Gratituesday: Motivation | personal

I had every intention of blogging yesterday to welcome in the first day of spring. I even took pictures of the blooms that finally peeked through the buds I shared with you last week (see above). Instead, I ended up spending the day rearranging and cleaning my living room, finally returning to crossfit after about a 10-day absence, chasing my dogs all around the stinking neighborhood and doing other chores here and there. In other words, I actually spent the day being productive and enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having! And it felt SO GOOD.

Yesterday was a refreshing change in my activity over the past few weeks. I mostly spend my days working on the computer, making dinner or taking naps. I have been exhausted and not in the mood for any sort of house or yard work. So this week, I am beyond grateful for the motivation that finally decided to join me in life. Although, it could have been the three giant glasses of carrot juice I had the day before. You know, when you eat (or in this case drink) well, you do suddenly have a lot more energy. :)

I feel like being grateful for motivation is kind of a cop-out... but I'm really, seriously grateful for it this week. I ended up canceling my trip to VA beach this week to rearrange furniture in more rooms and finally get a bit more spring cleaning done. No joke, I actually consider it to be a little bit fun. :)

What are you grateful for this week?

Gratituesday is a weekly blog post (that I try to keep up with) I got involved with over here. You should join, too! If you do, be sure to let me know in the comments as I would love to read what you write about.

belated-mega-gratituesday: so much! | personal

I can't believe it's already Friday! This week has FLOWN by... there is so much stuff swirling around both SLP and my home so my mind has been in a million different places. I am super excited about a lot of things, but more specifically... I am GRATEFUL for so much. Here's a shortened run-down that should cover the last two weeks of Gratituesday. ;)

1. Earlier this week I booked my flight to Arizona for the end of this month to visit one of my favorite friends, Carrie. She moved out there last fall and I cannot wait to fly out and see her new AZ life! Plus, I'm not sure if you are aware of this... but it was in the 90's this week in AZ. Hah... to say I am excited about enjoying that weather is an understatement. :)
2. While I am in AZ I'll be stopping in for a visit with one of my wedding photography idols, Melissa Jill. I am so very excited about spending time with her and picking her brain! She inspires me in a lot of the ways that I choose to run my business so I couldn't be more pumped to meet her.
3. Late last week Tommy sold his miata and on Monday he bought a Nissan Frontier to replace it. Finally. I am so grateful that we no longer have to borrow his dad's truck every time we want to do a big project around the house! And he is in HEAVEN. (He has wanted a truck for years!)
4. And last but SURELY not least.... dum dum dummmm.... I finally bought myself a Mac. :) My new, slim, silver laptop should arrive sometime today... just in time for me to load her up with all the goodies necessary for me to take my office on the road! Which means that my trip to VA Beach with Tommy next week and my trip to AZ at the end of the month won't be putting a hold on any office work. The relief... oh the sheer relief... I cannot express!

There's even more going on, but we still have some details to nail down before everything is announced. I am so grateful for the growth of SLP over the past few years and the opportunities it has brought to my family. So, stay tuned for a few announcements and changes in the coming weeks!

In the meantime... get off the computer and go outside! It is GORGEOUS today!

could it be? | personal

Wow, spring really is right around the corner! I feel like I should buy that groundhog some cookies (or nuts and bark). :) There is a pear tree right outside my office window and it is the first to bloom every year (and it smells horribly). I glanced out of my office window on Sunday after the rain had passed and noticed little bits of green growing on it. Happiness!

I waited until the sun peeked yesterday morning to take a few pictures. I tried all day yesterday to get these pictures up on the blog, but we had a little adventure with our dogs and instead I spent the day driving around to vets offices and running other unexpected errands. Ah, life with dogs.

I just wanted to share how I am so excited that spring is almost here! :)

For fun, I put a few of these full-res images online for you to download and use as desktop wallpaper if you'd like. Just click over to the gallery here.

February Self Portrait | Personal

This month I began a new journey into fitness. I've tried training for races, I've tried raw food diets, I've tried juice fasts and club swim teams. Nothing has lasted... but nothing started as exciting and full-forced as this one. Crossfit. I'm two weeks in... and two weeks strong. I love it. I look forward to every workout. It is my top priority everyday to get to the box downtown. (Except rest days :)). I'm in... and I'm completely addicted. I really think this is it. I told Tommy the other day "I'm doing this for the rest of my life." I love it. Thus... this month's self portrait:

February 2011 | crossfit chalk hands

check out past 2011 self portraits: january

Gratituesday: Tave | Virginia Wedding Photographer

Gratituesday is a weekly blog post (that I try to keep up with) I got involved with over here. You should join, too! If you do, be sure to let me know in the comments as I would love to read what you write about. Okay, this week has been incredible! I actually have so much I want to write about this morning, but I am going to reserve my huge list for future Gratituesdays. :) For now... I want to talk to my friends in the photography industry.

My friends in real life know that when I find a product, a routine, a business, or even a food that I love and that works for me, I canNOT stop talking about it. I believe in my heart that what I found would be just as great for EVERYONE else in the world as it is for me. (Trust me, I know this is not always a positive thing.) Luckily my friends know how to appease me with their "uh huh's" and "wow Liz, very cool" statements. :) (Whatever they need to say to get me to hush up, haha.)

But for real... this one I KNOW will be super helpful for other photographers! (Much like Lightroom and Photo Mechanic... do yourself a favor and check them out if you aren't already using them.) If you aren't already using a business management program, please stop what you are doing right now and go sign up for the free trial of Tave.

I found Tave a week ago and have since dumped the entire contents of the business-space of my brain into Tave. It is doing the thinking for me. And finally, finally I am able to offer better customer service and have more free time in the process. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to let go of the stress of remembering my to-do list! In addition, Tave has a great financial area, a space to keep track of vendors (no more googling addresses over and over again!), and a place to upload files for each job (contract, photo lists, etc). You can plug in your workflow (and due dates and reminders!) so that you never miss a step in the process from inquiry to product delivery.

Okay... that is all I am going to say. I know this is more of a commercial than it is a Gratituesday - but this week I am SO incredibly thankful for Tave. If for nothing other than the fact that I can sleep peacefully at night without waking up to jot things down on my to-do list.

Ahhh... so this week I am grateful for Tave and peaceful nights of sleep. :)

What are you grateful for?