Living

I feel a random post coming on. Maybe it's the rain. Or maybe it's because my diet Coke addiction is taking over my concentration skills. The aspartame is melting my organs as I type, but OOOHH it's such a nice calorie-free pick up. I think I'll cut back as soon as my hair starts falling out (again). Or at least I'll start looking into some good wigs. 

SO. I was on Living again today. And no matter how many times I go on the show, there's always this moment right before the camera pans over, that I'm 100% sure I'm going to break into Terrets. At first my inner dialogue is very zen: "Nerves are good. They mean that you're pushing yourself. Absorb it, and watch yourself get through. It's not about perfection, it's just about doing."  

Then Shelly goes, "So, Maile tell us all about senior portraits."

And I have to force myself not to scream, "OH MY GOD, I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M HERE! I THINK I TOOK A PICTURE ONCE, BUT NOW ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS MY BUTT. HOW BIG IS MY BUTT RIGHT NOW?!"

And then my mouth opens, and is miraculously not talking about my butt. And I'm so euphoric about it, that by the end I want to kiss, and hug, and dog-pile everyone on set. And ask for their addresses so I can mail them cards at Christmas.

And then the adrenaline high starts to wear off. But it's okay because I have my diet Coke to keep me going. And my wigs.  

So if you're inclined, here's the segment. There isn't a direct link, so just click on "The New Look Of Senior Portraits". And also, call now if you want to get in on the special! April 4th is going to fill up fast!

Okay, changing the subject. I was overwhelmed by all the nice comments you left here, and over at Shutter Sisters yesterday. Truth be told, I was so nervous to post them. The whole project is WAY out of my comfort zone. But that's also why I knew I had to do it. And you guys were so incredibly kind. So THANK YOU. Truly. THANKS. You all are awesome. OH! And I will post the winner tomorrow. Or maybe if I get enough done this afternoon, tonight. LATE though.

So in the spirit of randomness, I thought I'd snap a shot of mahsehlf right this minute at my desk, while I still have my fake lashes on. Aren't they purrrty? I was hoping my lashes would be so big that they'd make my butt look smaller on TV. (shhhhh!) And since I always like it when people do this on their blogs, I'll tell you what's all up in my junk behind me on my fairly new IKEA cabinet that was supposed to keep me all organized, yo.

Or not so much.

Links: Kal, Tri-Vita, Tracey, Lensbaby

And now it's back to WURRRK. There is so much to get done before I leave for Oregon on Sunday. I can't even begin to wrap my head around it all. 

I think it's time for another Diet Coke.

The Richardsons: San Antonio Family Photographer

We had a great Kid's Shoot last weekend. Lots of families drove up to the (still not finished) studio. We shot all around town, and I got to meet so many great people. Among them were Cari and Patrick, and their adorable girls. They own the Silo Restaurants here in town, and were referred by their neighbors, and my good friends DD and Katy. Thanks everyone! 

It was also Miss Ryleigh's first birthday, so we did a few of her by herself. 

Keep an eye out for Cari and Patrick's new restaurant opening soon, called Nosh. If it's like Silo, I'm sure it will be amazing!

And on a different note, I don't know what's gotten into me, but I've been burning the midnight oil painting lately. And that has turned into a little project. If you want to see the deets, come back Wednesday for a give-away! 

 

HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!

BEHOLD THE MAJESTY THAT IS GROCERIES DELIVERED TO YOUR DOORSTEP. Aside from the births of my children, this might be the best day of my life. If there's anything I despise, it is grocery shopping. The parking, the monotonous wandering, the loading, the unloading, blaaaaahhh! I hate everything about it. And that means I procrastinate it. Which then means that we flush hundreds of dollars eating from take-out menus. In California we were spoiled because the grocery store delivered for a nominal fee (like $7). So when I moved here, and realized the hellish torture that is shopping with three children, it turned out to be one of the things I missed most. Over the years, I'd do an online search for grocery delivery. But prices were always too high, or too complicated to estimate. 

