j. noel shop talk: confidence

I know most of you who visit this space are probably more interested in hearing funny stories or seeing style posts or, if you're local, getting some good ideas for places to go around Austin. Or maybe you stop in for posts like this one, about real life, or because you read our love story and felt invested ever since. But the truth is, this blog is influenced and based very much on what's going on in my life, and increasingly over the last year, my life has started to really revolve around my photography business. It keeps me very busy and consumes so many of my thoughts. So, I thought I'd give some business updates, i.e. "shop talk" posts here every now and then, to document my progress and to maybe even offer encouragement to those of you venturing out on your own business endeavors!

So... where to begin?

I think one thing that has really helped me out in growing the success of my business is confidence. I embrace every stage of the learning process and accept where I'm at, though that doesn't stop me from growing and getting better. I think a lot of creatives get really caught up in the comparison trap, when it's just easiest and best to let your talent unravel fluidly without always being down on yourself for not being as good as so & so. You will not be perfect in the first year of business. Or the first two years. Or ever. You will always grow and evolve and get better, though there will come a point when you're feeling a lot more secure and happy with the way you run things... I hope. I'm almost there, but not quite yet. So yes, BE PROUD of what you do. I remember being SO proud when I opened up an Etsy shop full of shitty prints a couple years ago, and now I literally laugh at what I hoped people would actually purchase from me (a couple sweet people actually DID order some prints, and that was the nicest thing ever. I am so grateful for all those who built me up instead of tearing me down during a time when I had unbridled confidence in a product that really wasn't there yet... at all.)

Lately I have been seeing the quality of my work-product improve pretty substantially. After a year and a half of honing my editing skills, I think I've learned to cut the fat and my eye has grown to notice subtle differences in natural editing and over-editing, and my work has improved because of it. I look back at past edits and cringe a bit, but I was proud of my work then, and that's all that matters. Again, BE PROUD of what you do. One year from now I may look back on my current work and notice all the places I went wrong, but for now I know I'm doing the very best I know how to do. And that's the most important thing.  (If you struggle with confidence in the beginner stages of your work, please read this, it totally changed how I view things!)

Is there anything you'd like to see discussed in Shop Talk posts? Let me know in the comments!

And please take a moment to visit today's featured SOML sponsors. HAPPY FRIDAY!

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Pretty Britt is the brains behind a lifestyle blog called One & Twenty, which also touches on beauty, wellness, and balance (which the tag line suggests!). ;) Britt occasionally discusses hair products, health, and like on today's post, her journey to become less guarded and/or cynical. Pay this sweet lady a visit!

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Miss Emily is a journalism student and the author of Sparrow in the Treetop, and she and her man live in Canada's capital city of Ottawa. The first post I ever read on Emily's blog was this TRUE ghost story. It will BLOW YOUR MIND, read it! Both parts! Do it now, it's so timely. Halloween is coming and all. ;) You can also get to know Emily a bit better right over here, in today's post! You will fall in love with this sweet girl. Go say hello.

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The actual internal monologues of Cooper and Gracie

Cooper and Gracie were born into the very same litter, but could not be more different. Please see below for actual internal monologues for each, respectively.*

*because I am the dog whisperer and I know these things.
**the following is based on true-life events.
***I'm sorry that Gracie cusses so much.

COOPER

Me: "Cooper, would you like to GO FOR A WALK?"

Cooper: What? Oh GOD, really? REALLY?! Oh my God! Mom, you have got to be kidding me! GAAHHH, this is incredible! This is the best thing ever!! I AM FREAKING OUT! Can we go now? Hurry up Mom! Where are your shoes? MOM HURRY!  AHH, I cannot contain myself! This is definitely the best day of my life! Weeeeeeeee!!!!!

Me: "OK, Cooper, I see that you're interested in the walk. Let's go." (puts on collar and leash with difficulty due to the squirming, and heads out the door."

Cooper: Oh my God, it's really happening!!! This is amazing! This is the most momentous occasion of my life! I will pee on all the things! It will be fantastic! (dives into a low bush, literally, and pees in it.) Oh dear, must save potties for other bushes as well... such as THIS ONE! (pees on next closest bush.)

Me: "OK Cooper, let's keep moving." 

Cooper: OK Mom! Whatever you say! This is so fantastic! LOOK! A man watering his lawn! Hiii Man Watering His Lawn! I'd stop and say hello, but this is the best moment of my life and I really cannot be bothered with you right now! Oh LOOK, a fire hydrant with lots of urination on it! I must urinate here as well! This is MAGNIFICENT!

*things continue in this manner for several minutes, until we see another dog walking with his mommy on the other side of the street*

Cooper: OH MY GOSH! A FRIEND! Mom let's go see him, please? Please? Please? PLEASE?! MOM! MOM! Let's go!" (Tugs at leash with all his might) A NEW FRIEND A NEW FRIEND A NEW FRIEND!!! Moommmm!!

