100 TTDBYD--Your City Edition

I came across two really great pages on Facebook (gotta love social networking...lol). One is DC 365 and the other is called Things to Do in DC Before you Die.

They both cover really cool things to do in and around the city--I believe 365 has fan pages for other cities as well.

I used both pages as sort of the jumping off point for a class video project. The goal of the project was a create a short video promo for an organization. I wrote a bucket list of sorts for DC of things that everyone should try to do in the city, whether visiting or whether you live here--

so here is a short version of "100 Things to Do in DC" (soundtrack is Welcome to DC by Mambo Sauce)

Never Too Late.

This almost made me cry.

I ran across this story earlier today. A 94 year old woman in Texas. YES 94!!! was told she had 6 months to live. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The nursing home staff where she currently lives asked if there was anything she wanted to do on her bucket list. She said she wanted to waltz. She said she and her husband (who is deceased) went once a week and she believed it kept their marriage alive.

The staff rented a limo and took her to the concert series at the Dallas Arboretum and arranged for her to have dance partners...


Here's the full story. http://cbs11tv.com/local/final.waltz.arboretum.2.1646326.html

How awesome is that!

Write on!

Now this is inspirational...

This 9 year old kid found out he had to have heart surgery. He wanted to help pay for it, so he sold over 500 copies of his short story on ebay to help raise money for his own surgery.

Click the link for the full story...

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/boy-s-story-pays-for-surgery-19087228

Dream Wedding Contest Part 2

So...A week or two ago I posted up the info on a wedding contest I was trying to help my friends win...well...

THEY WON!!

How beautiful is that.

The wedding will be sometime between now and July in New York (will definitely post pictures afterwards). But check out what they win:

• Wedding designed by celebrity wedding planner Bronson Van Wyck
• Reception at The Empire Hotel in Manhattan (as seen in "Gossip Girl")
• Designer wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses from Amsale
• CAROLEE jewelry for the entire wedding party
• Bridal hairstyling from Bumble and Bumble
• Bridal make-up from Bobbi Brown
• Collection of tabletop appliances from KitchenAid
• Wedgwood china for eight
• 6-day/5-night honeymoon at Couples Resorts in Jamaica (Travel & Leisure "World's Best" winner)

Total value is over $30,000

Help my friends make a dream come true--CHECK!

Reason #917 Why I (Sometimes) Like DC

I ventured out today to the Smithsonian Kite Fest and the National Cherry Blossom Festival. I shot this event last year and blogged about it but wasn't able to really gett any pics of the Cherry Blossoms because it was rainy.

This year the weather was a little chilly but still a great day for pictures. If you've never been--these two festivals coincide usually around the last week of March into the first week of April depending on peak bloom time for the blossoms. Here's what I shot.

Me being lazy on the side of the Potomac:

An artist painting the blossoms:

The Washington Monument through the trees



I love this pic...

Dream Wedding Contest!!

This is the part where I help someone else accomplish a goal, but I need some help.

These are my friends Danielle and Issac:

I've known Danielle since high school. She's one of my best friends! She and Isaac are engaged. They've been chosen as finalist on theknot.com to win an all expense paid wedding in New York--but they need people to vote for their story... Click here to see more of the story and vote for Danielle and Isaac

Now, normally you'd probably be like yeah yeah...boy meets girls,they fall in love blah blah blah, right?

As it happens, Isaac was tragically paralyzed some years ago. He and Danielle met 3 years ago when she worked at the rehab clinic where he was. I've had a chance to get to know him over the last few years and his optimism and sense of humor never cease to amaze me. I can honestly say, if you never ever believed in love and all the things that come with it (and I admit I am quite often skeptical) their story will definitely change your mind.

I want to help two amazing people get the dream wedding they deserve--if you like their story you can vote everyday until April 6! Feel free to grab the link and pass it along!

Very Cool!

Here's an interesting goal for those into photography...

My friend Cat who I've known practically forever posted this on Facebook this morning.

Cat now lives in Pittsburgh--and one of her friends took a cue from a blog and did something called "Project 365" -- where she took and posted 1 picture a day everyday for one year. Here's the link to the set on Flickr (she also includes the link to the blog from which she got the original idea) There are some gorgeous shots in there--but what I like is that you don't have to be a great photographer to pull this off. I think it's an interesting look at the way life moves in a year.

Take a peek--and enjoy!