An un-bucket list item

I never "formally" added this item to my "bucket list", but it's something I've wanted to do for quite some time. I've wanted to do something for clients for Christmas, but haven't really gotten it together ... until this year!

This year, I went to Crate & Barrel and ordered almost 3 dozen ornaments .... for the clients we photographed this year!


There were A LOT of them!


The allure of the C&B ornaments is that they have the current year on them. So if this was the year you got married or engaged, you'd have an ornament with your photo and the year.


Let's just say I was "THAT PERSON" in line at the post office. The person you didn't want to be behind!!!!! ;)

The response has been sensational! It's upping our customer-service game and letting people know we're thinking of them. It also helps with word-of-mouth advertising/promo, too. :)

Another thing I'd love to do for wedding clients is give them some sort of gift or "thank you" for booking with us ... and it'd be easy to do chocolates or candy or something like that. BUT here's the reason I keep holding off: it seems once girls get a ring, they go in search of the dress, and consequently start obsessing about "fitting into the dress" ... so giving sweets doesn't seem like a good idea. I'm certainly taking suggestions for this one!

Jumping for joy :)

Woah.

It's 10:25 p.m. on Wednesday as I sit to write this. I'll schedule this to post in the morning, but I want to capture how I am right now.

Speechless.

In Awe.

Shocked.

Jubilant.

All at the same time.

I want to scream from the top of our roof. And I want to haul another bed into our room so I can jump from bed to bed in a victory lap.

But let me back up. Back in July, I signed a lease on a meeting space downtown for Heartland. I felt it was the right move. But it was still scary. I needed a place to meet with people. In addition to meeting with potential wedding clients there, I have also started to proof portrait sessions in this space. It's a work in progress. I am still learning a lot.

Over the years as a photographer, I'd be disappointed when someone would order an 8x10 as their largest photo. I know how amazing large photos are on the walls. They're so rockin' out of this world ... yet so few people get them.

Until now. With proofing in person, I can show people exactly how big (or small) an 8x10 is. And tonight, a portrait client walked away with ordering a 24x36 gallery wrap and two 16x24 gallery wraps. HECKS YEAH!!!!!

And earlier today, my parents came in to select a 36x48 gallery wrap for their house ... it's been a big wrap day around here today!

After I got over my initial shock, then excitement, my next thought was thankfulness. Seriously. It's so easy to ask God for help when things are crummy. And I know I do. But things are so totally amazing right now, and I want to remember to thank him for really rocking it out.

So this is my reminder ..... to myself. BE THANKFUL.

Grrrrrrrr ... Quickbooks me no likey

*warning, I'm going to rant and whine*

UUUUUUUUUGH. I have NO LOVE for Quickbooks. Yes, I should have gotten my backside into gear and gotten it at the beginning of 2008. BUT ... I am a Mac girl (GO APPLE!) and they only had old versions (2007). The new version just came out. Yay!

BUT in the meantime, they released an online version. I think this is the solution to all of my worldly problems ... until I go online this morning and it tells me I need to be running on Explorer. UGH. Seriously? I have to use a buggy PC browser to use your product? Could you be any more UNFRIENDLY?!??!?!?

As if I wasn't irritated before, I'm irate now. :-(

Oh, and to add to things, the only "tax work" I've done is to throw receipts into the box with the "I'll do it with the new program."

What a fool I was.

BBC update!

Wow. WoW. WOW!!!!!!!!!

I was TOTALLY shocked Saturday night by some news I did NOT expect: I was invited to Liana's Business Boot Camp (Bananas EDU)!!!!!!!!!!!

Erik and I were in Columbia, Missouri tooling around. He took me on to MIZZOU for the spring game/scrimmage. The mini break was much needed by both of us (But ERIK will be blogging all of the fun details later this week!)


SO, we ate at Flat Branch, the brew pub where Erik used to work, and afterwards I needed to get a phone number from off of the internet. We found some Wifi and I pulled up my e-mail to let it download the new messages while I grabbed what I needed.

I got the number, but quickly looked through the e-mails. It was then I saw an e-mail from Liana telling me someone canceled and since there was space free (and I was one of the five finalists for the scholarship), I was invited to come. YIPPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I'm in SUCH an excited daze! I need to book a plane ticket pronto for Atlanta.

I'm seriously excited because as I move and set up my office in Erik's place in Salina, I will basically have a clean slate. I'll have none of my current disorganization (i.e. wedding/portrait contracts lying on my bedroom floor). i will be able to set up the optimal work space and work flow (I just don't know what that is yet!).

This is SUCH a blessing. Even a BIG surprise. Especially since I was not in any way, shape or form expecting this. It's these things when you have NO sense of entitlement that, when they come to fruition, are just ..... beautiful surprises (plus, I'm super excited to romp around Atlanta with my friend Sarah!).

On the down side, we had to postpone our engagement session, which was supposed to take place Sunday. I'm bummed, especially since I just got my hair cut all cute, but Erik is SUCH an understanding man and I'm thankful he's a good sport.

SO....stay tuned later this week for some blow-by-blow of our culinary tour through Columbia. There might even be a photo or two of spring game festivities!

Finalist for BBC scholarship!

EEEEEEEEEEK! Ok, so I'm TOTALLY jazzed right now. I'm one of five finalists for the Liana's Photo Business Boot Camp Scholarship.

Attending the BBC is #28 on my 101 in 1001 list, so when I read about the scholarship on Friday, I sent my family and Erik e-mails instructing them to nominate me. Yeah, you *could* nominate yourself, but I just didn't feel right about it.

Eventually, I got over that and put together a slideshow for my application. CLICK HERE to see the show, or check it out on the Bananas EDU blog.

In the interest of brevity, I didn't go into the Mike-Karen duo .... NOT because I don't adore Mike, though. Primarily because I'm the one pulling my hair out over business structure. Mike is in charge of making sure our photos look AWESOME, and he does a spectacular job of it! I've become the business junkie .... and it's an OBSESSION (just ask Erik!)