgary. He saw a need in the market and was approached with an opportunity to sub-contract under a large renovation/construction company. This gave him the resources to expand out on his own.
Why Do You Operate Your Business?
With the plumbing sector being highly competitive in Calgary. We sometimes get asked why we continue to operate when it would be easier to work for someone else. Being entrepreneurs has afforded us the opportunity to continuously learn and help our community on our own terms. We also enjoy the challenges the business brings us on a regular basis.
Some people refer to their day as the ‘9 to 5’. It starts at 9AM when they get to work in the morning, and it ends at 5PM when they leave for the evening. What a different world those people live in. I can only imagine, I can barely remember, what it’s like to leave work and be done for the day. Ahh…
My real job starts when my professional job ends. As I take off my employee heels and put on my mom runners, I mentally prepare myself for what my evening will undoubtably hold.
4:30PM It’s quitting time! Or so they say. It’s time to go pick up the kids from daycare. It’s been a long day of meetings, I wonder if I can soak up some of their childhood energy to help me get to bedtime.
5:24PM After stopping at the store for a few things, I find myself at the daycare. Visiting and decompressing with all the other moms who have just clocked into their double-shifts. Some are teachers, some are nurses, these moms are superheroes.
I’ve collected my two and have recharged my heart with hugs and kisses. Sunkissed and smelling like banana scented sunscreen they climb into the vehicle, ready to head home. These little people have a magical way of boosting my energy supply.
6:07PM It’s been seven minutes since the kids have sat down to eat dinner and according to Miss E, it’s been seven minutes too long. The dreadful words slip from her little lips, “I’m full.” There is no way she’s full. She’s been playing outside in the summer sun all afternoon with just water and a few snacks. Those two bites she’s had could not have filled her up.
7:00PM Ahh yes, of course. Miss E is no longer full and is hungry once again. It’s almost like I knew this would happen…
7:56PM The kids have showered and are brushing their teeth. Bedtime is so close I can almost see it. A few more things to finish and then I can plop down on the couch, scroll aimlessly for an hour before I decide today is over and head to bed. I.can.almost.see.it.
8:00PM Bedtime. We made it. I made it. Hair and teeth are brushed, everyone’s gone to the bathroom, I’ve tucked each kid into their own bed and I’m almost down the stairs. Almost. Miss E is calling for me, she doesn’t have her bunny. Where is her bunny?!
I find her brother’s bunny downstairs, it’s the same one, she won’t know. I head back upstairs, ready to save the night, but I’m greeted by a giggle and an “Oops” as she pops her bunny out from under her covers.
8:02PM Okay. Everyone’s good. Miss E has her bunny, Mr. E is in his… Nope. No he’s not. He has successfully escaped and now a strong-willed four-year-old stands between me and the rest of my night.
8:16PM I’ve managed to get Mr. E back in his bed. More hugs, more kisses, one last tuck in for the night. I made it, I’m downstairs.
8:30PM Lunch time! I empty the contents of today’s lunches and start over. More cut fruit, more granola bars, more jam sandwiches (no PB, just the J). Thank goodness for Sunday Costco runs, they’re the reason this part of my evening runs so smoothly. I turn on the newest Netflix thriller and lose myself in serial killers and jam sandwiches.
10:00PM Whoops! Where did the time go?! If I go to bed right now, I’ll have seven hours of sleep. Seven luxurious hours before I have to wake up and get ready for my professional job where I spend eight hours of my day warming up for my real job.
It’s been a busy day, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. My two minis are what I’ve always wanted and although they tire me with their eating habits and night-time escapes, they’re what keep this tired mama going. Them and the Costco size bag of coffee of course.
Navigating the complex world of cross-platform storytelling is an art in itself. I’ll go step by step how I shared a simple story – a story of adventure in Jasper National Park across different social media platforms and what storytelling principles, tips and tricks I used along the way.
