Wedding Photographer-To The Rescue

God works in mysterious ways

A friend of my Ex-husband referred a wedding client to me. After meeting with the couple and learning about their needs, I discovered that they only really wanted coverage of the ceremony because our mutual friend didn't mind covering the reception. In order to keep the price of my services within their budget, I offered to shoot at an hourly rate instead, really, that's almost unheard of and certainly not recommended to do for weddings as it takes away from your bottom line when calculating editing, gas, daycare and other such expenses. There was just something about this couple that spoke to me and I wanted to do this for them.

The rain held out for until after their outdoor ceremony and we got back to their reception venue to find that our mutual friend, who was going to shoot the reception, wasn't there. I was now off the clock, and they were not about to let a lack of reception photographer rain on their parade, BUT I didn't feel right about it. I told them I'd stay until after they cut their cake. I am so glad I did.

Those are some good lookin' blobs!

Something about letting strangers "borrow my camera (for a sec)" just makes me nervous. None the less, that's exactly what I let one of the amazingly fun guests at the wedding reception do last night. The gentleman who took these pictures isn't a photographer, and I ended up giving him (and the lady I'm talking to in these pictures) a quick rundown on how to use a camera. EXPENSIVE CAMERA TO LEARN ON GUYS!!! It was great fun.

Getting better

Hey, you've got the hang of it!

I enjoyed rubbing elbows last night. I genuinely enjoyed these people's company. One of my new acquaintances is a real sweetheart, even offered to bring Justin and I up to golf as his guests. After being seated at his table and getting to know him, and a few other business men and their wives, a few them mentioned they were in need Of photography for portraits, upcoming projects, and advertisements. One of my other new acquaintances runs a bachelor/bachelorette/private party service in San Diego and they were in the market for a promotional photographer. Don't mind if I do!

I'm thankful my ex's friend didn't choose sides and felt comfortable enough to refer me (he is a photographer who worked with other photographers, I wasn't his only choice). I am thankful that my clients were amazing souls. I am thankful that our mutual friend was unable to make it to the ceremony and that I chose to stay. Everything happens for a reason. I got some great images that my clients will treasure for the rest of their lives and I made some awesome new friends and contacts. You just can't put a price on that.

Dang, I'm a good teacher. ;-)

Motherhood at it's finest

Original post here.

It's a wine kind of night. Unfortunately, wine is just not in the budget. Good thing I found an old sippy cup of grape juice. My kids are insufferable today. * takes a sip* Not bad, but I think cough syrup is stronger... Noted for next time.

Palomar Observatory (Slideshow)

J and I took my kiddos out to the Palomar Observatory on Sunday. StigKidC's brain soaked in every bit of information as he grilled the docent for about an hour. As we were leaving the docent asked him what the qualifications are for planets. StigKidC thought about it for a second and replied that he didn't know... YET, that he'd soon be learning about planets but is only on rocks and minerals. The docent smiled down at him and replied that learning about our earth is a good start to understanding the rest of our solar system. Below are my photos of our daycation. PS, The observatory is free.

Takin' our monkeys to the ZOO!!!

Whew!
For those of you who are raising large families, you understand the shock and awe factor when bringing your large bunch into public settings. For those of you who are not accustomed to such a large crowd, try envisioning bringing a class field trip with you everywhere you go. Luckily, going to places that are common for class field trips means J and I have far less people asking, "Are they ALL yours?" Also our oldest kiddos are now at the age where they help herd the younger ones, which makes our trips progressively easier. We really do have well behaved children.

Last weekend we celebrated StigKidG's birthday! To help celebrate, J and I took all seven children and met up with their Auntie Koko and SigCousinK at the Orange County Zoo. We're always on the look out for cheap or free, fun and educational things to do with the kids, and boy, did we ever get our money's worth from this amazing place. Honestly, it's more of a park with a small zoo on the grounds. There's so much to do there including: Train rides, paddle boats, bike rentals, hiking, horseshoe, volleyball, pony rides, duck pond, several playground sets, BBQ areas and a GIANT snack bar. The best part? COUPONS!!!

The admission to the zoo portion of the park is just a mere $2.00, children 2 and under are FREE. We have one child that is still two... bonus! They had peacocks walking the grounds, beautiful birds of prey, a bear, wild cats, snakes lizards, beavers, tortoises, goats, and so many more. 

The children absolutely loved our outing. The highlight for *most* all of us was the petting zoo where we got to go play with all the goats. 

My sweetheart and our little monkeys. 

SigKidAC and StigKidG, two little monkeys in a tree.

Big brother and little sister.

The Orange County Zoo is open 7 days a week (minus select holidays), from 10am-3:30pm. We had so much fun, it's a fabulous spot for a family daycation. 

By My Side.

In an effort to spend time together during the week, my partner J and I will work side by side. Tonight I'm trying to finish a presentation for class and he is reworking our financial plan in an effort to pay off our debt four months earlier then planned.

Now some of you may think I'm absolutely bonkers for taking on debt, or rather, treating J's debt as mine.

