Sometimes Life Isn't Fair

Yesterday I had to go and do a big shoot. I was so excited. I had it all in my mind how it was going to go. How it was all going to look in print. I had reviewed over and over in my head the exact shots the client was looking for. I had a plan! When I got there, the person I was to photograph had not arrived yet. I headed back out to my car to fetch my camera, etc and about that moment, a woman comes zooming in in her convertible, top down, wild curly hair a flying everywhere. Something in the first two second glance over had me praying "Dear God, don't let that be the one! Don't let that be the person I am to photograph!." As she stepped out of the car, I heard myself ask her "Are you________?" I'm praying all along that she will say NO. But she smiles and says YES. My heart plummets and I swallow very hard. And shift my prayers to prayers for great wisdom and creativity, for an eye that will be able to capture beauty...where there seems to be a great shortage. This one was a bit on the natural side she was. It didn't seem to bother her that her already wild and curly hair was even much more so now thanks to her ride with the top down. Didn't seem to be a point of concern. She had NO makeup. Not even a lip gloss. NOT EVEN a chapstick. And boy did she need one. She had on an ugly, manly suit, that did absolutely nothing to create even a hint of feminine softness. Her eyebrows were....well scary. And I have to say that for a few moments there, I struggled mightily. And I was NOT happy. I mean...why me? Why did I get stuck with this one? Why, when I finally get a really cool, big opportunity kind of event, do I have to end up photographing someone who just doesn't obviously give a crap? I mean...she KNEW we were taking her picture. Most women I know who KNOW they have to have their picture made will at least make a half hearted attempt to spruce up even a little bit. Not so much with this one. And so we trudged in there and I took those pictures. Lots of them. I took the liberty of running her pics through my portrait professional program. ALL of them. Just to try to soften and polish her a little bit. I finally got them all finished and I delivered them to the client this morning. I did all that I could do. But like my dad has always said...the camera can only take what it sees! Oh well. So much for my first huge opportunity!

On another note, yesterday was the first meeting at the gym with the personal trainer. Can you say OUCH? What was funny was that she really didn't do anything too new or crazy with Jenny and I. We are pretty familiar with the weight floor and nothing she showed us was really new or original. However, that said, somehow, the combination of what we did, coupled with just a couple of new tweaks, made for a very tiring and tough workout. At one point, while we were doing lunges, I was quite certain that my butt was seized up in a pretty permanent state and that I might be stuck there, just like that, forever. Jenny and I have done plenty of lunges in our workout lives. But NEVER and I do mean NEVER have I known lunges to be so tough or so very PAINFUL! And there were only two sets of 12 of them! All I can say, is that after all of THAT...I had better end up with some buns of steel! I was very exhausted when it was all over yesterday. And feeling like I was going to be very, very sore. I was afraid to wake up this morning quite honestly. But I woke up feeling just great. And so I think my body handled it all better than expected! I will be taking my weights to the beach with me next week and doing my workout as I look out over the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. Got to stay on track you know! And then when I get back, we get to meet with our trainer all over again for some new and improved moves! I can't wait!

It's finally Friday and I am just so tired today. It seems as though Friday's generally find me this way. The kids keep us all going on such a busy schedule this year. By the time Friday rolls around I am just cooked! I just want to chill out for the rest of the weekend. And I am so excited that my weekend of chilling is going to be followed next week by a full week of further chilling on the cool sandy beaches of San Diego. I so love our little ocean getaways. The kids are all excited as they have wetsuits this time around. Daddy has one too so he can play with the body boards also! Mommy will be observing from the beach. Because I assure you that there is NO wetsuit warm enough to keep the icy chill of the pacific waters from getting to me! I will be on beach patrol, camera in hand, capturing the smiles of my gorgeous family as they frolic and freeze! Ahhh! Paradise...here I come!