What’s the big idea? A weekend getaway Jasper National Park
First off, the idea. What is it? I wanted to tell a simple story of weekend in the National Park. So is my story suited to cross platform storytelling? What elements am I including; well I want a balance of images, text, and video with and without sound? I used a mix of media, why – check out Fell’s (2017) video highlights why storytelling is powerful in the digital era.
Basics of storytelling
Check out my previous blog post on Pondering Good Storytelling which included a helpful infographic to help you get to grips with some of the basics.
See the whole infographic in the Pondering Good Storytelling Blog Post.
The Power of Short Form
So how do we tell the story people want to hear? We can learn a lot from brand storytelling! Attention spans are getting shorter, so multiplatform storytelling can grab and hold attention. We know videos are successful, Twitter notes Tweets with videos attract 10x more engagement. So as part of my 2 piece weekend story I included a Twitter thread with a video. I made the video using Adobe Video Maker, take a look and let me know what you think on Twitter!
I then linked the thread to the next video (also made with Adobe Video Maker) which I put on Instagram. For this video I went shorter, and included more still photographs. I highlighted that part 1 was on Twitter, adding my handle and to go to my bio for the link to this behind the scenes blog!
We’ve then got this blog, which in a way is a story about a story, so you could think of this blog as Part 3.
Bonus content: Don’t forget to tell people!
Letting people know about your story is also so important! Whilst yes things can go viral with no effort, there are plenty of options available to spread the word and entice people to your story. In the brilliant brand storytelling examples highlighted by the Vyond Team there would have been a comprehensive marketing strategy pushing the videos that used various platforms, Twitter, Facebook, even direct emails and outdoor video boards that shared either the full video or snippets of them.
April 21, 2022: the day I became Canadian. Celebrating with me is my pup Oscar.
This story is about a journey. One of how I found my calling and how Canada became my home. Was it a well thought plan? No! Did it happen overnight? If you guessed no, you are right! This is a nine year journey coming to Canada as an international student in 2013, building a career in public health and becoming a citizen nine year later! This is a glimpse of how things unfolded.
When dad predicted the future!
With dad on one of Beirut-Lebanon’s sandy shores, at age 3.
I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, in a family who believed in diversity, inclusion, and acceptance of others before these concepts were trendy buzzwords. My dad was a graphic designer and mom a bank manager. They taught me to love people and life, and to always think the best of others even when their actions are not up to expectations. But that is not always a successful approach in a country torn by war and conflict, where everyone is in survival mode. When I was 11 years old, my dad witnessed me giving my spot in line for purchasing bread (scarce at that time) for another family and said: “you can’t survive in this country this way! You need to be in another place… maybe Canada!”. At that moment, dad said it as a joke. Little he knew that joke would become reality a few years later.
How I ended up in Canada.
I came to Canada as an international student in 2013, although this was never part of the plan. See, I completed a medical degree between Lebanon and Russia with a set path in pediatric surgery. But what happened in my last year of medical studies would change my plans forever, and with that, my entire life!
I saw a patient with advanced lip cancer, the type you only read about, as usually lip cancer is visible and it’s rare for it to reach advanced stages going unnoticed for years. This is when I first got introduced to the social determinants of health and how some people are not able to seek medical care or treatment because that would mean skipping work, and consequently not being able to put food on the table on that day. This is how I discovered public health!
But that was not the first step in the journey. I will take you with me back in time to high school and how I decided to be a medical doctor!
The Lebanese Red Cross chapter!
When I was a district leader in the Lebnese Red Cross, 2007.
Little I knew that a fundraiser campaign would be the reason I launched a career in healthcare, and ultimately lead me to become Canadian.
May 08 is the International Red Cross Day. In Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross would launch its fundraiser to support its volunteer free-of-charge ambulance and first aid services. For that campaign, volunteers would visit schools and talk about the services and students would donate money, each as much as they can afford. Some would donate their lunch allowance for the day, and others would bring money they saved for a movie or another fun activity. The Lebanese Red Cross is crucial for the Lebanese when it comes to health services, especially since it replaced the government services during the war. Seeing these volunteers and how passionate they were about the cause, I was inspired and decided to join the Lebanese Red Cross as a volunteer in its Youth Department which offered social services. After 2 years of volunteering, it became clear to me I wanted a career where I can support people’s health and well-being. At that time, the obvious oath was medicine. Fast forward 6 years later, I realized it was public health that I was passionate about!
