tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73591192532658964432024-03-08T02:31:34.102-06:00The Co-Bear'sWelcome To Our Blog ~ Where We Post Not Only About Our Wedding & Portrait ~ Love, Hugs & Laughter ~ Travel & Destination Photography, But Also Keep You Up To Date With Our Full-Time RV Lifestyle And Other Random Tidbits From Our Personal Lives! Until Next Time, Love & Hugs From Cindy & Danny Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography :-) Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-47173517163568290572015-09-01T12:24:00.000-05:002016-06-22T10:36:15.337-05:00SOLD • 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire<div align="center"><strong>
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*** UPDATE : SOLD *** <br />
We're sure gonna miss this beautiful ol big bear & will treasure every memory we ever made over the road, but we're also so very thankful for the new people who'll do the same! For now we know we're exactly where God's called us to be & that my friends, well I wouldn't trade that for anything! Thank You Lord!!! :-)</strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-5CZKXnp/A" title="Lost Lake RV Resort ~ Apoka, FL We've parked just minutes from Orlando but wow, this campground is so 'country feeling' & spacious you'd never know you we're this close to a major city & so many huge tourists traps. Has full hookups with 50 amp, water, full length concrete patio, swimming pool +free wifi that so far seems ok. Thanks to our Passport America membership this place is a gem at only $16 p/n! Love!!!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Site/About-Us/i-5CZKXnp/0/L/20130310_024au_About-Us_Co-Bear-L.jpg" title="Lost Lake RV Resort ~ Apoka, FL We've parked just minutes from Orlando but wow, this campground is so 'country feeling' & spacious you'd never know you we're this close to a major city & so many huge tourists traps. Has full hookups with 50 amp, water, full length concrete patio, swimming pool +free wifi that so far seems ok. Thanks to our Passport America membership this place is a gem at only $16 p/n! Love!!!" alt="Lost Lake RV Resort ~ Apoka, FL We've parked just minutes from Orlando but wow, this campground is so 'country feeling' & spacious you'd never know you we're this close to a major city & so many huge tourists traps. Has full hookups with 50 amp, water, full length concrete patio, swimming pool +free wifi that so far seems ok. Thanks to our Passport America membership this place is a gem at only $16 p/n! Love!!!"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-7X2XrkQ/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-7X2XrkQ/0/L/20130127_330a_IP5-CMC_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
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If you know much at all about the RV industry than you know without a doubt that Newmar has a solid famous reputable reputation, being well known throughout the industry for building the best top quality Luxury Motor Coaches money can buy. You won't find a lot of them for sale simply because people keep what they love. When a used one is listed they go quick, so if your even remotely considering you should come have a look now before it's to late.
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Note: This Newmar Mountain Aire was custom ordered by former retired President of Family Motor Coach Association, Don Moore. He cared for her meticulously with the utmost pride as have we. While used this couch is in great shape & ready to roll. Danny & Cindy have lived in this coach full-time since September 2012 & absolutely loved every minute & mile. Due to family health problems & Cindy's recent enrollment in ISOM <a href="http://blog.co-bear.com/2014/10/called-by-love-revealing-new-direction.html#.VEVC61bfWf0" >(see last blog post)</a> we've decided it's just not fair to force 'Big Bear' to remain parked for an extended period of time... so... it's with mixed emotions we're saying good-bye and praying for new owners that will love her as much we have & do.
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-dHWZs6Q/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-dHWZs6Q/0/L/20130302-123720_106a_IP5_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-LcvVS5p/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/RV-Forum-Photos/i-LcvVS5p/0/L/20121119_011a_IP5_x800w-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">DETAILS</span></strong>
2001 Newmar Mountain Aire Diesel Pusher 40 Foot 3952 Spartan Chassis 350 HP Cummins ISL <br />
2 Power Slide-Outs <br />
4 Season All Weather With Heated Basement <br />
50 Amp Power Supply + Inverter <br />
50 Amp Diesel Generator Kubota <br />
Full Body Paint <br />
Mileage: 192265 For diesel that's just getting started <br />
Exhaust Brake - Air Assisted Suspension <br />
Steering Stabilizer - Smart Power Tilt Wheel - Cruise Control <br />
Hydraulic Leveling System (Automatic) <br />
Aluminum RV Wheels <br />
Electric Step (Double) <br />
Power Seats <br />
Auxiliary Battery <br />
Solar Battery Charger <br />
Rear Vision Camera/Monitor <br />
2 Air Conditioners Central / Ducted <br />
Furnace Central / Ducted <br />
Cabinetry Upgrade (Deluxe) <br />
Microwave/Convection Combo <br />
Refrigerator / Freezer Auto Gas/Elec <br />
3 Burner Gas Range <br />
Splendid Washer / Dryer Combo <br />
Water Heater 10 Gallon Gas/Elec <br />
CB Radio <br />
AM/FM/Multiple CD Stereo Player <br />
TV Antenna W/Booster, DVD, VCR <br />
1 TV located in front with 2 additional hookups in the bedroom & basement to add additional TV's. <br />
2 Power Roof Vents W/Rain Sensor <br />
Skylight <br />
Patio Awning 22' <br />
Awning for Slide-out (Coach) <br />
Awning for Slide-out (Bedroom) <br />
Luggage Rack and Ladder <br />
Vehicle Tow Hitch <br />
Outside Shower <br />
Water Purifier W/Dispenser <br />
LPG Gas/Smoke Detector <br />
Queen Size Master Bed (true queen size - Note: Mattress not included because we had replaced the RV mattress with a Tempur-Pedic style mattress that we're keeping.)<br />
Serta Hide-A-Bed Leather Couch (true full size sleeps great) <br />
Ample Storage & Space Throughout (Note: I even have my 27" iMac on the desk where under it you'll find a custom slide out keyboard tray, pull out printer tray & plenty of storage space for paperwork if you work over the road &/or remotely. The dinette table & desk unit has 2 removable leaves shown inserted in photos. <br />
PLUS MODERN : WifiRanger Go Router & WifiRanger Mobile Antenna (for picking up wifi internet hotspots) <br />
Diesel Capacity: 150 Gallons <br />
Fresh Water Capacity: 105 Gallons <br />
Black Tank Capacity: 45 Gallons <br />
Gray Tank Capacity: 65 Gallons <br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-L57pZ57/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-L57pZ57/0/L/20141019_002a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-QxHzJws/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-QxHzJws/0/L/20141019_004a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-tqgR8cH/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-tqgR8cH/0/L/20141019_003a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-KMvWNfz/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-KMvWNfz/0/L/20141019_005a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-9D446cm/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-9D446cm/0/L/20141019_006a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-tz4ptzP/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-tz4ptzP/0/392x590/20141019_007a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-vjdW4S4/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-vjdW4S4/0/392x590/20141019_008a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-g6fCx27/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-g6fCx27/0/392x590/20141019_009a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-SRgL52m/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-SRgL52m/0/392x590/20141019_010a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-nNS6PSx/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-nNS6PSx/0/392x590/20141019_012a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-L34jV8B/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-L34jV8B/0/392x590/20141019_011a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-D3r6g8R/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-D3r6g8R/0/392x590/20141019_014a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-xP6DkwL/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-xP6DkwL/0/392x590/20141019_013a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-zF7gsWN/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-zF7gsWN/0/L/20141019_016a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-7jm66kM/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-7jm66kM/0/L/20141019_015a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-9Z4S9Mh/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-9Z4S9Mh/0/L/20141019_017a_Newmar_Mountain_Aire_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-bg4ppL3/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-bg4ppL3/0/L/20130612_567a_IP5cmc_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-jbk4fKB/A" title="Danny say's this should be a sandman rather than a snowman as we'd hoped to be down south by now but oh well… Gotta Love Love Love Our First Snowman Together!!! :-)"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Site/About-Us/i-jbk4fKB/0/L/20121231_030au_About-Us_Co-Bear-L.jpg" title="Danny say's this should be a sandman rather than a snowman as we'd hoped to be down south by now but oh well… Gotta Love Love Love Our First Snowman Together!!! :-)" alt="Danny say's this should be a sandman rather than a snowman as we'd hoped to be down south by now but oh well… Gotta Love Love Love Our First Snowman Together!!! :-)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2001-Newmar-Mountain-Aire-Dies/i-rwSWk75/A" title="Quick iPhone shot showing Big Bear (our RV) parked on Site #50 at Myakka River Motorcoach Resort near Port Charlotte, Florida where we have a phenomenal view of the sun setting from our patio on the lake and over the bridge just in front of us. When I climb up on the roof I can even watch it setting on the Myakka River itself… however nornally when I want a river view (except for when I'm taking roof top photos :-) I usually just walk over to the boardwalk or head up to the clubhouse sunset deck."><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-rwSWk75/0/L/20140101_505a_IP5_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Quick iPhone shot showing Big Bear (our RV) parked on Site #50 at the beautiful Myakka River Motorcoach Resort near Port Charlotte, Florida in the unincorporated community of El Jobean where we have a phenomenal view of the sun setting from our patio on the lake and over the bridge just in front of us. When I climb up on the roof I can even watch it setting on the Myakka River itself… however nornally when I want a river view (except for when I'm taking roof top photos :-) I usually just walk over to the boardwalk or head up to the clubhouse sunset deck." alt="Quick iPhone shot showing Big Bear (our RV) parked on Site #50 at the beautiful Myakka River Motorcoach Resort near Port Charlotte, Florida in the unincorporated community of El Jobean where we have a phenomenal view of the sun setting from our patio on the lake and over the bridge just in front of us. When I climb up on the roof I can even watch it setting on the Myakka River itself… however nornally when I want a river view (except for when I'm taking roof top photos :-) I usually just walk over to the boardwalk or head up to the clubhouse sunset deck."></a><br />
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Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
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PS: Did you enjoy this post? If So, Please<br />
Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-85899777094867992732014-10-17T12:26:00.001-05:002014-10-18T18:47:50.717-05:00Called By Love ~> Revealing A New Direction In Life's Journey :-)<div align="center">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Life is like a river & at this moment in time… I'm bravely riding the rapids.</span></strong>
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For years I've sensed God's Call on my life & yet… the river seemed forever littered with obstacles & debris. Whirlpools, sinkholes, logjams, stagnation & shallows to name a few… the obstacles of life's journey towards answering His Call continuously challenged every ability to stay afloat, not to mention futile gasps required just to breathe… <strong>Until Now</strong>…
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-9dtV96c/A" title="Love Is Calling - Yes Lord, According To Your Will Send Me & By Your Will, I Will Follow"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-9dtV96c/0/L/20140730_031a_Love-Is-Calling-E1_pr1-L.jpg" title="Love Is Calling - Yes Lord, According To Your Will Send Me & By Your Will, I Will Follow" alt="answer, answer the call, bible, call, call of God, calling, Co-Bear, cobear, iphone, love, love is calling, ministry, phone, spiritual, the call"></a>
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Without telling a soul I'd long ago resolved time and again to simply trust God's call to lead me along the journey & that if His call was for real… that somehow someway He'd lead me in His way. These past couple years the journey for the most part has proved to be a serene beauty to behold. Every bend of the river revealed scenes my heart would treasure forever. Life for once was slipping by very enjoyably… for the most part. And yet His voice, His call… forever whispering reminders of dreams & visions He's filled my inner spirit with time and time again… hopes that caused my flesh to quiver in fear and my mind to wrestle through sleepless nights daring to trust while wrestling in prayer over obstacles that never would clear.
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On July 10th of this year Danny & I had been talking about plans & what we were to do… but our conversation just kept going no where. Frustrated with my photography career or the lack thereof & wondering even if it did take off whether or not I'd be able to handle holding a camera up for the long grueling hours required during a wedding shoot (due to ongoing neck problems)… I decided to go for a prayer walk & give it all to God.
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As I walked along a fence row overgrown with trees, praying about numerous things... I came upon this perfect little heart shape in the trunk of one old dead tree... And right then in that moment… Love Called! I listened as Holy Spirit gently whispered it was about time… and seeds of fear and doubt quickly attacked my mind. You see, I really didn't think there was anyway possible that Danny would ever agree to me answering God's call. Quickly I took those thoughts captive and challenged God by giving even those to Him… I told Him if it was according to His will, than I trusted He'd handle Danny's heart as well and that I wouldn't even ask Danny but would rather wait for God to move his heart and voice into agreement.
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The following is an embedded post I shared the following day on facebook along with a quick iPhone shot of the heart. As you can read in the post by clicking 'See More' I had lots I wanted to share… but couldn't yet.
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<div id="fb-root"></div> <script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
<div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=910634102286389&set=a.190094224340384.56738.100000194225384&type=1" data-width="600"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=910634102286389&set=a.190094224340384.56738.100000194225384&type=1">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Cindy.Utterback">Cindy Colbert</a>.</div></div>
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What I wanted to share was that: After snapping that photo I'd ran all the way back to the RV excited to show Danny the photo but when I got there he was as serious as stone. I sat down beside him & he asked me, "Do you think maybe the reason your necks still hurting is because maybe God's got a different plan & maybe just maybe He doesn't want you doing photography full-time?" With tears beginning to stream down my face I agreed & listened as Danny asked me what I really wanted to do. My mind began to race, God that wasn't the deal… Danny has to voice approval first. And Danny asked again, "What do you really want to do?"
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Sobbing I blurted out that the only thing besides photography that I've ever wanted to do more than anything was to study the Bible & share God's love with others but that that wasn't even a possibility. Danny replied, "Why not?" My mouth gaped open in frustration and I shouted really… easy for you to say. You know it would have been so easy if God would have just created me a man but He didn't and everywhere I turn something has always come against it. Besides as a women I could never make a living doing just that. Again Danny said, "Why not? Haven't you been listening to Pastor's sermons here lately? If that's what you believe your meant to do, then do it. Just because your a women is no excuse." Hmmmmm… my mind raced… Could it be that my husband was for this? Already Lord? That quickly? Danny I asked… are you serious, I mean really… I didn't think you'd ever agree to me doing something like this… Full-time? With a nervous smile he replied something along the lines of, "I've known this all along." :-)
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For the first time ever it seemed as if every obstacle &/or excuse was melting away… and I had my husbands full encouragement & support to answer God's call on my life. But for what exactly? And Now what…?… I felt strongly that I needed to talk to Pastor Glen but ugghhhh… my stomach was in knots & my flesh feared additional obstacles. Was I crazy? Crazy or not, I was and am fully determined to press on. But Lord I cried out, I know you led us to this <a href="http://www.pittsfieldassembly.com" >church</a> but Lord it's an <a href="http://www.pittsfieldassembly.com" >Assembly of God church</a> & I don't know anything really about their beliefs and Lord I still belong to a baptist church even though I don't fully agree with their doctrine, and now what Lord… and on and on my mind and my prayers raced. Finally at 3 am on July 14th I got up the nerve to email Pastor Glenn of Pittsfield Assembly & poured out my heart, and fears & The Call from God & lack of proper training, etc. In short Pastor Glenn graciously replied:
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Please know that I do not think you are crazy at all.<br />
It would be a pleasure to discuss this further with you.</span></strong>
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A couple weeks later I met with Pastor Glen & one of his recommendations was that I pray about enrolling in <a href="http://idcag.org/Ils.cfm" >ISOM - Illinois School Of Ministry</a>. So after praying with Danny that's exactly what I did. I cannot begin to list all the ways in which God has opened doors these past few months but I'm riding the river rapids with a smile of adventurous excitement that can't be washed away. Even our kids who we thought might balk slightly about the news have been nothing short of encouraging in this new adventure God is leading us in.
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I'm now in my 2nd month of ISOM classes. This month were studying about the "Assemblies of God - History, Missions, and Governance" and the knowledge I'm gleaning is absolutely incredible. As I studied the history & read testimonies of how God has worked mightily throughout the formation of the Assembly's history, I'm amazed at how their history seems to correlate so much with my own spiritual journey thus far in life. As part of the course we've learned about <a href="http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_fundamental_truths/sft_full.cfm" >"The Assembly Of God's 16 Fundamental Truths"</a> & all I can think to say in this moment is Praise Jesus & Thank You Spirit Of God for leading me. Many ask me… "So what exactly will you be doing?" That indeed is yet to be revealed in all it's fullness… but by His grace I will follow. Truly I can't begin to express just how grateful my heart is.
