We Got Our New Condo!!

Yay! We officially got our new studio/condo today! We are scheduled to move in February 15th, so I guess we better start packing. :) 

Mike and I are really excited to host our new book club at our new place, so if anyone still wants to be involved let me know. Plus, we are going to do an online book club as well, so stay tuned for more info on how we plan to do that...

Does anyone have tips on how to make a move as quick and efficient as possible? I'm scared!! Thx!!

p.s - Scroll down to a previous post for pictures!

Venting...

Deep Breath........

Okay, the last few days have been SOOOO frustrating b/c our internet has been wigging out and I haven't been able to get online consistently. (Which for me, is equivalent to plucking out nose hairs one by one!) We have had 3 internet guys over this week and the problem is still not completely solved. Also, my laptop likes to decide to not do things sometimes, like - oh, say - print!  

And then to top it off, my intern came over today and was putting together proof prints to mail to a client - and then realized half way through that the lab decided to print TWO orders and so it took us 3 hours of going through prints to figure out which ones were duplicates. (They told me over the phone that I had to bring in the duplicate prints in order to get a refund.) 

I also have 9 gigantic projects going on right now, so I'm kind of overwhelmed. (Can you tell?) I wrote down each project on a sheet of notebook paper in a spiral binder and started writing what needs to be done for each project. That DID help b/c at least everything that has been rolling around in my brain is now down on something tangible. (sigh of relief). 

But things are looking up, and once I can knock a few of these projects out of the way I think I'll be able to start breathing again. I just have one question: How do working mom's do it? Seriously - how is it even humanly possible? 

So, in the wise words of Donkey from Shreck, "I think I need a Hug." (My other favorite saying is, "I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder." :) hehe

Thanks for listening...I feel better already... :)

Confession Series # 1

As my sisters will know, I'm big into confessing things that are sometimes embarrassing - but once they are out there in the open it seems to make it less weird. So confession # 1 - I talk to myself out loud. I have inherited this trait from my Mom and Grandpa who both speak to themselves out loud ALL the time.
Just tonight, I was in the shower thinking about how I need to get an emergency food supply going so that if there were ever times of hardship, we'd be alright. (I just watched this Tony Robbins DVD tonight that David Jay let Mike and I borrow and there was this guy on there that lost everything, so it got me thinking...) Anyway, I am talking to myself out loud about what I should get first to start my supply and Michael peeks his head in the bathroom and says, "What?!" He likes to sneak up on me when I'm talking to myself and catch me in action. It's really embarrassing - but also really funny.
I have heard that talking yourself is a sign of intelligence, though...


...or maybe I'm just insane... :)

If anyone wants to admit a funny confession - I want to hear it!!

A Fun Night at the "Freedom House"...

Last night, Michael & I took our good friend Brion Hopkins, our associate photographer Cherry Thomas and our new intern Amanda Bryant to a party at David Jay's "Freedom House!" It was a night filled with new faces, Airsoft Guns (don't ask), Nintendo Wii and afterwards a little jaunt to the Donut Shop. :)

David Jay is hosting his first ever Freedom Workshop Slumber party, so he had about 11 people that came from all over the country to be there.

This shot is of spilled wax that got on Michael's shirt. I think it had something to do with the Airsoft Guns that were being fired all night....

Some of my favorite conversations:

1. Conversation with with Forest Carlisle about market research for new software products (also, husband of Raya of Pink Penny)

2. Conversation with David Jay about tips on starting my new book club. (if you haven't signed up post up here and let me know your interested!)

3. Conversation with Deyl Kearin (who I've known about for years but just finally met in person last night) about the principles of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad."

4. Conversation with Josh Newton about working with a significant other! (remember our "Bell" trick Josh?!)

Fun night!!

On a side note, I just realized that for some reason every time that I talk to DJ I get all tongue tied and sound like and idiot. Mike & have know DJ for 3 years now and so it's really kind of ridiculous but I was wondering if anyone else has someone like that in their life. No matter what you say, you sound like a complete doofus and your thinking in your head, "Just open mouth, insert foot!" If anyone would like to tell me their personal stories about this type of thing it would make me feel a whole lot better! Thx!!

We Find Out Today If We Get Our New Studio..

The suspense is driving us crazy!! We found this awesome New York style condo in downtown Santa Barbara over a week ago and it's taking forever to find out if we got the place! When we walked into the place for the first time, we were in love. So we filled out an application and got it back to the landlord the next day. But, I  forgot to get Michael's signature on the form and so the credit check place couldn't process it. And in the meantime, the owner fell sick and hadn't checked her email for the whole weekend. So, when she finally was feeling well enough to turn on her computer she realize that the form hadn't gone through. So we had to run down there and sign the form and wait AGAIN to see if we got the place! I'm not too worried about us being able to get it - but it's just the waiting that's driving us crazy. But, today should be the day...

Anywho, these are some of the shots that we initially saw when she posted the ad for the place. In the dining room area will be our computer/workstation area and the living/room kitchen area is where we'll meet clients. We are excited!! :)

An Inspiring Person...