MD, check! A master in public health next!
My portrait after earning my MD in 2013!
My plan to disregard my admission to a residency in pediatric surgery was not an easy one. It wasn’t easy to explain to my parents and friends! “So you will be studying again and then not work in a clinic?” Before the pandemic and before Dr. Deena Hinshaw became a household name, trying to explain what would a medical doctor do working in public health was no easy task. Looking for a graduate program in public health (Master in Public Health or MPH) was somewhat easy: I was only looking to study in English or French, as I was not ready to learn a new language before starting my studies. So North America was my best bet. The USA schools all required GRE, and I was too busy to prepare and write one during my last year of medical school. So Canada was a clear winner. But which Public Health School should I choose? Thanks to Wikipedia, the answer was clear: the only accredited school of public health in Canada back in 2012 was the UofA’s School of Public Health! Now I did apply to other schools in Canada and got admission letters to all, but Alberta had a charm! No one can beat its natural beauty. And this is how I decided to come to Edmonton, Alberta. A decision that will change my life forever!
Dr. Hinshaw. She made explaining public health so much easier, and important!
Edmonton: love at first sight!
Coming to Edmonton was no easy task, as my student visa got rejected twice due to logistical misunderstanding! But that’s a story for a different post. Long story short, I was able to get my student visa on the 3rd application. It was granted to me, one month before the start of the school year! So within 2 weeks of getting my passport stamped, I landed in Edmonton! I was mesmerized by how green the city is (later on replaced by how long the winter is). For two weeks I stayed at a B&B and then moved to Newton Place (UofA residence). The UofA was beautiful and I enjoyed every minute of my 1.5 years of Public Health program, graduating in 2013. Now that I have an MD and an MPH, I had to decide my next step: is it going back to Lebanon or working in public health in Canada? You can read about why I chose public health and how I decided to remain in Canadain this Facebook post!
Building a career in Public Health!
Starting a career from scratch is no easy task! But there are ways to help expedite the process and support any newcomer to Canada to launch their careers. It does require dedication, a lot of patience, and lots of networking! And of course, for any newcomer like me, you need a work permit! For some insight on how to build any career in Canada in a concrete way, scroll to the end of this post! It all starts by
I landed my first job doing epidemiological research in the NT and YT, visiting remote communities, sometimes on ice roads, sometimes by charter planes, and sometimes by boat! I got to experience firsthand how similar our experiences as humans are, irrespective of where we are from! I heard stories from elders in small communities that reminded me of stories told to me by my grandma.
Ice fishing in Aklavik, NT
After three years of traveling to the north, it was time for me to plan my next step. I formed a strong bond with Canada and the people of Canada. I felt like my calling lies here, doing public health work with communities and populations who are underserved. This is when I decided to submit my application to become a permanent resident (PR) of Canada.
Becoming PR was an awesome feeling! I now could apply for permanent jobs! So I decided to move jobs and went into immunization policy and programming (yep that’s vaccines) in 2018! That is one year before vaccines became a worldwide hot topic! 3 years later, I became a Canadian citizen!
Becoming Canadian.
Here’s an infographic about the steps I went through to become a Canadian citizen! Not easy, but it’s worth it. It’s a privilege and an honor! If you are interested in a pinch of drama about the application process I went through, you can read my Twitter thread about it here. You can also check my Instagram story about my journey to get the Canadian passport!
Tips and tricks!
Stay tuned to join my Live on Instagram on August 29 at 5pm MT to talk more about tips and tricks to building any career in Canada as a newcomer. The video will also be uploaded to my YouTube channel and will be available to watch within 48 hours of the live.
