My husband and I are firm believers in the importance of showing up for your kids. The Bonus Kid's choir concerts, plays, band events, volleyball tournaments - you name it. We've gone to almost every single event. I can count on one hand the number we missed - always because of work travel or shooting weddings. We volunteer - whether it is baking twenty-four egg bakes for the debate tournament, or spending every Friday night home game on the field photographing and filming marching band performances, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
As the marching band planned their 2017 trip to Tampa for the Outback Bowl and Parade, I was asked if I could photograph their recording studio experience at Universal Studios for ARTIFEX, the fine arts publication for her school. After what I'm sure was the quickest 'YES!' imaginable, I cashed in some Delta miles and called my sister-in-law to see if I could crash on her couch in Orlando.
After a quick breakfast at Cafe Intermezzo, I caught my connecting flight and made it to Orlando. After collecting my rental car, I visited the office of my then current employer to meet some new teammates, followed by a visit to my favorite sister-in-law at her work before heading to their house for dinner with her and her kids.
We had a great dinner and conversation before I headed off to my AirBnB in Tampa - my first experience staying in a private room instead of having the entire home at my disposal. After chatting with the trip coordinator, the easiest way for everyone would be if I rode in the van from Tampa to Orlando for the Universal recording studio experience. As luck would have it, my Bonus Kid was selected to do some voice over recordings for the project, so I was able to get even more photos of her doing awesome stuff! And then got to spend the rest of the day riding rides with another band parent!
We drove back to Orlando and I was fast asleep by 10pm. Maybe it was exhaustion or maybe the Universe knew what 2018 had in store for me. So at midnight I woke to the sound of fireworks in the neighborhood, but quickly fell back asleep before my early morning flight back to the frozen tundra of Des Moines.
New Years in Florida!
Thursday, January 3, 2019
My husband and I are firm believers in the importance of showing up for your kids. The Bonus Kid's choir concerts, plays, band events, volleyball tournaments - you name it. We've gone to almost every single event. I can count on one hand the number we missed - always because of work travel or shooting weddings. We volunteer - whether it is baking twenty-four egg bakes for the debate tournament, or spending every Friday night home game on the field photographing and filming marching band performances, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
As the marching band planned their 2017 trip to Tampa for the Outback Bowl and Parade, I was asked if I could photograph their recording studio experience at Universal Studios for ARTIFEX, the fine arts publication for her school. After what I'm sure was the quickest 'YES!' imaginable, I cashed in some Delta miles and called my sister-in-law to see if I could crash on her couch in Orlando.
After a quick breakfast at Cafe Intermezzo, I caught my connecting flight and made it to Orlando. After collecting my rental car, I visited the office of my then current employer to meet some new teammates, followed by a visit to my favorite sister-in-law at her work before heading to their house for dinner with her and her kids.
We had a great dinner and conversation before I headed off to my AirBnB in Tampa - my first experience staying in a private room instead of having the entire home at my disposal. After chatting with the trip coordinator, the easiest way for everyone would be if I rode in the van from Tampa to Orlando for the Universal recording studio experience. As luck would have it, my Bonus Kid was selected to do some voice over recordings for the project, so I was able to get even more photos of her doing awesome stuff! And then got to spend the rest of the day riding rides with another band parent!
We drove back to Orlando and I was fast asleep by 10pm. Maybe it was exhaustion or maybe the Universe knew what 2018 had in store for me. So at midnight I woke to the sound of fireworks in the neighborhood, but quickly fell back asleep before my early morning flight back to the frozen tundra of Des Moines.
Never ones for the ordinary, we’ve surprised many with the news of our newest addition. Outside of our close friends and family that we’ve told in person, we didn’t make a peep on social media about our growing family.
We moved our oldest to college in August, and the following month brought home the sweetest baby boy we could ask for. Yes, that means I started a new job just shy of 29 weeks pregnant. The company I left did not offer any paid maternity leave since I had not been there a year, yet my wonderful new employer provided me with eight weeks paid to snuggle and bond with our little boy.
Without further ado, here he is.
Our little guy arrived on September 19th, at 5pm.
