It is the new year, I am home from my first wedding of 2010, and I wanted to tell you all – thank you.

2009 has not been with out its faults; I’ve made missteps, faltered as I figure out how to be the photographer I want to be and do the things I want to do and produce the work I want to produce. It has not been an easy year by any means. I want to say a sincere thank you to the clients who have stuck it out with me as I have learned. I know my new-ness to some things hasn’t always made it the easiest walk but I love that you are willing to go with me and YOU are by far my most valued business piece. This has been a year of birth and at times that is what it has felt like to me, giving birth to a third child.

I try not to make resolutions but I personally believe goals are dreams with a deadline so I am working on making things smoother for you, as my clients. Working on communicating my goals as a photographer to those of you who want to use my services so we can make sure we are the right fit. There is nothing worse than taking awesome pictures that you can’t bring home, or having to leave some that your really really loved. I hate that part of my job, and I want to find ways to keep it from happening when it can be avoided.

This upcoming year I am letting go of the reins, accepting what comes and maximizing what I already have. I have so much. My husband who I adore, my kids who keeps me grounded and honest, my dog who slobbers, and our cat, who has cancer but is still the same great cat, and hopefully she’ll do well in treatment.

My husband who I don’t say thank you to enough, who I drive insane with my nerves, and my not doing the dishes, and my completely long list of reason why he should probably divorce and run at this point, he is the reason I keep pushing. He’s sitting across from me right now folding laundry I should be folding we are watching football highlights and trying to keep Bri from being scared of the dog. Shes scared of everything lately – except the cat. She loves the cat. And all I want is to right now be cuddling with sleeping children in the other room.

Alas I can dream.

this is a really short post, Its funny cause I’ve been trying to write this thing for days – alas I have started some others as well so not to fear I will be updating way more often..

A picture before I go…

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Its Monday and my kids are back in school – Last week they had the day off on Friday, which made my life more interesting since I had a client meeting on Friday, and boudoir on Saturday And Its is the holiday season. Fa, la la la la.

We are working on going to see our sisters (mine in Philly, Jerrys in NYC) for the holiday this year… Lord willing, we’ll make the drive.

I am, wanting to be more wordy I really am, I just got so much going on lately. I’m trying to catch up recently on weddings and portrait postings so I ‘ve got a few recaps scheduled for this week so be on the look out. And since this is a drive by posting here is a pic of my Cammy at school..

Love this girl.

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The Furnace is out at the studio again, It apparently needs an ignition coil, and I have to go get one, less the repair cost a zillion dollars rather than a couple bucks, and right now I would pay A LOT for comfy warmth in my extremities, and lunch I would love to have lunch.
Maybe its the chasing of the dreams this week, but even a freezing office can’t deter me. I came into day prepped for a good day, I knew it was gonna be cold (the furnace broke earlier this week-I’ve been working from home) I’ve had a really productive week, my weddings are all up and edited and delivered, I am working on a great maternity session, and then I am gonna launch into wedding albums and boudoir stuff (I’ve been posting a lot over at itsintimate.com – not sessions, yet – we got a few coming,  but a lot of informational stuff)And the things is, the other day I decided I can’t be afraid. I have been sitting waiting on things to not go the way I want them to go, waiting on people to tell me this is a pipe dream give it up, but the truth is. This is my dream, this is my passion and my skill and my want, this is me laying it all out and it doesn’t count if you lay it out there and are scared when you do it. God can sense scared, the universe don’t reward for half ass efforts. So I am pushing there are no excuses. I’m not a nice person when I am scared, and I like not scared Raquita way better than waiting for things to go wrong. Things go wrong so you can turn them right.

This is me making a right in life.

