I downloaded an iphone app called, “Hours Tracker”.

Being self-employed is hard, long hours and sometimes things feel so… not concrete.
It’s easy to over-work, not divide your time up well, or just lose track of how much/little you’re working.

I love clocking in and out of my various work activities. It helps me stay accountable to my work hours and helps me evaluate where most of my time is going.
You can make your own categories, pay periods, etc.
I have currently have four working categories: edit, album, office work, and shoot.

Whether or not you’re self-employed, I encourage you to download this app, or one like it, to see where your time is spent. Hopefully it helps you manage and stay accountable to your own work schedule. Because being your own boss is seriously not as easy as it sounds. :)

Hours Tracker Icon

So with being in the middle of wedding season and glued to a TO-DO list that seems a million tasks long, I decided I needed something to chill me out a bit.

I had received a gift card from one of my fabulous brides to a PAVO Salon in East Memphis.
I was planning on (finally) get my hair done, but with life at its current state, I chose a massage instead.

OH. MY. SWEET. MOTHER. OF. EVERYTHING. THAT. IS. HEAVENLY.

I’m just gonna say this… if you have never had a real massage with atmosphere and everything, you need to get one. ASAP.

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Why am I writing this?

Oh, I don’t know. It could be…
-the migraines I had are gone
-the back pain I have been dealing with for so long is gone
-my eye and knee stopped twitching (after weeks of driving me crazy)
-I slept like a rock (I’ve been sleeping like crap lately)
-my mood is much calmer and I’m able to see clearer
-I feel rejuvenated

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I’m not one of those people that is hooked on the latest trend of how to cure this and fix that, but let me tell you…

Our bodies aren’t meant to be bundled up in knots like a dog’s chew rope. My body was wearing me out because it was so tangled.
My experience with Ashley at PAVO was incredible. I would encourage anyone (especially BRIDES) to take an hour for yourself and go see Ashley.
To be able to shut out the world for a solid hour, relax, and just breathe was the best thing ever. Wow.

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www.pavosalonspa.com

(I was not paid or asked to write this, I just wanted to share an incredible experience for anyone who is struggling with pain, stress, or balance in their life.)

All of Julian’s videos are worth seeing, but this one is particularly hilarious!

Even without flash, waiting a few seconds after you think the picture has been taken, is usually not a bad thing. :)

Recently, I was asked to share the story of why I became a photographer, my journey to where I am now, and what I have learned along the way.

Below is a little story with some pictures, that I may later regret showing you, but this is Part 1 of the the 3-part series of my story…

When I was 8, if you would have asked me what I thought I would be when I was older, I would have said a teacher.

When I was 15, after going to Cambodia, I decided I was going to teach overseas.

When I was 18, I was doing music full-time while in college.

Then at 20, I fulfilled the dream of teaching overseas by living and teaching in Thailand, using music as an integral teaching tool.

At 21, I went back to Thailand because of my deep love of the people and culture and decided to take along my new camera at the time, a Nikon D80.

After years of struggling with what I felt I needed to do with my life, I came to two conclusions: I love people. I love the arts. Both are unpredictable, constantly changing and full of life and stories.

I am a sentimental person. So, I have always loved photos. Just ask my family. They’ll show you the enormous picture collage wall, that to this day, is still proudly displayed in a hand-painted frame, completely filling an entire wall in my former bedroom at my parents’ house.

But I never would have thought I’d be a photographer. That leads into My Journey…

(to be continued)

Are you investing your time to work up a ladder of fame?

OR

Are you investing your time to offer the best to your clients?

I can’t stop looking at these pictures.

They are amazing, magnificent, terrifying and sad at the same time.