the week in review

Whoa. I wasn't planning on such a busy week. I decided at the last minute to attend a workshop led by one of my favorite photographers in Grand Rapids. It was a marvelous thing. I learned so much. I'm still trying to process it all.

I enjoy my business, but I also know that the schedule I'm keeping is not sustainable. I get overwhelmed sometimes when I think about the ages of my kids and know that I'm supposed to be a stay-at-home mom right now. I never wanted to work when they were this age, and I don't need to work-- so why am I??? I started something that I enjoyed and now I'm just trying to keep up! God's blessed this business in so many ways so now I have to figure out what to do with it!

Truth be told, I'd like to have a night off every once in a while. I'd like to just sit and read a book-- or call a friend-- or work on a house project-- or watch a movie without a laptop in front of my face.

Something has to change.

I set clear boundaries to my schedule this fall. I announced that I was booked a long time ago. Still, I get inquiries regularly and keep turning people away. Simple economics says that I need to increase my prices. It's a problem, I know, but I just feel like increasing my prices gives this impression that I'm money hungry. It's awkward for me. But why would I keep my pricing the same and stay busier that I want to be? And isn't making money the purpose of a business?

I received a lot of confidence through this workshop to take that next step. I don't intend to be a photographer that's a "good deal." I want to work less. I want to produce art. I want my clients to invest in my vision.

She covered so many other topics-- marketing, photoshop, creative development, etc. I was giddy.

Yes, things at TFP will be changing next year! Thanks, in advance, for your encouragement to do so!

Since the kids were on Fall Break, we stayed in Michigan for a bit and then headed to Columbus to celebrate my grandma's birthday. We got back just in time to put their costumes on!

Jonah told me about two months ago that he wanted to be the solar system for halloween. Wow.

It was a joint effort. Pop, Grammy, and I were all working on making this contraption work. He was so proud.


Lydia knew in August that she wanted to be a cowgirl. I was grateful that it was self-explanatory. Of course, she told me she wants to be a refrigerator next year :)

marathon!

it was a big weekend for us-- marathon, tae-kwan-do testing, a senior photo session, church... we're exhausted. and before i continue, let me apologize. my shift key is broken, and i don't want to take the time to shift with my left hand for the duration of this blog entry!

we had a great race weekend. the course was absolutely beautiful, and we had great cheerleaders! i find it somewhat humorous that the photographer blocked out mom and dad's faces!

i accomplished the two goals i stated on my previous post. i beat my honolulu time by 17 minutes and enjoyed myself completely!

here's a picture at mile 13:

and again at mile 17:

for the first 17 miles i felt great-- real great, actually-- and then i think i just had too much gatorade/power gels in my system. i just felt "ugh." it's definitely an unusual day when i tell carrie that i want her to stop talking and that my ipod music is annoying me!

i crossed the finish line eight minutes after my "ideal" goal, but i had a smile on my face! and two adorable kids holding my hands!


looking back, training is always my favorite part-- mike figured that carrie and i ran approximately 450 miles together, preparing for this race!

i'm looking forward to the next one-- the next half marathon, that is!

movin' up!

The boys tested for their new belts last night. Mike is officially an orange belt and Jonah now has his gold! It was a difficult road for Jonah-- and a stressful time for his parents :) We're breathing a sigh of relief right now...

Two More Days!

Okay, I'll admit it. I just want to eat whatever I want and still lose weight. Call me crazy. I'd rather train for a marathon than have any self discipline with food.

We run our marathon on Saturday. It's been a journey. I have these mixed feelings about whether I want it to end.

I think back to when the training began. The last time I ran a marathon was eight years ago. I didn't have children at the time, so this time I wondered how I could find time in my day to sustain the rigorous schedule.

But we found a solution-- o' dark thirty.





I train with a running partner. We're definitely "sole" mates (ha! I'm proud of that one :) I know we feed off each others' strengths, but she's also had to put up with me a lot during the last three months.

Like the time we were supposed to meet at 5:30 a.m., but my radio alarm's volume was too low. oops.
Or the time we were supposed to run twenty but i had to stop after four because I had no emotional energy left for my run. oops.
Or the time(s) she had to step in front of me to protect me from a dog.
Or the time(s) she had to listen to me complain about my blisters... or this pain in my side... or my right knee....

Typically the training is more "my thing." I don't think I've ever had a good race day. And that's okay. I'm staying positive for this one. I just have a few goals:
1. to beat my time from eight years ago
2. to enjoy the day!

My Ragamuffin

She helped me test my lighting for a recent senior session.

I thought this picture was too cute.

Turkey?

We were walking in the garage after playing outside tonight. Jonah looked up at the sky.

"That cloud looks like Turkey," he said.

"Turkey?" I replied. "I don't think it looks like a turkey."

"No Mom, it looks like the country of Turkey."

"Oh."

I walked inside and looked at a map.


Yep. He was right.