I'm Back!

Photo Courtesy of Belle-Luce Photography

 I know, I know...it's been quite some time since my last post, but I have good reasons. Here's the reader's digest version:  Within two weeks of my last post, prince charming proposed. We got married in October. Shortly thereafter, I found out I had gall stones and had surgery to have them removed. Of course, at that point we were right in the middle of the holiday selling season for Heritage Makers. Then Christmas. So all of that is wrapped up and I am getting back to business as usual, slowly but surely. Heritage Makers has some great things rolling out to kick off the new year. More on those things later. Now for the good stuff!

We were married at All Saint's Chapel on October 17th. Since I had been married before and we were blending our families we wanted to make are ceremony really special. So for starters, we didn't have a bridal or wedding party in the traditional sense. My father was my Man of Honor. My daughter and my step daughter were junior brides and my 4 year old son walked my down the aisle and gave me away. I walked down the aisle to Have You Ever Been in Love by Celine Dion. He was so handsome and it was absolutely adorable when the minister asked "who gives this woman to be married to this man?" and he responded "I do." Talk about melting one's heart. I can't be sure, but I think I heard some awes from the guests.

To further personalize the ceremony, we incorporated the Infinity Hand Blessing Ceremony, wrote our own vows to each other and the children, tied God's Knot instead a unity candle and we closed the wedding ceremony with a Bouquet of Love and Support. So, many people write their own vows these days so that's nothing new, but we wrote our vows based on the biblical principles of marriage and the roles and responsibilities of husbands and wives that we have learned from our Marriage and Family Bible Study that we have been attending for the last two and half years. We were getting down to the nitty gritty of the covenant and it was emotional. We also made vows to each other's biological child(ren) and exchanged family medallions with them. It was important to us that they really felt part of the ceremony and the union. The girls received actual rings from us and Zach received a lapel pin symbolizing the establishment of our new family. The music was carefully selected although not necessarily the typical wedding music. As I said, I walked down the aisle to Have You Ever Been In Love. The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion was played during the knot tying ceremony and the recessional music was Lucy and Linus-Peanuts theme song. It was great!

Bowling With My Boy

So, Zachary turned 4 last week. I can't believe he's already 4! They grow up so fast. We started the day with him opening his gift. If we are friends on Facebook, you probably already know how much he loves the movie Cars. So he got a Cars bicycle. Since he wanted Handy Manny tools (and costume) for Christmas, we thought he might enjoy putting it together. So he got dressed up in his hard hat and tool belt and went to work. One word~ADORABLE!

Times have been tight financially, so we didn't have a party. In retrospect it would have cost me less, if not the same amount of money to have a party. When exactly did bowling stop being an affordable family outing?!?! I was shocked at how much it cost for shoes, the lane (per person/per game) plus food and drink.

Ok, the cost aside, my little man had a blast! We asked him what he wanted to do for his big day and gave him 3 choices. Hannah and Lauren wanted skating or Monkey Joes. When we weren't around, I am pretty sure they tried to convince him to go somewhere else. However, when we all got in the car, I asked him one more time and he said he wanted to go bowling. He was so funny! I wished I had taken video because the lighting was so bad my pictures didn't come out very well. But I will forever remember the happy dances and the jumping around in excitement whenever he knocked some pins down! It was so worth it! I don't really bowl but I think he did pretty good; he bowled a 68.

We finished off the afternoon with a stop at dairy queen for blizzards. I selected a few pictures for this month's photo spotlight.

What’s in a Name?

I’m not certain, but I think my mother chose my name. She went high school in an area where there were a lot of Hispanics and liked the name Yolanda. While I have met several Hispanics named Yolanda, I wasn’t sure it was of Spanish origin. I recently did a little research. Most sites said it was of Greek origin or Greek and Spanish origin. They all agreed that the name meant violet flower. I also found out that it peaked in popularity in the early 1970s, which happens to be when I was born.

