Man, am I in big trouble. Didn't mean I don't worry about you Connie. When I think of Mexico, I think of you as being only half way there and that is plenty far. Why don't you guys all just live in Canada? I just hooked up now, probably a little late to figure out the computer thing, eh?
Im sorry... I have to correct that address since little Lemmie Lu will not!
Lincoln Lehmann & Lori Lemieux
CONDOMINIO AKOYA #210
CALLE RETORNO III CHICHEN ITZA
MZA 016 LOTE 43
VILLAS PAKAL, PLAYA CAR FASE II
C.P. 77711
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Q.ROO
ps - I know why Mother Lemieux is worried about her daughter going "south"... is because it she is venturing further that her other daughter into what some may call the Wild Wild West! The thing she is forgetting to remember... is she is with Billy the Kid... best gun slinger this side of the Mississippi!
Here Mom... not to worry... now you have my new address. Come visit anytime after... April.
CONDOMINIO AKOYA
CALLE RETORNO III CHICHEN ITZA
MZA 016 LOTE 43
VILLAS PAKAL, PLAYA CAR FASE II
C.P. 77711
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Q.ROO
Whoohoo... so exciting! Send me a letter! We're going to send ourselves a welcome postcard... See if it will beat us there.
As far as we know the mail system down there is pretty unreliable. I can see why... based on that address. Looks a little confusing to me. I was reading a blog one day of someone who had moved down there... and their family had been sending all kinds of letters and photos that would never show up. Then... on one foggy christmas eve... the mail man came to say.... Xmas eve, a huge package of all the family letters and photos showed up. How nice....
I can't help but feel a little like....chopped liver....MOTHER!! you have another child that lives "sooooooo far away"......but you don't worry about me!!! i never get any phone calls.
lor, i haven't looked at the pics yet....but will do soon.
anyways mother maybe we should try and skype tonight...thats video calling or video conference. i haven't set it up yet...but i'll take a look at it. i have to go to "work" today at 11. i'm helping this lady in my neighborhood. she sells clothes and puts on parties, like party light but clothes. she asked if i wanted to help her out and make a few bucks....so i am. today is my first day of work. oh and tuesday i went and applied for my social security number.
I just checked out the site. Those are really fantastic pictures!!. Sounds like commitment from customers are starting to flow in. Must be all that positive energy. positive thinking. Can't help but worry about a child which will be sooooo far away.
Yeah, mom... can't wait for you guys to come visit me and my big comfy couch! You will be much more at ease once you see the area I'll be living in. It is very safe... nothing to worry about. It's gotta be pretty decent when it backs onto the golf course. It is very well developed and filled with people just like us!
Anyway, today I really feel like we've hit a waterfall of goodness. Business is flowing fast and furious! Last night we confirmed two bookings with deposits, and this morning we woke up to two more requests to give us money and 'save the date'. Its very very good news for us... obviously.
Oh, we posted another slideshow. Its called 'Beach Wedding'. Go check it out. You'll probably have to 'refresh' your page to get the new menu. (Mom, there is a button up on the toolbar that will say refresh or reload... probably with a picture of an arrow).
www.MomentsThatMatterPhotography.com
Comfy and inviting I must admit. Looks kinda funky...both the couch and the view. So I take it your not waiting to get the bonus from work. You got all your health records/issues/shots whatever all upto date?
Since the blog hasn't heard from anyone in a while I will do my journal entry now....
Been a busy week or two. Working hard on a wedding package, lots of price requests, and advertising. Its been fun.
Still working on our final date to leave... We're hoping for begining of March, but the sale of the Calgary condo will dictate that. I'll let you know when we start the count down.
I'm getting super excited!! And we're getting more and more emails and bookings. We're looking good to start fulltime shooting in April.
Here is an evening shot from our new balcony. I feel the warm air, just looking at! We've ordered a couch that will be meeting us there in about 90 days. I'll throw a picture of it down here too.
