YOLO Spotlight - Historic Woodland Train Depot with Ron Burch
Woodland has had several iterations of a train depot, the first was near Lincoln Avenue and College Street and was built by the California Pacific Railroad in 1869. This was followed by another depot in 1872 when it was relocated to East Street, just south of Main Street. This depot was heavily used, but in 1911 a newer one was built with updated features and larger waiting areas under the auspices of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Along the way, the depot saw several historic events. Two Presidential candidates, Charles Evans Hughes in 1916 and Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, stopped at the depot and gave campaign speeches. Many troops from different wars deployed and returned via Woodland by train.
But after World War ll life changed in the United States and less people traveled by train. After years of declining service and passengers in 1991, Southern Pacific dismantled the signal lines at the depot and the depot was officially no longer in service. The years preceding that event, however, included the community of Woodland working with the Railroad to sell or lease the depot for the community to refurbish. The eventually resulted in Southern Pacific selling the depot to Sacramento Valley Historic Railways for $5. But that was only the beginning!
Money was raised and the effort began to move the depot to its present location at Lincoln Avenue and Sixth Street. Once accomplished, the Woodland Train Depot committee was formed and restoration begun.
FUN FACT #1
Ron Burch is quite active in the Depot committee. He grew up as an Air Force brat and liked playing at the railyards. He loves to travel, particularly by train. He always had model trains as a kid and still loves hearing the train whistles at night as they come through town. He finds steam locomotives peaceful to see and hear and is amazed at their design and construction. He has two grown sons so he does have some time to tinker and dabble with his passion for all things rail.
FUN FACT #2
Ron worked at UC Davis for 30 years and began by designing a warehouse for all of the crafts. He then transferred to the electric shop and then became a lighting technician. He learned so much from the other craftsmen and has a smattering of skill in many things as a result. When he heard on the radio that the depot needed volunteers, he noticed that other craftsmen at UC Davis also volunteered their time and signed right up. He did odd jobs for the group then made a full commitment and joined the board when he retired.
FUN FACT #3
Ron is very excited about the depot’s upcoming fundraising event when Santa will be visiting the depot! Santa will arrive at 10, rain or shine, and, for a $10 donation, each child gets a visit with Santa and gets to make an ornament. Bring your camera to record this fun visit. There will also be family fun, activities, and refreshment. This will all happen on Sunday, December 5 from 10 to 2 at the depot at the corner of Lincoln and Sixth. See you there!
WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT THE WOODLAND TRAIN DEPOT?
1. The steam locomotive (#1233) on the depot site was originally in Oakland and was sold and moved to Woodland. A group, Friends of the 1233, formed and began the depot’s journey towards restoration. John McMahon organized the effort to move the depot 30 years ago when it was scheduled to be demolished and they were able to move the building without breaking a window! Having been abandoned for some time, the building was in a state of disrepair and there has been painstaking progress to not only refurbish, but to track down original and historic items to keep the depot as authentic as possible.
2. Square One at the Woodland Public Library is making a replica of the depot building using a laser cut printer. One of the missions of the depot group is to teach railroad history and this replica will be an excellent tool towards that goal. In the past, boy scouts could actually earn a railroad merit badge that was taught by the depot group. People have also donated family memorabilia, photos of railway depots and Woodland residents to use as props or décor and enhance the personal history of the depot. And Southern Pacific even shared its blueprints.
3. Pre-pandemic, the depot was opening up for booking small weddings and events. Parties for people with an interest in railroad history and trains were also becoming popular. The board is preparing for this again and adding public tours, club meetings and school tours in the future. The only requirement is that the building and its contents are not damaged in any way, though a small donation may be required depending on the event.
The Woodland Train Depot is a fun place to visit and even those who do not think they have an interest in railroad history will be fascinated by the true-to-life setup. The ticket counter, the waiting room, the steam engine, there is something to intrigue everyone. Join the gang for the Santa event December 5 and it is guaranteed you will want to visit this important part of our history again.
YOLO Spotlight - Maria Olmedo
In 2013, Yolo County began the Neighborhood Court Program, now known as the Yolo Restorative Justice Partnership (RJP). The program uses community volunteers who act as panelists and facilitators during conferences to sit down with people who have committed low level crimes and work through a process where the crime is discussed, accountability is resolved and appropriate actions are agreed on. Since its beginning, the program has diverted over 2,000 increasingly serious cases from the normal court setting, taking pressure off of the system and providing restoration of trust rather than only punishment.
Why is this important?
Because our Spotlight today is Maria Olmedo, who provides community outreach for the RJP in her role at the Yolo County District Attorney’s office.
Maria moved to Woodland when she was six years old and is part of a large family who have all played various significant roles in the Woodland community, especially in local sports. It was a pleasure to discover more about Maria during our session.
FUN FACT #1
With four sisters and one brother, Maria learned early on the importance of working as a team and helping each other out. (Maybe this is why so many of them turned to positions in coaching sports?) When her dad broke his arm when she was younger, all of the kids pitched in to help the family. The family opened a bakery when Maria was a senior in high school but sold it when her mom got sick. An upbringing of hard work and teamwork ensured that all six of the kids turned out to be successful in their own right. In fact, all six of the children in her family graduated from CSU-Sacramento. Maria also feels it is important for her try and make a difference in the Hispanic community.
FUN FACT #2
Maria has been a cross country runner since 7th grade and still enjoys athletic activities such as indoor soccer and fun hikes with the family. All her siblings also enjoy playing soccer, so family gatherings are probably pretty active! Maria loves watching movies to relax and trying new places to dine out (an activity that has been harder this past year.) She has two children, one who has born right before the pandemic began and her new little one who is only one month old. And while she has much support from her husband and family, a nap is always welcome.
FUN FACT #3
As if a toddler, a pandemic, and a newborn didn’t cause enough turmoil, Maria and her family recently bought a house, just a few weeks before the baby was born. Maria calls it a crazy time and she gets total agreement here. Some new moms have horror stories to tell about giving birth during the pandemic, but Maria’s experience was not as traumatic because dad was able to come and go and to be there for her. The maternity rooms are now in the old ICU area so the rooms were different, but Maria still enjoyed her delivery and time spent recovering.
SO, WHAT’S HAPPENING AT RJP?
1. Maria’s background in community service and nonprofits has served her well in her outreach position. It provides her with a nice mix of service to the community and helping in the local government. She enjoys her job immensely and looks forward to going back after her family leave. She began as an intern at the DA’s office and parlayed her degree in social science into helping with victim services.
2. At RJP, Maria acts as a volunteer recruiter, an important role because the program is heavily reliant on volunteers to act as community panelists and facilitators. She also handles the scheduling of volunteers, staff and participants, an enormous job similar to herding cats. Her outreach activities include letting people know about the program and setting up training sessions so volunteers can be properly trained in restorative justice techniques. She is still working remotely because county facilities are still closed to the public, forcing conferences to also be virtual for now rather than in person.
3. Maria acknowledges that everyone associated with RJP, volunteers and staff alike, are committed to the program. It is important, Maria said, to know that people who have made a mistake in life can repair their mistake and move on to do great things. She wants the community to know that there are other options out there besides court and how vital it is to restore justice back into the community with the input of community volunteers. Maria noted that everyone walks out of a conference with the feeling that they just did something good.
Five years from now, Maria would love to still be working with the RJP, potentially with an even heavier workload. She has learned to step aside and breathe when she gets stressed and it appears to be working because she has a calm demeanor even amongst the chaos. If you would like to learn more about the Yolo Restorative Justice Partnership you can check it out here: https://yoloda.org/progressive-programs/restorative-justice-partnership/
Interested in a portraits session?
YOLO Spotlight - Shauna Fox
Once upon a time, Shauna Fox opened a microblading business in Pleasanton, CA. How did that happen and what has happened since that opening day? And, an even bigger question, how has she been able to have a successful business in Woodland when she opened her place just one week before the COVID19 shutdown in March 2020?
It is quite a success story, but even more so for a troubled teen who grew up in Santa Cruz and had a baby at the young age of 16. Preferring a small town feel for her daughter, Shauna moved to Tracy. She ended up having three daughters by the age of 21. She lived in Tracy for 20 years before moving to Woodland when she married her current spouse.
Shauna loves living in Woodland and says she feels so welcomed by the people. Her daughters are mostly grown, but she also now has a six year old son and appreciates the small town feel for raising him.
