This holiday season, give a gift that gives back! There’s nothing better than giving quality gifts to those you love AND supporting your local community! #ShopLocal this holiday season and shop #SilverSpring!

For the ones you love most: Family Photos. 

For the seeker of tranquility and peace: Candles from Handmade Habitat

For that one person who is always on the go: Quality bags from Stitch and Rivet

​For the person in your life looking for balance and relaxation: Yoga, massage, or acupuncture from Third Space Wellness

​For the little ones: Hand-crochet creatures from Hooked and Loopy
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For those who enjoy the finer things: Handmade beauty products from Mare Naturals

For the craft beer connoisseur: Craft beer from Fenwick Beer and Wine

For those who love gardening: Subscription to Washington Gardener Magazine

For the girl, teen, or woman on a mission: The 2019 Girl Powered Planner from Missheard Media

​For the lover of super heroes in your life: Comics and graphic novels from Alliance Comics. 

For the creative and crafty kids in your life: Art supplies, kits, coloring books and more from Plaza Art
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​For the noir and independent film lover in your life: AFI movie tickets

For the coffee lover: Gift cards to community-centric, local coffee shops like Kefa Café, Bump n Grind, or Kaldi’s Social House.

In fact, don't stop there! Give a gift card to any of Silver Spring's fine restaurants! Find a complete list here and here!

For the lover of sweets: Treats from Velatis Caramels

For the writer in your life: Lovely stationery from Meekly Yours

For the music lover in your life: Concert tickets to the Fillmore

​For the reader and lover of cozy things in your life: Books, home goods, and other unique gifts from Loyalty Bookstore

​​For the person in your life always in search of new, unique experiences: An outdoor adventure experience from Go-Adventures!

Headshots for the #BossLady in your life from Shala Graham Photography

Get help making your own gift at the holiday social of the Silver Spring Time Bank!

Make a one-time contribution in your loved one's name to WAMU where you can hear Silver Spring's very own Dan Reed on the Kojo Nnamdi show!

Go one step even more local with a t-shirt from WOWD - Takoma Park Radio!

​Share movie knowledge and laughter with a subscription to Movie Nightcap's The Reserve Collection

Give the gift of reading with a membership to Friends of the Library - Silver Spring Chapter 

Make your own handlettered gift at one of the meetings of the Unofficial Handlettering Society of Silver Spring!

Author's note: I started this back in 2016 when I was on the search for unique gift ideas and felt frustrated by what the internet had to offer. To see even more Silver Spring-based gift giving ideas, click here.

The blog is a little off kilter these days because... so am I. This year has been trying to say the least. It took me about six months after the election to get my bearings on life, and by then I was so drained and emotionally exhausted that I just needed a break. I'm slowly finding my groove again, and can't think of a better post to share to get back on track than this one.

The Unofficial Handletting Society of Silver Spring is a group that meets the second Tuesday of every month to doodle, handletter, color, and just unwind. I've found the meetings to be incredibly relaxing and therapeutic. I've also learned a lot from this group. Namely, if you come to this club and handletter because you want to find perfection, you're doing it wrong. Handlettering is about finding the joy and beauty in what is not perfect, and accepting that there is perfection in imperfection. ​It's also a great way to meet new people and make new friends :)

I spent time with the Unofficial Handlettering Society of Silver Spring a few months ago to take photos for their upcoming website, and it was blissful. All artistic abilities are welcome, and everyone who meets up is so encouraging and supportive of everyone else. What I loved most was seeing how each person's unique character was represented in the letters they doodled.

Want more? Check out the group's tumblr, follow them on social with the tag #SSLetters, and be sure to join them the second Tuesday of every month at Catylator Maker Space in downtown Silver Spring. The Unofficial Handlettering Society of Silver Spring is free and open to the public.

Special thanks to Amina Ahmed, Christy Batta, and Third Space Wellness for making this shoot possible.

How much do I love Taste the World in Fenton Village? Let me count the ways!

This blog post was actually supposed to be a preview... but I was so jazzed from the energy of this event that I got carried away editing photos last night. Before I knew what happened, I'd finished with the entire collection!

What I love about this event is all the ways it brings together so many elements of my community. Taste the World is the largest restaurant crawl in the DMV area and draws hundreds each year! It showcases the best Silver Spring has to offer, including dozens of locally owned restaurants, the amazing people who live here and great entertainment. With new restaurants joining the line up and a pop-up version of Fenton Street Market to coincide with the event, this year's festival did not disappoint! 

Ahhh! I'm so stoked to show off these photos featuring the beautiful work of graphic designer Christy Batta! Christy and I have worked together on a number of projects, but this one was really unique.