In the summer of 2019, I went on the trip of a lifetime with my best friend Halie. The Story Of All the Fish in the Sea, Come Travel with me is highlighted briefly in my Twitter Thread. This blog is an in-depth look at the story of how we used one month to backpack through seven countries and twelve cities and still come home best friends. Don’t miss the links to the behind-the-scenes moments on my Instagram. This is our European adventure:
Switzerland
On June 6th, 2019 we flew out of Calgary, Canada to Zurich Airport in Switzerland. We had roughly 10 hours of which we toured the local area and got dinner before heading back to the airport for our flight to Spain.
Spain
Madrid
June 9, 2019. We started today by touring the temple of Debod which is an Egyptian temple dating way back before the 2nd century. That is made up of 1000 pound stones that were transported to Madrid Cuartel de la Montana Park, from Eygpt in pieces and then put back together in a janga by number sort of style.
After that, we toured the Renia Sofia Museum which has a large collection of modern and contemporary Spanish art. I really enjoyed this experience, even though the museum was short. There was lots of Pablo Picasso Dali, Salvador, and feminist art.
After the museum, we walked Parque del Buen Retiro which is the largest park in all of Madrid. We stumbled upon it kind of by accident but it felt like a cleaner, hotter central park. We hung out there until we were ready to do the inside tour of the Royal Palace tour. Finally finishing the day with Tapas.
Barcelona
June 11, 2019. While in Barcelona we explored Les Ramblas Street, the heart of downtown. We saw Sagrada Familia Cathedral church which has been under construction since before my great grandparents were even born and is supposed to have all 18 tiers completed in 2026. We ate Paella and to be completely honest I actually didn’t care for it that much. It is a seafood and rice dish and while I love seafood something about the spices just did not do it for me. My favorite part of the city was our visit to La Boqueria for St. Joseph’s market, it is a famous market known for its fresh fruits, sweets, flowers, meats, etc., and we ate oysters and mussels and it was probably the biggest oysters I have ever seen.
France
Avigonon
My favorite part of Avigonon was the Maison Du Savon De Marseille, this beautiful natural french soap shop. All the bars of soap were made in-house with fresh products and there were hundreds of different types. I bought 10 different bars and had to carry them in my backpack for the rest of the month but it was worth it.
The Bougainvillea vine is famous in this area, there were purple flowers everywhere we went. This small community happened to have an opera-themed carnival in town when we passed through. We rode on several rides including a large Ferris wheel which let us see the entire.
Nice
June 14, 2019. We got up extra early and climbed the 2000 steps of Castle Hill to see the coast view of Nice.
Then we took a bus to Cannes and jumped on a ferry from Cannes to Isle. St. Marguerite where we finally got on a catamaran to Lerin’s Islands. We snorkeled and cliffed jumped for the afternoon and it truly reset the soul. Once we traveled back in land to Nice, Grayson, Halie, and I had dinner at La Cucina a family-owned restaurant. We had the best charcuterie of the entire trip.
While at dinner we met four local girls who had just come back from studying abroad in Canada. We had wonderful conversation and they took us out to the “disco” to dance.
Monaco
June 16, 2022. We jumped over to Monaco for the day, we were not able to afford to physically stay overnight but lucky it is a day trip by train from Nice. Monaco is all about the rich, famous, and expensive. I was celebrating my 25 birthday, and a few friends Halie and I met at the hostel’s joined us for the day. We rented a day bed at the Fairmont hotel’s Nikki Beach Club. We drank pina colada’s and smoked mint and strawberry hookah out of an apple (not normally my thing but when almost in Rome, do as the Romans do I guess). It was nice to have a day break to soak up the sun. Before hoping the train back to France, we saw the Monte Carlo casino which was interesting since it is commonly referenced in film and history. But, honestly, the seaport and city views were of much more interest to me.
Italy
San Gimignano
June 17, 2019. We went into San Gimignano which was a small quiet town just outside of Florence, I was not expecting the view, it was referred to as ‘wine country’ because there were vineyards everywhere. We toured Palagetto vineyard and did a delicious wine tasting.