*A few more minutes pass and Cooper pops a squat to poop.*

Cooper: Mom, I wouldn't be so fat if you walked me more. I poop on EVERY SINGLE WALK, YOU KNOW THIS.

After the poop, we start to run the rest of the way home. Cooper is feeling extra fantastic. 

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GRACIE

Me: "Gracie, would you like to GO FOR A WALK?"

Gracie: What? Oh! Yes! I think I would. Yes! I think I WOULD! This is wonderful! However, I feel uneasy about it. There is lots of danger out there. Many threats to our safety. Many enemies. However, I would still like to go for the walk. But I definitely feel uneasy.

Me: "OK Gracie, it'll be super fun. There really isn't any danger. Here, let's bring your muzzle in case there are any other dogs who get the bright idea to approach us." 

*Puts on collar and leash, and we depart.

Gracie: Oh my goodness! We are outside of the house! We are outside in the world! This is my dream come true!! But oh God, A MULTITUDE OF SMELLS. This is overwhelming! I feel threatened! I smell 14 other urinations on this first bush alone! I MUST NOW SWITCH TO HIGH ALERT. However, I will add my pee here as well, and then sniff around some more.

Me: "OK Gracie, this is called a WALK, not a SNIFF. Let's move on!"

*Gracie reluctantly complies.*

Gracie: OH MY GOD A MAN WATERING HIS LAWN! STRANGER DANGER!!! He must be eliminated! How dare he exist on the same Earth as us! This is terrible! I will definitely bite you, mister, don't come another step closer! I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU BUT I DEFINITELY HATE YOU!

Me: "Gracie, that man is across the street and THAT IS HIS YARD. He has every right to be there. Chill out, jeez!"

Gracie: Mom, I don't like him, I don't like him one bit. Oh! Some poop on the sidewalk!

*Things continue along these lines until we round a corner and encounter an orange tabby cat lounging beside a bush, just a couple feet away. Gracie lunges at it, and I struggle with her, holding her back with all my might as she writhes around, trying to get free of me.*

Gracie: A cat! OH GOD A CAT! Die mother *ucker DIE! How dare you lounge around like that! I will kill you for this!!

*Ninja Cat decides it's a good idea to attack Gracie and comes at her like a spider monkey, standing on its back two legs and batting at her with his front paws.*

Gracie: WHAT THE *UCK IS HAPPENING!! I knew these bastards were bad news, I KNEW IT! Mom, let me at 'em!! THIS IS THE WORST THING IMAGINABLE, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! Deathcon Four! MUST ELIMINATE CAT-THREAT! RAAAHH!!!!

*I get Gracie under control and cat does the reasonable thing and runs up a tree before it gets ripped in half. We return home, my heart pounding out of my chest and Gracie's view of the world as a terrible place reinforced.

THE END.

(they really are very different)

(read Gracie and Cooper's sibling "love story" here)

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New shop obsession: Salt City Emporium (+ a giveaway!)

{ Leggings c/o Salt City Emporium, Shirt and sandals: Old Navy, Necklace c/o Noonday Collection }

Two recipe posts in a row and then two outfit posts in a row? What is this blog coming to?

Anyway, have you heard of Salt City Emporium? The leggings in these photos might just be my favorite thing I've ever been gifted by a Story of My Life sponsor. I've seen cute-patterned leggings around the web, usually for little kids, and when I was offered the opportunity to try the adult version, I was all over it. I didn't expect these to be so ridiculously comfortable, though. I mean, obviously leggings are comfortable by nature, but these are soft like silk (made of Polyester and Spandex) and just feel like wearing air. How's that for an endorsement? Check out their kids stuff here and their women's stuff here!

One SOML reader will win a pair of Salt City Emporium leggings of their very own, so be sure and enter in the Rafflecopter form below.  GOOD LUCK!

(and YES, these photos were taken inside our new house! It's such an interesting blank slate for photos right now... kind of fun!)

{ Leggings c/o Salt City Emporium, Shirt and sandals: Old Navy, Necklace c/o Noonday Collection }

and a few other pairs from the website... (scroll down for giveaway!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Don't go to bed angry, and other fallacies

Jacket: Stitch Fix (my fixes have been rocking lately!), Shirt: J. Crew, Jeans: Banana Republic, Boots: Franco Sarto, Glasses: c/o Penn Avenue Eyewear

Before I start this (very short) story, you will need some background info. You see, Matthew is a germaphobe. Germaphobe through and through, and this affliction condition trait has only worsened become more intense in him over the last year or so, because he has been sick pretty often and is just fed up with it, I suppose. So we are those people who bring Wet Ones to the movie theater and airport and restaurant and grocery store, etc. I distinctly remember our first date, when Matthew excused himself to wash his hands before dinner. I was like "what? Oh! Okay! I, uh, washed my hands a bit ago when I went to the bathroom (four hours earlier, oops). But I was impressed. A guy with good hygiene, nice!  Fast forward five years and his germaphobia is no longer quite as endearing, but it is what it is. He has good reason to be this way, so I try to be sensitive to that fact.  OK. Background info complete. 

