sheesh. i'm tired. just a warning...lots of rambling straight ahead.

It's been, wow, alotta years since I've worked a traditional work day. I have gotten a reminder of what that's like in the past few weeks. It started out with a friend saying that the company her husband works for was looking to hire a photographer to shoot some product. I wasn't really that excited about it because lots of people say stuff like that and nothing ever comes of it. And then the last design job I had ended up with me spending dozens of hours on a design project, not getting paid, and was the end of a 20 year friendship. Which, you know, sometimes it takes dramatic things to see someone's true character. I have had lots of moments like this over the past several years and actually, it is quite liberating to know where you stand with people and to just move on with your life without those kind of people in it sucking the life out of you (you know, kind of like the Death Eaters in Harry Potter...see, I warned you I would be rambling.)

Anyway, I digress. So back to the job. So I ended up talking to this company and it sounded like they were really interested and I thought they were going to hire me and then I realized they were also talking to two other photographers and then I thought, oh well, good thing I didn't get too excited because who knows if they will hire me. And then they asked for some samples and I was busy so I just hurried and took some pretty simple shots and then...I got hired! And then I went to their offices and put boxes and boxes of their product in my car to take home to photograph. And then I made two trips up to Logan to photograph this stuff...books, watches, candy, cookies...lots of gifty stuff. 

And then they said, oh we really like your photos but the owner is concerned that you don't have a stylist. A stylist? The last time I saw a stylist was in 2001 on a shoot in Dallas for Chick-Fil-A where this lady was spending hours rearranging the celery in the coleslaw with tweezers. Did I have a stylist that I would like to work with? Uh, no...I actually don't know any stylists here (or anywhere actually). So they hired a stylist to work with me and then we started shooting at their offices because of the sheer number of products. 

Before the first day I was so so nervous. I had no idea what I was doing. But, I am good at just rolling with it, not so great at planning, but this is where the rolling with it is a good thing because otherwise I would have realized the immensity of the project and would have run away to hide under the blankets in my room. But instead I just dove in head first. The stylist was wonderful and experienced and talented. So then this project that I thought I would be working on for 3 hours a day during the month of April turned into something quiiiite different. So today and tomorrow and the next day and for three days last week and two days the prior week I have been getting up, getting the kids ready, dropping them off at school, hurrying home to get ready, driving to Salt Lake and getting there a little after 10, taking pictures of candy and cookies, and dried fruit and nuts for 8 hours. Driving back to Utah County. Pick the kids up in Springville from Tyler's. Drive back to Provo, get the kids to bed. Spend an hour or so uploading and cropping the pictures of the day. Staring in to space for awhile because I am too tired to actually get up and walk down the hall and go to bed. Getting distracted by something on social media or some photography education video once I get in bed. Going to sleep too late, and once again, cursing myself in the morning when the alarm goes off for going to bed so darn late. Repeat.

So we have 120ish photos done and 240 to go...and the deadline is in 12 days... hmmmm...I do believe in miracles, I do believe in miracles, I do believe in miracles... Especially because now I not only have a stylist working her magic but now she brings her assistant too to help things go faster. So, we'll see. I am learning a lot. And I am really happy with the photos. And I am really, really, really exhausted.

Here are a few of the photos from the shoot...

The end.

Ni Hao and other adventures

We have been having a language explosion over here...both Sydney and Talmage are improving their reading skills by leaps and bounds and Sydney's Chinese is amazing. Every day, for half of her school day she speaks and is spoken to only in Mandarin Chinese. She even learns math in Chinese. It is so incredible to witness and I am a huge fan of the dual immersion program that she is in and that Talmage will also begin in the Fall. I am just more and more amazed at how well she seems to be doing...I have no idea what she is saying, but she voluntarily speaks Mandarin around the house and her wonderful teacher is very happy with her progress. In these first two pictures Sydney is working away at her Chinese homework while we wait for Talmage's gymnastics class to finish. Sydney's class is first so it's the perfect opportunity to pound out some homework while we wait for Talmage. And wow! I can't seem to keep her caught up on all her homework with English and Chinese homework, but we try our best.

Sydney and her fabulous Chinese teacher. 

Talmage balancing...remember, this is the kid who had a curvy spine. Look at that balance, way to go buddy!