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I can hardly wait to update you next time… my heart is overflowing with so much I'd like to share. For now, please be in prayer for us as we're considering selling 'Big Bear' our RV. With both our mom's health being what it is & my being enrolled in ISOM for at least the next couple years… well were just not sure it's wise or fair to the RV to keep her parked for so long. As soon as we have a decision well let you know. I ask your forgiveness if this post is loaded with typos as Danny usually proofreads for me but there's no time as we're preparing to head to ISOM classes this very moment. Until Next Time, I leave you with the challenge to 'listen' to His voice and the following photo:
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His Word Is In My Heart Like A Fire!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-VTWRBqQ/A" title="His Word Is In My Heart Like A Fire - But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jeremiah 20:9 NIV"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-VTWRBqQ/0/L/20140801_004a_Heart-On-Fire-Edit_pr1-L.jpg" title="His Word Is In My Heart Like A Fire - But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jeremiah 20:9 NIV" alt="bible, bone, burning fire shut up in my bones, Co-Bear, cobear, fire, heart, Hearts Afire, His name, His Word, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 20:9, scripture, speak, word"></a>
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<strong>
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-73342264386900655642014-05-20T11:31:00.000-05:002014-05-21T07:23:04.775-05:00Lying Signs The Enemy Wants Us To BelieveYesterday morning I finished reading a couple devotionals and having not quite 'got' them... (my mind was like a foggy battlefield) I quickly prayed that God would help me apply His word of truth to my life and then headed out on a praise walk... in hopes of stumbling across some inspiration and motivation for the day.<br /><br />
I'd decided to walk the same familiar path I most often take so the girls (our dogs Sparkles & Tilly) could go with me... across the back yard, around the grain bins, down a partially graveled dirt lane... on past the town sewage lagoon and thru the fields belonging to our neighbors...<br /><br />
...But just after I passed by the 'No Trespassing' sign hanging along side of the sewage lagoon fence, I was stopped dead in my tracks... I heard the Spirit Of God whisper, <strong>"Go Back"</strong>. Without even turning around, I took 3-4 steps backwards… knowing inwardly that I was to look closer at that same familiar sign... and I mean I really looked at it. <br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-Kz7RtBh/A" title="Lying Signs The Enemy Wants Us To Believe - The promises of God are not far off, yet the enemy has been throwing up 'No Tespassing' signs to detour us from the truth that In Christ they are Yes & Amen'!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-Kz7RtBh/0/L/20140519_057a_IP5_Lying-Signs-Of-The-Enemy_e1_pr1-L.jpg" title="Lying Signs The Enemy Wants Us To Believe - The promises of God are not far off, yet the enemy has been throwing up 'No Tespassing' signs to detour us from the truth that In Christ they are Yes & Amen'!" alt="Jesus; enemy; hope; iphone; lie; lying; no trespassing; promise; promise of God; sign; spiritual; truth"></a>
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The sign was no different. A simple 'No Trespassing' sign that had been shot at numerous times by rebels of some sort not wanting to comply... but just above the sign I saw some words, as if written on the sky in clouds rather than ink, 'The Promises Of God… Are Not Far Away'...<br /><br /> <center><strong>And then in that moment He showed me numerous lying signs the enemy would have me, us to believe.</strong></center><br />
<ul>
<li>That laying hold of the promises of God is just too hard & probably requires wading through too much sewage... yet God's Word teaches us that 'He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire' - Ps 40:2b and that 'those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.' - Isaiah 40:31<br />
* In reality I've found that not taking hold of God's promises leaves us wading around in life's slimy cesspool without even realizing it more often than not… and certainly more often than I care to admit :-(</li>
<li>That God's promises are un-attainable and not reachable in the here and now... that they'll likely only become a reality later in the sweet by and by... and yet Jesus taught us to pray 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' - Matthew 6:10</li>
<li>That if we just fight hard enough (shoot the lying sign with guns and bullets repeatedly), if we try hard enough, do enough good things... etc., etc.... that we can (fill in the blank with whatever your striving or working hard towards)... and yet the Word teaches us in Zachariah that it's ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord' and 'though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does, that the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.' - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and to 'be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, that the weapons we fight with are not guns and bullets but rather the full armor of God consisting of a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness to share the gospel, a shield of faith, helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit (which is the Word Of God) and prayer... all kinds of prayers.' - Ephesians 6:10-18 paraphrased</li>
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It absolutely amazes me how quickly in just the blink of an eye that God can show us something that seems so otherwise ordinary and familiar, and yet use it to reveal deep truths and bring a better understanding to my otherwise lifeless un-renewed mind.<br /><br />
<strong>So what are lying signs? </strong><br />
Any and every thought (negative or seemingly positive) that doesn't line up and agree with the Word Of God. It's almost as if every time we learn about a promise of God, the enemy immediatly throws up some sort of 'No Trespassing' sign in hopes of preventing us from grabbing ahold and believing it for here and for now, for us, for someone else… and especially for myself... <br /><br />
<strong>Better yet what are the promises of God that we believe on for ourselves and use to combat those lying signs?</strong><br />
His Word is full to overflowing with them. For Example:<br />
<ul>
<li>The enemy tells us we're guilty & unpardonable • God's Word promises us grace and mercy and says that In Christ Jesus we are forgiven and are to put on His righteousness</li>
<li>The enemy leaves us feeling condemned and unloved • God loves us so much that He gave His son Jesus that we might know true peace and that In Christ I am free from any condemning charges against me</li>
<li>The enemy whispers of worry, chaos, fears & heartache • Jesus came that we might know His full measure of joy full to overflowing and that God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.</li>
<li>The enemy reminds me of past rejections, hurt and pain • Yet God's word says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, that I have been chosen, accepted and that In Christ I am a child of God.</li>
<li>The enemy says because I am a woman… Disqualified. Disqualified. Disqualified. • Wow... has this been a HUGE lying sign in my life, refuted greatly by <a href="http://youtu.be/0Q2LjVmR8AM" target="_blank">the Word preached by Pastor Glen</a> last Sunday at <a href="http://www.pittsfieldassembly.com" target="_blank">Pittsfield Assembly</a>. If you are a woman I'd highly encourage you to go listen to the message and be encouraged. Thank You Pastor Glen!</li>
<li> The enemy / a thought / or sign says • But God's Promise Says!</li>
<li> The enemy / a thought / or sign says • But God's Promise Says!</li>
<li> The enemy / a thought / or sign says • But God's Promise Says!…</li>
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<strong>Growth Challenge:</strong> Consider more carefully every thought that comes into our mind & take it captive to the obedience of God's Word. What are some of the negative thoughts you have about yourself, others, events, circumstances, etc? What about positive thoughts? Take them all captive. If they don't line up in agreement, then know they are a lying thought or sign per say sent straight from the enemy... refuted not by bullets but by the power and truth of God's Word. Which signs will we believe? <br /><br />
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My Walk Back Revealed A Nesting Wren Sitting On 4-5 eggs
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I've been watching this momma (and I think the daddy taking turns) for a few weeks now as they carefully and meticulously prepared the nest buried deep within a barberry bush just mere feet from our RV door. As I stopped by to check on them I was reminded of yet more of God's promises…
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Animal-Pets-Wildlife/All-other-Feathered-Friends/i-kpQ9p8p/A" title="Nesting Wren Sitting on 4-5 eggs"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Animal-Pets-Wildlife/All-other-Feathered-Friends/i-kpQ9p8p/0/L/20140520_016a_Wren_pr1-L.jpg" title="Nesting Wren Sitting on 4-5 eggs" alt="Nesting Wren Sitting on 4-5 eggs, Co-Bear; baby; bird; bird nest; nest; new life; photography; wild life; wren"></a>
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<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A25-34&version=NIV" target="_blank">“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?<br /><br />
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:25-34</a>
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<strong>If you've enjoyed this post & would like to read more like it, Please<br />
Add Your Comment Below, Like and/or Share This Post With Other's!</strong><br /><br />
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Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-66575068941129391692014-05-14T13:01:00.000-05:002014-05-14T13:08:05.647-05:00My God, My God… Where Are You? <div>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Travelogue/i-QnmmV6d/A" title="My God, My God… Where Are You? Have you ever had one of those days? Maybe lots of those days? I have... and just blogged about it at: http://blog.co-bear.com/2014/05/my-god-my-god-where-are-you.html"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Travelogue/i-QnmmV6d/1/L/20140507_130a_My-God-Where-Are-You_pr1-L.jpg" title="My God, My God… Where Are You? Have you ever had one of those days? Maybe lots of those days? I have... and just blogged about it at: http://blog.co-bear.com/2014/05/my-god-my-god-where-are-you.html" alt="Cindy Colbert; Co Bear; CoBear Photography; Jesus; My God; christian; creek; cry; dispair; hopeless; hurt; illinios; lost; nebo; pain; pray; prayer; spiritual"></a>
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My God, My God... Where Are You?<br />
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Have you ever had one of those days? Maybe lots of those days? I have...<br />
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And Yet In Spite Of Bad Stuff... I'm Probably About The Happiest Person I Know. Seriously! :-) <br />
Not because I've never experienced anything bad or because I don't... To name a few: <br />
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Raped, Molested, Beat, Hurt, Rejected, Anxious, Depressed, Lost, Angry, Hopeless, Confused, Afraid, Drunk, Drugged, Divorced, Broken, Didn't Want To Live, Experienced Heartache & Pain To The Very Depths Of My Core..... <br /><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">And Yet… Because He Lives, I Can & Do. So Can You!</span></strong>
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Just recently I had another one of those day(s). Several days to be more exact. "My God, My God... Where are you?" My heart cried. Note these recent days of torment weren't nearly as painful as the above to be sure, but still... I was un-done and having a downright inner painful fit.
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You see we'd just recently returned to Nebo, IL after spending the winter in Florida and I did NOT want to be here. Don't get me wrong, I Love Nebo people but... I was crying out, "Anywhere but here Lord" because:
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<li>It's to close to the deepest pain I've ever known or experienced and that pain was still grieving my heart furiously... and there was absolutely nothing I knew to do that could resolve it. This pain... Only God could resolve... and He wasn't moving.</li>
<li>It felt as if my photography dreams were slipping further and further away. I mean really... It's hard enough to make a living as a photographer... but "Seriously God, in the middle of no where mostly poverty stricken Nebo land... where making any wage let alone a decent photography wage isn't just hard, it's super hard."</li>
<li>4. 5... I had lots of reasons for not wanting to be here...</li>
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But... as many reasons as I had for not wanting to be here, there were even more reasons to be... I Knew it, I just didn't like it and found myself becoming more and more down about it all.<br /><br />
I spent the first week back in Nebo re-making our Co-Bear Photography sign, hung it up... and then in mid April in anger, depression and utter desperation I walked to the creak literally bawling my eyes out... and then... began crying out to God... Now What? Where are you? What do you want from me? What am I supposed to do? I had a full out complete what I refer to as 'Coming Apart'! <br /><br />
And then I sat there... and cried, and sat there longer. The photo above is not real time but rather a slight re-enactment of how hideous I must have appeared in that moment. And then... then the wind began to blow... ever... so... gently.<br /><br />
The Spirit of God began reminding me of His calling for me, my true purpose, my passion, my inner dreams and hearts desires... And then He reminded me of my testimony and that He'd asked me years ago to begin sharing it and to write a book containing it so that others might be helped through it. With clenched fist I raised it to the sky and said, No. No God, you know I can't do that yet. Sure I could write part of it but my heart hurts to bad... there's a huge wide open gaping wound you've yet to resolve and heal... and God I won't do it... I can't... not until you've done what I am not able to do.<br /><br />
Even more frustrated then before, I pulled myself up out of the creek and walked back to the RV pondering... wondering... hoping... praying... still wrestling with the Spirit of God. Finally, I simply told God, that I didn't know how even He could do it, but that I was choosing to continue to trust Him in Jesus Name that somehow, someway, someday He not only could but that He would do what was only possible for Him, that He'd bring healing to the most broken crushed part of my heart... and that once He'd done His part, I'd do mine. And then I left it in His hands. <br /><br />
I spent the next week doing the only thing I knew to do... 'Praise Him In The Storm'. I went on lots of praise walks (walks where I do nothing but praise Him). Confused and hurting... but choosing to trust and praise Him anyway. <br /><br />
Less than a week later... when I least expected it, in a way I never ever dared to imagine would or could possibly happen... God Moved. The wound of course is still there, the pain still hurts, but God is faithful and in a split instant He not only did what I thought was impossible, He was able to change the direction this particular pendulum had swung for so far and for so long, He stopped the knife thrust that had been cutting me so deep and began pouring His healing salve on my raw torn ripped to shreds heart. True the further a pendulum swings in one direction... the longer it takes to swing back the other way... but swinging back the other way it is... and for that all I can say is: Thank You Jesus! Hallelujah! <br /><br />
And so... With all that said... I'm committed, No... I am compelled... by the Love of God to begin writing that book for Him, for you... now more than ever to follow wherever He leads! LoL... I have no idea how to write a book, but again and again He's proven Himself trustworthy and faithful throughout my life... I trust He'll give me the words to say and to write and guide me to the right people to do whatever it is He wants to do through this vessel in which He Lives. :-) <br /><br />
Will I still be doing photography? Of course :-) My camera is practically a body part, an extension of who I am. But now I know why I'm in Nebo where there's not as much photography work to do... in Nebo I'm photographing, healing, praising & writing. In Nebo I am totally abandoned to Him! :-) <br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Travelogue/i-PqWk6nV/A" title="Totally Abandoned To You - I pray you'll choose to 'Praise Him In The Storm'…I encourage you to seek His Face… I implore you to become totally abandoned to Him… If you have no idea what I'm talking about & would like to, please do ask. I"m more than happy to share! If your wondering, My God, My God… Where Are You… read that blog post at: http://blog.co-bear.com/2014/05/my-god-my-god-where-are-you.html"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Travelogue/i-PqWk6nV/1/L/20140505_058a_Abandoned-To-You-Lilics_pr1-L.jpg" title="Totally Abandoned To You - I pray you'll choose to 'Praise Him In The Storm'…I encourage you to seek His Face… I implore you to become totally abandoned to Him… If you have no idea what I'm talking about & would like to, please do ask. I"m more than happy to share! If your wondering, My God, My God… Where Are You… read that blog post at: http://blog.co-bear.com/2014/05/my-god-my-god-where-are-you.html" alt="Co Bear; CoBear Photography; Jesus; abandon; bloom; blossom; cobear; flower; fragrance; god; lilac; love; macro; purple; quote; spiritual"></a>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Today, If your struggling with life,
If your having one of those days… </span></strong></div>
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<ul>
<li>I pray you'll choose to 'Praise Him In The Storm'…</li>
<li>I encourage you to seek His Face…</li>
<li>I implore you to become totally abandoned to Him… </li>
<li>If you have no idea what I'm talking about & would like to,
please do ask. I"m more than happy to share!</li>
<li>I leave the following video to help you along your way.</li>
<li>Please, Feel free to comment below or
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact" >email me privately via the contact page</a>
if I can be of any help whatsoever for you. </li>
</ul>
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<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1RgM3SA1xgE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
<strong>
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/About-CoBear">Meet Co-Bear & The Photographers</a> |
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Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-9767424449464945892014-05-02T10:32:00.000-05:002014-05-02T10:32:09.935-05:00Shout Out 4: Pittsfield Assembly & Southern Fried Sunday • Pittsfield, IL<div align="justify">
Danny & I had been visiting <a href="http://pittsfieldassembly.com" >Pittsfield Assembly</a> off and on some soon after we married in 2011, but while spending this past winter in Florida... we found ourselves struggling to find a church we really liked and turned to watching their sermons via internet every chance bandwidth speeds would allow. <br />
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Since returning back to Illinois a couple months ago… one of the things we most looked forward to was getting back to church… specifically back to Pittsfield Assembly and I must add that I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone better there and super excited to see what God's got in store for this amazing group of people. I cannot say enough good things about this church -> Love, Love, Love.<br />
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Shelby (our youngest daughter), her fiancee Duane & grand-daughters Annie & Allie have also recently started coming & told me just a couple weeks ago that this might very well become their home church. So… When the church recently held a 'Southern Fried Sunday' complete with an egg hunt for kids, I decided to invite our daughter Ashley from St. Louis, MO. She as well as her boyfriend Dan & grand-daughter Kaydance came. <br />
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The following is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsfield-Assembly/141538222549470?hc_location=timeline" >Pittsfield Assembly's Facebook Page</a> announcement &<br />
my not so good iPhone pic showing Chicken inviting everyone back for Southern Fried Sunday!