"He got himself into this debt, he is a big boy, he can get himself out."

"You need to be focusing on yourself and your kids."

"He could just up and leave you and you'd have nothing to show for your investment."

If you know anything about me, it should be that money means very little to me. I happily live on the basics and find cheap, crafty ways to beautify my world. That said, lately I've had a steady income which I have been using to invest in my children and in J. I love J, we plan on getting married someday. Frankly, I don't want to marry a guy who is in debt or is financially inept. Been there, done that! I am just not prepared to settle on that one again.

I grew up in a home that budgeted every penny. I grew up earning everything I wanted. I tell my money where it needs to go, that is my normal. I am recently finding out that a lot of people didn't grow up budgeting and instead of being taught about saving for things, many people have been taught to buy it on credit. America, the land of instant gratification and insane national debt.

The way my partner tells it is that he was talked into a lot of his debt, or as he likes to call it his "stupid tax." The cause of the debt is neither here nor there as long as he owns up to having made poor choices and is intent on never making the same mistakes again. He definitely has learned and I see his intensity everyday, which makes helping improve his situation my pleasure. Then again, I'm the kind of person who believes in improving the world one person at a time.

I had to first focus on improving myself. If the only thing constant is change, consider me extremely consistent. I am continuing to improve my children's future by investing in their college savings, which leaves me able to improve the next closest person to me, a man who equally looks out for my well being. J has stepped up for me and has been my hero quite a few times. When we talk about when we're debt free and what we plan to spend our money on, it normally involves helping others, giving to homeless, and investing in properties for people trying to get back on track. If we don't end up getting married, even if we break up, I will never regret improving this man's quality of life because I know the good that will come from it. I am happy to report that our relationship has never been stronger, things are going according to plan. J is definitely worth the investment and I couldn't imagine anyone else by my side. 

Physical Fitness

I had recently posted a facebook status about my size and subsequent fitness goal which sparked many of my friends to message me about HOW I intend to lower my bodyfat percentage. THE single most important tip I can pass along is this: Abs are made in the kitchen! In order to keep our bodies in shape, a minimum workout of 30 minutes and nutritious meals are essential!

As a single, work-from-home mommy, I simply can not afford a gym membership or daycare and the free crossfit gyms nearby don't allow young children so for now, I'm a workout-from-home mommy as well. I also have the added bonus issue of battling hemorrhoids that surgery hasn't fixed, which means I need to alter my workouts so I don't end up walking like I stick up my butt. FUN, right?!

Anyway, I find these sets of workouts have the least amount of impact while still producing the results I'm looking for. If you try them, let me know how they work for you.

I'm not quite where I want to be, but I'm getting there!

In the evenings I alternate ballet, yoga, homework, backrubs, "hand holding" and epsom salt soaks. Working out is not something I have all day to do, nor do I WANT to, but it is something that I love doing intermittently throughout my day.

Do you know that working out with your partner can lead to better sex? Oh yeah... I went there. My partner and I do many activities together, working out is one of the activities that I attribute our awesome sex life to (the other is our spiritual connection that I'll likely cover in a future post). Building better bodies through exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, you know, the stuff that makes you feel good. Fellow Washingtonians, instead of picking up pot, why not try picking up some kettlebells and get naturally high!

Now, I'm going to show you photos of my weightloss journey, including photos of me before I lost all this weight... ready? I'm not! *Deep Breath* Here we go.

August 2011, 4 months after my youngest was born. I'm on the far left. Size 14 

September 2011, Size 10

April 2012 Size 6/7

Nov 2012 Size 5/6

July 2013 Size 4 (finally comfortable enough to show my belly)

Oh man. It's so hard looking at photos of me being so heavy. Honestly, my marriage was in BIG trouble and I was inspired to lose the weight. My (now ex) husband would come home and I'd take off for a jog. I'd jog for hours all around my neighborhood. I'd jog with my dear friend Vanessa. I used jogging and working out as additional therapy and boy, looking back, I'm glad I did. My marital issues ended up in divorce, but on the positive side, I am happier and healthier than I have ever been. GO ME!!! And guess what? If I could do this, with all the obstacles that tried to stand in my way SO CAN YOU!!! 

Stop Talking About The Bible? (X-Post)

News Link here,
You know what really grinds my gears?

In this age of tolerance and diversity, public school educators seem to be under the impression that they can bully and intimidate Christian boys and girls. I'm a dedicated advocate for celebrating diversity and expressing what individuals view to be important. Celebrating diversity is allegedly promoted in schools, and yet there is no tolerance for members of the Christian faith to express their views in school. 

I could have sworn this country was built on the pursuit of religious freedom. I am Christian, I am open to the discussion of other beliefs (yes, even in schools). This is not the first time I've heard of our educational system denying Christian religious freedoms. If the school had this same situation play out with a child of any other faith, there would be an uprising of scrutiny on the media.

