About 365 days of marriage

I started this blog in April of 2011. At the time, Bret and I were wedding photographers and it was a way to share how marriage is more about the day to day and so much more than the wedding day itself. For about 5 years, I blogged about the joys and sorrows of the Christian walk, marriage, work, family and friends. I’ve blogged every day since a few weeks after I started. In May of 2015, we photographed our last wedding. Now, I have become passionate about simplicity, particularly in marriage, Christianity, business, travel and life. For a number of reasons, we have become minimalists. I’ve found that having simplicity makes life so much deeper, refreshing and joyful. I hope that this blog will help others see the benefits of living simply.

Day 1232 – Pulling Back The Curtain On My Photography Business Goals

Posted on November 24, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

I have spent my entire day working on 2013 pricing and planning. It has been a super productive and encouraging day.

I have set my goals for weddings, 10-15+ total. I have set my goals for portraits 5-10+ sessions.

I have set my limitations on work. Bret is in school next fall. He will be student teaching and they say to not have another job. I know teachers who have had jobs and know it’s possible. I’ve thought about not taking on any weddings September through December…but that’s a pretty busy time. I’ve thought about taking on what I can, but using another second shooter…but the bottom line of the business is a husband and wife team who care about the relationship we have with our couples. We want to give time and attention to each couple. So, we are limiting ourselves to one wedding a month in the Fall of 2013….so if that’s when you’re getting married, let us know quick so you can snag us for your wedding!

We will be taking on as many as we can in the spring and summer…so if that’s when you’re getting married, let us know too!

I have set financial goals. I am very hopeful that we will be 100% out of debt within a few months. 🙂

I have set purchasing goals. Be on the lookout for an off camera flash set up, finally. I have felt left behind in that area. And some sweet new lenses. Mmmm.

I have set samples goals. I can’t WAIT to get some new albums. I am very overdue. I don’t even want to think or talk about how old some of my albums are.

It was so exciting to put on paper my business goals. I don’t think I ever realized how important it was until now. I know I had a lot of luck and blessing in the past with my clients and business practices. But I’ll admit, I’ve felt stuck. I haven’t been able to jump to the next level…and as I sit here today, typing up what I want and how I’m going to get it, I feel like that jump to the next level is very soon.

Even if you’re starting out, I challenge you to take a day (or two) to really figure out what your goals are. How much business you want, what training you want, your weaknesses, your strengths, and how you’re going to get it all.

And since we’re talking about my business, I had to show off my babies….even if they’re getting old and can’t do everything the same as they used to, I still love them. 🙂

Day 1231 – Finally, A Bret Smile! And The Cutest Picture Of Bret Working…Ever

Posted on November 23, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

The day before Thanksgiving, we did a family portrait session with one of our favorite families, the Johnsons!

I snagged this picture while we were warming up. I FINALLY got a really real “Bret Smile.”

While we were photographing, the youngest member of the Johnson clan kept coming over to Bret to see what he was doing. I took this picture, saw it on the camera, and knew I may never take a funnier picture.

Day 1230 – Don’t Forget About This On Thanksgiving….

Posted on November 22, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

I’ll admit it…I got caught up in the outrage of Target and Wal-Mart starting their sales this evening. I even signed a petition against Target….saying that I wouldn’t shop there today or tomorrow if they didn’t change their hours. I mean…I wasn’t planning on going shopping this year…though, it’s funny, I keep thinking about things I COULD go shopping for! My mouse has been acting up….the cord for my laptop is falling apart….you can get an iPhone through Virgin Mobile now….stop tempting me electronics!!! Ahem….anyways.

And then, my friends starting posting things about the troops and Thanksgiving….and I was completely humbled. I really do try to have a “well if nothing else…” “at least we don’t have to…” “you’re up and walking…” mentality about things. I try to keep perspective. I have only gotten to this mindset through deep lose and serious tears. I don’t speak naively.

I am so thankful for those who reminded me. Then I started thinking…you know…there are a lot of other businesses and people working today that we don’t normally think about. Gas stations, grocery stores, liquor stores, military, police….and so many more I can’t think of and really don’t think of…

I challenge you…while you’re out and about today….thank each person you run into who is working today. It’s not just the retail folk.

I want to personally thank the Lightfoot Family. Dan is pretty much a life-long friend, one of my grooms and our best man. Lizann is a long time friend, one of my brides and our soloist. They recently made a move to Spain with the Marines. I am so grateful and honored to know such a strong family. I don’t know if I would have been as strong as I was during Bret’s deployment if it hadn’t been for Lizann.

Thank you Lightfoot family for your sacrifice for our country. We love you guys!

