Back to business!

New Orleans, like always, was a blast. It was our 4th time there as a couple, Neil's 8th time. We love it there. So much to do, see, and especially eat. You definitely cannot go there if you're on a diet, which is why I love going there pregnant. I can't be on a diet and I can use baby/pregnancy as an excuse to eat everything! :) Golly, the food is so good.

So we got back Sunday at almost midnight. The actual drive back was kinda crazy. We stopped in Marion, Illinois for dinner thinking we could go somewhere good since I am familiar with the town since my mom's family lives there and we went to school there. We were going to go eat at a great Mexican place that we like but when we found it, all the lights were out. Then we noticed that other places were out, and then we saw all the uprooted trees. I called my mom who then called my aunt, and while she was making her phone calls, I talked to my cousin, Abby, and she told me that Friday night they had an "inland hurricane". Some reports say that and others say a tornado. Whatever it was, it was very bad. 3 people were killed, homes destroyed, lives changed. Thankfully my family was okay (we have probably 3 dozen or more relatives down there). Southern Illinois University is just getting back to school today as well as some businesses and the government offices. So needless to say, we drove on up a few miles to Mt. Vernon to eat. The storms have been awful through the midwest. Thankfully we didn't encounter a single drop of rain in New Orleans. We were really lucky.

More about New Orleans with pictures in the coming days!

Yesterday I had a big job. I started as head photographer for a new magazine called "Thrive". Strangely enough I got this job through Facebook. Facebook has been extraordinary for me and my business. I never dreamed it would. Katrina from Showcard Studios saw my work and really liked it. She called me and the rest is history. Check out her design group. It's AWESOME. She is very very talented!

So we are made up of mostly women; the graphic designers, journalist and myself, are all female. It's kinda of empowering and pretty darn awesome. Our first issue comes out in June. My deadline was coming up so yesterday I made my rounds shooting various places around the area. We are showcasing entertainment and businesses that people may not know of. My first stop was The Surf Club, a private pool nestled into a corner of Decatur. I had never been there before. It was in shambles when I was there since they are getting ready to open in a week and a half. They're repainting the 3 pools, getting the lounge areas ready and so forth. So I didn't have much at all to shoot which made it difficult. But I did what I could. I like photography challenges! Here's just a couple. Check out Thrive in June to see the rest.

So this is how it should look during the peak of summer. I found this big photo in the lounge and shot a picture of the picture :) I'm sure this one won't be used in the magazine. I just did it for reference.
Then it was off to "Just a Little Prick" which is a tattoo parlor on West Eldorado. It was the coolest tattoo parlor I've ever set eyes on. It was really neat, very clean, very retro. Loved the design. It totally threw me off thinking "are we really in Decatur?". I had the most fun there. I had the kids with me and at the entrance it said (on more than one sign), "No kids allowed under any circumstance". Well, guess what?! I got to break a rule. So the kids sat on this sparkly silver retro bench and watched in awe. They were so incredibly good. The workers even commented. (I'm so proud of my kiddos.) So a guy was in the middle of getting a really cool army tattoo. We got to see the tattoo artist draw it on and begin tattooing. I also got to see a girl get her tongue pierced but I didn't think that needed to be in any magazine promoting Decatur ;) So here's a few shots...I'm sure Kat will chose some others for the 'zine, so remember to check it out in June. (Sorry for all the plugs, but I'm just very excited about my new job and this new magazine - it's what Decatur needs!)
The kids on their retro bench. They sat there like this the entire time.

Noah mesmerized. He wasn't the only one mesmerized, I was too!

Our last stop was at Michael Scherer's recording studio for DreamVizion Productions. He is part of a jazz trio but also does score for movies, one of which will be showcased at the Sundance Film Festival this year! Isn't that awesome?! He's so young, too. I had a fabulous time meeting him and the kids loved listening to his music.

Have a great rainy day everyone! I love days like this...

Oh, and just for the record, I go to see the Pediatric Cardiologist next Thursday in Peoria, IL. They will do and Echocardiogram on baby's heart. I'm seeing some of the best doctors in the state. I have a feeling everything will be okay, but they have to do this for precaution which is good. I feel like I'm in such good hands with my amazing doctors, not to mention friends with such strengthening prayer. Thank you :) xo

Long-awaited update

It's been long enough since I posted at my more recent blog that I don't think some of you know that I'm pregnant. Way to welcome myself back with big news, hey? So now let's back up a bit.