So in other news, my Kids are great, Cammy is Priceless. Bri just inherited Cammys old Leapster, So we are on the hunt for games for the thing. Cammy’s playing Daddy’s Nintendo DSi, which I don’t think I ever blogged about that party.. so you know how kids don’t want anything til somebody else wants it… yeah we got that issue over the Leapster. Bri is hilarious, She told Spoken that she drew a platypus the other day and then asked me if dinner was salty. I’m like did she seriously as me if this was gonna be salty? Shes also very concerned with the temperature of things “mom, is this warm?” shes been that way since she burned her hand over the summer. I’ve got five weddings to blog, my ca-nieces bday party to blog, and a lot of stuff I wanna talk about a poem I wrote – TONS of stuff.. So keep workin with me internet I am still here.
Also go over to my girl Jodie with Fresh Art and give her some well wishes – Her husband is very ill and she could use all the support and prayers she can get..

and whats a post with out a photo? Emily from My Oct 17th wedding…

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Yes I am aware that I suck at blogging everyday but I come offering a peace offering. I spent last night getting acquainted with this little slide show program which I am not sure I like enough to keep using but I am gonna let you see miles’ mini slideshow since I was up messin with this program.

I’m tired today, tomorrow is a busy day – I’ve had corporate shoots and newborns and weddings, so many awesome weddings. I need to get a ladder or two – anybody got a ladder or three? (ahem hint hint Daddy) for an engagement shoot – I got some ideas and I will need a ladder for one. So I’m off to Lowes tomorrow.

Today I am feeling particularly motivated. Some how I thought when I left AT&T, i thought I would have more time and be able to blog.. HOW ABOUT HELLS NO?!?! This is so not what I thought this would all be. The time still flies, I still look up and its time to do the next thing. Don’t get me wrong I am clear on my goals and what I am doing. It is straight Mikasa up in this piece. I know I got a handle on things, and I am moving forward. My clients have been awesome and I wanna send a super awesome hello to all my new Pinxit Brides! I’ve met with a lot of people, and I find the ones I go home talking about and telling my husband about are the same clients who get me and I am so stoked to be trusted with their day.

we got tons of blog posts coming up – This week things slow down a bit at least after the weekend I just have you know ONE wedding per weekend instead of the multiple things I was juggling up til this weekend.

Lets do a life recap shall we?

One of my weddings this month is one of my husbands best friends and my SUPER AWESOME makeup artist for boudoir sessions is the bride so I totally expect the photos to be FIERCE and they are giving me some time with just the two of them on the grounds.. SO STOKED. Cammy is the flower girl and her dress is this beautiful grape and black dress, shes excited. I am also filming my promo over my weddings this month. I’m a little nervous about that but hey – I trust my filmmaker and we’ll see what comes from this.

I got google wave- I am excited about that – now I just need all of my peeps to get google wave too..

Last night I went out with my friends for the first time in FOREVER. WE went to Urban and had a few drinks I am SUCH a light weight. I wasn’t drunk after my super awesome coconut mojito but man it was tasty and felt good.

This is officially the last post I will be posting for a while with out a photo on it.

If you aren’t on the mailing list here and over on itsintimate.com you might wanna get on it – cause thigs are about to get poppin…

holiday card sessions are coming up – as are boudoir marathons.

Thanks guys for all the well wishes and keepin up with me even though I suck at keeping up with you guys.

Its the kind of mroning that doesn’t feel special til you put your feet on the floor. It is Wed, and I don’t have any sessions for today, my kid starts school on Monday, my little one we hope will be starting day care sometime in October. The studio is coming along but its not where I want it to be, and none of htat matters today. I am motivated.

I want to be working – rocking it out – and suddenly I am okay with where I am today. I feel like I will get where I want to be , things are moving. I can feel them sliding into place.

I can also feel my legs as my co-worker got me to walk down 42 flights of stairs. My legs are CURSING MY VERY EXISTANCE but then again it feels good. I know when I get out of this current position I’ll take up a steady work out I missed the burn of a work out. I used to love being sore from a work out. I want to get back to that.

My friend Star has been around ALOT. And I didn’t know how much I missed her til she was there when I turned around. I totally missed her and I am So Glad she is here. People think I am WOBL like, Star is WOBL thru and thru. She is truly my personal Captain Obivous.

