My Rocker Husband

I’m a jealous person by nature. I’m very possessive of many things in my life, one of those things being my husband and my time with him. Tonight, my jealousy and possessiveness really came through when I found out that I would be home by myself most of the night. I was looking forward to a night of cuddling on the couch and watching the Olympics with Tyler, and when I found out I wouldn’t get my way, I stomped my foot and stuck out my lower lip. Yup, I was a big baby.

Tyler is in a rock band named Meridian, and practice takes up a lot of his time. They’ve been refining their new sound lately with at least two practices a week, and this week it is going to be three. Once I finally stopped being selfish, I started to think about how supportive Tyler has been of me and my time to pursue photography. How could I NOT support him, when he’s done nothing but be my biggest fan?

Sometimes I don’t understand what I’ve done to deserve such a fantastic husband, and one who’s a drummer at that (God really spoiled me when he put Tyler in my life, because I always had a thing for drummers). Honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of him. So proud that I really want to brag on him a bit. All of this practice for the band is not just to get together with three of his closest friends, although that is a perk.

It’s because Meridian was one of the few bands to be chosen to play at Godstock in Fairfield, Illinois, next month. This could be huge for the band because of the exposure they will get. Some big names in Christian music have jammed out on the stage of Godstock, including one of our favorites, Skillet. The schedule isn’t posted yet, but head over to the Godstock web site and you’ll see this picture that I took of the band (left to right: Dane, Daniel, Tyler and BJ):

Meridian

Haven’t heard Meridian yet? The music on their MySpace page is a bit dated, but they will soon be heading to the studio to record five tracks. Some of those songs will be featured on my web site once they’re done. I can’t wait to share my husband and Meridian with you all!

And if you can’t wait that long, come see them at Godstock on September 6. I’ll be the one wearing my “I’m sleeping with the drummer” t-shirt. We can cheer them on together!

 

Having a wedding in 2008? Still need a photographer?

Then you’re in luck! Since I’m dying to do a wedding — and SOON — I’m lowering my price to $550 to two lucky couples who will walk down the aisle to say “I do” before the year 2009. That’s half off my lowest package! Here’s what you get:

• Photography by me, unlimited hours
• Images professionally edited
• A CD of the best color-corrected images (at least 200) with a copyright release
• Highlights from your big day featured on my blog
• Online proofing if you would like to order high-quality photos from me

If you’re interested, go to my web site, fill out the contact page and mention this deal in the comments section. And don’t forget to tell all of your friends and family who may want to take advantage of this awesome opportunity!

 

Venting Session

I’m having a hard time right now and just needed to vent. Tyler was such an amazing support this weekend and did a great job at being so vocal at how proud of me he was for how I did in the Mini Marathon yesterday. More than that, he fit right in with my friend Jaimie and we’ve all had a blast all weekend laughing, watching tv and lounging around.

As great as all of that was, all I can focus on right now is that he left to go back home so he can be at church-band practice and then church. I have to be at work in the Indy office for a couple more days, so I won’t be able to go back home until the middle of this week. It’s so difficult after being married nearly three years to be apart like this. I know I’m being a big baby, but I just feel like a part of me is missing when he’s not around. It was all I could do to not pack up my stuff and go home with him…

Excuse me while I go cry a little…

 

Public Speaking = Public Humiliation

Yesterday was one of the most, if not the most, embarassing days of my life. I had to speak at our local bar assocation’s Young Lawyers’ Bootcamp at the end of the day. I’ve known about it for a while and had prepared accordingly. What I was going to talk about wasn’t groundbreaking information, although electronic case filing procedures are quite important. But an hour before I was supposed to speak to them, it was determined that the technology I was relying on to demonstrate some key things to these young attorneys was not going to work how I needed it to.

So, with about 10 minutes to go before the attorneys arrived, I realized I would have to scale back my presentation. Shouldn’t be too difficult, I thought to myself: I know this stuff inside and out; I deal with it everyday; I train attorneys and their staff pretty consistently.

Both of our judges give their talk, then it’s my turn. I stand up in front of the group and it’s as if the wind has been knocked out of me. I can’t breathe, I stumble over my words, I start shaking, I can’t think. It was a mess. A total mess. And even though I felt like I was going to pass out right there on the spot, I also felt bad for the attorneys who had to sit there, a captive audience, and act like what I was saying was making sense. How horrible for them! After I was done, I put my tail between my legs, walked over to my chair and sat there through the rest of the presentations, mentally kicking myself over and over again.

After the entire thing was over, I slunk into a deep depression. Luckily, we only had five minutes of work left. I finished up for the day and gladly left work not long after 5 p.m. to go to my first Basic Photography class. All I wanted to do was run home to Tyler and have him give me a big hug, because that always makes me feel better, but instead, all I could do was call him. As I tell him what happened, I instantly start crying.

And after that, although I was experiencing some major sadness about how my workday ended, I remembered yet again why I love being married to Tyler. He is the most comforting, helpful person I know. He reassured me that it wasn’t as bad as I thought and that no one would even remember it, and furthermore, no one probably even noticed it. He tried his hardest to make me feel better, and as I ended the conversation with him, I felt good enough to go to my class.

Class was enough to get my mind off of the day’s events, but once I got home, I was back into my state of depression and worry over it all. Once again, Tyler was to the rescue. Good heavens, I love that man. He came up behind me, put his arms around my wasit and kissed my cheek as tears rolled down them. Once again, he tried to reason with me that everything would be okay and that I am a good communicator and it was due to having things go wrong right before I was supposed to speak. I put on a smile and tried to believe what he said.

