Well, it’s been over a week since I last wrote, and I missed Wednesday after noticing that was my day of choice for blogging.  Inconsistency is my middle name.  Life is busy right now!  Between continuing to care for my husband and a surge in photography work I feel like I don’t have a minute to spare.  His recuperation is going along quite well, another trip to the doctor in a few days and we may be able to declare it a success!  Wonderful news indeed.

I don’t know what happens around the middle of July but for some reason each year I get a huge surge of photography work.  Generally the bulk of it is from high school seniors wanting to get their portraits out of the way prior to returning to school.  I’ve also had a few of my corporate clients requesting work at the same time, it seems I’m either shooting or editing photos all the time right now.  It is an odd business as far as the ebb & flow of customers and work but after eight years I am starting to get a feel for the pattern it takes and try to weave that in with, around and in between my artistic pursuits and daily activities.  Right now I’ve got three shoots that are edited and ready to deliver, another four that I’ve taken and still need to edit and three more shoots scheduled for the next week.  The August calendar is filling in as well.  I enjoy the summer schedule when I can shoot during daytime hours during the week, once school starts I end up with a lot more evening and weekend work and the schedule gets a little tighter.  Late fall always brings a surge in family photo sessions, everyone wanting to have them done for Christmas.  By January I will be sitting here wondering when in the world I will ever get another customer so I will take advantage of it while I can! 

Along with my paid photo gigs I finished a personal photo project this week.  Our youngest grandson loves to read books and look at pictures and is that stage where he is learning, growing and soaking things up like a little sponge.  He’s quite vocal and is, more and more, beginning to say things that we are able to understand.  Along with some sign language he’s pretty effective at getting his point across!  I couldn’t help but think how much he would enjoy a book about himself, his family & loved ones.  So I culled through all the photos I have taken that last year and a half and printed out pages for a album that are all about him.  He must look at it 10 times a day, pointing to his favorite pictures, saying names and pointing out activities he enjoys.  It’s been quite the hit! I also discovered that I didn’t have any photos of he & I together!  I had to do one of those “self portraits” of us holding my little point & shoot so I could be included in his book.  I think most people that are the designated family/group photographer, like myself, take on the job to avoid having our own photos taken.   At least that was always part of my motivaton. I am going to work on including myself in some photos from now on, I don’t want my family to look back through our photo albums and not find any evidence of me!

Tomorrow our oldest grandson will arrive for a week long visit.  He lives in Tenneessee with his mother so our visits aren’t nearly as frequent as we would like.  Generally he is here for a week or so in the summer, again at Christmas and occasionally during spring break.  We have a great time playing games, going to the movies, playing more games, playing putt-putt or bowling, playing even more games and just hanging out together.  When you add his visit to the already busy schedule and I am sure I will be ready for a day off very soon!  I’ve been looking at resorts & spas online, dreaming of a little bit of pampering.  Just thinking of it is enough to help me relax and say “aaahhhh!”.  The last week of August is a week-long break for my daughter’s college, which is a week-long break from babysitting duties for grandma as well!  I am plotting on what I might be able to do during some of that time, I am anxious to go somewhere and recharge my batteries.  Even though it’s a month away just knowing that it’s coming helps!

I hope each of you are continuing to enjoy the summer months, they will be gone sooner than we think…time passes so quickly. 

xoxoxo,

Lynne