Disneyland || 10 on 10

At the end of May 2013, I stood at a baggage claim carousel in LaGuardia airport, in the grand city of New York. As we watched the seemingly endless line of black luggage trudge by us on the conveyor belt, my phone pinged with the alert of a new email. The email was from Courtney Z, a photographer based in Portland. She proposed starting a collaborative photographic project she dubbed 10 on 10. Would I be interested in joining her and a few other photographers spread around the country? Well, you all know my answer.

Today marks the three-year anniversary of that inaugural post. It has been a wonderful project through which I have met a great cast of people who are all out there working every day to make their lives and businesses thrive. But, as with all things, even this good endeavor must come to an end. So today, I will be sharing with you my final 10-on-10 post. Goodness, it feels so strange to type that!

Over the past three years this monthly project has served as something of a heartbeat for my ol’ blog here. I must sheepishly admit that for some stretches, my 10 on 10 posts were the only ones to appear around these parts. The exercise of coming up with 10 photos to share with you on the 10th day of every month sometimes proved to be a challenging one, but it often gave me the push I needed to create and write and share.

To my 10-on-10 comrades: It has been a true privilege collaborating with you! You each have such talent and your drive as business owners has greatly inspired me. I am excited to continue to follow along from afar as you keep conquering new heights.

To my dear readers: Though 10 on 10 is ending for me, I’m not going anywhere. My decision to step down from this project is not indicative of a larger decision to stop posting here. There are further changes coming down the pipeline (which I have already vaguely alluded to; please bear with me, the unveiling of said changes will be here soon!), but for now, I hope you’ll keep coming back here for more posts regarding my photographic exploits. More to come, my lovelies.

For today, you know the drill. Visit these kind creatives and then take a look at my recent sibling adventure to Disneyland.

Amy Straka Photography

Button Media

Courtney Z Photography

Satin Sky Photo

Twinty Photography

When I told people last month that I was going on a weekend trip to Disneyland with my three adult siblings, the reaction was largely one of incredulity. Why would four people, none of whom are under the age of 12 or have little kiddos of their own, decide to go to Disneyland? Because there’s this thing called joy in the world, people. Embrace it!

So from the snowy mountains of Colorado to the sunny palm trees of Orange County we did go. Though my siblings and I have gone on many local outings just us four, we realized that we had never done a true vacation together, sans anyone else. And let me tell you, it was a real delight.

OK, so they may not look that delighted with me in that photo (except for Chris, he’s good that way), but we had a rip-roaring good time. There are very few times in life when you can just be a full-on, silly, kid-like person. Life can be complicated, work demands your attention and often every iota of energy, there are bills to pay and functions to attend and responsibilities that await you every single day. Except when you’re at Disneyland. At Disneyland all you need to do is ride the rides and eat the chocolate-covered Rice Krispies treats shaped like Mickey’s head. You need to watch fireworks and narrowly avoid people dressed as characters. In short, your only obligation is to be in this magical, manufactured land and embrace the cheesiness that ensues.

Ooh, pretty light while standing in lines.

His eyes complement the wall. Fancy, right? I took a lot of photos while standing in lines. What can I say, it’s something you just have to do while in Disneyland.