Over the weekend, Matthew and I both woke in the wee hours of Saturday morning with sore throats, which is pretty much the most calamitous thing that could happen in Matthew's world, based on his long history with strep throat. Naturally, he blamed me for his affliction (since I am not nearly as clean as he is) and commenced banging shit around at 1:45 in the morning in search of cough drops. I thought to myself whatever! and rolled over and went back to sleep. Due to my excellent immune system (muhahaha), the bug blew right over me and never really turned into anything, but Matthew's blossomed into full-on strep throat. Despite that, he left for the ranch to help his dad out with some stuff, all the while harboring a grudge against me and my germiness, which came to a head that evening when we chatted on the phone, once again, about how insufficient my hand washing is, etc, etc, and how I should be more sensitive to his fragile state of health. I was (am) PMSing, and this has become a sensitive topic between us in recent months, so shit hit the fan and escalated until Matthew made the claim he would now cook all his own meals, and I was like "Great! You do that! Bye!" CLICK. 

We went to bed angry. Very angry. And you know what? EVERYTHING IS FINE. We talked about it the next day, both apologized, and it's aaaall good. I see no point in duking it out when everyone is tired and sick and/or on a hormonal rampage. That could definitely make things worse, and people could say things they never meant to say, and do damage. I don't know about you, but everything looks so much less unforgivable to me in the morning.

How does this tie into today's outfit post? Well, I feel the same concept applies to picking outfits. Sometimes it's just better to wait 'til morning, when you're not like "I AM NOT FASHIONABLE, I CANNOT EVEN PUT TOGETHER A SHIRT AND PANTS." Not that that happened.

Such deep thoughts this morning. Now go forth and conquer your day! ;)

Jacket: Stitch Fix (my fixes have been rocking lately!), Shirt: J. Crew, Jeans: Banana Republic, Boots: Franco Sarto, Glasses: c/o Penn Avenue Eyewear

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Pumpkin bread with cinnamon streusel topping

I know this is the second recipe post here in a row (weird), and also the second post in a row that I demanded you make said recipe... but this pumpkin bread, you guys. You need it in your life. 

We had a little fall cool snap here (finally!), and this was the perfect addition to a very full weekend. Hope you can find the time to make it! Since I'm too lazy to post the whole recipe, go on over here for the details. Happy MONDAY! :)

(check out this post from last year, too: "five things you should try this fall"!)

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Our Wedding Day

Our wedding day was absolutely fabulous!  Both Aaron and I felt so incredibly loved by our families and friends that we didn't really have time to think about anything else. Since July 11, 2005 - the day Deanna was born - I knew I wanted her to be part of my wedding.  Eight years ago, I didn't know who my husband would be, but I knew wholeheartedly that I wanted Deanna to be by my side no matter what. Another reason why the openness part of open adoption was so important to me.



I will post some updates later about how our open adoption has been going eight years in, but for the purposes of this post, I'll be brief.  Don, De and Deanna recently moved to California for a job promotion that Don received.  Sad, yes.  It was tough, but ultimately the right choice for them. Anyway, it meant a lot to me that they made it a point to be at my wedding, even delaying their move to California a few days to make sure they were there for me.  Deanna was a flower girl, along with Aaron's niece, Zoe, which was a special memory I'll never forget. They became fast friends and even looked like they could be sisters.



Although the day felt perfect, not everything went exactly as planned. But we do have some funny memories to look back on. When Aaron and I were attempting to cut the cake, nobody told us that there is a freaking LAYER OF CARDBOARD inside the wedding cake to hold up each tier. I suppose that should be obvious, but who would be thinking about cardboard when you're trying to co-maneuver a sharp object with 170 people staring in your direction? Aaron and I just kept sawing the knife, trying to cut through the cardboard, smiling, smiling... smiling.... nervously laughing. Finally, we realized what was happening and moved the knife up a layer so we could cut through the cake.  Ta-da!  Magic.



Did you know that some garters are less elastic-y than others?  Neither did I.  Until Aaron and I were leading the way up to the buffet, with a large pack of guests following behind us, and I felt something slither down my leg. Whaaaaat the heck was that?  I realized that my garter had gotten stretched out and had slipped down my leg.  I stopped right then and there, halting the entire buffet line, reached under my dress and pulled the darn thing off my leg.  I quickly balled it up and shoved it inside Aaron's suit pocket. Later, I had to put the garter back on, but the only way it would stay on my leg was to literally put it alllll the way up there as far as it would go, making the garter removal portion of the evening very awkward.