My other girl friend Renata is about to start working day shifts, which is AWESOME so maybe I’ll see her more than once a month. I miss her – shes movin too, so I get to help her which is great I love to be able to help my peeps.

My girl Marlissa is back from out of town which is great, I love her and her little boy, and I had the BEST lobster fried rice with April last night – I’m glad we made it out there.

I live a good life I am blessed with great people who love me and I hope that I honor that in those relationships, and I give them as much as they give me. My husbadand his never ending support, my kids and their joyous smiles,  Spoken, Tony, Adam, Tambora, Aisha and Justin, and my darling, darling Super Joe. He has come out of the wood work and we got to see him, I ‘m having mexican night cause hes back on Saturday! WHOO HOO!!

Any who I wanted to write down how good I feel today, how awesome my people are so that if  something happens and I am not in this place I know what I am holding on for.

Just a FYI I also wanted to post a picture of my first Canvas Gallery wrap sale.. I am so excited it came out so well I bought a few for my home walls!

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LAst night I wanted toget some work done but I ended up playin with my girls and realizing how much Bri has grown and how smart she is – she remembers EVERYTHING, so we have been playin with cards and working on numbers and pictures and naming things. She is AWESOME at that kinda thing. She can count to 12 by her self. After that I played the with Cammy who was just THRILLED that I was playing with her – which means I need to do it more often.

Which also brings to point a little change I am tryin to do in my world. I am tryin to organize better and schedule my life so I dont miss my kdis so much. I am also working on being softer cause Jerry says I’m not soft anymore – apprently soft is the first thing to go when you are tired and the kids are whining.

To help facilitate that I have applied for severence from my day job. Its not quitting its voulenteering for a layoff. So as rumors swirl it is possible that this whole thing will take off ASAP. Which is good, I was hoping it would by fall. And here we are.

Cammy is staring a new school, Bri will be starting a day care program and hopefully head start. Our Dog is just as slobbery as ever and the stuido is on the verge of being finished.

I am blessed and I am happy and grateful for it.

Any who I got a wedding this weekend, and a engagement but Sunday I wanna take my kids to pick peaches. So thats what I am gonna do. the rest will take care of its self.

I am working on a set of personal projects and I am gonna need your help.

I want to document some vintage love..aged and weathered and better for their time together. Thursday was my 4th wedding anniversary and I never thought I would love someone as much as I loved Jerry on our wedding day. I can honestly say I look back on that day and my life and lofve are so much more full than it was that day on the beach. I think of him and my throat gets tight cause I can’t find enough to say about how lucy I am to have this love to live in. But I cannot wait to be old and wrinkled sitting on park benches – so much so that I want to live vicariously through some beautifully loving people.

So heres the deal – I am only taking a few of these, any engaged couple who has a set of parents married I am willing to do a mini engagement session as well as one with your parents as well. Each couple will received a mounted 8×10 or 8×12 for their time and modeling release. I would prefer that the couples be prepared to shoot on the same day but thats sorta flexable..

So hit me up good people!

So.. well, lets start at the begining. My husband has four friends who have been with him thru thick and thin, they are his brothers for all intents and purposes and since we have had the girls they have done the uncle thing hard core, particularly Justin. Justin and Cammy particualrly are very close. Justin is the cool uncle who comes bearing comic books, and trinkets and ice skating trips and apprentlyhorseback riding is on the ajenda soon.

I am a little jealous of Cammy and Gabby and the family we have built for them, just a little.

Anywho a few weeks back Uncle Justin called and said he wanted to take Cammy to the Tartan Festival in St. Charles, MO. WE decided to meet up with them and we had a pretty good time. There were so many beautiful dogs! We saw a pair of beautiful Wolfhounds that were easily chest high on all fours.

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Gabby got to see a few puppies that were more her size and soem other animals too!