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<div id="fb-root"></div> <script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
<div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/141538222549470/photos/a.548188791884409.1073741825.141538222549470/664209600282327/?type=1" data-width="466"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/141538222549470/photos/a.548188791884409.1073741825.141538222549470/664209600282327/?type=1">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsfield-Assembly/141538222549470">Pittsfield Assembly</a>.</div></div>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-sjHnqgj/A" title="Chicken Shows Up To Invite Everyone To Southern Fried Sunday"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-sjHnqgj/0/M/20140406_788i_IP5_pr1-M.jpg" title="Chicken Shows Up To Invite Everyone To Southern Fried Sunday" alt="Pastor; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; chicken; iphone; iphone 5; southern fried sunday"></a>
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What follows is some images I captured of the egg hunt & some amazing fun times the girls had splashing in the parking lot puddles following the hunt. As you can see by the smiles… We all had a phenomenal time!<br />
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Calling The Line Up To Start A Fun Filled Egg Hunt At Pittsfield Assembly Of God
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-9WpMSPH/A" title="Easter Egg Hunt Line Up Begins At Pittsfield Assembly Of God"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-9WpMSPH/0/L/20140413_001a_Easter_pr2-L.jpg" title="Easter Egg Hunt Line Up Begins At Pittsfield Assembly Of God" alt="Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday"></a>
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The curly red headed doll below is our grand-daughter Annie and the long light brown headed doll wearing a blue dress to Annie's left is our grand-daughter Kaydance. :-) Yes, I absolutely adore these sweet beauties!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-QQJHJ6z/A" title="Egg Hunt"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-QQJHJ6z/0/L/20140413_008a_Easter_pr1-L.jpg" title="Egg Hunt" alt="Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-jbcRpr6/A" title="Egg Hunt"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-jbcRpr6/0/L/20140413_010a_Easter_pr1-L.jpg" title="Egg Hunt" alt="Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday"></a>
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Shelby's balancing our grand-daughter Allie & a bag for Annie's eggs,<br />
while Ashley balances on heels helping Kaydance to gather her eggs.
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-wMg2L4p/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-wMg2L4p/0/392x590/20140413_013a_Easter_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt="Allison Paige Hawkens; Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; Shelby Utterback; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday"></a> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-tMJprgd/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-tMJprgd/0/392x590/20140413_016a_Easter_pr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt="Ashley Johnson; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; southern fried sunday"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-qvgQbbH/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-qvgQbbH/0/L/20140413_021a_Easter_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>
Both girls were absolutely overjoyed with their treasures...
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-55SHhg8/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-55SHhg8/0/270x270/20140413_027a_Easter_pr1-270x270.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-RrhSpHT/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-RrhSpHT/0/270x270/20140413_029a_Easter_pr1-270x270.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-pfKB9M6/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-pfKB9M6/0/270x270/20140413_030a_Easter_pr1-270x270.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-SsWJbqh/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-SsWJbqh/0/270x270/20140413_031a_Easter_pr1-270x270.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>
...But what happened immediately following this brought tears of tremendous pride to my heart. You see another little boy didn't have quite the success as my grand-daughters and began crying. The second they heard him, both girls rushed to his side asking, "What's the matter?" Sobbing, he lifted his bag to reveal it was mostly empty with only 2 eggs. It was as if no words were needed, the girls understood immediately and began digging their own prized eggs out and happily gave the other little boy several eggs for his own… they never even hesitated to consider what they might be giving up… but instead were overjoyed to share and bring a smile to his face. *Sigh*… If only the whole world could be 1/2 as caring and compassionate as these little young ones were that day.
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Danny, Dan & Duane might growl at me for sharing this image… <br />
but we gals had a good giggle over the 'Chicken Shack' scene :-)
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-KjdDGmP/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-KjdDGmP/0/L/20140413_035a_Easter_pr1-L.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
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Who Can Resist A Good Hardy Puddle Jump?<br />
Not These ~> Pretty Girls Just Gotta Have Fun &<br />
Splish Splash My Dress Is Gettin A Bath = <br />
A Great Time Indeed! :-)
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-nMbZ7x3/A" title="Splish Splash My Dress Is Gettin A Bath!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-nMbZ7x3/0/L/20140413_043a_Easter_pr1-L.jpg" title="Splish Splash My Dress Is Gettin A Bath!" alt="Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; puddle; southern fried sunday; splash; water"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-x8tqNB7/A" title="Pretty Girls Just Gotta Have Fun!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-x8tqNB7/0/L/20140413_046a_Easter_pr1-L.jpg" title="Pretty Girls Just Gotta Have Fun!" alt="Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; puddle; southern fried sunday; splash; water"></a>
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Thank You Jesus 4 Pittsfield Assembly & Fun Filled Days & May God Bless You Each Individually As Well As Corporately With Love & Hugs & Laughter Full To Overflowing!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-X3gQpfV/A" title="Thank You Jesus 4 Pittsfield Assembly And Fun Filled Days! And May God Bless You Each Individually As Well As Corporately With Love & Hugs & Laughter Full To Overflowing!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Southern-Fried-Sunday/i-X3gQpfV/0/L/20140413_040a_Easter-Edit_pr3-L.jpg" title="Thank You Jesus 4 Pittsfield Assembly And Fun Filled Days! And May God Bless You Each Individually As Well As Corporately With Love & Hugs & Laughter Full To Overflowing!" alt="Annie Mae Utterback; Co Bear; CoBear; Easter; Kaydance Marlene Sneed; Pittsfield; Pittsfield Assembly Of God; church; egg hunt; event; illinios; photography; puddle; southern fried sunday; splash; water"></a>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
<strong>
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
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</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-68848179372122126172014-04-10T13:38:00.001-05:002014-04-23T22:05:15.880-05:00Hugs ~N~ Shrugs: An Emotional Co-Bear Travelogue Update ~> Florida 2 Illinois<div align="justify">
Many of you are thinking about now... Whoa... What????? I thought the Co-Bear's were planning to be at the beautiful & luxurious <a href="http://myakka-river.com" >"Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"</a> in sunny Florida for a lot longer… Well, yes we were... but...<br />
<br />
…One of the beautiful things about of having wheels on our home is that it allows for some really quick plan adjustments & re-locating if the need arises such as it's done just recently. Due to out of our control unforeseen circumstances (that we're not able to discuss via internet) we've recently returned to the Mid-Missouri / Western Illinois area with our base location in Nebo, Illinois.<br />
<br />
With the exception of destination travel photography &/or a few quick trips now & then, it looks like we'll be hanging out around here for quite sometime. For how long you ask... all I know right now is 'for quite sometime'. When the good Lord leads us otherwise, that's when Big Bear's wheels will roll on again. <br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-BZrFLns/A" title="Double Rainbow Where Dreams Really Do Come True At The Myakka River Motorcoach Resort! This double rainbow panoramic image consists of 21 separate images stitched together to form one :-)"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-BZrFLns/1/L/Myakka-River-Motorcoach-Resort_700a_20140307_pr1-L.jpg" title="Double Rainbow Where Dreams Really Do Come True At The Myakka River Motorcoach Resort! This double rainbow panoramic image consists of 21 separate images stitched together to form one :-)" alt="5 star; CoBear; Co-Bear; Colbert; Englewood; Florida; Myakka River; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; Port Charlotte; RV; bridge; double rainbow; luxury; panorama; rainbow; resort; stitch"></a>
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We greatly enjoyed our time at the <a href="http://myakka-river.com" >"Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"</a> and will forever treasure the wonderful friends we made while there. What a blessing!!! An early morning rain shower produced this breathe taking double rainbow panorama created and shown above by capturing 21 images and stitching them together in photoshop :-) Big Bear (our RV) is shown far right directly under the second rainbow on site #50 facing the resorts center lake. <br />
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<center><strong><span style="font-size: large;">So, Without further a-do',</span></strong><br /></center>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Shrugs to:</span></strong>
<ul>
<li>Emotional Roller Coaster Rides ~ I don't climb on this ride often and never willingly… but If you'll bear with me a moment… I can't deny it… As a Full-Time RVer I know I shouldn't get attached to places and yet… a huge piece of my heart is still in Florida. Crazy as it sounds but… I fell… in love… and I really truly miss that place… and the people there… and the warmth… and the sweet breeze of salty ocean air… and mostly I think I'm missing the lost dreams and plans I'd made for photography there this summer… *big sigh*. And yet on the other hand… I desperately want to be wherever God leads and know that even though my heart has yet to come into sync… that right now at this set time… that we need to be here. I sincerely love this place and the people here to but… wow… my feelings and emotions have been having an absolute down right come apart fit. Surely I'm not the only one that has those, am I? Well, enough is enough. It's past time to get over it, pull up my big girl panties and shrug off this emotional roller coaster ride. It's time to embrace what is… God help me… I'm trying.</li>
<li>Brrrrr Cold Winter Weather ~ Since coming north I've been holding onto hope that someday hopefully very soon it surely would warm up enough to remove our heavy winter coats. Talk about going into shock... My body and blood starting shivering somewhere in Georgia and by the time we hit Missouri… I'd went numb straight to the core. </li>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Hugs to:</span></strong>
<ul>
<li>Treasured Memories Made & New Friends We Look Forward To Meeting Again ~ While we made LOTS of new friends in Florida this year, there's just something really crazy special about Frank, Donna & Smoky :-) Donna recently shared with me something like, "Sometimes Life Throws Us Curve Balls, Somedays Gutter Balls… Keep On Keeping On!" Wise gal she is! :-) Donna if you read this, know I'm often looking around of the mornings hoping to catch you joining us for coffee… bathrobe and all, LoL!</li>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-4KH754f/A" title="Friends Frank, Donna & Smoky"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-4KH754f/0/L/20140301_003a_CBP_pr1-L.jpg" title="Friends Frank, Donna & Smoky" alt="Donna Shank; Florida; Frank Shank; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; RV; Smoky; contact card; dog; friends; motor home; motorcoach; rv sites; travel; travel card; travel contact card"></a><br />
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And then there's Lew, Velma & Cody… What a joy they are :-) <br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-hj88sDN/A" title="River View Site ~ Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-hj88sDN/0/358x358/Myakka-River-Motorcoach-Resort_740a_20140319_pr1-358x358.jpg" title="River View Site ~ Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="5 star; CoBear; Colbert; Englewood; Florida; Lew Thompson; Myakka River; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; Port Charlotte; RV; Velma Thompson; campground; casual; luxery; motorcoach; palm tree; resort; river; river front; river view; sitet"></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-wRgxNpG/A" title="River View Site ~ Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-wRgxNpG/0/540x540/Myakka-River-Motorcoach-Resort_737a_20140319_pr1-540x540.jpg" title="River View Site ~ Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="5 star; CoBear; Colbert; Englewood; Florida; Lew Thompson; Myakka River; Myakka River Motorcoach Resort; Port Charlotte; RV; Velma Thompson; campground; casual; luxery; motorcoach; palm tree; resort; river; river front; river view; site"></a>
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<ul>
<li>Power Tools, Paint And A Creative Mind ~ Last week I told Danny, "Well if I'm gonna be in Nebo awhile, I'm at least re-doing my old sign & putting it back up!" For whatever reason he balked in protest but I'd firmly decided. So… off to Missouri we went & retrieved the old sign from my mom's attic to bring back to Illinois. I guess part of me was needing paint stripper & power tools to help un-loose the old & put on the new. I surprised myself by not ruining it completly (un-leashing pent up frustrations)… and I must say it's turning out quite nicely. Much better than I originally thought it might + added bonus… look no coat!!! That's right yesterday though brief, I did shed my heavy winter coat (it's thrown over in the chair ;-) </li>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Travelogue/i-vJ6JFwz/A" title="Striping Off The Old Sign - Painting On The New!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/2014-Travelogue/i-vJ6JFwz/0/L/20140409_010a_New-Sign-Work_pr1-L.jpg" title="Striping Off The Old Sign - Painting On The New!" alt="Big Bear; Cindy Colbert; Co Bear; CoBear; CoBear Photography; Illinois; RV; creative; missouri; nebo; paint; power tools; sign"></a>
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<ul>
<li>And The Biggest Hugs Of The Day Go To Our Dear Sweet Momma's ~ Momma T on the left & Momma C on the right (photo captured last summer) We Love You Both More Than Words Could Ever Express, Truly! :-)</li>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Family-Friends/2013-05-19-Back-To-Travel-BBQ/i-JPbLWhT/1/L/20130519_014a_BBQ_pr1-L.jpg" title="Momma C and Momma T" alt="Momma T and Momma C"></a>
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<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
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Until Next Time,<br />
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
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<br />
PS: Did you enjoy this post? If So, Please<br />
Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-15680583030050376892014-02-04T14:33:00.001-06:002014-02-04T16:11:57.714-06:00Workamping + A Review Of Myakka River Motorcoach Resort • Port Charlotte, Fl<div align="center">
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My oh my, where to begin? This post is jam packed with goodness including:<br />
A Review of the Myakka River Motorcoach Resort,<br />
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<center><i>{Call it a campground if you must, but this place is nothing short of luxurious goodness}</i><br /></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;">
Information About Our 1st Official Workamping Experience,<br />
And… A Workamper… What On Earth's A Workamper!<br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-vZVQQhj/A" title="Our 1st Official Workamping Jobs Are On Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast At The Luxurious Class A Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-vZVQQhj/1/L/20140121_229a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Our 1st Official Workamping Jobs Are On Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast At The Luxurious Class A Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean" alt="cindy colbert; class a; cobear; co-bear; danny colbert; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; sparkles; tilly; campground; entrance; palm tree; photographer; photography; resort; workamper; workamping"></a>
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We first learned about the <a href="http://myakka-river.com" >"Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"</a> via <a href="https://www.workamper.com/?AID=133369&BID=12782" >"The Workampers Website"</a> where they had run an ad looking for workampers. So, let's break it down by starting at the beginning with:
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">
What On Earth's A Workamper? Well… We Are!!!
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From the <a href="https://www.workamper.com/?AID=133369&BID=12782" >Workamper</a> website: "Workampers are adventurous individuals, couples and families who have chosen a wonderful lifestyle that combines ANY kind of part-time or full-time work with RV camping. If you work as an employee, operate a business, <i>OR</i> donate your time as a volunteer, AND you sleep in an RV (or on-site housing), you are a Workamper!"
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<span style="font-size: large;">
<strong>
Why and how we decided to become official 'Workampers'<br />
</strong>
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Actually, because we lived in our RV and operated Co-Bear Photography from it… we were workampers before we even knew the term existed and/or what it was. But, here I go again getting ahead of myself so… back to before we had the RV… Have You Ever Dreamed Of Traveling… Of Living Wherever Your Heart Leads &/or wherever the wheels might roll? But then… you quickly thought to yourself, "No way could I possibly afford to do that and certainly never before retirement age!" Well… That's sort of how our adventures began and guess what… there's good news because when you have a dream, a desire and the will… then there really IS a way!
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In short… We lived in Nebo, Illinois and although we loved the people there, for various reasons we knew we needed to move. But where… Ugh, we could not decide. All our kids lived at least an hour away and each wanted us to move nearby. Hmmm… We put our house on the market and began searching… and researching… and looking at houses everywhere… and… nothing. It seemed every direction we turned we hit a brick wall and frankly after awhile, as much as I dearly love each of our children with every fiber of my heart… the truth is I just couldn't bring myself to 'want' to live next door or even real close to any of them. Ha! How's that for frank honesty? Truly, I really do love them all and if need be, in a heartbeat I would literally attempt moving stars, heaven or earth for any single one of them… but… now that their grown up and don't need me quite the same anymore, I've come to like my independence of doing whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want :-)
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While searching, I discovered that with the current poor state of the economy we could literally sell our home in Illinois and move to a similar place in beautiful Pensacola, Florida for about the same amount of money. I was shocked, delighted and now more confused than ever because while that sounded truly awesome… even that wasn't quite what we wanted.
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Continuing our search, Danny was daily driving past an RV sales lot and after work one day he strolled into our home and casually mentioned half joking to me, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could just buy an RV and travel until someday we decided where we'd like to live?" Oh boy, would it ever! But… we laughingly agreed that was an impossible dream… that maybe someday might possibly come true… maybe.
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Day after day and night after night I kept thinking about what Danny had said. I just couldn't get it out of my head. And then… Danny had not one, but two strokes. Thankfully he recovered quickly but immediately we knew it was time… we had to 'Get busy living or… Get busy dying!' In that moment I began seriously praying and searching google for answers. Yep, I have a huge appreciation and love for technology, google and the world wide web.
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I quickly discovered an amazing website by the name of <a href="http://www.technomadia.com" >Technomadia</a> and a group called <a href="https://www.workamper.com/?AID=133369&BID=12782" >Workampers</a>. Immediately the knowledge gleaned from those and sites similar to theirs become power and our seemingly impossible dream… it started to sound more and more like it could become a 'Dream Come True' real life reality!
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I could go on and on (and one day I'll add more details) but soon afterwards we bought our first RV now named 'Big Co-Bear', sold our house in Nebo along with practically everything that wouldn't fit inside Big Bear and set out to travel. For over a year we've enjoyed traveling where we wanted, making lots of friends, returning back home for an extended stay, house sitting for the new property owners at our old place back in Nebo and spending lots and lots of money. Because we're not actually retirement age or even remotely financially able or eligible yet… it was time to start putting our workamper plan into action. It's time to work mobile!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-sQMPk3s/A" title="Workamper Danny Colbert At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-sQMPk3s/0/L/20140121_246a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Workamper Danny Colbert At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="class a; cobear; co bear; danny colbert; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; hot tub; jacuzzi; photographer; photography; pool; resort; swim; workamper; workamping"></a>
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For Us Workamping Isn't Just About The Work Per Say…<br />
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Specifically for us, it's about locating phenomenal places where photography opportunities abound and that we'd truly LOVE staying at for a time, meeting all kinds of amazing people and experiencing memorable opportunities that we may not have otherwise ever been able to. Ideally were looking for places that are unique, beautiful in their own sort of way, and provide a full hookup site (water, sewer, electric) in exchange for volunteer hours worked. With our now mobile photography business, internet access is absolutely critical… so while having truly reliable wifi is a major deal, cable television is not because for the most part we rarely even turn ours on. Besides if the wifi is truly good who needs cable these days ;-) Work duties we like to exchange vary widely and include anything from teaching photography or tech related class's, serving as campground hosts, customer care, office, reservations, site maintenance, social media and/or activities assistant, etc., etc. We enjoy doing all kinds of things and creative exchanges. Someday we 'think' we'd enjoy serving as 'Lighthouse Hosts & Tour Guides' on the beautiful coast of Oregon… but that's another dream for another day :-)
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-7gDtMgz/A" title="Workamper Cindy Colbert At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-7gDtMgz/0/L/20140121_233a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Workamper Cindy Colbert At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="cindy colbert; class a; cobear; co bear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; campground master; office; photographer; photography; reservation; resort; workamper; workamping"></a>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How To Become Official Workampers</span></strong></div>
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<li>First, join the <a href="https://www.workamper.com/?AID=133369&BID=12782" >Workamper</a> group. Yes, there is a fee but it's nominal and truly worth every penny.</li>
<li>Next, write your resume (don't forget photos) and post it on their website (Tip: update it often).</li>
<li>Watch their website for workamping jobs or better yet sign up for the 'Daily Hotline' emails so that each time a new job is posted, you'll receive it via email and have immediate access to respond should you like the offer.</li>
<li>Next… I'd highly advise you sit back and watch the postings for awhile. Most every week day it seems there are 2-8 new listings and you'll have tons of jobs to sift through. Everything from campgrounds, house sitting, working at theme parks, state parks, security gate jobs… I'm telling ya the list is as endless as it is creative so don't be in a rush to jump at the first post you read.</li>
<li>Be sure and check out the workamper website and forums for advise such as what to require in a workamper agreement. Though it may sound silly at first… it truly is VERY important. Our biggest fears were driving thousands of miles only to discover a misleading ad and/or a boss that wanted nothing more than to take advantage of us. Yes, sadly there are those out there who will take advantage of you. Be… aware!</li>
<li>This brings us to: </li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How we found our 1st Official Workamping jobs…</span></strong></div>
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<CENTER><a href="https://www.workamper.com/?AID=133369&BID=12780" target="_blank" border=0><img src="http://www.workamper.com/affiliateBanners/beAworkamper.gif" alt="Be A Workamper" border=0></a></CENTER>
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We knew we wanted to winter somewhere warm (preferably in Florida) so I'd been watching the hotline postings closely. I first saw the listing from Myakka River Motorcoach Resort back in October of 2013 but… sadly they really wanted someone by November or at least by December… and we had prior commitments in Illinois both to Danny's truck driving job as well as to the new property owners we had sold to. Regardless, I immediately looked them up on google maps to discover they were perfectly located near Port Charlotte right on the on the Myakka River, just south of Sarasota, just north of Sanibel, a mere 12 miles from numerous gulf beaches (far enough Danny needn't worry daily about direct hurricane hits or negative salt water effects… yet close enough I could enjoy the ocean and shelling to my hearts content) ~> Can we just scream PERFECT LOCATION ~> Exactly central to all our favorite Florida spots. I then devoured their website and fell in love with hope.
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After talking with Danny and lots and lots of prayer I emailed them the link to our resume and within just a day or so received a call back from Bill Winters (A prior workamper there and their current Director of Business Development). We talked… and it sounded perfect… except for the timeframe. I explained we couldn't arrive until Jan 2014 due to prior commitments and kindly requested they keep us in mind just in case they didn't find someone who fit their needs sooner.
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November came and surprizingly they posted yet another ad wanting workampers asap :-/ Again, I responded with the request they keep us in mind should they not find who they were looking for. And then… Mid December came around. Why I was so nervous to call I have no idea but I was. Danny reminded me that regardless of whether or not we secured a workamping position that we were still going to Florida and living a dream come true but… for some reason I'd already fell in love with this place that I'd never even been to and I didn't want to just go there… I 'wanted' to workamp there… Seriously inter webs… It was so bad I practically drooled all over their website with hope. I guess it's a good thing they couldn't see my drool ~ LOL ~ or they may have posted Co-Bear keep away signs!
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Finally… I worked up the nerve to call Bill again and sure enough, even though they'd already started with one couple, they still needed another. Somehow I remained calm through out the remainder of the conversation and he advised me that Amber Wright (Director of Sales) would probably be calling that afternoon to interview us… we hung up & I literally screamed Ya-Hoo's! To cut it short… We talked details with Amber including agreement modifications, reviewed and prayed over the agreement she emailed, then signed and returned it within just a couple short days. Our agreed plans were to arrive no later than January 7th, 2014. We knew we'd likely arrive sooner but allowed a weeks cushion just in case the weather or some other crazy life event interfered. :-) Hope's and Dream's Coming True!
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Reviewing The <a href="http://myakka-river.com" >"Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"</a>!<br />
~ Where We Arrived January 1st, 2014 ~<br />
It Is A Brand New Premier Luxury Class A MotorCoach Waterfront Resort<br />
Officially Opened Just This Year!
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First… Check out their website at <a href="http://myakka-river.com" >"www.Myakka-River.com"</a> and then return here for for our first hand personal review. They've worded everything perfectly and tell what their resort is about so much better than I could. With the exception of the mini putting green (currently being replaced in favor of other client amenity requests), and on site massage and manicures not yet being available (coming soon I understand), I've yet to find any inaccurate information (and that's only because time hasn't allowed them to update recently). One thing they don't emphasize enough is how genuinely friendly everyone is… the Staff and Guests alike are all remarkably down right a wonderful group of people.
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Truly, This place is SO NEW that google maps still shows it during the construction phase and most GPS units including our Garmin and/or Apple Maps don't realize the brand new road 'Myakka Avenue' even exists yet. But… once we figured that out and which road to take… piece of cake! If you have trouble locating the resorts address of 14100 Myakka Ave., Port Charlotte, FL 33953 just search for Kerrigan Circle, Port Charlotte, Florida. If your heading west on 776 you'll turn right onto Kerrigan Circle and Myakka Avenue is the third street off the circle on the right. Most GPS units will advise you to take Sturkie Road which is just past Kerrigan Circle… while you can drive a motorcoach down Sturkie it's a narrow road so your much better off turning onto Kerrigan Circle regardless of which direction your coming from.
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<iframe width="725" height="425" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Myakka+River+Motorcoach+Resort,+Myakka+Avenue,+Port+Charlotte,+FL&aq=0&oq=myakka+river+motor&sll=27.698638,-83.804601&sspn=24.108723,17.446289&t=h&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=&ll=27.459539,-81.760254&spn=2.071443,3.982544&z=8&iwloc=lyrftr:h,4032451964454673170,26.967959,-82.219276&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Myakka+River+Motorcoach+Resort,+Myakka+Avenue,+Port+Charlotte,+FL&aq=0&oq=myakka+river+motor&sll=27.698638,-83.804601&sspn=24.108723,17.446289&t=h&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=&ll=27.459539,-81.760254&spn=2.071443,3.982544&z=8&iwloc=lyrftr:h,4032451964454673170,26.967959,-82.219276" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>
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Once you've found and made your way to the end of Myakka Avenue, your first view is of the entrance is pictured below. Ladies and Gentleman… this photo does not do it justice ~ It's WOW!!! You'll notice the resort is fenced and includes a coded security gate serving as it's single access road! We LOVE that added bit of security. If passing through to visit you'll need to come during office hours OR pre-arrange an appointment so someone can meet you at the gate. I made that mistake once when someone called to say they'd be coming by on a Sunday to view the resort… being a small town girl I'd forgotten they couldn't just drive on in and afterwards I felt just horrible :-/ Hopefully I'll not be making that mistake again.
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-frkHX3G/A" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Entrance"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-frkHX3G/0/L/20140121_212a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Entrance" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; entrance; palm tree; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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I'll change the following 2 photos out for better images eventually but for now… <br />
A couple quick iPhone shots shows us parked on site #50
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After quickly checking in at the office where everyone warmly welcomed us with friendly smiles, Bill guided us to our site #50 so we could spend a few days just relaxing and becoming familiar with the area. As you can see from the photos, all the sites are plenty spacious, brick paved, beautifully landscaped and maintained with the utmost of care and excellence.
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-rwSWk75/A" title="Quick iPhone shot showing Big Bear (our RV) parked on Site #50 at the beautiful Myakka River Motorcoach Resort near Port Charlotte, Florida in the unincorporated community of El Jobean where we have a phenomenal view of the sun setting from our patio on the lake and over the bridge just in front of us. When I climb up on the roof I can even watch it setting on the Myakka River itself… however nornally when I want a river view (except for when I'm taking roof top photos :-) I usually just walk over to the boardwalk or head up to the clubhouse sunset deck."><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-rwSWk75/0/392x392/20140101_505a_IP5_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-392x392.jpg" title="Quick iPhone shot showing Big Bear (our RV) parked on Site #50 at the beautiful Myakka River Motorcoach Resort near Port Charlotte, Florida in the unincorporated community of El Jobean where we have a phenomenal view of the sun setting from our patio on the lake and over the bridge just in front of us. When I climb up on the roof I can even watch it setting on the Myakka River itself… however nornally when I want a river view (except for when I'm taking roof top photos :-) I usually just walk over to the boardwalk or head up to the clubhouse sunset deck." alt="big bear; class a; cobear; co bear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; sparkles; tilly; campground; iphone; photographer; photography; resort; site #50"></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-9Fxmv6m/A" title="A quick iPhone pic with 'Big Bear' (our RV) shown in the middle and parked on site #50 at Myakka River Motorcoach Resort near Port Charlotte, Florida in the unincorporated community of El Jobean. If looking at a map you'll notice we're actually closer to El Jobean but for some reason that I'm not sure of yet not all the towns are used as an address. We LOVE it here."><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-9Fxmv6m/0/392x392/20140101_503a_IP5_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-392x392.jpg" title="A quick iPhone pic with 'Big Bear' (our RV) shown in the middle and parked on site #50 at Myakka River Motorcoach Resort near Port Charlotte, Florida in the unincorporated community of El Jobean. If looking at a map you'll notice we're actually closer to El Jobean but for some reason that I'm not sure of yet not all the towns are used as an address. We LOVE it here." alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; campground; iphone; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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The view from our site is phenomenal and at sunset<br />
it treats us to new daily sights such as these:
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-kvb3F8X/A" title="Phenomenal Sunset From Site #50 At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-kvb3F8X/0/L/20140119_178a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Phenomenal Sunset From Site #50 At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean" alt="class a; cobear; co bear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; campground; photographer; photography; resort; sunset"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-QsJ99MW/A" title="From our site at Myakka River Motorcoach Resort we watch as the sky's canvas changes from beauty to beauty over the lake in front of us, the bridge and the Myakka River itself. Wow!!!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-QsJ99MW/0/L/20140115_038a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="From our site at Myakka River Motorcoach Resort we watch as the sky's canvas changes from beauty to beauty over the lake in front of us, the bridge and the Myakka River itself. Wow!!!" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; campground; photographer; photography; resort; sunset"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-wRMQCDf/A" title="An Amazing Sunset From Site #50 At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-wRMQCDf/0/L/20140119_146a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="An Amazing Sunset From Site #50 At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean" alt="class a; cobear; co bear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; campground; photographer; photography; resort; sunset"></a>
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Adjoining the clubhouse is the grand staircase which leads up to the sunset deck providing a jaw dropping view of the Myakka River and a heated swimming pool that everyone can enjoy with both a casual swim area and 75 feet swimming lanes.<br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-M4fTWrr/A" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Pool"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-M4fTWrr/0/L/20140121_254a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Pool" alt="class a; cobear; danny colbert; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; hot tub; jacuzzi; photographer; photography; pool; resort; swim; workamper; workamping"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-5bGc8fC/A" title="Pool And Myakka River View"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-5bGc8fC/0/L/20140121_270a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Pool And Myakka River View" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; hot tub; jacuzzi; photographer; photography; pool; resort; swim"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-C9QXkzs/A" title="A View From The Sunset Deck At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-C9QXkzs/0/L/20140121_269a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="A View From The Sunset Deck At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-DVR4f2V/A" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Pool And Clubhouse Sunset Deck"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-DVR4f2V/0/L/20140121_259a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Pool And Clubhouse Sunset Deck" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; pool; resort; swim"></a>
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Next to the pool is the whirlpool spa hot tub… one of our favorite spots to relax!<br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-mSFddvq/A" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Whirlpool Spa"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-mSFddvq/0/L/20140121_261a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Whirlpool Spa" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; hot tub; jacuzzi; photographer; photography; pool; resort; spa; swim; whirlpool spa"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-T3HnfJD/A" title="I can't imagine anyone not enjoying a whirlpool spa otherwise known as a hot tub or jacuzzi… whatever you call it, it's like a little warm piece of heaven on earth :-)"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-T3HnfJD/0/L/20140105_540a_IP5_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="I can't imagine anyone not enjoying a whirlpool spa otherwise known as a hot tub or jacuzzi… whatever you call it, it's like a little warm piece of heaven on earth :-)" alt="cindy colbert; class a; cobear; danny colbert; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; hot tub; iphone; jacuzzi; photographer; photography; pool; resort; spa; swim; whirlpool spa"></a>
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Inside the clubhouse you'll find the welcome center and front office, a huge entertainment area, kitchen area, a game room where Danny has been beating me at shooting pool (note the has been… I will win), a large screen television where everyone just enjoyed the Super Bowl game and party, an amazing fitness room complete with more exercise equipment than I'll ever use (not pictured), showers, restrooms and of course the must have laundry facilities (again not pictured). Although there are currently only 2 sets of washer and dryers, they plan to expand this in the future. In the meantime you can find an excellent laundromat just a few miles from here… if your like Danny who does all our laundry and prefers doing every load at once (Yes, I Know I'm Blessed).<br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-K3bzrPb/A" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-K3bzrPb/0/L/20140121_245a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-swg4pBP/A" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-swg4pBP/0/L/20140121_239a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-6kKJQvk/A" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-6kKJQvk/0/L/20140121_240a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; pool; resort; swim"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-rT3z9Mp/A" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-rT3z9Mp/0/L/20140121_235a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-dNTBGKf/A" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-dNTBGKf/0/1050x1050/20140121_243a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-1050x1050.jpg" title="Clubhouse At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; club house; photographer; photography; pool; resort"></a>
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Other Onsite Outdoor Amenities Include:
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Fishing, walking or relaxing along the waterfront boardwalks and private fishing pier, Tennis and Pickleball Courts, bike riding, enjoying the local wildlife (such as the alligators, turtles and birds who share the lakes), watching amazing sunsets, taking your pets to the friendly dog park and of course Kayaking the Myakka River (A kayak launch area is currently being constructed).<br />
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The Dog Park Is Now Formally Sparkles & Tilly Approved!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-rdV9q2s/A" title="Sparkles & Tilly Love The Dog Park At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort - Port Charlotte, El Jobean, Florida"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-rdV9q2s/0/L/20140121_206a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="Sparkles & Tilly Love The Dog Park At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort - Port Charlotte, El Jobean, Florida" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; dog; dog park; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-BrH2wt5/A" title="The Boardwalk At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-BrH2wt5/0/L/20140101_508a_IP5_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="The Boardwalk At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Near Port Charlotte, Florida In The Unincorporated Community Of El Jobean" alt="big bear; class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; board walk; campground; iphone; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-nb4XNnG/A" title="This Gator Seems To Be Watching Over Big Bear From Afar… Afar Is Good!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-nb4XNnG/0/1250x1250/20140109_011a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-1250x1250.jpg" title="This Gator Seems To Be Watching Over Big Bear From Afar… Afar Is Good!" alt="big bear; class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; rv; alligator; campground; lake; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-Rw9SGCX/A" title="They say gators are more scared of people than we are of them… hmmm. Okay!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-Rw9SGCX/0/L/20140109_008a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="They say gators are more scared of people than we are of them… hmmm. Okay!" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; alligator; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-fdxMFvr/A" title="Bird On The Lake"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-fdxMFvr/0/1250x1250/20140109_036a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-1250x1250.jpg" title="Bird On The Lake" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; photographer; photography; resort"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-sdWqZ2r/A" title="A Turtle At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-sdWqZ2r/0/L/20140121_208a_D2D_Myakka-River-Florida_p1-L.jpg" title="A Turtle At Myakka River Motorcoach Resort" alt="class a; cobear; el jobean; florida; myakka river motorcoach resort; port charlotte; campground; lake; photographer; photography; resort; turtle"></a>
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So… Getting down to where the rubber meets the road:
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We checked <a href="http://www.goodsamclub.com/travel/campgroundsandrvparks/generalinfo.aspx?cgid=201201508" >"Good Sams Rating"</a> and found they give them a 9.5 | 9.5 | 10 • I doubt it gets better than that!<br />
We checked <a href="http://www.rvparkreviews.com/view_campground_review_details.php?cgid=14001®ion=Florida&city=Port-Charlotte&park=Myakka-River-Motorcoach-Resort" >"RVParkReviews"</a> and found they give them a 10 out of 10 based on 2<br />
We checked <a href="http://www.rvparky.com/location/myakka-river-motor-coach-resort" >"RVParky.com"</a> and found they give them a 5 out of 5<br />
<br />
And that folks… is all the reviews we could find so far.<br />
You just can't seem to find anything bad about this place :-)<br />
Personally I haven't developed a rating system yet… I either like it or I don't.<br />
And This Place --> I Love!!! --> So How About 9.9999999… <br />
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I guess if I absolutely had to suggest improvement anywhere (besides the laundry which is already planned to expand), it would be where the Wi-Fi is concerned. For the average RVer the Wi-Fi service provided via <a href="http://tengointernet.com" >"Tengo Internet"</a> will be excellent and all you'll ever need. Yes, you do have to create an account and password and log in… which can be a hassle… but in exchange you receive complimentary free 'Secure' wifi. Repeat: Secure! That my inter web friends we all know is important ;-) For people like me who consider good internet critical… make sure you bring along another internet source for the times you need true high speed and or for when you've exceeded the data and speed limitations. Had I personally known before coming about all the Tengo Internet reviews, I seriously might have hesitated in coming… But… that being said I'm truly glad I didn't know and instead came without hesitation. For the times when Tengo isn't quite up to par, I simply turn on my cell phones hot spot via ATT and resume blazing speed (though very carefully because cell phone data fee's grow enormously if your not super ubber careful).
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Lastly, I want to thank Amber and Ralf!
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These two amazing people are who've made and continue to make this place so phenomenal! A special Thank You to both of them for taking a chance on bringing us here so serve as workampers! Amber, Thank You for your ever smiling face and the astounding people / communication skills you display endlessly. I'm in awe and hope to leave this place having learned a great deal just by watching you work. Ralf, Thank You for having the vision and dreams and guts and steadfast determination it took (and takes) to turn this place into a reality! Please don't be offended because I mean the following with absolute respect but I cannot help but add that when I first observed you working, you sort of reminded me of a happy hamster running on a wheel… or maybe more like 10 wheels at once, running furiously fast and hard and practically non-stop… but always with a smile. I wondered how on earth you ever got anything done going in so many directions at once. I've since learned my initial assessment was totally false because hamsters on wheels get no where and you sir are continuously making progress and getting more done in a very short amount of time than most ever dare or imagine accomplishing in several lifetimes! It's my hope to learn that how-to from you! :-) I just realized I've yet to capture a picture of the two of you together… we must fix that asap! ;-)
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PS: Don't miss the upcoming photography class's and specials available exclusively to guests of Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Only! If your not here… You should be!
</strong>
</span>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Current-Specials/i-X92DBpq/A" title="Fun Filled & Free Photography Class's and Exclusive Offers For Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Guests Only! How To Capture Better Vacation Photos With Any Working Camera. Secrets To Better Sunset Photography Using Smart Phone Cameras To dslr's. Offers Include: 50% Off Signature Photo Sessions, Travel Contact Cards; And Private One-On-One Photography Instruction, Computer Assistance, Instruction and/or Trouble Shooting."><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Workamping-MRMR/i-X92DBpq/1/1050x1050/20140122_MRMRClassPromo01-1050x1050.jpg" title="Fun Filled & Free Photography Class's and Exclusive Offers For Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Guests Only! How To Capture Better Vacation Photos With Any Working Camera. Secrets To Better Sunset Photography Using Smart Phone Cameras To dslr's. Offers Include: 50% Off Signature Photo Sessions, Travel Contact Cards; And Private One-On-One Photography Instruction, Computer Assistance, Instruction and/or Trouble Shooting." alt="photography; class; vacation; smart phone; dslr; camera; how to; magic hour; myakka river motorcoach resort; myakka river; cobear; cobear photography; florida; port charlotte; el jobean; special; instruction; assistance; trouble shoot; workamp"></a>
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<strong>
PSS: Please leave any questions about 'Workamping' or the 'Myakka River Motorcoach Resort' in the comment fields and I'll answer back both in the comments and via email if you leave a valid address for me to respond to.
</strong>
</span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
<strong>
Until Next Time My Friends,<br />
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
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</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com13Myakka River Motorcoach Resort, 14100 Myakka Ave. Port Charlotte, FL 3395326.96920170191137 -82.21816062927251826.962125701911368 -82.228245629272521 26.976277701911371 -82.208075629272514tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-52431931995039096072013-11-04T15:19:00.001-06:002013-11-04T15:48:11.081-06:00Adorable Kids In Costume Revealed ~ Halloween 2013 :-) <div align="justify">
Rain, Rain… You didn't scare e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e away! This year hit a massive record low for the number of trick-or-treaters we've had in Nebo but it sure didn't scare them all away. Check out these adorable kids who braved the weather to trick-or-treat anyway! Aren't they absolutely adorable!!! <br />
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Carrie Dressed As A Princess - Beautiful Indeed!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com" title="Halloween Costume Mini Session 2013"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-6Gzq6KZ/0/L/20131031_201a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-L.jpg" title="Princess Carrie" alt="caylee mcdaniles; cobear; kids; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-xZ3GKFc/0/540x540/20131031_200a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-540x540.jpg" title="Princess Carrie" alt="caylee mcdaniles; cobear; kids; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session"></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-RmtmCpw/0/358x358/20131031_202a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-358x358.jpg" title="Princess Carrie" alt="caylee mcdaniles; cobear; kids; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session"></a>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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The Stunning Witch Madison & Handsome Hobo Wyatt!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients" title="The Stunning Witch Madison & Handsome Hobo Wyatt"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-B4Kp8HJ/0/L/20131031_203a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-L.jpg" title="The Stunning Witch Madison & Handsome Hobo Wyatt" alt="cobear; kids; madison neese; wyatt neese; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session"></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/ClientsA" title="Handsome Hobo Wyatt"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-nSq3fts/0/1200x1200/20131031_206a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-1200x1200.jpg" title="Handsome Hobo Wyatt" alt="cobear; kids; madison neese; wyatt neese; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session"></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients" title="Witch Madison"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-SLvZ3WB/0/1200x1200/20131031_205a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-1200x1200.jpg" title="cobear; kids; madison neese; wyatt neese; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session" alt=""></a>
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And Gorgeous Hunter Maggie!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients" title="Hunter Maggie"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-C2XW8ZW/0/L/20131031_207a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-L.jpg" title="Hunter Maggie" alt="cobear; kids; maggie gade; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session"></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-RxwWK3k/A" title="Hunter Maggie"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Clients/Halloween-2013/i-RxwWK3k/0/1200x1200/20131031_208a_Halloween-Fall-Mini_pr1-1200x1200.jpg" title="Hunter Maggie" alt="cobear; kids; maggie gade; costume; halloween; minisession; photography; portrait; session"></a>
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Coming Soon ~~> Mini Nativity Christmas Session Details You Won't Wanna Miss!!! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
<strong>
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/About-CoBear">Meet Co-Bear & The Photographers</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">View Portfolio & Galleries</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Find Us On Facebook</a> |
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<br />
PS: Did you enjoy this post? If So, Please<br />
Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-15508340428630992582013-10-29T13:46:00.000-05:002013-10-29T13:46:04.547-05:00Halloween 2013 Costume Photography<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>
Preserve Your Costume Memories With Co-Bear Costume Photography!<br />
Treats Are Free ~ Photography Is $10. from 4:30 to 7:00 PM<br />
Includes: (1) 4x6 Print + Matching Full Size Print & Web<br />
Ready Digital File Downloads With Print Release!
</strong>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Current-Specials/i-98kVLWp/A" title="Co-Bear Photography Halloween 2013 Costume Pics"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Current-Specials/i-98kVLWp/0/800x1000/CB-2013Halloween01-800x1000.jpg" title="Co-Bear Photography Halloween 2013 Costume Pics" alt="cobear; co-bear; family; illinois; love hugs laughter; mini; child; children pets; costume; couple; halloween; investment; missouri; photography; portrait; price; session; special"></a>
</center>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
<strong>
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/About-CoBear">Meet Co-Bear & The Photographers</a> |
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<br />
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Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com1Co-Bear Photography, 115 Bridge Street, Nebo, IL 62355, USA39.443221437988413 -90.7898408174514239.442838437988414 -90.79047131745142 39.443604437988412 -90.78921031745142tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-40563825729915798652013-10-08T14:05:00.000-05:002013-10-22T12:48:30.614-05:00Fall Mini Session Specials - Illinois & Missouri Photography<div style="text-align: justify;">
EDIT 10/22/13: Updated To Add The New Fall Mini Session Flyer! Only 2 Appointment Times Remain For 10/24 At The Pittsfield Lake So Book Today!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Current-Specials/i-dRxjPdK/A" title="UPDATED: Co-Bear Photography Fall Mini Sessions"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Current-Specials/i-dRxjPdK/1/1125x1125/CB-2013FallMiniSession02-1125x1125.jpg" title="UPDATED: Co-Bear Photography Fall Mini Sessions" alt="Co-Bear Photography Fall Mini Sessions; special; fall; mini; portrait; session; cobear; photography; love hugs laughter; illinois; missouri; family; child; children pets; couple; price; investment"></a>
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We're super excited about the Fall Co-Bear Mini Sessions this year & if you'd like, we'll even include this adorable 'Pumpkin Bear & Honey Pot' created by our dear friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diana.franklin3" >Diana Franklin</a> and shown in the photo below along with her handsome husband Kent! Thank You Diana! First come, first served ~ So hurry & book your session while there's still time available!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Current-Specials/i-XCfpbbk/A" title="Co-Bear Photography Fall Mini Sessions"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/Current-Specials/i-XCfpbbk/0/1125x1125/CB-2013FallMiniSession-1125x1125.jpg" title="Co-Bear Photography Fall Mini Sessions" alt="Co-Bear Photography Fall Mini Sessions; special; fall; mini; portrait; session; cobear; photography; love hugs laughter; illinois; missouri; family; child; children pets; couple; price; investment"></a>
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We're planning to shoot Mini's at the Pittsfield City Lake on 10-17-2013 which looked like the following this time last year. For More images of the area check out <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake" >This Gallery</a> and <a href="http://blog.co-bear.com/2012/10/fall-color-at-pittsfield-city-lake-in.html#.UlRTqhbfX0c" >Blog Post</a>! Wow!!! I am so looking forward to shooting fall portraits here!
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/i-7f32Bwn/A" title="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-7f32Bwn/3/L/20121015_001a_Pittsfield_Illinois_City_Lake_p1-L.jpg" title="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!" alt="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/i-P3GVQHH/A" title="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Travelogue-Places-Quotes/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/i-P3GVQHH/2/L/20121015_002a_Pittsfield_Illinois_City_Lake_p1-L.jpg" title="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!" alt="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!"></a>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
<strong>
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/About-CoBear">Meet Co-Bear & The Photographers</a> |
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Find Us On Facebook</a> |
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<br />
PS: Did you enjoy this post? If So, Please<br />
Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-74308046020795149012013-09-17T21:03:00.000-05:002013-09-17T21:12:50.279-05:00Wedding Portfolio Fave's & Destination Dreams!Featured below is a handful of our favorite wedding images. To view our current full <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding" >'Wedding Portfolio' click here</a>. What I really want to talk to you about today is our desire to improve, build and expand our 'Wedding Portfolio' to include:<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Destination Weddings Throughout The Entire United States!</span></strong>
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Our travel schedule is always tentative and changing based largely upon which direction we're headed to photograph 'Love, Hugs & Laughter'! Currently, we're located in Central-West Illinois and Central-East Missouri with tentative plans to travel south to warmer weather states such as Florida, Texas, Arizona and California come January of 2014. Afterwards our tentative plans include traveling throughout the west in the spring of 2014 (specifically Washington, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming). We LOVE outdoor, beach, country and lakeside weddings but no matter where… <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">If your wedding is anywhere within the United States<br />
We'd love to talk to you!
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If were a great match for capturing the most important day of your life… Then your wedding location is where we'll be traveling to! For more information please fill out our <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact" >'Contact'</a> form which is submitted to us via email and we'll be in touch ASAP.
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PHOTOGRAPHERS: Are you looking for 2nd shooters or back-up assistants? If so, please check out our <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio" >current portfolio of work</a> and contact us. We'd love the opportunity to work together and meet each others needs.
