Life Through the Lens

It’s been a BUSY, exhausting weekend… And even though I spent a majority of the weekend planning and hosting a baby shower for my good friend and next door neighbor that we held at our house this afternoon, and even though it’s nearly midnight, I just could not resist sorting through at least some of the photos from my session this morning with the Tufts family! And then, of course, I couldn’t resist posting a few teaser pics… This whole family was completely sweet and adorable, and were such troopers holding smiles and having a good time despite the heat and humidity! We had fun, and it’s always such a pleasure to shoot photos for such a loving family. Enjoy…

So right when I start going on and on about how hard it is to get photography clients, I get four potential requests in 2 days!  My wonderful housekeeper and friend Natalie asked just yesterday about Jose being able to do wall murals (heck yeah!) and if I could do head shots (of one of her sons).  That’d be awesome!  Then, my massage therapist Summer (also a doula and yoga teacher) who did wonderful prenatal massages for me when I was pregnant, asked me about shooting some yoga photos for her to be used in conjunction with an article that her and her husband are writing about the health enhancing benefits of connecting with nature in Yoga.  AND, she asked me about possibly doing photos for The Crossings in Austin for marketing purposes!  The latter two would be for trade (massages, spa services, etc.) which would be awesome!  I think trading services can be a great way to do business and make new connections.  Finally, my aunt works for St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center and volunteers at their gift shop, so she got me in touch with the person who manages the gift shop to talk about potentially getting a few pf my photographs on some products (e.g., prints, note cards, etc.) to be sold in there!  Aside from all this, I’ll probably be doing some photos soon for my friend Carla and her family (including adorable almost 6 month old son Everett) (I could use the practice with baby/family photos!), and then possibly some maternity pictures for Trey and Julee (another type of portrait I need practice with!)!  I’m happy all of these happenings occurred in the last 24 hours or so, because I really needed the boost!  Gives me hope…   So, while my website is being built, I temporarily have a sample gallery of photos on Picasa, with a couple of my favorites shown below (which all happen to be from Maui…)!

Jose and I are possibly going to go on a date this weekend… to Alamo Drafthouse, of course!  Still undecided on whether or not to see Date Night or Kick Ass, both of which we REALLY want to see!

I experimented with Kim’s Island Quesadilla recipe last night and it came out fantastic!  I used to be afraid to try new recipes and tended to always stay in my comfort zone, but I’m having so much fun experimenting!  It’s easier and so much more enjoyable than I ever thought it would be!  I didn’t write down what I did last night, nor did I take any pictures of it, but perhaps I should have!  Maybe I’ll do both of those things the next time I make them, and then I’ll share it on here.

I feel like so much has been going on lately!  Makes it hard to consistently blog!

I’ll be wrapping up the Spring semester of teaching at ACC soon (a few weeks, but it goes pretty quick from here on out).  This summer I’m teaching 2 classes (4 nights a week), and this Fall probably 2 classes again (3 nights a week).  I still love teaching, but I hate having to leave for work as soon as Jose gets home from working all day… So I miss out on time with him.  And then this summer I’ll likely get home after Max goes to bed, which sucks because I love being there for him in those last few waking moments.  But at least his wonderful daddy will be by his side!  On a side note, I sort of had a light bulb moment last night when I got home from work… I don’t think I want to teach Public Speaking anymore!  Thank goodness I have more options than that at ACC, but not many.  I’ve been teaching Public Speaking for 4 years now, and after yet another round of persuasive speeches, I’ve come to the realization that not everyone is going to be good at public speaking no matter what I do!  It’s like taking an art or music or math class or whatever… Some people are good at it, some people never will be.  So why force it upon them?  Public Speaking should be an elective, not a requirement.  I look forward to teaching Interpersonal Communication this summer and Intro to Communication this Fall.  I feel like those are going to be WAY more useful!  I’m not saying my Public Speaking classes aren’t useful, because I know that they’ve helped a whole bunch of students… But I’m just starting to feel like it’s forced for most people, and no matter what I do with some of them to help them try to become a better public speaker, nothing is going to work and they’re OKAY with that.  And now I am too!  Not everyone is supposed to be good at it!  It’s a real talent and skill!

