The bestest thing anyone has ever asked me...like, EVER!

I'm at a shoot. Like always, I'm snapping group pictures like a mad dog until I'm pooped out (ha ha...you'll get my pun in a minute). Then I say, "Hey, let me take some single shots of your cute kids."

Awesome mom (who just so happens to be a nationally published writer...urg...no animosity there) says, "sure."

Kid numero uno comes over and I shoot him. He's cute, I can see why the girls die over him at his high school, and I convince him to do an awesome back flip.  I'm happy.

College-grad sister is next. She smiles at the camera and I nearly hate her because she's flawlessly beautiful...but then I decide I love her because she makes my pictures look WOWZA!

Then, I come to second-oldest boy. He's leaner than his older buff-football-playing brother, but his smile is adorable. After a couple head shots straight on, I decide to switch things up a little. I say, "Hey, let's try a different angle. Squat down."

Second oldest boy says, "Like I'm pooping?"

I drop my camera, letting it hang around my neck and I bust a gut laughing. I can't stop laughing for nearly five minutes because that is the most awesomest thing anyone at any shoot has ever asked me.

When I gain my composure, my answer is, "Yes."

Question for ya.

Mark and I have moved a lot. And now we live in Utah (if that's any big suprise to you, than we obviously haven't spoken in like 3 years. Get with it, will ya?)

I was thinking today about WHY we live here. And that got me thinking deeper thoughts...stuff like, why do you live where you do? I mean, really, you could pick up and live whereever you want. So I guess what I want to know is:

WHY do you live where you live? 

Thanks, I'm just curious.

A Day in the Life.

1. Roll out of bed. Jump out of bed with a smile on my face, ready to confront the world.

2. Fall back into bed Take a moment to reflect after sneaking a glance at your bed-raggled, and puffy-eyed self.  and comb out your lovely locks.
3. Wait till the baby monitor crackles with sounds of your kids squawking like baby birds.

4. Pull on favorite teal sweats -- ah, take a moment to thank the Good Lord that He inspired Mom 15 years ago to sew a pair of sweats instead of buying a $10 pair at the Walmart (frugalness rocks).

5. Get something to eat for the kiddos, flip on PBS, and steal away to the office where the computer is always left running.

6.  Mess around on facebook, read a few blogs. Check emails.

     a. Click all 23 spam emails and mass-delete

     b. Rejection - put in REJECT Folder
     c. Photog Client - smile huge because they love their rockin' awesome shots.
         Photoshop is a God send.
     d. Rejection from the-one-and-only-agent-I'd-sell-my-soul-to-the-devil-to-be-her-client.
              i. Read said rejection again. And again. And again. Double check to make sure the agent is postive about not wanting to represent your work.
             ii. Blink twice, and read once more.
             iii. Make the ugly sobbing sound Clair Dains popularized in ROMEO AND JULIET

             iv. Bawl like a friggin' baby. Cry. A lot.

7. Drive kids to store to buy diet coke and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

8. Commiserate with friends about loser-ness and ignite a firestorm of arguments on facebook when you leave a small comment about said sadness.

9. Thank the Good Lord when sweet couple cancels their shoot because of the wind the Good Lord sent. He knows I needed a night off.

10. Rush to Macaroni Grill (one of the three restaurants that I'll actually eat at) and drown sorrows in a big bowl of Penne Rustica.
11. Meander through the Riverwoods, and discover a store created just for me!!! It's all candy and toys and candy. Heaven on earth.

12. Come home and laugh A** off when reading the firestorm that brewed on FB.

13. Realize that my writing was never perfect in the first place, and it's time to edit.

14. After staying up till 2am, and drinking unfathomable amounts of DC, thank the Good Lord once more when sweet hottie hubby brings you a burger for lunch.  And it's just the kind I like.

Scratch that. "Son of a #$%@!"

Better said, this post should be labeled When it rains it pours or What it looks like when the CRAP hits the fan, or Three Reasons a poly-style beating on your kids is okay. 