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Cammy and her daddy got to play with some swords

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and of course the legendary uncle Justin – yes rockin the Kilt…

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I didn’t post a picture of Miss Kelly.. I’ll have to post one of her from tamboras bday party! Be on the look out! I’ll end with furry cuteness..

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So, My birthday was Saturday. It was a good birthday. My husband made me breakfast in bed, my kids sang to me several birthday songs, my facebook page is overrun with well wishes, my granny and brother in law called to sing me. And this was all before like 11 am!

It was all a good time.

Every few years my birthday falls right in Easter weekend if not on easter its self, this year was no excption I got to see my girls all dressed up in their pretty ruffled and lace dressses. Cammy and her best friend had a blast at the easter egg hunt. This picture was taken on accident ans is totally over exposed but I love it anyway..

Sydney her best friend finally came out of hiding on us. The Girls are so excited to see each other, and her mom and I decided that they should take a dance class together so that is on the plan for the next week – get her all signed up for this dance class.

So I just got that all together – thanks to my trusty blog for reminding me.

And hopefully they will both be going to the same school in a year or so, in the meantime we’ve made a commitment to be better moms about making sure they see each other. Syd and Cammy are so good for each other. Sydney is so calm – she keeps cammy grounded and Cammy helps Sydney tear loose a bit.

So we are very excited that the girls get to play and hang out and be together. Sydney even has a baby sister Bris age so if they get on well – its playmates for everyone! 

WHOO HOO!

Anywho. The girls got to hunt eggs and eat an obscene amount of chocolate. Bri is such a little candy hunter. She wakes up wanting a peice of anything. She is not okay with the no she gets everymorning but shes used to it she asks and if shes found soemthing (usually the same sucker from yesterday) she puts it back with out fuss. But I love that she keeps asking.

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And this one – this is my little poopie woopie finally giving me a good shot – My granny is gonna wanna have this blown up on her wall. I think I am gonna want one too, this was before she and her sister pulled the flowers off the dresses. what can we say they are girls, but they are my girls!

I still haven’t blogged my session or about my birthday dinner but we got some minor family hiccups goin down, and I think, no I know my husband has something special planned tonight as a layover from my birthday, and there is a tweet up I may drop by to make an appearance,  so I am a little spacey in the brain.

so Tomorrow Internets? Also look for a post about our family jaunt to the Scottish Tartan Festival. We saw some of the most beautiful dogs at that festival. Cammys favorite Uncle Justin.

Be peaceful be photographed…

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I know, I suck. I would apologize but that would imply that I am not gonna do it again nad we all know that s not quite the case. Although my day job is going thru some things and I might actually get some free time here in the very near future. If that happens then I will probably end up doing alot more blogging and shooting and living.

I am excited and terrified at the possibilities. Never the less I am staying prayerful and focused. What ever will be will be.

Anyway to get back to the point of this blog entry. I wanted to post some personal pictures as my family does come by here to see themselves on occasion and I am to please.  Cause these are personal and not work realted I don’t make them HUGE unless it needs to be huge.  I like them better when they balence with teh words, cause the words are the point here too sometimes!

My husbands birthday was back in Feb and I am sure I haven’t blogged about his big day. I did talk all about it on twitter and facebook but not here. He is a spry young 32. Hes not blogging often but he does keep a facebook page and a twitter account. I adore him so. He got the required hair cut and some new reading material and a chess board and other nifty presents for his big day.

All of our favorite people came out to celebrate his day, and we had a visitor from Japan and I got to make some lasanga – that suff cost me an arm and a leg to make but they inhale it so its worth the effort. His close friends all made it out, as is normal. A fair number of my poetr friends, who are really just my friends now. You can see some extra pictures at the end of this post. if you are reading this in a reader I think you have to click thru to see the iamges at the end. if you click on them they should get bigger and be easier to see, thats the goal anyway.. I am still workin out the kinks.