I ended up shipping six bottles of wine home for me and six bottles for my mother. I also bought truffle everything – oil, butter, and spread. My mother is Italian and she loves to cook and truffle is way higher quality in Italy than back home in Canada.
Florence
June 19, 2019. We saw Michelangelo’s David AKA “The Famous Naked Man”. The Duomo Cathedral which we climbed has 463 steps in a circle, talk about dizzy for the view. The last tour we did was the Loggia dei Lanzi which is an open-air sculpture museum and I was grateful for the open air with heat. While Florence is known for its art and leather, truly we were in love with the food. Pear & cheese filled pasta, wine, champagne & cheesecake. We celebrate my 25th birthday by singing Karaoke at a local bar called the Red Garter.
Orvietto
June 18, 2022. While traveling to Rome we stopped in a beautiful small town Orvietto. Halie, Grayson (a newfound travel friend), and I walked around to tour the shopping, drink coffee, and toured an extremely old church built in 1209. We found a cute stairwell with incredible flowers, while we were taking turns getting our photo taken (in Grayson’s pink hat) the local woman who owned the house came home. She proceeded to visit with us for over an hour and share the history of the house and what she knew of the town
Rome
June 20, 2019. Rome is the city of sightseeing; I threw my coin in the Trevi Fountain which supposedly means I will marry an Italian man or return to Rome. Either way, I was okay with the fortune/luck outcome. We saw the Colosseum which is the largest amphitheater in the world, it took 6-8 years to build in 72 AD. It is estimated to have held between 50,000 to 80, 000 spectators for gladiator fights. We tour the Vatican which might as well have been its own city. I was able to get a rosary and saint. Christopher was blessed by the pope for my grandmother. The Sixtine Chapel was unlike anything else I have ever seen. However, the heat was starting to catch up with us, and was definitely ready to head to Greece after this day. For a behind-the-scenes look at the Vatican visit my Instagram.
June 20, 2019 – We were officially stuck in Rome. After several hot hours and much frustration with translation Halie and I were basically crying in the Rome airport. They canceled our original flight and at this point, we were pretty heartbroken that we would likely be rerouted back home to Canada. We decided to rent a car and drive to a smaller airport with a flight we might make that would then require us to catch a ferry and train. After the sketchiest car rental experience ever, we hit the road.
Between driving out of Rome and the time change, we were praying this wouldn’t be the end of our European adventure.
Greece
Santorini
June 22, 2019. We made it! After a lot of driving we arrived at the airport at 2:30 am and the airport was closed. We had to wait outside the airport for the doors to open, where countless other people were sleeping outside on the airport steps. We boarded the plane at 5:15 am and were on our way to Greece. Upon landing, we caught the ferry and we were able to save the last week of our trip.
Santorini is incredible, the photos do not do it justice. We had incredible food, specifically the cold coffee. I fell in love with this local bookstore Atlantis Books in Oia. It had first edition copies of Bronte, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and more. Some of the book sets hadn’t been separated in 75 years and were worth thousands of dollars. These were books I learned about and read in undergraduate school but never dreamed I would see as a part of history.
Thira
June 25, 2019. We visited the three beaches white, red and black. Apparently, Halie and I did not get the translation properly as you are supposed to take a boat to the white beach. Halie and I ended up hiking down a side of the cliff to get to the beach while many locals stared at us. Admittedly it would have been easier to come by boat but it did make for a lifelong memory.
The island is shaped like a crescent moon and is full of culture. Santorini used to be a full circle before a volcano eruption in 1646 BC and ever since it has been shaped like a crescent moon with the volcano as a sun or circle in the middle. Halie and I got our best friend tattoos in the representation of this. After Greece we headed back home to Canada, to work, family, pets, and everyday reality. We carry the memories of this trip with us.
That little coded message that was passed to me at a birthday party all the way back in July 2002, was just the beginning. If you need a refresher of how it all started just go read on my Twitter account!