The day I found out I was pregnant, I also found out I had Fibromyalgia and Sjogren's Syndrome. A few months before that, I found out I also had Hypothyroidism and PCOS (Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome). As if my life couldn't have gotten any more complicated when we found out the news of another baby in incubation. ;) I wasn't sure whether to be excited or worried. Of course I only got very worried, excitement unable to set in.

To bring you up to my current status, I'm still pregnant. (Great big smile.) 16-1/2 weeks, to be exact. We find out the sex of the baby in 15 days (yes, I'm counting down).

The first 13 weeks were a crazy roller coaster filled with mostly the big downs. I was super sick, losing about 10 lbs. I was extremely exhausted, not just because of the pregnancy, but also because of my illnesses, well, and then the fact that I was also mothering two pre-school-aged children. It was very hard. I've had one bout of major pain lasting about a week. When I have the bouts of pain, it's hard to function. My arms, legs, feet, elbows, upper back all hurt. (When I say "hurt", it feels just like body aches when you have the flu, only worse. So sit back and imagine that. It's not fun.) I get spasms throughout my body and limbs go numb. I also get really exhausted and just need to sleep, but as all us mothers know, that's nearly impossible. So I just bite my tongue through the pain, try and parent the best I can, and do what I can to just get through another day (all the while complaining and crying to Neil every waking minute he's here -- he's my rock). Thankfully that just lasted about a week. Things have pretty much been in remission since then. Knock-on-wood. I would be quite happy if I could make it the rest of the pregnancy without anymore bouts. Actually, I would be ecstatic.

On the plus side, baby is doing quite well. S/he is growing on time and then some. S/he is measuring 2 weeks ahead (something we'll get more concerned with as time goes on) and his/her heart rate has been nice and high. Now I'm feeling kicks and movements constantly which is reassuring and wonderful. I have missed those kicks...something you hope to never forget once you're not pregnant, but when you are again, you welcome back that feeling with open arms because you forgot how great the real thing felt.

The first few weeks were tough. Not just because I was so sick but because it was a very risky time. I saw my doctor every 2 weeks and had 4 ultrasounds in that time. We went into the pregnancy thinking I was going to miscarry, but s/he came through for me! Making it to the 13 week point was such a huge huge milestone. I have now "graduated" to just every 4-week appointments.

Now we're just waiting anxiously for the next appointment, hoping we get good news from the level II ultrasound which will tell us a lot about the baby's health. I'm very nervous about that. I am taking a lot of drugs and while I know they are deemed safe, it is still scary to put anything questionable in your body when you're carrying a baby.

In other areas of our life... Neil is working hard and traveling a LOT. He got another new responsibility at work and so far that has meant he travels much more. Not my cup of tea, especially during pregnancy. I am hoping he'll get it out of his system before baby arrives. I'll need him much more then. But in the last 3 weeks he has been to New York City, San Antonio, Geneva, Switzerland, and Paris, France. Tomorrow he leaves for Chicago. Based on his pictures, I really hope to get to go to Switzerland with him sometime. Looks gorgeous and a place I'd love to document with my own photography.

I signed Noah up last week for kindergarten. That was hard. On me. I sat in the car and took a few deep breaths and held back tears before heading in. It was just such a big step in his/my life. It means reading, writing, tying shoes, losing teeth, and going full-days at school. My baby is a big boy now. It's hard to come to that realization some days, especially on the day of registration.

Maia is also signed up for next year, pre-school. She'll go every day, half days. She's very very ready and I'm ready for her. (It's so much easier to let go of her versus Noah and I'm not sure why that is, but it is.) She already knows her teacher quite well and a handful of her classmates. I know she will do very well and I'm thrilled for her. She'll have a much better time getting to go to school every day than spending the mornings with mommy and baby. It will also be good for baby and me to have this one-on-one time together. Ultimately will make it easier for all I hope.

In my photography world, to be honest, I've been very slow. After Christmas, most sittings stopped, and I have no weddings booked for 2009 (something I did on purpose and am very excited about). Not being busy has been a Godsend as I don't think I could have done anything, even if asked to, the past 4 months. Now that spring is peeking out it's head, people are getting the itch for photos, so my months ahead are booking up. I love family and baby/child sittings. While I adore weddings, I feel I can be more creative and have much more fun with smaller shoots. Not to mention I get MUCH more time with my family.

