just another manic monday

i know that i’ve seriously dated myself with that blog title, but hey, i’m a child of the 80's and i embrace it!

but really, it was a completely hectic, frustrating, kids bent outta shape, mom losing her grip, toddler teething, husband cranky, kind of day.

by evening, i wanted to quit. just sit down and yell ”i quit!’... followed by a few expletives that i'm sure you can imagine.

but moms can’t quit. the best we can do is take a breather... and hope no one gets injured during our 5 minute absence!


so i took my much needed breather, stepped out onto the porch in the cool evening air, and was presented this. 

it was like God knew i needed to see that he was right there with me and that the world was not crumbling down around me, but really the most beautiful place. and i just needed a reminder.

so there ya have it.
the king of all artists, and this was His take on monday... on my front porch.

thankful

thanksgiving was wonderful. there are so many things to be thankful for i don’t even know where to begin... first off, i'm thankful for being so busy. i’ve been a terrible blogger lately because i've been so swamped with art direction and design work, that i haven't taken on any photography work since my last sneak peek weeks ago. the weather has changed, so it’s made that transition a little easier on me. although i’m starting to feel the itch to get clickin' again, and soon! i have some families lined up for Christmas pictures and so i justified purchasing a new lens that will make shooting indoors better all around. more to come on that...

until then, i've got a ton of work to plow through and you might not be seeing a post a for a bit. but don’t forget about me entirely! i promise i'll be back.

for now, heres what i'm thankful for...
friends who welcome us into their home for the holidays
friends who cook, really, really well
my children, who are beautiful (i’m a bit biased though), healthy and feisty
my good health and good sense of humor, which i think influences the former greatly
my adoring husband who loves me even though i’m a pain in the ass
inspiration
determination
motivation
williams and sonoma hot chocolate with whipped cream
left-over turkey for turkey noodle soup
my clients and the work they send my way
my friends who encourage me every day
julie’s new baby boy, kenyon, who i cannot wait to get my hands on!
friends who are far, whom i miss terribly, and i know miss me right back (even though i’m a pain in the ass)
my new lens
food in the fridge
heat coming out of the vents
lights on my house (soon!)
... and duct tape
:-)


here are few shots i took of our turkey day celebrations!
sweet dreams.

Gerratt Family Sneak Peek!

ok, i accidentally deleted this post! that's the kind of day i’m having... sorry about that...

here’s a do-over.

yesterday i had the opportunity to photograph a fantastic family... who froze their booties off the entire time! we shot from 4:30-5:50 and it must have been around 37˚. we got our first light dusting of snow later that evening! but these guys were troopers and hung in there until the light was pretty much gone and everyone was frozen solid.

despite the cold, the photos turned out great! and i had a wonderful time!
not a bad way to spend a friday afternoon, i must say.

here are some favorites... scroll, scroll, scroll...

isn’t mom beautiful.

... and what a crush i have on this little guy.

so adorable. so animated. i just love him.

this is their oldest son. he’s 8.

i’m sure his parents already have girls calling!

i always save dessert for last.

isn’t she the sweetest thing?

thanks gerratt clan!

i hope you like how these turned out. i do!

on november 9

on november 9 i was asked for a recent copy of my resumé. i dug through my files to find the latest version i had was dated february 2008. so i began to review and update... i found myself saying out loud “yeah, but that's not all!” but this list of employment and achievements was already two whopping pages long. long enough that by the second page whomever is reading it inevitably starts to glaze over. at least that’s the effect it has on me!

i guess that's my problem. i never quite fit onto a single page, not even two pages. does anyone? there's just more to it.
thank heavens.

the things that don't fit seem to be the things, in my mind at least, that a potential client or employer would want to know the most! like... i cant say “no”. i work at all hours and pull out all the stops to get it done if i say i can, even when i'm throwing up with food poisoning (more on that later)... i love, love, love that my job allows me so much creativity... i proof my work for smart punctuation (and if you know what that means, you're just as crazy as i am!)... the list goes on.

i guess my point is, that there should be some other thing you can submit to potential clients &  employers besides a resumé... hmmm, like a blog!

i can’t fit onto a single sheet, nor could all the fabulous women i know out there.
but leave it to me to turn it into a photo opportunity.

ok, are you ready for some tmi?
just after snapping this image i rushed to the bathroom and threw up.
hey! i warned you!
i threw up every 30 minutes for the next nine hours. impressive, no?
so, once again, i'm ot really a slacker. i meant to post something, but things got a little hairy.

i started feeling queazy during dinner out at taco del mar (i hope i don’t get sued for defamation of character by posting this, but it's true!) and as the night progressed, so did the rumbling in my tummy. so i’ve spent the last two days either barfing or feeling like i was going to. and in between barfing, i worked. seriously, i need to get a grip and let it go sometimes, i swear.

today, however, i've joined the land of the living and am feeling much, much better.

and now i have a ton of work to tackle, because mom’s don’t get sick days, not really.

here's tuesday’s photo opportunity... on thursday.

