Monday, August 30, 2010

In Case You Were Wondering...

I accidentally deleted my old blog template.

Yep. Some things never change. I'm just as technologically impaired as ever. I went in to try and clean some buttons off and remove all of the links and then ... ooopsy. I realized a little too late that I accidentally copied, then deleted, a few too many things.

Ahem.

I contacted my designer, who so GRACIOUSLY sent me another copy of my template, but Michelle the Wonder Monkey can't figure out how to install it.

And I'm too embarrassed to ask for help. I'm telling y'all, I need a 12 step program.

Sooo, this is how it will look for now. I was looking to change things up and simplify a bit anyway, but never planned on annihilating the whole template. Hopefully I won't annihilate the content as well. :)

I have to tell y'all, I wanted to end this post with a picture, but Blogger makes it so stinking hard to upload a picture that it's not even funny. Look at me. I'm not laughing.

And I'm not posting a picture either. So there.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I Was a Rock. If You Don't Count the Ugly Cry.

So... yesterday was THE day.

I sent my 10 year old Grace and 7 year old Liv off to public school for the very first time. Grace attended a private school last year and we simply didn't have the funds (as in COLD HARD CASH! Private school is ex-PENNNN-sive, ya'll!) to send one of them back, much less TWO of them. It's this little thing called eating that our family likes to do occasionally. Liv has just homeschooled for the past 2 years.


I'm not going to get into as to why we chose public school and whether or not it's wrong or right for Christians to send their children there. I might tell that story later - because I used to be one of those that said it could only be one way. Let's just say that I believe there is grace in many things and for my own personal sanity (quite literally), this was the best decision for us at this time in our lives. And look at me ... talking like people are actually READING this thing! Ha! (With exception of you, Jennifer! Thank you!)

It was a hard morning all the way around for me. The getting up part, especially. I am not a morning person, y'all. The girls, however, were JACKED up! And when the lunches were packed and the backpacks on their backs, making them look like cute little pack mules ... it was time. We had to walk out the d00r

Wow Liv. Thanks for that shot of the paper towel and Kleenex. Real classy.
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And then one in front of the school... and again, the paper towel.
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And then came the long walk in. Okay, not really, but it sounded more dramatic that way. Bet ya can't guess what's under Liv's left arm..
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BUT...

I begged for just ONE more picture. Because we all know that there is nothing more special than a shot in front of dirty, red brick.

And guess what?

AGAIN... that lovely roll of paper towel forever preserved in our 2010 Back-to-School pictures!
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And then we walked into the building taking Liv to her class first so she could finally unload that cumbersome roll of paper towel. And as we stood there waiting for the teacher to greet her and send me off, I felt the lump swelling in my throat. I did not want to break out into the Ugly Cry in front of a bunch of 2nd graders, so while we were waiting I leaned down and whispered into Liv's ear that she was going to have a fantastic day and how much I loved her. That's when my voice cracked. I tried to cover with a throat clear, but I'm not 100% sure she was buying it. I managed to not sob into the teacher's bosom, waved goodbye and left.

Then I had to take Grace to her classroom. Y'all, I SO did NOT want to be THAT parent that walked into her kid's 5th grade class. But I was. She can get therapy later. I sat her at her desk and again told her I loved her, said my goodbyes and left. And I kid you not ... she was SO stinking small compared to the other girls! In more ways than one.. ::wink wink:: ... holy cow! But that's for another post. I could tell she was ready to be on her own and when the girl next to her said 'hi' to her I felt a whole lot better.

I walked down the hallway, supressing the emotional wave that was engulfing me, then out of the school. I had to walk across the street to get to my Suburban and dang it all if I didn't have to use the crossing guard. I so BAD wanted to take a picture of her, but thought that would look a little creepy to the other parents standing around. Yea. So I didn't. I finally made it across the street, got into my Suburban and proceeded to cry the very definition of the Ugly Cry.

No sir-ee, it was not pretty in the least. I went on a guilt trip or two, beat myself up a little, wiped the mascara from my weepy eyes and then drove off. It was over.

Good thing I had a busy day planned out or I KNOW I would have obsessed a time or 52. I took Hope and Charlie with me to the chiropractor and then we headed to the Land of Shoes and Great Clearance ...

Target. (angel voices singing loudly)

This would be the Target where walking through the Ladies Shoe Department, Hope loudly proclaims,

"Mommy! You have boobies!"

Charlie decides she wants in on the fun and begins yelling,

"Boobies, boobies, boobies!!" And then proceeds to start poking the aforementioned area.

I shushed Hope, but apparently not enough because the next (loud) thing out of her mouth was,

"WHY do you have boobies, Mommy? Are they to feed Charlie?"

I'm certain that is some mother out there who could have used this as a learning opportunity, I however, was NOT that mother.

We exited the shoe department swiftly. I'm not ashamed to say I ran.

I spent the rest of the afternoon running errands and only showed up 30 minutes early to pick the girls up. I thought that was pretty good for the overprotective momma that I am can sometimes be.

I am proud to announce there were two very happy, exhausted girls.

I was good until last night when I was reminded that we have to do it all over again today. ::sigh::

But hopefully without the Ugly Cry.


Monday, August 23, 2010

I'm Back.

Why, you ask? Aren't I off photographing something magical for someone somewhere else and now have a 'professional' photography blog?

Yup.

And in the meantime I've quit my own life. And I hate it. Not the photography, just the fact that I'm not documenting the life that matters. My own. My children are growing and time is slipping away from me and a gazillion and one funny things have happened and milestones have been achieved and I've written how many down?

