It’s so true! Taking the plunge to attend a photography workshop can be a little bit intimidating, but it certainly helps to have a friend by your side. So, from now through April 31st, 2014, when you and a friend book together, you’ll both receive a $200 rebate after your workshop(s). *See below for rules and restrictions. To get the full details on the workshop (dates, locations, schedule, agenda, cost, etc.), please drop a line via the form on THIS page!

And now, I wanted to share a letter with you that I’ve actually been meaning to share for quite some time. This is from the lovely Courtney Bolle (who happens to be a very, very busy mommy right now) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

One year ago, nearly to the day, I can remember sitting in front of my computer, contemplating whether or not to sign up for a Pinkle Toes Workshop.  I had stumbled upon Michele’s blog about a year prior, when the thought of beginning a photography business was just a small spark in my mind.  I was instantly captivated by the way she brought out genuine beauty, emotion, and magic in all of her sessions.  I knew that if I were to ever turn my hobby into a business, those were the types of photos that I wanted to produce and she was the person that I dreamt of learning from.  So there I sat at my computer, worried that I was too new to the world of photography to attend such a workshop, but also not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to begin my business with such strength.  After weighing my options, I decided to sign up for one of the March 2012 workshops and am so grateful that I took that leap of faith which allowed me to gain an incredible wealth of knowledge and an invaluable experience from Michele.

One of things that impressed me the most about the Pinkle Toes Workshop was Michele’s organization and ability to stay on track in order to ensure that we made it through every activity and conversation that she had thoughtfully planned out.  We covered so many great topics, but by far my absolute favorite part of the workshop was being able to watch Michele in her element, photographing a family.  Michele is an extremely warm, talented, and caring person who has a gift of putting those around her at ease, so the opportunity to watch her capture a family so authentically was incredibly inspiring and beautiful.

Michele’s Pinkle Toes Workshop offers something for everyone.  Whether you are new to photography or have been in business for  years, as long as you are open to learning, you will surely walk away with new inspiration, techniques, and business tips.  And chances are, you’ll also probably learn from the other talented photographers attending the workshop while making a few new friends, too.  Michele was an open book, encouraging questions and feedback constantly.  I can confidently say that I left the workshop happy and fulfilled with the knowledge that I had hoped to gain.  Even now, months later, I still refer back to the notes that I took while there.  I have recently opened the doors to my photography business and am no longer nervous, but actually excited to watch it blossom.  I owe a large part of that to Michele and her amazing mentorship.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and heart with me, Michele!  I appreciate it more than you know!

Courtney…thank YOU from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to share your inspiring and heartfelt words. I am so happy to have met you and I’m sorry it took me so long to properly thank you for your note.

And now a few images of Courtney in action at the workshop:

Plus, I *think* I spy Casey in that adorable red and white striped shirt, who happens to be our awesome hostess for the Olympia, Washington workshop this summer! We still have a few openings left for Olympia, Cardiff (near San Diego, CA), Mendocino (near San Francisco, CA), and my home base, Austin, Texas.

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*April Special Offer: This offer cannot be combined with other discounts. To receive the rebate, BOTH parties must attend a Pinkle Toes U.S. Workshop in 2014, but it does not have to be the same workshop. Several friends may book together, but it’s a max $200 rebate per person. Offer good through April 30th, 2014. Sorry, no rainchecks for sold out workshops.

I’m not a big fan of mean pranks on April Fools Day, so instead, I’m going to do something nice. No joke, if you’ve been wanting to sign up for a 2014 U.S. Pinkle Toes Photography workshop, TODAY is the day to do it! We have openings in Austin, Texas; Cardiff-by-the-Sea and Mendocino, California; and Olympia, Washington. I am running THREE very special offers today only. Again…no joke. You can get info by filling out the contact form on THIS page.

[Thanks to Meagan for this fun shot she took of me at an Austin workshop years ago ;-)]

Hi I’m Melody! I’m a senior portrait photographer here in beautiful Sonoma county!  I have three amazing wild & busy, toe headed little girls and a husband who just might loose his mind when they are all in high school.   Growing up in beautiful Mendocino,CA  I was blessed to be surrounded by such beauty on a day to day basic.  Our high school over looked the ocean and everyone knew everyone, it was AWESOME. So when Michele asked me to host I jumped for joy at the chance to share my beautiful home town with you.

[Mkay, Michele butting in here, but isn’t she just all sunshine and everything California??? I adore Melody with Melody White Studios in Santa Rosa, CA and I couldn’t be more thrilled to get to hang with her again at her home base in Northern California this summer. Read her interview below to get some insight as to how she’s made her business such a success and how she feels about hosting a Pinkle Toes Photography workshop in August. Now back to Melody…]

What makes your photography business unique to you?
I have build my business by learning to say NO to shoots that I didn’t feel represented myself or the direction I wanted to go.  Even though I own a camera it doesn’t mean I have to shoot everything.

Best thing about being a photographer? 
About three years ago I decided it was time for me to “specialize”  in one area of my photography and it didn’t take me long to realize I was the happiest when photographing teens.   It has been such a rewarding experience seeing these young girls look at their images for the first time and feel truly beautiful (something their parents and I saw from the get go).  Working with teens to me isn’t about just that one day they are in front of my camera, they have become apart of my everyday life and that’s a pretty awesome feeling.

Toughest thing? 
As nice as it is to be the “boss” it also it quite stressful.  One of my toughest things was learning to balance everyday life and work.   Having three little girls with crazy schedules finding time for them, my husband, church and friends has been quite challenging.

If you could photograph anyone/anything in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
My husband comes from a large family there are 6 of them all together 4 boys and two girls!  15 years ago his older brother passed away (before I was in the family).  Then 7 years ago he lost his younger brother.  My “One” photography wish would be to take just one more photo of them all together…..just one.  That would be pretty awesome.

Why does Mendocino, CA ROCK for serving as a host town for a workshop?
A little fun fact about Mendocino is that its not a town at all they still consider it a village, cool right! It has a population of almost no one and stays alive because its one of the top total travel destinations in the US.  Mendocino sits on the beautiful Pacific coast cliffs in Northern California about 3 hours North of San Fransisco.   Many famous movies have been filled here such as Overboard, The Karate Kid 3, Dyeing Young, Forever Young and Murder She Wrote.  Mendocino is BEAUTIFUL there is no other place in the world like it.  PROMISE.

If you could describe your business in 3 words prior to the Pinkle Toes workshop, what would they be? 
Unorganized, Unmotivated and Unstructured

And what about after? 
Confident, Motivated and a clear vision about my business.

Best part of your Pinkle Toes Workshop experience? 
Before I attended The Pinkles toes workshop I had been to two other workshops.  I left both workshops feeling like I was just a paycheck to them. There was no personal connection, no interest in my work and helping ME become a better photographer.  SOOOO you can image when I told my husband that there was this ONE MORE workshop I wanted to attend. He was a little apprehensive and so was I.

Never-the-less, I look a leap of faith and pressed the Pay Now button said a little prayer that this workshop would be different and before I knew it I was off to Texas.  BEST DECISION EVER!  Michele not only answered every question I had she also cared about MY business and how to make it better.  After the workshop was over, we face-timed and Michele answered any more questions that I might have missed.  My whole experience at the Pinkle Toes workshop was amazing.  Plus the added bonus was all the amazing friendships I took away.

Most challenging part?
Honestly Michele is a great teacher and I felt like there wasn’t a hard part at all.

Advice to anyone who attends the workshop you’re hosting? 
I’m just excited for you to all fall in love with my beautiful home town of Mendocino and witness first hand how amazing the Pinkle Toes workshop is!

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Thank you so much, Melody, for your honest and kind words, my friend. I can relate to you on so much of what you discussed here. I know we are going to have a fun and productive time at all of the workshops coming up this year! Side note: On April 1st (#pinkletoesworkshopnojoke), I will be sending out info regarding a VERY SPECIAL OFFER on the 2014 workshops, so make *sure* you’ve signed up to get workshop info so you won’t miss out!

Meanwhile, here’s a sampling of some of Melody’s AMAZING work and make absolute certain you become a fan on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, too!