Sorry we didn't get out to Regina while you were down Connie. I'm glad you were there cause no one else seems to have a camera to post to the blog. Can't wait to see the pics. Bet you are the happiest gal in Houston right about now.
Well, today is my turn to travel. I'll be leaving Kim and Bills in about 30 mins. Even though I had a great time here with the family I think its time to get home. Overnight it was -45 with windchill.....I just don't think I can handle any more of it!! I think I'll go back to the balmy weather of Houston. Next time I come to babysit Miss Addy-pants I think I'll make it in a non-winter month!!! How does that sound? Thanks Kim and Bill for everything while I was here.
See ya'll later!!
Oh, when I get home I'll post some pics/vids of b'Addy!!
I know... a few too many flights for me. I think I'll drive next time!!! Aaaaaaall the way to Mexico!! I'll be thanking the lord for airports during that trip, I'm sure.
Lori, I just can't understand why you spent money getting a Tundra. You should of just invested in a Boeing or at least a Cessna. You could of just flew everywhere (like you don't now). Closed the bars down, shheesh....the world should never have to put up with the Lemieux Girls. Anyways glad The Three Musketeers had a good time.
I'm back in my old stompin grounds. Good ol regina. Not sure mom and dad knew i was coming here... but I'm here... just for the weekend. Going home tonight.
Last night went out dancing with Kim, Connie and some of our friends here. It was a very good time. These sisters closed down the bar! Been a long time since this bar star has closed down the bar. Anyway, the weekend has been really good. Got to see my little B'Addy girl. She is so grown up now, and very smart. She is having a bath right now. Not sure if all that marker is going to come out, but I'll keep you posted.
Happy Birthday Darin! Can't believe our baby boy is 28 today. Hope you have a great day. This might be your lucky year. For any of you who didn't hear Darin went through the police selection committee and we have every bit of confidence he did tremedously well. Good Luck. Luv Mom & Dad
The builder?? I thought you weren't getting that place? Aren't you getting a preowned place? More info please....
Thinks are going well with our purchase. Our mortage is now approved, and the purchase contract will be signed this week.
Then the builder has to prepare the required documents for the bank... Once the bank gets these papers, its another 40 days of paper work... then possession. So... crossing our fingers for march.
Oh, by the way... When we were in mexico, I tried to order butter for our bread in a restaurant... Which I think is "mantequilla para pan".... and the table beside us ended up with shots of tequilla... hhahaha... I think I might have sent them tequilla cause our butter never showed up! hahahaha.... This should be interesting.
Connie sounds like your life is pretty rough these days. Haha. SuperNanny and SunTan Queen, what a combination! Thanks for the vote of confidence with my exam. Hope Addyson is keeping you on your toes (just so you don't have to back to Houston and complain about any weight gain.)
lori, good job......we wanna know what is going on with the purchase of your mexian resident.
mom, good job....i'm sure your exam went just fine.
darin......good job. hahaha. happy birthday a couple days early...don't worry, i'll still call ya.
dad....good job.....i don't know what you've been up to, but i thought i would give kudos to you too.
kim....good job.....your kid is cute. and pretty good.
and nothing else to report from me. just nannying for the next two weeks....then i go home and get to suntan! :O)
Good job little student! Keep up the hard work! Mid-terms.... ew. I remember when we all had to move our desks into the gym for final exams... Oooooo... how scary! It was at the time. Well, Mommer, I'm sure u did just fine. Keep us posted.
I'm back in Canada now. We'll be working very hard to get our two destnation wedding packages complete and up on the website. Can't wait! They'll be awesome!
Also, good news... our showings are going crazy!! Its our turn now! Kim had a crazy Dec for showings and January is our turn! 4 showings in the last two weeks. And one was a second showing!!! Yes!
For anyone who's wondering what that's all about....I wrote my last midterm today. Was it hard? Ya, extremely. Just have to wait for the mark now.
