And now for something a bit different!  : D

I am so incredibly honoured that Jennifer agreed to add her particular genius to the be-in-love project!

Jennifer is a gorgeous photographer and a constant source of inspiration to me.

This is the first set of photos she and her beautiful clients are sharing – - stay tuned for set 2 in the upcoming weeks!

meet jon and melissa.

they are commercial pilots living in eastern canada.  i imagine that it takes deep care to keep love grooving with their crazy schedules!

what does melissa love?
she loves perogies because they are delicious and they remind her of her Grandma and when they would make them together for big family dinners.

what does jon love?
i’m not really sure as he didn’t send in an answer – - but we’ll just go with him loving melissa very dearly.  : )

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photos (c) Jennifer Picard Photography
visit jennifer:  website : facebook : flickr

meet L.

L is the youngest child of my bestest friends bryan and andrea.  who would have thought that he would get shy around a camera?!  (it took some coaxing to get him to move the heart from in front of his face *giggle*) this kid has to be the MOST energetic boy i have ever met – he’s truly just a burst of light… such a cutie!

and what does he love?

he loves his kittie thistle and his mom and dad… because he loves them!  : )

meet zach, nancy and nathan.

i have the pleasure of knowing some absolutely INCREDIBLE people and nancy definitely fits beautifully in this group.

she is a exquisite sliver of light that warms your heart and makes your walk a bit lighter… she simply radiates joy and love.  it is an honour to know her.  she is part of my “toronto sound tribe”.  <3

this photo has a bit of a story because originally it was a “meet for lunch”  photo – -  and then it was “coffee at the airport before their flight out”  photo – - and it ended up being a “find us in the line up to get our tickets because we’re running late” photo.  : D  So – although perhaps slightly rushed  – - it was SUCH a pleasure to connect with nancy and meet her super handsome boys.

and what do they love?

zach loves snowboarding, skateboarding and traveling because he enjoys it and it makes him feel spectacular.

nancy loves the rocky mountains because they heal her and nurture her soul.

nathan loves me because i ROCK!  (*laugh*  thanks nathan – - i’ll take alllll the love i can get!)

meet grandma.
(94 years young)

when i started this project – - i obviously didn’t really know what would happen with it.  today the be-in-love heart did something magical.  it connected me to my grandma and helped her feel my love and care across the miles.

my grandma is my hero.  i love her so much that my entire being rings with care and snuggly joy when i think of her.

she is rapidly declining… in the grey area between life and the other side… but somehow she keeps rebounding… she told the nurses once that she “wasn’t ready to die yet! she has her grandchildren…”  *smile*  we are so fortunate to be so loved.

about three weeks ago an infection developed in her leg that’s been causing her horrific crazy-making pain and today she finally agreed to have surgery to remove her leg so that hopefully the pain will ease a bit.  we didn’t expect her to make it – her heat is failing – her kidneys – her lungs – - and last night i tearfully begged my mom to tell grandma how much i love her… and my mom said, “she knows adrea, your heart is hanging on her wall.”  she was referring to the be-in-love heart that i left with my grandma when i took the above photo of her…  that, of course, made me cry more and i asked my mom to please give it to my grandma when she went into her surgery… she promised she would – - she actually taped it to her blanket and they removed it only right before she went into surgery…

i didn’t expect her to survive but knew that one of the last things touching her would be my love.

today – i waited for the news.  bracing myself for the wave of sadness that would flow through my family.  my mom called… and said grandma had made it! and was awake and talking!

and the first thing she asked for was my heart.  she asked my mom to tape it in her blanket again – over her heart.  “it’s so i know she’s thinking of me” my grandma said.  “i want her heart close to mine”.

sometimes ideas have unexpected results… and although i love what this be-in-love project does in making people think about what they love and remembering the things and people that are important – - if it did nothing else but what it did today – -  that is enough.

what more could you ask from a piece of fuzzy felt.

and what does grandma love?
she loves her family.  she loves her girls for taking such good care of her, my brother because he is so kind and me because i’m caring and always smiling.  : )

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i love you grandma!  you are the most courageous and wonderful woman i know.  thank you for being the best grandma anyone could ask her – - and for being the “community grandma” of your neighbourhood.  your impact on people’s lives is more significant than you could ever imagine.

meet matthew barber.

my god did my life rock over the weekend.  not only did jill allow a be-in-love photo to be taken – - but so did her equally talented and amazing brother, matthew barber.

matthew is AMAZING… i was a fan before and after seeing him live… i am edging in on the “crazy-fan-girl” group for him.

if you don’t know about matthew – - you should.  he’s a gorgeous singer-songwriter from Toronto and was nominated for a juno in 2008 for his album “Ghost Notes”.  Matthew is on tour RIGHT NOW promoting his awesome new album – “True Believer”.  If he’s in your area – you simply must get out and see him.  He is crazy-good.  You can check out the tour dates on his website: www.matthewbarber.com

i think matthew was a little more suspicious of me and my be-in-love project than his little sister – - so i appreciate him allowing me to take his photo!  *laugh*

and what does he love?

matthew loves performing in beautiful theatres, like the banff centre, for appreciative audiences… and being able to hang out with his sister.  (how sweet is this boy?!)

meet jill barber.

jill is a beautiful singer and songwriter.  in 2008 she gained acclaim as a double juno nominee and is a multiple East Coast Music Award winner.

to me – jill is my muse.  she inspires my art – she inspires my music – she inspires my life.  she is a weaver of love-stories, a believer in romance and an enchantress of song.  (i’m a bit of a fan.. just a bit. *hee*)

when i first started the be-in-love project – - i mentioned to scott and becs that i wondered if there would be any way that i could get jill to take a photo with a be-in-love heart… it was one of those far-off dreamy kind of comments that you never really believe will come true…

AND THEN – - last night happened.  Scott and I went to an INCREDIBLE concert with jill barber and matthew barber (who i’m also a fan of) at the banff centre where jill had just finished her second residency.  at the end of the concert – jill mentioned that they were going to come out to chat with fans… sooooo – - after some encouragement from scott – - I almost broke my ankle running to my car and back to get my camera and the be-in-love heart – - asked jill is she would be ok with me taking a be-in-love photo of her – - and she said YES!

she also signed her heart for me!  needless to say – it will be framed along with the photo and the concert poster.  (hi – will all fan-girls raise their hand? *raises hand*)

i almost died.  seriously… i may have fainted a little… i’m not sure… it’s a bit of a blur.  *laugh*

SO – ladies and gentlemen – - i present to you – the goddess of love and romance – - jill barber.

and what does she love?

she loves romance because it gives her hope…

experience jill and her amazing music here:  www.jillbarber.com

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ps – - sorry for the absence of be-in-love posts lately. scott and i have moved in together and we’ve been nesting and figuring out how to combine two houses of stuff to create a beautiful home together and it’s taking a bit longer than we thought!  but most of the unpacking etc. is done — so i — and the project — are back!  : )

meet TR.

TR is part of my “sound tribe” and I just adore her.  i first met her in toronto at a huge sound event led by the most-fabulous gary diggins.  TR was sharing her incredible didgeridoo talents.

what does she love?

TR loves the body and its capacity for movement and expression.  (as is evident in the first photo – - LOVE IT!)

She also loves the didgeridoo and its ability to connect us to the earth.

meet K.

K is the oldest daughter of my dearest friends Bryan and Andrea – and is a wee one very dear to my heart.  i was her “shield mother” when she was first born and although circumstance separated me from K and my responsibilities – - it took not even 5 minutes with her after reconnecting with B&A that I felt a shiny love and connection to her.  to me – she will always have a very special place in my heart and although the titles have been undone – - my protective feelings and deep care for her continue to grow.

what does she love?

she loves blue jay (she’s had blue jay since she was born) because he’s easy to be around and feels so good against her face when she’s sleeping.  he’s good to cry on and makes her feel happy and loved.

she also loves her family because they are always nice to her and her friends because they always help her out and are very happy and playful.

her cats, nimbus and thistle, also capture her heart because they always snuggle with her when she’s sleeping and she feels proud to be their best friend.

meet little N and her “mmhmmm”.

N is one of the gorgeous children of two of my best friends – - stay tuned for the entire family!  “mmhmmm” is her blanket.  how cute is that – seriously?!

what does she love?

N loves “mmhmmm” the blanket because he always plays with her, protects her and makes her feel good!

she also loves her mom and dad because they protect her from coyotes and cougars and her kitty, thistle, because he’s really nice.

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goodness  – - i love kids!  so cute – SO cute!!

meet celine, pamela, betty, laure, marjorie and marine.

these amazing women are “teachers-to-be” and were visiting calgary from france as part of the final year of their teaching degree.  i loooooved listening to them chat among themselves… such a beautiful language.  thanks for sharing your evening with me ladies!

what do they love? (please forgive my spelling mistakes… : )

céline
j’aime la musique pour toutes les emotions que cela transmets. j’aime ma famille pour tout ce qu’ils m’apportent.  j’aime mes amis pour tout ces moments formidables. j’aime voyager pour le plaisir dé decourir ce qui m’entoure.  j’aime enseigner pour le plaisi de former des citoyers responsables.  j’aime être preiente pour les gens que j’aime car c’est tout ce que je jeux leur appater.

i love music for all the emotions it transmits. i love my family for all the things they bring to me.  i love my friends for all the great moments with them.  i love to travel for the pleasure of discovering the world around me.  i love to teach for the pleasure to form responsible citizens.  i love to be here for the people i love because it’s the only thing i can bring to them.

pam
j’aime jover du piano, pour m’évader um instant. j’aime lire pour faire voyager mon imagination. j’aime ma famille et mes amis pour tout l’amour qu’ils me transmettent.  j’aime la vie…

i like playing the piano – it makes me forget everything for a while. i like reading because it inspires my imagination. i like my family and my firends because they give me so much love. i love life…

betty
j’adore voyeger car il est trés intéressant de rencoutrer des gens differents, et de découvrir des façons de vivre.  On peut apprendre des choses sur les autres et auss sur nous, en decourent des pays etrangers.

i love traveling because it’s so interesting meeting new people and experience different ways of living.  we can learn about others but also about ourselves discovering foreign countries.

lor
j’aime être avec des personnes différentes de moi car c’est trés interessant enrichissant.  je pense que c’est important d’être tous ensemble, pour tous. il faut accepter la difference.

i love to be with different people because it is very interesting for me.  i think it is very important to accept our differences and be together for all people.

marjorie
j’aime voyager dans des pays étrangers pour échanger avec les gens, dicouvrir de nouvelles cultures et ainsi, m’ouvrir sur le monde.

i love traveling in foreign countries to meet some people, discover new cultures and open my mind to the world.

marine
je suis passionnée par les différentes cultures que l’on peut rencontrer à travers le monde, et particulièrement par la culture africaine (mythes, croyances, modes de vie…)

i love experiencing different cultures worldwide – especially african culture (myths, beliefs, the way of life…)