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Current Co-Bear Wedding Fave's!</span></strong>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-q9jhczR/A" title="Co-Bear Photography Macro Wedding Ring Shot Hanging By A Flower"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-q9jhczR/5/L/20130713_005a_BruceAndGayle_xPort-L.jpg" title="Co-Bear Photography Macro Wedding Ring Shot Hanging By A Flower" alt="Co-Bear Photography Macro Wedding Ring Shot Hanging By A Flower"></a><br />
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<th rowspan="2"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-7fDxNCm/A" title="Outdoor wedding ring exchange in sepia"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-7fDxNCm/15/376x566/060528_109b_Christine-376x566.jpg" title="Outdoor wedding ring exchange in sepia" alt="Outdoor wedding ring exchange in sepia"></a></th>
<td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-VWb9fF4/A" title="Wedding Ring ExchangePerry, MO"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-VWb9fF4/11/405x405/20060513_0185a_Durst-405x405.jpg" title="Wedding Ring Exchange Perry, MO" alt="Co-Bear Photography Wedding Ring Exchange In Perry, MO"></a> </td>
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<tr><td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-5ZsFTTL/A" title="A kiss before the limo ride"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-5ZsFTTL/13/405x405/20060513_0254-a_Durst-405x405.jpg" title="A kiss before the limo ride" alt="A kiss before the limo ride by Co-Bear Photography"></a></td></tr></table>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-QpzKngr/A" title="We Do ~ Always & Forever!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-QpzKngr/2/L/20130713_056a_BruceAndGayle_xPort-L.jpg" title="We Do ~ Always & Forever!" alt="We Do ~ Always & Forever! By Co-Bear Photography"></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-cSJPHh2/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-cSJPHh2/7/392x392/060528_163a_Christine-392x392.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-dwCs4hx/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-dwCs4hx/7/392x392/060528_160a_Christine-392x392.jpg" title="" alt=""></a>
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-BHTHxdc/A" title="Wedding Bubble Walk"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-BHTHxdc/11/L/20050611_0293_Wedding-A%26AJohnson-L.jpg" title="Wedding Bubble Walk" alt="Wedding Bubble Walk"></a>
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<th rowspan="2"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-q3zBGgj/A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-q3zBGgj/9/376x566/060528_307b_Christine-376x566.jpg" title="" alt=""></a></th>
<td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-pz9scdq/A" title="Groom and Groomsmen Outdoor Looking Cool While Waiting For The Ceremony To Begin Don't you love those colorful vests!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-pz9scdq/13/405x405/20060513_0086_Durst-405x405.jpg" title="Groom and Groomsmen Outdoor Looking Cool While Waiting For The Ceremony To Begin Don't you love those colorful vests!" alt="Groom and Groomsmen Outdoor Looking Cool While Waiting For The Wedding Ceremony To Begin Don't you love those colorful vests! By Co-Bear Photography"></a> </td>
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<tr><td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-Dnmbf2k/A" title="Bridal Party ~ We got legs poseCaptured in front of Garth Mansion in Hannibal, MO"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Wedding/i-Dnmbf2k/12/405x405/20050611_0041_Wedding-A%26AJohnson-405x405.jpg" title="Bridal Party ~ We got legs poseCaptured in front of Garth Mansion in Hannibal, MO" alt="Bridal Party ~ We got legs pose Captured in front of Garth Mansion in Hannibal, MO"></a>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact" >'Contact' </a>Co-Bear Today To Book Your Destination Wedding Location!</span></strong>
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Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
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Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/About-CoBear">Meet Co-Bear & The Photographers</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">View Portfolio & Galleries</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Find Us On Facebook</a> |
<a href="http://twitter.com/CindyColbert">Follow Us On Twitter</a>
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PS: Did you enjoy this post? If So, Please<br />
Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-46391948430034870142013-09-17T20:59:00.001-05:002014-04-10T15:51:07.621-05:00Brand New Logo, Website & Blog ~ OH MY! :-)<div align="center">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">First Up… Our New Co-Bear Photography Logo!</span></strong>
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While we liked our old logo it just didn't fit who we are, what we do or the clients we were serving. It was Dark, Black & Seemed To Lean More Visually Towards Children Photography. <br />
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Coming up with a new logo was H-A-R-D! We wanted the new logo to feature a teddy bear couple in love, enjoying life, earth tones, fun, friendly, professional, love hugs & laughter photography… The designers said jokingly, "Cindy, You sure don't ask for much do you?" Hmmm… nope :-) But then again if it would have been super easy, I'd have done it myself. I'm great at photography but logo design… not so much. Instead I hired a company called <a href="http://99designs.com">99 Designs</a> where designers all over the world could review our request and submit their ideas. It was a crazy amazing learning experience. In the end a designer by the nickname of <a href="http://99designs.com/people/twinklebee">TwinkleBee</a> won our hearts. She was an absolute gem to work with, had a keen insight into what we were looking for, never seemed to grow weary with our revision requests and truly seemed to want to create exactly what we wanted. I could go on and on but suffice it to say that while I'm not 100% certain we've gotten 'exactly' what we want and need… (does one ever?) We're close enough that we're happy for now & hope you'll like the new look as well. <br />
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<a href="http://www.co-bear.com" title="Co-Bear Photography ~ Love, Hugs & Laughter ~ Wedding & Portrait ~ Travel & Destination Photography"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/i-HRxckV4/0/L/i-HRxckV4-L.png" title="Co-Bear Photography ~ Love, Hugs & Laughter ~ Wedding & Portrait ~ Travel & Destination Photography" alt="Co-Bear Photography ~ Love, Hugs & Laughter ~ Wedding & Portrait ~ Travel & Destination Photography" style="border-style: none"></a>
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Site/Logo/i-H75gQKt/A" title="Co-Bear Photography Logo"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Site/Logo/i-H75gQKt/0/L/CoBear_logo_label-EditType1-L.png" title="Co-Bear Photography Logo" alt="Co-Bear, Photography, Logo, love hugs and laughter, wedding, portrait, brand, branding" style="border-style: none"></a>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Next Up… The New Website & Blog!</span></strong>
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Once we received the final logo design it was time to get busy overhauling the new website and blog. But, one very huge problem stood in the way. For years we've used <a href="https://secure.smugmug.com/signup.mg?Coupon=fiZFEZShkTRH6">Smugmug Pro</a> Exclusively for our main website host. Smugmug provided us with a fully 100% customizable website and allowed us to display an unlimited number of photos and videos but… It was hard to customize (I knew just enough html and css code to be extremely dangerous haha) and we knew that they were soon going to be completely overhauling the backend… which could potentially ruin everything I was about to do. So, I voiced my concerns on <a href="http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=234055">DGRIN - The Smugmug Forums</a> back in April of 2013. Sure enough, it was confirmed that if I should decide to go ahead with my plans to hire a professional website builder and/or do it myself that everything would be 'Totally Borked' when the new Smugmug changed over. But… no one knew when this would happen. <br />
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Sensing my frustration <a href="http://cmac.smugmug.com">Baldy (aka Chris MacAskill)</a> who is Smugmug's Co-Founder phoned me to discuss the changes and to personally encourage me to hang in there with them. We talked at great lengths about the soon to be released smugmug, what I could expect before and after and… he even confidentially shared the dates he was hoping for but not guaranteeing that everything would go live. WOW!!! I don't know about you'll, but when the Co-Founder of Smugmug called me… little ol' me… I was shocked, floored, impressed, very thankful and VERY proud to be a part of the Smugmug team. With smiles… the wait began… :-) <br />
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Finally… On July 30th, 2013 <a href="http://news.smugmug.com/2013/07/23/unveiling-the-all-new-smugmug-on-tuesday-july-30th/">The New Smugmug Went Live!!!</a> and I can't even begin to tell you how much I am truly In Love With New Smugmug! Right out of the box you can create your own website in literally just minutes. The ease of organizing your site and photos is now amazing easy! And… while you can still opt to pay someone $1000's of dollars for a one of a kind site… It truly is 'No Longer Necessary'. Smugmug has an amazing community of people over in the dgrin forums that love helping one another snazzy up their sites. As time allowed I worked on & off the new site for a couple weeks and then another few weeks matching up a seamless blogger blog. I must confess… It's so easy to work on new Smugmug now that I suspect I'll be making changes much more often. :-) <br />
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Please have a look around the new site and seamless blog. I'd love to hear your suggestions and how to improve it's ease of navigation, visual appeal or anything that you think would improve our websites look, feel and most important it's ease of use for you. If you find anything that's not linked up correctly or doesn't seem to be working… please let me know. Someday when I have those thousand(s) of dollars to spare I may still hire a professional website designer but until then… I think we've got a pretty good start, don't you?
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">So… Now that we've got all this, What's Next?</span></strong>
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In the days to come we hope to cross link lots of our <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">Portfolio Images</a> right here on the blog (we hear it's great for SEO and helping search engines like google to 'find and see' our images online + We'll also be sharing some super awesome information about how we want to build the portfolio and why that's going to be super important to you. I guarantee… You won't want to miss it! Until next time…
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<span style="font-size: 1.4em;">
<strong>
Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />
Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography
</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets Connect:
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Information/About-CoBear">Meet Co-Bear & The Photographers</a> |
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">View Portfolio & Galleries</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Find Us On Facebook</a> |
<a href="http://twitter.com/CindyColbert">Follow Us On Twitter</a>
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PS: Did you enjoy this post? If So, Please<br />
Hug Us By 'Liking', 'Sharing With Other's & Adding Your 'Comment'! :-)
</div>
Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-89965721491517554932012-11-06T13:53:00.000-06:002013-09-03T14:26:20.715-05:00Dreams Of Enjoyment ~ Petals Of Time<div align="justify"><p>I awoke this morning with a pounding heart stressed by worry and bother so intense it caused me to sit straight up and think out loud, "What the heck, was that"? I'd been dreaming. It's not often I dream anymore but whoa this seemed so real, so ick... so... I don't want to travel let alone even dream of living like that. </p><p>Jumping out of bed I quickly started some coffee and picked up the phone to call Danny. He'd left for work at 5 am this morning and although I'd gotten up, fixed his lunch and hugged me a good day... I still stumbling tired, sunk deep back down into the covers in hope of finding just a wee bit more sweet sleep. Sleep I found... but sweet it was not. </p><p>Danny answered his bluetooth headset and the first thing out of my mouth was, "I've had an awful dream so you've got to make me a promise"! Poor guy... I surely must throw him for a loop as often as the hula goes round. "Promise me we'll enjoy the journey every single day and plan to stop however long it takes to discover even the seemingly silly little world wonders and that rather than only see big things from afar, that we'll go down and find out what makes it special and, and... and that you won't be in a rush to always hurry to the next destination." Danny laughed and assured me that not only did he plan to see the roses but that we'd stop and smell everyone of them. :-) Ah... the sweet aroma! </p><p>So what was your dream, Danny asked. All kinds of crazy awful stuff... but the last dream we were standing on the top of a huge rock wall cliff. Not a mountain but more like a rock hill. There were stairs carved into the cliff leading down into a massive body of water and all along the edge were what appeared from the top to be little pools... hot tob sized pools that nature had carved into the rock. The water was cool but as waves come in washing into the pools, the warmth of the rocks immediately warmed the water within to perfect steamy bliss. I wanted to descend the stairs and get lost in the blissful invitation but you... you pointed to your watch and said we've got exactly three days to get across this country and only another day to get to... wherever. You were rushing ahead and I was reluctantly following along picking up everything of importance that you were dropping along the path in a hurried rush. I later found out from others that within each pool of warm water floated rose petals that continuously fell from the plants alongside them... rose petals which when floated on the waters of time emitted the sweet aroma of life pleasantly at rest and hidden by a hot steamy view from all but those who took the time to descend the steps and enjoy the luxury of that particular passing moment. </p><div align="right">Selah... </div></p><p>So... that was my dream. I've written it down so that a year from now or maybe even just after the passing of the next seven short weeks (the estimated time we've set to launch into our journey down the road)... that I'll have something to point to and reference each time I hear Danny utter the word: "Hurry". And to remind myself, Danny and everyone everywhere that: Life is short... as quoted from the movie Bucket List: "45 years goes by pretty fast. Like smoke through a keyhole". In Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 I read, "I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - This is the gift of God." When I reach the end of my road I of course want to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Ref Matt 25:24) and yet I'd also like to pause a few moments both at the end of my road and now and then along this path towards our destination to inhale deeply of a sweet aroma created from a life well lived fully of joy... full to overflowing with love, hugs and laughter! </p><p>After all this dreaming and promising and writing it down... I looked over to ponder the last of this years quickly wilting rose petals, that I'd tried to preserve just a bit longer. That pondering led to the following photograph! </p><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Day-2-Day-Smiles/2215749_nkVp9R#!i=2199439877&k=Q2n9cxc&lb=1&s=A" title="Petals Of Time ~ Like Smoke Through A Keyhole ~ 2012 Cynthia M Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-Q2n9cxc/0/750x750/20121106_001a_Rose-Petel-E1-P1-890x890.jpg" title="Petals Of Time ~ Like Smoke Through A Keyhole ~ 2012 Cynthia M Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography" alt="Petals Of Time ~ Like Smoke Through A Keyhole ~ 2012 Cynthia M Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography"></a></center></div><p><center>It is my hope that you enjoy this journey to. Until next time: </center></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography </strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lets Connect: <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">View Our Portfolio</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Like Us On Facebook</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/CindyColbert">Follow Us On Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Contact">Contact Us Directly</a> | <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/">Check Out Our Website</a> <br />Leave Us A Comment Hug Below And-Or Share This Post With Others </div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0115 Bridge Street, Nebo, IL 62355, USA39.44304381 -90.7897737214.654529310000001 -131.21946122 64.23155831 -50.36008622tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-24995496804986960632012-10-23T18:37:00.000-05:002014-02-04T16:13:00.161-06:00Fall Color At Pittsfield City Lake In Pike County IL<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>All My People Sessions Have Been Private Here Lately<br />(Yes, we keep them offline when that's your preference)<br />But Occasionally I Get A Day All To Myself To Photograph<br />Nothing But Pure Fun 'Walk About'!<br /></strong></span></div> <div align="justify"><p> Last Monday was just that special kinda day. *Sigh* I desperately love days like last Monday. There truly like a breath of fresh air providing new vision and hope and life… and… inspiration… and all those things that make us feel all warm and fuzzy and/or in this case… colorful through and through. </p><p> I'd finished my morning errands and decided to head out to the Pittsfield City Lake in hopes of confirming whether or not what I'd heard was true. With the new RV (nope, we still haven't named her yet but are open to suggestions) I've been searching for some fairly local campsites to take her for a few test spins before we head out on the open road later this year. The rumor mill suggested that Pittsfield Lake had reasonable rates and possibly full hookups so I had to find out for myself. </p><p> Wow was I surprised! Full hook-ups, boating, fishing, playgrounds, absolutely beautiful scenery all around, and the best part… Only $12 Per/Night for full hook-ups. $5 Per/Night if you camp primitive ;-) I'm certainly looking forward to an overnighter real soon but in the meantime... </p></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>How bout this view? Wow, right?<br /> </strong></div><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/26110884_76JNmw" title="Even in the woods the color was simply amazing!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-7f32Bwn/1/L/20121015001aPittsfieldIllinois-L.jpg" title="Even in the woods the color was simply amazing while taking a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!" alt="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!"></a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/26110884_76JNmw" title="Pittsfield Illinois City Lake In Pike County Illinois"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/i-p8NSXj8/1/L/20121015003aPittsfieldIllinois-L.jpg" title="Pittsfield Illinois City Lake In Pike County Illinois" alt="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake in Pike County Illinois on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!"></a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/26110884_76JNmw" title="The Lake Was Simply Breathtaking!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/i-P3GVQHH/1/L/20121015002aPittsfieldIllinois-L.jpg" title="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!" alt="Took a walk around the Pittsfield Illinois City Lake on October 15th, 2012 and was certainly not disappointed by the beautiful fall color display. I'd heard there was RV camping sites there and was pleasantly surprised to discover they not only had sites but they have full hook ups for only $12 per day. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to staying over for a visit soon!"></a><br /></center></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>To see more and/or purchase prints visit:<br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Fall-Color-Pittsfield-Lake/26110884_76JNmw" >Co-Bear's Pittsfield Lake Fall Color Gallery</a><br /><br />For more information about the Pittsfield lake,<br />camping and/or how to get there visit:<br /><a href="http://www.pittsfieldil.org/community/recreation/pittsfield-city-lake" >www.pittsfieldil.org</a></strong></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography </strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lets Connect: <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">View Our Portfolio</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Like Us On Facebook</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/CindyColbert">Follow Us On Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/gallery/10294026_YRVd8">Contact Us Directly</a> | <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/">Check Out Our Website</a> <br />Leave Us A Comment Hug Below And-Or Share This Post With Others </div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com33252 E, Pittsfield, IL 62363, USA39.630151307924194 -90.749988555908239.5812318079242 -90.8289525559082 39.679070807924191 -90.6710245559082tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-46942123939931672802012-09-04T07:25:00.000-05:002013-06-28T01:55:35.596-05:003 Teddy Bears + Kaydance = A Tea Party For Four Portrait Session!