We all do things in our lives that make us happy. For some, it is the thrill of a high flying zip line, for others it is pounding a hammer to make a piece of furniture, and still others it is bouncing an orange ball down the court to shoot it into the basket . . . for me, it is capturing images on my Canon 7D.

Since I was a little girl, I have had a camera to document fun times and family gatherings. I am grateful for those photos every time I look through the photo albums of my childhood. As I got older, family and friends counted on me to have my camera in hand. I often heard, "I don't need to worry about taking pictures because Elaine is here". Sharing the pictures brought me as much joy as taking them. I loved the validation that the memories captured in the photos made my family and friends smile!

I am a people pleaser. Discovering that I could make people smile just by taking a fun or a well-planned photo, instilled my love of documenting life. Photos make memories unforgettable! The older I get, the more I rely on the images in my home to spark a memory of times gone by. I LOVE having these little "sparks" of memories, so I continue to click my camera's shutter button as often as I can . . . not only for me, but for anyone else that wants me to provide some "sparks" for them as as well.