Earlier this month, I’d spotted a story over on NPR that caught my attention: A query to submit your photos of women who inspire you in honor of March being Women’s History Month.

I took the story as a prompt to talk over here on the blog about someone who means the world to me and that’s my older sister, Karin. I have so many incredible memories of my childhood that involve my sister. Since she was a teenager when I was born (I was what some people might call an “oops” baby – haha), she spent a lot of time looking after me big-sister style. (That’s her feeding me a Pudding Pop in this photo below; oh man, what I wouldn’t give for one of those Pudding Pops now!)

In addition to sharing her love for ’80s music with me and a love for ’80s cinema (by the time I was 7, I’d memorized the words to “I’ve Had The Time of My Life” from my sister’s favorite movie, “Dirty Dancing”; we used to dance to it in the living room when she’d babysit me when I was little), my sister has been unbelievably supportive of me through the years—whether it was cheering me on at the activities I participated in in high school, coming to see me graduate college or being my matron of honor in my wedding, my sister has always been a car ride, phone call or email away. My sister has had her fair share of lumps in life but she inspires me for the way she always picks herself up, remains steadfast in her belief in God and relies on her ability to use humor to help her through any situation. I feel so incredibly blessed to have her in my life. I have two brothers I love dearly too, but, as a woman, there’s nothing else like the relationship you have with your sister. Love you Karin Sue!!!!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

It’s been a month filled with travel, home improvement projects and plenty to love — here’s some of it!

1) My Yes to Carrot lip butter: Sure, I’m still a Burt’s Bees girl at heart, but I have a few tubes of the Yes to Carrot stuff floating around the house, including the office, so it’s become a brand I reach for a lot (I would add “when I have chapped lips” to the end of that sentence but the truth is, I never have chapped lips; I’m just addicted to lip balm!) I LOVE the way the berry flavor smells…it makes me think of gummi bears :)

2) My Tucker for Target dress (and a rad pair of yellow flats): Oooh….Target. I just can’t quit you. Nor can I walk through your doors without leaving with a whole shopping cart full of stuff I didn’t intend to buy. This go-round, I went in specifically to nab this great Tucker for Target floral print dress. I missed getting my hands on this when the Tucker line came to the stores a few seasons ago, so when I heard they were bringing back some of the most popular dresses in the store’s GO International collection, I didn’t want to let this one go again. Navigating through the store, I also managed to fall in love with these adorable (and CHEAP) little flats that just screamed spring! Annndddd…I might have picked up one of these SUPER soft raglan sweatshirts on sale. People, when I tell you that I wore it for an ENTIRE weekend of activities, I wouldn’t be exaggerating. It is SO that comfortable (and super cute on). Grab one of ‘em to relax in!!

3) What the Bible is All About: I made it a goal for myself on my 101 in 1001 list to read the entire Bible in a year. I’ve been using a great online tool to help me keep track of the daily verses I need to ingest, but it’s still a lot of really, REALLY dense reading at times (Helllloooooo Old Testament!) To help me better understand the context of what I’m reading (and the beauty of The Word), I’ve turned to this great book to assist me. I highly recommend it if you, too, want to take more away from your Bible reading.

4) Good Housekeeping: OK, did I just turn myself into a mom who wears mom jeans with this admission? When I was home over the holidays, I was bored one night and read through a few of my mom’s copies of this magazine. I actually found myself really enjoying the articles and was pleasantly surprised to be reading celebrity profiles in which celebrities like Kelly Ripa and Kyra Sedgwick shared insight into their happy, healthy marriages (whhattt??? I thought those didn’t exist in Hollywood!) There were great recipe and design features in the magazine too, so when my mother-in-law asked if there was a magazine I’d like for a Christmas gift, I offered up this one as an idea (since we already subscribe to so many others—the Werner house LOVES its magazines). Would make a great gift idea for a reader in your life!

