Back to School Blues

This time last year I was in hysterics.  On the phone with Mom at 2am   b.a.w.l.i.n.g m.y. e.y.e.s. o.u.t.    Seriously.  This time last year I was dropping off our little 9 month old son with a babysitter.  I loved the person that we chose to take care of our son while I completed my internship to become a School Psychologist, but nothing compares to you.  The mom.  I stayed home with Hudson for 9 months, and I was all he ever knew.  So the idea of dropping him off somewhere broke my heart.  Shattered my heart.  I went to my first day of my internship with big black sunglasses, and I left them on as long as possible.  I couldn't speak.  I could barely look up at the speakers during our meetings.  This inability to function subsided after the first few weeks of school, but my heart continued to break each time that Hudson would reach for me as I was leaving him each morning.   The first day that I got to spend with him for summer vacation felt as though I had all the pieces of my life back together.  My heart felt whole again.

Here we are again.  One year later.  Tomorrow I have to leave my little guy at preschool.  I feel comfort in knowing that he is one year older, and that when I say to him "I'll be back to pick you up." He might understand.  I take comfort in knowing that he is going to be with a classroom full of children his age, and that he will be developing skills that I couldn't begin to teach him here at home.  But my heart is still shattering.  This summer has flown by, and I don't feel like I had enough time spent with all the pieces back together.  Tomorrow will be hard.  Harder than last year?  I don't know.  I just know that my heart is shattering even writing this entry.

One of the things that Hudson's preschool teacher asked for is a family picture for the bulletin board in the classroom.  So we went out yesterday with our friends who also needed a family photo for their little girls' classroom.  We had lunch.  We took photos, and we grabbed a frozen yogurt.  Usually our conversations cover a wide gamut of topics.  Usually no topic is too personal or too sensitive.  Usually.  Yesterday; however, we talked about our children's classrooms and their teachers, but that was as far as the conversation went.  Neither Niki nor I asked how the other was handling the transition.  I'm not sure if this was a subconscious decision on both of our parts, or if it was merely a defensive technique utilized by all parties.  I definitely didn't go into our afternoon thinking... don't ask Niki how she's feeling...  It was as though we both knew that we couldn't handle that conversation.  We couldn't handle to feel the first cracks forming.  The cracks before the shattering.

At least our kids will have cute family pictures in their classrooms.  

Fraser E. Inouye, CPA :: Marketing

Did I ever think that I would be writing this post?  No. No. No. No.

My hubs, Fraser E. Inouye, CPA, (yes... I'm plugging my own husband... hey, it's MY blog and I can plug if I want to!! ha ha ha) asked me to design him some brochures.  I seized this opportunity to tell him that he needed some new photos if I was going to be able to design him some nice brochures.  He begged.  He pleaded.  He even offered edible treats and material possessions to keep himself behind the lens, instead of in front of it.  I didn't take his bait.  Well... maybe I grubbed his treats, but I still made him take some pictures.

Okay, you all know that it's coming, so stop reading now if you don't want to get all mushy with me...

I was super stoked that Fraser asked me to design his brochures.  I can't lie... I felt a little proud of the fact that he trusted me enough to design them, but this wasn't the main reason why I was so stoked.  This was my moment.  My moment to say 'yes' to Fraser.  My moment to support him.  My moment to return all of the favors he has done for me.  You see, Fraser is always there to support me, to boost me up, to offer business advice, to do my taxes {{wink}}, to cook for me, to create spreadsheets of our finances etc etc etc...  I love that I am able to finally give him something back.  I love that I can take this one stressful thing off of his plate.  I hope to have many more opportunities to help Fraser with his business in the future, but for now I'm taking this job and   r...u...n...n...i..n...g   with it!!

Fraser, thank you.  For everything.  I love you.

Here are a few photos from our super short shoot.... So handsome  :o)

Gracie Pies :: Tickling Your Taste Buds Soon

It was over a year ago now.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was in Louisiana visiting some good friends, one of whom is a a phenomenal artist (check her out at www.margaretbecton.com).  We were standing in her kitchen... me, my husband, her, and her husband... and I said it.  Out loud.  I told her that I had this "silly dream" to be a photographer.  It felt weird saying it out loud.  I think that this was the first time that my husband even heard me say it.  It was like... Hi, my name is Jodi, and I want to be a photographer.  I felt so raw.  So open.  All that Margaret had to do was let out one little chuckle, or tease me in the slightest and I would have broke into tears.  My secret was out, and my dream could have been so easily squashed; however, Margaret and all my friends and family were incredibly supportive.  They are all the main reasons I was able to muster up the courage to try something new.  Without constant... and I mean CONSTANT reassurance from those closest to me I would have quit before I really even got started.

I find myself being on the other side of this situation now.  A new person.  A new dream. A chance to give someone the courage to try something new.   

My sister, Lauri, plans to start a bakery.  Now, of course, I would support my sister in anything that she wanted to pursue, but it is EASY to support this dream because she is phenomenal in the kitchen.   She has taken recipes handed down to her from our relatives (mainly Grunner, Grandma, and Mom) and made them her own.  

So I flew to Denver to sit in Lauri's kitchen and watch her bake, and bake, and bake... each time something came out of the oven it went right in front of my lens... and then right into my mouth!  I may have gained 10 lbs while I was there, but each pound is welcome so long as it comes from Lauri's oven.  Even though the pies, breads, and cupcakes were fantastic; the best part of my trip was just sitting in Lauri's kitchen spending some much needed time with my sister.  I also got to squeeze my niece and nephews, and spoil them as all Aunties should.

