I did not really expect to spiritually grow this weekend, more of I expected to create closer bonds with more women from my church and hopefully with some other young married women–but I’m not prejudiced–I love and welcome friendships from women of all ages!  However, it was evident that God certainly had bigger expectations for me this weekend.  When I left the Lakeview Camp on Saturday morning I was really more in a state of shock than excitement, or perhaps awe would describe it.  The love that God has for us took on a whole new meaning and it really began to make a whole lot more sense to me.

Aside from all of that though, I have been reminded of the many, many blessings in my life and particularly of my marriage to Cliff.  We have been married for a little over four years now and really in a way, its difficult to remember my life before him.  Life with Cliff is very natural to me and its almost as if its always been that way.

Overall, I’d like to say that our marriage has been easy, but maybe I’m just naive and waiting for the hard stuff to start since we haven’t even hit five years yet. We certainly have had to make compromises with each other over the last few years, and we’ve had to learn how the other works, but I am completely certain that Cliff was meant by God to be my husband.  He is everything I am not, yet the same as me in male flesh.  Where I can be very impatient at times, it seems like he is the most patient person I have ever met, yet does not allow himself to be run over.  He is slow to anger and very calm when he is–which has been very good and worn off on me–making even arguments almost pleasant at times.

I could go on and on about the miraculous things about my relationship with Cliff that I love and appreciate, but I know that would be boring and what I’d really like to share is a book recommendation that originally came from my mother, who gave me a copy about three years ago and at the time I disregarded it and put it to the side, thinking I MIGHT read it eventually.  Last year I finally picked it up again and was very pleased and comforted by what Dr. Laura had to say about the marriage relationship and some of the battles it goes through in today’s society.

The book, titled “The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands” mainly focuses on what women can do in their own actions in order to improve communication and the overall relationship with their husbands.  Some of the philosophies she focuses on we had already put into practice within our marriage, but reading them and seeing the responses and interviews from husbands she had done helped me put even more focus and importance on those things.

Probably the most valuable idea that Dr. Laura had in this book was that with many women and men working outside the home today, men are expected to help around the house significantly more than what was once normal, and women tend to have pretty high expectations of their husbands in terms of helping with housework, children, etc.  Many of the men interviewed for the book seemed to mention they did not feel appreciated, or whatever they did was wrong, so eventually they just gave up trying to help.  In many cases, the men gladly helped their wives around the house, but did not appreciate the idea that he was essentially chewed out for either not helping or helping wrong.  Dr. Laura’s idea is that wives need to make the effort to let their husbands know they are appreciated for their help, and that delivery of a statement can mean everything.  I have been so fortunate to have Cliff who gladly helps with dishes, laundry, caring for our pups, whatever, and I thought I often remembered to thank him for his help–not in the fact that those things should really be my responsibility, but because I appreciate the care he does give regardless; however I have now been reminded of how important it is to feel appreciated and I am much more conscious of letting Cliff know I appreciate the help he gives.  (Really—he is the laundry MASTER and the king of breaded pork chops around here!)

When consideration and appreciation are regularly expressed, it positively reinforces the activity, and the person is more likely to repeat the action in the future…(less laundry for me!!!!!) In turn, Cliff actively shows and voices appreciation when I do something for him….and I am a lot more likely to find comedy and laughter in him holding up his beer bottle as his way of asking for another one when he’s watching a game on tv!  (yes, that’s a true story! –and it really was funny!)

This book overall reinforces that as wives, we are not princesses, we are partners with our husbands, who do want to love us and provide for us, but sometimes do not know how, and communication is a way to help make our relationships much more pleasant.  If these principles are put into practice early in the relationship, it’s much more likely to continue over the years and make for a much happier marriage.  It is so important to support each other, because one day, all we may have is God and each other.  Even when it comes to Cliff mowing the yard outside or working on the car, I aim to show my appreciation for his contribution by offering a cool glass of water or anything he may need from inside.  (I did even mow the yard once this last year so I knew I could do it if needed–but we established, he’s probably MUCH better at the job!)

On another note, I realize I am fortunate in another way because Cliff did grow up with parents who did not entirely reverse traditional gender roles in the house, but they did not live by society’s set gender rules.  Cliff’s dad was the official cookie baker (due to an unfortunate wooden spoon in batter incident Tricia had in the early years, haha!) and Tricia was the person who mowed the yard until her transplant in 2007.  Patricia was even delighted with a fancy new lawnmower one year for her birthday because that is what she wanted when so many women would balk at such an inconsiderate gesture! Because of the example Cliff’s parents set forth for him, he has not been a “typical man” when setting up house in our marriage and more willing to do things such as cook, clean, etc; than what is the “society norm.”

