I remember the first time I met him because it was very different from my normal encounters with guys during this time of my life.

He ignored me.

Flat out, uninterested. I was blond at the time so I get it… he probably thought I had nothing to offer to the conversation. I was getting over a bad breakup at the time, epic breakup of  dramatic-Jersey-Shore proportions, so I was caught off guard by his lack of interest, but not offended.

We gathered a group of friends and neighbors maybe a week after our first encounter and headed to the movies. Basketball season must have been over, because he wasn’t coaching that night and was able to join us. Randomly and unintentionally I landed in a seat next to him.

The movie itself wasn’t that amazing, but what happened in the 8th row from the bottom, 4th and 5th seats in was amazing. He laughed, and then I laughed. We giggled, belly laughed, lost control, I cried laughing tears. I loved him instantly for his genuine expression of joy.

To this day, if he laughs, I laugh. I knew I would marry this man. Almost the moment I met him.

photo by Jonathan Canlas

Life, what’s that? Oh yeah, it’s the stuff we’re doing when we aren’t taking phone calls, answering emails, having meetings, attending events, or running work related errands. It’s the stuff in between, the stuff we actually work so hard to enjoy. The “life” part of my life is about to get more complicated with the addition of the Bean come February, so I’ve been spending some time researching work/life balance.

How many of you struggle with work / life balance? I would wager than anyone who has the kind of profession they feel a slight twinge of passion for takes part of it home with them, finds their mind wandering during down time… to what has to be done at the office, or genuinely would rather work than do most things. That’s where I’m at. I would rather do “work”  than do most things.

According to most of the things I’ve Googled on the subject, including Wikipedia (our most trusted source) and the Mayo Clinic… that’s pretty unhealthy.

Some of my favorite tidbits on how to manage a freelance, self employed life have come from the genius mind of local Seattle writer Michelle Goodman. She’s the author of the Anti 9-to-5 Guide, and My So-Called Freelance Life. Good friend and fellow freelancer, Liz Andrade turned me on to her books right after I took the freelance plunge in 2008, and while I’m completely guilty of not following a single word of her advice on most occasions, I think she’s got it right. I use Liz as my shining example of what to live up to when it comes to work/ life balance. She has a fabulous blog on what it takes to be a freelancer, and you can check it out here.

Things to consider when the Bean comes in February to maintain both a healthy thriving business, and a healthy thriving life:

- Taking actual maternity leave. Setting all autoresponders and voicemails to reflect that I’m taking legit time away from work. Every new mom is entitled to that.

- Working hours will likely change, and a lot will have to give.

- Learning to say no. I’m fully aware that I have a problem saying no. Anything and everything that isn’t directly contributing to the happiness of my life or the success of my business is going to have to get the axe. I’m only one woman. I’m going to have to practice this one over and over. “NO I’m too busy to help you” “NO I’m sorry, you’ll have to either hire me or find someone else to do that project for free”, “NO” “no” no” “no”. Next time you see me, ask me to practice on you. Trust me, I need the practice.

- Rearranging my priorities; Family first, then business/clients, then every other distraction.

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It’s going to take some work, as there are a lot of changes to come. Changes I’m sure I’m not even aware of, but in the end it will be worth it. Having a family, for us, is what life is all about.

What are some of your helpful work/life balance tips? Anyone have advice on managing self-employment with kids?

And because everything is better with a photo, here is a belly update! This crew photo is from a recent commercial shoot I did with Bella Signature Design for Event Solutions Magazine! We used the new space next to Sodo Park, The Oasis. So excited to share the details and rest of the images of the shoot, but it’s pretty top secret, so I even blurred the props out. You might recognize me  [Sidenote - I'd like to point out that this dress was a flawed purchasing decision and has since made it's way to the bottom of my closet, never to return. I think I look HUGE! It's either the dress, or I need to put down the bagel chips. I'm going with the dress (probably in denial)], the rest of these amazing people are Daniela and her Bella Signature crew. A team of very talented Seattle Designers.

Get in touch or View more work.

Today I wanted to celebrate fall with you, and share some of my favorite fall things.