Anyway… Aside from my “real” job, is my dream job….. I thought I’d try out portrait photography.  I feel like I’m pretty good at it, but I’m really bad at actually getting clients!  Unless I offer my services for FREE!  But offering free creative services really cheapens what us creatives do, so I really shouldn’t do such a thing, even if I am desperate for clients.  So I’ve gone through tons of price reductions thinking that would get me more clients, and no luck there either (except for when I got to free).  But again, I’m cheapening our industry by doing that.  But I have such a hard time finding people who are willing to pay even a fair price for portrait services and products.  It’s so frustrating!  So I find myself wanting to do what Peter Lik does: fine art photography!  No portrait clients to deal with, just me and my camera.  Now, I’m not saying it’s going to be any easier to be a fine art photographer… I’m sure it may be harder, because now I have to get my photography printed, displayed, and hope people find it worthy enough to buy and display in their homes (or wherever).  Peter Lik is just so inspiring… If you watch the videos on his website, you’ll see what I mean.  I was so inspired by a photo of his that won first prize last year in the Great Outdoors Photography Contest, that I decided to enter one of my own:

Max didn’t sleep the greatest last night, so I’m a bit sleep deprived today.  Perhaps that is where my slightly annoyed attitude is coming from today (although I really don’t mind getting up with him as many times as I need to during the night… anything to help comfort him!).  Poor guy has been teething for weeks without a single tooth to show for it yet!  Hopefully he’ll sleep better tonight…  Everyone always warns you about being sleep deprived with a newborn, but nobody ever tells you about the thousands of other reasons beyond the months of having a newborn that you’ll be sleep deprived and woken up all night long… like teething!  Such an adventure everyday, and by far the biggest learning curve I’ve ever experienced!  But I LOVE every minute of it, and never could have imagined loving it this much…  I really can’t wait until we have another baby!  Hopefully by next Spring… We know it’ll e chaotic, but it’s just the kind of chaos I want in my life.  I love family life and would take what that brings over anything else any day.

Speaking of which, Max is having a hard time napping from the teething pain again, so I better go!  Tonight I’m looking forward to cooking (thanks to an awesome Whole Foods grocery trip!) Island Quesadillas with Lime Sour Cream and Pureed Mango Dip (recipe thanks to Kim!).  Hubby and I are also looking forward to watching Lost, Glee, and Parenthood!  Three of our favorite shows right now…

Not me!  I’m actually feeling pretty great today, despite an early wake up time… Max slept for a record 9 hours straight last night… He was up at about 4:30am, but having uninterrupted sleep until then was fabulous!  I actually think he would have slept even more if it wasn’t for the dogs stirring and trying to wake up Jose for their early morning walk.  Max’s crib is still in our bedroom right now, mostly because his nursery was temporarily turned into a storage room!  We’re working on getting it cleaned out asap, and we ordered blackout curtains last week for it, so we can try to get him in there very soon.  I think he’ll sleep even better once he doesn’t have me, Jose, or the dogs to wake him up!  It’ll be sad to not have him nearby, but I actually think we’re all (emotionally) ready for it!

I’ve been struggling lately trying to decide what photos to get printed in what format… I want to try to sell a few things, and possibly get into some cafes and/or galleries, but I don’t know what people want to look at and/or buy!  Should I do postcards?  Blank note cards with a photo on the front?  Stationary?  Photos printed on canvas?  Prints in a matte?  Framed photos?  What do people want to buy these days with photography?  And what types of photos???   I keep stressing about this and Jose keeps telling me, “It’s not about what other people like.  It’s about what YOU like.  When you start doing it for other people, you lose what’s meaningful to you…” Or something along those lines.   And he’s right… I need to just pick the photos that I like, and run with it.  But then what format to print them on?????

I’m still on cloud nine from having such a fabulous Easter weekend… It was the best family time ever, and we all had so much fun together.  And my facial on Saturday was amaaazing.  The egg cracking contest last night was fun as usual… and Jose won (probably because he put his fabulous artistic spin on coloring our eggs!).  Then we watched Spiderman 3!  Forgot how good it was!  This weekend Jose and I are hoping to get a babysitter and go on a date to the Alamo Drafthouse to see Date Night!  Two of our favorite comedians out for an adventurous and hilarious date night… What could be better!  I hope it works out, because we haven’t gone out on our own “date” since February!