In some ways our marriage probably seems dull to some–we aren’t big on public display of affection, nor do we frequently have purposed “date” nights on a set night, and Cliff has NEVER said that I was “beautiful.”  Some friends have even expressed sympathy when Cliff plays pool every Tuesday night and golf on the weekends, nicknaming me “Pool Widow,” but our marriage works for us, and I am completely happy with the way we do things and he seems to be as well.  The idea is that we support each other and are happy with ourselves, and in turn our marriage is healthy.  I don’t NEED to hear Cliff say that I’m “beautiful” because I have learned that is not his way of expressing that he appreciates my beauty.  When someone makes the effort to really learn their partner and the way they work, words just become words, and “Nice” or the occasional “pretty” develops just as nice or better of a meaning than “beautiful.”

My hope for you if you are a wife is that you show appreciation for your husband and he reciprocates the same, and that you make a marriage that works for you.  If you are a woman who’s hoping to eventually get married, my hope is that you make it a priority to appreciate the efforts and servanthood your partner/boyfriend/future husband does for you and make that known to him.  Maybe with increased consideration, we could turn the increasing divorce rate in this country around!

I’m sure I’ve gone on and on at this point, and this post was probably poorly written, but my desire is that others are as happy in their married life as I have been thus far, despite some of the challenges we have faced.

  

Image from Amazon.com

Right now I’m enrolled in a business of photography class just to connect with other photographers and get some more insight into managing my own business.  With that comes the above mentioned thoughts of marketing and branding.

Well, today I was doing some internet surfing and found several awesome links online to some incredible business card and marketing designs.  So of course I thought I would pin them to my pinterest for future use and share them here with you in case you might find them of use:

Visit my Pinterest board of all paper goods!

If anyone really knows me, they know I collect business cards like they are either going out of style or worth some money some day.  I usually use them to help give examples of good and bad design in class every year. (Yes, I keep some of the really bad ones too!)  I’ve collected so many over the past couple of years that whenever I have my kids do the card re-design project, I don’t ask them to bring a business card anymore.  They can just use one from my stash, but if they want to use one of their own, they are more than welcome to!

Some people might think that business cards really are going out of style, (my dad just asked me if there was a free scanner that would send the info to his Outlook so he could immediately trash the card;) but honestly, in a way, business cards are more important than ever.  A business card for a small business owner is a reminder to others of your conversation, and an impressive and good looking card is sure to be more likely to be held on to and used in the future.  A dull, poorly designed card on cheap, thin paper is sure to be lost in the bottom of a purse or go straight to the trash!  As a photographer, give cards to your clients so when people ask who their amazing photographer was, they can hand them your card…and in away—it’s the face of your business!

Of course, this is just all of my own opinion and whatnot, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt.  However, DO look at the pinterest board because there are some INCREDIBLE designs at those links that you will not soon forget!

How about this hip-ish DJ card??

!

Last week I began a Business of Photography class at UTA, and one of our first assignments is to compile a portfolio of sorts and define our photography style and goals for the future with our photography.  In a way, it was difficult to narrow my images down to my favorites, and of course I can always do better, but it was interesting to see how my portfolio ended up as far as what exactly the subjects were in most of my images.  When describing the photos and how I wanted the image to be portrayed, I found myself using the word “timeless” quite a bit, which I feel has helped me in defining my overall style.  Of course I’m up for trying new things and varying the style of photography to shoot, but it seems my favorite images are those that will still portray the same beauty over and over for decades, instead of a trendy style that will be obvious in about twenty years, (can we say the ’60s warm toned rounded corner photos anyone? or how about the portraits of the front on face and side profile faded in?—1980s!)

But anyways, if you would like to take a look at my portfolio selections, take a little trip over to my Flickr page!

Saturday night we went to a steakhouse in Avinger to celebrate my grandfather’s birthday, and afterward, my mother and I decided to venture across the street to a little antique shop where I found this cool frame for $10.00 that I thought would look great in a new color:

I spray painted it a metallic silver and it looked FABULOUS! I couldn’t wait to take it home and hang it in my entry way, or put a mirror in it and hang it…somewhere.

Then, I moved it after adding a second coat, and went to put it down and BAM! Broke into several pieces….BOO!

AFTER:

There goes my cool frame, and $10.00…and that basically describes the screwy day I had….

Fortunately, sweet Baby A was born a healthy, (and quite long,) little boy!  It took a while before I was able to, but I finally made it up to Arena’s home earlier this week and was able to take some pictures of her sweet little nerdling!

