Dear Reader,

On September 1, 2017, I officially launched I’ve Scene It On Hallmark.  I am grateful and humbled by the response I have received over the course of the last year!  It has been an amazing journey filled with so many unique opportunities, which I am all about; experiencing this life.  The people I have met through my interviews (some now friends) have been so gracious and welcoming to me and it has been so special to be able to go “behind the scenes” with them, hearing their stories and then sharing them with you, my readers.  I have even met some of my readers, which has been equally memorable, sharing a meal or coffee, and talking about Hallmark and locations.  Then there are the emails I have received from readers, some who I hear from regularly, which is equally special.  It has all been such a beautiful ride and I wanted to note this day with a post, sharing some of my thoughts and saying thank you for your support.

If you had told me three years ago that I would be working a part-time job (not in the medical field) and writing a blog on Hallmark film locations, I would have said you were totally “cray-cray” and you obviously didn’t know anything about me.  After raising my family, I went back to the work force and became an insurance agent.  Although I was successful in my role, something seemed to be missing and I figured after three years, if I didn’t love it, I probably needed to find something else.  I should note I made great money, but I have never been driven by the dollar and to me, work should mean more than some numerals on a piece of paper every week.

For the next five years, I worked at a hospital as a scheduler coordinator, first in Cancer Care (the best job I’ve EVER had!) and then in Cardiopulmonary Rehab.  This was what I thought I would be doing for the rest of my working life.  It was all so easy for me, it felt like I was hanging out with friends every day, and the connections I had with the patients I came in contact with was a blessing.   During these years, I did the most rewarding work I have ever done, aside from being a mom.  I met incredible people, developed special relationships, and received life-changing wisdom.  It was “my best life”, that is…..until it wasn’t.

My mother passed away unexpectedly the day after Christmas in 2015.  I lost my mom (my last living parent) and ultimately, I lost my job.  I had to move back to L.A.  to settle my parents estate while my hubs stayed in Washington State with his job.  Per union guidelines, my workplace gave me 30 days to complete the task, which actually took me six months.  This was the darkest time of my life and the light didn’t come back on for well over a year.

In the spring of 2017, I wrote a guest post on my good friend Lindsay’s blog, which you can read here.  The response was great, I had fun and enjoyed the process, and I made the decision to start I’ve Scene It On Hallmark.   Eventually, I went back to work in the medical field, this time in private practice.  I worked full-time and continued to blog and learn all the technical things needed like editing photos and using WordPress.  (I have mentioned before I am technically challenged!)  I had great support from hubs and both of my adult daughters.  One was familiar with WordPress and the other is a Software Engineer, so they were a help!!!

I began to spend all my free time researching and watching every Hallmark movie I could, and of course, I was taking trips up north to Canada.  I interviewed on the weekends and wrote when I could and somehow, it all came together.   In January 2018, I resigned from my medical job (remember, you have a choice whether you want to live in an unhappy situation) and I quickly fell into a part-time position in the school district, which works well with my blog.  I have had the entire summer off and have spent the majority of it researching, interviewing, and working ahead on stories.

I have had many highs over the last year!!!  Last fall, Rowena’s on the River gifted me a stay at their beautiful resort that we’ve scene in the Wedding March franchise and I Do, I Do, I Do.  I met two directors whose work I admire; Peter DeLuise and David Winning.  I have met eleven Hallmark actors since the start of this year, all on set of their movies.  I have been inside homes and businesses we’ve scene on film, getting an up-close inside look, something that still blows my mind every time.  I was asked to be a tour guide at the Jamestown Movie Set from WCTH, which gave me more fun and entertainment that I ever could have imagined! Every tour was like seeing it all again for the first time.  I’ve met readers, received filming tips, gotten some great emails and location challenges.  I’ve discovered many new places in Canada, even introducing my cousins (lifelong Canadian residents) to a few.

There have been a few lows, too.  After all, you cannot ride the highs without em’!  Last year, I was invited to a private property (by the owner) to watch filming of a Hallmark movie.  When production found out that I had a blog, they would not allow me to come, EVEN after I agreed to no photos, no story about it until the movie aired, and no talking about it anywhere until the film was in the can.  The owner told them about my blog because the owner believed the network would have been grateful since I promote them through my blog.  Wrong!    The owner had invited other friends over in the past to watch filming, even the owners spouse and other family members had stood by to watch filming.   But I was not allowed to come.  Sadly, the exact same thing just happened again within the last few months.  Different owner and location, same issue with the network.  I am still not sure why the network felt so threatened by little ole me, but…..