<div align="justify">While chiropractic finals were certainly stressful for my oldest daughter Ashley, they were this Mamaw's absolute delight because my 2-2/3 year old grand-daughter Kaydance got to come spend the entire week with us. We spoiled her perfect and although her activity level reminded us that we're well past twenty (shhhh, don't tell) we were reminded that no matter what's going on at any given moment… we MUST RACE for the bathroom when she said she had to go. I'm happy to report we're still plenty fast and made it every time... well almost! :-) </div><br />While Kaydance was here we: <br /><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Had A Teddy Bear Tea Party </strong></div> <br /><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/9893574_X8bHJr#!i=2056959199&k=dPhtjb5&lb=1&s=A" title="Tea Party For Four Co-Bear Portrait Session."><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/i-dPhtjb5/0/800x800/20120821002aKaydanceTeaPartypr-800x800.jpg" title="Tea Party For Four Co-Bear Portrait Session." alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, cookies, facebook, flower, flower garden, girl, nebo, outdoor, party, portrait, smile, tea, tea party, teddy bear"></a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057398280&k=MJmjck7&lb=1&s=A" title="Tea Party Portrait Session"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-MJmjck7/0/392x392/20120821004aKaydanceTeaPartypr-392x392.jpg" title="Tea Party Portrait Session" alt="Co-Bear, Portrait Session, Kaydance Sneed, cookies, drink, girl, party, portrait, tea, tea party, teddy bear,"></a> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057412490&k=2NDwbNx&lb=1&s=A" title="Tea Party Portrait Session"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-2NDwbNx/0/392x392/20120821006aKaydanceTeaPartypr-392x392.jpg" title="Tea Party Portrait Session" alt="Portrait Session, Kaydance Sneed, cookies, girl, party, portrait, tea, tea party, teddy bear, Co-Bear Photography"></a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057435901&k=v63gvXJ&lb=1&s=A" title="Tea Party Portrait Session"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-v63gvXJ/0/392x392/20120821009aKaydanceTeaPartypr-392x392.jpg" title="Tea Party Portrait Session" alt="Tea Party Portrait Session"></a> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057440523&k=mGPJbxx&lb=1&s=A" title="Tea Party Portrait Session"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-mGPJbxx/0/392x392/20120821010aKaydanceTeaPartypr-392x392.jpg" title="Tea Party Portrait Session" alt="Tea Party Portrait Session"></a><br /></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Walked to the post office and enjoyed "Dancing In The Street" Urban style </strong></div><br /><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/9893574_X8bHJr#!i=2056971982&k=Wmp3zzc&lb=1&s=A" title="This One's For Ashley! "Cheer Up Mommy, Finals Are Almost Over & I'll Be Home Soon So We Can Dance Like No One's Watchin! PS: I Love You & Mamaw Does Too!!!" ~ Kaydance"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/i-Wmp3zzc/1/L/20120822029aKaydancepr1-L.jpg" title="This One's For Ashley! "Cheer Up Mommy, Finals Are Almost Over & I'll Be Home Soon So We Can Dance Like No One's Watchin! PS: I Love You & Mamaw Does Too!!!" ~ Kaydance" alt="BioSS, CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Laughter, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, brick, brick wall, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, dance, dance like no one's watching, facebook, nebo, outdoor"></a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2058081478&k=RM5tDns&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-RM5tDns/0/392x392/20120822033aKaydancepr1-392x392.jpg" title="" alt=""></a> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2058088886&k=HRGxmk2&lb=1&s=A" title="Who cares who's watching… Sometime's Ya Just Gotta: Bear Dance!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-HRGxmk2/0/392x392/20120822034aKaydancepr1-392x392.jpg" title="Who cares who's watching… Sometime's Ya Just Gotta: Bear Dance!" alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, dance, facebook, hug, nebo, outdoor, street, teddy bear, urban"></a></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Spotted Tinker Bell through the cracks of this old wooden building </strong></div><br /><div><center><table><tr> <th rowspan="2"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057815696&k=3kgWRjf&lb=1&s=A" title="This is when Kaydance assured me she really does see Tink in there (through the cracks)!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-3kgWRjf/0/376x800/20120822026aKaydancepr1-376x800.jpg" title="This is when Kaydance assured me she really does see Tink in there (through the cracks)!" alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, barn wood, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, facebook, nebo, outdoor, teddy bear, wood wall"></a></th> <td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057722340&k=CwdRdHf&lb=1&s=A" title="Kaydance was asking "Hey… what's in here?" and then told me, "I think Tinker Bells In Here!" Gotta love a childs imagination."><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-CwdRdHf/0/410x410/20120822022aKaydancepr1-410x410.jpg" title="Kaydance was asking "Hey… what's in here?" and then told me, "I think Tinker Bells In Here!" Gotta love a childs imagination." alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, barn wood, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, facebook, nebo, outdoor, teddy bear, wood wall"></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057733858&k=W4s2z8m&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-W4s2z8m/0/410x410/20120822023aKaydancepr1-410x410.jpg" title="" alt=""></a></td></tr></table><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/9893574_X8bHJr#!i=2057026185&k=cScM3Hx&lb=1&s=A" title="My Grand-daughter Kaydance sitting quietly watching and pondering... her next move I'm sure :-)"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/i-cScM3Hx/0/L/20120822017aKaydance-L.jpg" title="My Grand-daughter Kaydance sitting quietly watching and pondering... her next move I'm sure :-)" alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, block wall, brick, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, facebook, nebo, outdoor, quiet, teddy bear, thinking, thought, urban"></a></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Watered the roses with Tilly's close supervision </strong></div><br /><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057660695&k=VDRtZCB&lb=1&s=A" title="Kaydance watering the roses for Mamaw!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-VDRtZCB/0/392x590/20120822015aKaydancepr1-392x590.jpg" title="Kaydance watering the roses for Mamaw!" alt="Kaydance Sneed, Tilly, flowers, red rose, rose, watering, watering flowers,"></a> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057674921&k=RqMFfHM&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-RqMFfHM/0/392x590/20120822016aKaydancepr1-392x590.jpg" title="" alt="Kaydance Sneed, Tilly, flowers, red rose, rose, watering, watering flowers,"></a></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jumped on the trampoline until tuckered way past to silly to jump </strong></div><br /><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057587573&k=QbfHZjJ&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-QbfHZjJ/0/L/20120822012aKaydancepr1-L.jpg" title="Jumped on the trampoline till to tuckered silly to jump!" alt="Kaydance Sneed, trampoline,"></a> <table><tr><th rowspan="2"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057582670&k=mCMNF92&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-mCMNF92/0/376x800/20120822011aKaydancepr1-376x800.jpg" title="" alt=""></a></th> <td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057592925&k=PcG5xq5&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-PcG5xq5/0/410x410/20120822013aKaydancepr1-410x410.jpg" title="" alt="Kaydance Sneed, Laughter, trampoline"></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057653625&k=C72RPJF&lb=1&s=A" title="I would love to know the thoughts going through Kaydance mind at this very moment… hmmm… maybe best not to know!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-C72RPJF/0/410x410/20120822014aKaydancepr1-410x410.jpg" title="I would love to know the thoughts going through Kaydance mind at this very moment… hmmm… maybe best not to know!" alt="I would love to know the thoughts going through Kaydance mind at this very moment… hmmm… maybe best not to know!"></a></td></tr></table></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Played on the swing we made early one morning </strong></div><br /><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/9893574_X8bHJr#!i=2056964850&k=NkDKTZD&lb=1&s=A" title="Kaydance Portrait"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/i-NkDKTZD/1/L/20120822001aKaydancepr1-L.jpg" title="Kaydance Portrait" alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, facebook, nebo, outdoor, smile, swing"></a><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057577965&k=C5ZmWXR&lb=1&s=A" title="Played on the swing we made early one morning"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-C5ZmWXR/0/392x590/20120822010aKaydancepr1-392x590.jpg" title="Played on the swing we made early one morning" alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, facebook, nebo, outdoor, swing,"></a> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/9893574_X8bHJr#!i=2057021495&k=f5pGsZv&lb=1&s=A" title="Kaydance Portrait"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Children-Kids/i-f5pGsZv/0/392x590/20120822008aKaydance-392x590.jpg" title="Kaydance Portrait" alt="CoBear, Illinois, Kaydance Sneed, Love Hugs Laughter, Pike County, Pittsfield, child photography, children kids portfolio, cobear, facebook, nebo, outdoor, swing,"></a><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2058130062&k=tFdx64k&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-tFdx64k/0/L/20120822039aKaydancepr1-L.jpg" title="" alt="Kaydance Sneed, straw hat, swing,"></a></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Took Great-Grandma Colbert to KFC for her 81st Birthday Party <br /></div><div align="justify">At this point I must add that when Elizabeth said she wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield I wondered "How can we possibly make it special?" I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just do something to make it special for her. I was shocked with wow and can not possibly confirm with mere words how super kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all prepared for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!! </strong></div><br /><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057517160&k=WBPtgvW&lb=1&s=A" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-WBPtgvW/0/L/20120821505aElizabeth81stbirth-L.jpg" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!" alt="Danny Colbert, Elizabeth Colbert, KFC, Kaydance Sneed, Kentucky Fried Chicken, birthday"></a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057497868&k=zkWwNCz&lb=1&s=A" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-zkWwNCz/0/392x392/20120821500aElizabeth81stbirth-392x392.jpg" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!" alt="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!"></a><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057508685&k=8KDKCRs&lb=1&s=A" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-8KDKCRs/0/392x392/20120821503aElizabeth81stbirth-392x392.jpg" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!" alt="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!"></a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057512636&k=chGVn9P&lb=1&s=A" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-chGVn9P/0/L/20120821504aElizabeth81stbirth-L.jpg" title="Elizabeth wanted to go to KFC for her 81st birthday in Pittsfield so I called ahead and asked if they had a cake and could sing or just something to make it special. I can not tell you how kind they were. Not only did they prepare a cake and sing but they even hung a banner and had a table all ready for us. Excellent Customer Service!!! A special Thank You To KFC for going above and beyond to help us ensure Elizabeth had a great time!!!" alt="Elizabeth Colbert, KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken, birthday"></a></center></div><br /> <div align="justify">And... we enjoyed Nebo's Vin Fiz Parade collecting tons of candy, played in a moon jump, blew gallons of bubbles, went swimming, read lots of stories, drew books of pictures, learned to fly like any beautiful fairy, watched Tinker Bell, Dora, Veggie Tales and… to cut it a bit short… We had more fun than 3 monkeys in a barrel full of banana's and most important we made lots of great memories that this mamaw will cherish forever. Mamaw loves you little fairy K! </div><br /> <div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/21473028_2jBh8W#!i=2057493586&k=vMvNrRs&lb=1&s=A" title="Tea Party Portrait Session"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Family-Friends/All-2012-Family-Private/i-vMvNrRs/0/L/20120821018aKaydanceTeaPartypr-L.jpg" title="Tea Party Portrait Session" alt="Kaydance Sneed, cookies, girl, party, picnic, picnic basket, portrait, tea, tea party, teddy bear, portrait session"></a></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;">Before you go please let us know you were here by leaving a Comment Hug Below<br />And if you enjoyed this post it only takes a moment to share it with Others!<br /><br />We'd love to connect: <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/gallery/10294026_YRVd8">Contact Us Directly</a> | <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">View Our Portfolio</a><br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Like Us On Facebook</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/CindyColbert">Follow Us On Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/">Check Out Our Website Homepage</a> <br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Wishing You Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />Cindy Colbert ~ Co-Bear Photography </strong></span></div><br />Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-51606220070838219572012-07-30T16:57:00.000-05:002013-06-28T01:55:35.598-05:00We're Finally Back ~ Ready To Blog ~ And Better Than Ever!<div align="justify"><p>Testing, Testing. 1-2... Just checking the functionality of this long time lonely space. Those of you who know me know it's been a L.O.N.G. drawn out painful few years. In truth, it was simply to heartbreaking to write here while not knowing whether or not I'd ever be able to follow my photography dreams again. With that said, I'm back and would like to everyone new and those of you from the past... Welcome and Welcome Back! </p><p>Since last blogging I've went through nothing short of major life changes, injured my neck which required not one but two surgeries after my body rejected the bone graft causing yet another blown disk, was forced to close Inspiring Designs ~ Cindy Utterback Photography when I couldn't even lift my camera and have since been blessed with several grand-children who bring a whole new level of awe, wonder and joy to my entire existence, met and am now happily married to my Co-Bear Danny, finally recovered with the doctors permission to work again and if you didn't already know it: Launched Co-Bear Photography! Sometimes life is hard, but through it all God has been and is good. I'm forever thankful for His love and the grace He provides each and every single blessed day! Here's to today and to the future. May yours truly be full to overflowing with love, hugs and laughter! </p><p>To celebrate being back I've included two photo's. Click the images to see them larger and / or to read the captions and I hope you enjoy. If so please leave a comment below. </p></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>The Joy Of The Redeemed </strong></div><div><center><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Photo-A-Day/2215749_nkVp9R#!i=1827180687&k=kkXWCSC"><img alt="Joy Of The Redeemed - Isaiah 35:1-2 - Scripture Photography" src="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Photo-A-Day/i-kkXWCSC/5/M/20110621189bCUpr1-M.jpg" /></a></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Featuring: The Blessing Of New Life! </strong></div><div><center> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Maternity-Baby/9893504_sXrbP6#!i=1961082924&k=LLX46DX&lb=1&s=A" title="The Blessing Of New Life! "><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Clients/Marrisa-Maternity/i-LLX46DX/1/L/20120619Maternity-Marrisa002a-L.jpg" title="The Blessing Of New Life! " alt="Illinois, baby, beautiful, bellies, flare, location, maternity, nebo, outdoor, pregnancy, pregnant, silhouette, spring creek, pike county"></a></center></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Until Next Time May Your Lives Be Full To Overflowing<br />With Love, Hugs & Laughter In Abundance,<br />Cindy Colbert (Utterback) ~ Co-Bear Photography </strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lets Connect: <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio">View Our Portfolio</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoBear.Photography">Like Us On Facebook</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/CindyColbert">Follow Us On Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/gallery/10294026_YRVd8">Contact Us Directly</a> | <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/">Check Out Our Website</a> <br />Leave Us A Comment Hug Below And-Or Share This Post With Others </div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-74724092552892323622009-10-24T06:34:00.000-05:002013-06-28T01:55:35.604-05:00HUGS ~N~ SHRUGS: Slow ISP's & Light<div align="justify">I've been scouring the net looking for theme's that my fluttering, creative, photographic, OCD type personality could get along with and use blogging because frankly... I've been feeling the "How on earth? & What on earth? am I gonna blog about theme", too much. I mean hey... the main purpose for starting this blog was to share my photography, my life, my ramblings, etc. But just how much can one share while stuck in this house most of the time, while waiting for a neck surgery that I'm sick of thinking and/or writing about? Instead, I decided to find a couple theme's that I can use regularly to help keep me on task and that I won't become bored with. With that in mind I present to you theme #1: Hugs ~N~ Shrugs! As everyone who knows me will testify, I'm a very huggy person. I'm not sure what it is about a good hug but I sure do love 'em. Hugs say, "I'm here, I care, I'm a friend"... hugs impart strength and, in general, hugs just make me feel all good inside. Shrugs on the other hand, are my way of dealing with stuff that's frustrating, scary, stressful, doesn't work... things that won't make any eternal significance in the grand scheme of things... so why fret over it. Deal with it; shrug it off as best I can and move on. Or better said: "Shrug it off baby cause in spite of life's storms, God is still oh so good!" Quickly I must share, the inspiration behind Hugs ~N~ Shrugs came to me by a photographer whose work I absolutely adore, <a href=" http://jasminestarblog.com" >Jasmine Star</a>. She also carry's some theme's throughout her blog one of which is: Kisses and Disses. Special Hugs go out to Jasmine, which I truly hope someday to share in person.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Without further a-do',</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Shrugs to:</span></strong> <br /><ul><li>My ISP (Internet Service Provider) Dishnetwork Wildblue High Speed ~ Seriously most days I could hug my little satellite but more &amp; more here lately the speed and general reliability has been a real source of frustration. Don't even get me started on their support... this too shall pass. Dish knows they have no competition since dial up isn't even an option and DSL only comes 2 miles outta town (I'm 4). Sigh &amp; shrug it off, this too shall pass!</li><li>The ruptured disc in my neck, bronchitis, sinus issues, flu, waiting for surgery... need I say more?</li></ul><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Hugs to:</span></strong><br /><ul><li>Jesus ~ My Savior; my Lord, my best friend, the air I breathe, my hope, my confidence... my everything! Simply sung: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.</li><li>Coffee! Specifically Folgers Classic Roast Coffee ~ umm so good! I love a snazzed out star bucks just as much as the next person once in a while... but day to day I gotta keep it real with my Folgers :-)</li><li>The light! I have no masters degree in light study. I can't claim a groundbreaking knowledge or understanding... but what I do have is an intense fascination and love for light. My ponder of the day: As light is to darkness so is hope to a dream, the absence of either equals sight unseen.</li><li>Nell Berry who has agreed to proof read and edit for me. Oh my gosh... you have no idea how massive an undertaking this is... I am sooooooo bad. Today's post took two rounds and I'm quite confident I've still forgot a boo-boo somewhere... don't hurt me Nell, I love ya bunches! (Nell's editor note: The absence of Light is dark. There is no such thing as dark. It is the absence of light. Just as the absence of God is sin, or evil.)