Weekend Wrap Up

Succulent shopping, strawberry cake, a housewarming party, swimming, and x-box.  

That about sums up our weekend.  

The 107 + temps here have required all errands happen early and afternoons are spent in the house with the A/C blasting.  

That bill is going to be fun!

Finally Facebook

I have FINALLY, and I mean FINALLY started a facebook photography page.  The right motivation nudged me out of the procrastination and excuse chair and I put in the work to get it together.  I'm not sure what took me so long.  Part of it was I wasn't sure what to call myself.  I mean KJB Photography (initials) was first but I took my husbands name when we got married and KJS just doesn't roll of the tongue quite the same.  Am I wrong?  Anyway I decided to stick to my first and middle name, which is sort of hysterical because back in my youth I HATED my middle name with a fire breathing passion but it's grown on me and now I quite like it.  I posted some of the work I've done over the past year that I have been MIA on this blog so if you're interested in taking  peek please do so.  And if you really want to put me over the moon "like" it!  I would be giddy like a kid on Christmas.  :)

I haven't done many portrait sessions over the past year.  I started turning shoots down when I was up to my neck in wedding planning and getting settled into married life.  That was probably a sort of suicide for any start up business but I know how much I can handle at once and my limit was in the red.  Now I really miss it and I want to book more shoots.  I had an opportunity to shoot a soccer team a couple weeks ago which was nothing I'd ever done before.  It was a fun learning experience and I finally got to use my new speedlight although I learned quickly that the cheap stands I have do not withstand Sacramento wind and I was trying all kinds of hokey methods (tent spikes and rope) to try to get them to stay up.  Eventually I let them lie on the ground and worked with the mid day sun.  I will post some of those soon to share.

In the mean time the days are getting longer the temps are rising higher and I am sweating more.

Ooooo I do love me some Summer!

Girlfriends

Last weekend I attended our church ladies retreat.  It was the first one I've been able to go to and I was really looking forward to not only the time away from the routine but a chance to get to know some of the women in my church a little better.  I am not sure when it happened, but at some point along the way I sort of forgot how to make new friends.  It isn't that I haven't wanted to...I just felt...frozen.

I know some of the difficulty in maintaining friendships and developing new ones just comes with the territory of being a grown up and having a family.  What very little free time you have as a wife and mother is often spent passed out on the couch or catching up on the 12 episodes of Parenthood on the DVR. 

But my problem seems to go a bit deeper.  I feel and actual wall up sometimes when I am in a room full of women I don't know well. 

It's kind of funny because I used to really shine in social situations.

Now not everyone in that lovely little house on the hill was a stranger.  Some I have known and loved since I was a child and some I have grown to know and love over the past few years, but several were completely new faces or ladies I had wanted to get to know better but hadn't been able to step over that wall.

But something wonderful happend for me on this retreat.  I prayed about those walls and made and effort to leave them behind me as I made the drive, and I can honestly say for the first time a while I felt like I truly made some new friends.

An amazing thing can happen in a setting like this.  No tv, no laundry, phones off, no shopping lists calling your name.  When you have free time....

REAL FREE TIME

with nothing else do do but sit down with one or a group of ladies and chat.  You get to hear so much about who they are and where they come from and what is on their hearts.  And when you stay up till nearly 3am just being silly...I mean laughing from you gut, eyes watering because you are too sleepy to filter and everyone is saying whatever pops into thier head silly...you tend to bond.  It has been WAY too long since I've laughed that hard.  It was a time of growth for me.  A much needed reminder that I need girlfriends, I need FREE TIME, and every so often I need to stay up past my bedtime and be so silly my sides hurt.

To the ladies of Arden Church, thank you for filling my heart this past weekend.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's, grandma's, step-mom's, and mom-to-be's!

A Post Easter - Easter Message

So...did you have a nice Easter?

We managed to squeeze a little egg dying in between baking cookies and riding horses and watching movies and shopping for Easter outfits. 

Millie is quite the artist, just like her sister.  She enjoys being creative and had a blast coloring eggs.

Next on the agenda is this beautiful boy's 7th birthday party.  In past years I've got a tad overboard on planning and spending and making a huge deal out his birthday.  I'm afraid I've set the expectations pretty high for myself.  I am going to make a real effort not to spend so much time on pinterest this year and try to keep it simple.  Besides I'm running out of time, it'll be here in a few short weeks!

I can't believe he's going to be 7.  I know I am biased and all mommy's think their kids are the best, but as far as 7 year old boys go...he's a very sweet one. 

I am proud to be his mommy and so blessed to be the one he wants to snuggle with when he gets sick

(except of course that I in turn get sick but I'll suffer through almost anything to get to kiss that sweet face.)

 

Our Easter celebration started off with a Good Friday service.  This is something our church hasn't done in the past but I very much enjoyed starting the weekend off with the right focus.  Just like any holiday it's easy to get wrapped up in all of the prep and making sure it's a special one for your kids you forget to take a moment and focus on what it really means to you and sharing that importance with your family. 

For me, Easter is everything.  With out the sacrafice Jesus made for me I would be hopeless.

 

Easter Sunday was full of family and food and colors and smiles.  We put on our new fancy outfits and headed to church to sing praises to our risen savior.  We hunted brightly colored easter eggs and shared a delicious meal prepared by hands we love.  We gave thanks for salvation and the blessing of family that we hugged and spent much needed time catching up with.  And I personally ate way too much chocolate...like all week.  (Curse you Cadbury!) 

  

I know it's late but from our family to yours I hope you had a wonderful Easter and the truth of what it is all about resonates with you all year long. 

