Pictures in my mind...

Have you ever been taking back to a place you visited by a smell or feeling? This morning we walked across the street in our pajamas (funny site, I'm sure!) over to Tony and Jeanne's house for breakfast. It kinda feels like Christmas cause we all haven't showered and we don't look so hot but, we're together and that's all that matters. This vacation has been about getting to know "Grandma and Grandpa." Adriah stayed over to be with Tony (Grandpa). He's an incredible artist and Adriah puts herself in that category. She even sticks her tongue out when she trying really hard to stay in the lines. So they are painting together. Making memories that last a lifetime. I remember playing Bridge (an old-lady card game - well, at least, that what my Grandma always called it!) with my Grandma and loving that we were doing something that I never did with anyone else...it was special.

It's misty and foggy out. Walking back with my coffee cup in hand...it felt like I was in England. Kinda chilly but, the mystery of the morning makes me want to walk and explore. It also made me miss my family. If you're reading...know that I love you with all my heart and no one can ever take your place.

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Old and New...pictures of Adriah!

I had a couple of older pictures on the card I brought to South Carolina so I thought I'd show you the cuteness of my daughter...before and after the hair- chop!

This was our first day in South Carolina...Matt loves Adriah's different faces!

This is her saying, "What's that word again, Daddy?"

More vacation pictures to come!

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Warm Weather makes everything better...

...we arrived yesterday and it was 80 degrees! Today was even warmer. You don't really know how much you miss the sun until you're in it again. Adriah had a kinda rough time. She kept saying she was hot, tired, needing shade, thirsty...and many more complaining remarks! Bummer that this was our "fun day at the zoo with Grandma and Grandpa!"Thankfully we're here for the week so they don't think this is how she is all the time. The riverbanks zoo was tons of fun for Matt and I cause we awesome cameras and lenses! We loved the sun, the animals and the photo ops!

I heard Minnesota got snow. Sorry...well sort of sorry...I kinda like that it's snowing while we're away. Does that make me mean? Don't worry I'll be back in the snow soon enough!

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Aughh...packing up the family to go on vacation!

Seriously, this should not be this hard!  But packing up for 2 weeks is a ton of work. I'm doing laundry, cleaning, clearing out the fridge, getting all photography loose ends tied up, taking care of my kids and did I mention packing? Yeah...I know it's all worth it when we finally land in 78 degrees sunny South Carolina but, today I'm trying to cram it all in. My husband always says, "Don't worry, it's not like we're going to another country. If we forget something we can buy it there." He's totally right but, what mom wants to land and then run back and forth to the store for all the stuff she forgot to pack...not this one. I like to stress beforehand and relax as soon as I get on the plane.

Have a told you my trick with flying? I dress my kids in the cutest clothes they own and then people on the plane fall in love with their cutest and they extend way more grace if they are fussy during the flight. And Leyton is our wildcard...anything could happen! We'll bring tons of games/movies/snacks for Adriah's entertainment! She's a piece of cake!

Anyways! I should get back. Just wanted to give you the heads up on some new vacations pictures coming your way! I can't wait to see the ocean...augghhhh.

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It's my Birthday and I'll post what I want to...

So...I'm totally going to do something I've never done before! Hopefully this is ok...I want your help! While I was at WPPI in Vegas my room-mates and I did a little "photoshoot" and I got some profile pictures for my website and Facebook. In tribute to my favorite TV show American Idol, I'm want you to pick your favorite and tell me which should be my next profile pix.

SO...These are the ones I think best capture me and who I am as a photographer.

1.

2.

3.

My dimple is so embarrassing!

4.

5.

6.

Now...I took these other ones thinking I wanted to show a more serious side to me. I CAN'T PULL IT OFF TO SAVE MY LIFE!!! But, I thought it would be good for a laugh :) ENJOY!

7.

8.

9.

10.

My husband thinks they are HOT but not the right pictures for my portfolio. He's right! He's almost always right!

Do I look 33? Don't leave me hanging...if you've never commented before today is your day!

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I'm totally tearing up...

