For a variety of reasons -- whether it's the people, the moment, the assignment, the shoot or simply the image itself - below are my top ten favorite images from 2007. Happy New Year.

1. Sally


2. Jordan


3. Chris & Jen ... and everyone they know.


4. Ethan


5. Family -- 21 Jump Street Style


6. Josh


7. Brainerd


8. David & Ellen


9. Small Sails, Des Moines


10. No Regrets

The great icicle harvest of 2007:

Down the street from my parents' house - a battle ensues each Christmas. The battle between The Millers and Blow Up Guy. For many years, The Millers have welcomed visitors to Evergreen Shores with their overwhelming collection of plastic Christmas yard decorations and a homemade sign that exclaims, "Merry Christmas from the Millers". Recently, however, the neighbors down the street have garnered far more attention for their Christmas display -- over 100 Christmas-themed blow up characters sprawled across every inch of the yard and the roof! Each year, after dinner, my family ventures down to scope out the latest additions to the displays at the Millers' ... and Blow Up Guy's.
Below: At Blow Up Guy's:

Below: At The Millers':

Out takes:


... and in an entirely unrelated matter... Christmas Buns:

~ Wishing you a safe and joyous holiday.

Love,
Becky

This year marks the second annual photo shoot for Ken & Sally's Christmas card. It's always a tremendous amount of fun to photograph the cast of characters these two create. Below, a few out takes:

So, these weeks at work have been dominated by office drudgery - which, you may have guessed, is not entirely photogenic. It DOES, however, give me plenty of opportunities to waste time shopping online. Here are my top suggestions for holiday shopping for anyone on your list.

1. Paper to Pearls
www.papertopearls.org

Paper to Pearls sells beautiful paper bead necklaces handmade by women living in displacement camps in Northern Uganda. The income generated from the sale of the necklaces helps the women establish a more sustainable way of life.

2. Aesthetic Apparatus
www.aestheticapparatus.com

"Over the years their limited edition, screen printed concert posters have secretly snuck into the hearts and minds of a small, rather silent group of socially awkward music and design nerds. Now, Aesthetic Apparatus is a full time, full-fledged, insanely unstoppable, and occasionally award winning design mega-studio." Their posters, prints, apparel and trinkets are perfect for someone on your list - or maybe you.

3. Kiva
www.kiva.org

For the gift that keeps on giving, and giving, eventually coming back and then giving once again - check out Kiva.org. Kiva provides a way for you to lend money to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world by providing loans as small as $25 -- helping individuals lift themselves out of poverty. Get periodic updates on the success of your loan recipient and when your loan is repaid - you can choose to withdraw the funds or re-loan to a new business. Gift certificates are available.

4. Etsy
www.etsy.com

Finally, for one-of-a-kind handmade gifts, head to etsy.com. If you, like me, somehow managed to end up with someone on your list you barely know, etsy is guaranteed to help you out. Search for gifts by color, category, or age/sex of the intended recipient.