Monday, January 26, 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen... The fabulous Bonnie Berry


photos by www.bonniberryphotography.com

I am addicted... to good photos of my children. I will fully admit it. I adore seeing my children's smiling faces on my walls, it's the best art there is (to me). As soon as I met Bonnie back in March and saw her work, I knew I wanted her to photograph my kids. She has taken some of my favorite photos, during shoots or just hangin' out, and I wanted to share them with you...
This is not by any means all of the pictures she has taken of us, but some of my favorites!

Please visit her website http://www.bonnieberryphotography.com/ as well as her blog! She is an "on location Austin photographer who specializes in modern children and family portraits and wedding photgraphy" quoted from her blog. If I could've had Bonnie take our wedding photos, I would have been in heaven!!
And for all of my California friends... Bonnie makes a trip to CA twice a year, and could be available for your family or wedding sessions while she is there!! Lucky YOU!
Thank you Bonnie for capturing my family on film (ok, digital..) as I see us. I love your photos, and your gracious support for my business. I am eternally greatful to have you as a workout buddy and good friend! Cheers!

www.bonnieberryphotography.com
www.bonnieberryphotography.com
this is from my business website that Bonnie created
www.bonnieberryphotography.com
I love this shot! It's my "I'm not JUST a mom" shot, as my brother in law Stan called it. :) It is currently my Facebook profile picutre... nice huh?

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Family first

The start of this new year has made me realize that we need to make our little family top priority! Along with getting rid of cable tv (dvd's and vhs for us) we decided to spend more quality family time together. Russ and I are even going to Carrie Contey's workshop "Your Best Year Yet" on Sunday January 11th. Its all about setting goals and creating, well.. your best year yet! :) Russ is even excited about the idea of changing things up a bit around here.
I have to say... its been lovely not having tv around all the time, I'll let you know how I am doing in 6 months. So far so good!
The photos are from the first few days of the new year, at Central Market and at the San Antonio Zoo.
Leilani making dirt piles, maybe dry mud pies??
post dirt angels

we drove all the way to San Antonio for the kids to play with leaves???



Looking forward to a great year with the family!!!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year, new focus...


As 2008 wrapped up I began to realize that it was time to "go back to work" (I use quotation marks there because we ALL know that being a SAHM IS a full time PLUS job). I was missing that piece of me that gets to work with adults, and that gets to make a difference in people's lives, albeit a small one. I LOVE and adore my children, but I was feeling the pull of my life's purpose. Allowing myself the opportunity to go back to doing what I emotionally and intellectually enjoy doing made me feel like I could be a better mother. A happy, resourced Mom is just what all kids need. If I have to be away from them a couple days a week to do that for them, its what's needed.

The kids started attending the Good Earth Day School in Leander in November, which allowed me to brainstorm how I was going to get back into working. My plan from day one was to open my own office space and do the work I love on my own terms. I had a few minor setbacks at first but then it happened!

My sister in law Tiffany had offered her office as a place I could open up shop if I needed it. At first I turned her down because I hadn't figured out what I needed to do... but as the fates would have it, I asked if she was still willing to let me in... and she invited me with open arms! Tiffany is a marvelous psychiatrist, and has been in private practice for several years in this office space. There is an extra room next to her room that has been empty for a while, so my services fit right in. The space is perfect, quiet and calm, with a waiting area and kitchenette. Its everything I had imagined for my own space (outside of my home). Tiffany worked extra hard to make this space just perfect when she moved in, and it shows. When I finished massage school in San Diego I only did out-calls (I brought my table to people's homes, office rent was out of the question), so I have been waiting 7 years to have an office where I could receive clients.

With the help of my good friend Bonnie, I have a new wonderful website, with lovely photos! And amazingly enough it's already done a spectacular job of introducing my business to a large group of Austinites! If you haven't been there its... http://www.saraballardlmt.com/ Please take a look around! December was a great first month, and I look forward to starting 2009 with just as much momentum! Thank you to all who came to my open house and celebrated this next step in my practice!

So, for 2009 my goal is to introduce people to the Biodynamic Craniosacral work that I do. As previous posts have mentioned I am in a certification program for BCST, that will end in Jan of 2010 (which is only a year away, yikes!). I can already do the work, but my skills improve every time I do a session. I am learning more detailed info about the body and its capabilities with each new school module. In total, the time put into this program with be equivalent to more than what is needed to practice massage therapy in Texas. For those of you unfamiliar with this work...it is a specialty in itself, rather than a form of massage. :) please see my website for a short description of the work. After receiving this work myself I became extremely focused on learning it to share with everyone, it is profound! Throughout massage school I never felt such a pull to a particular modality as I do for the Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy. More of my time this year will be directed into studying and practicing this work, I wrote here... now I need to follow it! There is SOOO much to learn, but each piece I embody the more I feel "at home" with the work. I look forward to sharing the "movement within the stillness" with all of you!!

Love and Light in this New Year!