FUN FACT #1
During her troubled teen years, Shauna actually failed all of her classes one time, but absolutely loved her art class. Before opening her first studio in Pleasanton five years ago, Shauna did many jobs, sometimes all at the same time, such as waitressing. The commute from Tracy to Pleasanton could be a pain, but worth it because she was finally doing something she is passionate about. She feels her business is a form of art and because of that she attracts many different types of people. She enjoys meeting them all and feels as if many of them become friends as well as clients. Shauna says, “I’ve been poor, I’ve had money, so I can always find something to relate to everyone.”
FUN FACT #2
Shauna is so passionate about her work that she never really winds down. She talked about loving nature, gardening, and meditating, but the conversation always returned to her work and how she feels she is helping people. Her bottom line mission is to make women feel confident and beautiful and she wants to make that happen for everybody. Shauna gets very excited with the idea of helping people enhance who they are. She doesn’t believe in changing you, just providing you the best version of you! Her thought is that people who feel good about themselves are more vibrant and will confidentally find other people with similar interests, making for great friendships and relationships.
FUN FACT #3
Shauna’s passion for what she does means she spends quite a bit of thought on where to head in the future. She recently added a location at College and Main in downtown Woodland to have enough space for everything she wants to do. In five years, she sees herself in the same location with more services offered and an established clientele. Shauna wants to be the “go-to” place in the region. She admits that there is more to owning a business than many people realize, especially when you have a brick and mortar establishment, but her eyes are wide open and she was savvy enough to survive so far under unique circumstances (pandemic, anyone?).
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT SHAUNA FOX PERMANENT COSMETICS?
1. Even though she opened her Woodland business one week prior to the COVID shutdown in March 2020, Shauna never slowed down and adapted to the changes needed. It didn’t hurt that she operates as a health department approved facility and already had in place standard safety protocols. She got creative and developed an online class teaching microblading that became very popular and successful.
2. Her original studio opened in Pleasanton five years ago, and she kept the Pleasanton facility for a while after moving to Woodland, but she has since sold the Pleasanton location because the new Woodland location is working out so well. Since the start of her business, almost 50% of her clientele traveled to her, some from out of state. Since her clients were always from all over a wide area, they were loyal enough to follow her to the new location in Woodland.
3. Because Shauna’s mission is to help women feel good about themselves, she feels the “sky’s the limit” as to how she can build the business even bigger and better. She has many ideas that’s she would love to implement in the future. She has added a makeup line to her website and anticipates adding in person classes as the pandemic permits. Keep an eye out in the future for body contouring services.
Shauna is a vibrant example of a confident woman whose goal in life is to instill confidence in others. She is proud to call Woodland home and pleased to be a part of downtown. Kudos to this small business owner who survived unusual circumstances this past year.
Interested in booking a session?
YOLO Spotlight - Lacey Hillard
Many people know Lacey Hilliard for her work as a real estate agent and property manager at Lyons Real Estate in downtown Woodland, but do you know she is also the driving force behind local non-profit F.I.R.E. (First In, Relief for Evacuees)? F.I.R.E. has helped numerous victims of California’s devastating fires and has been especially crucial the last few years with each year bringing a new “record breaking” blaze. Lacey began the nonprofit in 2015 and through a combination of meticulous planning and some crazy ideas has built the organization into the “go-to” for victims. You can learn more about F.I.R.E. here: https://firstinrelief.com/
But what else did we learn about Lacey?
FUN FACT #1
Lacey grew up in southern California, mostly in Costa Mesa. Her dad raced Indy cars, first based in Los Angeles, then relocating to El Dorado Hills. The family relocated when Lacey was 10 years old and it came as quite a culture shock. The shock lasted until she graduated high school and she promptly moved back down south to Seal Beach. She began racing spec trucks for a while before moving back up north to El Dorado Hills. Lacey thinks she grew up in an adrenaline junkie household; besides her father and herself catching the racing bug, her mother played competitive volleyball and her grandfather held records at UCLA for track and field. She met her husband, Josh, at a party in 2008 and eventually moved to Woodland.
FUN FACT #2
Over the years, Lacey has become experienced in several professions. She worked in finance for a while, ended not being excited about it and moved to Hawaii where she went to school for holistic medicine. When she moved back to California she worked for a repossession business for six to seven years, but that ended up not challenging her enough either. It also become more heartbreaking after the recession because the people being repossessed all of a sudden became just average people who had merely gotten in over their heads. She went to school at night and became a neuromuscular therapist, but this eventually became too hard on her body. (At one point she had wanted to become a professional snowboarder and had an accident where essentially everything from the hips up was broken, making leaning over a table and using strong pressure was not something her body was willing to do anymore.)
FUN FACT #3
Not surprisingly, considering Lacey has done a huge variety of activities and jobs throughout her life, the way she winds down (I think it may be too much to say she actually relaxes?) consists of a broad number of things. She loves exercising her brain with Sudokus, puzzles, reading, and solving mysteries. (She is now intrigued by the idea of an escape room.) She loves to study things she is interested in and will study them to death. Lacey loves all crafts and also has two mini Bantam chickens (who live in Cluckingham Palace), ducks (who live in Quackington Pool), a saltwater fish tank, dogs, cats, and a huge garden. She feels best when she is creating. She also does lots of running and has an amazing therapist who helps her keep her mental health in good shape.
WHAT ABOUT WORK?
1. At one point, Lacey met a realtor who talked her into starting real estate classes. She found the classes yawn-inducing, but she was bored and needed something to do so she stuck with it. She found a part-time job with Lyons in Davis and discovered she loved it. She was able to socialize and being around other professionals pumped her up. She finished the test for her real estate license in 35 minutes and passed. She also embraced property management because she found it appeals to her problem solving side, every day she gets to help people and must work to make both home owners and tenants happy. The pandemic didn’t even put a blip in real estate. In fact, the number of people looking for homes is at a record high. Lacey knows that people need a place to live where they feel safe and stable without price gouging pushing them out of the market. She believes you must show compassion while still making money.
2. Lacey’s motto is to go for your dreams. If it seems impossible, just break it down, get to work, and stop worrying about the obstacles. She believes many things began as a wild idea and became reality. (One example: how people probably thought the Wright Brothers and the idea of human flight was nuts at one time.) In high school, Lacey was both a jock and a theater kid and even now acting is kind of a wild dream for her. After going through the typical “would she ever be good enough?” agonies, Lacey decided to pursue acting. She landed an acting gig in a political commercial, and while the director seemed impressed with her work, it wasn’t until she watched the commercial that she realized she could be good at this.
3. Lacey quickly recognized that the only person holding her back was herself. She wants to be so many things in life-attorney, gymnast, FBI agent-but she also wants to be the best at everything she does. She realized that acting allows her to be all of those things, and more, in the various roles she can play. She signed up for a six week acting course and vowed to do at least one class. She describes the first class as mortifying because each person had to sit in a chair alone in a spotlight and answer questions. But she stuck it out and is still taking the course. Like everything else in her life, when she decided to pursue acting, Lacey has gone all in, taking voice, piano, and acting classes. She is proud to say she has booked some paying gigs. This is not surprising because at KLJ Studios she is known as Miss Fierce since she looks so fierce in all of her head shots.
As if all of that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Lacey is aware of the housing crisis around the country and is looking for ways to solve it in Yolo County. With her track record of successes, it would not be surprising if she figured out a solution.
Interested in booking a session?
Family Portrait Session - Woodland California
On July 31st, we were proud to welcome Heidi, Atique, Nayani, and Magdalena to the studio for a family portrait session. The session took place at our boutique photography studio at 424 1st Street in beautiful downtown Woodland, CA. The photographer was Haylee and Kelly and Adam were the photography assistants. The makeup artist was KLJ Studio Beauty Artist Jazlyn Hilliard.
Family sessions are always special, especially when, like in this case, the children are still small and delightfully unpredictable. The family wanted images now because they missed out on newborn photos for Magdalena and wanted to make sure they captured her in photos while she is still little.
And talk about the fun unpredictability. Nayani is a natural “ham” and loves to pose. But she also loves to lick her little sister’s head! (We think it is Nayani’s version of showering her little sister with kisses or “muahs”.) Nayani was easily persuaded to allow Magdalena into the photos with the promise of Paw Patrol stickers. We also heard she can be bribed with McDonald’s cheeseburgers, so we will remember for next time.
