Zoom About Ellen - video journaling and sharing ways to dream big and live authentically

Checking out Arkayne's cool plugin

Ok so maybe I'm also thinking I want the ipod touch but this plugin is looking pretty dang cool so far. Check out the great video to learn more about Arkayne and what their plugin does then register. I'm looking forward to "seamlessly connecting to other sites in my partner network." Looks pretty cool, right? Now go check out the Arkayne's plugin and iPod Touch giveaway.

My BlogWorld 2009

I don't know what was up with me this year when it came to recording my amazing experiences and interactions. Last year, I took a million photos and video interviewed a whole bunch of amazing peeps. I'd like to think it was because I was so focused on the human interaction, that I completely forgot about my camera and flip. Yeah, I think that's it! I loved catching up with great friends and meeting new super interesting, dynamic folks. As usual, I gathered so many tips and my mind is spinning with ideas and tasks. I'm looking forward to apply all of this asap! Here is my flickr set from BlogWorld 2009... I can't wait to check in again with everyone I saw. :)

Can YOU tell how unhappy they are?

So finally there was a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest...perfect time to ride bike home from school with the kids and the Purple Pedal bike. I dropped the kids bikes off at school, drove home, hopped on the Purple Pedal bike and had a lovely ride to their school...so excited for fresh air and exercise with the kids. They greeted me with smiles and seemed excited...that is until they remembered that they would be riding home. My 7 year old son, who discovered that I did not bring his gameboy with me frowned but then begrudgingly put his bike helmet on. My 9 year old refused to acknowledge my presence and wouldn't even hold her helmet until all of the buses had left and there were no people around to see. You would have thought I was pulling their finger nails off...My son whimpered for the 1st half mile, saying his legs hurt and he couldn't possibly make it home. At one point, my daughter got off her bike, put the kick stand down and gingerly sprawled on the ground. The drama...I hope they can get enough tickets to accomodate our large family when they accept their Oscars in the future. Luckily...the camera mounted between the handlebars of the Purple Pedal bike caught none of the strife that I witnessed during the 2 1/2 hours it took us to ride 2 miles...Here is the flickr stream of the ride and a quick video I took along the way. Thank goodness for the sunshine and beautiful scenery! That was a week ago...since then, the bike has taken lots of pretty pictures of our front door (adorned with my BE NICE OR LEAVE sign) and of my lame attempt to catch up with the neighbors with lights on the house...Maybe the cold rain with take a break long enough for me to ride into Seattle next week...or maybe I'll just go in the other direction and ride it up at the pass so it can take pictures of the beautiful snow that has finally started falling in the mountains...we'll see what I decide.

My brothers and I are trying to have lunch together every couple of weeks to hang out, catch up and stay connected. I'm not just saying this because they are my brothers but they are the coolest, nicest, smartest, funniest, most wonderful guys in the WORLD! Unfortunately, this week, Dave had to cancel yesterday because of a last minute meeting turning into lunch so it was just Pete and I. We had a great lunch at Gilbert's in old Bellevue. Seeing as I am on a kick where I find out what people are doing to "take their lives with them," I asked him if I could video him sharing with us what he shows people when they ask to see pictures of his 3 kids. I included a picture of his youngest, Violet, since you can't really see it in the video.

Here is what he said... As you heard, pictures of his kids are plastered all over the ZoomAlbum website (seeing as our Dad runs the company and they are so incredibly cute!) and my parents make them a ZoomAlbum everytime they watch the kids to document what Mom and Dad missed while they were gone. How awesome is that? I'm sure our parents keep one for themselves too! Can't wait till the next lunch...What should I ask Dave?

Don't let your kids become a jpeg!

Just got back from Cleveland yesterday and couldn't wait to share my chat with 2 incredible, creative, compassionate and talented women that I had the honor of working with...the hosts of Scrapbook Memories TV, Beth Madland and Julie McGuffee. They are, like many of us, very busy, motivated women and I wanted to find out what creative ways they had explored that help them take their lives with them and make their lives just a little bit easier. It interested me to find out their answers and hope that with my gift of Canon's Photo Album 3x3 Pocket Size Kit, they'll be able to add a tool that will allow them to REALLY take their lives with them and share their memories and experiences with others.  I hope to have the opportunity to see/hang out with these 2 again soon!  While I was there, I also took the opportunity to do a quick video of the studio. Working with Scrapbook Memories TV has continued to be a great experience. They are helpful, down to earth, professionals who put out great shows with a huge following. You can start looking for the segments I did in the spring (I know I said the fall on the following video, my goof!) on PBS stations. For more information on your where to find the show in your area go to www.scrapbookmemoriestv.com.

They'll also have a description of the segments I did for Smilebox and Canon as well as links to their sites to check out prices and try out...

Am I a soccer mom or WHAT?

Okay...I promise soccer is almost over. It seems like I've been talking about soccer A LOT, but when you have practices and games with 2 kids 4 says/week, it kind of takes over your life! I was making a ZoomAlbum for the coach gift and thought, "WAIT, I should record this so people can see ME going through the software steps so they believe me when I say it is SIMPLE. So...that's what I did here...

Do you know what's inside my purse?

Seems a little crazy,but I promise it is informative AND I do have the coolest new Haiku bag (thanks to my good friend Kim...she makes a cute cheerleader, doesn't she?) with the most awesome pockets I've seen! Perfect for holding all of my electronics (and many ZoomAlbums). I talked about my Pentax Optio T20, My RCA digital voice recorder, my Flip Video camera (the best EVER!), my card reader, my ipod and of course, my ZoomAlbums. I'm reading (and listening to) David Allen's book The Art of Stress free productivity. I highly recommend it. He's really helping me get rid of the clutter in my brain and put it somewhere in an organized way (a must have busy people).

Touching story from Parris Island trip

Tom and I spend 3 days at Parris Island last year, making ZoomAl bums for  families there for their family member's graduation. For more info on our visit click here...

For more information about 4H and Operation Military Kids, go to www.operationmilitarykids.org. Because of a grant program in cooperation with ZoomAlbum, these programs are able to order photobook materials at a discounted cost to use with kids in the program. Very c ool! Don't forget to listen to some of their stories here.

How Green Are We With Photos?

If you are interested in reading the Seattle Times article I mentioned with the interview with Doug Rowan, (who happens to be my Dad),here it is..."He Finds Prints Charming" I also referenced some information I accessed from the Canon website. That link is here... Here is more information on Canon's release of our 3x3 photobooks...here... I have been receiving stories every day about how ZoomAlbum impacts your life! Please don't forget to share yours. You could win some excellent holiday gifts or stocking stuffers! For more information about the contest, watch this! Can't wait to hear from you...

What you use to organize/edit your photos?

I really do want to know. There are too many choices out there and researching them all is so time consuming! On the video I mentioned a couple that I use Preclick (best redeye removal I've seen) and Flickr (super easy to share streams of pictures or send links to pics)...also Picasa and Kodak Gallery (my cousin sends me pics of her family this way, but viewers have to sign up to see). So, please...give me your take on what else is out there!