Today we attended Jason and Jennifer’s shower!
It was a neat beach theme!
Bret even played one of the games!!!
Day 1288 – Fun At A Bridal Shower
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Category Archives: Marriage
Day 1285 – The Secret To Working With Your Spouse Is…
As you know, my husband is now a business owner. This has been a super exciting time, but also challenging. Being a business owner, you’re CONSTANTLY thinking about your business. You eat, sleep and breathe your business. When it was just the photography business, I only had to contend with school and work in Bret’s thoughts when we had a conversation. Now, there is the personal training. Don’t get me wrong, I am SOOOOO excited for Bret! It helps motivate me to work even harder! That fire when you first start a business is contagious! But, if I have to ask his advice on something, it has to be a very…. ::hold his face and make him look at me:: “Bret! I have to ask you a question!” Sometimes this means waiting until he finishes up what he’s working on. Sometimes it means we have to talk about it later. One of our “don’t talk to me, interrupt me, etc” phrases is….”I’m zoning”…for me this normally means I’m editing awesome picture and listening to Metallica (is it weird that a wedding photographer loves editing pictures with hard rock??)
Anyways, today I was getting a little stressed out about things. So I said, ok, dude, I need you for TWO minutes. I turned up the music and we danced. Hoping, jumping, tossing our arms in the air, dancing. For a good 3-5 minutes. It was AWESOME. I got the stressed energy out and got a mini workout. So! If you work with your spouse….or your family member….or your friend….or even people you don’t really get along with….just dance for a few minutes. It really works. 🙂
Day 1276 – I Have A Love/Hate Relationship With My Husband’s New Business
As you know, Bret started a new business. I found myself thinking when I wanted a soda or something, oh, maybe I shouldn’t drink that since Bret is in business for personal training. Just a few quick thoughts here and there.
Then, at the show, a lady asked if my job was modeling. It’s funny, this wasn’t a “struggle with pride” question. It was more a funny question! I don’t see myself as model material. I’m decently happy with myself, but not “THAT level.” I said no, that I was a photographer. She asked me if I’d be interested in modeling for her….I said I was pretty busy with my business and that my husband just started his own business and it’s just been crazy. When she found out he was a personal trainer, she said something along the lines of “so THAT’S why you look so good!” (I’m going to interject here…yes I’m interrupting myself…the ONLY reason I looked SO good was the stunning, EXCLUSIVE to their store, bridal gown from K&B Bridals and the AMAZING hair and makeup by Amie Decker Beauty. It was NOT me! Think of me as an ugly old lump of clay made into a pretty pot by others!) It hit me at this point that, wow, I REALLY need to be mindful of my appearance now. It is a reflection of my husband’s business.
I’ll try and share little tips later about how I make small choices that make big differences over the next few months. Keep an eye on my Pinterest board for quicker updates!
For now, here’s a picture of my husband hiking in the woods barefoot.
Day 1273 – Gaitan Personal Training – It’s Official, My Hubby Is A Business Owner!!
Ok, can I first just say….how cool is my hubby?
After two days of staying up until 3 a.m. (or later*), Bret has his web presence!!
Let me share a few quotes from his page (ha, talk about an easy blog day!)
“I love helping other people make positive changes in their lives. But there are so many trainers and programs out there, it might seem overwhelming deciding who to go with. Let me tell you, I might not be right for you. Come on a walking consultation with me and we can decide if I am right for you. It’s free, you get good conversation, a little exercise, and if I’m not right for you, I might be able to direct you to a trainer who is.”
“I love using practical training to help real people make real results. You don’t have to have experience working out and going to gyms. In fact, there is so much bad information out there, you might be better of not having experience in exercise and gyms. Have you noticed how trends in fitness constantly change? Let me tell you what hasn’t changed recently: the human body. Fitness should be achieved using practical and natural movements. I don’t care who you are, or what your experience and abilities are, I can find a way to work with you to help you lose fat, gain muscle, and just generally improve your health.”
A few of his qualifications and achievements…..which I’m glad I can share! My husband is a truly humble man and doesn’t like to “toot his own horn” but he is in amazing shape and has done some really cool things. So, HA! I can finally share!
- “Cross-country (I have competed nationally multiple times and achieved All-American status)”
- “Track and Field events (I have competed nationally multiple times and was a member of a relay team that broke a national record)”
- “I continuously achieved the highest possible score in the Marine Corps’ physical Fitness test, and on multiple occasions received the award for having the highest physical fitness score of the units I served in.”
So, go check out all he’s doing!
His website
His Facebook Page
His Twitter Feed
* This has been a productive time for me too!! I’m writing this post at 3 a.m., thank you very much! So don’t forget about me! I’ve made a few tweaks to the Wedding Photography page.
Day 1271 – Advice On Working With Your Spouse In A Small Business
Yesterday, I alluded to a business Bret is starting…..
He is starting a personal training business!!! It’s a little different than most personal training businesses out there, but it’s really exciting! I’ll let him describe that for you. He’s still working on getting his Twitter/Facebook/Website together, so you’ll have to wait to learn more. BUT! I thought I would give some advice on working with your spouse!
As you know, I’ve worked with Bret as a business partner/consultant/second shooter/etc for the past 3 years. We believe that the husband is the leader in the marriage and household. It has been a big adjustment and large learning curve over the years. I learned that I am VERY independent, stubborn and prideful. These traits served me well as a single woman/business owner, but I really had to grow when I married Bret. I had to learn to say, you know what, I don’t know it all and Bret has some great points.
So advice for women business owners who are transitioning from being a single to being a married:
- Pray. Ask God to be glorified in your business and keep you at peace!
(That second part is SO important!) - Be humble.
- Listen to what he has to say about your business. It’s always good to have a fresh set of eyes.
- Don’t make changes right away that he suggests. Talk through them, use the knowledge that you have about your business to get on the same page.
- See him as a partner.
Now, this next part, I don’t have “seasoned” advice, but I’m still going to take a shot!
Bonus advice for couples who have two different businesses:
- Your business is NOT going to be exactly the same as your spouses. I am a wedding photographer, Bret is a personal trainer. Our target client is different. We can certainly help each other out, but some aspects will be different.
- When they’re talking about their business, don’t be thinking about your business. (This was Bret’s advice!)
- See it as an adventure to take together.
So there you go! That’s where we’re at right now and some advice! It can be a really awesome and fun thing! Today was great, we sat and watched a few hours of videos about marketing/branding/etc. It was a great refresher for me and an awesome start for him. I can’t wait to share how this goes for us.
Do you work with your spouse in a small business? What do you struggle with? What joys do you have?
And what better way to leave you than with a picture of us being joyful in our work!
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