Such a Crack Up

I've seen this face a lot btw. Define it as: "Lizi, what do you think you're doing?"

"You're such a crack up" is a term coined and often used by my parents. So it seems fitting to quote them during our spontaneous photo session on Sunday. They thought I was insane bursting through their doors, (my mother didn't even have all of her clothes on but that's nothing new) and told them I needed them outside pronto. Then, we practiced engagement poses with them and they literally couldn't stop laughing the entire time. My mom was trying to hold her photo smile the whole time but my dad was purposefully trying to do the poses as awkwardly as possible. 

I've been taking a lot of photos lately but you can't blame me, look outside! We're in beautiful time of year my friends. These are the outtakes, feel free to see the final products on my "serious" and "mature" website at feslerfilms.wordpress.com/blog/

Beekeeping

Dave took this shot of me while we were filming Weevs with his new beehive. It was refreshingly new yet very scary at the same time to witness this. I could feel their little bodies running into me and that noise of 30 bees near my ear is not something I'm going to forget anytime soon. Happy it happened, glad it's over with.

The Stories that Bind Us

Dr. Duke said that children who have the most self-confidence have what he and Dr. Fivush call a strong “intergenerational self.” They know they belong to something bigger than themselves

Mr. Collins recommended that families create a mission statement similar to the ones companies and other organizations use to identify their core values.

Decades of research have shown that most happy families communicate effectively.When faced with a challenge, happy families, like happy people, just add a new chapter to their life story that shows them overcoming the hardship.

The bottom line: if you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from the difficult ones. That act alone may increase the odds that your family will thrive for many generations to come.

----This excerpt is taken from New York Times "The Family Stories that Bind Us" and illustrates principles I strongly believe in (I'd be surprised if you didn't believe in them as well.)

Spring Fever

CHERIE 25 Habillage from MATHEMATIC SAS on Vimeo.

I've got spring fever. How about you?

If I Could Take Pictures in Church

There are a lot of times I wish I could take pictures in church but today it definitely would have been when I was teaching Primary. Last night, Dave and I had a late Macey's run and I realized I had to teach today so I grabbed some stickers and had a really horrible idea which I'm glad I didn't do.

Remember the story about the puppets with dots and stars titled You Are Special? The puppets that did something good received star stickers and those that weren't awesome received dot stickers. Well, that was my idea for singing time. Good, not great. During Sacrament meeting, I realized how rude and horribly wrong it could go and panicked a bit. Instead of giving them dots when they sang badly, I just had them get stars if they sang at all and if they didn't sing, I got to put on a sticker.You'd laugh out loud if I had pictures of some of the creative designs the kids ended up with.

We had sticker goatees, stickers boogers, sticker eyebrows, sticker fingernails and lines of stickers right down the middle of their face. I had my rainbow bright sticker and let the kids decorate the rest of me after the activity. Then, some very confused parents.

A Love Note

One of our senior missionaries at work went into surgery a couple of weeks ago. He later received this note with a plate of cookies.

"Dear reader

your life has almost ended so before you die enjoy the cookies

I know you will be happy up there.

from Activity Grils"

We both had a good laugh.

Published

Amanda got published! Her work is amazing. Check it out here a.l.g.

Grass but better

See? These are pictures I took of grass but it's not quite has the "wow" effect I want from it. Anyone know of fields with long straight grass? Maybe a scenic view behind it? I am determined to find the perfect grass.

Final Cut-That's a wrap!

Final Cut Film Festival. 

For those of you who came, THANK YOU. For those of you who helped, THANK YOU. For the local professionals who came to the networking reception before the Saturday showings, THANK YOU.

Two years ago, this festival was a game-changer for me. I got two films in and then was blown away by how professional all of the films were. Last year, I was my first year working with the Student Film Association (they showcase the festival) and I adored all of it, despite my responsibility at the time. This year, the week I got back from Africa the Final Cut Film Festival was on the back burner so they asked me to be the Coordinator/Manager/Queen. It opened my eyes to how talented the members of the SFA are and though, most everyone had little to no time to help out on stuff, they still sacrificed enough to help out with advertising, programs, booths, social media, commercials...etc. That's how I feel most endings should be (if only for a year:) celebrations.

I believe in talent.

Pat Fiso

Pat Fiso from Fesler Films on Vimeo.