Magdalena already shows so much personality. She tolerates Big Sis giving her head so much love and was a sweet little one. Mom and Dad are doing a great job with these two girls. It is always a pleasure to see such a lovely family in the studio.
Heidi, Atique, Nayani and Magdalena, it was such a blast photographing all of you. I appreciate your patience and understanding during the session and I can’t wait to see you again.
~Harlee
Interested in booking a session?
YOLO Spotlight - Dawn Borel of River’s Rescue!
Every summer KLJ Studios holds a monthlong pet portrait event. We will be doing so again this August so get your pets primped and ready! This year the pet event, Sit! Stay! Smile!, will be raising funds for River’s Rescue, a local pet rescue started and headed by Dawn Borel.
River’s Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports all dog breeds, with a focus on ranch type breeds. They fully vet and socialize pets to give them a fresh start and find them a forever home. They also occasionally have fully vetted cats/kittens available. The rescue received their 501(c)3 status three years ago.
This much needed organization was founded by Dawn Borel, whose path in life pretty much had to lead her to this time and place. Dawn believes her efforts are a labor of love and runs the rescue out of her home.
And who is River? The rescue’s namesake was Dawn’s much loved first border collie, whose image can be seen on their logo. Let’s learn more about the woman behind the rescue.
FUN FACT #1
Dawn grew up in the Los Angeles area and went to college at Sac State, majoring in Criminal Justice, a field she worked in or six or seven years. She then earned her masters and teaching credential in Special Education at Azusa Pacific University and began work in that field in Rosemead. Though she originally wanted to become a veterinarian, she has certainly found her own unique way to serve animals. She has also run a day care for over 25 years. It is a surprise that, with her wide variety of interests, Dawn describes herself as an average kid growing up who played with her dogs, rode bikes, and didn’t do much in the way of extracurricular activities. She does admit now that she wishes she had done other things in school.
FUN FACT #2
When asked about the difficulty of taking time off, Dawn admitted her most recent vacation was over three years ago when she had a ranch sitter come in and handle things. (Though she made sure the number of rescues were low at the time so it was manageable for the sitter. She even had the pups in mind while organizing a vacation.) Once in a while, she tries to grab a relaxing bubble bath or a margarita to wind down. And she appreciates the extensive help she gets from her daughter and boyfriend.
FUN FACT #3
Dawn’s day begins at 6 am when she lets the dogs out, (in rotation!), and has lots and lots of cleaning and scooping to do. Even the nightly feeding routine can take a few hours. With this kind of schedule, Dawn tries to find foster families to house the puppies that come in so more time can be spent with their socialization and early training. She couldn’t do this without the help she gets from her family and the community.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN RIVER’S RESCUE?
1. Dawn began her rescue efforts with feral cats, participating in TNR (trap, neuter, and release), which helps keep the feral population under control. She also volunteered at the local SPCA with the barn cat shelter program, where feral and semi-feral cats are provided to farms and businesses to help control rodent problems. One day, Dawn and her daughter found a littler of puppies on Craig’s List. Her daughter asked if they could take the litter, neuter them and find homes for them. And a vital rescue effort was born!
2. Dawn noticed there was a rush to adopt at the beginning of the pandemic as people found themselves at home more. There was actually a lack of dogs available for adoption at one point, though adoptions have slowed again. Sadly, many people are returning their COVID pets for various reasons, especially those who did not have the experience of owning pets before. The pandemic prevented people from attending training and obedience classes and dogs have not had the same opportunities to be socialized to other animals and people due to being locked down. It’s not a surprise so many of these pets now have behavior problems, yet it is sad the owners are giving up rather than taking the opportunities now to solve the issues.
3. Dawn prefers to remain local with potential adopters so they can visit the homes and hold out for the perfect match. When asked where she envisions herself in five years, Dawn said she sees continuing her rescue work as long as there is a need. Unfortunately, there will probably still be a need for organizations such as hers.
River’s Rescue is supported by money raised by “dump runs”. If you have things to get rid of that must go to the dump and you are unable for whatever reason to do it yourself, then give them a call at River’s Rescue to take care of that for you! It is important to make sure that when you pay someone to take things to the dump for you that the items actually get to the dump and are not left at the side of a road somewhere. River’s Rescue can take of it for you. Contact them at: riversrescueca@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.
Interested in booking a session?
YOLO Spotlight - Susan Lord Bovey!
You may have seen Susan’s photographic work being displayed around town or at the Yolo County or State Fairs. Since everyone at KLJ Studios has admired her photos, it made sense to have her come in and get to her know more about her.
Besides working with photography, Susan has also worked in real estate since 1990 and is quite active in local groups and non-profits. She grew up in Pacific Grove and used to be quite the dancer; in fact, two of her five siblings joined ballet troupes.
In high school, she was one of the artsy kids and was very shy. As her interest in photography grew, she turned to landscape and fine art photography over portraits. Susan believes this was due to her shyness because “landscapes and scenery don’t expect you to talk to them”.
Susan came to Woodland in 1989 when her husband’s job offered the choice of Dunnigan or Los Angeles and she was adamant about not going to Los Angeles to raise her daughter.
What else did we learn about this vibrant Woodland resident?
FUN FACT #1
Susan has always been interested in photography, and was nurtured in this art by her father who admired Ansel Adams and took the family on trips to the Sierras and gave everyone a camera to use. The kids took photos of nature and shared them with each other after the film was developed. Her father knew many of the Central Coast photographers and she was fortunate to have some of them as teachers. (Including Ansel Adams!)
FUN FACT #2
It’s possible the shy high school girl has become more of an extrovert because, since coming to Woodland, Susan has kept busy joining the Woodland Camera Forum (trading off President duties), showing her work at the Viewpoint Gallery in Sacramento, doing a stint on the Board of Directors of Yolo Arts, being a member of the Woodland Opera House Guild, and yet somehow she still manages to find time to take pictures! Susan has also taught some classes at the Woodland Library’s Maker Space. And she is a member of the local group of the international Photographic Society of America. (Maybe she could also teach courses on time management since she is able to get so many things accomplished?)
FUN FACT #3
Susan is a consistent 1st Place winner at the state and county fair for her photography. You can view some of her landscape and fine art pieces here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bovey/. With all she does, she is still able to wind down by watching videos of animal rescues and roller coaster rides. Susan has enough sass in her personality to do what she needs, and wants, to do and has a diverse history, such as being a bodybuilder at one time, acting in a dinner Murder Mystery at a Woodland Library fundraiser, and whatever else she has squeezed into her life. (It’s very hard to keep up with her exploits and talents.)
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN HER LIFE RIGHT NOW?
1. Five years from now she envisions being able to retire and travel to some of the countries she has yet to visit. She would like to be remembered in the community for doing a good job in all of her endeavors and hope she is known for being honest and ethical.
2. Susan remembers the days when she had her daughter and worked full time while going to college at night. She remembered those struggles as she dealt with a bout of breast cancer and realized that it was time to jump into her bucket list and not take life for granted. Which leads to #3……….
3. As a child, Susan wanted to be a vulcanologist or seismologist. While those dreams did not come true, she settled for another option-tornado chasing! Yep, for the past five years this sassy lady goes on group tours and chases tornadoes. She will fly into Oklahoma City or Denver or other place, hop into a van with up to 12 other people (though COVID19 has dictated some changes in protocols) and takes off after tornadoes during tornado season. She insists this activity is very safe, though as one who grew up in the Midwest I still prefer to hide in the cellar if a tornado comes to town.
This is one lady who attacks her bucket list with the same fervor she attacks her photography, with enthusiasm and fearlessness. In the future, try and see a showing of her work. You will never be disappointed.
Interested in booking a session?
YOLO Spotlight - John and Beverly Littau of Envision It!
John and Beverly Littau have been quite busy since they moved to Woodland! Ministering, fostering, adopting, opening a business, with that kind of schedule we are lucky they were able to take a few moments to speak to us for the YOLO Spotlight.
Envision It! Is a local engraver/signage producer/pretty much anything you need personalized type of place. While John has been doing engraving for decades, they opened the shop in Woodland in October 2019, little realizing a pandemic was right around the corner. With his expertise, John has found himself engraving a variety of items, even pumpkin pies and watermelons, though retirement and wedding gifts are some of his more typical items.
