work week

well, last week commenced my first full-time work for "the business." still nameless, but monopolizing most of our waking thoughts, our photo business is up and running. i've realized that i need to learn how to run a business, learn financial programs and software, learn and understand the photography world, learn how to edit photos on photoshop, and work full time with my spouse. all with my very related background in recreation and therapy. well, at least the therapy will help steve having to work with me full time.

last week we shot jake and bonnie's wedding up in smithfield (a "suburb" of logan, utah). that was fun, the weather was crazy, making for exciting moments at the wedding, fun photos and an amazingly beautiful drive back to spanish fork.

we are both still excited about everything related to "the business," just wanting it to take off right now, but understanding that it will take lots of time. we're also excited for this week, with all the leaves in their peak colors. i imagine we will find ourselves outside more than not. yeah!

sorry, no photo for this post. i promise one for next time.

ups and downs of standby

so, one of our friends works for the airlines and gave us 2 buddy passes, which we intended to use for our trip to alaska. i am typing from spanish fork, which means we didn't get on the plane. oh well. we can still have a free trip sometime.

so, this week, instead of hanging out on the tundra, i'm planning on attacking our living space and making it work better (like being able to walk on the floor, etc.). and, of course, we get to keep being trained by our dog on how to be good dog parents.

last day

i've spent the past four years hanging out at a place that i call the haven. it's pretty cool. lots of girls running around. loads of cats. a dog (or two). there were even goats. cherry trees. lots of snow in the winter. more wind than you could ever harness. the best part, of course, were the folks that ran around there. and the amazing things that happen, almost on a daily basis.

i've learned a lot about myself and other people. learned about how to be flexible. how to be assertive. how to love. how to talk. how to watch really dumb movies. how to cook for 20 people. how to buck hay. how to count to 16 over and over. how to write a treatment plan. what prognosis means. how to build a ropes course. when someone really just wants attention. that cats sometimes have two uteri. how to work with a budget. how to teleconference. how to drive a huge van. how to guide a raft. how to navigate a huge van with a trailer on a muddy road with a cliff on one side. how to trust others. how to let go of some relationships. to like spanish fork. that ibuprofen solves most problems. how to go from the basement to the loft without stepping on the ground. that people sometimes like to light bullets on fire. how to eat chocolate for three meals a day. how to geo-cache. how to make latkes. how to pull a trailer, and back it up. how to get married. how to dictate. how to relax. how to listen.

anyway, i suppose the point is: i've had a good run at the haven. glad i went there. glad they were nice to me. glad to still stick around a bit. gonna miss it. gonna miss the peeps. thanks y'all.

and now off to alaska (just for the week).

the dog and california

so entering in the dog-owner world has mostly been good. there have been those "fun" moments of cleaning up poo from the living room, worrying about the couches, catching the dog before he runs into the road. but the fun moments are great, like the gnarly-looking harley rider, who walks by and says "cute puppies" under his breath, or when keene starts carrying a nalgene full of water, or when he barks in his sleep. fun times. and we make friends everywhere we go with him.

our trip to california was fun, although too short for me. we hung out in bishop and mammoth with adam and natalie. got some bouldering in, some hot springs soaking, some good food, a float down the river, and some good kickin it time.

also, because i am slow in communicating to everyone, in case you didn't know, i am quitting my job at new haven and working full time with steve on his photo business. i'm excited for the change, although i will miss all the awesome people i work with at the haven. i can't believe it's almost over; i've been there 4 years. wow. anyway, if you know anyone who needs a good photographer, let us know.