If you do know the answer of where I am and what I’m doing for the next 48 hours, you can’t play. (to the five of you )
And if you have a moment, give some blog love to Linda today on the SOAR! site. She did her blog post after Fay’s heaving lifting, inspiring Business Coaching post yesterday. If you could leave a comment of encouragement, that would be awesome. These three SOAR! Recipients are working so hard. Your words of “hang in there” or “great job” give more them more than you know!
So, what’s your guess?!
p.s. Tomorrow is the LAST day to take advantage of the Early Bird Special, plus the Special Payment Plan for the upcoming, Mother’s Day, SEATTLE CONFIDENCE Workshop! Grab your spot before midnight tomorrow! FYI, the three SOAR! Recipient Ladies will be attending this workshop too! It’s going to be a hoot! CLICK HERE for details and to register! CLICK HERE for details on other photography workshops happening this Spring!
We are home as of late last night. I can’t tell you how good it is to be home, in my own bed, in my kitchen, with my mom brining dinner over tonight. Brian and I feel dead to the world from jet lag, but the kids act as if we just got back from the park! Their energy is killing us to say the least! But it’s so good, so good, SO GOOD to be home. My mom’s already got me started on a digestive cleanse as of tonight—to get my body back up and running.
Blaze’s hungry tummy woke us all up at 5am this morning, so I lit a candle and dove into my Morning Pages while watching the sunrise. I journaled about how I feel small upon returning. I feel small in a good way. Our trip was full of moments that were enormous, some were almost to hard to bear and others lifted and inspired us to magical measures. But it’s good to come home feeling small—feeling small sometimes makes me feel weak. There is no weakness this time around.
As I sort through the thousands of images we shot, this one is a favorite when I think about my Morning Pages this morning. Brian shot this while I was shooting in the Jungle Temple in Angkor Wat. Pascaline is at the corner of the image playing hide and seek with Blaze through the temples many tunnels. And I’m caught up in the awe at what is in front of me, what I have the opportunity to capture. It’s feeling small in moments like these that I’ve brought home with me—feeling awe filled with wonder and the mystery of life.
Brian set up this great feature for the blog, where you can click on the image to see it even bigger. He’s the best.
As an artist, I think it’s vital to reconnect with this feeling of being small. It seems like I stay creative and inspired when I sense magic and wonder in the world. When that magic and wonder start to get choked out by stress, it’s such much harder to create. Don’t you think? I described the unfolding sunrise this morning in my Morning Pages and tried to nurture that part of me that needs to slow down and notice the pockets of wonder surrounding me in everyday life.
There is so much more I want to say about this topic, but I’m stopping it here today b/c I am so tired. But, it doesn’t have to end here. Share your thoughts on the topic in today’s comments. And also, Fay has made a special appearance on the SOAR! blog today. Since this month has five weeks, she decided to put a bonus Business Coaching Exercise up on the SOAR! blog. It’s all about Passion—tapping into that place of wonder and mystery that we carry within. You must check out her exercise. It’s wonderful. Fay is a remarkable Business Coach who has taught me so much. I can’t sing her praises loud enough.
May your Monday be blessed with a moment of wonder, mystery and inspiration. May you feel small today in a way that fills you up.
I was going to post photos from Angkor Wat today, but I’ve got to push it back another day b/c I’m in SHOCK! We are making our way back home, and decided to stay two nights in Bangkok to break up the long journey.
A dear friend of the family, who lives in Bangkok, helped us A LOT while we had the Dengue Fever. Within 30 minutes of contacting my family for help, he was calling us from Bangkok and finding the best of doctors to help right away. His family is also part of the 5 star, Luxury Peninsula Hotel, on the riverfront in Bangkok.
Can you believe that he has given us two nights here to rest up and continue our recovery? Isn’t that AMAZING! With all that we’ve been through, it’s hard to not feel as equally—if not even MORE—blessed and surrounded by support.