Day 1228 – Three Years Ago, I Never Thought It Would Work Out

Posted on November 20, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

This time three years ago, Bret and I were driving home from our first wedding rehearsal. I had asked him to help me out with a wedding because my brother (previous second shooter) couldn’t make it. Looking back, I have to laugh at myself and how I reacted…but…here goes.

We photographed the rehearsal. Got a few nice shots. I felt ready to go for the wedding and we headed to the car to make our way to the rehearsal dinner. Well….Bret and I got into a “discussion” about a few things….he wanted to ask a few more questions of the pastor….and I got upset…I look back and just shake my head at 2009 Jennilyn….I mean, come on dude, it was his first wedding! Anyways, we went back in so he could ask a few more things. And then, there was a heated “discussion” on the drive to the rehearsal dinner and it was suggested that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Thankfully, I NEEDED Bret to work for me the next day. I don’t remember if we were still “discussing” things as we drove to the girl’s getting ready….but I do remember when we were photographing the ceremony. During the vows, my husband of 133 days looked over at me across the church, mouthed “I love you” and blew me a kiss. During the reception, I saw something AWESOME happening on the other side of the room, but I just didn’t think I’d make it….as I was struggling though the crowd, I see Bret’s flash shine and my heart smiled. Ever since that day, we haven’t had another “discussion.” 🙂

So, three years later, I am SO glad that it worked out…us working together….he has made me a better business owner, photographer and boss. I am so grateful.

He also takes me out for ice cream!

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Day 1227 – Why Having A Small Business Is Like Having A Kid

Posted on November 19, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

Ok, hear me out on this one. I fully, openly, 100% admit, I do NOT have a child. I understand there are things I do NOT understand. But, I think there are similarities.

The message I heard at church yesterday was about parents/kids and all that fun stuff. So I’ve been having discussions with my family about the message and in a conversation with my mom, I made the connection. First, a little back story that brought me to this.

Saturday night, I made a mistake. It was a quick decision I made and wanted to take it back right away. I told Bret about it around midnight and it grew into a “I have to get up RIGHT now to try and make this right.” It meant Bret making an adjustment in his day on Sunday so we could make this mistake right. But, Saturday night, when we were discussing it….I had a little temper tantrum. I’m not going to lie, it was bad. He pointed things out about the business and I have a tendency to just get upset and say “Fine! I won’t do photography anymore! I’m a failure!” I look back at those times and think, “wow Jen, girl, you got some problems.” But thankfully, I have a husband who won’t let me just throw in the towel and who also encourages me to move on and do better next time.

Anyways, in the message, one thing that really stood out to me was that you have to hold your kids in open hands. You can’t hold too tight or just drop them on the ground. I realized that’s what I was doing when I would say those things. The conviction was strong…”God has given me photography, I shouldn’t drop it, I need to hold it loosely.” How awesome that I was convicted about my business during a message about raising kids. Then today, it hit me how many similarities there are. I also want to share that I was 13 when the twins were born and 17 when my youngest brother was born. I saw what went into raising kids and all the work it took. But again, I’m speaking as an outsider.

So here’s what I see.

1. You sometimes need to get up in the middle of the night for a client.
Babies need you a lot at night.

2. Sometimes you need to wake up earlier than normal for a client.
Kids don’t seem to get daylight savings time.

3. You can’t let your business out of your sight. If you let something slip, it could be dangerous.
Kids shouldn’t cross the street alone.

4. Your business needs money to grow.
Dude, kids are expensive.

5. Your business can make you overwhelmingly joyful one minute and make you pull your hair out the next.
They say I love you mommy, give you a kiss and then they throw up on the floor.

6. Not everyone is suited to run a business.
Not everyone is suited to raise kids.

7. It can be tempting to do a quick fix for your business, buy the latest “get rich in 10 days” system….which might work for a while, but isn’t always sustainable for a long time.
Feeding your kids McDonald’s everyday probably isn’t too great in the long run.

8. Sometimes you need to look past the mess that is on your desk and take joy in the product you’ve created.
Kids might make a big mess with glitter, glue and paper everywhere, but have written you a sweet card.

9. Sometimes your “amazing idea” won’t work, no matter how you approach it.
Even if you think something would work for your kid, sometimes it won’t. A musician probably won’t enjoy playing sports as much as you think they will.

10. You need to be humble and admit you don’t know it all. You will always be learning about your business.
You need to be humble and admit you don’t know it all. You will always be learning about raising your kid.

So there you go, my two cents on the topic. I’m sure there are tons of other ways they are similar, what do you think? Am I off base with any of these?

I’ll leave you with a “school picture” of my “kid.” (It works, right?)

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365daysofmarriage

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