Oh. My. Goodness. Three months to the day since my last blog entry. Shame on me!

People, I am undergoing some very exciting transitions and changes in my business. I can barely keep up! But there's no lack of excitement around here, and I will be bringing you all up to speed just as soon as I can, including a new logo, website and soooo much more!

I am trying out a booth at Red Deer's "With this Ring..." Bridal Gala tomorrow (February 8th) at Westerner Park. Very excited to introduce myself to the Central Alberta market! I leave in a few hours to go set up my booth. Wish me luck!

January was a crazy busy month for me- which is unusual since winter is usually "downtime" for photographers. I will be blogging about those shoots soon, but today, in anticipation of the new web hits I will be receiving from all the cool people I will meet tomorrow at the Wedding Fair, I am sharing with you the latest, greatest post I did on Facebook, the notorious "25 random things about me". This has been circulating facebook for a few weeks now, and I LOVE reading people's fun facts! So here's mine. Hopefully it sheds a little more light on who I am. If you are brave enough, leave me a comment with something cool about you!

Karen's 25 Random Things About Me.

1) I turned 29 on Feb. 2nd. It didn’t hurt a bit!

2) I was born with a 20% hearing loss in my right ear. I had 5 ear surgeries before the age of 10, and last time I went to see a specialist, I think I was down around 35%. I have been getting acquainted with the idea that hearing aids are in my future.

3) To me, a soy chai latte is a slice of heaven in a mug. And not because I don’t drink milk, because I do (though, less and less), but simply because soy milk nuttiness is the perfect complement to chai.

4) I am a photographer. I am super passionate about documenting moments in the lives of my family, friends and clients, and even though I have been doing this for years, I still get excited whenever I see a photo I took that is framed in someone’s home, or as their facebook profile pic!

5) I have traveled to over 20 countries (China, Thailand, USA, Europe…). As beautiful and diverse as the world is, there is still no other place I would rather call home, and raise a family, than the West Coast of British Columbia, where I grew up.

6) I like wine. A lot. Mt favourites these days are Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. Sometimes I think I will take sommelier courses just to learn more about wine.

7) My name became Karen Dean last year, when I married James Dean! Never get tired of telling people that I married James Dean. Hehehe.

8) In grade 12, I broke both my wrists at the same time! Fell backward in PE class.

9) I really love to cook. I am so thankful my mom taught me how when I was young, and that I’ve had some great foodies walk into my life to inspire me.

10) I feel very strongly about speaking encouragement and warm thoughts out loud. I want all the great people I run into in life to know the things I love and admire about them. Kind words are scarcer than they should be.

11) Paradise for me is spelled S-P-A. Seriously, you CANNOT go wrong with me and the spa. LOVE being pampered!

12) I can honestly say that my wedding day was one of the best days of my life. It was sunny, I felt pretty, I laughed and cried, ate good food and drank yummy wine, and all of the people dearest to my heart (well, almost all) were there to share in it. I never wanted that day to end.

13) Along with that theme, I have this little fantasy about becoming independently wealthy and flying all our close friends & family to a villa in the South of France (or somewhere equally intriguing and gorgeous), just to enjoy quality time with them.

14) I have my Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria. Choosing to do that program was one of the best choices I’ve ever made- for the people I met, and how much it opened my eyes to things I didn’t even know I knew nothing about.

15) I never, ever want to have pets. This was a deal-breaker for me in finding a spouse. Kids yes; dogs no.

16) I have 2 little nephews that I just adore! They live in BC and I miss getting to hangout with them. They change so fast!

17) Next week, I am starting the Body for Life 12 week challenge. I’m not going crazy hardline with it, I’m just in need of a challenge, and intrigued by the method. Eeek! Now you can all hold me accountable…

18) I need a lot of sleep. 8 hours is pretty much a minimum, but ideally I think my body would like 10 hours a night. This is tricky since I am always trying to accomplish a lot in a day… the 10 hours rarely happens, and 8 hours doesn't happen as much as it should.

19) I was in Phuket, Thailand with 2 friends on Dec. 26, 2004, when the Tsunami hit the shores of SE Asia. Miraculously, I was asleep at my hostel on a hill, and didn’t even hear news of it until we tried to walk down to the beach an hour later. I’m very aware that that day could have gone very differently for me. If you catch me taking life for granted, feel free to remind me of this ;-)

20) I absolutely love good bread. Baguettes make me happy!

21) Ironically, I hate pastry. Pie crust, danishes…even croissants are dicey.

22) I adore finding the PERFECT gift for someone.

23) I often feel overwhelmed by the hardships and evil in this world. The other day, I went to see “Slumdog Millionaire”, and while I really appreciated the story, I was also heartbroken that those hardships (and worse) are realities for kids all over the world. I know that feeling overwhelmed is ineffective, so as I continue to process that side of life, I hope to discover the role I was created to play in helping people.

24) I feel really rich in love, life and friendship. I've had a great run- already!

25) I just moved to Red Deer, and I am working while my husband goes to school to become a nurse. I never dreamed that this would be a part of my life’s story- and I love that. What’s coming next?!

Photo from our wedding day, courtesy of LaCour: