Update on Sam's Trip to China

Hello Everyone,

We wanted to respond to the flood of concern regarding Sandy and her kids in China. As many of you already know, the Chinese government quarantined Sandy and her two oldest children on their trip to China. Someone on the plane had a diagnosed case of the H1N1 virus and so they rounded up everyone that was sitting within 20 rows of that person. They were picked up less than 24 hours after their arrival and were taken about 1.5 hours away to a quarantine hotel.

Sandy was separated from her 15-year old son Alek, but was able to argue and keep 16-year-old Katie with her. It has been a very frustrating and difficult week for them. They are not able to leave their rooms and the conditions are less than acceptable. They are being eaten alive by mosquitoes, it took 2 days to get food that they could eat, there are mice all over the room and the water that comes out of the sink and shower is brown.

Having said this, they are definitely trying to make the best of their situation. They are finding new and unique ways to entertain themselves and are looking for humor in the most unbearable conditions. Sandy is documenting every moment of their stay and keeping all of us updated via Facebook.

Sandy has also expressed to us how grateful she is for all the kind words, letters and messages that so many people are sending their way. She says they are the highlights of their very long days and help them feel closer to home.

The good news is that at the time of this post they have less than 24 hours left of their quarantine and they are very much looking forward to what is left of their vacation and seeing something of China beyond the four dirty walls they are confined in.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support, they really do help and are very much appreciated.

Big Weekend Coming Up!

Sandy Puc′ Portrait Design is anticipating a big weekend this summer.

Grand Opening Celebration!

On August 22nd, we’ll be throwing open the doors to celebrate the grand opening of our new location at 7201 S. Broadway in Littleton.

We’ve been fixing and styling the studio to turn it into a showcase that we’re excited to share with you. As you might expect of a Sandy Puc′ Portrait Design affair, the grand opening will be a fun party with prizes, raffles, food, and more. We’re even giving all our guests who join us that day a $50 certificate good toward portraits.

We hope you plan to join us, and if so, please RSVP at 303-730-8638 because the party's a catered affair.

Come and celebrate with us as we proudly introduce our new facility.

We’re also counting down the days until we host our first Lengths of Love for Charity Party. The event will be held at the studio on Sunday, August 23rd. Clients can donate their hair and $10 worth of school supplies, and receive free before-and-after portraits from Sandy Puc′ Portrait Design. Professional stylists will be on hand to cut and style hair.

The Lengths of Love for Charity Party benefits the Locks of Love Foundation and the Arapahoe Foster Care Program.

Help us meet our goal of donating 100 feet of hair to Locks of Love. Your hair can make an incredible difference for someone suffering hair loss due to a medical condition, and the school supplies are a welcome necessity for local children.

Please call 303-730-8638 to schedule your appointment. A $10 tip for your stylist is recommended. Portraits will be delivered in a folio.

Updating Friends about Sam's Crazy World . . .

Okay everyone,

I am WAY behind in my updates, and as I promised, here is the latest.

I am currently sitting in LaGuardia airport waiting for a flight home. I decided that due to the 3-hour wait, I should play some tunes. It was perfect when Dolly Parton’s version of 9 to 5 came as the first song. What a motivator! It was at that moment I know that I should send a note to my closest 3000 friends on Facebook!

2009 TOUR ENDS
The tour ended May 1st. I must say, we had a ball! Seeing so many of you on the road was wonderful. I loved it when people introduced themselves and mentioned that we were friends on Facebook. The scary thing is that I recognized many of you! I posted some of the fun tour shots on Facebook, so if you get a moment take a look. You might even see yourself.

CHARITY MODEL SEARCH
One of the highlights of the tour was the 2009 Charity Model search. With all of your help, we were able to raise over $164,000 for NILMDTS. I cried buckets of tears when I realized what all of you had accomplished. Considering our goal was to raise $10,000, it is mind blowing to see what you all accomplished! Kudos to you. We will be running the same campaign next year and we will give you LOTS of notice too. Click here to sign up to receive email updates for the model search.

TOUR IN CANADA!!!
It is official! We have schedule a 5-city tour in Canada this year. We will be teaching the Bellies & Babies program. We are so excited to bring the show to Canada. If you know anyone in Canada or you are on a forum, please let others know we are on our way. We hope that we have a good turnout so that we can continue to go to Canada with the tour each year. For more information and dates check out www.bellies-babies.com

2010 WORKING WITH FAMILY TOUR
We have scheduled the 2010 tour dates to include the UK. We will be heading out in January to Europe and then start the official tour mid January from Colorado. This year we will visit 60 cities including some in Europe and Canada. I will follow up in the next few days with the full schedule. I look forward to seeing many of you again.

NEW STUDIO
I have been home for a few weeks, and it is very exciting to be in the new studio. As many of you know, we moved in about two weeks before I left, so this is the first real shooting time that I have had there. I am having a ball. It is like being in Disneyland! Everything is new, the props, backgrounds, and even being able to shoot with the north lighting. It seems in just days my work looks so different. I am still posting a lot of the 2008 work on Facebook, but as soon as I get organized I will show you some of the new stuff too!

IN-STUDIO WORKSHOPS
I have had a lot of request for more in-studio workshops. Sadly, we have over 100 people on a waiting list, but I am considering opening up a few more dates to accommodate interested photographers. We always have a blast playing with everyone, and I hope to see many of you soon. If you are interested in attending one of the workshops, send an e-mail to Natalie at Samsworld@expressionsphotos.com. She will get you on the list.

Sam’s WORLD UNIVERSITY
Sam’s World University is up and running. We have added a marketing forum this week, and I am so excited to get home and populate it with marketing ideas. It will be fun to see people share and grow. If you’re not sure what this is, take a look at www.samsworlduniversity.com. I have created a marketing site that will give complete marketing campaigns every month. These are all in layers so you can add you images and go!

GARAGE SALE
On the last two weekends in May we had a HUGE garage sale at the new studio. We sold EVERYTHING. Lights, sets, props, and backgrounds…you name it!

TRAVELS
I am excited to be traveling to China in just a few weeks. I will be teaching, but I have scheduled extra time to be a tourist. I am taking my oldest two children, and I just can’t wait to spend time with them abroad. China is one of my favorite places to visit, and I have created some wonderful relationships there. After returning from China, I have a few stateside engagements, and then it’s off to Japan.

Dear friends, it has been a wonderful beginning to a wonderful year. I feel so grateful for the relationships I have established in my travels. I wish you all the greatest success as you continue to follow your dreams. It is a wonderful time to be alive. Always remember, it is the journey not the destination that matters. I am off to be a mom for a few weeks. Can’t wait to get home and hug my kids…

With warm regard,
Sam