Everybody needs a little time away... I heard her say...

Recognize the title of this posting? Are you a Chicago and/or Peter Cetera fan?

If you hadn't noticed, I have been keeping to a posting schedule of Monday-Friday since the school year started for me. My only reason for not posting on the weekends is that I am usually doing other stuff that is usually graduate school stuff but more recently has been photography work. I had a wedding last weekend, I have another wedding next weekend, and I had a family portrait session that was supposed to be this weekend but will likely be next weekend the day after I shoot the wedding.

The classic "What's in my bag" shot of all of my gear ready to go for a full-day of wedding shooting.

A screenshot of the culling process of some of the straight-outta-the-camera shots I captured from last week's wedding.

Yesterday I was doing my typical morning commute while catching up with my mom (we are both early risers) and we were counting our many blessings even despite the sadness brought within recent weeks of my grandfather (on my mom's side) going to be with the Lord last week and an aunt (on my dad's side) who is expected to pass on at any time now. 

Despite the fact that I haven't mentioned it, all of the aforementioned (and plenty more I will likely never mention) has me feeling wicked ragged these days. (I did some of my undergrad studies in New England so using 'wicked' in place of 'very' makes so much better sense sometimes.)

Something I learned long long ago is that I am not superwoman and I cannot do it all nor shall I try. Still, I am bad at remembering things and that's certainly one thing that I forget all too often. And then I get to a point in my life where I realize I have been working eight days a week with no end in sight and only because I made it that way. Pretty much I have only myself to blame for doing it like this and being this way. 

I am not going to say that I won't be posting next Monday or the rest of the week but I will forewarn you to not be surprised if that ends up happening anyway. Yesterday I joined three of my best girls for a bit of Happy Hour (I don't drink so I ate chocolate cake and a cup of soup - in that order) and it was so awesome. We call ourselves "The Unicorn Club" and it was so awesome to be able to get together with them outside of working hours. They do it all the time without me but they are always inviting me and for the first time yesterday I ditched out (for a little while) on mommy and wifey life and IT. WAS. AWESOME.

One of the other gals of "The Unicorn Club" got this for me and the rest of the unicorns. BEST. KEYCHAIN. EVER!!!!

Though I am kind of disappointed that the family portrait session originally scheduled this weekend got bumped to next weekend (or maybe the one after that), I am kind of excited at the fact that I will spend this weekend doing things other than what I have been doing with all of the different types of working I do. I really need a weekend to play hooky (if you will) and do the following...

Kick off the weekend with a little bit of "Friday Night Lights" action at my school's last home game of the year/season

Go to church but NOT to be running the projector (as pictured here) and rather sit in my favorite pew for some praise, worship, and wisdom of the sermons and messages from the amazing pastors and elders.

Prepping my home sweet home to be more of an art studio sweet art studio for my family!!! I have a very small studio for my own personal use but it was unanimously decided that it needed to be bigger so that all of us could create TOGETHER.

I am praying that taking some time for respite will help to inspire me and invigorate me so that when I return to work next week to wrap up this first marking period (all of my grades are due mid-week!!) I can do more and better of what I love: be a working and teaching visual artist, be a wife and mother, and be an active blogger.

Have a great weekend! Hope you will spend it participating in some respite as well.