A few months ago I was offered a job through a graphic design firm in Decatur to work for them doing specific photo shoots every month. They kind of interviewed me and I got to see and hear exactly what they wanted from me. I was excited with what I saw and the girls at the firm were excited with what they saw in my work. (Yay!) So, now that the magazine is finally starting up, I can talk about it! It's called "Thrive" and it's about Decatur (and surrounding areas) focusing on the good and positive about Decatur (especially night life and recreation; Decatur's reputation isn't that wonderful to outsiders, even some insiders) and highlighting those positive things on a monthly basis. I am, and will be, the main photographer documenting these things! My first "job" begins this month and the first publication will be out in June. I am very very excited. A great way to expand my work portfolio, have a steady stream of moolah coming in, and it will give me the chance to open myself up more. I tend to stay in this nice little bubble most of the time and I think I need to get out more :)

I was also contacted at the beginning of the year about my "Informant" movie photos. This magazine "Illinois Country Living" has decided to do a special issue dedicated to the movie and will be published in September when the movie comes out. They've chosen my photos for the article as well as the COVER photo!! They interviewed me, too, and I'm kinda nervous about that part, hoping they won't publish any of it. ;) I think I had some pretty corny answers. It's hard to come up with clever stuff! But, ultimately, I am soooo excited and hope to get a few copies to hand out to those of you who love me most ;)

Well, I will end this post for now. I have a feeling it's already WAY more than what you were hoping for. I guess that's what you get when you don't see "me" anymore and my blog doesn't see you. Sorry for the hiatus. I've missed you all a lot. I'm also going to update Grandma's Diary. I've been getting lots of slack from my mom and Great Aunt...in very nice subtle ways ;)

Lots of love ~ Val

Quote-eful, Thought-ful, Foto-ful Friday

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.” ~ Karen Ravn

That quote makes me think of these pictures:






I have my last wedding of the entire year, before my bff's wedding in Sept. I'm kind of nervous. I'm not usually nervous, but I am. It's my cousin's wedding and I want her pictures to be perfect. I want the pictures to be perfect every time, but I just want to end my wedding year on a bang. A good bang.

My hubby and kids will be there and I think that makes me especially nervous. Well, not so much nervous, but anxious. I have to not only pack an overnight bag for myself, but the kids, too, and then also pack up all my photography equipment, etc. I had a dream last night that I forgot some of the most important things. The battery for my camera and I only brought one memory card. Not that I could use that memory card because without the battery, I can't even turn on the camera to take a picture. Hopefully that's just my conscience reminding me not to forget those 2 very critical things!

It's going to be a quick trip down to southern Illinois. I wish we had more time to really enjoy the trip. It's where Neil and I went to college and we haven't been back there for years, and it's one of our very favorite places in the world. It's nothing extra super fabulous, but it's where we spent lots of time together every day, experiencing parts of life that would mold us for the rest of our lives. I loved college. I think he did, too.

The neat thing is, one of my college classmates, also a graphic design major, will be second-shooting the wedding with me. I haven't seen Patty for a couple years now. She just graduated last year with her Master's in photography. So this will be a fun experience for both of us. I'm really looking forward to seeing her and what she might teach me. (She's completely opposite from me in how and what she shoots. She's very abstract and modern, so I hope some cool things that she does will rub off on me. I'm always up for learning new photography tricks, skills and poses.)

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.” ~ Karen Ravn

I need to post-it note that on my camera bag :)

Happy weekend, my friends!

Trail Mix in July - Summer is 1/2 over!

Brad and Chel and the girls are home for a week! Woo-hooooo! I get to see them, hopefully tomorrow, and then again Thursday. Neil and Noah haven't seen them for 9 months, so it's exciting.

Back a couple weeks ago, my friends, Matt and Lisa, visited on their way to North Dakota from Virgina. You can read about how I met Lisa here, along with zillions of pictures from her visit, but here's a sneak peek until you make it over there:



This is one of my faves, I think because it reminds me of a vintage photograph.

Something fun. Heather caught me working, again, at a wedding. It's fun to see what I look like through other peoples' eyes. Like hers. I'm glad I don't look too dork-ish. (Sometimes I very much feel that way.)