**oh, and i've got a shoot this friday. so check back for a sneak peek on saturday or sunday!

i'm a slacker... but not really.

i feel like one because i haven't posted anything since last tuesday. i thought i'd be posting some pics of a family shoot that was supposed to happen friday. but we cancelled. it was gray and drizzly, and i knew it wouldn't be good. the next day and the day after have been gorgeous though. so we've rescheduled for this coming week and i'll be praying the sun continues to shine on us. not just for the shoot, but for my mood as well. a little vitamin D goes a long way with me.

it might have been a blessing in disguise though. i've been swamped with work, staring at the computer all week. it's beautiful outside right now. a perfect fall day. crisp and sunny... while i sit here watching daddy and the dudes play... in the street.
so i'm thinking four things:
1) i really hope no one gets hit by a car
2) i wish i could play too
3) i'm really lucky to have such a great hubby who loves to play with his kids while i work (um, blog). but i'm getting to the work part.

wait, i need to add a fourth thing:
4) i would kill for a hot latté right now.  i guess #4 goes without sayin' though.

i was wishing i had something spectacular to post... and then i remembered that i never posted these shots of the leaves from about three weeks ago. maybe not spectacular... but they're ok. the leaves have pretty much all fallen by now, so it's kinda nice to look at these and be reminded. i can almost forget that my burning bush stands naked as a jay-bird, and my maples are bare. poor things.

next, i might post a collage of everything i've been working on in design world... i know, it's exciting.
for now, enjoy the color.

shutter sisters : self portrait, yuck!

todays shutter sisters post is about self portraits. for the photographer, this is a rarity. for the mother, it's even more rare... so for the photographing mommy, it's almost unplausable. i shudder even thinking about it.

why? because we are overly critical. because we seldom take the time for ourselves to feel great in front of the camera. we are so often the ones taking the pictures, we are rarely in them. and if the picture captures our daily lives, it’s sometimes less than ravishing. these are my reasons, anyway.

i’m sure there are the mothers out there who always feel fabulous about themselves... but sorry, that's not me. it’s not most of the moms i know either. so, if you are one of those women, you probably need not read on...

when i do a family shoot, i always try to capture a few shots of the mom. images that she would be proud to show. images where she's having a great time with her kids, and looking great doing it! i think it's important to have photographs of ourselves doing what we do everyday, and feeling great about it. it helps on those days when we aren't feeling so great about it!

anyway... i'm getting there. today's shutter sisters post is about self portraits. a lot of the women photographers who post here are moms. i can relate to these women. and i feel like a lot of them: it's really hard to make yourself take a picture of yourself! 

i hate it!

i wish i had the same compassion and love for myself as i do the other mothers i photograph.  but alas, i took several pictures, disgusted with most of them... the crooked nose (which is something i discovered today. how did i miss that all these years?), the pores, the crows feet, the bags under the eyes, the pursed lips (i imagine this is the look i give my husband when i am stressed out, ’cause i was!)... oh, need i go on?

but i decided i had to do it. i had to post, at least, one i could live with. even if i didn't like it. almost because it makes me uncomfortable. it's like i'm not used to seeing myself.
maybe it's exposure therapy (no pun intended)—my friends will just love this!

and just look! i posted TWO! i'm making progress as i type!

so there you have it. here i am. tuesday morning. somewhere in between laundry, snacks, cleaning the bathroom, work...

i'm a work in progress, and i'm working on liking what i see, just like most women.

and now i'm off to buy something with retinol in it.

halloween 2009

i just love this photo!
this is my friend's little girl. she's precious! she and her brother had just showed up at our house to start trick-or-treating with my boys, and i just love how you can feel the excitement. and this is the perspective of a mother looking down at her kiddo. i love that.

and the crumpled antennae (which you’ll just have to imagine) were perfect!