I am alive... and 27

Last week was something else, you guys. Something. freaking. else. Let's do this in bullet point form:

- 457 photos edited, uploaded, and delivered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday alone. 

- A gazillion emails flying back and forth to clients. 

- Our truck was broken into and over $1500 worth of stuff stolen, including Matthew's wedding ring. I know, idiot move to leave that much valuables in the car, but it was a total fluke thing (and a long story). I've never been burglarized before, and it's such a gross feeling. Someone came right up into my mom's driveway and totally hit the jackpot with our vehicle, all while we slept just feet away. So much of Wednesday consisted of police reports and generally feeling gross.

- My 27th birthday, which I spent traveling to Wyoming for one of my best friend's wedding. 

- First walk-through on our house, which I missed because I was traveling. 

- Wyoming. Effing FRIGID. I will never complain about being cold here in Texas again.  Our "cold" is literally 50 full degrees or more warmer than their cold. The day we got there, the low was NEGATIVE 17. You step outside, and you can literally feel your snot instantly crystallizing and turning to ice in your nose.

- Celebration with friends. Photos in the snow. Memories.

I flew into San Antonio last night, and made the drive home to Austin as soon as I picked my car up from a friend's house. I don't think I fully realized how overwhelmed I've been feeling, in so many senses, until I was about three-quarters of the way home, and I just started crying my eyeballs out. How am I 27 already? How is my sweet and silly friend Kelly already married? Why does life have to spread us so thin and so far apart? When did we all grow up? 

I got home late, at almost midnight, and my little shadow, Cooper, was awake and there to greet me and welcome me home. As I loved all over him and kissed him and squished him, I started sobbing again (at which point he started shaking violently - poor little guy hates it when I cry). And I felt sad and hopeful and grateful all at one. I don't know what 27 will hold. A new home for sure. A baby? Maybe. Big changes, I'd bet on it. For myself. For my business. For my family. For my friends. 

I want to be a better version of myself this year. I want to put a higher price tag on my time and talent, so I'm not so overwhelmed all the time (more on that later). I want to be more present for my friends and family. I want to be healthier than ever. I want to be more kind. I want to grow up a little. That doesn't mean not having fun (quite the contrary!). But I want to be more comfortable in my skin, and more confident in my abilities. Slower to speak, quicker to forgive, better at love.

Easier said than done, of course. But 27? Bring it on.

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So close but yet...

This past week there has been incredible progress on our house... they completed all flooring, put in the master vanity, put in toilets, fixtures, and lights, and the electricity and water are on! It's so exciting to go over there now, but we're still weeks away from closing. Supposedly this last stretch of inspections and last minute fixes can really drag out, so... that should be fun. ;)  It's nice to finally see some real progress though. It's starting to feel like a bonafide HOME over there. It's hard to leave when we go visit. I'll be posting more pics on Instagram, if you're interested!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday and weekend to follow. The forecast is super rainy here, so I might finally get a much-needed weekend off from shooting. Doing a happy dance over here. ;)

Check out today's (fabulous) featured SOML sponsor, and have yourself a great day...

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Hi everyone! I’m Chelsea and I blog over at Lost in Travels, a blog to spark the adventure in your own life. After getting hitched to my man three years ago, we both started getting cold sweats at the thought of ‘settling down’ in our hometown. Ya know, mini me's, mortgages, full time jobs. We wanted something different, something exciting, something adventurous. So we did the only logical thing; sold all of our belongings and moved half way around the world to teach English in South Korea. Makes sense right? I write about our daily life as expats (where charades is our form of exercise), our world adventures, tips on traveling, and how to not break the bank while taking those dream trips. Stop by and follow along on our world travel adventures as we try to figure out newlywed expat life in the land of kimchi and rice. 

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Are you living up to your potential?

Yesterday I wandered downstairs here at good ol’ Mom’s house, like I do several times per day for a coffee break or a lunch break or a potty break (for the dogs), and suddenly the question of living up to one’s potential entered my mind.