Gracie Pies, Lauri's company, will be on the internet soon.  I'm sure that I will post a blog entry the MOMENT that her website goes public.  To keep you tied over until then... here are some photos of Lauri, her beautiful family, and her yumminess. 

The Denver Bernums' :: Sneak Peek

I squealed in my head.  Literally. My long lost friend from 8th grade had been located!!  Over the last thirteen or so years I had often thought about that friend that I lost.  The one that moved away.  Every time that I came to Colorado to visit my sister I wondered... where's Arvada?  That's all I knew about Lindsay's whereabouts.  When I was in 8th grade she moved away to Arvada.  Arvada may as well have been a black hole... an abyss to an 8th grader living in a small town in New Mexico.  Turns out that Lindsay was not lost at all.  She was simply in Arvada, Colorado doing the same thing as me... being a teenager.

Present Day:

I found Lindsay on Facebook!  What would we do these days without social networking powerhouses such as Facebook?  We'd all be living our lives without knowing where long-lost friends from 8th grade ended up, I guess.

After writing several novels back and forth to one another via FB Lindsay and I met up in Vegas while she was in town for a business trip.  We got to meet each others' husbands, and torture them to a lunch filled with us talking about... well... the last 13 years.  

Now here I am in Colorado helping my sister get a website put together, and I got to meet up with Lindsay and her family again!  Could life get any better?  No!  We spent a quick morning roaming the streets around their GORGEOUS neighborhood.  The little guy was hard to catch, but hopefully we got a few good ones since he turns 1 year old in just a few days!

You know what's great about friends like Lindsay (and her wonderful husband)?  Thirteen years can fly by, and when you see each other again it is as though we have all been the best of friends since 8th grade.

Bernums' ::  Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to get to spend a bit of time getting to know you!  I had a blast, but only wish that there was more time to spend.  I hope you like your photos, and I hope that the recital went off without a hitch!!

Here are a few shots from the day...

Stinky Skunk :: Sneak Peek

I definitely don't say this enough... I ** l.o.v.e ** l.o.v.e. ** l.o.v.e.** my clients... uggggh... I don't like that word "clients" it's too cold of a term to describe the people with whom I work.  They almost always turn into great friends (or started out being friends already).  Anyway, these wonderful people make this job even more fantastic!!

Today was a shining example of why I love my clients/friends.  I was late.  Not like five minutes late, or rushing around the corner... be there in a minute... type of late, but LATE.  Late enough for the mom of this little "skunk" to take off and never look back.  She could probably even bad mouth me and my lack of business etiquette for all time.  I hope that she won't, but she could and it would be totally legit.  After stalking her as much as possible on my phone to try to find her cell phone number she finally got my e-mail and called.  When I told her what happened over the phone she was more than cool.  Super cool.  When I finally pulled up she smiled, and  told me that it was okay every time that I apologized... and that was a lot!!  I'm going to apologize one last time, and then I'm done... really...  Crystal, I'm soooo sorry!!  

I am soo soo sooo soo sooooooo glad that she stuck it out and waited for me because I had a blast getting to see her again, and meet her little man!!  This little guy just turned 3, and his birthday party is on Sunday.  He has requested that his party be a "stinky skunk" party.  I'm not sure what that means, but I'm dying to see photos of all the great details!  I love that his mom took his idea and ran with it instead of convincing him to do something more traditional.  She's letting his creative juices flow, and I love that about her!  I did; however, try to invite myself to his party (even though I won't be in Colorado anymore when his party takes place), but I was informed by Mr. Stinky Skunk himself that I am NOT to attend.  I guess he doesn't want me showing up late and ruining his party!!  

Mr. Skunk kept me laughing all day.  He reminded me so much of a cuter version of Elmer Fudd.  He looked for skunks and rabbits and snakes and chipmunks.  He yelled to Mr. Tunnel asking if Mr. Rabbit was in there... his imagination ran wild all day, and I found myself just trying to catch up.

Crystal and Mr. Skunk, I loved seeing you today.  Again, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting for such a long time.  There I go again.  I hope that you find that these photos were worth waiting for!!  See you again soon!  ~~ Jodi

Baby Feiwell :: Sneak Peek

When I walked in -- I was blown away.  Like, BUH-lown away!  The Feiwell home is so beautiful. Each detail is exquisite, thought-out, and in its perfect place.  When Brittany answered the door I was so happy to finally put a face to the voice on the other end of the phone.

I talked to Brittany weeks and weeks ago to discuss newborn pictures.  I was honored when I received a phone call back saying that her and her husband had decided to book me for the shoot.  Once their precious baby boy arrived, Britney called me again to set the date.  I was stoked to be able to document such a priceless time for them.  

So today I got to meet all four of the Feiwell's (five if you include Grandma... six if you include Cocoa-Nut the Chocolate Lab)!!  Their home felt as though I could walk right in and feel like I'd been living there for years.  So cozy and filled with love.

I spent most of my time up in the bedroom with the new arrival, and here are a few shots from the day.  They are all in black and white because Brittany has a GORGEOUS family photo gallery up on a wall in their home.  Brittany, I hope that you'll be able to picture a few of these photos up on that wall.  I also included a nice collage to show all my readers how superb the nursery is decorated.

I added a few more photos to this sneak peek than usual in order to satiate Grandma's need for instant gratification.  :o)  

Look for the full slideshow on the website in a couple of days!