I am Caroline, owner of Caroline Martin Photography.  I am based in Carlsbad, CA, and have been capturing San Diego families for nearly 15 years.  I have a background in photojournalism, so lifestyle photography really speaks to me.  When I signed up for the Pinkle Toes Workshop in January 2013, I had no doubt I would learn a lot from seeing Michele interact with her clients during a session.  What I didn’t expect was that I would learn so many fabulous tips about the way she runs her business!  After having had a business of my own for so long, I was pretty comfortable with the way I had been running it.  The Pinkle Toes Workshop gave me so much valuable information for every aspect of this business, and I walked away with tons of great ideas that I am still in the process of implementing. Not only that, but I found an amazing group of photographers to lean on in this journey, and am so grateful for the lifelong friendships that started with my Pinkle Toes Workshop experience.  I can’t wait to host the Carlsbad workshop in 2014 and meet another wonderful bunch!

1. What makes your photography business unique to you?
   • Ansel Adams once said something that I think is so true…”We don’t make a photograph just with a camera, we bring to the act of photography all the books we have read, the movies we have seen, the music we have heard, the people we have loved.”  It is these things that make my biz unique to me.  The life I have lived up until this point is responsible for my style, my vision, my art, and my way of running a photography business. 
2. Best thing about being a photographer?
   • I love the feeling I get when I look at a photograph and it transports me back to that moment…the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings all come rushing back, and I get to relive the memory, if only for a moment.  I love that being a photographer allows me to share that with others, and to give them their precious moments back.
3. Toughest thing?
   • The toughest thing about being a photographer is finding the balance between my art, which I love, and my family, which I love more. When you work from home and make your own schedule, it’s an ongoing struggle to separate work life from home life.
4. If you could photograph anyone/anything in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
   • I would love to have been able to photograph my relationship with my aunt when I was a child.  She passed away when I was 3 or 4, but the memories I have of her and the bond we shared are undeniable. There are very few photos of her, and, to my knowledge, none of the two of us.  I wish I could capture that in one of those ‘perfect’ images where you can feel the love.
5. Why does San Diego / Cardiff-by-the-sea, CA ROCK for serving as a host town for a workshop?
   • San Diego is such an amazing place for so many reasons. The weather, obviously, is a huge one!  Cardiff-by-the-Sea, in particular, is such a cute little beach town.  It has a laid back vibe, and so many cool, unique spots.  I can’t wait to share it with everyone at the workshop!
6. If you could describe your business in 3 words prior to the Pinkle Toes workshop, what would they be?
   • unstructured, uninspired, stagnant
7. And what about after?
   • organized, focused, refreshed
8. Best part of your Pinkle Toes Workshop experience?
   • There were SO many amazing things I took away from my experience at the Pinkle Toes Workshop!  It’s really hard to pick the ‘best’.  Things I didn’t necessarily expect were coming away with a wonderful new network of photographers who are a source of constant inspiration, and a friendship with Michele that has led to my participation in another workshop!  I couldn’t be happier!
9. Most challenging part?
   • The most challenging part of the workshop experience was coming home with so many incredible ideas for my business and really focusing on implementing them one at a time.  I was so excited about everything that I really had to reign myself in and not make too many changes right away. I like to try to keep the evolution of my business a steady flow, and it was SO tempting to change everything all at once!  While change is good, I believe too much change can lead to unnecessary chaos.
10. Advice to anyone who attends the workshop you’re hosting?
    • Take note of the ideas that interest you most and take your time figuring out just how they will work best for you.  I made a few organizational changes right off the bat, and have gradually been integrating the creative changes that work for me.  Too much at once is hard to get a handle on.  I am a big proponent for keeping your life balanced as you go, rather than tipping the scales with too much change, and then backpedaling to try to regain your balance.

Here’s a sampling of Caroline’s amazing lifestyle work:

Be sure to check out her WEBSITE, FACEBOOK page, and follow her awesome personal 365 on INSTAGRAM! Oh, and you can check out Caroline in action at the Pinkle Toes workshop she attended early last year HERE. You can learn more about the 2014 Pinkle Toes Newborn and Family Lifestyle Photography Workshops HERE.

Super excited about the two workshop dates in California this summer…Cardiff-by-the-sea July 25-27 and then Mendocino (I’ll introduce Melody to you guys in a few days!) on August 1-3. We will be in Olympia, Washington August 7-9 and then 11-13 as well! Very busy summer of workshopping!!! Can’t wait to see you again, Caroline, my dear!