In that photo I'm setting up a shot, which ended up like this:



And this:



We were going to a lot of t-ball games. That is over now. But at the last game, Maia decided she wanted to meet a new friend. I don't think they ever carried on a conversation, but they played together so well. It was so cute. Maia is in total awe of bigger girls. I have the scene planted in my mind forever. What I love about this is that it signifies the best kind of friendships . . .those where you don't have to work at it . . .where you are completely comfortable with each other even when you have nothing to talk about :)



And Noah at a game:



He was so precious out there. I love the innocence and how playing sports hasn't become competitive yet. They're so sweet when they are just being children and having a blast doing so.

I have tons of these little (nasty) guys in my garden. Do you?



We also had swimming lessons for 2 weeks. Both kids participated. It took a while for Noah, but Maia wanted to join right away. (I originally didn't have her signed up.) I'm not sure how much they learned, but at least they're getting accustomed to the water. And, they can blow bubbles, so in a their mind, that is totally worth the 2 weeks of mom paying for lessons!


I have had my 5th picture make it to "explore" on flickr. What is "explore"? Well, flickr defines it as this: "a way to show you some of the most awesome content on Flickr". Pretty cool! The flickr people go through millions of pictures and pick out what they believe are the best ranked on several things. I know some people who have had dozens. I'm happy with my 5. :)



I have been super-duper busy. I finished up my last album last night (Chris, I know you read this blog . . . super good news for you! It should be in about a week or two!), I got my last wedding all proofed and online (over 800 pictures, oh my), I had a session last night, I have another one tonight, Tuesday night and Wednesday night. Oh my goodness gracious! I actually feel okay about how busy I am. There's been times I've been super overwhelmed, but I'm not experiencing that feeling anymore. I think I'm grasping my work "flow" now. Finally. It's taken 7 years. But, come Wednesday night, I may change my mind on that one.

So if you see someone with a camera up to their face, with long brown hair and you think it could be Val, well, it probably is :)



Unless you're at a wedding, I probably won't be wearing this dress, though :)

Wedding canceled. Hmm...

Wow, my wedding season has sure flown by, and now it will fly by even faster.

My last wedding of the year, in October, just canceled. I've never had this happen in the 7 years I've been doing this, so I guess that is good. And I'm glad they decided this before they actually tied the knot. I give them credit for that. I'm really bummed for myself (selfishly..) because this was the wedding at a Greek Orthodox church in St. Louis and the reception at a huge ballroom. Ah well...

Now my dilemma is this. I don't have it written into my contract anywhere about cancellations and refunding money. What do you think I should do?

They put down a 30% deposit to save the date. Part of me feels like I should give half of it back, but at the same time, booking me is like a contract in itself. When I book people, I turn down people. Most likely I won't be able to find a wedding to replace it, and I know I turned down some weddings because I had already booked this one. And I did take a lot of time to do their engagement photos.

As a bride, what would you want? As a photographer, what would you do? As friends, what would you tell me?

**update**
Apparently I don't know my contract as well as I should. At the end of one section I have "Deposit is nonrefundable in the event of cancellation", and since that is what this is, I don't owe them money. Well, that's good. But I do feel badly for them, and all the money they are probably out of. They had some pretty pricey things books. Oh, that's just not good. Not good at all.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Can you figure it out?

Yes, this is the news. Sorry it doesn't get any more exciting than this . . . :c)





Click on the 2nd photo to read more about what it is!

Rain go away, I need good pictures!

I'm working on a wedding album, as I have been doing for probably the past 36 hours. As I work on a page, I have been putting some of the photos up on flickr. Flickr is my absolute fave if you haven't already figured that one out. I spend so much time there these a days. It's an addiction but at least it sticks with what I like to do most :c)



Since I haven't had a wedding for a few weeks, doing this album and playing with flickr is helping me in the inspiration department for tomorrow's wedding. I'm not looking forward to this wedding for several reasons.

Reasons why a wedding doesn't sound enticing to me:

I'm so behind already with proofing that this wedding will put me another week behind. But such is life for photographers during a busy season which shouldn't be surprising to myself, but I just thought I'd tell ya'll. I don't think people realize how much time we (digital photographers) put in on proofing.

If you haven't already heard, we've had a tremendous amount of rain lately. Tuesday we got 6 inches of rain in just 24 hours (and LOTS of flooding). Ever since then we've had smaller amounts of rain. Today we are expecting more and tomorrow even more. Rain isn't the best combination with a bride, groom, photographer and cameras. But, I can't do too much about mother nature, so if the rain decides to pour, I'll have to put on my creative thinking cap (and my umbrella up), I suppose. I just hate not getting outdoor shots, and this wedding tomorrow potentially could have them, if it doesn't rain.

My usual assistant will be gone :( So I will be shooting solo. Guess who gets to help me? My darling wonderful not-so-good-with-the-camera husband. He'll admit he doesn't like to assist me. But at the same time, at least it's someone. He's good at fetching drinks for me but not so good at fluffing dresses. Ah well. Once we get to reception, hopefully we'll be dry and can let down our hair a bit (not him, me, hehe). I look forward to that part. (And my parents are keeping the kids!)

Oh man. Yep, the rain has begun yet again. We have had SO much rain. The poor farmers. My poor dad, my poor uncle. My poor mom and dad. They're selling their house, as some of you know, and when the rain came through Illinois, it also swept through to their basement. The carpet is ruined and so they are taking the house off the market until they have it replaced and taken care of. When their power goes out, the sump pump stops, and then havoc breaks loose. Not good. The exact reason why they wanted to move to begin with. I told mom this is just reinforcing the fact that their decision was a smart one to move.

Happy rainy weekend!

Proofing done! Chicago here I come!

This time of year is so busy for me. Wedding after wedding, shoot after shoot. It's never-ending. I love actually going out and photographing and I love coming home and post-processing on my computer, but I really don't like the time it takes me to post-process. Man oh man oh man. So while I have been down one computer and online a ton less, I'm still attached to my other computer as I proof away. I pushed myself incredibly hard this week finishing up 2 weddings. One I proofed over 1,000 photos (yes, that many), and the other, being just a reception, I proofed about 500. I figured I spent about 50 hours thus far this week post-processing. I've learned this week that I am not charging enough for the time I put in to my work. ((sigh)) At least I enjoy it. Now if I could only figure out how to balance that time between home/kids and work. (As I work I always am thinking "how do those other women do it?". I wish they would tell me.)

The good news is that tomorrow morning we're packing the kids in the car and heading to Chicago for a long weekend. Saturday, my beloved Johanna, is assisting me in photographing 6 shoots. All downtown Chicago!! How incredible it that?! I'm very much looking forward to this experience. It's something I have always wanted to do, and now unbelievably I am! The day is suppose to be gorgeously perfect and I think (no, I know) Jo and I are going to have an amazing time.

The rest of the time I am spending it solely with my family. Neil and the kids will be with me. We have no plans. We like to go places without plans and do everything spur-of-the-moment. That's a true vacation, when there is no thought processing involved!, for us. We've talked about the Chicago Children' Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo again, we don't know. But it's Chicago, and where we stay each time we're up there, we're within walking distance to everything. So we have the Windy City right at our fingers :c)

So with that said, I'll see you all Tuesday! We are coming home late Monday. Hope you have a great weekend. Think of me Saturday and send me energized thoughts as I have a feeling come lunch I will be exhausted. I'm shooting till 7:00. Yeah, I'll be tired.This is where I'm shooting. And maybe here where Buckingham Fountain resides. (Katie, yes we would LOVE lunch!! Thank you for the offer -- incredibly thoughtful.)

Here's a peak into the last two weddings. More, as always, can be seen at my other blog or flickr.








p.s. I haven't received my new laptop yet. I'm thinking if I don't, it's actually probably a good thing. It means I won't have a computer to take with me and I can't work on anything photo-wise no matter what. What will I do with my time after the kids go to bed? Talk to hubby? Read a book? Watch Joel on The Soup? Watch the Ferris Wheel turn with it's beautiful lights at Navy Pier from the balcony? All sounds heavenly. ((happy sigh))

And I forgot I had this one. Myself in action doing that photo up there. (Wanting to draw an arrow right now to that picture.) Heather shot it. She's so funny. It's kinda fun, though, to see what I look like. One thing I learned by seeing this picture is that I won't be wearing that dress again. It looks like a Moo Moo. Ha :c)

..Trail Mix..photography style..

There rarely seems to be a day where you don't find me looking like this:


. . . with a camera attached to me somewhere on my body. So here's what I've been doing on those days . . .

* Alexis and I had the best time ever Thursday night. Robbies, drinks, push-up bras and Matt Damon . . . not much can get better than that! (She should have a post on this soon - she took pictures - I didn't!)

* My mom and dad closed on their new house a few weeks ago. It's such a perfect home for them. I have more pictures of it but am not sure if mom wants me to let you see it yet? But here is a cute pic of mom and the kids the day they closed on the house, sitting on the steps of the breezeway . . .

