Enjoy some pretty pictures…

I love them! They are seriously SO COMFORTABLE and you can wear them in a variety of different ways; with belts, jackets, boots, sandals etc. And  in most weather conditions from spring to fall!

Whenever I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for in a retail store, I go thrifting. I love finding something one of a kind and reworking it to create exactly what I want…

I found this baby at Goodwill for $5, at first glance I think it screams HOMESCHOOL MOM FROM THE 90′S!!!  Relax, I was a homeschool kid, with a homeschool Mom from the 90′s whom I love very, very much….so I’m allowed to joke about it.

I basically just cut it off and hemmed it (and when I say “I” , I mean my Mom, she is much better at hemming than I am), switched out the original belt for this brown one, and rolled up the sleeves. BOOM. DONE. Brand new shirt dress, that I’ve worn once so far, but has gotten me several compliments and two honks (:

Photographs by JED

I had been looking for a photographer to intern with to help me on certain areas of my business. When I came across Sarah online, I immediately knew her internship was for me. I was drawn to Sarah not only because she is a fantastic photographer, but because of her personality. Even online I could just tell THIS GIRL IS FUN! (score).

Plus Sarah lives in Nashville , one of my favorite cities ever (double score)…

Sarah is extremely energetic and bubbly, an amazing artist and SO business savvy. Yes, there was much I could learn from her.

Learn I did…laughing all the way! Sarah is such a fantastic person to be around. Her laughter is contagious and she is literally a knee slapper (as in if she slaps her knee you know you really made her laugh). She’s super easy going and makes everything an adventure –even getting locked out of her house! Sarah and I have so many things in common, from what we eat to our love of list making. It was very easy to learn from her. She teaches things so naturally and from her heart, she truly has a desire to see others succeed.

breaking back into Sarah's house only took one large brick, a trash can and some mad ninja skills on Sarah's part.

"The Sarah Barlow Creative Thinking Method"

Sarah is my kinda girl, a coffee house girl! We’d take our computers and work out of two of the best local places in Nashville, CREMA and The Frothy Monkey .

The Frothy Monkey

I am so thankful that I did this internship! Sarah has inspired me so much!  Everything she taught me has already helped me move my business forward and I am a better person for knowing her.

If you are a photographer and thinking about her internship I cannot recommend it enough, SERIOUSLY, it will grow you leaps and bounds!!!!!

**We also did a photo shoot for this beauty….more of those photos tomorrow!**

I had no idea what I was doing. I had so many things to learn. So what do I do when I am overwhelmed? Type it out for the entire world to see, if they so chose. I’ve said it a million times before, but there is truly something so therapeutic about writing. So this night, I guess I was feeling particularly discouraged, because I logged on to blogger and created a whole new account just so I could write what I was feeling and release it into dark internet void, where it was probably never read by anyone. Nonetheless, it was a catharsis for me.

I am so happy I just came across this post. It’s cool to look back and see where you came from, where you made it to, and look forward to where you are going.

10-26-10 baby {freakin’} steps…

ahh, baby steps. I know them all too well. I wish I were the type of person that “gets” things like THAT! (SNAP-OF-THE-FINGERS-FAST!)… but, I would say that ballroom dancing, driving manual, and applying liquid eye liner are all things proving that for me sometimes it just take’s good old fashioned hard work, determination and TIME……[audible sigh].  I want to run before I walk.
I get an idea in my head and I am on steps 5, 7 and 12 before even considering steps one through four.  Jane Austen described it best in Pride and Prejudice:
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment”.
Jane, girl, you are timeless! That is so true…

Even though something doesn’t come naturally to me, that end result is what I see. And that vision, that I want to produce, that is what drives me to put in the time and go the extra mile learning something new. And in the end. oh the beautiful end. [I hope]It will all be worth it.

Beginnings are never easy. They require a certain strength, a declaration of war against the spirit of negativism, a first step on the water. – Jana Kehoe Bigger “Then Came a Miracle”

SIDE NOTE: I still cannot drive stick.

Grace chose to do a three-part photo shoot (Fall, Winter & Spring) and this is just the first session. Grace, thanks for hanging out with me! You are GORGE and I cannot wait for your next session! A special thanks to Grace’s friend Summer, for coming along and assisting!

it rained at the end of our session….but, I was okay with it!

Desiring more balance in my life, I got to thinking that I couldn’t remember the last time I went a day without my phone or internet. I decided I needed a day of rest. Not just another day off, where you don’t really work, but you know you get online to respond to just one more email, or edit one more session and then end up spending hours on facebook. Nope, a total day of rest, unplugged.

So on Friday night I turned off my iphone and put in a drawer ( I already do this frequently when I have a lot of work to do, it really helps me get focused and stay in the zone), turned off my alarm and covered up my clock, and vowed not to get online or do any other work on my computer. I had nothing planned for Saturday. No agenda whatsoever, I was going to stay home and do whatever I wanted non-work and computer related, and enjoy a day off with my family.

Here’s a little what my day looked like: (I am a list freak, sometimes I like to blog this way too)

• I slept in
• I made a huge breakfast (cinnamon sugar pancakes and turkey bacon)
• I took Jazzy (my dog) for a morning walk
• I laid in the sun and read for hours ( my bible and currently finishing Tim Sanders’ “Today we are Rich”)
• We baked monkey bread and apple cake
• I took a nap
• I visited my grandparents
• I took a walk with my brothers
• We did bible study as a family
• I photographed (that’s not work, I enjoy it!) with my 5d M2, and not my iphone.
• I made dinner with my family
• We watched a movie

And I did get online late last night, but ONLY to catch up on Dancing with the Stars and Modern Family (:

Yesterday was amazing, I highly recommend taking a complete day of rest . I am going to start doing this as often as I can. But, I also set up a few boundaries for balancing work/social media with daily life.

The day was such a treat and exactly what I needed. Last night I made a list of what I needed to get done today, and I woke up feeling so refreshed and ready to tackle my work. Thank you Lord for creating a day of rest! You’re so smart.

A few images, straight out of camera (since I didn’t edit AT ALL yesterday)…

I have known about this issue on a global level for some time, but until this documentary I was ignorant of this atrocity happening in our own back yards.

The documentary follows a group of photojournalists traveling in an RV across the country learning about how big this problem actually is in the States. Now they are traveling across America again, this time in a tour bus screening the film in all 50 States, please check out their website to see where you can attend a screening near you. I encourage everyone to take a step out of their comfort zones, get informed and learn how you can help.

Watch the Trailer:

The tour bus at Ball State University

(left) My friend and amazing photographer, Samuel who is helping with the 50 state tour! (right) My sweet friend Morgan is the executive producer behind the film. Morgan is the real deal. I am so inspired by her!

You can also purchase merch online http://sexandmoneystore.com/ and find out where it’s going to help!

Megan can rock a pair of  heels like no other..even on a log!

Hannah is quite outdoorsy to say the least. When she saw this stump

she went over and climbed right up –in her dress!

The girl SCALED A TREE, BAREFOOT AND IN A DRESS! WHAT?! I was impressed! (:

Hannah, thanks for being silly with me!