Well, much to my surprise, the Ridgewood, NJ workshop sold out within days of opening for registration. (Don’t worry…we still have other dates in Texas, California, and Washington with some openings left. Along with tentative fall dates set for Perth and New Castle Australia!).

I would still like to keep with my plan, however, of featuring each of the hostesses for the upcoming workshops on my blog, so let’s go ahead and start with my dear friend Lena with Live Love Laugh Photography in Ridgewood, NJ (Follow her on Facebook):

I am Lena Antaramian, an award-winning Bergen County, New Jersey children and family photographer and owner of Live Love Laugh Photos. I am a mom to very different but equally amazing twin girls and a wife to a smart and funny man. I love dogs, books and sunny spring days. I love all types of food, dessert in particular; cooking it is a different story though. I love bags and believe you can never have too many. I am a world traveler and after visiting many countries, living in a few and meeting people from all over the place I truly believe that the world is a wonderful place and people at their core are good. I get teary-eyed when I witness emotional connections and moments – a hug between a mother and a daughter that shows more love that can ever be described with words, pure joy that is a belly laugh of a toddler, happiness on kids and parents’ faces when they are being silly together. And I feel very privileged to capture and help preserve them for my clients.

1. What makes your photography business unique to you?  Do I sound like I have a huge head if I say that ‘I’ make my business unique?  There are other photographers who have a similar processing style and technical skills but there is only one ME.  My clients get my unique artistic vision when it comes to their images and setting them up in their homes.  They have great time at their sessions because I make them fun for everyone.  They get gifts and personal gestures along the way that make them feel appreciated and cared for.  They get unbeatable customer service from me every step of the way.  And all of that contributes to the amazing experience they have whenever they book a session with Live Love Photos.
2. Best thing about being a photographer? This sounds cliché, but I truly believe that the best part of being a photographer is being able to preserve memories for our clients.  It is pretty amazing that we, as photographers, have the power to freeze time!
3. Toughest thing?  I see shots I want to capture pretty much everywhere I go and sometimes it is hard for me to stop taking pictures and just be in the moment because I always want to preserve the moment by capturing it.
4. If you could photograph anyone/anything in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?  All of my grandparents. Three of my grandparents passed away before I became a photographer and I never really photographed them.  I wish I could capture the wisdom and love in their eyes.  I do have one Grandfather (the older you get, the more amazing it feels to be someone’s granddaughter) and I did make it a point to photograph him.  I am thrilled that I have portraits of him that I love.
5. Why does Ridgewood, NJ ROCK for serving as a host town for a workshop? Well, for one thing, my town has the best Nutella crepes West of Paris!  [Michele: I can attest to that!] It has a lot of charm and personality: cute boutiques, amazing restaurants (NYC quality food at New Jersey prices), plenty of urban and park like settings for photo shoots.  And it is only 25 miles away from NYC!
6. If you could describe your business in 3 words prior to the Pinkle Toes workshop, what would they be? Style not clearly defined, middle-of-the-road in terms of success
7. And what about after?  Consistent (in terms of style and processing), successful, high-end.
8. Best part of your Pinkle Toes Workshop experience? I’ve learned A TON from Michele and 3 years later I still use what I’ve learned but if I had to pick just one part (and it is not easy!) it will be gaining more confidence. I attended the Pinkle Toes Workshop 3 years ago – at that time I’d had my business for two years and felt relatively confident in my work, business practices and pricing.  But after attending the workshop, and having one-on-one with Michele really helped raise my confidence level.
9. Most challenging part?  Lack of sleep:)  We were learning morning till night and while I would not change that for anything, I had to sacrifice  on sleep:)
10. Advice to anyone who attends the workshop you’re hosting?  Be ready to learn from an amazing photographer and business woman, eat yummy food, spend time with awesome people and have a great time all around!

And here is just a sample of Lena’s FABULOUS photography:

Our second workshop in Toronto this summer got off to a perfect start. We had a short little break after the first one  (literally, less than 24 hrs 😉 and we even had a chance to see Niagara Falls! One pic from that is HERE, but yeah, eventually, I’ll get around to going through the rest of the pics from that awesome evening ;-).

Anyway, after a FAB dinner out the first night–where I might add, I had my first ever Caesar–the next morning, we had a lovely, lovely in-home newborn photo session with this beautiful family. Oh, that baby girl was delish!!! And I loved how into the session her big sister was!

