Very Wild

Anyone who loves Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are will just love this blog I stumbled upon. I can't believe how many awesome artist renderings there are! The styles, the colors, the shapes, the emotions all rolled up in such visual splendor! Not to mention childlike whimsy. Can you tell I love the whole idea of this? Can't wait for the movie to come out and see what it's like.

So yeah, check it out if you love this book as much as me. And even if you don't, but you're just a fan of good art, you can check it out too.

Now.....

Dealing with the Pursuit of Perfection

Oh man, this post over at Simple Mom really hit me on the head today. It's all about how aiming for perfection tends to make us less productive because it's so overwhelming to reach perfection that we end up not doing anything. Talk about my life!

Lately I have been having balance issues. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I shot my first-ever solo wedding (and it was family, so there was added pressure there, plus attending all the surrounding festivities), I launched my website/business/blog, E's been potty training and the laundry just keeps piling up. Man, there has been a lot going on.

So this week I've been trying to be better at getting my home 'work' stuff done before my computer 'work' (real work or funstuff) stuff gets done, which is hard for an email/Facebook/blog junkie like me. And trust me, I haven't been perfect and finished everything I've wanted, but I have finished some things. Baby steps, right Bob?

I am sure that many (if not all) of you reading this blog deal with this same kind of thing, once in a while, if not all the time. What have you done to help you get past the idea of perfection? Is there something you tell yourself every day to motivate you? A routine you have that works? I'd love to hear from you!

Oh, and PS: I've announced the two winners of the giveaway on my photo blog. Did you win? Go check it out to see! :)

Post-Anniversary Weekend Withdrawal

Okay, I love my kids. I really do. But man was it nice to have a couple of days without having to worry about them once! The hubby and I got to send the kids to Grandma and Papa's for a few days and we got to spend some quality quiet time together. Here are some photos to share if you're interested.

I couldn't agree more, Rudy's!

We ended up at Newport Beach on Friday, and even though it was super cloudy and a little cold, we had a really fun time sitting on the beach and just relaxing. I haven't been to the beach without kids since before E was born! Any of you moms out there know that the beach with little kids is not the most relaxing experience in the world. So it was a nice contrast to just sit, eat, read, and soak it all up.

There's me and my cheesy grin. We didn't even get any photos of us together -- should have busted out the tripod, but I just didn't get to it. But that's okay, I know what we look like. :)

After the beach, we drove around a little and found ourselves dangerously close to the Sprinkles cupcake store. Oh, heaven, thy name is Sprinkles. We got a variety of flavors, including Ginger, Strawberry, Key Lime, Chocolate, and Black&White. They were gooooooood.

After that we decided to head out to Dave and Buster's for some arcade goodness. I haven't played those kind of games in so long! It was fun getting to be a little competitive, too. That's always good tension for a marriage and I just love beating my hubby at anything since it doesn't happen that often. ;)

The hubby's game wigged out on him and started adding points randomly so he ended up with a ton of tickets. He was 30 away from winning the jackpot. So sad. But, we ended up getting some plastic D&B glasses. Not bad!

All in all, it was a great couple of days and we even got to eat at Riptide, my favorite sushi place ever! We were planning on eating at the Rusty Pelican in Newport, but decided last-minute to have sushi. I'm glad we did, it was a lot of fun.

So thanks, babe, for a great mini vacation! I had tons of fun hanging out with you and we need to do that again sometime. Soon. ~BC

Wedding Madness!

Well, things have been quite crazy around here the past week! I feel like I haven't had a chance to think or do anything that wasn't about the wedding festivities! Don't get me wrong, it's been SO fun and I've had a great time, but I just wanted to let you know why I've been MIA for the past week.

The hubby and I are gearing up for our anniversary celebration weekend, complete with the kiddos being shipped off to Grandma and Papa's house for two days. I can hardly wait, I'm going to have a chance to actually relax for a while. What a concept!

I'm also glad that I've had the chance to edit some of the photos from the wedding:


If you're interested in seeing more (a LOT more), you can check out my photography blog! Scroll down past the opening post and you'll see the sneak peek.

We had the best time at the wedding (although the day was L-O-N-G!) and I was so glad to be a part of it.

Thanks for the great time guys!

(Oh, and I think I've eaten about 20 Giuliano's sandwiches in the past 5 days. Still not sick of them.)

5 years

I just can't believe it's been that long! Me and my sweet hubby have been married for 5 years today. It has definitely been a wild ride, but I would be crazy if I didn't admit that we have been immensely blessed with so much. I am so grateful for this man who is my rock, my support, my sounding board, my honest opinion, my love and my favorite friend.

During that time, we've moved four times, gotten two college degrees, and created these two miracles of human beings:

I'd say we've done purdy good so far.

So thank you, babe, for 5 of the most memorable years of my life.

I love you mucho mucho. ;)

BC

ohmygosh, it's here!

I am really excited to announce the launch of my BRAND NEW photography website:

http://laurellakey.com!

And don't forget the blog:

http://blog.laurellakey.com

That's right, I'm going into business!

This is something that I have been debating about doing for many months. I have struggled back and forth with whether I feel 'ready' enough to do this, to photograph for clients that don't include friends and family, to put myself out there creatively and try to make something great happen.

I have recently arrived at the conclusion that I do feel comfortable enough in my photography skills that I think I can offer something distinct to those who are looking for high-quality photographs of themselves and their loved ones.

SO -- here's the deal. I now have a separate photography blog all set up to show some sneak peeks, to have some giveaways, and even to share some tips and tricks to taking better pictures yourself.

I will continue this blog as my personal, family blog. For now it will remain public (I'm sure I'll post a rant about private blogs one of these days, lol) and I will update each individually.

I'm ready for this exciting adventure to begin and I can't wait to see where it will take me. I feel like God has been preparing me for this for a long time, and the pieces have finally settled into place now. It feels really good.

So please, go check out my new website as well as my new blog!

And if you're going to be in the area (southern California) in the next few months, you will definitely want to check out my blog for a special offer! Trust me, you won't want to miss this!

TOMORROW!

I promise, it will all be revealed tomorrow.

I can hardly wait.

And I'm sorry for the torment, it has just taken a lot longer than I thought it would! :) But I'm very excited and I can't wait to share.

::EEEEE::

okay, so it is now august. :)

I guess I should post something new since August is actually here now! I was getting tired of seeing that title...

Well I had planned on posting a few more things since that last one, but I have been dealing with some health issues, not to mention working really hard on my 'secret project' and so I haven't gotten to everything that I wanted. Besides, that means we've mostly be chilling at home, so there aren't many fun happenings to report on lately.

I did, however, recently purchase The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule (known in the blogging world as SouleMama) and have really enjoyed it so far. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but I'm enjoying it. I've been feeling a pull to do things with my hands lately, whether sewing or baking or doodling in my journal. It's all good, it's all creative, and I just love it.

I'm constantly being inspired by my friend Mandy, who lives such a creative life. And I mean that in the best possible sense -- she is constantly striving to create with and for her kids, for herself, and for others. And the way she weaves her feelings about God into the mix is truly remarkable. Sometimes I wish I were more like that -- able to consistently express my feelings about God in my everyday life. Something I need to work on.

The last couple of weeks have also been really tough because the hubby's been slammed at work. His company laid off a bunch of people, which has created such a huge workload for those that are left. And while I'm very thankful that he has a job at all, it is SO draining when he doesn't come home from work until 8 o'clock at night every night. And it's not even the busy time of year yet! It makes me realize how much I miss him when he's gone. And I know it's not his fault, but I have a hard time outwardly showing that. Another thing I need to work on. Just add it to the list, haha.

One great thing that has been happening this last week, however, is the potty training of our oldest boy! I never thought I'd hear that coming out of my mouth (or being typed on my keyboard) but I have to admit, I think our little guy has finally got it! He's done really well this week, with fewer and fewer accidents each day, all culminating into actually going out in public today with no pull-up and not having any accidents! I couldn't be more proud (and relieved! I thought I was going to have a kindergartner in Pull-ups!!) And I love that he gets excited because he knows it makes me happy, too. The best part? Calling the hubby during the day to report when he has gone in the potty and having him cheer for E over the phone. Too cute. And I bet his coworkers love hearing that over the phone too, haha!)

Well, I guess I won't say that nothing has been going on this week. I mean, we did dress up like some scurvy-lovin' pirates yesterday. :)

So yeah, lots going on, but I promise that SOON I will be able to share more about what I've been working on. It's been a long time coming, and I'm just way excited to get going.