Christy is working on a new website and came to me with a challenge: she needed to showcase not only the design of some of her pieces, but physical aspects of them as well. The goal is to show that good design isn't just two dimensional. Good design comes in all shapes, forms and textures.

To do this, Christy and I worked closely together. Generally, when it comes to product photos, I like to stage products on fun backgrounds and add in unique elements that speak to the items I'm photographing. For this project, though, the more we planned, the more we realized simple was best. We chose white to ensure her pieces would stand out.

I've never photographed the physical elements of design work before, but I'm so happy with how this project turned out. Be sure to head on over to Christy's website to see more!

I hope everyone out there had a lovely weekend. For me, it was the calm before the storm. I've got a double header next weekend, with Paul and Sarah's wedding on Saturday and Taste the World in Fenton Village on Sunday! It's a lot to pack into two days, but I know both events are going to be awesome!

Part of what made this weekend so great was the time I got to spend with my friend and fellow creative Christy Batta. Christy came to me with a really unique project: she needed photos for her website that showcase both her design talents and the physical elements of some of her pieces. This session was a challenge for sure, but by working together we accomplished some really cool things! I can't wait to share more soon!

Christy and I have done a lot of collaborating in recent weeks, and she isn't the only creative I'm working with on some really cool things. There's a lot going on behind the scenes, all of which will be revealed in due time.

With so many projects on my hands, I've been thinking a lot about self care and relaxation and what that looks like to me. That's what I'm using Memorial Day Weekend for! I've got some fun things planned, including a day trip with Cliff to Calvert Cliffs State Park. I've heard great things about the park -- including the fact that you can go hunting for sharks teeth there -- and after an intense grading/finals season for Cliff and so many back-to-back photoshoots and project for me, it sounds like the perfect couples getaway. Just thinking about the fun we'll have there makes me smile :)

WHAT:
Taste the World in Fenton Village
#TTWFV

WHEN:
Sunday, May 21
1 p.m. - 6 p.m.

WHERE:
Silver Spring, MD

WHY:
Because community, food and fun!

I can't believe it's May already! Here in Silver Spring, the start of May means Taste the World in Fenton Village is just around the corner!

This unique festival showcases Silver Spring's plethora of locally owned, globally inspired restaurants! I'm proud to announce I'm once again the official photographer of the event! I can't wait! You can find photos from the 2015 event here.

For those who aren't familiar with the festival, here's what you need to know: The event is styled as a restaurant crawl. Participating restaurants will have sample appetizers and tasting plates ranging in price from $2 to $5.

You can learn everything you need to know about Taste the World, including a list of participating restaurants, by visiting this website: http://tastetheworld.fentonvillage.org/

I look forward to seeing you there!

WHO:
BETHANY MEISSNER
THIRD SPACE WELLNESS
JONNA MICHELLE PHOTOGRAPHY

WHAT:
COMMUNITY WELLNESS FUND INSPIRED BY BETHANY MEISSNER
#SSWELLNESSFUND

WHY:
#FUCKCANCER

WHEN:
2/14   -  3/7

HOW:
PHONE - 301.328.5326
EMAIL - info@thirdspacewellness.com
PAYPAL* - info@thirdspacewellness.com
*add Bethany's name in the payment note

DETAILS:
​Self care, including acupuncture and massage, are part of Bethany's chronic care plan, but insurance doesn't cover these treatments. A community-based wellness fund has been established at Third Space Wellness to help ease the financial burden. 

For every $500 donated, Third Space Wellness will donate one 1-hour service or $50 worth of yoga to a deserving member of the community chosen by Bethany. For every $3,000 raised, Jonna Michelle Photography will offer a complimentary family or couples photo session to a family chosen by Bethany.

Ask anyone who lives here in Silver Spring what the best part about the neighborhood is, and the answer will always be the same. It's not the AFI (although that is pretty cool). It's not the plethora of locally-owned, ethnic dining options. It's not even Chompy, Discovery Channel's Shark Week shark. It's the people.

This community is full of some of the kindest, most creative, talented, caring human beings I have ever met. No one fits that description more than Bethany Meissner.

As a humanitarian, activist, writer, blogger, friend and neighbor, Bethany has done so much to bring Silver Spring together. It's hard to find someone who doesn't know her, and even harder to find someone who, when she comes up in conversation, is able to control their gushing. 

So, two years ago, when this champion of the community was diagnosed with cancer, we all rallied. Friends and neighbors got together to cook meals, help with medical care, offer transportation to chemo and radiation treatments, and so much more. Bethany and her husband, Jarrod, had to bear this burden, but we were damned if they were going to bear it alone.

Fast forward to today. I'd like to be able to tell you that the crisis has passed, and that we're all moving on with our lives. That Bethany and Jarrod's new routine is normalcy. That we're back to focusing on mundane things, like who can make the best worst joke about the transit center. But that isn't the case. Bethany's cancer is back and it isn't good.