Working out and yoga is still going strong (and Max napping in his crib!)… Although some days I’m more motivated than others.  But my motivation is rekindled when I fit into my “skinny jeans” each day!  There’s a month long Hatha Yoga beginner’s series starting tomorrow night at Yoga Yoga… It’s on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:30pm… I want to do it, but by the time evening rolls around, I’m sooo very tired!  I’ll keep you posted on whether or not I start it tomorrow!  I really need to get back to postnatal yoga, too… It’s been hard to motivate myself to go since my favorite teacher has been out on maternity leave!  But she’ll definitely be back May 1.

I’ll leave you with a couple more pictures from yesterday… Enjoy!

I had a few plans for today (like a morning Hatha yoga class and a wildflower photo outing), but instead it’s almost 2pm and I’m still in my pajamas…   But isn’t that what weekends are for?  Total relaxation?  As usual, I type this entry while Max is napping, but he always inevitably seems to wake up about halfway thr0ugh my posts!  We’ll see…

Had a yummy breakfast with hubby and Max (well, Max had his usual…)… We haven’t started him on solids yet, but plan to around his 6-month birthday in a few weeks… That is, if I don’t get too antsy sooner!  I did buy his first rice cereal yesterday at Whole Foods, and bought him some spoons and bowls a couple of weeks ago at Target.   It kinds of nerve-wracking though (and a little bit sad too!) thinking about transitioning him from breastfeeding to solids.  My little boy is growing up so quickly and soon will hardly be too dependent on mama!  I hear that little boys are totally a “mama’s boy” until they stop breastfeeding or some close to it, and then they head for daddy!  Although I’m already starting to see the incredibly adorable attachment and need that Max has for his daddy…

I have an appointment at Spa Reveil this afternoon for a facial with my favorite esthetician, Jaclyn.  It’s been a few months since I’ve been, so I’m SUPER excited for some relaxation and “mommy time.”  I’m going to use a gift certificate my mom got me for my birthday!  I’m dying to get a haircut, too, but I have NO idea who to go to that I can trust with my curly hair!  The woman that used to cut it up and left for New Orleans without telling me…   So I don’t think I’ve cut my hair since……… August!  Eek!

Maybe we’ll all get out tomorrow to see some wildflowers.  I really want to go out and enjoy them before they’re all gone!  That sounds like an enjoyable first family Easter with Maximilian…   That, and of course dying some eggs (that I boiled yesterday) and having the traditional egg cracking contest!  Oh yeah, and cooking a ham that I also got at Whole Foods yesterday!  Man I LOVE that store…

Speaking of Whole Foods… Yesterday I felt like super mama!  Max napped like a champion when I put him in his crib, then we managed to get in a perfectly peaceful grocery shopping trip to Super Target, then home for another Max nap, then a second grocery trip to Whole Foods (we can’t live without their produce, meat selection, among a few other organic items)… Then since he was already strapped into the Baby Bjorn, I walked next door to Old Navy and bought him a couple more cute summer clothing items (got some stuff for him at Target, too!).  On top of our shopping outings, I managed to do 4 loads of laundry, 3 loads of dishes, AND over-seeded our front and back lawns with Bermuda seed to help thicken it up a bit.  I would have cooked dinner too, but Jose was the point man for homemade pizza… and it was YUMMY!  My days aren’t always that successful, peaceful, and productive, so I was one happy mama!

Today’s photo is inspired by relaxation and my trip to the spa later today… I’m starting to see a trend here…   And, I promise sometime soon I’ll snap some NEW photos to upload and share… It’s just so much work to bust out my Nikon D80, take a picture, connect the camera to my computer, upload the photo, make some minor tweaks in Photoshop, and then save and upload it here… But I PROMISE I will soon!

P.S. Max is still napping!  Wahoo!

The second day of any resolution or challenge is, well, a challenge!  However, I’m happy to say that so far I’m sticking to everything… Did my workout early this morning, got in some yoga, and Max is sleeping in his crib right now for a nap (which is getting easier and easier to accomplish by the way!).