If you haven’t had the chance, hop on over to Arena’s blog The Nerd’s Wife, and check it out. Not only is she a photography nerd like me, but she loves posting all sorts of interesting stuff, such as GREAT recipies, book reviews, and not to mention, life with a nerd! aka: James.

Being the tech-savy woman that she is, Arena has utilized Etsy quite well and has purchased several custom crafted accessories for this little boy already, such as this ADORABLE Dinosaur cap!

He seems to love the Sock Monkey cap, (I’m hoping she’ll allow me to borrow this once we eventually have our own offspring. because I LOVE it!) I love capturing little baby smiles!

We’ve got to get a close up of his face, is it not adorable!?!

Of course we had to get a shot with Mom and baby!  Does she not look great!

If you have kept up with my blog, you have probably seen this type of shot before, but I can’t help and show it again.  I just love seeing mommas hold their babies! Plus, I love how this shot displays Arena’s Aggie ring!

The first lens is a Sigma 18-50mm F/3.5-5.6 for Canon.  The lens is used but in excellent condition and has been well cared for.  Lens will be in the original packaging and does NOT include a lens hood.

The next lens is a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 with Canon Mount.  It is used, but in excellent condition and includes a lens hood as well as original packaging.

If you are interested in either of these lenses or both, please shoot me an email at cleeelegantphoto@gmail.com

Serious inquiries only, please!

Last week most of my family from my mother’s side came out to our house for a White Elephant gift exchange.  We had so much fun enjoying time with each other, and my grandfather had all nine of his great grandchildren with him at the same time! (So, of course we had to get a picture.)

This was my gift for the exchange–a canvas I created with one of the Bible verses referencing Christmas.

I was fortunate enough to get a good deal to have it printed at Easy Canvas Prints.  Now I kind of wish I would have ordered one for myself, and probably my cousin Jamie….

Anyway, well, I hope y’all are having a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.  We are about to be off to East Texas for dinner with my family…

1. Supplies

I always love getting things I can use for my classroom.  There are many things that your child’s teacher has to pay for on their own in their classroom that they constantly use.  Pens, highlighters, markers are all good options.  Other things such as paper clips, POST IT NOTES, book markers are also a good idea.  If you are looking for something a little more expensive that nearly every teacher uses these days, a USB Flash Drive is a wonderful idea!

I absolutely love this little kit that I found on Pinterest.  It has coordinating clips, tacks, lip gloss, and chocolate of course! (You know I actually had a mentor suggest I wear some lipstick on a regular basis–which I very rarely do!–much more of a chapstick girl because most lipsticks cause me to look like a $3 woman of the night.) The coordinating colors these are all in make it such a happy and cheerful kit as well! (Believe me, almost ALL teachers will go GAGA over school supplies!)

Another idea for assembling a supply gift for a teacher is a supply cake much like the diaper cakes people make for baby showers.  Perhaps more appropriate for elementary teachers, but they are super nice and again, provide much needed classroom supplies.

2. Something to Sip

Like I said earlier in this post, I’m not much of a coffee fan, but I almost always have something to drink in my classroom, whether it’s water, tea, or the occasional Coca Cola. When we are standing and talking that much throughout the day, it’s nice to have something to sip on between moments in class.  The insulated tumblers with a lid and straw are a great idea for your child’s teacher!  I love all the personalized options out there–that way if she ever loses it in the school–they know EXACTLY who to return it to!  Other ideas to consider would be the mascot for their favorite college or university, (Can we say, HOOK ‘EM HORNS!)

3. Personalize It!

One gift idea I keep seeing over and over that I think is absolutely cute is the personalized clip boards.  I use a couple of clipboards in my classroom–one for my tardies where kids have to sign in when they are late and another at Open House.  More often than not, a teacher will have a use for a clip board, and the super cute personalized ones just make work that much more fun!

Other personalized gifts I love as well, because it shows that thought goes into them and plus, if they are lost, its more likely they will be returned back to me.

One thing I would love in my room is a stamp with my name and position on it, because I could easily use it to stamp hall passes instead of signing them or a plethora of other items throughout the year.  You might even want to have their email address put on the stamp as well.

A really unique and cute lanyard or key ring is also a great gift, and having the name stitched on it as well is a great idea because before too long, if he or she hasn’t yet, the teacher will lose their keys, or misplace them.  Lord only knows where they will find them, stuck in a lock, left in the bathroom, dropped in the parking lot, or in my case misplaced in my car console.  However, having a name on them will provide a greater chance of the teacher getting their keys back and not losing their mind.  Most teachers are required to wear some form of identification so a cute lanyard or that of a favorite sport team for a guy is a good idea as well.