You are loved, beyond your comprehension.  

Just Horsing Around

Well helllooooo there!

Spring break this past week has meant time with the girls, time off work for Devin, time off mom duties for me while the husband played Mr. mom, and on Thursday we all took the day off for Family Fun Day.  Millie went horseback riding for the first time on her birthday last December and fell in love.  We decided to plan a trip back to the ranch where this love of horses began.  It was so fun to see their giant smiles and of course take a few photos of the fun day.  

I will never stop being impressed with these beautiful creatures.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!  

Life goes on

Time keeps on slippin... into the future.  

Has it really been a whole year since I last posted to this blog?  

A year of changes and a year of the same.  The routine of every day has been established in our home. School drop offs and work commutes and dinner time and weekend plans.  Every week rolls by and I push through the monotony and savor the sweet moments of marriage and motherhood.  I marvel at the astounding growth of the kids in such a short time and wonder what the next year has in store for us.  My hands stay busy with work and cooking and cleaning and crafting.  Unfortunately my camera has slipped down on my list of things to do with free time.  I miss it.  I truly do.  If only there were 2 or maybe even 3 of me some days so I wouldn't have to RSVP no to so many of life's little opportunities.  

Elijah is going to be 7 in two short months.  Can you believe it?  I know...Neither can I.  He has developed so much in 1st grade.  It blows my mind how much he has learned this year.  I officially have a twinge of sadness when I look at his baby photos.  That precious time of "baby" just goes by way too fast.  Millie has recently had a huge growth spurt and she's gained a couple inches on Elijah in size.  She's becoming such a beautiful young lady and I love the way those two play together.  Elijah loves her to pieces.  Ciena will be 16 next month.  I remember the first time I met her in her funky shoes at 13.  She's got some crazy artistic talent that is going to take her places no doubt.   I couldn't have asked for better step daughters.  They are sweet and smart and I love having girls to take shopping!  

The other day I had dinner with a dear friend that was visiting from Southern California.  She asked me what was the most unexpected thing about marriage that I have found to be true.  I answered that what I didn't know was how much I would learn about myself by being married.  When you're living with someone day in and day out and dealing with life's challenges you have someone that is able to call you out on your crap. And because this person is someone you love and want to be good to you can't ignore when he shines a light on your hang ups and bad habits.  It's never easy to admit when you're wrong, or even recognize your unhealthy patterns.  Being married has forced me to recognize that I am not always a great communicator and I have some pretty dysfunctional methods for dealing with my emotions.  Of course this is a two way street and in the same way being married to Devin has given me opportunities to better myself I know he has had to face some of his own hang-ups.  I didn't expect that, and although it's usually a difficult part of marriage I think it's one of the best things about it.

I am home sick today.  I have had my first ever allergic reaction to something.  I have never suffered from allergies and I do not envy those that do. I broke out into a crazy rash over the weekend that has caused a lot of discomfort.  I finally went to see the dr. today so she could prescribe some meds to help.  Unfortunately it's just a guessing game trying to figure out what caused it.  As I type this my fingers are swollen to sausage size and my feet feel like they could pop.  Not pleasant.  I'm praying it clears up soon and it's a one time incident.  

I hope all is well with you.  I can't promise I'll post again anytime soon but know that I'd like to.  

Yes, I am still alive!

Hello!!!  It's been way too long.  Between getting settled in a new home, new husband, new life and the fact that I reached my storage limit with google and I will have to fork out actual cash to keep this blog running I just sort of let it sit idle for a while.  I am considering switching to a different location but I haven't found the time to research and work on it just yet.  Forgive me.  I know I left you hanging with no wedding photos.  I did start to upload a bunch when I finally got my eager hands on them and that is when I discovered it was going to cost me.  I don't know if any of my blog-land friends are still going to check in.  I apologize for my absence.  My new obsessions of home decor and cooking and teaching a kindergartner to read have overtaken me....and I love it.  :)  There have been many times I've thought of sharing these new obsessions with you.  I wanted to share so many of the awesome thrift store finds, fantastic recipes, and the struggles and triumphs of life.  I do miss you all. I miss your photos and inspirational quotes and fabulous fashion and most of all the real moments you've shared. I also really miss sharing photos, heck I miss taking photos!  My camera is collecting dust.  Shame on me.  So I am deciding, right now, as I type, that I am going to get off the pot and get my blog up and running again. 

In the mean time.....

So you recall that finding the right wedding photographer was priority numero uno for me.  I had a long list of potential and once I started really digging into finding someone we could afford and had that look and feel I love I discovered that there really weren't any local photographers producing my style.  The closest I could find were Southern Cali, Washington, or Oregon.  I reached out to a few to discuss cost for travel etc and as soon as I heard back from Jaquilyn I knew she was the one.  She was the only one that responded with a personal touch asking about how Devin and I had met and she seemed genuinely excited at the possibility of shooting our wedding.  She and her husband are an amazing team out of Tacoma, Wa.  They have a great eye for composition, detail, and a true gift at capturing those must have moments.  They've got a sweet style that fit my vision for our wedding.  When we finally got to meet them in person on the big day they were even more adorable!  I mean seriously, all of my bridesmaids were in love with Jaquilyn.  They did a fantastic job, I just love looking at our wedding photos.  Every time I do I fall in love with them even more.  So since I can't upload any to share just yet here is a link to her blog post about the wedding.  Please take a look and enjoy!  Also check out some of their other work, specifically the birth story of their adorable daughter... so stunning and touching.

I hope you are all doing wonderful and 2013 is treating you kindly thus far. 

I'll be back sooner than later, promise.  ;)