Kerri Banyas Photography » personal

My 101 in 1001

Kerri Banyas — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:00:52 +0000

I keep stumbling on these 101 in 1001 lists and I have finally decided to make my own and put it out there for all of you to see…maybe this way I’ll get some of it done Basically it’s 101 things that I would like to accomplish in 1001 days….I can’t wait to get this started!

End Date April 14, 2013

Travel to Europe and visit Italy, France, Greece, Ireland
Interview someone I admire
Run a half-marathon
Sing on stage to overcome my fear
Get certified to become a Yoga Instructor
Take a Sister Trip somewhere fabulous
Try a new local restaurant once a month for a year
Trace my Genealogy on the Carter side
Take a Belly Dancing Class
Throw a Fabulous Dinner Party
Join a local mom’s group and actually participate
Learn to knit
Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
Organize a Food Drive with the kids
Start a journal and write in it once a week
Blog every day for a month
Take a road trip out west with Drew and take lots of photos for myself
Get my work Published September 2010
Host a Cocktail Party and show local art
Learn how to play guitar
Visit Trena in Texas and see the Alamo
Go to North Carolina and see my old friends
Organize my personal photos
Go to a luxury spa and get the works!
Take a painting class
Study Art History
Go backpacking with Drew
Go on a picnic with the family
Lose 10-15 lbs.
Learn how to Ballroom Dance
Finish the Basement
Send a random gift to a friend
Become more fluent in Spanish
Shoot a wedding in Mexico
Buy an Orchid
Organize my recycling & composting
Write a book
Go on a date to the Art Museum with Drew
Pick Blueberries with the kids
watch the sunrise somewhere peaceful
Go on a date with Drew on a row boat
Create a living will
Write 4 handwritten letters a year to my friends using beautiful stationary
Invest in some new gear (100mm macro, 35mm, 50 1.2, 85 1.2, 5D Mark II)
New Family Pictures
Grow my hair to the middle of my back
Get my teeth whitened
Get Lasik
Take Drew to a MSU football game
Have an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon with Shawn
Volunteer at my Church
Send postcards to my friends
Sleep under the stars
Go horseback riding
Go skinny dipping
Take the kids to the farmers market in GR and in Holland
Write a letter to each of my kids for them to open when they move away from home
Sing Karaoke
Create a landscaping plan for the front yard and get it done
Ride my bike 5 miles every day for a week
Take the kids to the library once a month every year
Donate my photography services to a charity
Redecorate my bedroom
Go on a wine tasting tour in Traverse City
Add more $$ to my Kiva.org account
Attend a Photography Workshop by one of my fave photogs
Get The Pioneer Woman Cooks and make a 30 day meal plan based on her recipes
Attend WPPI
Sort through all of the old clothes in the basement September 2010
Drywall & Organize the Garage
Make a Creme Brulee at home
Learn how to play Tennis
Redo our Bathroom
Tile the Kitchen Floor
Answer the “50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind”
Go snowboarding with Drew
Organize my closet
Create a Client Welcome Booklet
Give blood twice per year
Start at least one of my personal photography projects
Do a random act of kindness for a complete stranger
Take the family to a paint your own pottery store
Go mountain biking with Drew
Master custom white balance
Go to Las Vegas!!!
Take a cooking class with Drew
Go to Ikea
Organize my Office
Get a nice point and shoot camera
Take a mother/daughter community ed class with Madyson
Create a weekly chore schedule and stick to it
Go to Great Wolf Lodge with the kids
Shoot a wedding in Hawaii
Send a post card to Post Secret
Spend the day with Grandma Rutherford
Buy a pair of Frye Boots
Have Family Fun Night once a week
Repaint the white trim all around the house
Refinish the wood floors in the house
Fly kites on the beach with the kids
Take a creative writing class

The Journey….

Kerri Banyas — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:28:13 +0000

Sometimes you have to take a step back and enjoy all the beauty around you….

like chubby babies at the front door,

or little boys who tear the cushions off the couch & then play dead when the camera points their way,

or how that same little guy goes into zombie mode while watching t.v. 5 seconds later,

or how bittersweet it is to see my little girl turning into a young lady right before my eyes,

and how as I watch her take in the world, I see so much of myself at that age….if I could keep her 7 forever I would,

or how in only a few fleeting months my sweet baby girl will be done doing this…

and this…

and how fascinating it is to watch them discover this crazy beautiful world together

Don’t forget to take a step back here and there my friends…and remember that the journey is the reward and it needs to be treasured

xoxo

I am not a writer.

Kerri Banyas — Sat, 08 May 2010 03:02:40 +0000

There was a time when I used to think I was AWESOME at expressing myself with words. This, of course, was BEFORE I had children, and back then, I thought I was AWESOME at just about everything. That’s the fun of getting older…you get to know your weaknesses and how to embrace them.

Do I still wish I had the talent to effortlessly write amazing blog posts that people rush to read because they are hypnotized by my spell-binding words….YES, YES I DO! Does it mean its gonna happen? Not a chance! The truth is, I get easily bored with the process…I walk away too many times and start doing something that requires much less brain power. This blog post alone is going to take me about 5.6 years to complete! Also, in case you haven’t noticed….I happen to LOVE run-on sentences…and I am addicted to exclamation points…and I use way too many periods instead of just starting a new sentence. AHHHGGG!!

Hi, my name is Kerri and I am an editor’s nightmare

On the flip-side, one thing I AM good at is communicating visually…and that is where my love of photography comes in.

Its so wonderful that I can have an amazing job that I am passionate about and that allows me to express myself! I wish everyone could feel that way about what they do…if you don’t, then I highly encourage you to get to know not only the things that ROCK about yourself, but also explore the parts of you that are not so great…There is so much freedom in being completely honest with yourself and loving who you are anyway

Recently, I decided I just HAD to put together a fun photo shoot just for me…so I could be creative and not always stuck in the rut of the business side of things….and guess what?!!! I loved it….even more than I love caramel lattes with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings on top…yes, it was THAT fun!

Here’s some of the fab professionals that helped make it happen…I just LOVE these wonderful ladies!:

Makeup: Allison Bower

Wedding Gowns: September’s Bride

Flowers:Kathryn Muma of Arrangements Floral

So here’s your challenge for the week: Go out…express yourself…even if you’re scared out of your mind…even if you fall flat on your face…you’ll learn so much more about who you are (or at least you’ll have some awesome stories to tell!) Just be open to who you truly are…and don’t try to be anything you are not….I know in the end you’ll be thankful you did.

oh yeah…and here are a TON of my faves from my shoot…isn’t this model flippin’ gorgeous!!!!

Jasmine :: Studio Session

Kerri Banyas — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:37:39 +0000

I had a total blast with my niece today breaking in the new studio….I LOVE sessions with 8 year old girls & I am so in LOVE with the light in there!!! I’m going to post pictures soon of the space…but in the meantime, here’s a sneak peak of what we came up with…isn’t she such a doll?!! I am related to such beautiful people!!

One Sweet Contest!

Kerri Banyas — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:22:40 +0000

I have a serious sweet tooth…so needless to say I also have a major addiction to CHOCOLATE!! If I could, I would eat EVERYTHING dipped in chocolate….in my mind (aside from lattes) it has to be the world’s most perfect food! Lucky for me, Grand Rapids just so happens to be the home of the very fabulous Vita Dolce who specializes in designer artisan chocolates. They are heavenly! So I decided to combine my love for this fabulous treat with a fun little contest.
ONE lucky winner will get 2 yummy boxes of Vita Dolce chocolates…an 8-piece box of assorted artisan chocolates plus an 8-piece box of assorted milk chocolate truffles. YUMMO! You can gobble up both boxes all by yourself or share one with a friend…personally I would lock myself in my room and eat both boxes while watching The Notebook, but hey that’s just me

(photos by Amy Wenzel)

Here are the rules:
* Leave a sweet comment below and tell me what YOU are obsessed with along with your name and email address (only one entry per person please)
* Deadline: Friday February 12, at MIDNIGHT…the winner will be chosen at random and announced on Valentine’s Day
so hurry up…you couldn’t possibly let yourself miss out on something this sweet!!!

WINNER UPDATE: I am a bit late in revealing the winner I came down with Strep Throat and was sleeping most of the weekend trying to recover. Now its cycling through the family…and its not pretty! Good thing chocolate is worth the wait The winner is….drumroll please……Jenn with Still Cross Photography!!! I will be emailing you Jen to get your mailing info soon!! Congrats!

The Big Race

Kerri Banyas — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:43:40 +0000

Too often I get so caught up in life that I forget to enjoy the wonderful things around me….good thing I decided to change that

Bandwagons & New Beginnings

Kerri Banyas — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:03:58 +0000

2009 was one of the absolute craziest years of my life. Somewhere in the middle of trying to maintain a successful business, saying goodbye to 3 grandparents and welcoming child #3, I was really struck by a desperate need to find balance. I had to step back and take a hard look at where I was and where I wanted to be and somehow find a way to make it all work. I’m not gonna lie…I hit up Google more than once…wasn’t there a spreadsheet out there somewhere that could magically figure out my life? Its been quite a roller coaster, but I am so excited to start a new year with a clearer picture of my goals and how to achieve them….so I’m jumping on the New Year’s bandwagon and making some resolutions….I have a great feeling about 2010!

Here’s my Top 10 goals for the year:

1. Blog More!

2. Create a realistic schedule for my life that allows time for my kids, my clients, my hubby and myself ( is this even possible?)

3. At least 20 mins on the Wii Fit daily

4. Simplify by scaling down on STUFF in our house…where does it all come from!

5. Eat healthier….no more standing in the kitchen snacking on junk food because I forgot to eat lunch!

6. Be more positive, thankful, thoughtful and encouraging

7. Have more date nights with Drew…so far our average is only 2 times a year I think we totally need some time away

8. Create a budget for our household using a cash system

9. Take a Ballroom Dancing class with Drew

10. Take more pictures of my own kids….I know ya’ll wanna see their sweet little faces!

And because every blog post should have pretty pictures….here’s some eye candy from my recent senior session with Lizz…isn’t she a cutie?!!!