Then, we ventured out into a beautiful little park, found completely by mistake, for our family photo session, subjects = the wonderful Kerri Davis (who also happens to be a Pinkle Toes Workshop grad ;-)–oh man, I went to look for her workshop post and I realized I have not blogged her workshop yet!!! OH MY WORD! Must fix that as soon as I can).

So, I was told by a certain someone that there were no rattlesnakes or the likes of fire ants up in Toronto and I may have let my guard down a little too much. OH MY WORD! We were attacked by the most vicious biting ants I’ve ever dealt with in my life!!!! I’ll take fire ants over these little devils any day! They would NOT leave us alone and each place we would get bitten would go almost totally numb. WHAT? Yeah. At least I know how to spot a fire ant mound to avoid it 😉 No matter…we still had a rockin’ session!!!

And then, it was time to play with some maternity photos:

And who can resist some super fun behind-the-scenes shots?

Meet the awesome gals of Toronto B, brought to you by our hostess with the mostess Hilary Camilleri with One for the Wall Photography (check out her amazing work!!):

• HRM Photography – http://www.hrmphotography.com – London, Ontario
• Purple Tree Photography – http://www.purpletreephotography.com – Northville, MI
• Juste Ciel! Photographie- http://www.justeciel.ca– Montreal, Quebec
• Simply Said Photography-http://www.simplysaidphotography.com ~ Tillsonburg, Ontario
• Megan Johns Photography – http://www.meganjohnsphotography.com – Jacksonville, FL

Some of their blog posts and more fun pics here:

• Purple Tree Photography 
• Megan Johns Photography

I know there are many photogs out there anxiously awaiting word on the 2014 workshops. Trust me…I am right there with you. Lots of factors coming into play making scheduling a little bit tricker than I had anticipated. But soon…very, very soon, I promise. Hang in there.

Was this really back in January? It truly doesn’t even seem like it was that long ago. What a FANTASTIC workshop group we had here and if it looks like we were having a blast in these pictures, it’s true…we did! Our in home newborn session demonstration was a dream and can you even believe the smile on that precious baby girl? (see it bigger). And, of course, there’s one pic not shown here. If you want to see that one, you’ll have to go HERE.

We had an equally amazing photo session with our family in downtown Austin later that evening:

Quick story: a workshop attendee asked me to demonstrate some poses with people lying down, so we had mom + daughter lay down on the ground for us. I asked them to get a little closer and they ended up with the worst forehead bump:

OMG! I felt soooooooo bad, but at least we all had a good laugh (cry?) over it.

And, some more fun random pics from the workshop:

Goodness me! What a talented and fun and smart and witty group of ladies! Each time I would open up a folder of pics sent my them, my jaw would just hit the floor. Man they rocked it! Check out their sites here:

• Kami Friday Photography – NH and Northern New Englandwww.kamifridayphotography.com
• The Life in Your Years Photography – NYC, Westchester County and Southern Connecticut http://www.thelifeinyouryearsphotography.com
• Little Branch Photo – Houston, TX – www.littlebranchphoto.com
• Paula Scherr Photography – Edmonton, Alberta Canadawww.paulascherrphoto.com
• Caroline Martin Photography – San Diego, CAwww.CarolineMartinPhotography.com
• Photo Jolie – Dallas, Texas www.photojolie.com/
• Laurie Herrera Photography – Dallas, Texas www.laurieherreraphoto.com

The ONLY workshop I have coming up with openings is in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in August. That is it. I know many folks have requested to be on wait lists for St. Louis and Charlotte, but that list is really long :-(. Oh, did I mention that we are planning a MAJOR Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop reunion in New York City in Spring of 2014? Very excited about that…loads of fun activities are in the works as well as a charity project. (Check out my post from Chicago’s reunion last summer…that should give you an idea of the whirlwind to expect ;-). 