Two additional debacles that weren't quite as funny: Our  DJ cancelled on us two weeks before the wedding - via snail mail letter. Yeah, that happened. Luckily, we have a friend who is a DJ was able to fill in at the last minute, but holy crap, who does that?!  Also, our limo driver crapped out on us and didn't show up at the end of the night to pick us up.  Fortunately, the reception venue had a golf cart that was available for us to use, so nobody even knew that we had a different exit planned. On a positive note, after we drove off in the golf cart, my sister and her boyfriend met us on the other side of the building and agreed to chauffeur us to our honeymoon villa (5 miles away). Before we left, I made a special request for my sister go back inside and run a recon mission. I asked her to fetch us some leftover cake since we barely had time to even taste the most expensive dessert we had ever and will ever purchase. Michelle didn't disappoint; she emerged with a huge smile on her face and about 12 takeout boxes full of leftover wedding cake. The unreliable limo driver quickly became a distant memory, as we realized that our impromptu golf cart exit was obviously meant to be.



Our wedding day was pretty awesome and we couldn't have been happier with the way everything turned out. Looking back on the day, and thinking about the series of events that led me to where I am today, I'm realizing more and more that the sweetest surprises and the greatest blessings often come from the things we haven't planned for ourselves.



Finally, here are some our favorite pictures, taken by the amazing Haley George Photography.

One of my favorite moments of the entire day - my dad walking me down the aisle. 

the first kiss

My father-in-law, Jim and three beautiful sisters-in-law, Jenny, Hannah & Anne

De, Aaron, Amstel, Don & Deanna

Friends: Jena, Angela, Caitlin  |  Sisters: Laura, Michelle, Anne, Hannah, Jenny  |  Niece: Zoe

Deanna sandwich!

Father-Daughter Dancing!

My sisters, Laura & Michelle and flower girls, Zoe & Deanna

Deanna and Zoe twirling around the dance floor

It wouldn't be a wedding reception without Cotton Eyed Joe!

As you can see, Deanna is now strong enough to pick me up!

Our awesome friends from Raleigh came all the way to Pawleys Island to celebrate with us!

All muuuuuurrrried up! 

Light Italian Meatball soup (YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS) + Friday Features

YOU GUYS, this soup! Matthew and I eat a lot of chicken since I never have trouble finding delicious, healthy chicken recipes, but I have trouble incorporating other meats into meal time, to mix things up. I was looking for ground beef recipes the other day, and I found this one. It sounded so delicious, and last night we tried it. 10 out of 10, y'all! This recipe needs to be in your life.

LIGHT ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP

*serves 6-8

Ingredients: 
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup of diced onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 8 cups of low sodium beef broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes 
• ½ lb Ditalini or Macaroni pasta
• 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped basil

Meatballs:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (90/10 or higher, you won't be able to drain the grease!)
• ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 large egg whites

Directions:

1. Warm olive oil in a large 6-8 quart stock pot over medium high heat
2. Chop carrots, onions, and garlic. Add the carrots and onions to warm pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an addition 1 minute.
3. Add broth, water, tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Meanwhile combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with hands to combine. Using a 1 tablespoon scoop to portion, lightly shape the scoops into meatballs using your hands to roll them. Drop them into the broth, distributing them evenly around the pot. Cover. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Stir meatballs gently.
5. Add pasta. Cook 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Add basil and parsley, stir and serve. ENJOY! :)
   
   
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Happiness in Bloom is a blog by a sweet Florida girl named Stacie, who you can get to know a wee bit better here. I love how honest Stacie is about her ten year struggle with depression, and her commitment to embracing the good in herself and her life. In Stacie's own words, "this blog will document my journey towards finding happiness within myself while also having a positive impact on those around me."

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Mismatched Simplicity is an adorable blog with an equally adorable author named D'Ann, who you can get a taste for right over here. See? Told you she's adorable.  Mismatched Simplicity is one of those blogs that just feels like a warm hug when you enter it, and like D'Ann and her husband could probably be your BFFs. You should probably head on over there and get on that! ;)

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Priscilla is the beautiful brains behind the Stylish Gimp, a fashion blog that just so happens to work around a wheelchair! Priscilla was paralyzed in an accident back in 1999 (read some FAQs about that right over here on her other blog, The Wheelchair Mommy), but this incredible lady never let that slow her down from living life. She's married with three kids and also a total fashionista, which you'll soon see over at the Stylish Gimp. I've had the pleasure of meeting Priscilla in real life since she's a fellow Austinite, and what an inspiration she is! Stop by and pay this lovely lady a visit. 

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HAPPY FRIDAY!