Happy Birthday To My "Other" Mother

Today is my mother-in-law, Debbie's, 60th birthday!  I am beyond blessed to have her in my life.  She is a friend, confidant and prayer warrior!  She is generous and loves her family deeply!  This past Saturday we, my husband and kiddos, made a trip to Great Falls, Montana to surprise mom for her birthday weekend. We sat patiently in Crooked Tree Coffee and Cakes, which by the way you must visit if you are ever in Great Falls.  Just be sure to use the parking meter spaces properly even if they are free on the weekend (that is a story all on it's own). Moving on...we sat patiently in Crooked Tree waiting for mom and other family to enter.  They entered, they ordered and my kids finally got so excited they said, "Hi Grandma".  The look on mom's face was priceless and we enjoyed the rest of the day together. And lucky for mom I had yet to remove photo props from my car, so it was only fitting that we had a little shoot to honor her on her 60th birthday. Happy Birthday mom!  May the year ahead be filled with abundant blessings and wonderful memories!  I love you!

Krahn Family

I had the honor of taking pictures of dear friends and their two beautiful children!  Jake and Rachel seriously have two of the cutest kiddos.  Miss Lydia who is 2 has such a fun personality and was full of smiles.  Caleb warmed up after his 7 pm cat nap and shared many smiles too.  I love family sessions because I get to watch the family dynamics and how they interact together. Lydia definitely has the role of big sister perfected.  And little brother Caleb is happy to let her dote on him.  Take a look for yourself and prepare for CUTENESS overload!

My Dream vs. Reality

Have you ever had those moments when you have something planned out perfectly in your mind?  You picture how beautiful the outcome will be and then you actually complete the task and it just doesn't look as glorious as you had envisioned?  That is is me...often!  It seems to be my life these days! 

As I shared last blog I'm a tad OCD.  I strive for perfection and order.  Don't get me wrong this isn't all bad.  In fact I'm positive that it is a great quality for a photographer because I am constantly editing and re-editing an image until I'm happy with the outcome.  But there are days when I feel like I just can't seem to catch up or keep anything in order. There was a time when my house was ALWAYS clean.  Everything had a place.  There was a time when birthday cards were purchased a month in advance and mailed so that they arrive by the birthdate (my nephew's birthday is today and the card just got put in the mailbox this morning).  There was a time when all the paperwork was filed away neatly.  There was a time when I ordered our personal photos monthly, organized in photos boxes and each of my kiddo's scrapbooks was up to date.

I keep asking myself what happened!?  How did I go from being that person to the person I am now; always trying to play catch-up.  All I can come up with is that the dynamics of my life have changed.  I went from one child, to two and then three!  My kiddo's are getting older which means that they are involved in more activities and I'm the chauffeur.  And don't even get me started on homework!  My husband and I direct a college ministry and I oversee all the finances, mentor students and attend events.  I started a business that is more time consuming than I ever dreamed!  When I list it all out it's no wonder that I'm constantly running throughout the day trying to keep up.

Each day that passes the reality sinks in a little deeper that chaos might just be a new normal for me. Last night I had a photo session with 2 adorable little children.  When I say adorable I mean A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!  As soon as the session was over I rushed to the grocery store to decide what amazing treat I could make for my oldest son to share with his class this morning.  Now in the past I would have had it planned out months in advance and the treats would have already been sitting on my counter, but not last night.  I entered the store and searched the aisles, weighed my options of what was affordable, could be quick and easy and still make me look like super mom!  I left with 24 ice cream cones, 2 boxes of whoppers and a beautiful mental picture of how it would all turn out.  I got home in time to put the kiddos to bed.  Then I began my project.  I completed a couple treats and it just didn't look like I imagined; even my husband was questioning my attempt.  But hey, it was 9:00 pm and I still had to decorate and wrap presents, which again would have been done prior to the night before.  I wrapped up my birthday treat creations and called it good! I moved on to decorating, cleaning, a quick edit for sneak peaks from my session that night, posted the sneak peak on facebook, checked on all the kiddos and gave them kisses and call it a day!

Yep that is my new reality!  It isn't perfect, but it's my life as a wife, mom and photographer.  Can anyone else relate?  I'd love to hear from you so I know I'm not alone!

The finished birthday treats looked much better after they were wrapped.  Maybe I am supermom after all!

Joining the World of Blogging

Drum roll please...Jacqueline Photography is joining the world of blogging!  Welcome fans!  I hope that you will find this blog to be a place where you can get a glimpse into my life not only as a photographer but also a wife, mom, mentor and friend.

How Jacqueline Photography Began

Since this is my very first blog I thought I would introduce myself!  It's probably quite obvious that my name is Jacqueline and I like photography...A LOT!  I've always loved taking photos, creating art in the camera and taking pride in the finished product.  A few years ago I hit the milestone "30th" birthday and thought, "What am I waiting for!?  I love taking pictures and life is too short to not do something I love!"  It was then I began studying the camera, learning how to shoot in manual, discovering how to utilize lighting, practice posing, creating contracts and the list goes on.  My subjects are often my children which is a journey all on its own! Now they know that when the camera is pointed at them it's time to smile!  After hours of practice, workshops and on-line courses Jacqueline Photography was created.

More About Me

I get giddy when I schedule a photo session!  This is where two of my passions collide...photography and people!

I like organization and may have OCD.  Organization makes me almost as happy as a photo session.

I hate to run but do attempt it from time to time just to equal out all the sweets I eat.  I love dessert!

A hot bubble bath and the perfect book is my idea of relaxing.

I am married to a very awesome man named Titus.  He is a college pastor and I love serving along side him in college ministry.  We have been married for 13 years.  He is my friend, love of my life and I still like him!

We have 3 very energetic children.  They have helped to tame my OCD and ignited my passion for photography!

I enjoy vanilla chai tea and love to find reasons to indulge in one.

                                                                                    Photos Courtesy of Kelly Kirksey Photographer 

Be sure and follow me on facebook, check-out my website and continue to read my blog to stay updated on "My life as a photographer, wife and mom."  It will be a hilarious adventure I assure you!  And if you have yet to like Jacqueline Photography on facebook I invite you to stop by, say hello and like my page!

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