Envision It can be found tucked into a corner (Suite 102) at 825 East Street in Woodland. KLJ Studios actually first encountered John when we went there to purchase face shields to use doing photography sessions in the studio last year. Chatting with John turned out to be so much fun, and we discovered the two of them had a great story to tell, so we knew John and Beverly would make a great Spotlight.
FUN FACT #1
While John grew up in Sunnyvale and Beverly in the San Fernando Valley, they met at Vanguard University in Cost Mesa, California. It was a mutual attraction and they dated for a few years before they became engaged and then decided to get married a mere 10 weeks after getting engaged. They were able to pull off a 250 guest wedding in 10 weeks. (Let that sink in.) The two have been in ministry most of their lives. They lived in Fremont and moved to Woodland when a position opened up at a church here in 1995. He pastored at The Sanctuary for 25 years, but is gradually phasing out his role. The church has merged with an Hispanic church and now offers bilingual services.
FUN FACT #2
John and Beverly have a daughter in Texas, a son in Pennsylvania, and another son in Redding. They also have 11 grandchildren. But the big news is that they recently added to their family by fostering two young sisters, and then adopting them in June 2021. John explained they have always had an interest in fostering kids, their daughter is also a foster parent, but didn’t think they would ever adopt. But after having the two girls for several years, adopting seemed like the natural progression. They want the girls to have a stable, loving home and feel they can offer them the best.
FUN FACT #3
As every parent knows, raising children can be difficult even when things are perfect, but we all know that 2020 was far from perfect. Juggling home life, parenting, and owning a small business during a pandemic became quite the challenge for John and Beverly, as well as most parents worldwide. While they welcomed the time spent with the girls at home, the day care they used shut down and they took turns staying home and babysitting. A few times they were able to take the girls to the store and set up an area for them to play. John and Beverly also found themselves trying to get caught up on work at night after the girls were in bed.
And what’s going on at the store?
1. John also had an engraving business in the Bay area in Fremont for many years and is self taught. He has good artistic instincts and obviously is quite creative (who else can engrave fruit?). He can also create signs and help with wood and glass items. COVID19 certainly changed the business without retirement parties or large weddings requiring personalized gifts.
2. However, when, in May 2020, a customer asked if he worked with acrylic, a new phase of business was born. Envision It made it through the past year by making many of the acrylic shields businesses use to separate employees from customers, helping them to follow COVID guidelines and allowing the businesses to remain open throughout the pandemic. John has been busy making acrylic shields for desks, countertops, whatever was needed for businesses all the way from Orange County to Redding. And, as mentioned before, he was also a source for face shields, useful for those businesses who work more closely with their customers.
3. For a couple who have taken on a small business, two young girls, and still keep up with some ministering, John and Beverly have been able to keep active, stay positive, and get creative to keep their business alive during a rough year.
When asked what they do to wind down, they laughed. “Wind down with kids?” was the response. And, yeah, we’ve all been there.
Interested in a Portrait Session?
YOLO Spotlight - Jia-Min Rosendale of 88 Keys Academy!
If you have noticed changes at Main Street Music at 527 Main Street in downtown Woodland, it’s because it has changed! Jia-Min Rosendale, a licensed Kindermusik educator and long time piano instructor in the Woodland community, took over the space on Main Street last year and has kept it going throughout the pandemic.
Originally from Ceres, California, Jia-Min attended UCDavis, majoring in psychology with a minor in human development. She ended up marrying a local and had five kids pretty quickly. Jia-Min has played the piano since she was eight years old, took a music hiatus during college, then began again by playing for the Davis Musical Theater Company when her oldest started in theater.
While starting a business during the pandemic year has not been easy, a combination of zoom and in person classes has helped at making it a success. Jia-Min says that for some kids, music lessons became the only outside activity they had last year. A strict COVID safety protocol kept everyone safe and it is refreshing that beautiful music was able to be made when we all needed some joy in our lives. Jia-Min has additional instructors that teach other instruments such as percussion, flute, clarinet, guitar, and many others.
FUN FACT #1
Jia-Min’s first gig at DMTC was with director Jason Hammond in a production of Hairspray, and she ended up following him to the Woodland Opera House, becoming a fixture at WOH and eventually also moving to Woodland. She will soon be in charge of the elementary and music band program at Woodland Christian School. She strongly believes that, rather than creating pianists, she is helping create the musicians of the future. It has been shown that reading music can help students with school by using the parts of the brain involved in languages and math skills, and can also teach perseverance and self-discipline. Playing an instrument can be therapeutic for some, aiding in needed therapy for hands and the brain. All of her teachers are highly qualified, musically educated, working professionals.
FUN FACT #2
Jia-Min is a recovering over-commiter and has learned to let go and choose what is best for her family and herself. Her response to being raised by very strict parents was to take control of everything she could. As she learned by trying different things and making mistakes along the way, she also realized that maintaining a balance became more and more important to her. COVID19 helped reset her priorities, as did her children getting older. All of her kids are still at home (ages 11 through 20) and as the management aspect of her business is becoming bigger, the chauffeuring and home management has not decreased.
FUN FACT #3
While Jia-Min says her household is very chill, she still has the need to hide out in the bathroom once in a while to get away from it all. Because she home schooled for a long time, her kids are already pretty good about boundaries and she can be honest with them about her needs and they are great at cooperating. She feels her family is a solid team and the children are pleasantly helpful. She loves taking vacations with the family and finds real joy in all of them just hanging out and doing simple things.
WHAT IS GOING ON AT 88 KEYS ACADEMY?
1. COVID19 has changed how you teach. The student/teacher relationship is even more important now. Your student may not have been seeing many other people this past year and she changed her teaching style to include just chatting for the first few minutes of each lesson to check in and help each of them remember how to interact with others and make sure all are coping well. Jia-Min is excited that 88 Keys Academy will be one year old this July. And, just a news flash, the old piano will be appearing outside the business once again on June 15th!
2. Jia-Min envisions that five years from now she will still have love and heart for the arts and will be bringing the beauty that is music to people’s lives, especially children. Music was always an outlet for her and she believes it is for kids today as well. Her band teacher was almost a second father to her and taught her about teamwork and social skills, concepts that never go out of style. The pandemic has taught her to appreciate the fluidity of life.
3. For the curious, Kindermusik is a method of early childhood education for music and movement and is widely recognized internationally. The classes involve singing, games, movement to music and listening activities from birth through seven years.
In the future? Jia-Min would love to be the music hub of Woodland. She sees inviting local artists to have rehearsals and recitals in her space, host dinners and buskers in front of the school, offer workshops, and so much more. And yes, all of this would be a very cool addition to downtown Main Street, right?
Interested in a Session?
YOLO Spotlight - Tania Garcia Cadena of Woodland Food Closet
Though it is difficult for Tania to have an opportunity to find a few free minutes (let alone an hour or two!), KLJ Studios is happy we were able to get Tania into the studio for some pampering and photos. We knew Tania is involved in so many great causes, and it is exhausting to consider all she accomplishes in a single day, but she also seems to be uber-organized and efficient and handles it all with ease and serenity.
Tania grew up in Woodland and was the kid who was a leader and a giver, even back then. She was student council leader and volunteered so much as a teen that she earned the Soroptomist Service Award in high school. Maybe that was a hint of the future because she has been a member of Soroptomist for over 20 years. Soroptomist is an international volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. The organization was formed in 1921 in Oakland, CA when women were not allowed to join service organizations. Tania has also volunteered at a nursing home and says her main focus has always been on children and women’s issues.
Tania is also the Executive Director of the Woodland Food Closet (not to be confused with the Yolo Food Bank). The Food Closet can provide those in need with three days of food and has been especially crucial this past year during the pandemic. The Food Closet can be used for those in emergency situations or who just have circumstances where they need assistance. When it was hard to find volunteers last year because many of the older volunteers were in the higher risk group for COVID19, volunteers from Yocha Dehe stepped in to fill the gaps. The pandemic created several changes in the Food Closet, including their commitment to making sure everyone who needs food can get it, even if it needs to be delivered.
FUN FACT #1:
Tania has been married for 28 years (they have been together for 34 years) and enjoys her three children, two girls and one boy. She is also the oldest of 32 siblings and cousins, among which are her own brother and sister. One of the things she has always liked to do to relax is to go to her kids’ sporting events when they are active in sports.