But the tears weren’t over for the night. We were laying in bed talking and once again, the scene in front of the attorneys played through my mind. Once more, here came the tears, and once more, Tyler does his best to reassure me that everything would be okay. He comforted me the best he could and calmed me down enough that I could fall asleep. I woke up this morning feeling like it was all a bad dream, but sadly, it wasn’t. I’d give anything to do it over again.

I learned from this that I’m not the best public speaker in the world. By far. And I actually think I would do better if I didn’t follow a list of notes. I think that throws me off more than if I just do it by memory, by heart. (Any pointers for public speaking from anyone who’s actually good at it?)

But I also learned that I have the best husband in the world. He has this way of making me feel so much better even when I feel like the whole world is crumbling around me. Just knowing that I have his big hug and comforting words to come home to after I mess things up like I did gives me the courage I need to lift my head up, put one foot in front of the other and keep on carryin’ on.

 

My New Year’s Resolutions – A Day Late

Taking inspiration from the people in my Courier & Press story, I’ve decided to make some resolutions of my own.

1) Be more green. While I already have a fuel-efficient vehicle (I absolutely love my trusty Toyota Corolla S), use energy-saving light bulbs, wash clothes in cold water and reuse bottles for our water, I really believe there is more I can do to help the environment. I’m no tree hugger, but if I can do even a little bit to save our earth, why not? Therefore, I resolve to try to save all of our cans to help with the Habitat for Humanity can collection (they recycle the cans AND get money for it…killing two birds with one stone!). I also plan on taking my own bags when I go grocery shopping. Any other suggestions?

2) Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. So far so good. Even with the frigid cold weather we just got, I was able to find a workout yesterday to do inside (thanks, Billy Blanks Tae Bo Cardio DVD). I also just got a resistance band from Target for $2.50, so even if I can’t get out to run, I can at least do crunches, push ups and some resistance training. Tonight, I’m hitting the treadmill downstairs at work.

3) Eat fewer sweets. I believe this was a resolution last year, and I did pretty good until Thanksgiving time and on. Even last night, I had 3 chocolate chip cookies after dinner. Not because I was hungry, but because they looked good. I need to learn to pay more attention to how I feel before I take a bite…am I really hungry, or is my brain tricking me?

4) Learn how to use a digital SLR camera and become really, really good at it. I’m taking two classes at Ivy Tech starting Jan. 14, so that will be the first step. This will require a lot of practice and patience on my part, but I’m really excited about it. I already stalk several blogs for daily inspiration. After I tackle the basics, I plan on doing a maternity shoot with my sister in law and eventually would like to take on a wedding.

5) Get to work earlier. While I technically don’t have to be at work until 9, it does look better if I would get there by 8. So, I’m going to work on getting out of bed when my alarm actually goes off and getting out the door no later than 7:30. This may require packing lunch and ironing clothes the night before, but I can handle that.

6) Focus more on my marriage. Some issues I have to deal with are trust, communication and time management. I’d really like to make more quality time for us doing FUN stuff instead of the daily “work” that comes with being married and owning a home.

These are my main goals, and I think each one is definitely attainable.

 

It’s the little things…

…about this handsome guy that make me love him so much. He’s had me on cloud 9 for a while just for being him. I’m so friggin’ lucky to be married to him. Just a few of the things I love about him:

• His sense of humor – see picture above. He’s always doing something cute and/or funny to keep me laughing. There’s nothing better than bonding over something that is funny.

• How he’s worked so hard to keep our marriage going. There are times when it got rough, but he never quit and never let me, either.

• His passion for drumming. He may make some pretty cute/funny faces when he’s on stage, but it makes me happy to see him enjoying something that much. God truly has blessed him with a talent and he’s pursuing it with everything he’s got. I’d really love to see him make a profession out of it like he wants. We’re praying about it.

• How he’s not afraid to do housework. I came home yesterday to find him doing the dishes. And he hates doing dishes. It makes me happy that he knows it’s not just my job to keep up the housework; it’s truly a team effort. Not many wives can say that.

• How he’s completely anal about keeping his car clean. Sometimes it can be annoying that he washes his car once a week in the summer, but it shows he works hard to keep things in good shape. If he cares that much about his car, just think how much he cares about me. Okay, maybe it’s not a good comparison. Moving on…

• How he loves our dog. He used to hate dogs, and Lola has certainly won him over with her cuteness. He plays with her, talks to her like she’s a kid, and takes her on walks. Pink leash and all. Now that’s a manly man!

• When we go to bed and lose track of time just talking and laughing. Like last night when we were talking and he finally checks the time and it’s been 45 minutes. And even though we’re both exhausted, we don’t care. Because it’s some of the best quality time we get to spend together.

• The way he looks in his suits when I see him in the morning before work. Nothing better than a business man – my business man – in a suit. Hot!

• How he helps me through the tough times in life. He’s always giving good opinions and definitely balances my spontaneity. He keeps me grounded and sane. And when words can’t make things better, all he has to do is wrap his arms around me and I instantly feel better.

• How he has a heart for God. We’re both learning to rely more on God’s strength and learning more and more what it means to give grace. Knowing that he prays for me and us everyday…I feel so loved!

Tonight, we get to see Larry the Cable Guy at Roberts Stadium. More quality time laughing with my man…can’t wait!