We are in a gorgeous Grande Suite with a beautiful Master bedroom,
a yummy bathroom with a TV over the bathtub, like the one below! Blaze soaked in the tub this morning and just watched cartoons. He said he doesn’t want to leave.
There is a breathtaking living room (yep, it looks like the one below!), dining area, and a panoramic view of the river.
The suite would normally cost $700 plus a night (a bit more than our budget ). When we walked in I felt like I was dreaming. We’ve been sleeping with mosquito nets, unruly, god awful bats (BLAH!) and gobs of mosquito spray covering our bodies for WEEKS. I can’t tell you how WELL we all slept last night.
My favorite part was when we walked into the suite. Blaze looked up at me and said, “Mom, all I can say is that we must be God’s FAVORITE customers!”
xoxo,
Me Ra
p.s. Thanks for all your comments regarding Pascaline’s story with the Gibbons singing. It was such an amazing moment, and I had to share it with all of you. Thank you for treasuring it so much. It always blesses me to hear your thoughts and reactions. Many more stories to come!
After we left the orphanage in Phnom Penh, we flew to Siem Reap to explore one of the seven wonders of the world with our cameras: Angkor Wat. We had been so involved with the orphanage, loving every moment, that we forgot to book a hotel in Siem Reap. So there I was, sitting in baggage claim, trying to get online to book a room somewhere.
A lady sat down next to me. She was beautiful; long, black hair and dark brown eyes with a petite nose and warm smile. I asked her if she’d been to Siem Reap, and she said she lived here. What a perfect person to ask for advice on where to stay. She mentioned a couple places, but soon we were talking about our time at the orphanage. I was so full from our time that I spilled story after story out, and she was so gracious to listen to them all. Then she excused herself to make a call.
When she came back to me, she said that she had booked us a room at the five star Hotel De La Paix. It’s one of the most exquisite hotels in Siem Reap with the room rates starting at $350 USD. You can only imagine the beauty of this place because a $350 room in a third world country IS something to write home about. She gave us the room and said she wanted to give us a place of rest after all we’d done in Phnom Penh. Brian and I didn’t know what to say. But she insisted that it was her pleasure. She was incredibly moved by the stories from our time at the orphanage. And before you knew it, we were in a taxi headed to one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever stayed at.
We had the wonderful honor of meeting the hotel managers and learned about their commitment to supporting the arts and people in need. They were all eager to hear of our time at the orphanage. And I have a feeling that this beautiful, mystery woman at the airport, started a relationship…friendship…of something powerful to come.
After spending the last several nights, sleeping on mats in a room above a coffee shop for $20 a night, we all dove into the plush, white sheets of Hotel De La Paix. The four of us indulged in long showers and then slept as long as we could in those clouds of white sheets.
The kids were amazed to see how an unexpected gift like this could happen. It spurred so many conversations about faith, hope, helping those in need, giving space for the unexpected, and on and on, conversations I will always treasure.
The next day we got in a Tuk Tuk and headed to Angkor Wat. We had no idea what to expect. I kept thinking of the signs in the airport, Welcome to the Country of Wonder. Our time at the orphanage had definitely be filled with wonder. Little did I know that as our Tuk Tuk putted it’s way down the mangrove road, another kind of wonder prepared to welcome us.
Here is a sneak peak of the wonder we came upon at sunrise!
We have a winner to announce! As many of you know, we ask a handful of women to be the judges for our Running on Empty contest. A number of these women are also former winners. We enlist their help because there is no way Brian and I could ever choose. And even with this contest, every woman emailed a message of struggle on picking one winner. Every story was amazing. Every woman nominated deserves to be recognized and we can only choose one. So again, I want to thank all the beautiful women who were entered or entered themselves. I am amazed at your strength and love. Thank you for sharing your life with us here. Thank you for being so strong and not giving up. You continue to inspire me more than words can say.
The votes were collected, and we have a single winner. The winner for the April Orange County (CA) CONFIDENCE Workshop is Paige S.! Paige, Brian and I want to welcome you this weekend to the Orange County CONFIDENCE workshop. Your brave and positive heart is uplifting and inspiring, and I would love the honor of lifting your creative spirit even higher this weekend. We hope all the logistics can work for you. Can you email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) by Thursday at 12 noon to confirm your coming? (I know you sent your address to her, but email her first) If it doesn’t work for you, we have beautiful Runner Ups. Thanks Paige, and I hope we get to meet in person in April!
For those of you who missed Paige’s story, here it is from her own words;
Honestly, I can’t think of a mother who DOESN’T deserve something like this! I also can’t think of a person who doesn’t have hardship in their life to further merit this gift. For that reason, I don’t think I stand out in the crowd when nominating myself. But I will say this, hardship begets growth. And thank goodness for that!
My husband is deploying to Afghanistan next week for 6-12 months (gotta love the ambiguity of the Marine Corps!) for his first combat tour. We have a 2 and 1/2 year old and a 6 month old at home. My family and my home town is across the country, and we just moved here. Like my garage is still full of boxes. And we bought a fixer-upper of sorts. But I don’t want sympathy. I’ve gotten enough of that. What I want is to do something! I want to really make something of myself while he is gone! I absolutely LOVE photography, and that fact excites me because I’ve seen a loss of passion in my life since becoming a mother. But I want to LIVE again! I want my children to have a full-time mom who loves herself. I want my husband to see me self-sufficent with that fire back in my eyes. He certainly deserves it. Thank you, Me Ra, for creating this safe haven for women like me to feel empowered!
Really, we can’t think of moms who don’t deserve or need this either. If you didn’t win, your welcome to nominate yourself again. Congratulations Paige!
If you register between today and April 1st, you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After April 1st, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. But we must warn you to not wait until then. One CONFIDENCE Workshop was sold out by the end of the first day for Early Bird! To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!
If any of you missed The Wisdom Connection call on “What to do when Procrastination Wins?” last week, email Genie (genie@merakoh.com) and she’ll happily send a link for the audio recording of the call. The post was late that day so I want to make up for it!
Where does one begin after the last couple weeks? I must admit that I’m in tears, as I start writing this post. At one point, I never knew when I’d have the strength to write a new post. But alas, I’m so thankful to meet you here this morning. Kari’s Mamabloo Photo Tale post was absolutely beautiful yesterday, and I must thank her here (again and again) for bringing beautiful words to this blog to give me a little more time to recover. And what on earth would I do without my Genie? I don’t even want to think about it. But you, all of you…
Thank you for EVERY prayer and loving wish of recovery. To be in a jungle and feel the isolation start to suffocate as your fevers spike…it has been overwhelming. But to be able to have Brian come back to our house, after finding an Internet connection, and read all your loving words to us…I can’t tell you how much your prayers gave to me and Pascaline. Thank you so much for taking the time and caring as much as you all do.
Before this trip, I had never heard of the Dengue Jungle Fever. It’s transmitted by a mosquito bite, a daytime mosquito. (The daytime fact is what made me fall out of my seat. I haven’t even seen a “daytime” mosquito!) But he saw us, and he did bite. They call the Dengue, the Bone Breaker, and I have never felt pain like this before. You literally feel like all your bones are breaking, starting with your legs and working its way up to your head, feeling as if your head is splitting open in seven directions.
The intensity is enough to make you never want to come back. This was how I felt at different moments. I just wanted to be home where the weather wasn’t 102 degrees as if it was competing with our 104 degree fevers. Pascaline and I could have felt betrayed by this place we love so much. But I think the jungle somehow knew we were reaching our breaking point because at the worst hour, the jungle surrounded us with love and wonder.
The moment of feeling surrounded by love and wonder was in the middle of Pascaline’s worst fever run. This is what I wrote to my brother when it was over…
Pascaline is about two days behind me. She is still suffering on and off. She has been such a trooper. I sat and cried in the doctor’s office and told him that we felt like our bones were breaking, and he told me the fever’s street name “The Bone Breaker”. It was comforting in a very disturbing but relieving way.
I have never felt pain like this Shauni—ever. I have been in and out of delirium with faint memories of Brian putting cold washcloths all over me, trying to bring my body temp down to no avail. I have seen his eyes scared. It’s hard to see it in his eyes, and at the same time feel like the fever has taken me a hundred miles away.
Yesterday morning Pascaline woke up screaming. She was screaming that her nose broke off. Her whole body was twisting and turning in pain. I had just been through it all night, and I held her and wept. There is no medicine. There is no immunization. Your body must simply let go. Everything in you wants to fight the pain away, but this only makes it worse.
Brian sat above her, as he sat above me the last five nights, and whispered instructions to her as he gently held her legs down. “Pascaline, the fever has already lost. Don’t fight the pain. Let go and focus on this spot.” He laid his hand over her collar bone. “There is no pain there, and that is where God is resting. Rest with Him, and let the fever swallow you b/c I won’t let it take you. I will be on the other side.”
To stop fighting the pain and let it pull you under like the sea’s undertow is overwhelming…but to feel like you won’t ever surface, to see the sheer fear in my baby’s eyes…
As I held her, I couldn’t help but cry with a feeling of such helplessness. Our Thai housekeeper came up behind me. Her name is Cha, and she has the most beautiful smile in all of Thailand. She laid her hands gently on my shoulders and whispered words to me in Thai, comforting words that I couldn’t understand, but I knew she was speaking from one mother to another.
And then something magical happened that I must back up to tell you about…
We have monkeys here, as you remember. There are two kinds of monkeys, and then we also have Gibbon Apes. The Gibbon Apes are high up in the trees and give off a beautiful call in the morning. It’s like a whirling, siren noise that washes over you, repeating itself, with different apes joining in at different octaves, and the whole jungle is quiet as these beasts sing.
They never come down to our house level, but you can see them with binoculars. And yet the other day, Pascaline was mimicking their sound off the back deck. And FIVE of them came down to the trees off our deck and watched us, mimicking back to her, swinging through the trees with such speed and fierce ability, your mouth dropped open. That morning, Blaze was fevering his worst.
Yesterday, when Pascaline was screaming with pain, the Gibbons started singing. I didn’t notice at first until someone said something. Except they weren’t high up in the hills, they were all around the outside of our bedroom and back deck—watching from the trees.
They were in the low trees and whooping their call so loud and so divine, it swallowed Pascaline’s screaming. It was then that she actually smiled with her eyes closed from the pain. “Can you hear them mom? They’ve come back down. I think they’re singing to me.” And so they were. I can’t explain how magical the moment felt with Cha whispering faith into my ear in an unfamiliar tongue, and Gibbons singing to my daughter, but I felt held by the jungle, held and not shunned by this fever any longer.
_______________________________
Two days later, Pascaline’s fever broke for good. She has bounced back with such amazing speed. But still, we have taken life very slow. On most days, it feels as if the fever has beat the energy right out of my body. But at sunset we make our way down to the beach, when the heat is not so merciless. Brian and I have sat and watched Pascaline wade in the water with Blaze, listened to her laugh, and have confessed that her laugh is the most beautiful sound we have heard in weeks. The little one even rock climbed yesterday with utter grace as twenty plus people watched from below as she made her way up the 100 ft rock face on a 6b route—making it look like child’s play.
In a few days, we start our journey home. We’re going to start a day early, break up our flying time a bit more, so that our bodies don’t feel pushed as hard. The kids cried because they felt like they’ve just begun to play here. But at the same time, I think we are ready to return.
Some of you must still be praying because our last days here have been rich with joy and wonderful memories. God is somehow already restoring the time our fevers stole. And even more so, what a blessed family we are to know we are returning to all your love and support.
From one mother to many mothers, fathers, grandparents, and dear friends, thank you so much for praying for us in one of our scariest hours. Thank you for praying for my babies. Thank you with all my heart.