Our biggest adventure
Monday, October 15, 2018
Never ones for the ordinary, we’ve surprised many with the news of our newest addition. Outside of our close friends and family that we’ve told in person, we didn’t make a peep on social media about our growing family.
We moved our oldest to college in August, and the following month brought home the sweetest baby boy we could ask for. Yes, that means I started a new job just shy of 29 weeks pregnant. The company I left did not offer any paid maternity leave since I had not been there a year, yet my wonderful new employer provided me with eight weeks paid to snuggle and bond with our little boy.
Without further ado, here he is.
Our little guy arrived on September 19th, at 5pm.
Sometimes when the grass seems greener, you get closer and
realize it’s just fertilized with different manure.
At the beginning of this year, I left the safe harbor of a
company where I had built a career for the open water of a growing company that
wanted my help to breathe new life into their training program. The leadership changed within my first month
in the role, and the future vision I had signed up for no longer existed. Suffice it to say, I was disappointed to not
get the opportunity to build a program from the ground up, let alone dealing
with the micromanagement and 180 degree change in direction from the new
leader.
It would have been really easy to be discouraged, and to be
honest, I was for a time. I spent a few
days really bummed with myself; how could I have walked away from a job I loved
for so long, just to find an organization where on the best days I had an hour
of job satisfaction? Eventually I
realized I was mourning a job that didn’t really exist anymore. My beloved manager had left a month or so
before I did at my previous job, the role had continued to evolve and the group
I supported only had one or two (out of dozens) leaders still around. That realization helped me determine that I didn’t
necessarily make a mistake in leaving, but that didn’t mean I had to stay, so
my job search began in late April.
As the next opportunities began to appear, I realized I
needed to be more thoughtful and intentional in my career decisions. Asking better questions in the interview
process and understanding the short and longer term goals of an organization
were now much more important. After a
former leader shared an opening at her company – a large employer in our city that
many former coworkers now call home, and the experience with the recruiter and
hiring manager created a confidence in this being the right spot for me. I received a generous job offer from them in
June, turning down a couple of other opportunities in the works, and started in
mid-July.
From the moment I walked in the door on my first day, I’ve
been overwhelmed by the kindness and team spirit by those on my team and in the
office. After primarily working from
home for the past four years, I’m spending more time in a local office, working
with teammates around the globe.
I’m so grateful to call this place home, and to build the
next phase of my career here.
That greener grass…
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Sometimes when the grass seems greener, you get closer and
realize it’s just fertilized with different manure.
At the beginning of this year, I left the safe harbor of a
company where I had built a career for the open water of a growing company that
wanted my help to breathe new life into their training program. The leadership changed within my first month
in the role, and the future vision I had signed up for no longer existed. Suffice it to say, I was disappointed to not
get the opportunity to build a program from the ground up, let alone dealing
with the micromanagement and 180 degree change in direction from the new
leader.
It would have been really easy to be discouraged, and to be
honest, I was for a time. I spent a few
days really bummed with myself; how could I have walked away from a job I loved
for so long, just to find an organization where on the best days I had an hour
of job satisfaction? Eventually I
realized I was mourning a job that didn’t really exist anymore. My beloved manager had left a month or so
before I did at my previous job, the role had continued to evolve and the group
I supported only had one or two (out of dozens) leaders still around. That realization helped me determine that I didn’t
necessarily make a mistake in leaving, but that didn’t mean I had to stay, so
my job search began in late April.
As the next opportunities began to appear, I realized I
needed to be more thoughtful and intentional in my career decisions. Asking better questions in the interview
process and understanding the short and longer term goals of an organization
were now much more important. After a
former leader shared an opening at her company – a large employer in our city that
many former coworkers now call home, and the experience with the recruiter and
hiring manager created a confidence in this being the right spot for me. I received a generous job offer from them in
June, turning down a couple of other opportunities in the works, and started in
mid-July.
From the moment I walked in the door on my first day, I’ve
been overwhelmed by the kindness and team spirit by those on my team and in the
office. After primarily working from
home for the past four years, I’m spending more time in a local office, working
with teammates around the globe.
I’m so grateful to call this place home, and to build the
next phase of my career here.
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