That may sound harsh, but I'm sure by the end of this post you'll understand my point.

TWO WEEKS AGO:

I walked in from outside, having just gardened the front yard while the kids watched a PBS show. In the kitchen I found Theodore (a.k.a. the Destroyer) with a lovely walnut-sized seashell in his hand.

"Whatcha' doing?" I asked.

He promptly hid the shell behind his back and gave me a sly grin. "Nothing, momma."

I narrowed my eyes on him, knowing without a doubt that this little three year old was, in fact, LYING! A quick glance around the kitchen confirmed my suspicions. The fridge beheld the work of Teddy and his lovely little shell.

"Son of a *%*$!"

Ok, so I didn't say all that, but I wanted to. And I'm telling you, Mark (the hottie-hubby) doesn't get mad easily, but this little act sure did test his patience. Teddy was sent to his room to think about how rubbing a sharp shell on a stainless steel fridge is NOT EVER a good thing. 

ONE WEEK AND TWO DAYS AGO:

Mark and I finally splurged and chucked our static-cursed T.V. purchased at a yardsale in '99, for a beautiful 42" LCD flatscreen. Oh how we love it.

TWO DAYS AGO: 

I attended a baby blessing with just the two older boys. When I came home I found Mark standing outside on the driveway with his fists clenched and a murderous look drawn tight across his face.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"I can't go inside or I will kill him."

"Who?"

Mark raised an eyebrow that ended our conversation. I suddenly knew exactly who he was talking about. I had left Mark home with Teddy and Ruby.

I raced inside to find tear-stained Teddy with his knees pulled tightly to his chest.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I play with little skateboard on TV," he said in a small voice.

"You. Did. WHAT?"

Oh, you better believe a few choice words were dropped like a bomb. And for the rest of the day, Teddy cleaned every nook and cranny I could find with lysol wipes to teach him that scratching brand new TVs with a mini-skate board is NEVER a good thing.

TODAY:

Back in Black rang out in the library before I could silence my cell phone.

"Hello?" I answered in a hushed tone.

It was Mark. He told me that he'd come home for lunch. Mr. Peacock from next door stopped by and wanted to speak to him. Apparently, while the Peacocks were out of town, and their beautiful new Acura was parked in their driveway, someone marked it. How, you ask. It appeared to be by bicycle handle-bars. Say, about the size of a bicycle my DEVIL kids might ride.

Oh, YES! 

You know what's coming, right?

After a bit of prodding I dug the truth from my two oldest sons. George and Henry rode their bikes in the Peacock's driveway because ours had been a pile of rubble last week. While circling the Peacock's new sleek Acura, Henry dodged a rock. And the cost of skirting around the offending rock was paid in a long scratch that runs from one end of the car to the other.

Awesome, I know.

There will be no pictures of the lovely Acura, because at this point I can't even look at my kids, let alone snap a shot of my neighbor's vehicle. 

So you see, when it rains it pours.

I love LOVE.

Much to my Mom's chagrin, (I know because she recently edited my sappy love story) that I'm way more of a chick-lit romance lover than like 90% of the world. I'll devour a good book in one sitting. Because, baby, once I'm hooked, I'm hooked...even if that means reading til' three in the morning.  I'm the publishing industry's ideal customer. If I had the money, I'd buy and buy and buy every new book with even a hint of romance in it.

Sigh.

I guess that's why I like shooting engagements the most. More than seniors (graduating seniors...not old people, though they're great to shoot too), more than bridals, or families, or babies, or even the actual wedding, my favorite shoot is an engagment shoot.

I shot this picture last week. It's one of my favorites. Like, ever. Honestly, it's not super special. I didn't use a new awesome shooting techinque, or super expensive lighting. I just pulled out my camera, and my good ole' standby lens and shot this one in the moment of the kiss. And, I love it.

Just saying.

Have an awesome Thursday. Go kiss someone by an old truck.

Luv, erin

Publishing News: I have three awesome agents that have requested either a partial or a full of my manuscript.  Does that mean I'm going to one day get published? No. But it gives me hope.