FUN FACT #2:
Other activities that Tania loves during any down time is reading, camping, kayaking, visiting local wineries and attending concerts when the band Grooveline performs. Possibly she enjoys the concerts so much because her husband Ray Cardena is a member, but they are a really good band so it’s possible Tania may have ended up being a groupie either way.
FUN FACT #3:
When asked what was the scariest thing she has ever done, she mentioned a zip line in Puerto Vallarta, but said she actually found it exhilarating. A close second place was speaking at the League of Women Voters public forum when she was running for City Council.
WHAT PATHS DID TANIA FOLLOW TO GET WHERE SHE IS TODAY?
1. At age two, Tania decided she wanted to be a preschool teacher. But when she visited a preschool, she thought it was an awful experience and remembers a teacher being mean to the kids. This almost caused her to change her mind, but her mother told her that she needed to become a preschool teacher and change things the way she thought they should be. She followed that advice and went on to work with kids for 30 years, including running her own preschool.
2. Tania has served on several local commissions, including the child care and parks and recreation commissions. She ran for City Council a few years ago because she felt she could also serve the community in that way, but then ended up becoming a Council member by volunteering to fill an opening when another member departed.
3. And how does this dynamo spend her days? Mornings you will find her, now working from home, performing her duties for the Food Closet by answering emails, making phone calls, and all the other expected Executive Director duties. After noon, she switches into City Council mode, then the usual family and home tasks such as chauffering, cleaning, and all that fun stuff. Evenings are dedicated to Soroptomist and City Council meetings. Oh, and she also works part time at Haven, the boutique on 1st Street in downtown Woodland, “just for fun”. Talk about exhausting!
When asked how she envisions her life five years from now, Tania said she still wants to be serving the community of Woodland by helping bring business into town and doing what is needed for the community to thrive. She would like to be known as a person that helps others and becoming a resource for others to reach their goals. We think she has achieved that many times over, but we don’t think she will stop putting everything she has into doing everything she can. That’s just who she is.
Interested in Booking A Session?
Milestone portraits with Carrie and Martinique
Who knew April 14th would turn out to be so much fun! That was the day we welcomed Martinique and her daughter, Carrie, to the studio for a milestone portrait session. Our boutique photography studio is located at 424 1st Street in downtown Woodland, CA. Kelly was the photographer, Beckie was the photography assistant, and the makeup was done by KLJ Beauty artist, Lucy.
We met Martinique before when she came in for portraits for herself and we were impressed with her ability to appear so natural in front of the camera. Then she brought in daughter, Carrie, and we were doubly WOW’ed! Carrie is beautiful, tall, and someone we would love to have back anytime.
We loved every single one of Carrie’s outfits, but then she came out in her steampunk look, and we all said, “Winner!”. Don’t you love days like that when everything falls into place?
And on top of that, we also snuck Martinique into some mother-daughter shots so our day was made.
We would love to see you lovely ladies back any time. Please!
Thank you so much for being part of our KLJ Studios family. It is always a pleasure to see you.
~Kelly
YOLO Spotlight - Lacey Passantino of The Home Improvements Group!
You may know Lacey from when she was the owner of the very popular Well Stocked Home on 1st Street in downtown Woodland. After Lacey sold the business, she gravitated down the street to work with Chris Dreith at The Home Improvements Group, currently found on the bottom floor of the Woodland Hotel. The Group will soon be moving to a newly rehabilitated building on the corner of Main and 2nd Streets, right across from the Woodland Opera House. The new location will have a fully equipped kitchen with the ability to demonstrate appliances and equipment.
The Home Improvements Group specializes in award winning bath and kitchen remodels and business has been booming with people turning to sprucing up their homes during the pandemic. (Spending more time at home allows more time to see what needs to be fixed up!) As Chris begins to slightly (maybe) begin to retire, Lacey is slowly taking the reins. Chris and Lacey knew each other before and Chris knew that she had to have Lacey and her impeccable taste come to work with her when Lacey was no longer at Well Stocked Home.
FUN FACT #1
Lacey likes to stay busy and is the leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop as well as being her son’s team mom for his baseball team. She also squeezes in time on the PTA. Work is almost like a second home to all of them and the kids even have a special room set up for them at the business so they have a place to hang out when they are there. Everyone at The Group is like family.
FUN FACT #2
Lacey is originally from British Columbia, Canada and found herself in northern California because her mom’s family lives in Carmichael. She has always enjoyed participating in Woodland events and loves being a member of the community. She has been with The Group since 2017 and, though we still miss her on 1st Street, she loves what she does now.
FUN FACT #3
Lacey feels that all of her life experiences came together and this is the perfect career for her. Combine her natural talent and eye for design with over 15 years experience in retail housewares and you have a winning combination. She particularly loves fixer uppers because they require lots of love and Lacey believes that you must honor the age of home when you make design choices during rehab.
WHAT ABOUT HER WORK AT THE HOME IMPROVEMENTS GROUP?
1. Lacey feels it is an honor to be mentored by Chris and also to be trusted by Chris to eventually take over. Chris is well known nationally in design circles and when they attend trade shows it is impossible to find anyone who doesn’t know Chris. These are big shoes to fill in the future, but remembering the impeccable curating done by Lacey at Well Stocked Home, The Home Improvements Group is going to be in talented and capable hands.
2. Lacey believes they have the best customers. From design to overseeing the remodel, clients are trusting her with their personal decisions and how they will essentially live their life once their home is complete. She firmly feels every choice she makes must reflect the essence of the client, who they are and what they want. After all, you want them to feel at home in their home!
3. Having spent the last few years overseeing and managing projects, Lacey knows the key to a successful remodel is a well thought out process and she knows The Group has a great process in place. Since she enjoys working with the clients, she makes it a point to keep them in the loop to avoid misunderstandings and unhappy homeowners. It is important to Lacey that the clients know they can trust her and she is working hard to make sure they get the dream home they want.
It will be fun to see the new location. (Hope there’s an open house!) And we all know that one day it will be Lacey that gets stopped by people wanting to chat at the trade shows. Just give her a year or two!
Interested in a Session?
Loving a Baby Girl Newborn Session
April 12th we welcomed back Kelly, Chris, and new big brother, Jaxon, to photograph Jaxon’s new baby sister. The session was held at our boutique photography studio, KLJ Studios, at 424 1st Street in downtown Woodland, CA. The photographer was Kelly and Aimee was the photography assistant throughout the session. Veronica Gersalia Makeup Artistry was responsible for the makeup today.
It was an absolute pleasure to see this family again! We first met Kelly four years ago when she came by for head shots and then we met Jaxon for his newborn photos. It is always fun, and sometimes quite emotional, to see how the little ones grow and change in such a short time.
Maybe because the session wasn’t as focused on him, Jaxon was more interested in playing ball with Kelly than in posing with his sibling. (Who can blame him? Playing ball is ever so much more fun!) We used some of our photographer’s tricks to get his cooperation and then he was able to go home early and play while we finished up with baby girl.
The baby wasn’t sure who she was dealing with at first, but Kelly’s expert wrapping skills soon won her over and she settled in nicely for each pose. Kelly is pretty sure she will soon have big bro wrapped around her tiny finger.
Thank you all so much for choosing KLJ Studios for these precious newborn moments. We love having you as part of our family!
~Kelly
YOLO Spotlight - Chris Dreith of Home Improvements Group!
Home Improvements Group has occupied the bottom corner of the Woodland Hotel for many years. Specializing in bathrooms and kitchens, the team handles everything from conceptualizing your ideas to handing your keys back when the project is done. They are particular about their subcontractors, ensuring they are completely professional and maintain the highest quality construction work.
The Group has been headed by Chris Dreith since 1994, but Chris is gradually stepping back and handing the reins over to Lacey Passantino. (Hearing Chris talk about her love of what she does, though, it is hard to believe she will step away completely.) Chris knew Lacey and has always loved her taste. She is pleased to have mentored her and excited that the change in leadership is also coming with a change in venue as the physical space of the Group is moving to 702 Main Street soon.
FUN FACT #1
Chris went to art school and gravitated to several different colleges over the years, ending up in Portland at an architecture school. Her brother-in-law lived in Davis and liked it so much she came down to northern California, eventually obtaining a higher degree in architecture at Berkeley. Born in Nebraska, then growing up in Colorado, she went to work for a ski shop, ended up designing more shops for the owners, eventually buying some of the shops. Chris then realized she preferred the building designing over the retail aspect of business ownership.