Who knew a secret, coded message would lead you to your true love and husband forever?? I never thought this note, would start the journey of my life!!! #EXSM3989pic.twitter.com/i8NGKj3DjA
After finishing high school, it was rough. Moving into our first apartment, going to college and finding jobs, it was a whole new world we had no idea about but super excited to get to experience together.
Not long after graduation, I ended up needing foot surgery on both of my feet, one after the other. Needing help to get taken care of, we moved back to my mom’s so that I could have my surgeries and recover! It wasn’t easy living back and home, needing help and struggling to find ourselves and our relationship as adults to move forward.
Not long after my second recovery from foot surgery, We found out we were pregnant with our first baby!!!! Excited and ready to move on with our future, we got our own apartment and started planning for Nilan Miles Kostyk!!!! This was our first HUGE milestone in our life together. Yes high school, first places to live and jobs, but this was a big one. Going through the birth process was something that brought us even closer together in our relationship. It wasn’t easy on me and he was right there by myside no matter what! Something I definitely didn’t think he had in him, but proved me wrong.
Two weeks after Nilan was born, Bobby lost his job. Unfortunately for that, we once again had to move back into my mom’s. I had a newborn and had struggled with the changes of having a new baby and my bobby home, not able to find work. This was my first real struggle. Being a new mom is hard, and they really don’t prepare you for what life is really like. No sleep, constant crying and not having a clue on what to do. Luckily, we had each other and figured our our rhythm. After months of not able to find work, Bobby was offered a job from a family friend from his past. YAY!!! Only problem? It was in Alberta Canada!!!! A totally different country, but an opportunity that we could not pass up. Bobby being Canadian could go up there and work right away, so we made plans to get up there working and Nilan and I would move up later.
MARRIAGE AND THE MOVE
After months of planning and packing, the time finally came for Bobby to come down, get married and pack up the car to move to our new home! This was the biggest and scariest decision and event we have had in our lives, but the thing we need to do most for our future. Bobby flew down, we got married with a small wedding with a couple people and then started our journey North.
We were excited to start our new life and to be together again since we had been apart for 5-6 months! Nilan had grown so much in that time and it was going to be exciting for us all to learn about a whole new place. Which we knew nothing about when moving here! Even our car wasn’t suited for the kind of weather that is in Alberta, Canada!!!
THE NEW BABY
After a couple years of getting to know our new area and expanding our new life, along came Zander William Kostyk. A new baby!! We were super happy to have a new little one on the way. How little did we know the struggles we were going to have. I found myself fighting emotions with the fact that we were all alone, away from family at such an exciting time, but would come to find that Zander had heart issues still in the womb. This wasn’t going to be a normal pregnancy. Finding ourselves needing constant monitoring and appointments throughout the whole pregnancy add the facts that once Zander was born, he would need immediate surgery. The biggest fears we have ever had in our life was now! Would he survive? How would he live if he does? There were so many unknowns and we were scared! But let me tell you this little boy is a TROOPER!!!
Bobby and I, and now as a whole family have, been through so many things and events in their young little lives. Zander spent the first 2 months of his life in a hospital before he got to go home, after having 3 surgeries on his tiny little body. Nilan has experienced having casts for 2 months, with new ones every 2 weeks to correct toe walking. We have experienced going weeks before we get to see Bobby because he was away from work. Tons of hospital visits, birthdays, holidays, visits once a year with family and having each other to enjoy what we have.
Slowly, life settled down and we were finding that our place was getting too small for us and we were ready to move onto the next chapter of our lives…. To buy our first home and the kids to start school!!!
To see the where the Kostyks are at now… Follow the link to our current adventures on my instagram page:
A little over a year ago I decided to take my photography to the next level. I started taking portrait photos. I started my own business. What started as an afternoon out with a friend to take photos of her daughter has evolved into me offering everything from family photos to weddings to boudoir. I am absolutely in love with my new found abilities and what I can create; how I can make people feel amazing about themselves.