Pat Fiso passed away last week and I had a great opportunity to visit her with my camera a couple of months ago. I love her sweet soul and I think it is evident in this film what she holds as her highest priority.

I believe in the after-life.

Film/Photography Ideas

FILM: I'd love to make a dance video, similar to the "Pusher love girl" video above. I also really want to make a video about an elephant (possibly at the hogle zoo or in India.) On the horizon: a music video for Jason and The Astronaut, Lifestyle videos with some lovely elderly women in SLC and anyone who wants a wedding video.

MUSIC: I want to find more music that is unique. Recent Gems:  "Hi" from Psapp, "Araceli" from Nathaly Dawn or "Matilda" by Alt J.

PHOTOGRAPHY: I'm looking for long and bright green grass to take pictures of. Let me know if you know of any.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Involvement?

Dream

In my dream, I was hanging up the phone and I ran as fast as I could to the condos.
There she was, as excited to see me as I was to see her, her eyes wide and smile full of life. When we hugged, it wasn't one of those side hugs people give to others that they don't know well.We hung out like old times and none of the awkward stuff seemed to matter. It was a warm summer evening and we laughed, sang and danced until the sun went down. It was exactly how it used to be and what it is supposed to be now.

When  I woke up, my first thought was: "what happened?"

Last night, Dave and I confessed something at the last waking hours of the day.
We feel "grown up." In a Peter Pan resistant way.
Which is odd since I'm 22 and he's only 25.
There was a twinge of remorse in the comment, especially since to a degree we feel stagnant. Trapped in our current situations but yearning for more.

Meanwhile, I can listen to this.

Sadie LOVES to hate Caterpillars

Girl afraid of caterpillar from Fesler Films on Vimeo.

I don't know if this is evidence that we're bad aunts or if it just solidifies in your mind that my family really likes to embarrass one another. Sadie is so cute though that one day I bet she'll look back on this video and laugh just as hard as the rest of us.

This is how the story goes: You can watch a video here of Goosie showing Sadie a caterpillar she found. Then, Linda thought it would be a great idea to get Sadie a special birthday present of fake caterpillars in dirt. This was her reaction.

Rain Rebirth Easter

Pat. A participant I'm grateful for.

Today, I'm glad it's raining. It is fitting.

All I know is that even though the world is slowly growing warmer (which is absolutely splendid) the days surrounding Easter are often quite hard. This makes sense because Easter is centered on the concept of "rebirth." If our second birth is anything close to the first one, this time of year has the potential to be quite painful.

For me,  I've had reminders that sometimes I care too much. Most people may find that would seem like a positive attribute but let me reassure you that it can do damage as well. I will dwell on issues until I find a solution (which often is never,) it makes me terribly shy in odd situations, clingy in others and I cry (usually alone) much more than the average human should.

I believe life is not all that bad.

"I stop typing. I'd expected the stories to be sweet, glossy. I realize I might be getting more than I'd bargained for."

-The Help, Kathryn Stockett

Part 2: Story of Bano, Cameroon

Part 2: Story of Bano, Cameroon from Fesler Films on Vimeo.

I believe in the future of Bano.

"And I never wanted anything from you,

Except everything you had and what was left after that too."

-The Dog Days are Over

After watching Pride and Prejudice (again) I'm very certain that my name was meant to be said with an English accent.

DERC Awards

You gain a new respect for the people you work with when you see the miraculous products they have created, when you see how proud of who they've become and when they receive recognition for their hard work. As we hid in the back of the DERC awards, not only was I happy to finally dress up for a fancy party  but I found Dave looking up every person that was announced on IMDB (well, mainly Ron Nix since Dave has always had a secret obsession of becoming a stunt man someday.) It's like the day I looked up Blair Treu and realized he directed some of my all time favorite shows as a kid and then Friday I was blown away by the non-fiction pieces he is working on as well. Seriously? I get to greet these glorious people at the beginning of the day?

That's the best part. I feel like I see a side of them that they don't know about. When they walk through the front doors, I see them preparing for the day. I see them smiling despite the unexpected troubles that possibly have come their way. I get to be a friend to those that walk up to the counter to talk for a minute or two. It's true that I have aspirations to have my own film job someday in the future, but I am happy where I am as well. The DERC awards gave me hope that people can create quality films. I'm proud to be able to work with these VERY talented individuals.