I am vaguely aware of the fact that some people in my life, particularly in my past, pre-married life, probably think to themselves things like, “Jenni is so intelligent… had so much potential… and now look at her. A photographer and blogger? What happened??”

’Tis true. I was the brainy one in college - straight A’s across the board, graduated Magna Cum Laude, the whole bit. I was destined for great things, and blah, blah, blah. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t think I’ve done anything worthwhile since college. Quite the contrary, in fact. But I am saying that people’s perceptions of whether or not you’re living up to your potential don’t always match up with reality.

As I was pouring my little cup of french press coffee yesterday, pondering this question of potential and living up to it, I decided quite indefinitely that I am, indeed, living up to my potential, even though some people might not perceive what I’m doing as thus.

I think a lot of people in creative careers face this issue, but the truth of the matter is that owning your own business, whether it’s a successful law practice or a greeting card company or a professional blog, takes brains and skills that not everyone possesses. The same skills that earned me straight A’s in college are building me a successful photography business currently - one that will stand out from the crowd and succeed when so many others fail.  For some people, it's just difficult to understand the concept of working for one's self. If you can't say "I work at Such and Such doing Such and Such With My Degree," they're like, "huh? So, you don't have a job, then?"

The point of this post isn’t to toot my own horn, but rather it is to encourage YOU. I know so many of my readers are at a similar place in life as I am, and it’s a place and time when you really start to question this idea of living up to potential. And I guess I just wanted to encourage you to remember that the only standard you must meet is your own - the only path you should follow is the one your heart leads you on. Whether that’s a career in medicine or law or art or PR or writing or photography or being a mom or… or… or… you tell ME.

Just some food for thought. Do you think you’re living up to your potential, and if not, what’s stopping you?

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A pretty picture and some words

I am becoming what I hate. One of those people who constantly talks about how busy and overwhelmed they are, and never has much of substance to contribute to society because they're always  prattling on about Busy and Overwhelmed.

I'm not complaining, though. Really, I'm not. I know I'm lucky to be as busy as I am right now (with photography, if you were wondering. Not with, like, moving into our new house or something similarly crazy. I've pretty much given up on that, and it will just be a pleasant surprise if one day we get a call that says "hey, your house is done! come close now!").

So, since I am so Busy and Overwhelmed today, here's a few awesome/hilarious/informative/interesting articles I've found around the web lately. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

11 things I wish I knew when I started my business - favorite quote: "Do not price your offerings around your personal ability to pay for it - you are not your ideal customer."

The GQ guide to naming your baby - favorite quote: "Are you giving this kid a one-of-a-kind name because you're fishing for cheap compliments? Do you want friends and family to be dazzled by your creativity? That's probably what's going on here, even if you can't admit it. A name shouldn't make a person. A person should make a name for himself. He has to go and earn it by fighting bears and seducing the wives of dictators. On his own. Without your help. So before you fill out that birth-certificate application, think hard about the person who's gonna be carrying around this name for life. Put yourself in the kid's shoes, and maybe, just maybe, you'll have the balls not to name her Brixie."

Justin Timberlake shows us how dumb we sound when we use hashtags.

This guy's wife got cancer, so he did something unforgettable. WARNING: YOU WILL UGLY CRY.

Surviving Whole Foods - favorite quote: "I went on a cleanse once; it was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I detoxified, I purified, I lost weight. On the other hand, I fell asleep on the highway, fantasized about eating a pigeon, and crapped my pants. I think I'll stick with the whole eating thing."

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Reasons why you should probably never build a house/Advice to anyone who is

Matthew and I signed the contract on our new home in early April of this year after being promised a five month build-time, and here we are, seven months later, and our house is still at least a month out from being done. I know it could be worse, but still, this whole process has been incredibly frustrating, and I could never recommend it to anyone.