Here are a few photos from that first session.
Reflecting back on some of the questions I have been asked over the last year, I have decided to create a story out of the 5 W’s of a photo session.
Who?
To find the answer to this question… I am going to send you over to my Facebook page!
Don’t have a Facebook account? That’s ok! I’ll explain it a little bit here. In short, absolutely anyone can book a session! It doesn’t matter if it is for a special occasion or not, I encourage you to book a session with a photographer near you. Even if it is only once in a while… maybe once a year, or every two. There is so many positives for you! A good photographer shows you how beautiful you are, no matter how worried you are about wearing the wrong thing, or not knowing how to pose. That is our job!
What?
It’s a photo session, of course!
But in all seriousness, we can do photos for any occasion! Check out this Instagram post where I explain it a little more…
I have so many different kinds of photo sessions under my belt now! In my latest news, I am super excited to be starting boudoir! Adding this to my ever growing list of available session types; minis, weddings, engagements, family, stylized portraits, milk bath (both pregnancy and baby) and graduation (and a few others).
When?
Anytime you want! … Almost anyway …
I will do my best to work around your schedule. I outline this a little bit and talk about my day job in my Twitter post here:
Let’s venture over to YouTube for this one! It’s one of the most impactful decisions that you can make when working out the details of your photo session. The whole vibe and feel of the session will change depending on where we do the photos. A trail in the woods is going to be a darker scene than the middle of a field will be. Such as a session with blooming flowers will look much different than an open field or shaded trail will.
It’s all a matter of what you are looking for from your session. That is something we will discuss if you are unsure what kind of feel you are looking for.
Why?
This last question can be answered right here.
Why should you book a photo session?
Because you are gorgeous and so is your family. Because you are worth it. Because you will have these memories and photos with you always. Because you will enjoy yourself as much as you may be nervous for it.
A session can always be used to commemorate a special occasion, celebrate a holiday, showcase a season, or be part of an event.
BUT
You don’t HAVE to have a reason for it. Maybe you just want to spoil yourself. Maybe you absolutely love a specific holiday (I’m a Halloween fanatic!) and want to do a stylized session. Or maybe your birthday is coming up and you want to celebrate you with a 42nd birthday cake smash!
Connect with me with your idea! Chances are, I’ll be all in!
So are you ready to chat about an idea you have been pondering?
Take a step back in time when you visit this historic site located in a very quiet and picturesque setting.
Located just minutes east of Drumheller, Alberta. Escape the crowds and enjoy the peace at historic – Wayne, Alberta
Enjoy a meal and cold beer at The Last Chance Saloon
Drop by and enjoy a great meal or cold beer. Once you walk into the Saloon, you become completely mesmerized with its antique interior. A special treat, there is LIVE music on certain evenings/weekends for everyone to enjoy during their stay here.
The Historic “Rosedeer Hotel”
Choose to spend a memorable night in one of their themed renovated rooms, at this vintage 1900’hotel. The hotel opened in 1919 and at that time, the Rosedeer Hotel was the go-to place.
Coal mining was huge in the early 1900’s in the region, and the population of Wayne grew to more than 2500 at that time. Since the shut-down, now just 27 residents remain in this ghost town.
How to find
Located just 5 minutes east of Drumheller on Highway 10 to Rosedale. Enjoy the six kilometer quiet and scenic drive on this country road, as you make your way over 11 bridges, holding the Guinness Book of World Records title as most bridges to be found within the shortest distance.
The hotel and saloon continue to prosper though, with visitors coming to spend some time from all corners of the world!
These days, there are endless options for promoting your business or organization, with one of the most popular being to post about what you’re doing on social media.
You’re expected to be a social media marketer, even if you have zero experience with content or social media marketing. Social media is a pillar of digital marketing, and can help you drive traffic, find leads, and rank higher in search.
I come from a non-writers’ background and that is one of the reasons I took “Digital Storytelling” course. While learning, the article “The Non-Writers’ Guide to Writing Better Social Media Copy” by “Eric Goldschein” was very helpful for me to understand the basic rules of writing better for social media.
