What was I thinking?

I am midway through a week that is crazy.  At some point, I thought it would be a great idea to schedule a bunch of work on top of this being the last week of school for my kids.  It sounded like a good idea to get everything accomplished before the kiddos were home for summer, but get it done in one week?  What was I thinking?

This is such a great example of the type of ridiculous pressure we, as working mom's, put ourselves through.  So, my Feeling of the Week is STRESSED! Or it could be OVERWHELMED.  Or THANKFUL for business.  It's funny, because I really feel all of these together.

That being said, this is what was (and still is) on my plate this week:
*Photographing 2 Pre-Schools (one of my very favorite jobs and wouldn't trade it for the world.  The photographing part is easy...it's the downloading, saving, converting, editing, proofing process that's going to kill me.)

*Staying on top of orders that need to be placed, orders that have been placed, clients that need to schedule and re-schedule appointments, balancing the checkbook...the general business of the business.

*Hosting a pool party for my son's 1st place baseball team.  Because, you know, I want to be the best team mom possible which means ordering and picking up 10 pizzas, ordering and picking up 11 trophies, sending emails, collecting money, and CLEANING MY HOUSE (why did I agree to have it here again? ) which led to a pinkie finger injury that landed me at the local doctor's office.  Just some minor splinter extraction procedure that was NOT on the calendar!

*Attending 2 baseball games, one of which is about an hour away at 8pm on Thursday.  Just stay home you say??  No, I can't miss it because it's the end of the season and I've already missed a few games and what good mom would miss a game just because she'd rather stay home and edit pictures of other people's children?!

*Pack for the family for a baseball tournament this weekend that's out of town.  C'mon moms, you know this requires lots of pre-planning.  The laundry has to be done for goodness sake.

That's most of the big stuff and maybe it sounds like a lot, maybe it doesn't.  But it's all floating around in my brain, taking up valuable brain space and causing me to not be fully present when my kids say "Mom, come watch me do this..." or "Mom, can you read to me" or "Mom, I want to snuggle."  There are SO many things that need to get done, but most of them can wait.  The world won't come to an end.

That's it for this week.  I have a three year old who needs me to play school with her and in the middle of a crazy week, that's just what I need.

PS.  I forgot to mention the three year old ice cream party and year-end performance today...

The first of many

Let me start this blog with a disclaimer:  I am not a writer.  I am a photographer.  I enjoy writing and getting thoughts out of my brain and onto paper, but make no mistake, writing is not what I do best.  That being said, to make it in this century you have to blog, so that's what I'm going to do.  I don't usually shy away from a good challenge, so here goes.

I decided to start this blog because I think there's a need for it.  I've looked at hundreds of blogs and websites belonging to photographers across the world and there's lots of advice out there.  Good advice.  Advice about lighting techniques, composition and editing, marketing and promotion.  Advice about actions and presets, and tips for finding the perfect prop or posing the perfect family.  I've learned a TON from some amazing professionals and I can not thank them enough.

In my quest for knowledge, however, I realized that something was missing (or at least I couldn't find it in the blogosphere!).  I searched for a blog that focused on what these professionals were FEELING as they build and sustain their businesses.  I'm a woman so, of course, I can't ignore the feelings that surface each day as I follow my heart and continue my journey.  I wanted to know that there are other women out there doing what I'm doing and feeling what I'm feeling.

Photography is my passion, my heart.  I know it's what God wants me to do.  But there are days when I struggle with emotions or creativity or confidence or...the list goes on and on.  And some days are glorious highs that leave me feeling certain that I'm on the right path.  I am building this blog so we can share these highs and lows together and enjoy the roller coaster ride that never ends.  And really, I don't want it to end.  I'm just getting started.

So, I'm going to put down the camera for a little while each week to focus on the feelings I have during this rewarding, yet stressful, time in my life.  I hope that by sharing my stories and emotions, you'll feel compelled to do the same.  And along the way, maybe we'll learn a little bit more about who we are and who we're going to be.

And there will be pictures (duh).  Some will help illustrate the "Feeling of the Week" and others will just be there because, well, I like them.  I hope you will too.  This week's photo features my daughter, Holly. It's just a shot that makes me smile every time I see it.