Finally on the blog!!! Yay!!!! This workshop was the perfect way to kick of 2013! On day one, we all got to finally meet and chit chat and had fun playing with sunflare and headshots. After a laaaaaaaate night 😉 it was early to rise for an amazing in-home lifestyle newborn session demonstration:

Later that afternoon, we headed into downtown Austin to experiment photographing a family in an urban setting:

It was so crazy…it was sunny, sunny, sunny all day long and then wooosh! All of a sudden, in true Austin fashion, the wind picked up and the sun disappeared and we were out in the elements like Nat Geo photogs ;-). By the by, you should know that I don’t believe I’ve ever worked with siblings who were as connected and fun-loving as those two cuties were. They made me look really good that day. A little too good 😉

I present to you the Pinkle Toes Graduating Class of January 2013! Sharp looking group, huh? When you get some time, I highly recommend you check these ladies out:

• Sabrina K Photography Pearland and Houston, TX: http://sabrinakphotography.com/blog
• Captured by Chrissy in McKinney, TX: http://capturedbychrissy.com/blog
• Beth Fenwick in San Francisco Bay Area, Redwood City, CA: http://bethfenwick.com
• Claire Hill Photography in  Houston and The Woodlands, TX:  http://www.clairehillphotography.com/blog
• Leslie Clawson Photography in Frisco TX: http://www.leslieclawsonphotography.com
• CK Design & Photography in MA http://ckdesignphoto.blog.com/
• Dear Ellison Photography in San Antonio, TX and surrounding areas: https://www.facebook.com/dearellisonphotography

Sadly, I don’t have any more workshops coming up in Austin (no room in my schedule ;-(). If we missed you, you can always chat with me about the Toronto, Canada workshop this August (very much looking forward to that one…my very first visit to Canada!) or if that’s too far for you, maybe we can talk about online mentoring.

This little dude and I have been hanging out for a few years now, but this session was probably one of my favs. Basically, we just let him explore and do the things he wanted to do and we followed along. He loves his parents. He loves is little go car. And he loves apples! {Still my FAV from this session}

Oh man…just realized I never shared the images from his session at the Pinkle Toes photography workshop earlier this year! Silly me!

And some super fun behind-the-scenes pics from that day:

[images by myself, Claire, and Michelle]

What fun it was to look back at these images! Fantastic group of ladies and so much talent, it was unreal! Oh, and it rained like you wouldn’t believe. So much so, this happened. Miss you girls. Miss your humor, too 😉. In case you wanted to visit it, here are pics from our newborn session from this workshop. Oh, by the by: one of these ladies from this workshop is actually hosting the Charlotte, NC workshop!!! Awesome!!!!

While we’re on the subject of workshops, just wanted to remind you (or let you know if you didn’t already know) that today, November 1st, is the last day to qualify for the $100 discount for reserving your spot in a 2013 Pinkle Toes (only) workshop. If you need the full details (dates, pricing, etc.) fill out the contact form on this page.

Back in 2011, I had the pleasure of meeting Megan Grommes of Megan Crown Photography (Twin Cities) at one of my professional family photographer workshops. Totally out of the blue, I got this note from her a few days ago:

I read your blog post about lighting and people’s houses and wanted to share this: That was one thing I feel I learned from the workshop and PT4P – finding light and making it work in client’s houses. I love this session. The thing is – there was literally NO LIGHT except for one window. Before I would have freaked out! However I was calm and used that one window for all it was worth and I really liked the results – so thank you for your mentorship! I appreciate what you had to teach us.

Megan…that was super cool to hear and man, I love that session, too. I think you did a phenomenal job of working with what you had. The way you used the light captured the perfect amount of emotion and drama and yet, it’s still soft and newborn-like. Well done!

In case you all might like to see some of the work that Megan did at the workshop in Austin, here are just a few of my favs from her:

And, for goodness sake, please be sure to check out Megan’s phenomenal birth photography as well. You’ll be glad that you did!

Regarding the 2013 Pinkle Toes workshops, the deadline is literally just a few weeks away to receive the first $100 discount, so if you want to reserve your spot, you’ll want to do that ASAP.

P.S. I think most photogs out there already know that this is peak holiday season right now, so my communication on the blog and e-mail is going to be sporadic at best ;-). [Of course, I do still Instagram a lot, LOL, because it’s faster and easier and doesn’t require me to be at my computer or using Lightroom]. I have gotten several e-mails wondering if I’m still going to follow up with my little experiment and the answer is of course! I just need some time to sit down and write out a thoughtful response. Thanks so much for your patience, gang!