I respect all Muslim people, Christian people, and Buddhist people. I respect J.W's, LDS, Atheist, Agnostic, and Wiccan people and I even respect satan worshipping people. You know what I don't respect? People who try to deny constitutional rights. And guess what? Any policy that suppresses free speech violates our constitutional rights.

~TheStigMom (one Butthurt-Christian-American)

January Goal update

It's the middle of the month and J and I have already reached our January goals!

BOTH storage units are cleaned out saving us a little over $90/month. That money is going directly into our emergency fund account, and then on to the debt snowball.

I raised the extra $100 (and more) by selling unworn clothing from my closet and unused items from my storage unit. That money will also go into our emergency fund.

Want to know more about emergency funds and "debt snowballs"? Visit Justin's blog, http://cswsiggy.blogspot.com.

Dinner is Served, Yo!

(Justin's mother's Chicken Adobo Recipe)

Last month's holidays were in full swing. My partner Justin is a United States Marine and was in the field for a week. I had just come home from my girlfriend's home when I got a message from Justin's father that he was in town and was hoping he could come deliver Christmas presents for his grandchildren. I was admittedly a little nervous as it would be the first time meeting Justin's father in person and my sweetheart was still gone. EEEK! About an hour after I finalized arrangements with J's father, J messaged me and said he was on his way home. The race was on. Who was going to arrive at our place first? I happily welcomed J home about an hour before his father and step-mother arrived! *J refers to his step-mom as "mom" so from here on out that's how I'll refer to her*.

What a relief that J's Dad and Mom are incredibly warm people. During our visit Justin shared a funny incident where he attempted to make Chicken Adobo, but ended up with a vinegar soaked concoction that no one wanted to eat. He then asked his mom for her Chicken Adobo recipe and instead of just giving it to him, she insisted on teaching me, BONUS!

I've since made this a few times for J and thought I'd share it with you. It's incredibly easy to make, but a little high on the sodium because of all the soy sauce that is used. This measures out to about 10 servings so it's great for large families like ours.


Ingredients:
*6-8 large chicken thighs
*About an inch of ginger root, thinly sliced
*3/4 glove of garlic, minced
*1 lb carrots, chopped into thick pieces
*2 onions, chopped into thick pieces
*6 small potatoes, chopped into thick pieces (I usually chop one potato into 6 pieces)
*3 handfuls of fresh green beans (honestly, I love green beans so I usually use about 5 handfuls)
*soy sauce
*pepper (I use a pepper mill for optimum taste)
*salt
*1 tbs sugar

Directions

Justin was in the kitchen helping me today and decided to freeze our carrots to make them a little crispier, but soon forgot about them... so we had to thaw them before adding them to our stew. J, It's said a WOMAN'S place is in the kitchen for a reason, mainly so veggies don't get turned into science experiments!

It's easiest to have your ingredients prep'ed. 

1.Use a large pot, put on the stove over low heat, add a small amount of oil and minced garlic.Stir. 

2.Once the garlic has turned to a golden brown color, add the sliced ginger. Cook until the ginger is the same color as the garlic, stirring occasionally. 

3. Stir in chicken thighs. Once the thighs are covered in the garlic and ginger add about a cup of soy sauce, 4 shakes of a salt shaker and about a tbs of pepper (about 12 turns on MY pepper mill). Stir the chicken to an even mixture.

4. Turn up the heat to medium and cook uncovered.

5. When the meant is almost completely cooked, add onions, stir, add about a half cup of soy sauce and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

6. Sprinkle sugar then stir in carrots and potatoes, cover your pot and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes (or until potatoes are halfway cooked), stirring occasionally. 

7. Taste test your broth. Add more seasoning and soy sauce to suit your taste. Add green beans, cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes (or until potatoes and beans are cooked to your preferred consistency). 

*The Chicken Adobo is ready. You can eat this meal as is, but J and I prefer to serve it over a bed of rice*

Good Gracious, I am dating a sexy man! 

(Okay J, you can stay in the kitchen)

YUM!

Changes

With seven children in our home, my partner J and I decided to celebrate the New Year with the East Coasters. I finished up my nightly portion of homework with four minutes to spare and we ran downstairs to join our wonderful neighbor’s celebration. Casually ringing in the New Year with my sweetheart’s lips on mine, toasting with dear friends and laughing with our children was honestly one of the best holidays I've ever had. 

J and I are absolutely GIDDY about our future together. We've started merging more of our life together and preparing for a life of debt free living, investing and travel. I’m over the moon to have found a man who is everything I could ever ask for.  Instead of aimlessly spending all of our income, J and I came up with a plan to give us direction.  We started by laying our all of our debt, smallest to largest; by using an Excel spreadsheet that shows us how long it will take us to be debt free. Along with our financial goals, J and I came up with a year full of monthly progressive goals to accomplish. J will be sharing our financial goals on his blog, http://cswsiggy.blogspot.com/ and I’ll be updating on the progress of our other monthly goals here!

Here’s the layout of our monthly progressive goals we designed to enrich our lives as a couple.

I hope you had a fabulous New Year. I'm wishing you and yours a peaceful and prosperous 2014!

One Love,
Heathery