You could outsource the job but rather than adding another expense, you might find you enjoy writing. With so many options for writing social media copy – Facebook updates, tweets, Instagram captions, etc. Here are some tips to get started and write better.
Write the way you talk – Imagine you describing your business to your friends. That tone, the choice of language, and that level of simplicity should be your goal. By tapping into this, your content will come across as more natural, and will be easier to read.
Write consistently – Do it often. Write as much as you can. You’ll get better at writing
Write first, then edit heavily – For many people, the hardest part of writing is simply starting out. You might have an idea for a post or an update, but you don’t know how to begin, or what it should look like. The best way to get through writer’s block is to write yourself out of it. Your first draft of your copy should never be the final one. Get all the important information you need to say down on “paper.” Some bloggers even use voice-to-text to get their initial thoughts out. Once you have a draft, go back and edit, revise, and rewrite entire sections until you’re satisfied.
Read your competitors’ feeds – You need to read. A good place to start is the feeds and blogs of your competitors, peers, and others in your industry. You will get a sense of what good writing looks like and discover topics that you too can discuss.
Provide value with every post – Every social media post will have a different goal. Boost website traffic, Newsletter signups, shop, etc.
Conduct hashtag and keyword research – Keyword and /or hashtag research is a great way to drum up topics but don’t let terms drive all your content. Use keywords as your guide, but write naturally.
Write to your target demographic – You content must speak to the demographic you are trying to capture.
Write short for engagement and long for traffic – There is no definitive rules as to how long your posts should be. Above all, they should be well-written.
Add Visual elements to your posts – Add photos, infographics, videos, GIFs and other visual media to the body pf your posts.
You won’t become a better social media marketer overnight, and your business won’t reap the benefits of your new tactics after a single post. This is a long-term play, and there are no shortcuts – but the payoff will be worth the investment, since you’ll be able to apply your new skills as a writer to other aspects of your business.
The story I am about to tell begins with one’s worst fears coming to fruition. The nightmares you think are sealed into the realms of the dreaming world when abruptly leak into the waking moments can leave you tensed, torn and terrified. Summer of 2021, when the world was trying to recover from the tragedy of the pandemic, the Universe was getting ready to jolt me out of my comfort zone. My mortal fears have always been made of the inability to choose and control the events in my life! I am a person who is dreadfully resistant to the idea of change. And I mean any change. A new couch that I thought would go well with the décor when actually placed in the living room can make me ruefully question my life decisions.
The change that was staring me in the eye this time was colossal! Circumstances were leading to the inevitable reality of giving up my London apartment, one that I pieced together bit by bit. One that was my constant and one I hoped to keep even when everything else would change. But this was not to be. And just like that, my home became Flat 8!
The following months after I packed away my home was challenging, one that was filled with grieving, anger and, at times lack of spiritual connection that I had never felt before. Everything seemed like a test that would eventually lead to another massive failure. How does one explain grieving, especially if it’s not a dear one that you are mourning but a way of life and space that was sacred? With a bruised ego and a broken heart, I decided to move away from the UK. Perhaps new meanings of home or hope lay elsewhere. The process of healing, like tragedies, has a way of finding you without warning. Edmonton, Alberta, was like a breath of fresh air.
Someone like me, who rigidly prefers to stay on track and cannot fathom the idea of a detour while travelling to Canada via Paris, decided to make the most of a six-hour layover. I still have to pinch myself over it!
I knew something had to shift inside of me to breathe again. So, there I was, throwing caution to the wind, standing next to the Eiffel Tower, gleefully reminding myself that the choices of the living must remain in living and preferably in the present.
There could be myriad ways my story could have ended. One that began with displacement could have ended in me pirouetting around my fractured heart, engulfed in self-pity. Instead, my story ends with hope. No matter where I land, I must never give up on Hope because Hope is the thing with feathers bound to carry you to beauty and beyond!
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 