Before my life changed in late 2015, I NEVER would have EVER considered putting myself out there, like through a website.   But during those emotional and life-changing events in 2016, I learned a lot about myself; I am stronger than I ever thought, smarter than I ever believed, and I can do anything I set my mind to, even when the world tells me I cannot.   Unfortunately, when you DO put yourself out there, you (can) become the target of other peoples jealously and negativity.

Not surprisingly, I have been on the receiving end of some negativity.  I am sure there is more that I am unaware of and I’m A-ok with that.  I don’t need gossip, lies, or jealousy in my little world. I will say that it is very true, when you are living your life and following your passion, someone is gonna try and bring you down.  So let me clear a few things up:

1. I do not work for Hallmark, or Crown Media, INC.
2. I am not a stalker and do not prey upon homeowners.  I do not publish addresses of homeowners.  I actually take the time to blackout the numeric address in ALL of my photos, to protect a homeowners privacy.
3. The home and business owners I have interviewed have done so willingly, and have welcomed me into their home/business.
4. I do not claim to know everything about film locations, Hallmark or otherwise.  I do, however, visit many of these areas in person, rather than just read about them, so that does give me some credibility and does make me somewhat of an expert.
5. I receive tips from the public and they are ALWAYS kept confidential.  What that means is, from time to time, someone will email me a tip on some up-coming filming, ect.  Sometimes, those tips come to me a month (or more, or less) before the info has been made public.  Just because the information isn’t public doesn’t mean I am out of touch, hopeful, or stupid.  It means I am in the know.  And it also means I have proven myself to be someone that can be trusted.
6. I am just a girl who visits film locations in Canada from my fave Hallmark movies & series and I realize how lucky I am to be able to make a short drive and see these places in person.  I was already visiting all these cool locations and thought maybe others would love to share in my discoveries, so I began this blog.

For the past year, I have tried to bring my readers an all-new location every week.  After much consideration, I have decided to alter that and plan to post a few times a month, although it could be weekly….I just don’t know.  The reason behind my decision is quite simple.  There are some areas of my life that I have neglected and I would like to restructure my attention.  Because there will be no posting schedule, the best way to see these stories as soon as I publish them is to subscribe to my blog.  Its easy to do and takes just a minute.  Once subscribed, you will receive an email every time a new story has been added.  Easy peasy!

Some stories and locations you can look forward to in the months ahead are as follows: The Along Came A Nanny house, a florist we’ve scene many times, the Country Club from The Perfect Bride 1 & 2, and a charming B & B we’ve scene several times.  I spent a tremendous amount of time over the summer looking specifically for Christmas locations and had a blast!  I cannot wait to share with you the Whitcomb home from the Father Christmas movies, Rose Cottage from Engaging Father Christmas, the Cookie Cutter Christmas houses and thrift store, the Christmas Homecoming house and museum, the bike store and home from The Christmas Ornament, The Christmas Secret house and diner, Burnaby Village, The Mrs. Miracle house, and so many more!  Set-visits include It’s Christmas, Eve, Marrying Father Christmas, and The Christmas Carousel/A Godwink Christmas.  Non-Hallmark Christmas movies include UP’s Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas house and Lifetimes Home By Christmas houses, both movies personal favorites of mine.  In addition, I was recently interviewed for a holiday show that will air during the upcoming Christmas movie watching season.  Many, many thanks to Pam & Dawn from Christmas Muvies Spotlight, for inviting me to be a guest on your show and talk about locations, locations, locations!  I had an AMAZING time!

I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for stopping by and reading my stories.  I hope you enjoy seeing these places as much as I enjoy discovering them and sharing them with you!  To anyone who has purchased a product through my Amazon links, again, my sincere thanks.  ALL income earned from the Amazon links and/or adverts goes directly towards the costs of this website.  (ie: domain fees, tech fees)  I do not make a living from this website; it is a hobby for me that I share with fans, just like myself.  I would be remiss if I didn’t extend my deepest gratitude to Ruth Hill at My Devotional Thoughts, Net at It’s A Wonderful Movie, and Terri at Our Good Life, all successful bloggers who have supported me since my very first post!

Thank you for coming along on this journey.  I look very forward to the year ahead!!!

Best,

Kerry