5) Noah and the Whale’s “Last Night on Earth”: I’ve been a big fan of these British boys for a few years now, and so, when their third album came out earlier this month, I was all over it. Two of my favorite tracks on a whole album I really, really love include “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.” (SO catchy!) and “Life is Life” (love the lyrics to that one!) — only $6 for the whole album. Great tunes for the price of a venti latte? Heck yeah!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

It’s been SO fun to edit these images over the past few days; seeing my best friend radiant as a new mother with her cute-as-can-be daughter is as much a gift to me as giving these images is to her. When you have people you love in your life, you love seeing them in a good place in their own. Happy, healthy and embarking on a journey meant for them. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe Tracy’s world right now …..

Mallory likes that thumb of hers :)

Mallory was a little skeptical of the studio set up for the first 15 minutes of our shoot. But it didn’t take her long to warm up for the camera! OMG, seriously, every time I look at that photo on the left, my brain reverts to this caption in which Mallory is talking like a New Yorker and is all, “Now lemmetellyousumthin’”. I know, I know…I should have gone with a cute voice for her like those e*Trade babies or something, but seriously, LOOK at that photo — doesn’t she just look like the girl who’s gonna grow up and not take sass from anybody? ;) (that second shot on the right is pretty adorable to me too!) Oh, I love those. Love ‘em each on their own. Love ‘em as part of a series of mother-daughter giggles. Love ‘em, love ‘em, love ‘em. I have never seen Tracy look happier than this photo. I love it so much! You’re not a baby up on baby trends unless you have your own Sofia the Giraffe. Don’t worry, Tracy’s got it covered!!! :) For the love…this photo. I mean, COME ON WITH THE CUTENESS ALREADY!?!!! I made this hat for a prop for us to use and this photo does it every bit of the justice I imagined in my head while I was knitting it. Who doesn’t love a bit of baby drool and baby rolls? GAH! While Tracy and I were working in Betsy’s studio, we took advantage of a couch she had and this beautiful quilt to change things up a bit and I have to say, I love this next sequence the most from the session — so whimsical and sweet and girly and those colors just make me want spring to stick around now! Tracy, your daughter is beyond beautiful. You’re making me want one of these :)

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

When I attended Dane Sander’s workshop out in Colorado in December 2009, I came back and started talking to people about how inspiring it was and how I’d felt included in another new photographer community. When people asked what was special about the workshop, I talked a bit about Dane’s style, about the topics we covered in the workshop, but then, well, I’d try to explain the story about one of the attendees, Mark Hayes.

Mark was sweet and quiet and he sat next to me for the two days of the workshop (that’s him pictured in the middle in the photo above). When we had to do a timed exercise uploading photos into Lightroom and I was having problems with Dane’s instructions and starting to panic, Mark patiently guided me through what I needed to do and was so sweet about the whole thing. On the last day of the workshop, during an exercise in which Dane challenged us all to make a declaration to make big changes in our lives, he “took a risk” with Mark (and if you’ve met Dane or attended one of his workshops, you know this is one of his inspirational phrases). Mark, who was obese, was challenged by Dane to lose weight. The rest of us in the room sat in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe Dane had been bold enough to put that question out there to Mark. But it was this amazing conversation we all got to witness, one in which Mark committed to the goal in a way that, as he would later share, he had never before.

As I told people this story back home, some people were shocked that a conversation so frank would play out in front of an audience like that. But that’s when I tried to explain the community we’d built around Mark. How all of us who’d been there and so many others were cheering him on as members of Dane’s Fast Track Photographers forum. His motto and our motto? For Each Other. And for 15 months, we’ve joined in the process of cheering Mark on as he’s whittled away at that weight loss pound by pound. Last week, he created a video that he and Dane shared on Facebook and I watched it with my mouth hanging agape. I was SO proud of Mark!!! To see not only a physical transformation in him, but to see how confident he is here, well, I wish we lived closer ’cause I’d give him a big ‘ol hug and take him out for a salad!!! I asked Mark if he would mind me sharing his story with you all (and the video) and he said “Go for it”. So, here you guys go…I wanted you to witness it and be as inspired by him as I’ve been. It’s pretty incredible:

1. What is your cleaning style like?

Well, I’m someone who thinks cleaning is the pits (raise your hand if you join in the sentiment). But it’s a necessary evil. My motto is: “A clean house is a quiet mind.” And I truly believe in that. So my goal is to enter every weekend with a clean house, because it frees me up to focus on business stuff or fun stuff instead of passing the same set of empty coffee mugs and discarded mail and thinking, “I really need to pick that stuff up.” JUST DO IT ALREADY, GAIL! And so, to keep it fun, I put my iPod on, set the timer on my kitchen radio and give myself 60 to 90 minutes to get as much done as I can—sweeping, mopping, straightening up, cleaning out the fridge. And because I’m a list maker who LOVES to check things off as she goes, about a year ago I created this fun little “Cleaning To Do List” to keep me motivated. Want your own copy of it? Feel free to download it with a click of this link! (and if you think I’m anal-retentive, well, hats off to you friend because you have hit the mark! :) )

2. What is your favorite thing to add to an outfit to take it from casual to classy?

Some fun earrings or pair of heels is always a great option (I don’t wear ‘em as much as I used to, much to my husband’s chagrin). Should I say a string of pearls? I feel like that’s what I SHOULD say. Too bad I don’t own a pair :)

3. Do you like stormy weather?

I LOVE stormy weather! I love the smell in the atmosphere right before and after it rains. I love big claps of thunder too. Being a Midwesterner and coming from a place where you could see stretches of farmland around you for miles, I used to love watching storms roll in. As a kid, my dad and I used to sit on the front porch and wait for them. My mom would be inside, every now and then peeking her head out to tell us, “You two need to get inside. You’re gonna get struck by lightning sitting in those metal lawn chairs!”

4. What is your favorite cold treat on a hot day?

I love a good scoop of frozen yogurt (we have this great place in town called “Incredible Yogurt” that Nick and I love to treat ourselves to in the summer months). When it gets REALLY hot out, I love to pick up a package of those cheap freezer pops and indulge. Mmmmmmm…..a pineapple-flavored freezer pop, a book and me swinging in the hammock—can it just be summer already?!!! (PS – I also love a good Italian lemonade!)

5. What is your favorite warm treat on a cold day?

A latte or a cup of hot tea.

6. Who is your favorite animated character?

Oh my goodness…really? Wellll….I’ve always had a bit of a crush on Prince Eric from “Little Mermaid” (maybe that’s why I married a fella who kinda looks like him–hehe). But, thinking back to childhood, I loved so many characters from “Looney Tunes”. My brother and I used to watch those old classics every Saturday morning. As a kid, I also LOVED to watch Ducktales and Animaniacs …. Anybody else have a favorite cartoon growing up? Just for giggles, I felt compelled to rewatch the intro for Animaniacs. Still makes me grin ;) Oooh….and remember this?!! (Might solve a mystery…or rewrite historyyyyyyyy)

7. What do you keep your jewelry in?

Okay, are you ready for this? Because this is so incredibly ghetto I can’t believe I’m admitting to it! But I use those little clear craft boxes you get from craft stores. Just makes it easy to see everything inside it, lets me compartmentalize things and is easy to stow and stack. Bonus since I had a couple of these from growing up that held my stash of yarn as a cross-stitcher. Did I just admit TWO embarrassing bits of information in one answer? Ohhh, I think I just did!

8. Do any of the rooms in your house have a theme?

A theme? What, like, a garden in Tuscany or something? No, no theme. Unless you count “Must have a few books in every room” a theme. Overall, our house (I think, anyway) has a fun, retro-inspired, lived-in, loved-in feel to it.

9. Do you watch any interior design TV shows – if so, what is your favorite?

When we had cable? Ooohhh yes. Those shows would get me IN TROUBLE. That was the height of the pre-mortgage crisis era, where you could spend 6 hours on a Saturday watching back-to-back episodes of Trading Spaces and Flip This House. But I love interior design shows; they’re fun. I still watch ‘em whenever I get a chance.

10. When was the last time you did something risk-taking?

Physically? Well, probably running a mini-marathon (’cause I am a CHICKEN when it comes to physical risk-taking). But I’d say navigating New York City on my own counts. Starting my own business counts. I’m all about the mental challenges….it’s the stuff like bungee jumping and sky diving I could never wrap my head around.

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.