here comes the sun.. nah nah nah nah

oh, this poor neglected blog.

if anyone still reads this, i'm not sure i have anything that interesting to write about it today.
it's just one of those days i need to write to organize my feelings (maybe).

life around here is pretty simple.  we basically do almost the same things every day.  we aren't very exciting anymore.  that's why i never blog... or maybe it's because blogging is a dying trend?

i actually wrote a lengthy post about a month ago, but never published it, because it was semi-dramatic and short lived.  (small panic attack...)

it's hard to talk about anything else except my photography business because that is my life right now.
i have never been so happy, career-wise, in my life.  everyday is so fulfilling and i have a serious passion for my business.  i never complain about any aspects of my business.  i love the budgeting, keeping track of income and expenses, shooting, editing, organizing, all.  of.  it.  i feel so liberated and refreshed and absolutely happy about all of it.  i have been super fortunate to book a good amount of wedding clients this summer.  i have one wedding a week (or more) starting tomorrow for 10 straight weeks, a week break, and more to follow.  it truly has been the biggest blessing.  i can't even explain how much joy this career brings to me.  i've talked to many people recently that comment on how lucky i am to do what i love and they never have felt that way in their own career.  there were many that doubted i could succeed at this.  it's definitely hard and unpredictable, but i'm pretty dang proud of how far i've come.  i still have a million things to learn, and i will be the first to admit that i'm not the best photographer out there.

it's a miracle midge looked right at the camera for this picture.

she's still a spaz x 100.

lincoln is about to finish another semester of school.

he should only have two part-time semesters left, then GRADUATION!

after then it will be about a year and a half before we head off to Physicians Assisting school for a 2 year program.

all of those plans scare me a little, so i don't think about them much.  

lots of things about the future scare me.

it's hard to know when the right time for everything is.

i wasn't sure it was the right time for me to quit my full-time job and pursue my business full-time.

but now it's proving it was the right time.

BUT it's definitely hard to take that leap of faith.

Do you live in St. George?

I will be in St. George, UT from Tuesday, March 13-Thursday, March 15 if anyone down south would like to schedule a session. No travel fees will be charged since I will already be down there. Email me! jalenetaylor@gmail.com

our life lately.

man, i'm getting really terrible at this whole blogging thing.

life lately has been really wonderful.

for no really exciting reason, just plain old wonderful.

i just returned home from a week in las vegas attending wppi.

it was such a great experience for me and was just what i needed at this time to get motivated and get ideas for my business.

being able to work full-time running my business has been so so great.

it's hard to not get discouraged at times, but for the most part i am very much enjoying myself.

i knew quitting my job would be hard but i knew i would be so much happier doing photography full time.

this has proved itself to be true.  i am so happy doing what i love and it is so fulfilling to put 100% of my time and energy into my business... FINALLY!

i also feel very fortunate to be at home with lincoln for most of the day.  there was a time in our marriage where we were both working so much (and lincoln was schooling) that we only saw each other for about 20 minutes before our heads hit the pillow.  that time in our life didn't last very long because we were both so unhappy.

no money in the world is worth that.  

we are definitely more poor than we were at that time, but we are so much happier.

 i think midge is happier that we are home all day too.

here are some recent instagram pictures, because let's face it, that's how i document my life now days.

some cool lines in the sand from the air:

me standing on the mantel hanging up some products:

 

proof that lincoln and i are starting to dress alike:

 

midge's cat twin on big bang theory:

 

the real midge:

 

manages to find every stack of clean towels/clothes to nap on:

 

us:

 

the bellagio fountains:

 

model needed!

Looking for a model for this Thursday, March 1 in the early afternoon.  (I'm teaching a mentoring session).  Images from the session will be your compensation.  Please email me if you're interested with a current photo of yourself.  jalenetaylor at gmail

Thank you!

nanny

as many of you know, i recently took my photography business full-time.  to kind of "supplement" our income for the first months, i've also been nannying for our neighbors.

we are on day 6 of 9 of this run... this is the long trip.
and let me know tell you,

going from a mother of none to a mother of four is sooooo exhausting.
luckily 3 of the kids are in school most of the day, but when 2:00 hits, i am ready for N-A-P!

i also have a deep respect for single mothers.  lincoln has been such a great help this week, but there have been days he has had to study and attend school, and it is hard to do this on your own.  whew.

also luckily, the kids are really good.  we've only had one tantrum, which happened this morning and resulted in a bag of pretzels being thrown at another sibling's face.  fun.

i've also learned how to get silly putty out of carpet--hello, rubbing alcohol.
and i just discovered a pile of romen noodels hiding under a blanket in the living room.

and tell me this, are most kids ALWAYS hungry?

i make dinner and i'm bursting because i'm so full and the kids are saying five minutes later, "i'm hungry!!"

i've probably heard that phrase 500 times this week, already.  do they feed them at school?  seriously.
i didn't think anyone could eat as often as lincoln.  he has to eat about every 4 hours, otherwise he's famished.


people say nannying will be good birth control, but mostly it just makes me hope i don't have quadruplets.  one baby will be just fine for a while.  then we can add some more.

kids are funny & cute.