This weekend I’m looking forward to coloring Easter eggs with the fam, and hopefully hunting down a great wildflower spot to try and snap a few family photos.   I also bought Max a couple of cute pieces of clothing at Target today to have him wear for his 5 month photos, which hopefully I’ll shoot in the next couple of days!  But before all of those shenanigans, tonight it’s time to watch Men Who Stare at Goats, and enjoy some of Jose’s famous homemade pizza!  Our usual Friday night tradition…

I’m a bit exhausted today (maybe because it’s Friday and it’s been a long week?), so I’m going to post another favorite picture from my past.  These are from the Tedeschi Winery in Maui, Hawaii.  We visited there last July, and aside from just loving Maui (or maybe just Hawaii in general for that matter) so very much, this winery was just WONDERFUL!  It was peaceful, unique, organic, full of history, beautifully maintained, charming, and run by an amazingly warm and welcoming staff.  I frequently think back to our trip and that day alone forever inspires me.  I love the colors, the mood, the plants and flowers, the views…  The peacefulness we found there is what I strive to carry with me on a daily basis!

I’ve finally decided to join the world of blogging.  I’ve been nothing but inspired since baby Maximilian has come into our lives, so this is another result of that!  I want to start sharing our life and experiences with the world, mostly as seen through the lens of my camera.  Or, I’ll at least post some photos that I’ve taken in the past that I’m currently inspired by.  So, where are we at in life today?  I want to start off by providing a little background into our lives…

Well, it’s April 1st, and while most might just see today as April Fool’s Day, for some reason I feel like it’s New Year’s Day all over again!  Today I am starting Yoga Yoga’s 40-day yoga challenge!  What better way to live life than through a daily yoga practice?  Also, I recently completed EA Sports Active’s 30-day challenge, so today I began their ‘More Workouts’ 6-week challenge!  “There’s more to life than fitness,” you say?  Well, I figured a healthy mind and a healthy body are the stepping stones for a happier and healthier overall life.  If I can take care of myself first, the rest will fall into place much more easily.

So next on the agenda is getting Maximilian to only nap in his crib!  Yes, yes… for 5 months now (he turned 5 months old yesterday!), he has taken about 85% of his naps on my LAP!  Obviously, this is a hindrance in terms of trying to do things like photography and working out and cooking and cleaning… etc!  I’m happy to say that as I write this, he’s napping in his crib!  Wahoo!  Mission accomplished!  Oh yeah, and expect to see tons of pictures of him on here, too!

Another “resolution” I’ve made for the start of April is to start this blog and begin to share my photography with the world!  I’ve unofficially started a portrait photography business, but what I think I would truly love is to really take off with my fine art photography (aiming to sell prints, photos on canvas, be in art shows, galleries, etc.), because I’ve been completely inspired and motivated by Peter Lik lately!  I went to one of his galleries for the first time and discovered him when Jose and I were in Maui last July on our “babymoon!”  So most of what I post on here may not be of portraits I’ve been hired to take, but rather what I’ve been able to capture with my camera lately (or at some point in the past).

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, my mission in life is to be the best wife (and mother… and dog owner… and daughter…) that I can be, because family is THE most important thing to me!  To help accomplish this, Jose and I are setting out to live a more peaceful and simple life, as well as making our wonderful home as cozy and relaxing as possible.  For example, we started by cleaning out our closets and donating tons of old clothes… Now we’re on to soon getting rid of excesses pieces of smaller furniture (we’ll need to babyproof soon!).  Last week, my wonderful father even came down to help Jose start (and put a big dent in!) our landscaping projects!  Pictures to come!  Soon we’ll even be taking the leap and canceling cable!  It has just really started to amaze us how much is spent every month on unnecessary things like cable television (especially since most shows can be watched online these days!).  So, I’ll keep you post on our progress toward simplification as well.

For now, I leave you with a picture I took in Balboa Park when we lived in California… The color is just inspiring to add a little more color and cheer into our lives!  I better finish up quick!  Max has woken up and is talking up a storm in his crib!  Oh no, just checked on him… a blowout!  Gotta run!

Spanish Village - Balboa Park