time management | getting personal

"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do." - Freya Stark

What do you spend your day doing? What does passing time look like in your world?

Lately, for me, passing time has looked a little like riding in the car with my mom and sister while running errands. It also looks like phone calls and text messages to my brother trying to convince him to hang out with me, baking goods to mail to my husband, and singing Disney songs with my nieces at the top of our lungs.

It looks like family. It looks like summertime. It looks like time away from my desk.

I have to admit... something I truly admire in other successful entrepreneurs is their ability to prioritize their lives. And I'll admit that I admire them a bit more when their priorities align with mine. You know. Family first, career second. I love it when it is CLEAR that someone has their priorities in that order, and they make a deliberate effort to keep them in that order.

Seriously admire it.

So... how's this for clear? This is what my calendar looked like last week. The different colored blocks are top priority meetings, session, or appointments. Small pieces of my week that came before my family.

Now... there is a place where the line must be drawn. The line between "family ALWAYS comes first" and "I'm trying to run a business, here." That happened for me this weekend. Once I realized how much was getting piled up here at my desk I started freaking out a bit. Well, my type-A sister loves (almost) nothing more than to PLAN. She sat down with my to-do list and my estimated time-per-project and turned my calendar into this:

Ahhhhh. So... family is gonna have to hold off for about 4 weeks until I am completely caught up here in the office. Then after that! Get this... my sister actually scheduled in daily "family time." She says I should email everyone and tell them that I will be able to hang out between time A and time B every weekday. But that sounds a bit more type-A then I wanna get. :) (I love her intentions, though!)

So what's my point here? A few things!

First... I am REALLY excited to know that I will be absolutely completely caught up on my work in four weeks. If you are a client of mine and you are expecting something from me between now and the next four weeks - you WILL be receiving it between now and the next four weeks! (Unless we are waiting on an outside company to put it together. ;))

Second... I am also very excited to know that by the time my husband returns home, I will have my schedule under control. That means no editing while he's eating dinner alone on the couch. I kid, I never made him do that... but you get my point! My goal is for him to never see me work. I don't see him work - why should he come home to see me working? And the way my schedule has been set up - he won't be seeing me work. So exciting!

And third... I am excited about the peace that I will have when I am away from my desk. No stress hanging over my head about my to-do list, because I know that I will get it all completed by the day it is due. Why? Because it is scheduled!

Imagine that. I know, it's not brain science. But to a creative mind like me... this is a new concept for me... and to think it may actually work (!!) is super, super exciting.

Besides.... LOOK how pretty all those colors are on my calendar! ;)

So tell me, how do you keep your priorities in order?

Happy Father's Day

As a child, I knew my dad was smart. In fact, he was so smart he was that nerd in high school. (We tease.)

I knew he had a good job.

I knew he loved me very much.

I knew he was kind.

I knew he would support me, no matter the direction I decided to take in life.

What I didn't know as a child was how much he had accomplished in his life.

I didn't know how proud I should be of who he is.

I didn't know that he would surprise me over and over with his loyalty and unconditional love.

I didn't know that we would be such good friends as I grew up.

Now.... now I know.

Now I know that his career is beyond impressive.

Now I know he is one of the most loyal and committed persons I have ever met.

Now I know the smile across his face when I am being my silly self is adoration of his grown child. And that he is proud of me.

Now I know that even though I have another man in my life, the relationship my dad and I have is irreplaceable.

I am so proud that he is my father.

I admire his hard work and loyalty towards life: career, family, and marriage.

I love him very much and I am grateful for the way he raised me: with unconditional love, support, and pride.

I love you, Papa.

Happy Father's Day.

kids, they say the darndest things

Last night Shelby and I had a sleepover. Oh, you don't know Shelby? You must be new here... because I am SURE I have blogged about my mini-me before.

But, just in case... here's my girl:

So... yes... Shelby came over for a sleepover last night. And as time passed we went from watching a princess movie to coloring to using a pencil on plain computer paper ("paper like you"). As she sat with her paper, she said, completely out of the blue, "I am going to write Tommy a letter because I miss him."

I am not sure that my nieces ever really talk about Tommy unless I am around, and rarely do I initiate the topic of conversation. (Someone explain to me how they know he is "at war," when NO ONE told them that?) Naturally they relate my presence to Tommy... so I assume that these days they relate my presence to a lack of Tommy.

So back to the story.

Yes, Shelby says "I am going to write Tommy a letter."

Well, ya'll. This is her letter:

She chose to write him the letter O.