FUN FACT #2
In high school, Chris dabbled in cartooning. Maybe this is what led to her love of writing mystery stories. She began publishing some of her work last year. (Seems everyone discovered new talents during pandemic shutdown!) She enjoys building the characters and likens it to how she must focus on clients and figure out what they need and want. Chris is a proud member of Sisters in Crime, an organization of authors, publishers, readers, and booksellers that supports women who write mysteries. She recently helped organize a major mystery conference that was made more challenging because it had to turn into a virtual event.
FUN FACT #3
Chris is a dog lover, a travel lover, and has a wicked sense of humor. There are a couple of signs in the shop that proves the humor. One of the signs has an image of a beautiful horse, but as you get to the back end, the horse becomes a crude stick figure. While Chris couldn’t remember the actual wording on the sign, the gist of it was “when your client starts wanting cut corners in the middle of the project”. She loves attending community events in Woodland and sampling the local “products” at local wineries and breweries.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE BATH AND KITCHEN REMODEL BUSINESS?
1. The new showroom being built at 702 Main Street in downtown Woodland will have a working kitchen so they will be able to demonstrate appliances and incorporate cooking skills. Outdoor kitchens have been big the past year as people found themselves spending more time at than usual. Though they specialize in bathrooms and kitchens, the Group can also help you remodel the rest of your home if you ask real nice.
2. Chris’s first job in Woodland was organizing the Farmer’s Market. In doing this, she met many people she calls “downtowners”, people who invest in or otherwise commit to helping Woodland’s downtown. Two of those downtowners was Gary Wirth, an architect, and Market board member Carl Fischer, designer. Both encouraged and mentored Chris. Chris eventually worked for Carl for eight years, and when he closed his business, she opened Home Improvements Group.
3. While Chris modestly talked about her involvement with national bath and kitchen remodeling groups, we heard a rumor that she has been very active with them and is highly respected in the field. She is a certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer and has also judged some of their local and national contests. She is a charter member of the SEN Design Group, the first national buying/marketing group in the kitchen and bath industry, where she acts as an Advisory Council Member and a mentor for many kitchen and bath dealers throughout the country. Chris enjoys how the members of these groups network and support each other.
Chris wants to be known as someone who is changing people’s lives for the better. She strives to help you decide what home would suit you best and allow you to feel your best in the place you spend most of your life. Being in a pandemic has proven her right, as people realize that their home is their safe space and should reflect the colors and style that allows them to be themselves.
If you would like to learn more, you can find it here: https://www.homeimprovementsgroup.com/. After meeting Chris, we immediately began thinking about what we could do in our own home and realized with glee that the possibilities are endless. And fun!
Interested in a Session?
YOLO Spotlight - Sarah Larkin of Sarah Larkin Floral Design and Life Coaching with Sarah Larkin!
This week our spotlight focuses on Sarah Larkin, known in Yolo County for her beautiful, innovative floral designs. But there is much more to know about Sarah and how she has spent the last year during the pandemic.
When the pandemic hit, Sarah was worried because much of her floral design clientele centered around weddings and other large events, which were suddenly shut down overnight. She decided to switch gears and began making smaller bouquets that people could to send to their friends as a little reminder that they were in people’s thoughts. With this less hectic schedule, Sarah was also able to personally deliver each bouquet and was able to experience the delight of those who received them. It was a helpful way to cheer individuals up during those early days of COVID19 when the world did not know what we were dealing with yet. Sarah acknowledges it was a “back to basics” move that allowed her to see the joy in a small, but significant, gesture. With a slower pace and less stress, she realized she was finally building the business she wanted. In the future, she would love to automate the process more to have time to teach others.
FUN FACT #1
During the past year, Sarah had time to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up and landed on being a life coach. It was a circular route for her to get there, she was a shy, insecure high-schooler, feeling she had to be “small, quiet, and unattractive”. After growing up in southern California, she came up north to attend UC Davis to obtain a degree in human development (hence the life coaching connection!). The last year has been a year of discovery for her, with thinking about who she wants to be and evaluating everything and deciding to go all in for life. She spent many years surviving and feels she is now starting to thrive. She spent a year earning her life coaching certification and looks forward to helping others find out what makes them shine and celebrating that knowledge with them.
FUN FACT #2
Sarah met her ex-wife at UC Davis and because they both live in Woodland they are able to co-parent their son. With a gay father, Sarah took the initiative to join Colage. Colage is a national organization that provides support to those with an LGBTQ caregiver, introducing them to peers and assisting them to become skilled, self-confident, and leaders in their own communities. Before she joined Colage, she did not know that other kids had parents in the LGBTQ community. She is grateful for the connections made since she met her best friend there.
FUN FACT #3
Sarah is a member of the Unitarian Church in Davis and says they have allowed her the opportunity to grow. She has also found the life coaching community a tight knit group, and even virtually, comes together to help each other. Unable to meet and provide coaching in person during the last year, the support from these groups has helped her enormously.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN FLORAL DESIGN AND LIFE COACHING?
1. Sarah passion is to work with women. She feels they have a unique set of challenges. Because of her own life journey, she believes she can provide special insight to assist them. Sarah now realizes she has to approach life differently and actively decided to start believing in herself, reaching for her dreams, and never settle for less.
2. Sarah is finding it hard to narrow her life coaching focus. A well-balanced life involves everything about you and your life so how can she narrow it down and leave something out when she works with you? She knows that thoughts you have lead to feelings which then makes you do, or not do, things that determine the results you get. Finding a niche instead of merely covering it all is impossible!
3. In all of her fields of endeavor, Sarah wants to be known as being authentic and having integrity. Her one biggest bit of advice is to always have your own back. (We can vouch that this is one aspect of life people have trouble remembering!) She finds one way to accomplish this personally is to schedule smart so as to not let herself, and others, down because she can’t do it all or ends up forgetting obligations.
Very far in the future, Sarah might like to travel and get a job refurbishing houses all over the world for AirBnB. She refurbished houses with her dad, an architect, when she was younger. And she is not adverse to having a future as an author!
You can check out Sarah’s floral design business (https://sarahlarkindesign.com/) or life coaching expertise (https://coachingwithsarahlarkin.com/) and you can find links to her podcast or sign up for her newsletter.
A multi-tasking small business woman, woo hoo! We hit the trifecta!
Interested in Session?
YOLO Spotlight - Tessa Smith of Yolo County Health and Human Services (HHSA)
Tessa is one busy woman with her job at Yolo County HHSA as an outreach specialist in the mental heath unit, chair of the District Attorney’s Multi-Cultural Community Council, being part of Resilient Yolo, and being an on-going advocate and tireless worker for youth.
The Multi-Cultural Community Council is made up of Yolo County residents that act as an advisory committee to the District Attorney. Their mission is to “seek fair and equal justice, facilitate understanding, ensure open communication, and promote community participation, education and diversity within the criminal justice system”.
Resilient Yolo is a cooperative venture of many local non-profits and county organizations such as HHSA, Yolo Conflict Resolution Center, Empower Yolo, and CASA as well as local youth and families. Their mission is to work together to create a community which is resilient enough to allow everyone to thrive. They also put on the Youth Empowerment Summit every year.
And this is on top of her career with Yolo County and being a suicide prevention trainer and her work in racial equity.
Whew!! As we said, Tessa is quite busy.
FUN FACT #1
Tessa is actually Terresa, but there was another Theresa Smith working for the county so she opted to become Tessa to avoid confusion. She was a military “brat” growing up so she says she is from all over, but at the age of 16 Tessa’s family settled down in Shreveport, Louisiana. Twenty years ago she moved to Sacramento, then ended up in Woodland ten years later. The biggest driving force for her move to Sacramento was access to Alta Regional Center for her son who is on the autism spectrum. Tessa is proud of her son and how well he is doing, receiving AA degrees from Woodland Community College and Sac City College. He is currently working for Amazon.
FUN FACT #2
Tessa is also raising her two granddaughters and says that seeing how the schools work with our young people has been an evolution for her. The more she advocated for her grandkids, the more other people began asking her for help to do the same, cementing her interest is assisting youth and allowing her to focus her efforts. In fact, Tessa loves what she does so much she thinks that even if she had a “bunch of money” she would still do what she’s doing. She believes she received a message that everything she has been through and accomplished in her life was so that she can do what she does now to help people.