4. Keep the Memories Coming

Do you take a lot of pictures at your kid’s classroom parties and events? Or maybe your school has pictures available you can use, (don’t just right click and save from the internet, because those won’t work!) A cool idea is a customized calendar for your child’s teacher.  I take a LOT of pictures throughout the year, (obviously, I’m a photographer,) and so I have a ton of Sam Houston pictures from many different events, so it would be relatively easy to make a custom calendar.  The other cool thing is that our district has already released the Year at a Glance Calendar for the next school year, so I can go in and input the important dates for the next school year in the calendar. Then, if the teacher wants to, they can cut out the pictures and display them in the classroom once the year is over.

5. The Ability to Say “Thank You”

Of course I would love stationery, because not only do I design my own note cards, but I just love stationary as well.  Some simple 4×5.5″ notecards would be the perfect thing for teachers to keep on hand at work to send quick thoughtful notes to other faculty members, or notes home, or even thank you notes for the wonderful gift you got her!  You can have a trusty graphic designer come up with a design and order for you or you can find a variety of really neat designs that you can even personalize on Etsy, Tiny Prints, or Vistaprint. You might can even visit your local office supply store and have some cards printed there as well!

Do you need more gift ideas?  Just check out the search I did for “teacher gifts” on Pinterest!

Well, in the four years we have been married, we have yet to have another professional picture taken of us! We have not even set up a tripod in the backyard and tried a photoshoot on our own, because you guessed it, Cliff hates pictures! (Not to mention, I haven’t been too terribly happy with my physical appearance.)

I decided that this year we must send out a Christmas card, and I would really like to have the dogs in the picture as well, so of course I called upon my wonderful friend, Sydni Rae to see if she would be up for a photo swap.  We each do a few pictures of each other with their significant others for holiday pictures.  It was fantastic, I believe we were done shooting within thirty minutes on the perfect overcast day!

Here are a few of the really cute and creative shots of Sydni and her man, Grant:

Sydni was inspired by a really cool idea on Pinterest to wrap themselves in colorful lights for their official Christmas picture.

She roped herself a good one I tell ya:

She’s my favorite redhead, and I’m sure she’s Grant’s as well:

Such a stunning couple:

Here are some shots that Sydni got of Cliff, me, and the puppy dogs:

I just love the one above the way Pearl is sitting.  Her back is to the camera but she turns her head around to see the camera….always has to be difficult!

As you can see, Cliff is MUCH taller than I, but that does not bother me one bit! It certainly comes in handy at the grocery store, or when getting into the attic, or changing the fan speed, or trying to open door knobs….

I love the framing of this above photo.  the shape and angle of the road somewhat guides you down to the subjects, and it creates interest.

It was my idea to kneel in the road.  Originally I thought I wanted to kneel in front of our house, but thought the same country road Sydni and Grant wanted was better.  Kneeling is a new thing for me, because in the last couple of years it has been rather difficult considering the knee problems I have had.  I have finally gotten some really good physical therapy treatment and I’m going back to the gym and working on weight training for my legs, building up the quad muscles individually, and I can already tell a difference!

I think it is so cool that even though both couples were photographed in the same exact location on the same day, just minutes apart, we still got unique and different shots of each other! That is just one thing I love about working with other photographers and the creative element behind this art.  Each person behind the lens is going to see something different!

I am so thankful for my wonderful friend Sydni and the great times we have together! I’m also thankful for husbands who are willing to wear a gray shirt, and change into the  black shoes that stick to his socks for the sake of looking good in a picture for me, and just posing for a few pictures, period!

I have already ordered some prints, (look out Mom for Christmas!) and finalized and ordered our Christmas card design, so hopefully they will be out to our friends and family by the end of the week!

Before becoming a bilingual Vietnamese pre-k teacher in the Austin area, Evan used to work for Lens Crafters, so he’s developed a love of glasses and has quite a collection.  I love the ones he chose to wear for the shoot.

I thought the collection of school desks behind him were perfect considering his profession.

Don’t you think he could be a model?

Evan also decided to bust out his sword he has collected and we grabbed a few of him looking pretty fierce!

I love the way the light was coming in through the windows, and it cast such a beautiful golden light over the whole area.

And of course we had to get some of his angel wings, showing off his “innocence” hehe.

Evan, I love that you asked me to do a shoot for you and so pleased that you and Sam came to visit us recently!