Missed Opportunities

I can't believe it. I am always ready to talk about Heritage Makers but this time I had an opportunity and I missed it. I am still kicking myself for it and this was Monday! On one hand, every time I go to this place there is hardly anyone else waiting and the few who are, are glued to their computers or books. They look as though they really don't want to engage. So when I jumped out the car with my son and without my bag, I decided that I wouldn't go back for it because there wouldn't be anyone to share HM with anyway.

Low and behold...I walked in and soon there were 3 women there and then there were 4 women!! They were in two separate groups, chit-chatting amongst themselves, engaged and appearing to enjoy one another's company. If I had a catalog, business cards, or sample, this would have been a great opportunity to share my business and invite them to a class. But I didn't have anything. I was unprepared.

Lesson learned. How many of us run out the door to dash into the grocery store in sweats, a pony tail and no make up and realize we could have had an opportunity to talk with someone but didn't approach them because we looked like we just stepped off the treadmill? Maybe they would have been interested, maybe not~but Wayne Gretsky said, "you'll miss 100% of the shots that you never take." Always, always, be prepared to share what you do.

How I Became "The Memory Keeper"

Although the seed had been planted a few months before, it started in early 2002. I took a weekend trip to New York and decided that while I was there, I would visit Ground Zero. I'm not sure exactly why I wanted to go, but I felt it was something I needed to do while I was there. I came across a vendor selling brag books of photos from the attacks to the clean up as a fundraiser. He was uniformed, so I believed this to be true.

I had absolutely no idea what I would do with this photos. As I contemplated buying them, I thought, one day I will have a child that may be doing a report on this event in history. So, I purchased the photos and continued with my visit. I  have to say when I approached the wall of messages and memorials, I had a very emotional experience. I don't know that I can really put that into words. I came on home with that experience weighing on my heart.

A few weeks later, I was cleaning up my spare bedroom and found (underneath an unfinished project) a laundry basket full of envelopes of photos. There must have 20 or so envelopes! Anyone else out there take photos, get them printed, look through them and then stash them some where? Here they were, precious memories that I had captured, so excited to have them developed, and then toss them aside. I recalled a conversation I had with my friend The Hair Whisperer about scrapbooking. I was adamantly against doing anything crafty because I was not a crafty person. But I thought, I can make a scrapbook to preserve these photos.

A few months later, I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I decided I would have to give scrapbooking a try so that I could make a baby book when my daughter was born. So I went on a mission to find out what I could about scrapbooking so that I would be a pro by the time my daughter arrived. Let me just remind you here, that at this point in the story, I still had not started the 9-11 book yet. I walked into Michael's for the FIRST TIME EVER! I was overwhelmed, but I picked up a few kits and decided to scrapbook my entire life up to this point. I became a fanatic! I soon discovered the local scrapbook store, Scrapbook Plaza, which is no more, but it became my second home. I took classes, made friends and developed my skill. I even earned my Bachelor's and Master's in Scrapbooking from Scrapbook Design University!

In 2004, I took my first scrapbooking weekend retreat and finally completed my 9-11 commemorative album. The photos that launched my VERY FIRST HOBBY, my passion, and my business was finally completed 2 years later. 

Are there any other crafters out there? What's your craft and how did you get started?

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 a Memory Keeper's Coach?

I been asked this question recently and actually I liked being asked this question because it became a conversation starter. As a direct marketer, I am always looking for conversation starters. In order to answer this question, we first define what a memory keeper is.

A memory keeper is a person to whom it is important to preserve their memories, either through journaling, scrapbooking, taking photos. A memory keeper's coach, is someone, like myself who helps a memory keeper with creative ways to preserve, document and/or display their most treasured memories.

I love what I do! Our treasured memories are invaluable, irreplaceable and typically our most prized possessions. It brings me great joy to sit with a client and their shoeboxes of photos and show them how they can share these gifts, gifts of time, gifts of ancestry, gifts of heritage, with family and friends. I recently helped an elderly woman publish the story of her ancestry, a pictorial history, not a family tree. She was so thrilled, so thankful, so gracious, when we finished that she wanted 11 more copies to give as gifts to her family this holiday season! Of course, I was happy for the orders, but I was able to share in a work of the heart with this client. I helped her record her family's history for future generations. When you are working with a project like this (family stories, history, treasured photographs), you want someone who is going to take the care and sensitivity as if it were their own.

That's what a memory keeper's coach does and that's what I am...

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Memories of the 80s

I proudly admit that I am a child of the 80s. I loved the movies, the fashion, and the music. It was just a great decade. Some of my favorites were Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Better Off Dead, The Breakfast Club, The Lost Boys and of course, Dirty Dancing!

I am not sure if I knew who Patrick Swayze was before Dirty Dancing but I, like a lot of other fans, couldn't get enough of him afterwards! He will truly be missed! Dirty Dancing made me want to take dance lessons, as it did much of the country. But for me, it wasn't just dirty dancing. I wanted to learn the waltz, the rhumba, salsa, cha cha cha...and you know what? I did!

So what's your favorite decade and why? Were there heavy influences that helped to shape your personality? What are your most favorite memories from that time frame and what are some of your saddest? Tell a story about it? Create a layout around it? Dig out those dreaded photos and give the world a glimpse back in time, through your eyes.

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

What Doesn't Break Us

Makes us stronger. At least that's how I think the old saying goes. Like many people, the last 12 months have been trying times and I believe that there is a lesson we are supposed to learn or personal or even spiritual growth to be attained out of each trial. I was reminded of that when I listened to this James Morrison song today. Now, I am sure I have heard it before, since it is on my ipod, but today I listened to it.

"...Oh we're a little closer to finding out what life's about; Yeah I know you just can't stand it when things don't go your way, but we've got no control over what happens anyway; If it's going to be a rainy day, there's nothing we can do to make it change; We can pray for sunny weather, but that won't stop the rain..."

I think I am going to have to add this to my soundtrack vol. 2 Check it out, he really has an amazing voice. http://ping.fm/3tSip

Sincerely,

Yolanda~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

Soundtrack of My Life

Okay, so I left you all hanging in my last post regarding my soundtrack. I really love music. I don't play an instrument, but always wished I could play the piano and the saxophone. I just love the poetry in music. It doesn't matter the genre, if I feel it, I feel it.

So, I am always looking for a creative way to incorporate journaling into my scrapbook pages. So I ran across this challenge of creating a layout about some of my favorite songs. It was hard because I have so many "favorite songs." So when I celebrated the 6th anniversary of my 29th birthday, I created a playlist of the songs that resonated with me at that time in my life. I can't share the layout with you just yet, because I was still doing traditional pages then but it's time for an update, so when it's finished I will upload it to share.

Anyway, here is the playlist:

Pass Me Over by Anthony Hamilton

I Belong to Me by Jessica Simpson

Fallen by Sarah McLachlan

Good Times by Edie Brickell

Have a Little Faith In Me by Chaka Khan

If I Could by Regina Belle

Little Wonders by Rob Thomas

Sunny Skies by Teena Marie

Drops of Jupiter by Train

Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

To Love Again by Gordon Chambers

Feeling Good by Nina Simone

You Found Me by The Fray

So, here's my challenge to you...create your own playlist, whether you do a layout with it or not. Think about music that has spoken to you, defined a moment in your life or maybe even got you through something. Your playlist should almost describe the essence of you, what's important to you or lessons you have gleaned. When writing/journaling is hard for you, lyrics to some favorites may just be all that you need to say what you want to say.

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

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