Love,
Me Ra
p.s. If you are game, I’m excited to back up in our trip before the Dengue came. There are so many images and crazy stories to share on the blog of our time in Angkor Wat. But tomorrow, we’d first like to announce the Running on Empty Winner. Our internet has been so horrible here, but I think Genie has saved the day (AGAIN!), and we’ll be able to announce the beautiful winner tomorrow for the Orange County Wkshp.
p.s.s. I want to make one last special note. The SOAR! Recipients are posting their exercises from the Artist Way this week, starting today. If you are in need of creative inspiration, be sure you check out what they share this week on the SOAR! blog. And for those of you undecided on a camera purchase, the gals all blogged about their Sony SOAR! gear last week.
For those of you who have been following Me Ra and Brian’s Thailand Adventures Part Deux, you know – like I do – what an amazing (both in good and bad ways) trip it has been so far.
I gotta tell ya, I had been working on a photo tale to share with you all that was about lighting. But, after reading what has been going on in Thailand and Cambodia, it just wasn’t working for me to think about the technical aspects of photography right now. I have been so inspired by the SOUL of photography after reading Me Ra’s posts.
And, frankly, my family and I have been put through the ringer these last few weeks. Oh, nothing like almost perishing on an airplane or facing the harrowing reality of orphans being sold on the street for $10. And especially nothing like facing some crazy jungle fever! But the kind of “stop and take stock” that is uncomfortable. I described it on MamaBloo as losing my OOMPH. But the bottom line is that it looks like my days as a Stay at Home Mom may be over. I knew they would come to an end someday and I absolutely acknowledge and embrace what a gift the past five years has been. But I haven’t been ready to jump back into working full time, and with a 12 month old at home, my heart just feels on the verge of breaking when I think about leaving her. I mean, like big chunks of my heart falling off of my soul.
So, I picked up my camera. Hoping it would soothe me.
I looked at my baby girl and there she was dressed in her brother’s hand-me-down tie dye shirt, our only green option for St. Patrick’s Day:
And then I went back through my 100s and 100s of pictures. Looking for just the right ones. The ones that said, “this is my baby… my Emme.”
And I realized something.
That even if my white balance isn’t right:
Or the lighting isn’t the best.
Or something just isn’t quite a masterpiece:
Or I still need to work on how to set all the dials and knobs on my camera:
I can still capture the soul of my child.
And that is just what I needed to know.
(Stay tuned – that Photo Tale on lighting is still coming!)
Given the recent scare about Me Ra and Pascaline’s health in Thailand it seems crazy to announce another workshop but here we are! She and Pascaline have been resting a LOT and still need to but I heard she made it to the beach today. Sweet! Although I don’t think it’s very far…:) I don’t think she can say much yet except for how much she appreciates and needed your prayers. It truly held them.
Me Ra asked me to post this b/c she would love to see you at home, in Seattle. Plus MOTHER’S DAY is coming up and this is the PERFECT gift to ask for! So she didn’t want to wait to get the word out. And she knows she’ll really be ready to have a workshop at home. I also have to say…it made me really happy to hear from you two. ~ xoxo Genie
From Me Ra:
Brian and I are excited to open the Early Bird Registration for the Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop for Women, coming to you on May 15th and 16th! If you know your ready to sign up, CLICK HERE to register!
Our upcoming ORANGE COUNTY, CA workshop is SOLD OUT so this is our next West Coast one. If you are in need of a weekend with women, full of laughs, and creative inspiration with your camera, the Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop is for you! It’s just in time to give you CONFIDENCE with your camera and prepped for a new year of photographing your family for the spring, vacations, inside on those horrible, rainy days with all the low lighting, (if your from the Pacific Northwest, you KNOW what I mean!). And don’t forget about those pets! We’re going to cover it all! Ladies, we are going to be READY for an awesome 2010 of photography! All levels are welcome! Topic details are below! But first, to give you a window into what our workshops look like, check out the trailer in this post!
FAQ: (if we don’t answer your specific question here, email Genie direct at genie@merakoh.com )
Question: What is the Early Bird Registration?