Do I even have to explain to you how much joy my nieces bring to my life? :)

Tommy, we ALL miss you!!! So much!

the athlete in me | Virginia Photographer

Just so you know - I have never been an athlete.

My mom made my siblings and I swim on the swim team every summer as we were growing up. It was her way of keeping us from laying around the house all summer - what with the 7:30am practices every weekday. At the time, I wasn't too keen on waking up early and jumping into a freezing pool first thing in the morning. But I have to say that now I am extremely grateful for those years of swim team. For one thing, weekly swim meets and daily trips to McDonald's after practice (totally cancelling out all the practicing each day) made for some of my absolute best childhood memories. Second, do you all know how amazing muscle memory is?!  After graduating high school in 2001, I didn't get back in the pool until 2006. I was in college (after taking a few semesters off to work) and they were starting a club swim team. I thought it would be fun to give it a try and a good way to get back in shape. At the first practice, I was able to hop in and swim the entire practice with ease. After 5 years of hardly even being in a pool! Talk about encouraging!

However... swimming is just about the only sport I enjoy. Probably because it is such an individual sport - not requiring much hand/eye coordination or other people relying on me to be that good. (Okay, sort of.) That, and I love the water. Other than swimming, though, I've never been much of an athlete. But, somehow, two years ago I decided that I wanted to train for a triathlon. I knew going in that the toughest part would be the measly 5k run at the end... so I tried to spend most of my training time focused on the running.

Well, guys. I hate running. And hate is a strong word.

After training for and completing the triathlon (2 weeks before my wedding - I do not recommend that to anyone!), I decided two things. 1. If I could train for and finish a triathlon,  I could do anything I set my mind to. And 2. That I would never, ever participate in any racing event that included only running. Because the running part was. not. fun.

'Cause, remember? I hate running. There's nothin' fun about it.

So fast forward a few years... I have hardly worked out since that triathlon. Friends and family have asked me to train for other races, and for various reasons all of the plans have fallen through. Well... my sister asked me about a week ago if I would be interested in training for the VA Beach Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon coming up in September. I quickly responded "nope."

And then about 20 mins later one of my dear friends sent me a text message. It said "Just finished a run! Hopefully I can keep this up!"

Don't ask me why or what I was thinking. But I responded "want to train with me for a 1/2 marathon in September?"

And she said yes.

What in the WORLD was I thinking?! I have no idea. But... I'm in now. And I have 13 weeks to train.

So, there you have it. I will be at the 2010 VA Beach Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon with a million other people attempting to cross the finish line in a timely manner. With my sister, her husband, and my dear friend Carrie. And hopefully (!!!) Carrie and I will have our husbands with us, too! (Cheering us on, not running.) If you are going to be there, too, let me know! I'd love to see you!

Ahhhh.... here we go!

Gratituesday: my country roots

There is something to be said about growing up in a small, country town. For one, I can seriously relate to all the songs ever written about small towns. Friday night activities included local high school football games or parties in random cul-de-sacs in new neighborhood developments. (Seriously.) Athletics was all we had to pass time after school, and boyfriends were passed around like gossip between middle school girls. (Again, seriously.) One of the best things about growing up in a small town is the closeness that naturally develops between classmates (especially when there is just one high school in the town). We all know each other. We have all known each other for years. Most of us grew up together (I'm talkin' the "I knew you in pre-school" deal). And no matter who you spent your time with in high school, you couldn't help but to develop some sort of relationship with each and every person you interacted with. (Be it positive or negative.) I remember going off to college and being surprised by the feelings that instantly flooded my heart when I unexpectedly ran into someone from home. There is a bond that develops between people who call the same place "home." It is undeniable... and to be surprised with that spark of familiarity is such a pleasant experience.

Since beginning my career as a professional photographer, I have had the awesome opportunity to photograph many of my old classmates and their spouses and children (many thanks to Facebook!). I love running into people I haven't seen in years and hearing about how different their lives are now. Learning the career paths that the wild neighborhood kids decided to take never fails to surprise me. Giving and receiving hugs from peers that I used to spend my summers with always makes my heart skip a beat.

I love that I get to experience those things. I love that I am a small town girl.

Last week my brother and I drove through our old neighborhood and passed the house we grew up in. Being in the area inspired me to get out and capture those scenes that make my heart skip a beat. So this weekend I spent some time capturing scenes that take me back home. Here are a few of my favorites:

This week, I am grateful that I was raised in a small town. I am a proud country girl. :)