I just wanted to quickly make whoever reads my blog aware of the amazing volunteering experience Jasmine Star recently had. I went to her blog and couldn't help weeping over the beautiful images that she captured while volunteering in Denver, CO with Volunteers of America. I just love it when I see others reach out and truly do things that make a difference. What she did inspires me and will hopefully inspire others to also take action. Thank you Jasmine.

My husband is the cutest person I know...

So, I apologize in advance for gushing - but there is no way to not sound like a love-sick puppy dog. First of all, lately Michael has been wearing my kitchen apron whenever he is doing anything in the kitchen which is the most adorable thing ever! One thing about Michael is that he HATES getting anything on his clothes, and is the reason he's willing to sport the cherry patterned apron with ruffles. For instance, last night I had about 12 clients I needed to call and get pricing too, so Michael made me dinner without me even asking. It was the most adorable thing to see him putting around in the kitchen with my apron on making me scrambled eggs and bacon for dinner. He also did all the dishes. 

It's the little things about him that I love, his facial expressions and mannerisms. I feel so lucky that I have found the most amazing person in the world and that I get be his closest confidant. He cracks me up all the time too. His sense of humor is a perfect match for me. I have a slightly "off" sense of humor myself - meaning that things that aren't that funny to others is usually REALLY funny to me. (Yes, I'm the idiot in the movie theatre laughing when no one else is...) And Michael gets that about me and is constantly making me laugh to tears with little funny lines or jokes he makes up. He also loves me despite all my imperfections and continually tells me all the time. He also is one of those guys that would always think to bring me flowers or cards  when we were dating  - and it hasn't stopped even though we are married. He is a better husband than I could have ever imagined marrying and I truly thank God for him every day.

So now I'm curious to see if when Michael reads this blog post he'll think it was really sweet OR will be embarrassed about me telling everyone he wears an apron in the kitchen!! Anyone want to cast a vote? :) 

Flower Shoot

My friend Riliegh Hansen asked me to take pictures of some beautiful arrangements that she wanted photographed for her portfolio. Of course I was honored and here are some of my favorite pic's from the shoot. Isn't the flower "purse" adorable?! :)

I lost someone...but I gained someone better..

I bet your thinking someone died! No, what happened is that I had a VERY short lived studio manager intern, but it ended up working out in my favor because the person that has replaced her is a way better fit. I have found in my life that when I try something for the first time it usually doesn't really work out the way I have planned. But I ALWAYS learn from that first experience and use it to my advantage for the second time around. This is what I learned from my first experience:

1. ALWAYS have a contract outlined and signed before you spend anytime trying to train someone.

2. Go with your gut feeling - if you have reservations for whatever reason it's probably not the best thing.

3. I learned from Jared Bauman (but didn't take his advice till now) - don't choose the best person, choose the best overall option.

So, I was really sad for about one day when I lost my first person because I spent a  lot of time and effort in training her. But, because of the experience I learned the best way to go about hiring an intern which is great. Education is everything!! I am really looking forward to showing off my new person and all the great things they are going to do!! :)

Thoughts...

Sometimes in life, you gets to a place where you just need to make a big push forward. And your not even really sure where to start or what exactly to do - but you just feel that a big change needs to happen. That is kind of where Michael and I are right now in our life and it's super exciting but also really scary! We literally have something like 10 projects all in the works and we both feel like our brains are detached from our heads! 

But I'll have to say that we are also really really excited for the future and for the possibilities that are in store for all our new ventures. And I'm an actually REALLY excited to share what we have on the horizon once our schemes are little further along! 

I had a really great conversation with the amazing Jasmine Star today. I was so inspired by her blog, so I decided to ask if I could interview her about her business and blogging techniques. One of the many gems that she shared was that being able to share your feeling and the ups and downs of your life on your blog is such a wonderful outlet for you to share and for others to hear. So I was inspired to just write about things that I have been thinking about and get a little more personal with whoever actually reads this!! :) I realized when she said that, that I LOVE hearing about others LIVES - not just the superficial shell of what most people would want you to see - but the real meat in a person's life. That's what it's all about and I am so blessed that I work in an industry where my fellow colleagues are so willing and open to share and love. Thanks Jasmine!! I can't wait to post the interview so that everyone can see what amazing photographer/business owner/person she is. :)

A Photo Shoot With Fellow Photographer/Friend Janey!

Michael and I had the pleasure of shooting some images of our good friend and fellow photographer Janey (Mary Jane Photography) for her new website today! We had a ball and got so many great images! I can't wait to see which ones she chooses for her site. :) 

So, I thought that I was going to get to see Janey only once today - but it ended up being 3 times! First of all, Amy Nave and I had planned to go to the gym this morning together - and when I got there Janey was there too! And then they invited Michael and I to go to the Velvet Jones to see an awesome band - and we got to hang out with Gary & Melissa Fong which was a blast! As you can see - Gary is QUITE the dancer! :) What a fun day!! 

-Janey - can we hang out more often?? 

FYI - Michael shot all medium format Fuji film for this shoot- so he'll be posting the film images on our photo blog when we get them back from the lab!

Tim Halberg & Michael - On a Whirlwind Adventure Today..