Congratulations, mom and dad! We're so happy for you!

* This weekend we help mom and dad move their furniture in! I'm sure someone will document it . . . me?

* My wedding was wonderful. We had a such a great time. Mom, Heather and I stayed at a $60 hotel which was quite entertaining doing so. The bride, my cousin, was beautiful! Everything about the day was just perfect. I'm so happy I was able to be such a large part of it.

* I'm exhausted from the wedding. Driving 7 hours, going to bed late, getting up early, being on my feet all day long and running around non-stop is tiring! Yesterday was the best Mother's Day ever because I slept all day and did absolutely nothing. Neil fixed me a wonderful steak dinner and the kids were good to me. It was great! I actually didn't pick up my camera once!

* Right now I'm drinking some coffee and wishing it were stronger because I just can't wake up. I have an espresso machine but don't know how to use it. Go figure. Still haven't picked up my camera today. After I post this, I will be, though. Time to proof some pics . . .

* Tomorrow, Tuesday, I have an all-day date with MATT DAMON! ;-) Camera will be literally attached to my hand!!
Okay, fine, I'm obsessed!

* Last weekend my great friend, Jen, and her daughter, Addison, visited from Mississippi. Here's a couple favorite pictures from their stay. There are tons more at flickr. This is Addison's set. You probably have to be registered to view them? There are 100 or so!


I call this one "Baby Dolls":


A very funny spontaneous moment I happened to catch!:


"Just Like Mommy":


* Last week was a beautiful week with temps in the 70's. The kids and I had some really fun afternoons. Here are a couple faves from the past week. As I've said before, many more at flickr (this is the May 2008 set- you may need to be registered to view them all since 2/3's of them are "private") and will continue to be all week. I hope to proof my newborn session this week, the session I did with Addison and also my wedding. So much going on!



* Happy Mother's Day to my friends and family who are moms. Even those who are moms to furry friends. We know how they become a part of our family just as if they were our own children. Hope your day was fantastic. We all deserve it. :c)

Beth's family session

All I am doing right now is work work work. It's on my mind 100% of my awake time, and even my sleep time. I have so much to do. But, I admit I truly love it. How could I not? Look at the picture above . . . one of my favorites. It's worth every second of my time to make a portrait like that. It makes me happy because I make them happy. But it does consume me. I even had a dream last night about the studio that I so badly want.

Things I did yesterday (keeping in mind that Neil was gone traveling):

- Last night I finished designing some wedding invitations. I placed the order, too!
- Burn pics for Mr. H, Heather, and Carissa.

Things to still doo:

- Make slide show for Mrs. W (the kindergarten teacher at N's school) put to music. I decided on "Let Them Be Little" by Billy Dean (have you heard it? It's beautiful . . . you can see the video here ------> Let Them Be Little)
- finish proofing maternity session
- proof 1-week old newborn session
- proof session with Jen & Addison
- print 2 canvases
- order Deja's pictures
- order Kalina's pictures
- order Angie H's pictures
- do Chris's album
- do Holly's album
- do Caitlin's album
- start on re-designing logo for Noah's school
- meet with Mr. H about pictures for website and brochures
- prepare for my wedding "down south" on Saturday
- still need to book hotel for Friday night

I've slowly been finishing up my last maternity session with Beth and Rodrigo and their adorable son, Daniel. It's takes me forever, I'm coming across this more and more, to do any amount of proofing because I can't sit at my desk for longer than an hour at a time (which is actually good for my back). But because of this, I'm starting to see that I really do need an outside place to work because my mind can't be solely on my work for longer than that hour at a time. And it needs to be. I told Neil that my hopes are to have a place that I can go to and work and then be able to come home and just be a MOM (and his wife) with no other worries. I just want to play and have the best time doing so without anything hanging over my head.

So here's a few of those pictures . . . more are on flickr. (And if you go to flickr, please comment! The more comments I have the more chances I have to put my photos in groups that rank up there with some amazing photographers that I admire! So please please comment -- please!) But here's a couple faves. I'll be posting all kinda at my VWC blog, also.






I'm only half-way done! So many more fun ones to come. That's where you'll find me, at my computer for the next 2 days until . . . .until . . . I get another wonderful visit from . . . my dearest Alexis. Yes, she is coming to visit and we'll do our "thing" as though she was never gone . . . I can't wait . . . :):):)