THEN. Last week I got an email from my client/friend Jesi, saying that her friends were starting a new business called Mommys 4 Hire. Among their list of services was GROCERY SHOPPING. It was literally five minutes between receiving the email, that I had them scheduled for delivery. All week, I'd been anticipating it like a child waiting for reindeer footsteps. Looking at the almost empty shampoo bottle, my stomach would flip with excitement knowing that I wasn't going to be the one to replace it.

Then they showed up today and it was like FIFTEEN CHRISTMASES PLUS THE FOURTH OF JULY. Not wanting to scare off my new best friends, I tried to play it cool by asking questions like, "how much to I owe you?"... and "did you have trouble finding anything?" But it was so hard to concentrate with all angels singing in my head. And I could barely see amongst all the doves that were being released. So I did my best not to hug them for fifteen minutes. And I didn't tell them that I think they may have permanently changed my life. And I also managed to refrain from telling them that if they ever close their business now, they're going to need a restraining order to get rid of me. Because you know how there are some drugs, like alcohol and pot that people can use recreationally? And then there are the ones like crack and meth that turn you into an immediate junkie? Like one minute you're a successful attorney, and the next you're living toothless on a roach-infested matress? Well, this is the meth of household services. Once you start, you will not be able to stop. And I hate it when people use multiple "O"s in a dramatic attempt to say something is SOOOOO great. But this is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT. 

And the best part is their rates are INCREDIBLY REASONABLE. Even with the extra fee added onto the grocery bill, I paid LESS than what I pay when I go myself. I think it's because there was no impulse buying of books, and magazines, and candy, and toys. And that doesn't even take into account how much I'll save by not having to order out. If this saves me one pizza delivery, it's paid for itself. And you can save even more if you get 2 weeks worth at a time. 

Oh, you guys just really need to call them. I'm serious. CALL THEM. CALL THEM. CALL THEM. CALL THEM. 

Here's their 411:

Kristen-(830) 237-9954 or Shelly-(210) 884-0394

Mommys4Hire@gmail.com

They also do Cleaning, Errands, Lawn Care, and Party set-up/clean-up

San Antonio Senior Portraits: Jayme

It's that time of year again! I had my first senior session of the year a few weeks back with the gorgeous Jayme. Her sister Jillian came to me three years ago, before I even had a blog...(hard to believe!) Anyway, it felt like a bit of a milestone to be photographing another family member. And it was fun to catch up with her awesome mom, Patti. She happens to be one of the ORIGINAL Hot Mamas, before I even had a name for that type of session. We did a little segment about her on The Living Show (way back when). And following in her footsteps, Jayme will be on the show with me next week to talk about senior pix. 

Beauty beauty beauty.

 

We're having a Senior Portrait Special on April 4th. If you're interested, send me an email!

San Antonio Family Photographer: The Feinsteins

Okay, so I almost deleted my last post because I was too busy to update yesterday. And Emily's picture made it feel like I'd been crying for 2 days straight. So much for impulsive blogging. I'm now over my frustrations, and have moved on to being excited by the new organization of things. Housecleaning is good.  

So, I know the Red Sofa sessions are old news by now. But I found some that were never posted...including ones of the cutest Jaime Martin (from KJ97) and her boys. Maybe I'll post them this weekend. But today, here are a few from two separate shoots of The Fabulous Feinsteins. If you read this blog at all, you know that Karen is my peep. She let me into the operating room when she did Katy's C Section. She went on the Mexico girls trip with us. And I love her despite the fact that her rock hard ads made me feel like I should be closet-eating my chips and queso.   :)

The whole fam. Owen (the youngest) was a busy boy that day. I think this is the only photo we have of him where he's within a 2 feet radius of the family.   :)

Glen is also an OBGYN. How cute are they together. 

And tomorrow is the big Kids Shoot at the studio. I need to get off the computer and go buy lollipops.