My eventful day.

I need to do more of this journal writing "stuff."
I really feel like it can be calming and bring inspiration, but when I sit down to type, I'm not quite sure what to tell you, internet.

I will tell you that today was a little scary. 

I was making a sandwich for a little girl I nanny and realized I felt fairly dizzy.
Then my chest started to hurt and I felt short of breath.

All great signs, huh?

My chest or "heart" hurting isn't new to me... I've suffered from it off and on for two years now.  My doc diagnosed me with costochondritis, but I don't really think that's the issue.

Today was a totally different kind of mess.  I felt really scared and strangely disoriented.
Lincoln was at school, so luckily we have really awesome neighbors (and really great mother in laws to find neighbors) and she took me to the instacare.

I've always had really low blood pressure and really fast heart rate.  With the accompanying chest pains, this to me doesn't sound like a good combo.  I'm not a doctor, but ya know.

So they did an EKG and X-ray and seemed shocked to know that my primary care physician never did these tests with my symptoms.  (Can't wait for that medical bill...)

And the tests said all was well.  Which is comforting, but there are probably a billion other tests I can do to see if there is something wrong with my good ol' heart.  I just wish I could find some answers, because I'm sick of not feeling 100%.

Fatigue, headaches, chest pains quite frequently... not exactly fun.

After reading and researching online today, I kind of have a feeling I might be anemic.  I have all the symptoms and my lifestyle could explain that (I'm not the best eater... I get distracted easily).

So we will see...


Any of you out there in the interweb have an opinion on this?  I also think maybe it could be anxiety related??

Hopefully we will find some answers soon...

love stories.

are you in the mood to read some beautiful love stories?

as many of you probably already know, i'm hosting a contest for free wedding day coverage.

you can skip on over to my photography blog, read some lovely stories and vote on your favorite couple!

it might be hard to pick a favorite, because they all are so great!

the couple with the most votes wins free wedding day photography from me!

i've loved this so much, that i think i'll be hosting it every year!

okay, click here.

LAST DAY TO ENTER THE CONTEST!

Please remember that today is the last day to enter the contest to win free wedding day coverage!

I need all stories before midnight tonight!  I will not be accepting any more after that deadline.

This has been such a fun contest for me!

Reading everyone's stories have been a blast.

I will chose finalists and notify everyone in the next couple of days.

Please watch your email in case I need more information from you before posting them on the blog.

Thanks again for participating!

Stay tuned for the finalists!

oh, looky there! a contest!

Today I am announcing a very exciting contest!

I, Jalene Taylor, am giving away  

full-day wedding coverage (disc included)

to one very lucky couple!

This is seriously a steal of a deal ($1200 value!)

Full-day wedding coverage!

EXCLAMATION POINT!

Okay, okay, settle down...

So you're probably wondering, "How do I get to be a part of this action?"

Well, are you engaged?  Almost engaged?  Nearly engaged?

Or maybe someone you know is engaged?  Tell them about this!  Because seriously...

You want them to win.

If you fall under that category this is how to enter...

Email me (jalenetaylor @ gmail... subject line-Wedding Giveaway!):

1. Location & date of your wedding

2. A photo of you and your fiance

3. Your love story (how you met)

I ask for your date and location because if your date conflicts with another wedding I have booked, I won't be able to include you in the contest.  Let's cross our fingers that DOESN'T happen!

And as a side note: I would absolutely love to travel, but travel costs are not included in the giveaway.  Let me know if you have questions about travel costs.

So here's how it works...

Submit your stories now through January 28.  That gives you a week and a half!

Lincoln and I will pick finalists.

I will then post one story (& the photo you provide) on my blog.

So make sure it's a good, well-written story (and truthful) because that's what people will be voting on!

Once all stories have been posted, I will open voting for a week and a half.

This is how you, your family, and friends can vote:

1. Comment on the blog post on my photography blog

2. Like the post on my Facebook photography page

3. Comment on the post on my Facebook photography page

4. Share the post from my Facebook photography page to yours

That is FOUR ways to vote!  Yes, that means each person can vote FOUR times!

Important note: You, your family, and friends will need to "like" my page in order to vote through Facebook.

And of course, the rules:

1. The couple cannot be under contract with another photographer (or myself).

2. Spread the word!  The votes are strictly from your friends, family, and associates!

This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time!

I hope a lot of people will participate, so start talking to all those betrothed people you know.

I hope everything is clear on how to enter and vote.  Please let me know if I can provide clarification.

Okay, are you ready?

GO!

Oh, and if you feel so inclined, you can share this contest ad on your blog and link back to my photography site if you want to help spread the word.

I sure would appreciate it!

