This is Me!!!!!!!

Melanie Steeves – Who am I? How does one answer such a question? On one hand I could list all the things I have accomplished in my life and all the things I work for and volunteer with, but I wouldn’t wish to seem like I am bragging or conceited. But how does a person go about sharing all the things that are important to them, and all the accomplishments they have had over a lifetime without seeming full of themselves? This is a bit of a quandary for me. So let me start by saying up front, that I am a pretty basic girl from a pretty basic little town who just loves to say YES. Since my philosophy has always been to try and say YES before saying NO, it has lead me down some paths to involve me in some pretty wonderful experiences in my lifetime. Sometimes I say YES without knowing what I am getting into, and have been pleasantly surprised by a new and wonderful experience that if I had said that negative little 2 letter word I would have never known what I would have missed. Boy wouldn’t that be a shame? To not even know what you are missing out on. So without further ado, and without wanting to seem full of myself this is just my full life and what adventures I get myself into.

Photographer & Teacher
OK! I know, I know….everyone says they are a photographer these days. Get yourself a decent camera, grab a couple lucky shots and poof you’re a photographer. All of that is true. You don’t need any fancy degrees or special knowledge anymore to be able to use the term photographer. Isn’t this a fantastic world we live in? That the technology is out there for this to be true? It fosters so many more people to get out there and create more beautiful images for us to all enjoy. But for me, I am a bit old school. I have been in the photography industry long enough that I know how to agitate and develop film and photos the grand old fashioned way. I went to college for photography long before digital cameras and Photoshop even existed and believe me, these days are better. So much less waste and cost to the process. Way back in 1996 I attended Fanshawe College in London, Ontario and spent two years earning my Diploma of Photography. So you see, I gots me some actual paperwork to be able to call myself a “Photographer”…lol. Most recently I have taken on the task of teaching some of my photography knowledge to kids aged 9-16 in the hopes of creating new and inspired photographers of the future. But what I didn’t actually expect was how much these kids would teach me, and force me to look outside my own little box of ideas, and grow my own photographer’s viewpoint.

Colouring Book Artist
This is something I kinda fell into. I started drawing a few line art pages to share and colour myself and it just grew and grew. I started colouring again recently because I felt I needed an artistic outlet away from my photography. Once I started to colour I started to draw, and thus began my career as a colouring book artist. Over the past year I have created 15 original colouring books and all are for sale on Amazon. How cool is that???? I have books….Actual Books…that people are buying on Amazon. I must admit that I do find the process of drawing out the designs in my books a bit of a stress outlet for me. “Colouring is ART” and if you don’t believe me search out one of the thousands of colouring groups on the good Ole Facebook and check out some of the magnificent colourists work. They are the true artists. I always say none of my colouing book designs are ever truly finished until someone add their special touch and puts in all the colour.

Craftsman/Artist & Arts Ambassador
I have always been a crafty person. I wouldn’t say that I have always used the term Artist for myself, but I have always been crafty. Now I am both. I love creating things with my hands. I crochet, cross stitch, quilt and sew on a regular basis. I enjoy making my own jewelry, and have recently started entering the world of paper quilling. Just to name a few. I love to volunteer with local arts organization “Haldimand Art Works” and help them in supporting and promoting local artisans. Al in all I just love creating and being with those that are creative.

Travel Counselor & Tour Escort
Ah yessssss!!! I LOVE to travel. I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to travel all across North America, the Caribbean, and a bit of UK so far. Mom owns her own travel agency and we run it as a family oriented business. It is really great to get to work so closely with my parents and create so many wonderful memories while traveling with them and the hubby. I have seen and done things as a travel counselor and tour escort for Topplane Travel that I may have never seeked out on my own without the opportunities provided with working this particular job.

Volunteer
I really enjoy being a part of my small community in any way I can. I try to give of my time and myself if and whenever possible. One of the highlights of my year every years is being able to organize our Annual Lions Club Fundraiser Car Show. The Fisherville Lions club does so much for our little town, that I think it’s great to give back and help them raise some of their operating capital for all the town improvements they do for us all to enjoy. As I said earlier I love volunteering with Haldimand Art Works to help them in supporting local arts. Below I am going to talk more about The Classic Ford Truck Club, and The Haldimand Plowmen’s Association. But these are just a few of the organizations I love to be a part of and volunteer my time with throughout the year.

Ford Truck Enthusiast
Our household is ALL FORD all the time. There is no room in our driveway for anything but FORDS. I must admit that I have adopted this philosophy by proxy through the Hubby. Ed is totally a Ford man, and when I met him over 20 years ago, I became a Ford Gal by default. It’s alright though…I am OK with this situation. We founded the second chapter of The Classic Ford Truck Club and I am proud to say that this year we are hosting our tenth Haldimand Ford Truck Show. We have a great number of Ford trucks to our name. Really it’s far too many for two people to own, but that is just how it is. I can’t seem to get the man to stop buying a selling these old classics. I don’t even try anymore. It’s just a fact of life now.

Farm Girl & Agriculture Ambassador
I was born n’ raised on a dairy farm in Southern Ontario. On the Playground is NOT where I spent most of my days. No, my days were filled with chores, tractors, cows, dogs, milk machines, cats and the many other plethora of fam animals and duties. I can’t say it was glorious, but it’s the life I knew, and ooking back the life I loved. It has lead me to be part of many agriculture volunteer organizations: Haldimand Milk Committee as Dairy Educator, Haldimand Plowmen’s Association first as Queen of the Furrow and now as Queen of the Furrow Coordinator, Haldimand Federation of Agriculture, Agstravaganza Committee, Hagersville Ag Day, Caledonia Fair, countless 4-H clubs etc etc etc. The list just goes on and on. Needless to say I am a farm/country/dairy girl through and through. No matter where I go or what I do you won’t take away the values I learned growing up in the agriculture community.

Wife, Daughter, Sister & Aunt
Yes on top of all that other stuff, I do have a family. Like many of you out there I am a family oriented gal! I have been married for 14 years to the very best human being that I know. Ed is my rock and my biggest supporter in all my endeavours. There has never been a time that I couldn’t count on him and that means more to me than anything else in this world. I am in a family of five with my parents, and two brothers. Both brothers are now married with wonderful families of their own. My parents still live on the farm that has been in our family for generations. Dad is retired now, and he and mom both still work side by side in life! A situation I strive to achieve with Ed someday…still be walking and working side by side for all our lives.