Yes... we did get our tripod back. Thank da Lord!!! It look alot of hunting... and almost some tears. It took us a day to realize it was missing, then... we asked all around the resort where it could be. No answers. I thought it was a gonner... until, sitting at the restaurant and a worker came up to us and asked if we got our tripod cause he had handed it in to security! He had put it in a corner and it never made their lost and found list. We were very thankful to get it back. We've learned our lesson. Rookie mistakes. We were so tired from a full full day of shooting... took off too fast. Ooops.
Here are some trash the dress shots from today:
I'm pretty sure it's not working right. The post from Lori says 8:05 A.M. I know she's in another country BUT, up early in the morning doesn't work well with her. I guess it's just a minor set-back, so maybe I can live with it.
Pictures look good so far. And so, did the tripod get snatched up?
I'm still in Mexico. Wedding shoot went mostly well... Still learning some very important lessons about our new career path.
1) do not leave your expensive tripod at the wedding when you leave.
2) manual focus on group shots
3) ... not sure yet... i''m sure we'll learn more when we get a chance to start working on touching up the package.
It did go well... they liked us... and thought we worked really really hard for them. So.... we'll see what happens when they see their photos. They will love the ones we have but I think they may be expecting more when it comes to getting shots of their guests.... we will see....
Couple favorites, before touch ups:
Head table:
Favorite group shot. I love the curved effect from this lens.
We didn't have alot of time for couples shots, but we managed to sneak this one in while she was still wearing her veil. More couple shots to do with them today... and a trash the dress. But she doesn't want to get wet... so it could be intesting... hhahah. Na, it'll be fun, and we'll get more great shots.
I'm thinking now, that I should have turned the dress to get the back too... but I'm sure the bride will love this one!
I figured this was a smart idea to set up the dresses in the dressing room! makes for a good back ground.
Can't wait to see some of the pics. Hey, about the fuel, was a cheap lesson. They could of had their eye on camera equipment. Finally warming up here. Only -8C. Gotta luv that.
What's the magical word, Bella, Pretty-o? Whatever it is, I think you just learnt the underlying motive. Remember they always want your money, cause they think everybody else is rich and they are the under-dogs. Good thing the price of fuel is cheaper now, your lesson cost you less. Haha. Gotta keep a step ahead of those Mexis. Can't wait to hear about tomorrow adventures. When do you take the wedding pictures?
Well well well... this country that I've decided to move to is proving to be quite the hand full when it comes to taking care of yourself.
Todays adventure involved about 30 gas attendants, and 255 pesos! We rented a car for the day. When we were ready to return it, we went to fill it with gas. There were 30 gas dudes waving us in to "their" gas pump. So, we chose one, then make sure the pump read zero. That is a common scam. They do not zero out the pump and charge you the gas for the person in front of you.... PLUS yours. Anyway, it was zero. I thought we were free and clear. No sir-re! Another lesson for all you out there.... one guy "pumps" gas while the other confuses you by telling you how beautiful you are... hahahha... good one! We estimate we spend about 5 bucks in gas. Maybe 7! But, when we looked back, miraculously we owed 25 USD (and we noticed the dudes finger was on the number buttons punching in some random price)!!! I don't think so! We battled him on that one. Then be went to get us a "receipt". He came back with some random receipt for EXACTLY 10 USD. Doubt that too!
Whatev, we paid it, and we've learnt a lesson. Never trust a Mexican... Thats mean, I know, but its true. Don't worry... when you come to visit me I will take care of you. I promise!
That's what they remind me of... Paradise... Glad you've met some really important contacts. Have to be white, eh? Remember you'll look like a senorita in no time. The shots look like they should be in a magazine...there's another promo idea for you. Fantastic ideas, composition is the key. Good Luck! Keep us posted. Luv Ya.
Well, we've been here less than 24 hours and we've accomplished a-major-lot of stuff!!!
On the flight down, chatted up a wedding photographer sitting beside us. Learnt some tips an tricks from the 10 year Calgary pro. Super nice guy with lots of guidance for us.