Answer: If you register between today and April 1st (that’s two weeks), you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After April 1st, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. But we must warn you to not wait until April 1st. One CONFIDENCE Workshop was sold out by the end of the first day for Early Bird! To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!
WHEN? May 15th and 16th 2010, All Day Saturday and Sunday
TIME? An optional Continental Breakfast is served at 9:15am, and then we jump into the workshop by 9:30am. Each day will finish around 6pm. (But we have been known to get excited and not stop on time. So see if you can stay late if that happens again. )
WHERE? The BEAUTIFUL Gallery space at Hotel Murano . We are going to use this incredible gallery as our creative space to learn, grow, be inspired, and create!
MEALS:
FRIDAY MEET AND GREET: One of the things I LOVE most about doing the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is that we get to host the Meet and Greet at our home. Brian and I would like to invite you and your spouse into the privacy of our home for our special Meet and Greet. We’re going to have wine and appetizers, and a lot of laughs. The Meet and Greet will be from 7-9pm. Our purpose is to give you a chance to connect with other women attendees and begin to feel welcome, safe and inspired. We have our work all over the walls, so it will be fun to share with you some of our personal photography.
BREAKFAST: A continental breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt and pastries will be served both mornings at the Gallery. So feel free to show up at 9am to grab a plate of yummies before we start the day. We’ll also have coffee and tea waiting for you.
LUNCHES: Both lunches on Saturday and Sunday will also be catered for us. If you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies, be sure to email us so we can accommodate you. No problems, we are happy too! No one can be more work than our Gluten-Free, Dairy Free diets. Brother!
SATURDAY DINNER: This dinner is optional for our attendees, but we would love to have you join us! You are invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Details to follow upon registration.
WHERE TO STAY: The Hotel Murano has been highlighted and raved about in Fortune, Conde Nast, Sunset and USA Today. Every floor features a glass sculpturist and their work. There is beautiful glass art at every turn. You can’t help but be inspired by the environment. And, the greatest thing is they are WONDERFUL to work with. Our contact there, told us to have our attendees email her direct for a discounted room rate (around $149). Once you’ve registered, Genie will email you all the contact details to get your room set up. FYI, you are also within walking distance to several restaurants, art galleries and the famous Chihuly Museum of Glass. Plus, the Hotel Murano has a pillow menu! You can choose from six different types of pillows. Can you beat that?
DAY ONE TOPICS:
True to this workshop, time tested (and approved) we are excited to start the day with understanding the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can capture shots of your loved ones in difficult lighting. The second half of the day will be hands on CONFIDENCE building as we process a FULL morning.
DAY TWO TOPICS:
Day Two will pick up where we left off. We’re going to continue to demystify tough lighting and camera settings. We’ll also walk you through our Post Process steps as we demonstrate lightroom, turning images to black and white, editing, what’s the difference between a JPG and RAW image, etc. Depending on the groups interest, we’ll talk about the in’s and out’s of starting your own side business too. (But this depends on the needs of the group.) We’re also going to cover the question of what to do with your images? Are stock photography options available to you, what is the bottom line of blogging, and where should you have your work printed and why?
The BEST part that everyone always loves the most is the models! We’ll also have models join us (both adults and kids), so you can practice EVERY THING we’ve been teaching you. And true to our workshops, we’ll sprinkle our time with creative exercises and inspiration that make our weekend so special.
By the end of our weekend, you will be filled with CONFIDENCE, refreshed, inspired, and possibly shooting in Manual like it’s nobody’s business. (I promise, shooting in Manual is way easier than people make it sound, but one step at a time.)
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
1. You can pay the whole balance at once.
2. Use the Coupon Code: fourpaymentdeal (all one word, all lower case), and you will get the Early Bird Registration deal but have FOUR months to pay it off! Me Ra and I want to give you CONFIDENCE this year! 2010 is about making dreams come true! ~ Brian
NEED HELP CONVINCING THE HUBBY?
