Santa Monica Engagement Shoot

This couple... I gotta tell ya, they were so great and fun! I haven't actually edited anything but this one picture but I thought I should post it so you can join in on the fun-ness of it all. I tell ya, I wish every engagement shoot were this easy and enjoyable!

Flaming Generations

Okay, only one side of the generations but still, Grandpa, Son, Grandson.

Todd Flaming

A friend and neighbor since my life began. Todd's older sister was my best friend growing up so I've known this little guy since he was 3. Now, at 27, he's a man. So strange. I got to take pictures of him, his dad, and his grandpa together. We had a great time and I was so glad to be able to hangout for the short period of time. What a solid family.

Buczinski Wedding

So I was in this wedding and shot a few pictures for fun. Here are a few images that I love. I'll tell ya, the one of Stephanie is one of my favorites. She's so amazing.

It was such a great wedding. Simple, beautiful, and awesome! I loved being a part of it and I'm so thankful for both the Newbold and Buczinski families as well as all of our dear friends old and new.

Chris and Becky, I wish you the very best.

What precious children...

I love these kids. The week spent with them was overwhelming and awesome. Really, they are so great and easy to care for. It was just exhausting is all. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The Office - Day 1

Been Up To

Well, I've been working hard, getting clients, creating presets for Lightroom, doing business stuff, keeping on my laundry, exercising, letting my neck and spine go so that now it's in the pinched nerve state. Dumb me.

Let me see though... what's new? JenniferEileen.com is all updated and fresh with my new logo. I have split my companies into two. Jennifer Eileen and Jennifer Eileen Imaging. I have to get working on my JEimaging website. I now have a place to post prints for people to view and order one or a ton of them. There is a link to the photocart inside my website. Um... I finally purchased my Fictitious Name Statement now I have to publish it and purchase my business license so I can open a business bank account.

I am traveling this weekend. Kind of dreading it due to the pain in my neck and upper back as well as gas prices and strain on my little Geo (who is a rockstar with 218,585 miles on it). I've been contemplating donating my vehicle for a tax write off and purchasing a different vehicle. What makes me nervous about that is the Geo's gas mileage is off the hook where another vehicle won't match that so I'll end up paying more for gas. But, a new car will have things that I'd like: a door handle so I can get in and out of my car much more easily, a radio so I won't have to carry around my trusty boombox, and lining on the ceiling that won't be drooping down. Gosh, those sound like good perks. But seriously, I can live with those things as long as I'm saving cash by not spending at the gas pumps.

Whatever.

Things are well. I'm learning, growing, being challenged daily, and looking forward to the wedding season to be up and running so I can start paying off my student loans!

Thanks Brooks for taking all my money for the next 30 years.

Part time jobs....

Any suggestions on what I should do? I just want something for 15-20 hours a week... and it has to be super flexible because of my photography random schedule that I might up and leave for a few days to shoot this and that. Thoughts? Ideas?

Engagements of Best Friends

Are great...

Becky and Chris came to Reedley this weekend. So great to see them! We went out, took pictures around Reedley, laughed a ton, even went to Hume Lake on Sunday to show Chris the wonders of it all. Beloved Stephanie joined us and a new, fun friend Marco came out to spend the night as well. So joyful, so refreshing, so fun.

Just some thoughts...

I've had a lot on my mind over these past few weeks. I've been working hard, trying to make sure I'm covering all of my "business" ventures but I keep feeling like I'm drowning. See, I have to purchase this and that (ie business license, etc.) but with what money? My clients keep canceling so obviously I'm doing something wrong, but what??? And now, I fear that two more clients are going to cancel because I haven't heard back from them for over a week concerning the contracts I sent. (And the contracts stated all the things we had covered and agreed upon.) So what am I missing? Personality? Small feet? I just don't know!

So now I keep having to face each day, working from my home, wishing I were around people. I keep contemplating getting a part time job but where? Reedley is not really full of fruitful businesses to work for a few hours a week. Volunteering? Definitely a possibility but again, the question of where?

I feel vulnerable, nervous, sick to my stomach when I think of the money that I so willingly borrowed and now owe back (plus interest). What's gonna happen? I just don't know.

Thankfully, the Lord ALWAYS provides. Right now I feel in a dark place and I feel alone but I keep having to remind myself that I'm not actually alone, someone is there with me while I roam around in this darkness. And light will be at the end of the tunnel and all of the unknowns will fall into place... always does.

So through this I praise God! I praise Him for these struggles, for the unknown, for the trials, for the lack of money and the need for it in order to accomplish all this business stuff, and I simply praise Him for creating me, loving me, dying for me, and allowing me to call Him Father.