We chose to build because the homes currently on the market in our price range here in Austin were not nearly as nice as what you can get when you build at the same price point. Due to a very strong seller's market, resale homes are snatched up in hours or days after going on the market, and often for 20% more than asking price. We didn't love what was available when we were looking, so we decided to build. (contrary to what some people seem to believe, building a home is not more expensive than buying one resale. For example, if your price range is a $250,000 home resale, it does not cost a penny more to build a $250,000 home, and often the new-build is nicer and, obviously, new). That's where they get you. They reel you in, butter you up, make false promises, then break your heart over and over again, like a bad boyfriend. 

Here's 7 reasons why you should probably never build a house:

1. You will need to multipy every time frame they give you by 3 to 7 times. Oh, they say your floors are going in the 19th? That means they will put in half the kitchen tile on the 23rd, then realize it was the wrong tile (after half a day's work), tear it up, and start over. The kitchen floor tile will be two-thirds finished when the workers leave and do not return for four days. On the fourth day, they will return and finish the kitchen tile, as well as the tile in the hall bathroom shower. They will not complete the other two showers, the bathroom floors, the kitchen backsplash, carpet, or hardwoods for five more weeks.

Mind you, this is after your construction is already three months behind the promised completion date.

2. The builder will find a way to change things you paid for and were promised, and then make you feel like it's your fault and you're being an asshole for asking them about it. This will be emotionally confusing and you will wonder if you're going insane.

3. Sometimes 2 weeks will go by and the only progress will be one light socket. This will make you feel like stabbing someone repeatedly.

4. Your sales consultant and construction manager will continually over promise and under deliver. Don't ever believe them. Don't believe a single word that comes out of their mouths. See first point.

5. On a similar note, they tell you what you want to hear, not the truth, every time. When you sign that contract, they will tell you a build time of five and a half months. Budget for eight to ten, and then see if you still feel the same way about the house.

6. Don't bother building a relationship with your construction manager, because you'll go through three of them. Don't be fooled if the first guy gives you delicious, homemade canned pickles and tomatoes. The next day he will quit and you will never see him again.

7. If you're going to live with family during this process, you better really like each other and have a strong relationship. After about four to six months of said living arrangement, it gets old.

THE END.

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I found fall

Pirouetting Autumn

The tree blushed - a rude blast of air


Betrayed a shapely bough. 


My saddened heart aware


That Nature's clock was chiming, 


I froze upon the twelfth 


Clanging tone, caught alone, 


Staring at a creaking door -


Left ajar for dancing, coloured Autumn, 


Pirouetting in her leaves, 


While agitated summer creatures


Backed away resignedly, 


Sighing in protracted breves.


I turned; gave company; 


We stood together, watching


Summer slowly blow away.

~ Mark R. Slaughter

The one thing I'll never come to terms with about Austin is our lack of a consistent Autumn. In September, when it seems like the rest of the world is buzzing about the dropping temperatures and changing leaves and sweater weather and hot lattes, it's still a bazillion degrees here, and I begin to become extremely perturbed by our location within the hemisphere. Fall is just my favorite season, and we get ripped off a bit here in Texas. Teased with a few chilly days before the temps hike back up for a week. Teased for a few more chilly days, before the temps hike back up for a week. And so on and so forth. It may or may not even be cold on Thanksgiving and Christmas. So annoying!

But the conditions here this fall have made for a bit more leaf-changing, most especially at a little park where I held a photo session over the weekend (Old Settlers Park, for you curious Austinites). It was a hazy, chilly morning, and I drove up to scope out the lay of the land before my clients arrived and was so happily surprised by the beautiful colors I found. Damnit if they didn't make me want to run straight home for a hot bath and some spiced cider.

Enjoy your Monday, whatever part of the world you're in... :)

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Josephine House

I haven't been getting out much lately, but yesterday I met a friend at a new-ish little spot downtown called Josephine House. The cuteness factor was out of this world, so of course I had to document it a bit. What a great spot for lunch, snacks, or an evening drink with a date. Perfection.

house-made vanilla-cherry soda (I'll try cucumber next!) ^ 

My friend Kate's baby is the cutest and sweetest baby on the planet...