Growing up, I didn’t really like my name all that much. For one reason, most people butchered it, mispronouncing it all the time. Secondly, there were all these cool personalized items like key rings, zipper pulls, nameplates, stickers and the like, but there was never, ever a Yolanda. Lastly, I didn’t meet another Yolanda until I was in high school. The originality of my name in my circles may have been a good thing, but I didn’t recognize that until years later. I really, really wanted a “regular” name like Karen or Jennifer. I did try to have a little fun with it. At one point I would develop aliases and try them out, like when I met a guy I wasn’t really interested in-I’d give him a fake name.

There came a time when I was reading about how it was considered disrespectful to your parents to trash or change your given name. Apparently in some cultures and certainly in the Bible, the given name had significant meaning to the family or events in their life at that time. I have great parents, whom I love and honor, so I still have my name. However, my childhood isn’t without scarring.

For a nickname, I was called Gypsy. My great-grandmother called my Gypsy. She struggled with saying my given name and gave me this nickname. At the time, my parents lived out of state and traveled I-95 heavily. Great-grandma Ida likened us to gypsies and that’s how I got my nickname. As a child, it didn’t matter to me. I hadn’t known any different. As a teenager however, I would beg and plead to not be embarrassed in front of my friends by being called by “that” name.

I had long reconciled myself with my name when I began to meet other Yolanda’s. In fact, there were four Yolanda’s in my high school. Okay, this was confusing. You always had to ask “which Yolanda?” in conversations. With the embracing of my name came a little more research: what does it say about me? I found some interesting things for example; I am a person motivated by success. I am a joyful person. I have reasoning power and I am known for loyalty. I don’t like leaving things unfinished and I have inherent artistic qualities. I don’t even remember which site I found this stuff, and I don’t know how valid the information is, however, I did feel as though it was pretty factual about me. Perhaps, I just became inspired to be all those things.

The Generation That Lost Their History

Almost everyone you meet these days owns a digital camera. It's always interesting to hear what people do with their photos after they take them. Some people storybook them, others scrapbook. Some people I meet actually keep their photos stored on their memory stick and just keep buying new ones. Others I meet, upload them to their computer and think that they are safe. I have run into so many people in my profession, who have lost precious photos because their computer crashed.

You should always have a back up of your irreplaceable files. Photos are the proof of our history, of the life and times and memories we've shared. If they are lost, no amount of insurance can replace them. Back your files up on CD or DVD and store them in a safe place, like a safety deposit box or in the home of another relative or friend. Even better, get online storage. Several companies, including Heritage Makers, offers online photo storage. Some are free for a limited amount of space and others are fee-based for an unlimited amount of space. Then if something happens to your computer, you can always download them back to your new computer or hard drive.

Don't be part of the generation that lost their history to a simple hard drive crash!

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Scan Project HAITI

In the wake of the devastation that the people of Haiti are dealing with, I am reminded of the importance of preservation. So many people lost their lives and so many will NEVER be identified. This country so rich with history; a legacy of pride, of hope, of resilience...needs our help.

Many of us (or someone we know) still have pre-digital photos that if lost or destroyed in an unexpected disaster couldn’t be replaced. Those memories could be lost to our families forever.

I am organizing a Scan-A-Thon February 6th from 10am-5pm at the New World Café located 4112 Pleasant Valley Road Raleigh, NC 27612-2634. Patrons can bring in their shoebox of photos and have them scanned at high resolution and archived on CD or thumb drive. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross to aid in relief efforts for the people of Haiti.

You can help by letting your friends know about this event and/or bringing your own photos in to be scanned. The goal is to scan 10,000 photos. I intend to have 3 scanners on site so we can accommodate 1200-1500 photos per hour! I have also posted a video of the scanner in action, so you can see for yourself how this can be done so quickly.

Scan Pricing Details

1-99 photos 39 cents per scan

100-499 photos 29 cents per scan

500+ photos 19 cents per scan

Photos will be scanned to CD (Feel free to bring your own thumb drive)

**Scanner can accommodate up to 8" wide and 14" in length.

Help spread the word and Scan Your Memories for Haitian Relief!