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I love this picture I took it at the grocery store and the produce guy was amused he told me he’d never seen anybody go thru so much to get a photograph. I like green beans what can I say?

I baked cookies this weekend. You know its officaaly spring time when I start baking cookies, I love to make cookies, I like to make chocolate chip cookes with all kinds of chocolate, and oatmeal raisn, and oatmeal apple cranberry and brownie cookies and all kinds of stuff. This is the first year both girls are big enough to stand up to the counter and help, so its time to go get Bri her very own apron.  She wants to help so much that when I went to Philly for a photoshoot I picked up some new stools from IKEA (watch the clouds part and hear angels sing) I also got some hangers for my husband and a new blanket for new born sessions, which you will get to see in a blog entry this week. I SWEAR.

Um as a faithful former Mizzou student can I just say WAY TO GO TIGERS! I was just so stoked to watch them get all the way to the elite 8 for the NCAA tourney! That half court shot against Mamphis?!?! And I would like to send mad congrats to Coach Anderson who should be making what the football coach is making will get there soon enough.   Next year we’ll shoot better than 40 percent and drop a few more free throws and make it to the big game! M.I.Z-Z.O.U!

I missed a few get togethers some twitter meet ups and such, I’ll get to the next ones for sure. If you are a local St. Louis are blogger, you may be interested in attending the St. Louis bloggers guild meetings. Its a great way to meet other local bloggers and get involved with a awesome growing community.  

Oh and I lost my phone, two weeks back ,so if you called me for any reason and left me a message whether it was for a session or anything I ahd to have my voice mail reset caus eI didn’t know the password by heart, so I lost all the number and all the messages in my voice mail box. Please feel free to call me back and I’ll get you squared away asap.

 Oh and I got a new phone, I am now one of the blackberry people. I am not sure how I like it. I was thinkin about goin Iphone but I have always had a hard time following the pack. I haven’t owned an apple product since my early teen years (can you say Apple IIgs?) and I couldn’t bring my self to pull the trigger. Now if an iphone feel out of the sky I’d go with it but I can’t make myself get one just yet.

Also  Happy birthday announcements to my home girl and my personal graphich designer Aisha, you can check her out over at Ishtastic, as well as my Granny Happy birthday Granny Dell! And Spokens annual birthday extarvanganza went down at the begining of the month heres a little teaser video you can spend a minute partying with us..

don’t you wish you hadn’t missed it? And the red light? mostly cause we wern’t in a basement we thought a blue light would be misleading.

My moms birthday is coming up soon, and my sisters as well, then mine and my dads. I am thinkin I may change things up a bit this year.
All things will be well, and things will be well.

I found this on a local photogs blog (thanks for the post Jodie!) , and traced it back to its roots and must give credit to the person who said them first Cheryl Jacobs Nicoli . I could click around her images all day. Beautiful stuff really just stunning. ANywho is trying to get to her I came across a wonderful pet photog in Seattle, who I MUST add to my google reader as well as a few other wonderful clicky chicks.

This spoke to me well today especially the first point and that last bullet point as I have been there a lot lately and must say it does exactly as she said.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacence.

To all the photogs who come around from forums and the like welcome! – leave a comment!

So I am writing this post cause I been SOOO busy, but I love my blog and I want to write in it. So much so I am thinking of starting another – I won’t tell people if I do – it’ll just start and if you find it wonderful, but I don’t think I want to cross pollinate.

Since I been so busy I forget the things I want to blog about – I Twit alot. Someday I think I should just list my twitter posts as a blog entry but that seems so ANTI-the point I can’t seem to pull the trigger on that one.

SO I thought I would take a lead from the blogs I read daily and do a little linky love cause I don’t comment as much as I would like.
Hubbs went to see The Watchmen just like Courtney and Tom, he seemed to enjoy it, I have been tryin to encourage the hubbs to get out and do more things. Even if that means without me. He also shaved his head this weekend and put on a white t-shirt and became the black Mr. Clean – I almost wanted to bleach his eyebrows white. Our house never looked so good. We moved my desk into a different corner that puts my back to the TV which is good and bad cause I can’t get distracted by the screen I also can’t watch the kiddos as well.