Zilch.

So I'm back. I don't even care if anyone reads this blog. I don't really even like the 'looks' of it anymore. Funny how tastes change over time, isn't it. The point is, I'm here to tell my story. I'm here to celebrate my children.

I'm here because I need to be.

So if you've lurked around in hopes that I might come back ... you're in luck. If you just forgot to delete me from your blogroll, then guess what? You're in luck. Or not. Because I'm back, baby.

Is my photography blog important? Yes. It's terribly behind, too. But guess what? I don't care. This is the life that matters to me. The here and now. And for whatever reason, I just can't spill my guts over there and tell funny anecdotes from the things that Hope does or how I love wrapping my fingers around Charlie's soft blonde curls or how Madgirl got her driver's license this past week. I just can't.

So here I am.

I'm not sure how much I will be around but I WILL be around.

First up on the order of discussion: School.

Grace and Liv start public school for the first time tomorrow ... uh .. today. I. Am. A. Wreck. For many reasons, but mostly just because I love having my babies close to me. Call me overprotective and I'll .... I'll...I'll .... agree. ::sigh:: I am SO one of those moms.

At any rate, there's lots on my mind concerning this big day, but seriously people... I have to go to bed lest I get up late, making my children late for their first day of school.

And that is SO something I am capable of.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Your Eyes Do Not Deceive You. I Have Actually Posted.

Two months.

That's how long it's been since I've posted. I know. Bad. Not conducive to good blogging conduct as well. Some of you have even been worried about me and for that I am VERY sorry. And just for the record I am fine, Monk is fine (maybe not mentally, but that is neither here nor there) and the kids are fine.

The gist of my absence largely rests upon my photography business. It got way out of control, way fast and I didn't know how to handle it, a large family and a blog. Things were way out of balance and I had to give up something.

And it was my blog.

Y'all. It was like giving up a child. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but close. I mourned over not blogging and I cannot tell you just how many times I thought to myself, "I can't WAIT to blog this!". And then I couldn't. It was hard people. Very, very hard. And for a long time I didn't think I would ever find time to get back to it. So many things happened, including the demise of my Dell laptop.

Yes, THAT Dell. The Dell I just got last year. I killed it. In one year. What can I say, it's a gift.

I spent weeks crying because I thought I was going to lose clients pictures because my computer was malfunctioning so badly. I didn't have enough money saved in my business to be able to buy a new one and I didn't know what I was going to do. My computer was working so slowly that it was taking 3 times as long to edit pictures as it should. I was behind. Very, very behind.

I spent many evenings during the weeks leading up to Christmas at a local Border's Books just editing away. I would come home and stay up late into the night, going to bed at 1 am and getting back up at 7 am. It was a rough time, a learning time and a time I care to never revisit again.

Then my husband rescued me. He bought me a new computer. Not just any computer either. A 17 inch Macbook Pro with a 17 inch screen. It's a beauty, y'all. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this computer. It has made my job a whole lot easier. And slowly but surely I am digging out from under the mountain of editing that had piled up.

And guess what else? I'm blogging again. But more on that later... First, I'm going to give you a brief list of the things that have happened since I last blogged. Just so you know I'm not kidding when I say I was busy!

- In October I second shot my first wedding. LOVED IT!
- In November I did MANY family photos, children's photos AND photographed an entire wedding ALL BY MYSELF!
- In December my sweet Charlie turned 1!! It killed me not to blog that! My Liv turned 7 and I shot ANOTHER wedding as the lead photographer and shot a birth! By this time my computer problems were in full swing and things were not good at all.
- In January I got my new computer 2 weeks ago and since then I've shot two births, booked to be a second shooter in 3 weddings AND My Boy was accepted the University of Arkansas!! He's a HOG, y'all!! This saddens me greatly due to my undying love of my beloved Texas Longhorns. However, because of my great affinity for bacon I do believe that I can deal with him being a Hog. Sooooiiiee!!

And here's the BIG news I've been saving for last. Some of you may like it and some of you may hate it. And that's why I'm throwing it out here because I really want your opinion. And if nobody comments then I can assume my decision is made for me. So here's your chance for your voice to be heard. So SPEAK, people!

I'm fairly certain that I'm going to stop posting at all on Monk's Wife. I'm going to try and find a service to back up my years of blogging on here and call it a wrap.

HOWEVER. (Now that y'all have sucked all of the oxygen out of the room and your children are gasping for breath!)

I have purchased a professional photography blog. And because it's my personality to be totally different (or weird if you may), I'm not only going to post my photography work there, but post my personal stuff as well. Yes, even the crazy, disgusting things that occur with 6 children. I want clients to know me. The real me. And I also want to keep up with all you fine people, but I want to do it all under one roof ... er.. um...blog.

Some have told me that it's photographical suicide. Others have said it's brilliant. I need to do what my gut tells me to do and my gut says this is right for me. So here's the deal.

Go visit the new blog all week this week. I'll be posting personal and professional stuff all through the week. Then come back and tell me what you think. And be honest. Keep in mind that I haven't finished tweaking my blog yet. I just haven't had time. I've got the basic stuff up that I needed to get going and I'm starting there. I'll get all technical-ish later. Tell me what you like, what you don't and if you like my hair.

And the new "professional" (oooohhhh!!) blog address is:

So go on. Get out of here. And if you're still reading here after a two months absence ... God bless you.