Well it looks like the winner our Kissui’s first Customer of the Month is Nicole Gama with her niece Brooklyn. Here is a little sneak peak into our fun filled afternoon. For those of you who did no win this month - try again next month. Come on by and check out Brooklyn’s photo in Kissui beginning May 1st. 
As some of my readers know I am a two time cancer survivor. I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - stage 4b - in May 2003 and then again in February 2005 after being in remission for 13 short months. I am happy to say it is an overwhelming joy to be alive today and I look forward to celebrating my 3rd birthday on June 18 (it will mark 3 years since my stem cell transplant that saved my life). Words can not begin to tell you what having had this disease has meant to me and my family and I know that without the support of family, friends, the medical community and organizations like Team in Training I would not be here today.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training is the world’s largest endurance sports training program. The program provides training to run or walk marathons and half marathons or participate in triathlons and century (100-mile) bike rides. Since 1988, more than 360,000 volunteer participants have helped raise more than $850 million. Three weeks ago I decided to join the Team and walk the San Diego Rock-n-Roll Marathon on June 1st to not only help bring awareness to this disease but to also raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My goal is to raise $10,000 over the next two months and to bring hope to the patients and their families suffering from these cancers. If you are interested in helping me raise money for this cause please click here
Here are my 20 Reasons For 20 Dollars:(by all means give, this is NOT a license to give only twenty dollars)
1) It won’t hurt a bit
2) You’ll lose more in loose change while driving in rental cars this year
3) Anyone can get Leukemia or Lymphoma - the cause is unknown and it affects all ages and sexes
4) The relative five-year survival rate has more than tripled in the past 45 years for patients with
5) In 1960-63, when compared to a person without leukemia, a patient had a 14 percent chance of living
6) It feels good to give
7) By 1970-73, the five year relative survival rate had jumped to 22 percent, and in 1995-2001 the overall relative survival rate was 48 percent
8)It will make you smile
9) During 1995- 2001 relative survival rates overall were: Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): 64.6 percent overall; 88.4 percent for children under 5 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): 74.2 percent Acute Myelogenous leukemia (AML): 19.8 percent overall; 52 percent for children under 15 Chronic Myelogenous leukemia (CML): 39.3 percent At the present time there are approximately 198,257 people living with leukemia in the United States
10) It is anticipated that approximately 22,570 deaths in the United States will be attributed to leukemia in 2005 (12,540 males and 10,030 females)
11) When American Airlines runs a “Team in Training” advertisement, you can tell the person in the seat next to you, “I’m a member of the team”
12) The leukemia death rate for children 0-14 years of age in the United States has declined 60 percent over the past three decades. Despite this decline, leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children under age 20
13) An estimated 34,810 new cases of leukemia were diagnosed in the United States in 200514) Next time you see a young child who’s lost their hair, you know you’re helping
15) About 63,740 Americans were diagnosed with lymphoma in 2005
16) You can tell your kids what you did today
17) The annual incidence of lymphoma has nearly doubled over the last 35 years
18) It won’t stop you from giving again, and again
19) In the United States, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the sixth most common cancer among males and the fifth most common cancer among females. The age-adjusted incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma rose by 71 percent from 1977 to 2002, an annual percentage increase of nearly 2.7 percent
20) At the end of today, you can say you made a difference
This weekend I had the pleasure of going to the Soulogtapher workshop by Skye Hardwick. I had an amazing time learning and meeting some incredible photographers. I am so inspired that I can’t wait to start shooting more children portraits. I am so thrilled, I came away with a new concept that no other photographer in the area is doing right now and I will share with you all as soon as I have all the details worked out. For now, here are just a few images from this weekend.
The name says it all. I had the absolute awesome pleasure of photographing the No Limits Gym in Orange County yesterday. These that I meet were no strangers to pushing the limits and working hard at their craft. Wow! I came away so inspired by them it reminds me that I have to hit the gym much harder. 