Today, went to check out the wedding site, and found another group chattin about a wedding. Found out there were shooting a wedding for their neice today. We offered to shoot the cermony for free! Got us some AWESOME website content! Already!!! and we haven't even shot our wedding yet!
As we set up, someone else scoped us out for their friday wedding. They hired the resort photographer but are having second doubts about that now. All you need is to be white.. and have some fancy equipment and people want to be your friend... Ha, who knew!
Went out look for spots to bring our paying couple on Thursday. We have some wicked ideas for them!
Here are some photos from today... and we haven't edited them yet. They only get better!!!
Already Jan 4/09. Kim, Bill, Addyson & Connie left today. I don't know how we raised four children in a house this size. Seems sardine size when we get extras. Addyson is quite the entertainer. I'm afraid Grandma & Grandpa's house kept her curiousity going. She was especially amazed with the "Cookoo Clock". I think her cartesian clock is right on time. She seemed to make it back to the clock every hour this morning. Perhaps that also explains why she slept so well. Sure didn't like being told she was going to bed but she was out like a light when left alone.
This Christmas Season turned out Great for us. Everybody made it home. Our most unexpected gift was the arrival of Connie. Thanks Gavin for not being selfish and sharing her with us. Now she's off to Regina where she gets to SPOIL or as Kim puts it "to babysit" Addyson.
Happy new year to you too!
Linc and I kept new years low key. Went out for Mexican food and a movie. "Mexican" food... Can't wait til we just call it food... cause we'll be living in mexico! whoohoo. Anyway, it seemed to fit the theme of our new years resolutions... MEXICO!!!
Ah, funny you say Kim and Bill moved out of their 1st house.... I've owned and sold 4 places in the time that they've been living there. hahahah.... funny. Oh, and purchased my 5th (in Mexico).
And, how nice of your darling daughter to surprise her parents for new years. Hope the trip was enjoyable.
I'm heading onto the plane on Sunday. Off to Playa again... Jan 4-11. Shooting our first paying gig! This should give us some wicked content for the website! Get us booked for a bunch more shoots!
My spanish is coming along well. I just found out that a sombrero is not what you think it is. Is just 'hat' in spanish. Its not those colorful big hats.... its... just a hat.
Anyway, later gators.
Wow, 2009 has crept right up on us. Hard to believe a year has slid by. We've had a lot of excitement in a year's time. I finished my first year of eyeglass dispensing. Connie moved to Houston to join Gavin. Connie and Gavin got married in early May. We had a great, fun holiday in Mexico (good thing the wedding was there or I'd still be waiting to go down there). Lori and Darin moved out of their condo in Copperfield. Lori bought a condo downtown and has since sold it. Kim and Bill have sold their first home on Schwartzfeld Place and moved to Alfred Crescent. I guess Dad and I are the only ones who haven't moved this year. Sorry, but I like this bungalow, just right you know, not too much housecleaning.....for your father as he seems to do most of it these days....gotta keep him busy.
Now with 2009 upon us....it has started with a bang....Kim, Bill and Addyson came home tonight. And then about 15 minutes later....knock, knock at the door....there's our Connie standing there or maybe I should say freezin' out there.... giant snowflakes falling, reminding her of the Canadian winters she's left behind. She flew in from Houston to Regina and came with B & K....what a wonderful surprise....too bad Gavin couldn't make it. Darin, Lori and Lincoln were here last week. Maybe next year we'll all be together at Christmas. Guess now, I understand why my parents were always so estatic when all their family was home for the holidays. It seems so hard to get everyone together. Lori and Lincoln are leaving for Mexico on the 4th. The plan is to move there, I guess next year she won't be home. Soon I'll be whispering the words my Dad told me when I left Willow Bunch, "My job is done". Anyways, now is a good time to wish everyone Health, Wealth and Happiness for 2009. Luv-U-All. Mom & Dad.