1. The Pumpkin Spice Latte (2 pumps, not 4 please)

Fall always arrives for Starbucks before it does for the Northwest, but when the PS Latte rolls into town, you know that the cold and wet are following diligently behind. I actually like the taste of coffee, so I order mine with 2 pumps of syrup instead of 4, and currently I order it in decaf form. (Decaf, pish posh)

2. Crisp mornings, sunny days = sweaters with skirts

I’m not going to go on pretending like I’m some kind of fashionista… 99% of my clothes are recycled. HOWEVER, if there is one season I identify with the most style-wise, it’s fall. Bust out the Layers, warm hues, scarves, sweaters and boots! finally the boots are back! But still cling on to some of those key summer pieces. It’s not time to pack them up yet.

3. Early mornings that can start calmly

There is something about waking up with the sun in the summer (admittedly I’m a morning person), that charges me with a jolt of energy. The fall is quite different. I’m still up early, but the sun sleeps in. It gives me a solid 2-3 hours before it decides to crawl out of bed. In this time I’m able to stay in my bathrobe, make my morning decaf tea, have long talks with Brady (and Lady), read, write, and relax. The fall is a wind down from the busy summer months, and in this profession we deserve a little calmness at some point during the year.

4. Parties, Soirees, Wedding Showcases, Fundraisers galore…

These are the months when a majority of my favorite events for the year happen. Let me highlight a few that I can’t miss each year.

Every weekend in October is the Camp Korey Fall Festival, which the hubs and I fully plan to attend with bells on. Proceeds go to support this amazing charity, and we can score kettle corn, s’mores, and pumpkins. HOLY COW!

October 10th, my bestie Marie has her birthday. She usually tries to come home from Missouri around this time each year because she likes to party. This year she’s throwing a bash at her parents house featuring a tiered Harry Potter cake. I’m going as Hermione.

October 13th, Urban Unveiled happens at Benaroya Hall. Wedding showcase unlike any other put on by two of my favorite designers in the Seattle area, Jesse and Travis of True Colors. Still contemplating what to wear to this one. It’s going to be phenom!

October 27th, Get Hitched Give Hope is only the single most amazing soiree of the year. Not only is it a party, auction, and wedding showcase rolled into one, but the wedding professionals are donating their services on behalf of granting wishes to cancer patients. Perty amazing. You can support and get tickets here… and if you’re a bride, there are deals galore to be had!

October 30th, Bunco party. Ummm yeah. Can’t wait for this one. Joining up with some fabulous ladies for a night a month of holy hilarity and bunco. Win win.

NOW, to find some appropriate party dresses that A. fit, and B. don’t make me look like a whale.

Know of something in the area not listed here? I’d love to hear about it! Leave it in the comment section below so I can fill up my social calendar. k thanks.

5. Cooking with fall ingredients

Something about the fall makes me want to wake up in the morning and bake something. Mostly desserts, cakes, breads and such. Maybe this is more a pregnant thing than a fall thing… hmmm. Anyhow, I’ve been scrounging up my favorite fall recipes and here are some of the ingredients that really stand out.

Pumpkin (of course) and all other kinds of squashes… yummers: pretty much anything made with pumpkin, I’m guaranteed to like it and ask for seconds.

Cinnamon

Cumin (is it CUE-men or KOO-min) I never know.

Chilis

Walnuts

Flavored Butters

Hearty Mushrooms

Time to make some delicious breads, soups, pasta dishes, and pies… Have a recipe to share? PLEASE email me!

6. Cozy family time by the Fire.

Lady curls up with us, or makes her way dangerously close to the door of the fireplace with a bone, and Billy and I lounge on the couch with the remote and the fall lineup. We do this in the winter as well, but it’s somehow sweetest in the fall when it’s not completely necessary in order to keep from freezing to death. I’m also REALLY excited because now that we’ve rearranged the house to make room for Brady, my office now has a fireplace in it. Score!

7. Fall television is the best.

I’m a TV junkie, ugh, as much as I wish I wasn’t… TV is SO GOOD right now! Summer leaves no time for television, so I relish the fall when regular programming resumes and we can catch our favorite shows. Including but not limited to: Wheel of Fortune, Unsolved Mysteries, The Office, Modern Family, Parenthood, and Fringe.