I burned cookies this weekend. I HATE burning cookies.

I have been meaning to bog about Spokens Party. It was awesome, the DJ’s spun thru the night again and the last people didn’t leave our house til 5 the next evening. That how we roll, Pictures are coming of that as well as a few new pics from our last trip to the magic house.

We also lost a family member Jerrys Aunt Alice May died of natural causes over the weekend. I don’t beleive I had met her but his dad told some colorful stories when he came over ths weekend.

I like Ree, have a love of mixing bowls, and got to use a set of mine – whats left of them this weekend. My husband is allergic to glass and by that I mean he breaks alot of it, and so my glass mise en place bowls are now taking the brunt of his allergy. I have seen each set she has blogged and I have longed for them alas I have not gotten them. I deem 2009 the year I get some new bowls and fun stuff from Bed bath and Beyond.

Why am I so set on mixing bowls? Cause mostly I Love to cook, We have been on a curry kick lately. We made a new friend in the last few months, April, who Twitters, and also cooks some kick BUTT curry. I may never go to the Thai Cafe ever again, well thats not true but close its real close to true.

Speaking of friends, my girlfriend crew has grown pretty steady in the last year or two, from Spoken, my most fantabulous best friend,(wubba- insert Jazz Hands) to Ishy and Nana, and The reemergence of Trish and Starlight. (thank you facebook for makin my friends electric so I can see them more.)And my ever present even when not present kid sister (Hi Ronata!)

I wite that paragraph to tell my crew that they mean the WORLD to me. And I love those women. They keep my focused and save me from myself.

anywho more blog posts coming soon..

Today is the day of my best friend’s birth.

Not Jerry, my best friend out side of my marriage. Today is Spoken’s Birthday. I want to tell her how much I value her, how much she brings to my world, and I know I don’t give her nearly as much as she gives me. She is my voice when I am speechless, she is the person who wants to know who I am beyond being a wife and a mother and wants to make sure I don’t forget who that is.

Thank you for being alive Spoken, I thank God for you more than you want to know.

Okay that is all the sentiment I am prepared to give today.  

Today, I have had more introspecitve activity today than I have had in, well, ever. One of my strenghts and in teh same breath weaknesses, is that I am open. I am open to ideas, Theories. I have my ideas about things, but if peopel want to talk about why they do things and how they came to a particular I am always excited to talk to people and understand why they think like the do. Those converstations typcially start with “I think this..” and the other responds the same and we talk about why we think. I love the process, I think its important as an artist and a business person to have these converstaions every where I can. These converstations typically have served me well. Sometimes not but typicaly they do. I’ve had them alot this week.

Then  I ran across these videos that lit a fire under me – like I need MORE FIRE right?!? – but actually I think I did. This last week had some bad in it, then it got good so I’m alright with that. Things are moving forward still, the studio/meeting space is till coming to pass, but recently people ahve been commenting on the “art” part of my existance and this morning I saw this and was like YES!!! SOMEBODY has said it!!

then I saw this one and thought YES!!! THAT APPLIES TO ME TOO!!!

and I felt better about my whole life.
new post coming tonight.

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That about sums up my experience with the bridal show I went to this weekend. I met a few photographers and other vendors I am excited to grow with and have a relationship with. I met some WONDERFUL brides and family members who I hope I get a chance to meet with again.  btw I love What the Duck – click the strip to go read more..

I learned alot this weekend at the Stl. Black bridal show.This was my first show in a while I ususally go cause I like to see all the stuff, and lets not forget cake samples, but this time I went as a potential vendor (I’ll be getting a booth next year) and it was interesting to look at the whole thing from a different perspective. I admit bridal shows were one of the things I liked about wedding planning, one of the few perks in that I as engaged twice, and moved my wedding date once is that I got to go to ALOT of bridal shows ( three different years worth!!) .  I did learn alot about customoer interaction and what I want to acomplish with my booth.  I figured out I am on another level. What I want to do with wedding photography and what I want to give my clients is far beyond what most photographers are thinking about. And while thats awesome, its also kinda scary. 

