~ F is for February and for FLUNK ~
F is for February, and it's for Flunk, as in, I deserve a big fat F for the neglect of this blog lately.
But I have a great excuse, I've been busy...doing nothing. That's right, busy every single day doing a whole bunch of nothin' like cleaning out my junk drawer or re-matching all our socks to their real partners and not the crappy job I do when I'm in a hurry.
Oh, and the weather has been spectacular. Every time I sat down to blog I would get distracted by the weather and I'd grab my kids and run like hell to the nearest park instead, leaving my phone and computer behind to eat my dust.
I must say, I have a pretty fantastic "off switch"- I love what technology has done for my business and I have a great respect for it in my professional life, but it has no place in my personal life.
My house is my favorite place to be, and my kids are my favorite people to hang out with. When I am home with them my computer is off and my cell phone is who knows where, probably the car. My husband and Mom know my home phone number, or where I am if I leave, and that's all that matters.
Inventing the smart phone was probably one of the worst things this generation has ever done. It's sucked the real life out of life and has made our relationships impersonal and lazy. There I said it, smart phones suck.
Oh Jerry Seinfield, you nailed it.
I know, I know, I sound like I'm 80. But being tethered 24 hours a day to our work and other mundane problems and issues is insane. Being reachable 24 hours a day is insane. I remember my Dad bitching about call waiting when we got that back in the late 80's. He just didn't understand how 2 people could get ahold of us at the same time and to this day he STILL gets confused when he has to "click over" on a call. Anytime he says "Hang on Kel, the phone is beeping" - that means he is about to hang up on me.
You should have seen the look on his face when I tried to explain twitter to him. I think his exact words were "Well that is the stupidest damn thing I've ever heard of" - Totally agree Dad, totally agree.
Social media overwhelms me a bit in general, but as long as I can unplug from everything at least a couple hours a day I'm happy. I just want to make sure my REAL life looks as cool as it does on facebook, right ;)
I must say, I have a pretty fantastic "off switch"- I love what technology has done for my business and I have a great respect for it in my professional life, but it has no place in my personal life.
My house is my favorite place to be, and my kids are my favorite people to hang out with. When I am home with them my computer is off and my cell phone is who knows where, probably the car. My husband and Mom know my home phone number, or where I am if I leave, and that's all that matters.
Inventing the smart phone was probably one of the worst things this generation has ever done. It's sucked the real life out of life and has made our relationships impersonal and lazy. There I said it, smart phones suck.
Oh Jerry Seinfield, you nailed it.
I know, I know, I sound like I'm 80. But being tethered 24 hours a day to our work and other mundane problems and issues is insane. Being reachable 24 hours a day is insane. I remember my Dad bitching about call waiting when we got that back in the late 80's. He just didn't understand how 2 people could get ahold of us at the same time and to this day he STILL gets confused when he has to "click over" on a call. Anytime he says "Hang on Kel, the phone is beeping" - that means he is about to hang up on me.
You should have seen the look on his face when I tried to explain twitter to him. I think his exact words were "Well that is the stupidest damn thing I've ever heard of" - Totally agree Dad, totally agree.
Social media overwhelms me a bit in general, but as long as I can unplug from everything at least a couple hours a day I'm happy. I just want to make sure my REAL life looks as cool as it does on facebook, right ;)
We can learn so much from our kids. Like their ability to genuinely focus on one task at a time without distraction. Like coloring a mermaid on the driveway. That's the only thing that matters to her today, she is not concerned with what she did an hour ago, or what she has to do tomorrow, and she's certainly not thinking she needs to take a picture of it for twitter. She is in the moment. Take notes from your kids folks, we can learn so much. Her mermaid was freaking awesome!
Luci pretty much wants to hang out with me all the time latley. Which is perfect because I want to hang out with her all the time too. I would much rather take a kid with me to the grocery store than go alone. I actually really hate being alone. I don't need alone time, or quiet time, or "me" time. Never have, never will. My mom is the same way. I hate to be alone, and silence makes me insane. If I had it my way I would just be around people all the time. So her and I are quite the pair.
Poor Libby Lu, we were seriously at the park 30 seconds before she busted up her chin. She is a spunky little pistol. Such a determined little squirt who always knows exactly what she wants, and a tough little cookie too.
When kids show you who they are, believe them. I think I read somewhere that a childs entire personality is formed by the age of 2 or 3 and I believe it. Their little character stays so true to their hearts as they grow and I think it's so important to feed into their little souls and let them flourish. Bloom where you're planted baby, Bloom!
And, in completley unrelated news, I did this again.
Yep, I froze our credit card. I've done this once before, not my idea, not sure where it originated from but it's brilliant. Put your credit card in a bag of water and stick it in your freezer. You see, I absolutely hate credit cards, and we don't use them. Period.
We have one Emergency Credit Card. But lately we've put a few purchases on it that weren't exactly urgent ("cough" WWE Royal Rumble Tickets the husband bought "cough")
So I froze the damn thing. Dramatic? Possibly, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
That's really all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed some pictures of my cute little babies. I'll get this blog steered back on track in March, lots of beautiful weddings coming up!
~ My Best Friends Wedding ~ Tempe Arizona
About 7 months ago my phone rang...and on the other end was my best friend Julie. "I'm getting married!" she squealed. Without a second thought, and before I even told her congratulations- "Oh my Gosh I am totally your photographer!" I squealed back.
"Wait....what?" she said, screeching to a halt. "How can you be IN the wedding and be the photographer? Won't you feel left out? Plus, I don't want you to have to work on my wedding day. How will you enjoy yourself if you are working?"
Julie had a lot of good reasons why I shouldn't shoot her wedding.
But I had better reasons why I should.
She has a crooked tooth on her bottom row and she hates when it shows...and thanks to 4 years on poms, sometimes she holds her chin up to high for pictures. I can tell you the first and last name of every boy who has ever broken her heart, her favorite lipstick in high school was Revlon Rum Raisen, and when she goes to Taco Bell she orders a bean burrito minus the onions and plus red sauce.
We've been best friends for 20 years. Many of those years we were completely inseparable- especially in the summers. We would literally spend 5 or 6 days together straight. At one point my dad was convinced neither of us would ever get married and we'd be old ladies living together in our 70's.
We had braces together, went on double dates together, and when our parents made us get jobs, you guessed it, we even worked together. I don't know how it's possible for 2 people to hang out as much as we did and not get sick of each other. She and I always shared a genuine zest for life. It's rare to catch either of us in a bad mood, so put us together and we are seriously annoying, happy people.
A couple of years ago she started dating Nate. She complained all the time that she and Nate never had any good pictures together. He hates having his picture taken. She was a little worried about how their wedding photos would turn out with his camera-phobia and all. I was like, "Julie, I got this." So after some begging, she let me ditch my bridesmaid's dress for my camera gear.
I knew that being her photographer was the one and only way I could ever pay her back for a fraction of the love, laughter, tears, hugs, stories, and memories that she has given me. My cheeks hurt from smiling when I think of her and all we've been through.
But the number one reason I wanted to shoot her wedding?
Because I don't know a single person with more enthusiasm and passion for life than Julie.
I'm lucky to be by her side for these accomplishments. I couldn't think of a better place to be on her wedding day than behind my camera.
Julie, your wedding day was flawless. Seeing your dreams come true makes my heart spin. I'm so happy for the life you've created in Arizona, not just with Nate, but with all your friends out there who adore you and love you as much as I do. I love you Julie Ellen, for everything you are and everything you've helped me to be. Enjoy your wedding photos.
Want to see more of Julie and Nate? CLICK HERE to see their slideshow.