We are sorely missing our neighbor buddies who moved away a few weeks ago. They played with Syd and T almost every day.

The sandbox pic and the tree pic were taken a few weeks ago when the weather was pretending that Spring was here...but then it tricked us. Come back Spring!!!

You want to know what a great workout is? Playing tag with your kids on trampolines...wowser...it's a workout I tell ya!

Talmage LOVES school. He got to be in the "Cookie Club" after mastering some skills and is now a very enthusiastic reader. When I went to the kindergarten program to my surprise, there on the stage in front of the entire school, plus parents, was Talmage opening it up with his darling little classmate who is in my Primary class. I was so impressed that he was just so cool, calm and collected as he welcomed everyone to the kindergarten program. It was definitely a proud mama moment.

Since the kiddos were with Tyler on Easter we celebrated Easter the following Sunday. Holidays are so fun and magical with children this age. It is so fun to see their delight in everything.

(P.S. Ne Hao, pronounced "Knee How" means hello in Chinese)

My sweet Sydney has stolen my heart

After looking through these old photos of Sydney I remembered how cute she looks with bangs, so she got some swoop bangs last week. I just love this girl. I could not be a luckier mom than to have her as my daughter.

It's interesting to look at these pictures because I can see my mom in Sydney and I think Sydney looks like me, but I don't see my mom's features in me. As I look at these pictures I recognize my mother in myself as I look at my daughter...it's interesting to think about...

(I'm noticing that the pics I chose are mostly profiles...maybe the reason I love those photos so much is because they are capturing her true expressions because she's not looking at the camera and posing...I just love her sweet face)

(This one is an iPhone pic from the other day... morning snuggles are the best)

Pour yourself a cup of Sweet T on memory lane

One item that I haven't yet completed from the divorce decree is to get Tyler copies of the pictures of the kids that I have on my external hard drives and computer. It has taken me this long because I am deathly afraid of technical things and not only did I have to locate the hard drives, but those darn cords too! And THEN I had the rude awakening that Time Machine is actually not designed to be an archival system but a backup system (maybe I should read directions/instructions every once in awhile), so in order to access my iphoto libraries on my external hard drives I had to do a bunch of technical stuff (create a blank iphoto library, go into to Time Machine, etc...) which I must note that I am very proud of myself for figuring out rather than having a panic attack and thinking that my photos were gone! Needless to say, I got sucked into the photos and I just can't help but post a few that made me smile, these are all of T, I'll post some of Miss Sydney too...

xoxo

We LOVE the Aquarium!

The big octopus and the jelly fish are my favorite!

2012 Portfolio Review, Part 1

I was feeling overwhelmed at how much I have to learn photography-wise but as I looked through some of the photos I took in 2012 and focused on my favorites I felt better about things. So often I focus on the shots that didn't turn out how I wanted them to, but when I focus on the ones that I love, it makes me feel like there is hope!

I used to live within a block of these four women in these first four shoots. Looking at these makes me miss my friends in Ogden a lot. I miss you Emilia, Adrianne, Mindy and Jess!!! There are lots of nice people in my neighborhood here in Provo, but I don't have the close friendships that I had in my old neighborhood in Ogden.

Emilia was my make-up and wardrobe consultant as I was stepping back into the dating world after my divorce. 

This was a candid shot of Adrianne as we were chatting outside in the beautiful sunshine last winter up at Snowbasin ski resort where she is a snowboarding instructor.  I love that she used this as her facebook profile pic.

I loved getting Mindy's Christmas card with this picture on it! It's so rewarding to see the photos I have taken somewhere besides a computer screen. Mwah!!

And Jess's Darling Fam... I miss their ENTIRE family! Her kids were friends with my kids, babysitters, lawn mowers, etc... Jess has been doing my hair for 2 years and counting and so at least a bonus of my grey hairs is that they will ensure I see Jess often! Maybe I can plan my hair appointment on the day she makes empanadas...

I loved the mystical feeling these shots I took on the Oregon/Washington Coast have...

A fun shot with Ash and T

The coolest wedding open house of all time...

Cute Blake...

I did head shots for all three locations of a dental office and I loved this one and how it shows the friendship between co-workers.

& I loved this fun location for this fun dad and his kids.