Well, sort of. They are going mountain biking together. Tim was actually on his way to being a pro mountain biker, but fell in love with photography and went that route instead. But, Michael LOVES mountain biking, so he and Tim are off to forge through the Santa Barbara mountain terrain! 

When Tim showed up this morning sporting an old Pictage tee shirt I had to capitalize on it!! He is a Pic Pic user -  so I had to give him flack for it. He knew he had it coming!! These are pic's of him fixing up Michael's neglected bike behind our house. What a nice guy!! :)

Pink Penny - The BEST Album Designers!

  So I wanted to give a shout out to our amazing album designers, Raya (owner) and Shelly of Pink Penny. They do such an amazing job from start to finish on our albums. They make the experience enjoyable for our clients, create beautiful designs and work with the album company in submitting and ordering the albums. They take such a load of work off our hands and do a better job then we could ever hope of doing!! 

Check out this design Shelly recently did for us - it's awesome! 

Funny Story - The first time I met Shelly was at the PUG holiday party at David Jay's house. When she introduced herself I was like, "Wait, isn't this the bride from that Cowboy wedding DJ has advertised all over Pictage's website?" It's funny to see someone in person that you've seen so many times in pictures online! 

Thanks for all your hard work, girls!

Magazine Submissions

Magazine submissions can be a very daunting task. Every magazine has different guidelines on how they want images submitted, with different formats, sizes so on and so forth. I have been struggling this whole year to gather all the information from every magazine, coordinate with my brides to get complete vendor lists.  It takes a lot of time for Michael to go through each wedding to pick the best images & He does an awesome job.

But today - We've passed that entire project onto our new studio manager!! I can't tell you the relief that I feel from handing over 15 weddings submissions to someone who will do a better job than me! 

Outsourcing is heaven sent. :)

I'm excited to see how we do!

New Studio Manager!! I'm beyond excited...

So, I had my first session training with my new Studio Manager!! Her name is Victoria Chasney and I'm so unbelievably excited b/c she is SO on the ball and organized! Through the last 3 years of Michael and I running our business I've had so many great ideas of how to implement order and organization to everything. Unfortunately, the "implementing" part has always sort of gotten in the way. But now that I've imparted all my ideas and plans onto Victoria I know that all I've dreamt of and more is about to come true! Yay!! I'm going to get all of my peeps together and post shots of the new awesome team I'm building, so stay tuned to see all of my "stars!" 

Book Club Anyone??

Okay, if no one posts on this I'm going to feel really lame - but if you are interested in joining a Business Book club - post here and let me know!! I think I'm going to start one regardless and if I'm the only one that shows up to my book club then so be it! haha! 

No, but seriously, after reading a couple AMAZING business books recently I thought it would be super awesome to get together with other gunhoe business owners and discuss/share certain business books. Super fun, right?? AND we could also do an online book club too - so even if you don't live around here we could figure out a way to get a dialog going online. This awesome artwork I pulled from the unshelved book club. Cool, right?

Mexico is the life!

Today, I was watching one of my favorite movies, "Spanglish" and I got a wave of nostalgia from the wedding we shot in March of '07 in El Careyes, Mexico. It is one of the most beautiful, relaxing, magical places I've been too. I'm excited for this year to bring more magical places and experiences! 

"Creating Customer Evangelists" author Jackie Huba posted on my blog!!!

Wow. If any person really practices what they preach it is Jackie Huba, author of "Creating Customer Evangelists!" I went onto my blog this morning and saw that she posted a comment!! Can you believe it?! Goodness, what a great example of creating buzz. Now, every time I talk to someone about business, I'll tell them of how I read this amazing book, posted about it on my blog and the AUTHOR saw it and posted a comment. Which, of course, is exactly what her book is about. Again, if you haven't read it - READ IT!!

Creating Customer Evangelists

Just finished this awesome book!! I've actually had this book for awhile and didn't really get into it - and then one day I found it again and it was a perfect time for me to read it. Isn't it funny how you'll know about something for awhile but you don't really discover it until your truly ready for it in your life? 

Anyway, I have marked this book up like crazy b/c it has SO many amazing examples of how to improve your business through having people that love you talk about you to their friends. It makes so much sense and is something that David Jay has been "Evangelizing" for awhile! :) Photographers - read it if you haven't!! I think I am going to go through it and post my notes - so definitely check back!!

Okay, now that I finally get to relax....I'm sick

Does this ever happen to anyone else? Your Go Go Go and then the minute you get to take a breather you get sick? Goodness. 

My mom bought our entire family tickets to Disneyland and we're going tomorrow - so this should be interesting. I might be hanging out on a park bench with my Dad all day (which is what he's notorious for doing, or trying to do, whenever we go to a public place like and amusement park) It's actually quite funny! But I've got two books I'm dying to finish so maybe it will be all good in the end. I'm this close to finishing, "Creating Customer Evangelists" and I'm starting "Rich Dad, Poor Dad's Guide to Real Estate." 

But good thing I've got my purse that I previously blogged about! 'Cause I can hold a whole box of tissues and all my books no problem!! :)

p.s - Michael took this picture of me awhile ago and it totally works!