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Photos in a Shoebox...Why Digitize?

Do you have shoeboxes of photographs? Have you inherited photos? Do you have family members with photos that you would like to have copies of? If you answered yes, this blog post is a must read!

It is said that there are over 3 trillion printed photographs in the US. Most of them are sitting in shoeboxes on a dusty shelf or dark closet, sitting and decaying. If you pull out some of those old pictures you will see that the ink is starting to fade. Over time, the ink or dye used to print pictures will start to decay until it is eventually washed completely out. If you have photos that are near and dear to you and your family, you will want to have those digitized (scanned)!

Having your photos scanned will help to overcome that decaying process. The photo will still continue to fade, but the digital image will capture the photo and preserve it in it's current state. Digitizing your photos will also allow you to share them with friends and family because you won't have to worry about only having 1 copy! You can send them electronically, post them on family websites or facebook, or create beautiful photo keepsakes with them. Creative end uses for your family photos are now only limited by your imagination!

We never want to think about unforeseen disasters such as a home fire or something. But many family photos are lost forever in these circumstances. So the most important reason to digitize your photos is so that you have a back up copy in the event something should happen to the original pictures. Protect and preserve by having your photos scanned.

I know, I know...it could take up to 30 hours to scan the 1300 photos found in a typical shoebox, but I can offer you a better solution! Photo scanning at 30 pictures per minute (up to 500 per hour), local and mobile! Don't chance your precious memories being lost forever!

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Attitude of Gratitude

This was an easy post for me today. I have had a rather productive week. So, I am thankful for:

1. The innocence of children. I am not perfect by any means but my children are still young enough to think I am the best thing since sliced bread. Yay! I may not always get it right but I try my best.

2. I am thankful for my accountability partners. When you are building a business or trying to get in shape or something like that, this is key. It's so easy not to "feel like" doing something and just not doing it, but when you know someone is waiting and expecting you to be there, you go. My partner has helped me to stay on task this week and last week and I am thankful for that, especially since we are gearing up for the holiday season.

3. Fall. It's finally here! At least I hope so. I know I said that last week but the last few days it has been hot! It hasn't felt like fall at all, but today that all changed. I had to turn the heat on in my car at one point.

4. I am thankful for the networking opportunities in my area. Most require a membership fee but some are free or very low cost. At any rate, I have been afforded the opportunity this week to showcase Heritage Makers and I have had received great feedback. All have been great opportunities to promote my business.

5. Finally, I am thankful that my kit with the new product samples and marketing materials has arrived! Yippee! I am so excited and can't wait to start showing people all the creative uses and keepsake gifts that can be created.

What are you thankful for this week?

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Beyond Blessed Wednesday~ oops Friday!

I have had such a busy week that I totally forgot to post on Wednesday! As I sit and look back on my week there are quite a few things that turned out to be blessings this week. A lot of times we things appear to go wrong, it sometimes turns out to be an opportunity for something more positive. I experienced this on Tuesday.

1. The first Tuesday of the month I host a crop for Memory Keepers and even though I had rsvps, no one showed up. What could have been a bust actually turned into an opportunity to speak with the manager of the establishment about collaborating on a promotion. So I am grateful for the gift of opportunity. There are opportunities everywhere, sometimes in the most unlikely of places.

2. Today I am really grateful for air conditioning! It's almost mid October and lately the temps have been fall-like. However, today it was quite hot.

3. Having just picked my kids up from school, on a Friday afternoon...I am reminded of how grateful I am for quiet time.

4. Vanilla Lattes. I was bummed to discover that my most favorite coffee house will be closing next week. The location is perfect. The atmosphere is perfect. The wifi is free and has no time limit and lastly they have the BEST lattes in town!

5. I am also grateful for family gatherings. We will be attending a family reunion this weekend. I am looking forward to seeing everyone that we haven't seen since the last reunion and the fun of playing games and let me not forget the food! Lots of photo opportunities this weekend.