If you need help coming up with ways to convince your hubby, check out Brian and Jeramy’s Top 12 Reasons for a Husband to Send His Wife to a CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop. You and your husband will crack up, and comments from other husbands are even FUNNIER! CLICK HERE!
REFUNDS & CANCELLATION POLICY:
Our policy is to not give refunds. Due to the costs of holding a workshop, we must pay many of our workshop expenses months ahead of time. If you must cancel due to unforeseen problems, depending on your reason for canceling, your tuition may be considered as a credit for a future workshop. Thank you for understanding!
WHAT DO PAST ATTENDEES SAY ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP? To read what the last Seattle Workshop Attendees said, CLICK HERE!
Jen from Seattle, WA wrote; I know how these workshops can change your life…it did mine! MeRa and Brian were my inspiration…Thank you … you all are doing such greatness in this world!
Jeramy (husband of a wife who attended twice) from CA wrote; if you are reading this post and are on the fence about going to this workshop…or wondering if it’s really worth it….let me just tell you about my experience. my beautiful bride went to the Sonoma workshop last year with me ra and brian…and it changed her life. like so many women, she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities…coupled with strong passions and desire to create things of great worth. the magic of this workshop will help you see that YOU ARE special and can do anything it is that you want to do, if you just set your mind to it. there is limitless potential in you all…and if you have ever wondered how to get it out….sign up for this workshop and you’ll see. you will never be the same again.
Marianne from Seattle, WA wrote; This was the BEST day I’ve had in a long time…it was so nice to wade through and be challenged, laugh along the way, conquer a fear, and leave wanting more. What a day! I can’t thank you enough!
Kari from Seattle wrote; Me Ra takes the camera apart and puts it back together in a way that actually makes sense! Prepare to laugh, learn, and walk away inspired!
Julie from Seattle, WA wrote; As a past workshop attendee…It WILL change your life and how you see yourself.
Allison from Virginia wrote; I can tell you with total honesty that this will be a life changing time for you all. Just soak it all in and throw yourselves in wholeheartedly and you will come away with SO MUCH!!
WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?
This workshop is for women only. It is a workshop that is meant to inspire women, and at the same time help them understand their cameras. Coming from a Masters degree in teaching, Me Ra and Brian bring a number of teaching strategies to the workshop so every woman walks away with CONFIDENCE in using her camera. But this workshop is more than a photography workshop. True to their reputation and the testimonies you’ve read, Brian and Me Ra have a heart to bring inspiration, encouragement and vision to women. They will make you laugh so hard your side will be aching. And then be prepared because their stories may bring tears too. Me Ra and Brian have a goal to refresh women, build their CONFIDENCE and help them capture the photos they want. But not only help women shoot better photos, but also, having the understanding behind HOW they got their favorite photos so they can replicate the lighting again and again.
OUR PROMISE:
We promise to have lots and lots of stories, laughs and possibly a few tears at this workshop-all signature elements to a Me Ra Koh Workshop!
Can’t wait to see you all for another awesome CONFIDENCE workshop!
QUESTIONS?
Feel free to email Genie ( genie@merakoh.com) for any and all questions. Genie keeps me up to date on all questions as we travel for wedding season. She is truly my “little Genie”! If you need help with booking your hotel, understanding the area, flights, payment options, shoot her an email!
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CLICK HERE to register today and make her MOTHERS DAY AMAZING!!
BIO for Me Ra Koh Photography, Inc.:
Me Ra and Brian are a husband/wife photography team. Their business is diversified into several powerful ways. They travel worldwide shooting high end weddings together. They teach photography workshops for women across the country. Their workshops often sell out, and attendees describe them as “inspiring, life changing” weekends. In 2008, Me Ra and Brian scripted and produced a DVD series called, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box. This homegrown DVD series has caught the eye of large corporations, and in March 2009, the series won the prestigious NAPPA GOLD award for the Best New DVD for Parents! Their DVDS are accompanied by other award winning photography products to help budding businesses get off the ground (see www.refusetosaycheese.com). In 2008, Me Ra was asked to represent women photographers in the iconic role for Sony as an Artisan of Imagery. This accepted invitation is a huge honor. The high end magazine, Wedding Style by Grace Ormonde, has called Me Ra and Brian a Master of Their Craft. Their work has been published in several nationwide magazines. They have also been spotlighted on VH1, Martha Stewart and Oprah! Me Ra, having a published writing background, dedicates two hours a day to writing her daily blog so women can find photography tips, inspiration and confidence. To follow her blog, along with thousands of other readers, visit www.merakohblog.com.