FUN FACT #3
Tessa believes that one of the reasons she is so successful at what she does is that she is the same with everyone. She regularly engages with the County Board of Supervisors, the District Attorney, city mayors, citizens, migrant camp habitants- a whole range of people from all walks of life. Knowing the lingo of the mental health and criminal justice systems allows her to get to the point and learn the truth about whatever issue she is digging deep on.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOLO COUNTY?
1. Of course, pre-COVID, Tessa found her work, though never easy, was easier to do. Post-COVID, she finds everything is trickier and there is a need to be more creative. As she says, “It is hard to outreach if you can’t reach out”. She has learned the ins and outs of Zoom so she can still hold her suicide prevention trainings online. Before, her work helped inform her how to parent her own kids and when to give herself grace. It is more of a struggle to share coping strategies with parents, but that work is even more important now with the isolation and various struggles for parents and youth brought on by the pandemic.
2. Tessa is optimistic about the changes she sees in Yolo County for child welfare and racial equity, though much more still needs to be done. Many children are being placed outside of the county, making it harder for chances for parent-child reunification. More than half of the children in the foster care system are children of color and more resources are needed. Foster families are always sorely needed.
3. Tessa would eventually appreciate the opportunity to provide input to these issues on a national level and the trend is in that direction. The travel when she was young, personal experience raising children with unique challenges, and her efforts locally working for youth who need that little extra support would make Tessa a powerful advocate for youth nationwide.
And yet with all the important work she has done, and will do in the future, when asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Tessa let us know that she wants to enter (and win!) the famous Best of the West Rib Cookoff in Sparks, Nevada some day. We offered our rib taste testing skills, but we never actually heard Tessa say she would take us up on the offer. That’s okay, we leave the offer on the table just in case!
YOLO Spotlight - Lori Ross, CASA Volunteer!
Our theme for April is foster kids and foster families and those who help them. This meshes with our annual Fantasy Fairies event held every spring at KLJ Studios that helps raise money for a great nonprofit that assists the foster care community.
Lori Ross is a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA. CASA’s take an intensive training course, participate in court observations, and undergo other training and supervision before obtaining the important job of getting to know and advocate for a foster child.
Lori has been the CASA for one special girl for 11 years. She says the girl has been through so much in her short life and Lori won’t “quit” her, ever. Lori refers to the (now) young lady as her god-daughter. Lori believes she is extremely lucky that this young lady came into her life and stayed; we feel the young lady is also lucky to have such a fierce advocate as Lori in her corner.
FUN FACT #1
Lori grew up in Woodland and went to Sac State to obtain a degree in liberal studies, emphasizing teaching early childhood education. She spent a year in France as an au pair, eventually having a son with special needs and returning to the U.S. She was very competitive in school with talents in cheerleading and gymnastics, being in competitions and then coaching.
FUN FACT #2
Lori has a casual style in dress and personality and that explains why her favorite place to be is at the beach. In fact, every year for the last 40 years, her large extended family has gathered at Dillon Beach, having a huge family blow-out. She loves rap music from the ‘80’s, thrift store shopping, and was the kid in high school that was friends with everyone.
FUN FACT #3
Lori has three dogs, two boxers and an adorable mutt. She bought a camper trailer to go camping with the dogs. She can see herself eventually retiring to travel around in the camper, with the pups, of course. Her family and religion are most important to her in life and the solid upbringing she had with her family and church gave her the desire and ability to give back to the community.
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT LORI?
1. Lori is also the Community Engagement Director at the United Way in Yolo County with the office located in Woodland. She says it is her dream job and she enjoys the opportunity of building relationships in the community as well as the social aspect and diversity of what she does.
2. After college, she worked at the YMCA and absolutely loved that job. It was so fulfilling that she still loves the YMCA to this day.
3. In her spare time (Say what? When does she have spare time?), Lori is involved with Rotary and coaches for the Special Olympics. But when she was young her goal was to be Julie McCoy on the Love Boat. And considering her social skills and organizational instincts, we think she would have made a great Julie McCoy, Cruise Director.
When Lori finally decides to retire she would love to get a United States map and fill it in every time she visits a new state. She has ten states under her belt already, so she is off to a good start.
Folks like Lori that can dedicate so much of their time and emotions to help the quality of life of even one foster child are tremendous assets to our community. We are pleased to have spent some time with her and wish her well in the future when she takes on her dream of travelling the country and filling in her map.
Interested in a Session?
YOLO Spotlight – Tracy Fauver of CASA!
Welcome back to YOLO Spotlight! For April, KLJ Studios will be spotlighting those working with foster
kids or foster families. One, we think they deserve to be recognized for the important work they do and
two, our Fairy Fantasy event which happens this time every year, raises funds for a foster family
nonprofit. Win-win!
We begin our journey with Tracy Fauver. Tracy is the Executive Director of the Court Appointed Special
Advocate (CASA) program for Yolo County. CASA’s are specially trained volunteers that provide a
consistent and stable relationship for foster children. The volunteers build relationships with their
“CASA” kids, spending time with them and gathering facts about their situation so they can best
advocate for them. Many times, volunteers will stay in the child’s life for many years and are there for
milestone events and even simple trips to the zoo.
Tracy grew up in Ohio and spent time in high school and college studying in Europe. She came to
California in 2000 and landed in Yolo County in 2003. She received a masters degree in social work and
worked at a shelter and in schools. She found it was difficult at times to help at risk kids and it
sometimes haunted her. She loved her work at Davis Community Meals as a case manager and also
volunteered as a CASA for three years before being appointed to lead the local CASA organization.
FUN FACT #1
Her mother recently sent photos of Tracy taken throughout her life and this small act has sent Tracy on a
journey to embrace her own self-worth and incorporate more of herself into her house and her life.
Between the photos coming into her life again and the pandemic, she began making more of an effort
this past year reaching out to people and spending time with friends and others she cares about.
FUN FACT #2
She appreciates meeting challenges to always do better, but admits at times it can be overwhelming.
Volunteers must be recruited, trained and supervised, not to mention the administrative duties and
fundraising efforts Tracy oversees. She began at CASA ten years ago and for a time was the only
employee and CASA now thrives with over a hundred volunteers and a staff of eight, up to 200 youth per
year. Yet the need for CASAs is as desperate as ever with so many children in the foster care system.
FUN FACT #3
She learned about self-care from her social work days and knows how to leave the stress at the door
when she goes home. The compassion and connections needed for this job is actually who Tracy is as a
person, she doesn’t need to “change hats” when she walks into work every day. Tracy has a motorcycle
(an Indian Scout) that she loves to ride for the freedom, fun, and independence it brings to her. “Riding
feels like flying”, she says. (Of course, she didn’t bring the Indian Scout to the shoot so others could enjoy
that flying feeling.) She likes being what people don’t expect her to be. When asked what she wants to
be when she grows up, she talked about maybe buying a couple of acres and living on a farm with some
awesome chickens. Maybe building a house with a log cabin home kit. (Full disclosure: we have often
talked about doing the log cabin home kit thing, they are pretty cool.)
WHAT’S GOING ON AT CASA?
CASA has continued their mission to advocate for children during the pandemic though
obviously there have been changes in how they can carry out their mission. There has been
more virtual training and in person classes are on hold for now. The CASA’s have tried to perform
their job while using Zoom, though it is harder to make a connection virtually. It is much more
difficult to gauge emotions and it can be impossible to judge whether the child has privacy since
you can’t always see who else is in the room.
2. The quality of the volunteer advocates is crucial, but so is the quantity needed. Those who
attend the training, court observations, and other requirements and are promoted to a full
fledge CASA volunteer must commit 18 months to their assigned foster youth, though many
continue long past that basic commitment. Tracy finds there is no typical volunteer, though they
are always in need for more men and people of color to advocate and act as role models for the
kids. The need for more CASA volunteers is a problem nationwide.
3. If you have ever been to the CASA office in downtown Woodland, you have seen their unique,
and poignant, display in the conference room. Every foster child in the county is represented by
a cutout of a caterpillar. When the child receives a CASA, the caterpillar is removed and replaced
with a beautiful butterfly. Knowing the story, you feel joy when you walk in the room see all of
the butterflies displayed from above. But you soon realize how many caterpillars are still hanging
from the ceiling and there is also a feeling of sadness at how many foster children there are in
Yolo County and how many do not have the advocacy they need and deserve.