What are you grateful for this week? Here's an idea: how about creating a layout around your 5 most favorite things.

Celebrating Harvest

We usually don't celebrate Halloween, but we always celebrate harvest by going to a local farm. We always have a good time. We will still do that this year, but I also decided the Memory Keeper Coach could do a fun project with local kids this harvest season.

I will be hosting a Cutest Costume Contest at a local drop in child care facility in conjunction with their harvest party. Parents can bring their children in with their costumes and have a photo taken and the winner will receive a their picture on a poster made to look like a magazine cover to hang in their rooms. I also spoke with my son's preschool director and we are going to try to do something very similar there.

I am so excited! I think it will be a lot of fun and I'm sure the children will have a great time. How do you celebrate harvest? Do you go door to door trick or treating like the good old days? Do you carve pumpkins? or Do you turn off all the lights and pretend you're not home? What memories do you create this time of year with your family?

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Join the Cause!

I recently started promoting my cause on Facebook and found that people I know are dealing with Alzheimer's in their own families. It makes you stop and think. When we think about serious illness or winning the lottery or something; we never think that it will happen to us or even someone that we know. It kind of hits home when it does hit that close to your circle.

5.3 million Americans are suffering from this disease! It's much more than memory loss but an attack on the brain effecting memory, motor skills, even mood. Every 70 seconds someone will be diagnosed with this form of dementia. What can I do? Well, for starters, I want to help spread the word and raise awareness, so join the cause. Secondly, I want to work with families through my business to help them preserve as much as possible. And lastly, look for ways to contribute financially through fundraising.

What can you do? Go to my facebook page and JOIN THE CAUSE!

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Twitter: @TheMemoryKeeperCoach

The Memory Keeper's Coach~Unknown or Known?

"I don't want to be unknown
The little things that make me who I am
I need to share
I need to know that someone cares

That I write down my dreams
That I love when it rains
I burn candles when I'm alone
More then anything
I don't want to be unknown
More then anything
No one wants to be unknown"

This is an excerpt from one of the songs on my personal soundtrack, yes I have a personal soundtrack-more on that another time. The song is "Unknown" by Chely Wright. No one wants to be unknown. The passion of memory keeping is so that it doesn't happen to you or the heroes of your family. If you take pictures, you are probably doing so, to capture a memory of a particular moment. The concept of taking pictures is to preserve that moment so you can reflect on it at another time. But a picture only tells half the story. This song inspired me to start a scrapbook about me and the things that me who I am; the things I enjoy, my friends and activities, my thoughts, dreams and aspirations. I want my children to know the woman I was before I had brought them into the world. If you don't tell your story, who will? Who knows you better than you do? Have someone take your picture, if you don't have a recent one, look at it and then get a pen and paper and tell the future about the person in that photo.

Thank you for stopping by, please come back again soon.

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

The Memory Keeper Coach Builds Community

What started out as a hobby 7 years ago has blossomed into a wonderful business. They say when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I started "memory keeping" or "storybooking" out of a need to preserve my family's history for my children. I became so passionate about what I was doing that I felt the need to share my hobby with everyone and convert them into scrapbookers! Little did I know that I would be able to do exactly that same thing and get paid for it. I started my Heritage Makers business so that I could work my job around my family and not the other way around.

As a service to my clients, I started a book club called Memory Keepers because what I do primarily is coach and assist others in becoming the Memory Keeper for their family's stories. That's how I got my name "The Memory Keeper Coach." We get together to work on our projects, find inspiration and develop friendships. What started out as a monthly laptop crop has turned into Memory Keepers Book Club meetings spread throughout the city, throughout the month! And it's free!

New digi-scrappers and veterans can join us on www.meetup.com/Memory-Keepers and come to any of our crops and learn from scratch or just to work on their projects. Through the book club we are building friendships that will last a lifetime and what a joy it is to be a part of something that can have such an impact on one individual, a family and a community! That's what I love about what I do! That's why this is hobby, now business and hobby, has become such a huge part of who I am.

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach