The juggling act....

Something I've gotten real good at, or maybe I'm not good at it at all and I'm just getting by is the juggling act of my life. As of this moment I have so many projects, priorities, or simply things going on I'm really not sure where to start or even finish.

Act one- First and foremost which should be and is my most important is my family. My husband who puts up with all my quirky creative projects, desire to work out, and intense concentration and afternoons lost on photo shoots and editing. None of those things, with the exception of lifting weights interest him but he makes a great effort to pretend like they do. So, in turn, I make a great effort into making sure he knows I appreciate it and mostly him. Although we probably don't do as many things as he wants as opposed to what I want we do them together and that is exactly what counts. There are so many reasons why I love him and this is just one of them. 

Then there are my kids. All five of them! Yes Five! Two are my biological sons and the other three are my step children but anyone who knows the family knows you can't tell where one part of the blended family ends and the other begins. I've tried to pull my kids into working out with me and for months it worked. It def got us through the dreary winter months when it was way too cold to go outside and play. Now that its sunny and warm though I can not get them to stay home long enough to do much! That's okay, all I want is for them to be happy and they seem like they are. So my oldest step daughter, Lindsay, works out with me all the time. I cherish the time we have together.  I will never replace her mother, or her grandmother since that is who raised her mostly, but she knows I am always there for her in any way she wants. Friend, mother, confidant. Us girls, we gotta stick together. Then there is my oldest boy Jimmy. He worked out alot with us too until lately. Now all the kids are finding their own  things to do and don't have enough time for mom. Of course that doesn't mean I don't make time for them. That's where the juggling act comes in. Little act they will remember. I play basketball with them. Relax in the front yard with them. Listen to their stories and console them when their feelings are hurt.  So many little moments make up our life that I can not possible tell or remember every one. I just know that when it comes to the juggling act, they get priority.

Act two- Work! Yep, I have a full time job. Luckily for me, my job is the Monday through Friday 7am to 4pm kind so there usually isn't any overflow or take home work. I get up early, which i desperately hate, go to work, put in my hours, then get off work to begin the other part of my life. This part is pretty straight forward and clear cut. Between the hours of 7-4 I belong to this large corporation.

Act Three- Picture me this.... A few years ago I started taking photographs and friends and family urged me to expand so now, I take pictures for money. Not alot of money and not alot of pictures but enough to make me happy. What I love about my venture with pictures is that I have the same clients that come to me over and over again. So I get to see kids grow, families grow, and smiles bloom. Sometimes summer can be very hectic! I cannot keep myself from pushing that little round shutter button on my camera so I usually end up with way more pictures than I originally told myself I would take. Ask any one of my clients, they'll tell you. But as hectic as it is to schedule a photo shoot into my already bulging schedule the real hard part is finding the time to sit down and edit the pictures afterwards.

Alot of people have no clue the time and energy that is put into their glorious pictures after the shoot. It's not just a point and shoot type of job. No, almost every professional pictures goes through a photo shop editing program before anyone other than the photographer sets eyes on it. You can spend anywhere from two minute, if only the basic lighting, contrast, sharpness, editing is needed to a full 10 minutes or more if you do more fancy editing or heavy editing is needed on each picture. Then you review and make adjustments and I'll just tell you that its time consuming and most photographers log hours editing after a shoot. So basically, I fit this into my schedule either on my lunch hour or late at night. usually after 9pm on a work night before I get any editing done.

Act Four- Burning fat! I've got that body type and metabolism that if I stay active and eat right I can keep the kind of body I want. But once I go inactive and slack on the healthy eating, I pack on the pounds and usually right around the middle! Its like an inner tube around my lower tummy that will NEVER deflate no matter how many holes I poke in it! So 6 months ago, End of November, I decided that I was gonna pop that tube once and for all and by Memorial day weekend, which is also my 33rd birthday weekend, was going to look great in a bikini. So for 3-5 days a week I have spend 1-3 hours sweating, hurting, and sometimes crying just to meet this goal. Now sadly, with my personal deadline just a tad over two weeks away I can say I'm not going to be where I want to be. However the progress I've made is awesome and I know since I've taken the time to do it right, it'll be lasting and not some freak weight loss. So I'll continue my workout program and maybe by my vacation at the end of June I'll be where I want to be.

So on Monday nights I work out with a group called Monday Nite fit club. They do great workouts. P90x, Turbo Fire, Insanity workouts and many more. I have to wonder if I had starting with them sooner would I have made my goal. I usually take Tuesdays off. On Wed and Thursdays I do zumba at Heidi Garza's Dance studio. I love it. Its a great fun way to work out. Then I usually lift weights one or both days. I take Friday off and then do something on Saturday and Sunday like riding bikes, workout videos, walking, jogging. I try to do it 5 days a week but sometimes I only make it 4 days. Every little bit helps!

Act Five- I am seriously addicted to reading. I read every minute I have free. I have books in my van, I have books on my phone and on my computer. By my bed, by my couch. Just about anywhere I can find a book. Because someone asked me once how many books I've read and I couldn't answer them, I've decided to keep track this year. As of Jan first I started to keep a book log. (Check out my last blog post for details). So far, I've read 47. My goal is to have read 100 by end of year. With summer coming on that is going to be a long shot since I stay pretty busy then but we'll see how it works out!

Act six- Sometimes I sit down and start typing and later I'll read the words on the paper and say, hey where did that come from? I'm an impulsive writer. I love to write although in the last 5 years my creativity was pretty much geared towards photography I feel the urge to write coming back. (can you tell?) So when a good friend of mine, Mr Neil Brown himself, asked if I would like to collaborate on a book idea I jumped at it. And now we've started it and I'm anxious to get to typing. so you can add this into my juggling act as well.

So as of right now I've got six balls juggling in the air. Sometimes I drop one and it'll sit there for a bit before I can pick it back up but I always pick it back up. After all, this is one juggling act I don't wanna miss!