When I was a kid I always heard people say that St. Louis is five years behind California and New York, and if thats true we are seven years behind Europe and ten behind Japan. But I really don’t believe that. There are a ton of artists and people who are excited to bring beautiful ideas and concepts to Saint Louis. And that in itself is so exciting for instance I met the most wonderful videographer team called Exousia Video. 

I know people who have used them and we’ve been contacts via facbook for a little while but we got to meet in person and talk in between brides who approached their booth. THEY ARE AWESOME. Can I think up any more to say about them? Dude, if I could think up a better way to say AWESOMETASTIC I would. They are just so creative and energetic and just the kind of people I want my clients to hire. They care about the work on such a different level. It was so refreshing to meet a vendor who is thinking and trasforming the way brides think about their genre, they totally give me some hope that I can do what I am wanting to do.

 The blog is almost done with its update – but its not yet so if you read this thru a reader don’t go clickin thru to the blog yet I’ll tell you when I am done.

I have a session – actually two that I want to post,  no make that three and a dentist apointment so this will be a busy week.

Be peaceful Be Photographed!

which doesn’t mean a whole lot in my world, wellit means no day job for two days which is a plus but Jerrys got a software release for his job this weekend and Cammys got some birthday parites and I am waiting for product to be delivered for a few clients as I have my laptop back and I am preparing to give Spoken back hers. I really want to make margaritas tonight and eat guacamole and warm chips and maybe that white melted cheese youc an only get at mexican restaurants. Well you can buy it for a zillion dollars at schnucks but its a zillion dollars.   Or you go to the mexican spot and get a bowl of it for four bucks, and a margarita.

Eitehr way – tequillais in my future and I have alot of stuff swiriling around on teh business front and with the family, my dad is getting closer to his move to Chicago -(to my Chicago Brides.. you want that to happen so my travel costs drop a smidge..) My girls are happy that their GiGi is back from DC and shes excited and wants to start a blog - so that is a project for this weekend as well.

I can’t complain my life is wonderful. How is yours guys?

I just wanted to do a quick stop in to say hello. I am trying to move slower, in more delberate steps, as to waste less energy and time and be more complete. Jerrys mom has started Chemo and said it makes her feel better – she liked the people she met there and things are progressing wonderfully. SO we are praying that it does what it needs to do. She and Jerry are spending more time talking, and hopefully we’ll have her over for dinner in the near future.

My mom is on her way to the inaugration of our 44th president. Shes totally excited. We are excited for her. Next I have to pick a sesssion date in Baltimore, I would love to make this a two-fer, any takers in the B-more/Philly area?

It is a rare thing that I am okay with a short weekend. This one for me was extrememly short by all measurements. I spent a large chunk of my weekend working on both jobs, went to the day job at 6 am saturday to kick in some over time then when home and picked up the family and headed out to the Magic House, the new expansion was open and we really enjoyed it. Perhaps its cause I heard so many bad things about it, and after being there I am really surprised about it – but it was really nice I particularly like the way they spread everythig out so it feels like there is less stuff but really its just less children climbing all over you to get to stuff. Which is AWESOME.

A lady told Bri not to eat bubbles while my back was turned and when I turned around she got all apologetic. I’m like lady its alright, you’re right shes not supposed to eat the bubble solution. I’m not gonna get all mama bear on you. It takes a village and all that good jazz.

I’ve been told I am intimidating in certian circles, It must be true cause bubble solution lady looked like I was about to put her in a figure four head lock or something. I would have hugged her if I thought she wouldn’t have jumped out of her skin if I tried to touch her. I really must figure out how to turn that into what I always hope comes across. I always want to come across as confident and self assure, because mostly I am. I rarely want intimidating to be the vibe people get from me.