On a lighter note, many may not know that Tracy is also the proud grandmother of Mochi, the famous
bearded dragon of TikTok fame. Mochi visited our studio recently and spoke very highly of Nana Tracy.
If you would like to learn about the CASA program, or wish to look into volunteering, you can find out
more here: https://www.yolocasa.org/.
Interested in a portrait session?
YOLO Spotlight - Staci Johnson of Sunflower Gift Company (formerly Foster and Create)!
Welcome back to Yolo Spotlight! Continuing our focus on women business owners to celebrate Women’s History Month.
If you have ever needed a personalized gift you may have gone to Staci Johnson of Foster and Create. Staci specializes in just about everything you would need for a unique gift. Tumblers? Check. T-shirts? Check. Coasters, towels, blankets? Check, check, check!
Having operated under the name Foster and Create, Staci is in the process of rebranding to Sunflower Gift Company on Etsy because of her love of sunflowers and summer. She has built up a huge following and says she loves receiving the most unusual presents like a heat press and, soon, a laser, that will help her create even more magical items.
Staci started her thriving business by making the family matching T-shirts for a Disneyland vacation. Then she got the heat press as a gift and she was off and running. She almost closed up shop last year because between the pandemic, a death in the family and her husband being away quite a bit life got a little complicated, but in September she found a renewed passion for her work and began the rebuilding and rebranding process.
FUN FACT #1:
Staci is originally from Wichita, KS and stayed busy with the drill team, ROTC, and dancing. She was a social butterfly, but also a bit of an introvert. She always knew she wanted to go back east to college and graduated with a degree in Business Administration and accounting, giving her a leg up in knowing the ins and outs of owning a small business. The family is considering retiring to Wichita at some point in the future so the girls can know all of their cousins and other family.
FUN FACT #2:
Speaking of the girls, Staci has two lovely daughters, plus two Great Danes, and one cute mutt, as well as a husband in the military. After she gets all of them taken care of in the morning, she settles in to make calls, answer emails, take meetings, work on designs and ship orders. (Just a few things!) Good thing Staci enjoys a challenge and loves staying busy.
FUN FACT #3:
When she does have some down time, Staci likes to read fantasy books and also enjoys the classics. She has fun with video games, especially Final Fantasy. Staci loves that she has formed a large tightknit online community from the game. They have fun and support each other. The family connects over movies that they can enjoy together. In five years, Staci would love to see her business earning six figures and make it a real family business when her husband retires. Then she would love to travel all over the world and see all the places her husband has been during his deployments.
WHAT ARE SOME COOL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SUNFLOWER GIFT COMPANY?
1. Many small businesses survive because of the education/experiences of the owner. Besides her college degree, Staci has been a foster mom, firefighter, hotel front desk assistant, and worked at Boeing as a financial analyst. Her mother pointed out that, while she majored and worked in very analytical fields, she has a major creative streak. Staci took that observation to heart and embraced her creative side.
2. Getting a laser will greatly open up the gifts she can make so she expand her inventory of items to sell. She loves making the tumblers, but they can be time consuming. One tumbler can take up to a week because there are many layers involved in each one and each layer has to cure before the next one can be applied.
3. Staci would love to be known as someone who helps you celebrate your big moments with fun, personalized gifts. She enjoys customizing items for people to help them remember their milestone events like weddings, anniversaries, and births. One of her new items are milestone blankets for babies. What a great thing to celebrate! She loves being able to be a small part of such happy occasions.
You can find Staci’s fun items for sale on Etsy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Sunflowergiftcompany.
Staci is excited about a new year and a new brand name. She hopes to be debuting a new website soon that represents her and her wares much better. She loves to bounce ideas around with other people, so if you have been thinking about sending someone a personalized gift, let her know. She is happy to add something new to her repertoire!
Interested in a portrait session?
YOLO Spotlight - Erin Morris of Zest West!
It’s Thursday so it’s YOLO Spotlight time! We continue to celebrate Women’s History Month and present another woman small business owner in Woodland. This week we are pleased to highlight Erin Morris, owner of Zest West and Woodland native.
Erin is a savvy businesswoman, but also easy to talk to and fun to hang out with. We were lucky to catch up with her because free time is rare for her and she is always juggling several things at one time.
Erin grew up in Woodland and graduated from Woodland High School. In high school she hung out with the “art” crowd and felt comfortable with them even though she claimed she isn’t an artist. (We disagree, because if you have seen any of her cakes there is definitely an artistic bent needed to produce those works of art.) She baked for fun growing up and attended college in Santa Cruz, thinking she would become a teacher. After college, she attended The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, CA and went to work as an assistant pastry chef at a private beach club in Rhode Island. Her husband, Cory, is a Rhode Islander.
While at culinary school Erin met her “culinary soulmate”, Gabriella. After knowing each other for two weeks they knew they wanted to work together to pursue their dream of opening a bakery. They opened Zest in Connecticut in 2012 and joined their vision of using fresh and seasonal flavors in pastries. When Erin returned home a few years ago, she opened Zest West, and the rest is history!
Zest West had not even been opened a year before the pandemic hit. The bakery did not suffer as big a change as many businesses because they were able to stay open and are not dependent on indoor dining. People couldn’t celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other events with parties so Erin focused more on cakes, allowing people to commemorate their milestones with a great cake. Zest has been happy to celebrate the special event weeks with other downtown restaurants and had fun developing special pastries to fit the various themes. (We learned that something called “grey stuff” really exists and is delicious.) As the weather turns warmer, Erin looks forward to getting back to offering salads and light sandwiches and encouraging the use of her back patio for cake tastings and small meetings.
FUN FACT #1:
Erin loves being part of people’s special moments by making the perfect cake (or other items) to celebrate. Everyone at Zest West enjoys what they do. Most of them are from Woodland and are invested in the community. Being part of the community is a major bonus for Erin and she has donated her talents to non-profits to help those organizations that need it.
FUN FACT #2:
Owning a business is a 24/7 gig, right? So what does Erin do to keep her sanity? We asked about free time and she replied, “What’s that?”. Her special pleasure is time to hang out with friends and talk about anything but work. And she just signed up for TikTok so she can watch stupid videos and turn off her brain. If there is any time left over for a family vacation they go to Hawaii or the East Coast. The kids are easy going and are happy to go anywhere.
FUN FACT #3:
There is no such thing as a day off when you are a business owner. Erin gets up early to respond to phone messages and emails, gets the kids ready for school, manages paperwork, errands, and usually works at Zest from 9 am on. Saturday means 4 am to 5 pm and Erin can be found there when the bakery is closed to catch up on things that need her attention. Her saving grace is that husband, Cory, does more than his share.
WHAT’S GOING ON AT ZEST WEST?
1. Erin noted that there are now three bakeries on Main Street in the downtown Woodland area. She feels, however, that they are all different and offer different things. Zest West takes pride in sourcing most of their ingredients locally. They work with small farms and try to stay seasonal, meaning offerings can change over the year. Erin feels it is vital to support other small businesses and feels that not only is this one way to accomplish this, but it enhances the taste of her pastries.
2. They have survived the past year and are still here! Erin feels tired much more than before because COVID19 has added a whole new layer of thing to consider and manage. She is fortunate that her crew has willingly followed the guidelines and understand the importance of safety measures, but, like everyone, is more than ready to see the end of the pandemic.
3. Erin anticipates continuing her participation in Woodland’s Farmer’s Market this year. It is where she got her start in Woodland by letting people know Zest West and what pastry goodness they have to offer. And she also looks forward to being able to expand the use of her back patio, which is nicely set up and provides a pleasurable outdoor experience.
It is always great to see a hometown girl make good, especially when it involves great, yummy food. We have personally deliberately forgotten to eat breakfast before an early morning shoot just to be able to run over to Zest West and grab one of the breakfast sandwiches. Or not being able to distinguish whether their brownie is a brownie or actually fudge, which is, of course, a really bad problem to have. (ha!) Or have our noses pressed to the window of Zest to see if they made any of their chocolate mousse bombs, which really are THE bomb. Head over and try them all, you will see what we are talking about.
Put Zest West on your rotation schedule of supporting local eateries. You won’t be sorry.
And thank you, Cory, for all your help in making this happen. It is truly a community service for us all.
Interested in booking a session?