I just packed up my daughter and husband. They are taking their first road-trip together. We've been talking about it for weeks with Adriah (who's almost 4!) and she is so excited. They are going to drive all day to Thunder Bay, Canada to visit my husband brother and his family for the weekend. They are an incredible family that run a shelter and help people who are trying to get back onto their feet in the community. I love them dearly. Anyways back to why I'm so emotional about it...having her go away with her dad makes her seem very old. AND even though I need the weekend to get through all the paper work for my taxes (my least favorite thing to do!) I will miss them incredibly. You know? It's going to be so easy with one kid AND one that sleeps all the time! Okay...enough with blogging and back to the grind of taxes. Ohh to be Mary Poppins and sing my way through this mess. "Just a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down..." You know you want to sing it with me!

Alright, enough stalling, I'm going in!

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Feels like home to me.

We moved about 5 months ago and I absolutely love my new house! But, because it's taken a lot longer then I thought feel like this is my home. Probably because it took a few months to rent our townhome the stress of two mortgages limited what we could do to make this house feel more home-y. I thought just by having Thanksgiving and Christmas here it would feel like home but, it wasn't until I went away for a few days and came back that it sank in. This is my home! Not just a house I live in but, the place I share with my family. We will grow old together in between these four walls. There will be millions of memories made around the kitchen table, deep conversations, many laughs in this living room and tons of sweet moments putting our kids to bed and getting them up in the morning (isn't that every parents fav. moments of the day?) Having my work and home in the same space can be really challenging but, I feel like I'm really growing and putting boundaries in that will help sustain me as a photographer long-term. From now on...ohh this is a hard one to say out loud...I'm not going to turn on my computer on Sundays. YIKES! I'm realizing that anything people email me about on Sunday can wait until Monday morning and if it can't wait then they have my cell number. I need a break from working and a solid day with my family. I'll keep you posted on how this goes in my busy season. (P.S. You know this means no blogging on Sundays anymore -bulp!)

I want the time that I give to the business to be intentional and the time I give to my husband and family to be wholehearted, not distracted. You know what I mean? I'm praying that I'll grow in both areas.

Anyone else work from home? Any pointers? I'd love to hear what you've learned.

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AUUGHHHH! What have I done?

I chopped my daughter's hair! Over the past few days during our daily brushing routine Adriah has asked for short hair. So I gave her a shower and planned to cut it to her shoulders...that's it...no more. But, instead I didn't notice that she was slouching and so from the first chop it was too short! At one point she turned around and said, "that's a lot of hair mom" I replied, "I know!" It looks adorable. I just have to get used to her having short hair!

See for yourself.

She's gorgeous with long hair or short hair!

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I'm home...

I have to admit I have had the laziest day ever! I'm home with my kids: rolling on the floor, doing puzzles, giving lots of kisses, playing flash cards, tickling, wiping noses, cuddling, and having a wonderful time. Leyton is so fast! He's crawling like a mad man...I gotta keep a close eye on him! And Adriah is talking up a storm. I'm sure they aren't that different from when I left them 6 days ago but, being away and coming back makes you look at your kids through different eyes. I appreciate them so much and I'm so thankful to be able to be at home with them. I don't say this often enough...I LOVE MY JOB and ALL THE PERKS! Being away helped me refocus and get clear vision for the future of my business. I know that I know a few things about me...

1. I love the art of photography and I will be serving the Twin Cities my whole life. I want to photograph your babies, capture them as toddlers, set up a fashion shoot for their Senior portraits, help them plan their Engagement Session and Wedding Pictures...then start the whole process all over again with new babies.

2. I love mentoring and teaching new photographers about the business and how they can pursue photography as a career! I'm so excited for the three workshops I'll be hosting this year. More then that I can't wait to see the photographers that come grow, change and become the photographers of future.

3. I love being free to be myself. There are so many photographers out there and I can spend years of my life comparing or I concentrate on the one thing that is different and always will be. Me. And I'm the kind of photographer that gets to know her clients, wants them to be over the moon happy, and has an amazing time capuring their lives.

I learned a ton from WPPI but, this was the most important stuff!

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Helping a friend...

A precious friend of mine is in need. I know the people who read this blog are wonderful and caring so I wanted to share her story with you. My friend is one of the most caring and generous people I know. For that reason she will make a wonderful missionary. She's packing up her family and leaving for Brazil...they plan to leave in a month! AND on top of that she pregnant with third baby - a which a total blessing! But, my friend gets super sick in pregnancy and this was her worst. She got severely dehydrated from sickness and needed to have medicine pumed in to keep her from "losing her cookies." They have tons of unexpected expenses and are trying to get to the mission field. They need our help! Follow this link to see how you can be apart of sending them packing debt free!