Sweet potato beignets with serrano & honey glaze... I was skeptical at first, but they were to die for. Complete savory sweet awesomeness....

Check out more around-Austin posts HERE

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When a blog starts to suck

Shirt: c/o Lulu's, Leggings: gifted, Bag: Ruche, Shoes: c/o Minnetonka

Last week I received a comment from a reader about how much my blog is sucking lately, and I must say, I have to agree with her. 

When I started this blog three years ago, I was 23 years old and a housewife. I had almost no other responsibilities, so I decided to treat blogging like my full time job. I poured myself into it, and I don't regret that one single bit. I owe this blog and my wonderful readers so much. It has honestly been such a fun ride, and has taught me so much.

But I am an all or nothing kind of girl. I'm not very good at being awesome at more than one thing at a time, and lately, my all has gone to my photography business. Because I truly love it, yes, but also due to pure necessity. We need my business to pay our bills until Matthew finishes school and finds a job, which won't be for another 6+ months. So naturally, I have been investing a great deal of time, energy, and creativity into the biz (which, I'm happy to say, is booming), leaving very little for this blog. In turn, there's been too much sponsor stuff because I lack inspiration and don't have enough time to create great content in between advertorial posts, and I just feel like the authenticity and FUN is gone. For the first time, blogging has felt like an annoying chore, like scrubbing a toilet, but I've continued doing it because it provides a little bit of income that we need. But I've been frustrated and annoyed by all of the trying too hard, and all of the curated realities... and mine is one of them. 

So what am I saying here? To be perfectly honest, I don't even really know myself. I don't want to shut this blog down completely. That would feel like cutting off an appendage, actually. It's become such a part of who I am. But I know that when you do something half-heardedly, when it no longer brings you joy, it starts to show. So I am in the process of majorly rethinking how I want blogging to fit into my life, and I guess I just ask for your patience while I do so. In the future, probably starting in December or January, I see a lot less advertorial stuff and probably a bit less posting, in general. The old phrase, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" comes to mind. I'd love to blog when I have something I really want to share, not because I'm trying to fit in a certain number of posts in between sponsor-related posts. 

Blogging is weird. 

the first of november

 Pants (in black denim), shirt, and bag: Target, Jacket: Loft, Shoes (in mocha): c/o Minnetonka Moccasins

November 1st. This month is always full of so much excitement and promise for me, though this time around it also promises to quite possibly be the busiest of my professional life yet. Yesterday I was feeling a little panicky as I looked over my schedule for the next few weeks - fifteen photo shoots (one of which involves 52 students at a dance company!) and, towards the end of the month, we might, *MIGHT* be closing on our house (dare we hope?). I found myself physically shaking as I answered client emails yesterday (not sure if this had to do with the panic or all the coffee consumed by that point - probably both), and I had to sort of slow myself down and have a little pep talk... with myself. Jenni, you got this. There is absolutely no reason why you won't have this month in the bag. You are doing something that gives you and others great joy, and what a privilege that is. Slow down... breath... relax... you got this.

November will be a month of busy-ness and, if there's time, also re-evaluating and re-stratigizing. I feel a strong need to take a hard look at how this blog fits into my life, how I'd like to run it in 2014, and I also feel the need to strongly consider changing my pricing strategy for my business. I don't want to spread myself too thin. No one likes a person spread too thin. You lose your potency, in all aspects of life, and I don't want that to happen to me. 

But as for November. Bring it on.  I will kick your ass, November. That's a promise.