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> I found this family portrait fitting considering the theme!<br /></strong></div><br /><center> <a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Family/9893584_47LGv/1/#53030831_reVfp-A-LB"> <img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Family/200506250016MichaelFamily/53030831_reVfp-M-10.jpg" alt="Mark Twain Lake, Perry, Missouri, family, portrait, photography, barn, americana, red, white, blue, photographer, Cynthia, Cindy, Utterback"> </a> </center> <br />Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-82525192143024147152009-10-18T07:42:00.000-05:002013-06-28T01:55:35.607-05:00Beeeeeep. please hold while I...<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don't you just hate, hate, hate it when a computer (or live person) answers the phone stating, "Please hold while I (whatever it is they randomly state)". You know immediately that hold could mean 2 seconds or 2+ hours ~ uggghhhh! In my case the last message was: "Hello, ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ thank you for your patience while we put your life on hold" and then the dreaded sound of your most despised elevator music… Uggghhhh! That message has been repeating over and over since July 31st at precisely 4 am when I ruptured a disc in my neck, and now I'm shouting in my end: </span>"Hello... anyone, is someone there?… Please, I'm ready for the play button now!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The positive side of this, I've discovered you can find lots of interesting and amazing stuff to do while on hold. As far as the phone goes, for real I just turn the speaker phone on and continue with whatever, (so long as the reception reaches). Now that life's been placed on hold, besides just twiddling my thumbs, making funky shadows on the wall and practicing Lamaze breathing (learned 22 years ago with my first child and since, discovered it's worth is of much greater value than simply childbirth… think stress, impatience, pain management), I've been reading a lot, joined the facebook and twitter universe, and I'm spending allot of time re-evaluating the photography business and the direction I'd like it to proceed, once I'm healed and the doctor gives the go ahead. With all that said, I guess hold hasn't been terribly bad as my mind likes to often perceive... I do miss my friends at WERDCC greatly and even more, I desperately miss holding my beloved camera in hand for an all day workout… yet in all this I'm thankful when I can get out for 1/2 hour here and there, to capture something beautiful and most importantly, spend time knowing and growing in my trust that my Jesus alone knows what's best and when... so I wait, on hold, and trust Him to help me as I continue down this winding road, stopping whenever the opportunity presents itself to enjoy the flowers as I go :-)</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yesterday the sun played peek-a-boo after hiding for over a week so I got out for a bit and captured this gorgeous clematis that's not even supposed to be blooming for another year.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Click the picture if you'd like to read the story.</span></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Photo-A-Day/2215749_Uv9ix/1/#684164990_k83eh-A-LB"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/684164990_k83eh-M-1.jpg" alt="Pink Clematis 'H.F. Young' - by photographer Cynthia Utterback, Inspiring Designs Photography"></a><br /></div><br />Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-66810129032267699322009-09-09T09:36:00.000-05:002013-06-28T01:55:35.602-05:00Inspired By Hope - The Child In MeSo what am I hoping for? What are we hoping for? An awesome photo opportunity (captured of course), financial security, stress free living, hmmm... how about running water that's pollution free, phones, computers, software and programs that work properly...<br />Or how about my personal favorites: a hot cup of coffee, a good nights sleep, laughter, joy, peace, health, the ability means and opportunity to enjoy life... :-D Ah but these are only a few snippets of some of things I hope for. Sounds pretty simple eh? Maybe ~ But not always nearly so easy to attain. Sad stuff, stress, sickness and the grown up adult self in me to often attempt to get in the way. More easily stated and as the popular phrase goes: **it happens.<br /><br />It's in these moments that I must remind myself daily or even sometimes moment by moment to <b>'Let the inner child live'</b>. To trust like a child, to think like a child, to be thankful and enjoy living... like a child. It's in these moments you'll often find me with camera in hand and / or mud between my toes capturing the simpler things in life that bring me pleasure. Sometimes I'll have the music cranked up and dance like crazy just because I can (okay so maybe I really can't but hey... Hopefully no ones watching :) <br /><br />Please overlook the fact that I'm dirty, tired, wind blown and wearing my raggedy but <i><b>'oh so comfy'</b></i> clothes in today's self portrait pics (yes… my first ever self portraits). I hope instead you'll see the child in me and be inspired to maybe, just maybe find your inner child as well.<br /><br />My current fave song is: Bubbly by Colbie Caillat. Why? I dare you just listen... just see if you don't dance and start feeling all bubbly inside :-) If it works out correctly I've embedded the video below for you to watch... full confession: I'm still learning all this html, css, blogger, facebook and twitter stuff. If it works - Great! If it doesn't please try goggle until I have time to figure it out. Today I'm just to blessed to be stressed... I choose the child!<br /><center><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AWGqoCNbsvM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br /><center><br />One of my favorite places to be is at home sitting somewhere near the stream just outside our front door! Glimpses of Heaven on earth :-)<br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Self-Portrait/9545031_Sgutg/1/641796816_nLsxK"><br /><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/641796816_nLsxK-M.jpg" alt="Self portrait of Cynthia Utterback aka: IDPbyCU"><br /></a><br />Occasionally I even get to pet the goldfish ~ No, I didn't fall in this day :-)<br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Self-Portrait/9545031_Sgutg/1/641796816_nLsxK"><br /><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/641791848_DRthX-M.jpg" alt="Cynthia Utterback aka: IDPbyCU petting the goldfish by the stream in front of her house."><br /></a><br />Mud between my toes ~ Total country girl at heart :-)<br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Self-Portrait/9545031_Sgutg/1/641796816_nLsxK"><br /><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/641821147_Asuoe-M.jpg" alt="Self portrait of Cynthia Utterback aka: IDPbyCU with with mud between her toes"><br /></a><br />Ummm… yes that's a completely embarrassing goofy smile ~ Live and let live!<br /><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Day-2-Day/Self-Portrait/9545031_Sgutg/1/641796816_nLsxK"><br /><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/641818494_K2Jkv-M.jpg" alt="Cynthia Utterback's goofy self portrait smile... Gee."><br /></a><br /></center><br />Scriptures to ponder relevant to today's post: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Th%201:3&version=NIV" target="_blank"><b>1 Thessalonians 1:3;</b></a> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mt%2018:3&version=NIV" target="_blank"><b>Matthew 18:3;</b></a> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2014:17&version=NIV" target="_blank"><b>Romans 14:17</b></a><br /><br />Until Next Time ~ Never Give Up On Hope, Endure To The End!<br />May You Be Blessed & Inspired As Well As Be A Blessing And Inspiration To Others!Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-36906780599504428312009-09-02T08:00:00.000-05:002014-04-10T15:49:28.446-05:00Inspiration & The Transform Video by Zack Arias<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637451616_ksnH6-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637451616_ksnH6-M.jpg" /></a></div><br />Yesterday if you've been to sleep ~ Today still for myself, was absolutely gorgeous outside. However true to the recent course it was another shall we say... interesting day. Tonight (or wee early this morning)... the house is quiet, most of the cleaning has been done, photo's are ready to upload the moment smugmug comes back on-line from maintenance and I've begun to ponder this blog journey I've decided to embark upon. How on earth will I ever come up with something to write about week after week or day after day? What could I possibly write about that others would want to read and why? Obviously I want to share my photography, build a network of co-workers, clients and friends... but I want it to be more... I want to connect... I want to inspire and to be inspired... I want what I do to make a difference, to be of good and value to someone… but… always that but... how do I do that at this point in life when so much that should be going right seems to be going so desperately wrong? Those of you who know me know exactly what I'm talking about… those of you who don't… just know we've all got life issues and no one not even you is in this life mess boat alone. But… What could I possibly write and photo blog about that others might want to read? Some days I'm so tired and weak... How can my life, my photography, my anything be desirable to others? Today all throughout the day I was reminded of this little big word called inspiration. Hmmm… Yes, my son Zachary broke his foot while riding the bigwheel motorcycle today/yesterday. Yes, one of our pom puppies somehow fell in the window well and almost died (I rescued him though and he's now quite perfectly fine). Yes, there were a few moments that this neck of mine with it's ruptured disks and my tingling numb arms and hands were hurting so bad that I almost cried... but many, many times today I was shown glimpses of glorious hope and inspiration in spite of this storm we live in called life. I was again reminded that just because some things aren't as I'd choose them to be, I don't have to be down, discouraged or even dismayed... I don't have to focus on me. I - have a choice! I can choose to be gloom and weary, or I can look towards inspiration for both myself and others. I can choose to let this aching neck and tingling numbing arms and hands get the best of me.... Or... I can choose to do whatever I can in this very moment to enjoy life and hopefully be an inspiration to others. When I drop things because my fingers and hands are numb… well I could fall to the floor in tears or I can choose to pick them up again and move on doing the absolute best that I can. Others who just like myself and possibly you, who are treading through this temporary yet often storm filled crazy raging maze we call living life each have a choice. What shall it be? What should I blog about?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637433656_NqCx8-M-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637433656_NqCx8-M-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637434455_hBjVd-L-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637434455_hBjVd-L-1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Inspiration… Sometimes Just Watching The Goldfish</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">'Inspiring Designs Photography'</span></strong></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637429522_85dM5-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637429522_85dM5-M.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637432274_YMypd-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="http://www.co-bear.com/photos/637432274_YMypd-M.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">A Video Titled 'Transform' by </span><a href="http://www.zarias.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Zack Arias</span></a></strong> </div><br />This past winter I encountered one of those awe struck inspiring moments that leaves you spell bound… an inspiring moment that rocked my soul to the core and blew my little ol' world away… all because I simply stumbled upon a video titled 'Transform' by Zack Arias (An Atlanta based editorial photographer). Whether your a photographer or not, I highly recommend everyone and anyone watch this video below. It's starts out a bit different if you know nothing about photography, photoshop and the like... But please… I beg you to stick with it… if you watch nothing else for the remainder of the year... just watch it. If it touches your heart like mine and possibly millions of others it'll change your life. It's not religious or even anything of that nature... it's about the same questions we all face and ponder... defining who we are, why are we here, why does it matter, why do we exist, is it even possible that we might eventually 'transform' becoming the people we each someday hope and dream to be. If I swore, I would have sworn he was speaking my thoughts. Had he been watching over my shoulder with my being unaware? Was he somehow reading my mind and projecting it onto the screen? How did he know how deep into despair the pit was calling me? I'm still trying to get out of the slump... somedays I still fight desperately to keep circumstances and depression from engulfing my mind and pulling me towards the pit. But... I'm one day closer to where I want to be... I'm one day closer to becoming the person I dare to dream… I'm reviewing and reminding myself to look towards inspiration... I am, Inspired! For myself the root of my inspiration comes from my personal faith in Christ and the hope that I will yet see good in this land that daily and sometimes moment by moment enables me to press forward. Maybe your in a slump... maybe your searching so hard to find anything hopeful or inspiring that you've just about given up. Please, please... don't give up. Lets fight the slump and gunk together. Maybe your the person whose inspiration is to the point of overflowing... (I love, love, love it when that happens) if so... share your inspiration and hope with others. I'm not saying preach about the source of your inspiration… I'm suggesting that we jsut be and live to be an inspiration. Look around you... people are hurting everywhere... hopelessness, despair… everyone is going through this life we call living. My brother Bruce sent me a text today that simply read: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." I'm not sure if it was a quote he read somewhere or what or why… what shocked me was that he even sent it... it didn't sound like my brother... It just wasn't something my brother would normally say... but it spoke volumes to me and was one more reminder that even I am not in this life boat alone. BTW: While being kind to others… don't forget to be kind to yourself along the way... you, we, everyone in this life we call living… we're each so very worth it and if we can't be kind to ourselves... how can we be kind to others?<br /><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/g5187ckJAg%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Until next time ~ May you discover, know and radically</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">pursue </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: large;">to be inspired and to be an inspiration to others;</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">and may you be blessed and be a blessing to others!</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</strong><br /><strong>With Love, Hugs, Grace & Peace</strong></span></div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-41793961679151993592009-08-31T22:18:00.000-05:002014-04-10T15:49:03.109-05:00Smug SchoolJust finished WolfSnaps 1st Smug School Webinar. If want your own <a href="http://www.smugmug.com/?referrer=fiZFEZShkTRH6">smugmug</a> site or your a beginner smugmugger check out it out at <a href="http://smugschool.com/">http://smugschool.com/</a>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-56326223493662773802009-08-30T16:48:00.000-05:002013-09-07T01:22:57.412-05:00Smiley Socks = Happy Feet and loads of laughter :-)Check it out - Picked up these $2 socks in Vandalia while hanging out with Rhonda the other day. Not a bad price for loads of laughter and smiles! My family really rolled laughing when I began posing my toes for a photo. Okay so maybe 1 person rolled their eyes. Living life happily on purpose ~ here's smilin at ya! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-C68mcJZ/A" title="Smiley Socks ~ Happy FeetHere's a pair of socks I got yesterday in none other than Vandalia's Dollar General. $2 wasn't a bad price to pay for a smile and several good belly laughs when I got home :-) Of course I had to wear them today. Can't hold the camera up due to my ruptured disks right now, but put it on the tripod and snapped away with the remote - lol. Rodney laughed even harder when I asked him to help me set it up and again when I was posing my toes. His belly hurts! LOL! PAD DATE: August 29th, 2009"><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-C68mcJZ/7/L/20090829_007a_IDP-L.jpg" title="Smiley Socks ~ Happy FeetHere's a pair of socks I got yesterday in none other than Vandalia's Dollar General. $2 wasn't a bad price to pay for a smile and several good belly laughs when I got home :-) Of course I had to wear them today. Can't hold the camera up due to my ruptured disks right now, but put it on the tripod and snapped away with the remote - lol. Rodney laughed even harder when I asked him to help me set it up and again when I was posing my toes. His belly hurts! LOL! PAD DATE: August 29th, 2009" alt="Smiley Socks ~ Happy FeetHere's a pair of socks I got yesterday in none other than Vandalia's Dollar General. $2 wasn't a bad price to pay for a smile and several good belly laughs when I got home :-) Of course I had to wear them today. Can't hold the camera up due to my ruptured disks right now, but put it on the tripod and snapped away with the remote - lol. Rodney laughed even harder when I asked him to help me set it up and again when I was posing my toes. His belly hurts! LOL! PAD DATE: August 29th, 2009"></a></div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-60904084814145893582009-08-28T23:51:00.000-05:002013-09-07T01:21:11.569-05:00Spent the day with my dear friend Rhonda!Rhonda is such a dear. She took me to lunch, helped me complete some errands and then we just hung out relaxing the rest of the day talking about our visions, dreams, the future and of course the Joyce Meyer Conference we attended together last year in St. Louis, MO. This photo was taken with my cell phone during a break last year when we walked down to the Golden Gate Arch. Wow... now that was a great conference. 'Never Give Up!' We're both hoping and praying to go again this year. Yep... today was an absolutely wonderful day... I needed that :-)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-WRwtFB9/A" title="Cell Phone Capture. Yes I use my cell camera phone 2 - lol!This very dear friend took me to lunch today, helped me with some errands and then we just hung out and had a wonderful time. {Thank You So Much Rhonda!}Captured during the Joyce Meyer Conference we attanded together last year in St. Louis, MO. See the Gateway Arch :-) SO... no it's not a new picture... but I was reminded of it today and all the fun we had together last year... sure hope we can do it again this year. I'm so very blessed to have such wonderful friends."><img src="http://www.co-bear.com/Portfolio/Day-2-Day-Smiles/i-WRwtFB9/8/L/081003_c1358_JM-Conference-L.jpg" title="Cell Phone Capture. Yes I use my cell camera phone 2 - lol!This very dear friend took me to lunch today, helped me with some errands and then we just hung out and had a wonderful time. {Thank You So Much Rhonda!}Captured during the Joyce Meyer Conference we attanded together last year in St. Louis, MO. See the Gateway Arch :-) SO... no it's not a new picture... but I was reminded of it today and all the fun we had together last year... sure hope we can do it again this year. I'm so very blessed to have such wonderful friends. PAD DATE: August 28th, 2009" alt="Cell Phone Capture. Yes I use my cell camera phone 2 - lol!This very dear friend took me to lunch today, helped me with some errands and then we just hung out and had a wonderful time. {Thank You So Much Rhonda!}Captured during the Joyce Meyer Conference we attanded together last year in St. Louis, MO. See the Gateway Arch :-) SO... no it's not a new picture... but I was reminded of it today and all the fun we had together last year... sure hope we can do it again this year. I'm so very blessed to have such wonderful friends. PAD DATE: August 28th, 2009"></a></div>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359119253265896443.post-78525466923714751282009-08-25T04:38:00.000-05:002014-04-10T15:52:03.999-05:00Creating a seamless blog with my website!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm so tired. I'd planned to create a blog for what seems like ages but never found the time to do so. I'd start, get frustrated because I didn't want just any ol' blog... I wanted a seamless blog to interact with my photography website. Well here I finally am!!!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm currently recovering from an injury from my full time job (Correctional Officer) so I've lots of time to waddle back and forth catching up as this dreadful pain level will allow. Right now I'm just tickled to have finally started my first ever blog AND it's just what I wanted (it will be after some tweaking right :-) Right now I'd best rest up and let this neck heal. Have a great day everyone!!!</span> </span>Co-Bear Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03543344420888062794noreply@blogger.com2