I've known Cari and Michael Dugan for almost 9 years...they are a blessing! I'm hoping we can be a blessing to them.

P.S. Cari is the reason I'm a photographer. She asked me to shoot her wedding 6 or was 7 times...she never took no for an answer. After I shoot her wedding I was hooked. The rest is history!

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Nesting at 9 months?

i don't know what's normal but today I totally felt like I was nesting! It doesn't make any sense cause I'm NOT pregnant (I said NOT PREGNANT! No starting rumors please!) and Leyton is 9 months old but, I was cleaning like a mad woman! AND I went through all his clothes getting rid of the small (up to 18months) and moving in the new (18 months and bigger) Yup, you read correctly! Leyton is 22 pounds and extremely long so he wears clothes made for kids double his age. I shouldn't be surprised because Adriah did the same thing. I was nesting in my business too! I sorted binders going back 2 years. Everything has tabs and looks so pretty! Probably not necessary but, it's what will get me inspired to do my paperwork and taxes for this year. I'm a firm believer and doing what ever is necessary to inspire you to do Quickbooks and Taxes.

I think I'm tricking myself into feeling like this weather means Spring is just around the corner! Let me live in my dream world.

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A Weekend Away

I'm going away for the weekend. I just like saying it outloud (or in writing)! I'm taking Leyton with me and going up north from Thursday to Sunday. It's going to be wonderful. Now, the packing...that's another story. It doesn't matter if you're going for 3 weeks or 3 days with a baby you have to take everything. But, I'm working on my list of things to bring and it's being checked off more and more!

Have a great weekend. Stay warm. Not going to be easy when it's 15 below!

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Commitment...

I was thinking about commitment today. Totally random? maybe. But, I have lots of random thoughts lately  so it made perfect sense to me. I was thinking about how no one wants to commit to anything anymore. It could as simple as volunteering at your kids school or helping out at church or helping out a friend...all the way to staying in friendships/marriage for years, being loyal to a job and volunteering long-term. I remember when I started doing photography...people would ask if I was going to do it for a long time and I didn't know. Didn't want to commit. When did committing to something become a negative thing? It's committing to the trade and my clients that makes me a good, even great, photographer right? So, wouldn't that apply to every area of my life? Marriage? Friendships? Family? God?

Recently I've had incredible things happen in my heart and I've made strong commitments to how I am going to live my life from this point on. It's shocking to most...but, I feel a resolve that can't be explained. Something has changed in me and I want to commit. I don't feel burdened. I feel purpose. I don't feel like it's "one more thing". I feel like it's the only thing and everything else comes out it.

I'll tell you it's not easy but, it's wonderful. It's hard work but, I feel alive in the struggle. Does that make sense? I know this life is more than just breathing in and out and waiting for years to pass...it's so much more. I'm singing and journalling again. I smile more. I have peace that I can't explain. I feel like myself.

All I know is...I'm different and I never want to go back. Want to talk more? Email me.

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Merry Christmas from me to you!

Merry Christmas blog readers! I just want to say thank you for reading my blog and sticking with following my life and photography career. It really means a lot to me! Seriously...thank you. My surprise gifts:

-Leyton is sitting up and starting to crawl (he in himself is a wonderful gift)

-Adriah and I did our first duet at the Christmas Eve service!

-Matt bought me guitar strings (I used to play and want to again...hopefully I can make time in my crazy life!)

-I spoke with everyone in my family today, we're all healthy, and we love each other...even from a distance!

Merry Christmas! Enjoy your day off! Smile, eat lots and be merry!

www.noemiphotography.com

Pictures that capture moments...

I spend most of my extra time taking pictures, working on editing pictures, thinking about new ideas for pictures, looking at other people's pictures...not wanting the boring old snapshots in my personal or professional life. I LOVE PICTURES! I always have. That's probably why I love my job so much. It doesn't get old for me because I'm constantly creating. When I look back at pictures I relive every moment of that memory. It's so funny now, looking back, I notice all my flaws as a photographer but I don't care because I have a picture that helps me remember a moment. Life is short. And I'd rather remember that moment through a blurry image than not at all.