The focus now is on quality and length of life. In addition to heavy-duty chemo treatments, Bethany's doctors have encouraged her to seek out weekly, alternative medicine options including massages and acupuncture. There's just one problem: her insurance doesn't cover these treatments.

That's where you, and me, and the good, kind, caring people of Silver Spring come in.

Third Space Wellness, which has been treating Bethany for the last two years, has set up a wellness fund in her name. The Community Wellness Fund Inspired by Bethany Meissner will accept donations that will go toward self care for Bethany and her primary caregiver, Jarrod (if he so chooses).

But that's not all.

​For every $500 donated, Third Space Wellness will donate one 1-hour service or $50 worth of yoga to a deserving member of the community chosen by Bethany, so that person (or persons) may also benefit from self-care. 

But wait. There's more!

For every $3,000 donated, Jonna Michelle Photography will offer a complimentary family or couples photo session to a deserving family chosen by Bethany.

Because time is of the essence, The Community Wellness Fund will be accepting donations for THREE WEEKS ONLY. You can donate via phone (301.328.5326), email (info@thirdspacewellness.com), or PayPal to info@thirdspacewellness.com. (If you choose PayPal, please add Bethany's name in the payment note). If you're unfamiliar with Third Space and/or don't have PayPal, I'm also happy to be a point for donations.

Thank you in advance for your generosity. No donation is too big or too small. If you're unable to make a financial contribution at this time, spreading the word is immensely valuable. Follow the hashtag #SSWellnessFund to learn more, create buzz and get involved.

The fine print: Because Third Space Wellness and Jonna Michelle Photography are not 501 (c) 3 nonprofits, we cannot offer tax write offs for contributions. 

This weekend I had the incredible opportunity of photographing Leo's Run! Based right here in Silver Spring, the charity 5K walk/run was created by Mike Mowery and his wife Carolyn who, tragically, lost their infant son Leo a few years ago. Held each year on Leo's birthday weekend, the run helps keep Leo's memory alive and raises funds for Leo's Garden, a non profit designed to help other families who have suffered the loss of children. 

2017 marked the third year of the event, and I'm told by past participants that it just keeps growing. It's easy to see why... The event was just plain fun! There was great music, awesome raffle prizes, zumba, break dancing and tons of positive energy! Believe it or not, this was actually my first experience with a charity race and I loved it! (Spoiler: that's probably because I didn't have to do any running ;) ) I have to give a huge shout out to friends David and Jennifer for introducing me to Mike, his family and this great cause. Being able to photograph such a positive, uplifting event was the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning!

Featured in this post are some of my favorite photos from Leo's Run 2017. You can see additional photos and video from the event by checking out the Leo's Run Facebook page!

Do you have any idea how EXCITED I am?!? In exactly three weeks, the new version of Ghostbusters -- yup, that one with an all-female cast -- hits the big screen! I. CAN'T. WAIT.

To celebrate, not only am I going to see the movie on opening night, BUT I'll be joining Nate Fischer and Abe Saffer, the goofs--er, I mean geniuses--behind the Move Nightcap podcast after the showing to talk about my experience.* 
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To be clear, the original Ghostbusters franchise have always been some of my favorite movies, and as a kid, I adored the cartoon. But in the 80s and early 90s, having strong female leads was a rarity. The fact that tables have turned, and people who LOOK LIKE ME will be kicking ghost butt is so incredibly cool!

Not only am I stoked for the movie itself, but I'm legit excited for what this means for future generations. From here on out, there will no longer be any questions that girls, too, can be fearless, funny, ghost-fighting superheros! 

To prep for the event, I'll be listening to some of Abe and Nate's favorite episodes. You can do the same, using the links below! Also, don't forget to follow Movie Night Cap on Twitter! 

If you live in Silver Spring and don't already know Abe Saffer, you're probably doing yourself a disservice. Abe is incredibly active in the community, runs a hysterical twitter feed and is the brains behind #Carson2038. (Okay, technically, Carson is Abe's son and based on what I can tell, Carson has no interest in becoming president -- but don't tell Abe that). 

Most notably, Abe is the newest member of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board. This group of Silver Spring and Takoma Park residents meets regularly to discuss issues important to the community, like transportation, economic development, housing, youth activities and the environment. The board then provides recommendations and advice on these issues to the County Executive and County Council.

What makes the board so incredibly important (and unique) is the fact that Silver Spring is unincorporated. That means we don't have a mayor or a city council. The Citizens Advisory Board is it, and the members work incredibly hard to make sure residents of our community have a voice.

You can find a list of all board members here. If you see any of them, be sure to thank them for everything they do to keep Silver Spring and Takoma Park happy, beautiful places to live!