Want to learn more about REFUSE TO SAY CHEESE? Check out our Award Winning DVD set,Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box ,or discover our popular 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!
We haven’t forgotten the Running on Empty winner for Orange County! We’ll announce her early next week! Thank you everyone for your beautiful entries.
“thank u 4 praying, we got through 11 hrs sleep w/o head splitting aches, vomit or bone breaking pain. Pasc fever broke aftr 16 hrs. I can’t tell u how carried we feel by your prayers. internet is bad here, but thnk u. Airika, thnk u 4 the 24 hr prayer vigil, I cried when I saw that. Everyone, it’s amazing when prayer is all u can do, sleeping 11 hrs is testament 2 how powerful it is. b and I luv u, treasure all of u.”
The worst seems to be over, BIG PHEW. THANK YOU EVERYONE for your prayers, good wishes and thoughts. I know she’ll say more when she’s able, but I have so much GRATITUDE FOR ALL OF YOU for responding here and on your own. ~ Genie
If you register between today and April 1st, you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After April 1st, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. But we must warn you to not wait until then. One CONFIDENCE Workshop was sold out by the end of the first day for Early Bird! To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!
And…
Just in from Me Ra’s beloved business coaches, Karen and Fay from The Wisdom Connection! A special offer for tomorrow only, Wednesday, March 16th!
Sign up for a free teleclass on “What to do when Procrastination Wins?“, noon to 1pm PT/ 3-4pm ET. Use the code: MERAKOH when asked. You’ll receive an email back with call in instructions. It’s tomorrow so sign up now! (If there’s any problem with the code just email them at info@thewisdomconnection.com)
Questions on any of this: give Genie a shout! genie@merakoh.com.
It’s Genie, posting on behalf of Me Ra and the family. I just received a very disturbing email from Me Ra saying that she and Pasc have Dengue fever. And although millions get it every year, even the ‘mild’ symptoms start with fevers of 104, vomiting and can end with death.
In her words: “Fever spends 12 days in incubation, that’s why we were throwing up. But then high fever hits days later. So sick. Pasc and I were carried to the boat and taken to the clinic yesterday. My brother knows people here who were able to help w/in 20 minutes of me emailing him for help. Blaze is okay, but me and Pascaline hv it bad. It’s called the Bone Breaker fever b/c it really feels like your bones r breaking. My fever has been 104 for 12 hours at a time before breaking, then delirium and bone breaking pain. We can be airlifted to a hospital in Phuket if needed but there’s nothing to treat Dengue with. Must ride it out. Praying about my period. Dengue attacks platelets that clot your blood. People can bleed out from the fever, my period should start any day and the doctor is watching this.
Will you post a blog as soon as u can and ask everyone to pray. Very serious and excruciated pain that hits then goes then hits again. Need prayer so much. Pasc was screaming from pain in bed yesterday morning that her nose came off. You feel like everything is breaking off your body. It’s so overwhelming. Brian is the only one who is spared and been able to take care of us. He is so tired.”
That’s it. I’m worried and I know her family is too. You’ll know what to do. Please pray for them.
Love you Me Ra, Pascaline, Blaze and Brian. I know that all who read this are holding you in their hearts and praying for a miraculous gentle, quick and full recovery. And restored health for each one of you. Come home soon – we’d all love to hold you in our arms and take care of you. ~ g
Featured on FOX News as a Top Ten Holiday Gift, Awarded the Highest Honor, the Gold Seal, from the prestigious NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) competition, and Licensed by SONY to create Kids in Focus!
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