PhotoWise Calgary

Category: Empty Nesters

Articles on the topic of Empty Nesters in Calgary, Alberta from the ‘Your Memories Matter’ blog

  • Taking Pictures To Document Your Family History

    Taking Pictures To Document Your Family History

    Taking Pictures To Document Your Family History

    Is there anything more important than family?

    When you capture images of special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, graduations and anniversaries by taking pictures, you are documenting the legacy of your family. These are moments with stories that may be talked about for generations to come, but the images that accompany those stories are sure to keep the memories fresh.

    “Family pictures are the most precious,” believes photographer, Mary McCartney on TheGuardian.com, “I have a set of prints I carry around in my wallet of my kids, my husband and my parents. I look at those rather than writing a diary: they’re very evocative and textural and emotional, and take you back to specific moments. I change them every so often, after they get worn out.”

    family with grandparentsI recently had a conversation with a colleague about his family and how an important part of his family history was captured by photos. His grandmother passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 94. He explained that he although he was happy to have had such a strong relationship with her for so many years, he was still heartbroken because of the loss of such a beloved family member.

    He went on to explain the joy he was able to experience because of the time his grandmother was given to meet and get to know his infant daughter. The “overlap of life”, as he called it, is something he will always cherish. At the time of his grandmother’s passing, his daughter was barely a year old. This short “overlap”, however, will never be forgotten.

    “I have about three or four pictures of my grandmother and my now three year-old daughter together,” he revealed, “I don’t think that I have any photos that are more important to me than these. My grandmother’s memory was fading in her final years. But every time I visited her, she would bring up my daughter, expressing how beautiful she was. My daughter now views those pictures and knows that she is looking at ‘Great-Gran’ in those pics. I look forward to many years of telling her stories about the relative she barely knew, but loved her so much.”

    I couldn’t help but ask how and where those Grandmother/Daughter photos are displayed. My colleague informed me that they are framed and on display at his parents’ home – in the very bedroom that his grandmother used to call hers. He went on to express how he would like to have copies of those photos for himself (half-jokingly accusing his parents of swiping his favourite pictures).Toddler holding great grandmas hand

    It’s hard to recall a time when I’ve been happier to help a friend. The photo and document scanning services offered by PhotoWise ensured that these cherished photos were scanned at high resolutions and preserved in ways that he and his daughter will enjoy for the rest of his life. My personal recommendation was to create a photobook that included pictures of both his grandmother and daughter and, of course, photos of the two “overlapping” relatives together.

    Today, this custom family photobook is my colleague’s favourite personal possession!

    I invite you to contact me today to find out how we can help sort, organize and digitize your family photos to document your family history!

     

     

  • Dear Empty Nesters, I Can Help You Downsize!

    Dear Empty Nesters, I Can Help You Downsize!

    Dear Empty Nesters, I Can Help You Downsize!

    Welcome to June! It’s a wondrous month for most kids, because it represents the last month of school. For so many parents, however, it’s a time of year when they fear how crazy their homes are about to get with the kids being in them more often. Needless to say, most parents have their hands full during the summertime. That is, of course, parents of school-aged children.

    Empty nesters have the complete opposite dilemma. Their kids are all grown up and have moved out of the house, leaving them to resume lives as couples. For many parents of adult children, the transition to living without kids is a tough one. Their homes were designed to house a much larger grouping of individuals than just the two of them alone. So what to do? Many, as you are likely aware, choose to downsize.

    What makes downsizing so difficult for empty nesters?

    Most people find that they have homes full of no-longer-needed items. In other words, clutter becomes a major issue. Clearing the clutter, therefore, becomes an intimidating task. Hans Wydler and Steve Wydler lead the Wydler Brothers real estate team in Washington, D.C. They are practically experts in the field of helping empty nesters de-clutter during their downsizing processes.Close up portrait of middle aged couple over white background

    “The first three things we tell empty-nesters to do to get their home ready for market is to de-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter,” they share in The Washington Post, “It’s amazing how many things one can accumulate over a lifetime. As we age, we also tend to hold onto things as they connect us with our past. We know first-hand. We lost our dad almost 20 years ago, and to this day, our mom still refuses to throw out any of his belongings.”

    What can help empty nesters let go of their belongings?

    A couple of months ago, I highlighted the importance of photo preservation in the PhotoWise Blog. In doing so, I pointed out that capturing images of our prized possessions is often a great (and even therapeutic) way to hold on to your cherished items. In fact, the photos can often serve as replacements of the items themselves.

    Interior designer, Kathia Emery agrees with this practice and lists it as an excellent method of overcoming the “emotional power our belongings have over us”.  As reported by Bridget A. Otto on OregonLive.com, Emery has advised many of her clients to “take photos of the things they can’t take with them — the things they might feel guilty about letting go, such as their grandfather’s chair or a family piano.”

    How can PhotoWise help empty nesters to downsize?

    One of the ways we’ve been able to help with downsizing is through our in-home Photo Organizing service.  I am happy to help you gather your photos from all of the albums, boxes, frames and nooks and crannies around your home and sort them into a nice organized and compact system.  From there we often scan these photos so that the whole family can enjoy them.

    Another option we offer to empty nesters downsizing is to create special photobooks with such titles as “Our Family Home”. In them we showcase photos that capture the various pieces of memorabilia, furniture and other belongings that used to reside in their older, much larger homes.  I had one client who took photos of each of his kid’s rooms – untouched – before they renovated so that there would always be photographic proof of how each room was personally decorated by each child before they left home.

    Dear empty nesters, let’s preserve those family keepsakes together!  Contact me today to learn more about how I can help you to downsize!