8. College Football

Could go in above category, but not only is it a television event, but a live one as well. Since meeting my husband, I’ve grown to love college football. I prefer actually going to the game over watching it on tv, because the experience is where it’s at for me. I love the tailgating, cornhole, drinking games (although not at present mother… don’t worry), sporting your cutest team colored outfit, stadium food, mittens/earmuffs/sunglasses, eyeblack, yelling, pom pom shaking… I love it all.

Go DUCKS.

What is your favorite season? Do you love fall as much as I do? Tell me what I’ve missed here… there is SO MUCH TO LOVE! And on that note, I’m off to take a walk in the brisk morning air.

All images snagged from Pinterest… like what you see?

Our last ultrasound technician gave her best guess, and at 12 weeks said things were looking “girly”. Most of my friends guessed girl, and Billy was having girl visions as well. I haven’t really had a feeling either way, although in the beginning I had a LOT of dreams about having a little boy, of course I also had dreams that Lady was our baby, soooooo yeah.

Having a boy first would be a huge relief. My husband is borderline obsessed with sports, and is the last one carrying on the family name. A boy is a must. Billy was really pulling for a girl though, and I have to say, we’ve had a run on boys lately, so most of the rest of the family was too. My mom is ready to unload all of my childhood dolls.

Heading into the office yesterday was like winning the lottery. We could hardly contain our excitement. We kept sneaking looks and giggles at each other,  the baby must have been exited too, kicks galore!

Without further ado… I’m so so exited to tell everyone that come February we will be bringing home a little….

BOY!!!!

Hello Brady William Boucock. Already such a blessing. We can’t wait to have little boy adventures, pee wee football games, forts, fishing, bugs, slimy things, and snuggles.

I wouldn’t know, because I refused to step foot in it. I narrowed my eyes and looked right into the camp directors soul. I cried, stamped my feet, and I think I actually threatened (albeit falsely) not to come to camp if he put me way out in Kuwait. Sound like your typical 13 year old?  No… I wasn’t 13, I was 17… WOW. I was convinced I needed to be at the heart of the action, in the middle of camp near people not raccoons. I got my way, which isn’t probably a good result to that kind of behavior. I think I scared him. I scared Marie too. She probably didn’t realize how much I loved her, until then. She definitely knew then.

Who wouldn’t love this face?

This is Mesha, Marie and I… Mesha was the third Musketeer.

And this is the three of us performing a choreographed interpretive dance to a mashup of “Big Spender” and Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”. It’s priceless. There is a video somewhere… if anyone has it and could give it to me, I would love you forever.

Camp was something I looked forward to all year. I should be a national summer camp spokesperson, I love it so much I could have married it and had it’s children. There is always good food, belly laughs, and quality conversation with those you’ve missed all year long. I met some of my best lifelong friends through camp. As a child I went to every kind of camp I could convince my parents to send me to, day camp, overnight camp, 4-H camp, YMCA camp, church camp… and when I outgrew children’s camps I went through training to be a camp counselor. My children will go to camp every year… and they will love it.

This is one of my first cabin groups at an overnight camp I was a counselor at. I adored these girls, each one of them. I know they’re stronger women from the love and leadership they learned at camp. AND in case you’re wondering, they’re all huddled around a golden plunger. Don’t ask, you had to be there.

I’ve been too busy through college and my adult years to get away to a camp… sad face. The good news is, every interaction with Billy’s family is like a little morsel of summer camp. Summer camp for adults. This time of year we’re usually packing the car for a labor day weekend of non-stop craziness at Billy’s family reunion. For whatever reason it didn’t work out this year. I guess sometimes life gets in the way, things get to busy in our own little clusters… and the extra chaos just might put us over the edge. It’s always difficult as a wedding photographer to put a summer weekend aside for myself, but I crave this interaction. I need them, they’re a part of my soul, them AND the crazy.

photo by Amy McMullen

Today I’m celebrating all that summer camp has given me. Confidence, openness, leadership, love, social graces, certain professional crafting skills, and my Marie. I’m thankful for a family that brings me as much joy as camp does, and I’m missing them this weekend.