In this post and the following two after it, I'll be styling three pairs of Minnetonka moccasins, which, by the way, is one of my absolute favorite brands of shoes. Remember this post where I mentioned feeling tired of wearing clothes that aren't really "me, " and the pact I made with myself not to compromise on that anymore? Well, this is the antithesis of that post. These moccasins are soft, ridiculously comfortable, and if "me" could be a shoe for a day, I'd be these mocs. Of the three I'll be styling, this "deerskin soft" style is the comfiest, but they are all so cute. We'll give away a pair the third day, too! Stay tuned. :)

 Pants (in black denim), shirt, and bag: Target, Jacket: Loft, Shoes (in mocha): c/o Minnetonka Moccasins

Now please take just a moment to show today's featured SOML sponsors some love... Happy FRIDAY! :)

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Hi guys, I’m Dee! I am an expat based in Singapore and I work in corporate finance by day and on my blog called Deecoded by night. If I had to describe myself in one word, I guess it would be: STORYTELLER. I like to tell stories through words and pictures (and sometimes, gestures). Some people have said that I tell stories so vividly, in such a way that makes the listener/reader feel as though they were going through my experiences first-hand. And what stories do I tell? Ones that I read from books, or see on television or movies, sometimes, but mostly stuff that happens in my own life – like that time I watched a movie in a luxury cinema all by myself, or that time I played dodge ball and fell into an open pit, or that time I risked leaving my hometown to move to another city with only $50 in pocket money. I enjoy the moments and savor the experiences, good or bad, because they all make good storytelling material. So come read about them! I’d love an audience. :)

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Why hello there little jelly beans! My name is Belinda and I am the gal behind the blog Found Love, Now What? My blog is my attempt to make sense of this thing we call life, one cup of Starbucks selfie at a time. Life for me is chalked with adventure, especially since I moved to Wales in the summer of 2012 to be with my British husband. {Read our long distance love story here.} My blog is filled with adventures in the UK from castles to stunning natural wonders, and musings as an expat. I also chat about following your blogging heart, while tackling some honest topics close to my heart. I love nothing more than sharing our imperfectly perfect life on my blog. Hop on over and say hello! 

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Hi there! I'm Rachel, the blogger behind With Love, Rachel . I am a Southern California girl through and through, which means you'll likely find me in flip flops year around (unless it gets below 60 degrees, because that is cold, yo!) I'm an adjunct professor of writing at a university in Southern California, but don't worry; I'm not as serious or boring as my job makes me sound. When I'm not teaching, I'm experimenting with healthy recipes or travelling the world, and you can find a whole lot of that on my blog. My recent safari in Africa was a dream come true, because I LOVE animals and can geek out about them all day. In my Weekend Safari series, I share my take on some of my favorite animals, along with a bunch of crazy fun facts. Feel free to geek out or be silly over at With Love, Rachel any time! 

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More from Mexico

One of my jobs in Mexico was to go on a couple outings with the group I was working for, and basically just do what I always do anyway (snap a zillion pictures), except this time I was "working" and therefore had full acceptance and permission to be the freak with the camera adhered to her face. It was fantastic.

On this particular outing we went three places: 1) to a blown glass factory, 2) to a delicious lunch, and 3) on a glass bottom boat tour to the Arch of Los Cabos, which was truly a breath-taking ride. Then I even got to walk around a bit and bought a beautiful Mexican blanket that I tried to barter for but failed miserably since I made the rookie mistake of showing my extreme interest in the blanket before offering up a price. Stupid move, Jenni, stupid move. Here's a few photos for your purusing pleasure...

This was the BEST sorbet I have ever had in my life! From left to right: lemon mint, orange, and blueberry. So refreshing and unbelievably yummy!

Now, for our boat tour to the Arch...

The Arch of Los Cabos is at the very tip of the Baha California peninsula, where the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean join. The joining of these two oceans causes strong undercurrents and large waves, and the closer we got to the Arch, the more the boat rocked and the larger the waves became. I already have a little bit of a "thing" about waves (I am petrified of them), so while I was trying to be a good photographer and take ample photos, the sea sickness and general wave-terror was starting to get to me, and I was absolutely feeling pretty green. But I'm happy to say I didn't up-chuck, not even once.

Look closely at this next photo - those are sea lions sun bathing! :)

An old resurrected pirate ship...

And a few from around town...

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