Thanks!

embed the image with this link:  http://jtaylorphotography.com/2012/01/oh-looky-there-a-contest.html

snow

the wind and snow got the best of lincoln today:

read.

click on over to my photography blog today and read the story of how i became a photographer:

3 facts about us.

this evening, after the sun had gone down, i realized i hadn't gone out to the mailbox yet to retrieve the mail.  since lincoln was in his underthings, i asked him, "will you watch for me at the door while i get the mail in case i get eaten by a cougar?"  legitimate fear we have in our neighborhood... he then said, "what do you suppose i do if you are eaten by a cougar?"  "call 911, of course."

quality conversations around these parts, i tell you.

i retrieved the mail that wasn't even for us, and was not eaten by a cougar.  hallelujah!

..................................................................


i rely on lincoln to do all random math for me in his head.  you know, when you are trying to figure something out for some odd reason.  i, for some unexplainable reason, cannot do math in my head.  ironic because i liked math growing up.  lincoln and math are not friends.  (he is secretly good at when he wants to be, trust me.)

..................................................................

i am so happy the nba is back in our lives.  i love the utah jazz.  and i especially love paul millsap.  i just do, okay?
and this also reminds me, meta worldpeace is about the stupidest name i've ever heard.  if i were an nba announcer, i would refuse to call him that.

..................................................................



that is all.

good day.






oh, thanks for all the blog lovin'.  you guys are the best!

merry christmas & happy new year!

i could sit here at talk about how i haven't blogged in 40 days but that would be completely boring and not worth your time.

it's been a while, eh?

and somehow i've gained more followers on my hiatus.  which is odd, because i tend to lose followers when i blog.  so we will see how this goes.

i'm not even sure if anyone even reads this blog anymore except my mom.

hi, mom!

but just in case, i will still update you on our mundane life.

it seems like everyone in the blogging world, and everyone in our circle of friends has announced within the last month that they are expecting a baby!  while this is super exciting and happy, it sure makes our life seem rather dull.  the pressure is also on like donkey kong!  for real, peeps.  lincoln is even more baby hungry than before.  i guess he likes to keep up with the joneses.

serious baby boom coming next summer.  maybe there is something in the water?

so everyone has super exciting things to blog about, like babies.  and all we have over here is work and school and eating and sleeping.  so naturally, there are much more exciting things going on other than here.

but just in case you're still reading, i'll tell you about something else!

so basically for the last... 4 months i have been burning my candle at both ends,

working my little tail-feather off,

balancing two full-time jobs.

and it has been HARD!

needless to say, i've been busy.

working full-time at a day job and running my photography business during every spare second of the day.  i've been extremely blessed to work with some fabulous clients during the fall.  it has been such a joy to have so much photography business to keep me sane.

at the same time, it was killing me to wake up and go to my day job.  i worked there for four long years, all throughout college.  i felt like i had reached my potential there and spending 40 hours there a week was making me miserable.  miserable!!!

again, i was so fortunate having so much photography business the 2nd half of the year, that i felt like it was a good time to pursue photography full-time.  this decision had been eating at me for months.  it was probably one of the hardest decisions i've ever had to make.  leaving something secure and familiar is extremely frightening.  but finally getting to pursue my dream career is extremely exhilarating!

some people did not agree with or support my decision, but after prayerfully considering it, my last day was thursday.  it was a bitter sweet goodbye.  i have made so many friends during my four years there and change isn't always easy.

but again, i am so excited and relieved to finally be pursuing my photography business full-time.  i have to thank all my fabulous blog friends who have trusted me as their photographer and helped me progress on this road.  i strongly feel like my quality of life will increase and i will be a much happier, pleasant person.  (good news for lincoln!)  i have so many plans and ideas for my business that i am so excited to implement.  i'm looking forward to not working myself to death.

so there is my life.  it's been a super stressful but exciting thing for me.

it's not a baby!  but that will come with time.

hopefully i will visit this blog more often now :)

give me some comment love to let me know you're still reading!

lindsay & james

please check out my beautiful friend, Lindsay, and her brand new husband, James, over on my photo blog today!

(click on the photo)

thanksgiving in okc.

we spent thanksgiving with the taylor fam in oklahoma city.

it was a short, but sweet trip.

for some reason i came home without a family picture and without a single picture of lincoln and me.

say wha?

i know.  crazy.

anyway, here are some photos i did take.

most are of my sweet little nephew, beck.

i just love that little guy.

we arrived late wednesday night, so we didn't get to see beck until thursday morning.

my favorite moment of the whole trip was when he saw us in the hallway and we said, "hi beck!"

and he looked at us, pointed, and said, "ooooohhhh!"

so cute!

we began the morning with a turkey bowl tradition (with the missionaries).

sister missionary totally schooling the elders.

my fabulous mother in law, who ended up fracturing her finger in this game... oops!

team shot:

the cute family we miss so much:

 (expecting numero dos boy)

then eating time!

and then some cute pictures of beck i couldn't resist posting:

counting the christmas ornaments

"two, two, two, two"

don't tell grandma!

hope all your thanksgivings were lovely!