Anywho.

After the magic house we stopped and got Cammy some new shoes, she did the new shoe dance for 45 minutes after we got home.  I mention this because when you buy a happy kid shoes with lights on them they stomp around incesantly untill you suggest taking of said shoes and sitting on the couch and watching TV. Which was a cop out on my part. We’ve cut our TV time down conciderably in our house, a few days a week we simply don’t turn it on. We play boardgames and read and play with the million toys in the house, but Saturday, I was happy to allow Oswald to entertain the troops for hte last stretch of the evening.

Sunday I went to visit another Church. I am still actively in the hunt and went alone this week leaving Jerry to the joys of playoff football and the girls. I went to visit at the Journey, which has a campus close to my house, also has a Kids church which is important to Cammy. The major downer is of my two major desires for a church and my third minor one they don’t exactly hit any of them on the head. I want to find a church that is not homophobic, and doesn’t lean heavy on the acoustic guitar for worship music, i.e I need some gospel music in my life, and has an active reflection of people of color both in the parishioners and the church leadership. I’ll let you decide which two are major and which is minor.

As a friend of mine pointed out so eloquently on Sunday night. “You can’t have gospel music and the church be not homophobic – embrace the acoustic guitar!!! Its the lesser of the two evils.” How ever it amuses me, not in a ha ha sort of way but in a ironic sort of way that a church that is trying to bridge a cultural gap doesn’t see how music would be the instant divider and or uniter.

But I have decided that I’m willing to over look that as I can go get the WOW Gospel collection and get my fix on the drive to and fro. But I live five minutes from that church so maybe not.  But I hope they check their incoming links and consider this suggestion that one Sunday a month they could switch up the music and get a choir in there and increase their people of color instantly. There is something about a group of people “harmoniously” raising their voices. Always gives me chills.  

Just pointing out the obvious.

Because other wise I really enjoyed the pastor and the sermon, I like the candor in which the campus minster discussed their church with me. I like the ideals they want to stand on.

After Church it was prep time for the week, did some laundry, made dinner and lunch stuff for Monday, washed the kids coats and bed sheets – changed linnens, played more games, got to watch the last two episodes of Private Practice. Its is quickly replacing Greys as my much watch TV, cause seriously, can we just rekill Denny and get it over with.   

I will post more later this week, Spoken loaned me a laptop so I am gonna get my sessions up on line asap, just gotta load some software on there and get it goin. I leave you with the Rooster that lives in my mothers neighborhood, I don’t remember if I posted this before – but hte fact that there is a Rooseter in the CWE just tickles me.

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Today I brought a batch of Cupcakes from The Cupcakery in the CWE for a coworkers birthday. I don’t have a whole lot of co-workers I like enough to give away the cupcakey goodness that comes from The Cupcakery, but Danielle, yeah that was a no brainer. Shes 6 kinds of awesome with awesome sauce on top. So happy 29th birthday! May you have a bazillion more!

Monday, my laptop completley died, like my motherboard totally crashed, which is only annoying, not catestropic since I don’t keep files on my laptop just on external drives.  So what I thought was a minor bg last week that caused me to wipe my entire Laptop and reload everything was actually MAJOR and will require me to do it again in two weeks when I get it back.

I was supposed to go to Arizona this week, but I’m trying to be relaistc and make myself say I am not going, I can’t do it just yet.  Maybe tomorrow.

Other than that I spent the evening with my girls, did some video of Bri and Cammy (may post a little later this week) and worked on adding some software to ANOTHER pc so I can finish my sessions, I still have one to deliver.  

I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have sent in submission on my casting call. You guys rock. With my minor computer issue I will be sending out additional information towards the end of the month. 

Oh, My mother in Law, Kitty, is in the hospital and one of my ACES, Renata, her granny is not doin real well, if you pray I’d appreciate if you put them in your prayers.