With love,

Laura

I’ll never ever forget that moment: time absolutely stood still, and we were the only people in the room… I’ve watched the playback on CreativeLive (admittedly maybe one too many times) and I can’t believe how LONG it was. We had so much build up coming to this moment, so many stressful moments in planning a four week wedding, it all clashed together right when we saw each other. It was all worth it for this moment. I think I really realized that no matter if we had planned our wedding in 18 months or one, we would have had the same family drama, the same decisions over linen color, the same stressful tears. Ours was just bottled up and served in a 4 week time frame. We held each other during our first look, and both of us let go, it was here. Nothing could stop the freight train now, and at the end of tomorrow the only thing that would matter is that he would be my husband and I would be his wife. I laugh now, because most of my first looks as a photographer last about a minute tops. Ours was probably almost ten. Sorry about that.

One unreal experience.

For those of you who don’t know, a year ago, my husband and I got married live on the internet. We won a contest that provided us with our dream wedding for free. It was part of a wedding photography workshop offered by CreativeLive with uber famous and talented rockstar photographer Jasmine Star.  Today marks the one year anniversary of the first day of the rest of our lives. I’m so thankful for everyone who made our “I do’s” possible. I’ve been pretty quiet about the entire thing, both here and in real life. Honestly, I was trying to live it like a bride, and I think afterward I suffered from a slight-to-moderate case of PTSD.

One amazing photographer.

It’s never good to open on a bad note, but I want to address that I heard through the grapevine, some people had a negative attitude while watching the class. I guess I should expect that everyone will have opinions, and success generally breeds jealousy and envy. Dale Carnegie said, “The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” Jasmine really took a giant leap in putting herself out there for the sake of educating other photographers, and as a photographer myself, I’m grateful for her fearlessness. It’s no easy feat to be placed in front of the entire world of your peers. Criticism is to be expected, but to those who were cruel and personal about it, shame on you and your small ugly minds. It’s easy to forget that words have impact, and as my father always said, “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all”.

I want to say a few NICE words from a brides perspective on working with Jasmine as my photographer. First off, I will admit, I knew Jasmine before this all happened. I started reading her blog 3-4 years ago. Her canter and her wit made her blog a nice escape from my desk job at the time. I wasn’t a wedding photographer, nor did I have aspirations to be one. I was climbing my way up the commercial photography industry with dreams of becoming the next cover of Gourmet magazine, or maybe just being published.. anywhere… ever. Food, lifestyle, architecture, that was my life. I felt first love for Jasmine, and then understood her work. When I made the decision to change my path, I attended her very first workshop. So yes, maybe I’m biased, because I love her and don’t feel threatened by her openess. In fact, I hope it’s contagious and I catch it.

Seeing photographers from a Brides perspective was a different way to view the world I lived in. I’m a visual person. I realized the vision of what I wanted my wedding images to look like. How I saw myself through the camera…. Jasmine might not have been my first choice. Let’s be honest, she wasn’t even in the running because I’m not necessarily her bride, I’m poor.  As it worked out, the thought of having Jasmine as our wedding photographer was as much a thrill as the wedding itself. We understood the connection she made with her clients, we could see it in her work. We put our trust wholeheartedly in her.

Jasmine’s selling point isn’t in her technical ability, her Photoshop skills, her posing, her eye. All of those are strong, this is true, but none of those are what we saw in her work.

Jasmine connected with us. She KNEW us. What we see in our wedding images is our connection with each other… and that was made possible because we are relaxed and comfortable with her. She took the time to learn about our family and friends and made them feel important and included. We saw that, we noticed that. She must have asked me 5 or 6 times on my wedding day how I was doing, how I was feeling, did I need anything? She and JD (and maybe another photographer or two?) made a point to take a gorgeous portrait during cocktail hour of every guest that attended our wedding. Our images might not be heavily composed, or lit, or photoshopped. They might not be cutting edge poses, or something you haven’t seen before, but they are of US, and we cherish them because they remind us of how we felt on our wedding day, of how our photographers made us feel while we were taking them, of how we felt toward each other, of how our guests felt about being there. These are all things that make our experience as her clients unmatched. We will forever be evangelists for her and her business.

Can you believe I have nothing negative to say? I’m trying to come up with something to keep it objective…. If I think of something I’ll edit it in.

I’ve only ever shared detail photos on this blog, but today I wanted to share with you some of the images I cherish from our wedding day. I hope you’ll be surprised.

I love this photo, it’s of me and I can’t believe how sexy, feminine and glamorous this makes me look. It’s just of my feet! Which I’ve never liked by the way. This photo makes me love my feet, and especially those shoes on my feet.

This photo is SO BILLY…. it cracks me up. This is how he puts on his shirts every morning. Why would his wedding day be any different? Notice: the tie is already tied on the shirt, and it’s completely buttoned. Weirdo. I adore this image of him.

Each one of these women means the world to me.

This image perfectly illustrates what I was trying to describe. I am so soaked in him, and when I see this picture it takes me right back. It was so natural. I love that I’m holding his hand behind my back, and intertwined with him like I never want to let go. It still makes me cry to see this.

To me, this image exudes confidence. Neither of us were scared, timid or unsure of the commitment we were about to make. This images shows the strength of our love.

One image that says it all.

This is it. If I only had this one image from our wedding day, I would be happy. This is the moment right after we exited the building from our ceremony. It’s a split second, and I can’t believe Jasmine was even there, I don’t remember her being there. This image sits framed on my desk, and every time I steal a glance, it makes me cry. I love this image above every other.

This is somewhat of an inside joke. But I can share with you that it involves a very embarrassing moment between one of my bridesmaids, and my father-in-law. I’m not sure which photographer snagged this gem, but I love you forever.

This picture is so perfect on so many levels. These two can gab on the phone for hours. It’s ridiculous. You would think I live with a 13 year-old girl with the amount of giggling, feet kicking and hysterical banter that goes back and forth. These two are soul mates, well second to me.

The atmosphere of the evening… so memorable, so awesome.

One Million Thank you’s:

Thank you Jasmine, JD, Sachin, Nate, Victoria, Stephanie, and Audrey for your breathtaking imagery and commitment to making this entire experience for us about us.

Thank you Celeste for being a shoulder to cry on and an advocate for me, and for holding everything together. To you I give: producer of the year.

Thank you Craig for believing that everything I could dream was possible.

Thank you Chase for letting me have my chairs.

Thank you world wide web for all of your cheers and congratulatory tweets on our wedding day, it wouldn’t have happened without you.

Thank you Billy for asking me to marry you, and agreeing to take this leap of faith in life starting with this very bizarre way to plan a wedding.

One incredible year full of life’s unyielding changes and triumphs.

One UNREAL honeymoon to Europe (which I can’t remember if I blogged about, so probably not… maybe I should do that).

One amazing meal on the day of our wedding.

Or actually two if you count last night. Last night we went out to Russell’s to celebrate our first year of marriage. Chef Ben Riggs re-created our wedding menu just for us. It was like living it all over again… so divine. We were so busy hiding during cocktail hour, coupled with the fact that they were so delectable, the appetizers went really fast. I didn’t get a single one. AND my bustier was so tight, I couldn’t enjoy much of my dinner. In fact, I got up halfway through the main course, went in the bathroom, took it off and threw it in the trash. The next person who threw their paper towel away was probably pretty alarmed. :-) Russell was right… with everything going on at the event, the only thing the guests still comment on, is the food.

Last night I wore a really comfortable outfit and stuffed my face.

One tiny life that is growing inside of me. Loved already so much by these two parents.  Maybe it’s the hormones, but I’ve never felt happiness and excitement quite like this. We are overjoyed with the realization that our dreams of having a family together are very near.

Looking at the above picture now, I probably shouldn’t have been holding Billy’s wine. But that’s just my sense of humor :-) I promise, I was only smelling it.

Thank you for reading this far.