What am I saying? Even though I spend lots of time getting better at taking pictures I firmly believe that any picture is better then none at all!

So let yourself take a ton of pictures this Christmas...even the boring snapshot kind! 20 Years from now you'll be glad you did!

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Fun with an open shutter and fire!

During the holidays I hang out with family. But, when Leyton had to go to bed early my nephew Jesse and I stayed back from a church service to keep him company. I thought this was a cool shot of him enthralled in a video game!

Anyways, we got bored waiting for everyone to come back so I brought out the camera and we started shooting. We got more bold and creative as we went and ended up shooting the following images at really long shutter speeds, pointing at the fire and repeating movements (like circles, triangles, hearts etc) It was totally fun! You should definitely try it sometime! This is the beauty of digital. Tons of fun, experiment and no cost!

Enjoy:

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Looking back at Thanksgiving...

I love these next few pictures...they totally remind me of something taken in the 70's! Gramma Jeanne and my Adriah. Gramma brought the craft and Adriah is showing her how art is created!

I love the charming fake tattoos on her hands. She wouldn't let me scrub those things so they peeled off painfully over the next week.

Here's my babies: Adriah 3 1/2 and Leyton 7 months. These were taken the day after Thanksgiving! Right after the tree was put up and decorated.

This is me and my boy! I kiss him soooo much! Those chunky cheeks are so hard to resist! I love this shot cause there is such a twinkle in his eye!

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Time with my daughter...

I have always wanted to have a little girl...mostly cause I wanted to do her hair and dress her up cute and have someone to go shopping with and chat with later in life! Having a 3 year old girl has been more of a blessing to me then I could've ever imagined. I went Christmas caroling with Adriah (and some other friends and their kids) last night. She was a star! She sang songs, recited a memory verse about Jesus's being born and why he came...It was great to see people's faces light up! All the while she didn't complain about the cold wind or freezing feet. She called it "trick or treating for Jesus!" Although that's sounds a little twisted it kinda make sense cause it's the only two times she's ever gone door-to-door. I was so proud of her and there was something very special about doing it with her!

Another cute story...I had a formal Christmas party at our house last week and when I came downstairs in my dress and hair done she took one look at me and said, "Mom, WOW! You look perfect!" Her little face beaming with delight. Apparently I don't dress up enough!

OK one more story! She's really excited for Christmas, as you can imagine...she is three and she now understands that some of the gifts under the tree are for her! Anyways, she went shopping with Matt and he thought she could handle the secret. But no, she came home and told me she had a secret...she knew she couldn't talk to me about her secret and then she turned to Matt and asks "When is Mom going to open the boot? Ooops. Kinda nice to know I'm getting boots...bummer for Matt.

I love being a mom but, not to just anyone, Adriah's mom!

Any fun kid stories?

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Christmas Greeting Cards

I love this season! Leading up to Christmas and in the New Yeay I get "real" mail every day! You know the mail that someone I know has taken the time to address the envelope, print pictures and write an update on their family for the year. It's so great...Matt and I read every one of them and we save all the pictures. Because we pastor and both have family in three different countries we do 150-200 Christmas cards every year. Some I hand out at church and the rest I drop into the post. It's pricey but totally worth it! I know the people receiving can't wait to see how much more gorgeous my kids are this year :)

What do you do? Where do you get yours done. Is it worth it? What would you do differently?

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I'm done...

I've finished all my Christmas shopping! Yup. Totally done. All I have to get is some candy for the stockings but that's it! It's been a blast but I'm happy to not have to think about it anymore. I have family living in 3 different countries so getting Christmas present ideas, buying them, packing them and sending them to get to the destination on time is quite a task! But, now that's over I'm delighted! SIDE NOTE: I got together with a friend last night and spend the evening making caramels. THEY ARE DIVINE! And now I have a yummy treat to give to all my surrounding neighbors. First Christmas in the neighborhood and I'm shamelessly bribing my neighbors with sweets! LOVE IT!

AND then my sights will be set on our first annual FORMAL Christmas party! Most of our friends haven't seen our new house so this is our way of having everyone come over in style! And, in my opinion, we don't dress up enough! So, it's time to dust off my cutest dress, find the control-top tights, and practice applying the fake eyelashes, buy new jewelry and talk with adults all night! Nothing is holding me back! It's going to be GREAT!

Did I mention how much I love this season?

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