All our love,

Laura and Billy

I’ve actually been relishing in my non-summer, and wedding season this year. It’s been a glorious 3 months of travel, beautiful weddings, personal projects, and family happenings (more on that later). All this fun was made possible by one thing. This summer I’m not stuck behind my computer with my wedding post processing. Friends, if you are still processing in house, let me share with you that there is a big big life out there to be lived. It’s possible for this to be taken off your plate, and in a way that won’t cost your first born child.

My wedding workflow has been simplified so much by just outsourcing, I now have more time to spend on my clients, my family, and myself. HECK, I even walked my dog!

Here’s the workflow I’ve worked out for this season:

Friday/Saturday.. or?: shoot

Monday: Cull, process and edit slideshow and blog selects

Tuesday: Ship drive, check off list until edits are returned 1-2 weeks later.

Not as hands off as film maybe… but working my way there. It was a tough decision to relinquish the control of editing my own images. I anguished over how to choose the right company to entrust my life’s work to. It wasn’t easy. After a few tests and trials, and running the numbers budget wise, I found my match in Pro Image Editors. They have terrific customer service (love you Tanya!), fast turnaround, incredible affordable price, and the best of all… the image quality. I can confidently say, they do I better job than I can do myself. It was a logical choice to outsource, take this portion of the “business” off my plate, and focus on what makes me a better person and better photographer.

disclaimer… The ONLY way this outsourcing thing works for the control freak inside me is that I cull my own, and I have final say over how the finished product looks because instead of sending back processed jpgs, my editor sends me the Lightroom catalog file. Admittedly, I’ve only ever had to tweak a couple of things over the course of the summer, but it’s a control I like to have.

Pricing for PIE is on a sliding scale, which means… the number of images you send either between 0-250, 251-500, 501-1000… has a set price. I almost always fall into the 501-1000 image price range. This costs me $155.00 plus my shipping costs to have someone else do my editing. I signed up for a slick FedEx account, so I get sweet discounts on very secure shipping, and they’ll pick it up from my front porch. I don’t even need to get out of my jammies! My cost per wedding to outsource averages $200.00 after shipping. My time costs WAY more than that.

Here are a couple before and after comparisons (forgive the resolution… I used screen grabs, but hopefully you get the point):

I strongly encourage everyone who has the desire to have a life in conjunction with your successful business, to consider outsourcing. Try it out, and see how amazing it feels to take this burden off your shoulders. You’ll be happier, your clients will be happier, and you can all hold hands and skip along together in your stress free environment.

For those of you who have read this far, I have a little reward for you. Clearly it’s something you’ve given some thought. Set up a new account with PIE, and use this code to save 75% off your first order: PIE_wants _U2_save

DO IT. Trust me. With all the time you save, you can write me a really nice thank you card.

xo,
Laura

My stirring wakes her up… halfway… enough for her to yawn, stretch and crawl up to the top of the bed toward my neck. She appreciatively snorts as I lift up the warm covers so she can crawl in. I wipe the sleep from her eyes and she rubs her face against my cheeks like an eskimo kiss. I breath her in and my heart surges with her scent. In this moment: sun in face, sleep lingering, warm covers, puppy breath, day new… I am the happiest.

What is your happiest moment of your day?

PS> This pizza in Naples was the best of my life…. I mean…. ever. In my life.

I would like to thank my inlaws for giving my husband the longest arms on the planet.

Where will our next adventure take us? We’ve talked about Spain, Morocco, Eastern Europe, Iceland… I would love to see India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kenya, and South Africa, although I’m alone on that because my husband is afraid of anything less than modern… and guerrilla warfare.
Do you have wanderlust? Where are you dreaming about? What is the most amazing place you’ve ever been?

There have been some major downs, followed by glorious upswings.

Nothing brings life into perspective like a natural disaster, this last week we were all reminded yet again of how delicate and precious life is. The time we have here on this Earth is limited, and could be taken from us at any moment. Tomorrow I’ll be participating in the Bloggers Day of Silence, remembering all of those lives lost in Japan. I hope you’ll all go to this website and contribute anything you can to the cause.

Also please join me in this day of silence tomorrow.

xo,
Laura