just breathe.

I was reminded today of the importance of simply breathing.
do it.  just breathe.
take a d.e.e.p. breath.  feels good, huh? :)

I was listening to my friend who owns and runs a restaurant, talk today.  she works so hard and at a constant frenetic pace...and she's sick right now...so she can't, just breathe.
I was reading my sister's blog today and was stunned with how much is in each and every one of her jam packed days...so much so that it's hard for her to lift her head and find a center.  as it is difficult for many mommies I know in her exact same shoes.
and then I read my friends blog about her boy.  life gets a whole lot clearer perspective for me when I read her blog.  she's about as honest as they come.  and she's just about one of the strongest woman I have ever had the privilege to call friend.

after I shot an incredibly fun high school senior shoot tonight, I got in my car, and stretched to try and un-kink the knots from the day and this song came on...
the chorus was a reminder from Him.
just breathe.
don't grow weary in doing good.  at the right time...then you will reap the harvest.
and then?
then I looked out my window, smiled...and just breathed.

do. you. know?

do you even know what today was?!
do. you. know? (you have to say it like edna from the incredibles for it to be amusing.) :)

today was the first day of fall!

I wonder if was by accident that for the first day of fall that I was fin-uh-ly able to buy canned pumpkin in the grocery store?  I'm thinking not so much.
and yes, that was me buying six cans because I'm awesome like that and am very grinchlike
towards all things pumpkin.
so...
happy equinox.
happy harvest.
happy festifall. (for you, k.) :)
or happy fall...who cares how you say it, it's offically here.
bring on the pumpkin. :)

p.s.  I am going to be experiencing real (leaves, chilliness and more pumpkins!) fall in Illinois
October 22nd-25th...email me if you'd like to schedule a session...I have a few openings left! 
jendriesbach@kreatid.com 

HAPPY fall! :)

p.p.s.  for all you bakers out there...here's a killer pumpkin scones recipe!  enjoy! :)

eye of the freaking tiger. :)

let me set the scene...
early 90's dance music pumping...the whir of 30 cycles humming...leg muscles burning...
are you there?
then the surprising coaching moment from the instructor...
"...don't you freaking give up on yourself.  you can do this..."
wow. :)  random deep thought in spin class...

don't freaking give up on yourself. (the freaking adds to the depth, no?) ;)
but it's true...how many times a day, a week, a month, a year do I give up on myself...
thoughts like:
"you can't do that."  or "what's the point?"  or "you're tired, just quit."
seem to be quicker than the motivating thought of "don't you give up on yourself."  

whether it's with fitness like this morning...or in parenting...or in my job...or creatively with photography...or in simply getting through the day to day life, I don't think I want to settle.  it's not about anyone else, it's about me.  what I expect out of myself...I don't want to be that person who gives up on myself.  I needed that inner push this morning in spin...and I want to remember that same push the rest of today, this week, this month...this year.

it's a choice.  it always is for me...to have my "rocky balboa" moment and to
not freaking give up on myself.  :)

happy sunday. :)

thinking about character this week and "who you are when no one is looking..."
just a good reminder for me...and playing around with some shots from IL this summer...

enjoy your sunday! :)

when words fall short...

artist = a person who produces works of art. a public performer: actor, musician, singer, an artist of dance.

I already told you that I've been feeling artsy lately. :)
I think that it comes in waves with the changing of the seasons...
it's almost like God just starts painting...oranges, reds, yellows...
and it then inspires me and makes me want to mimic Him. :)

I feel like I've gone through different seasons using different mediums that art has to offer...
in high school it was oil painting...albeit not super aweseomely - but I loved it...the smell of the mineral spirits, the smoothness of the pallette and a blank clean canvas to create... :)
in college it was drafting and drawing using lead and paper to create modern shapes and shadows...
and now my favorite medium is obviously viewing life through a lens...
a constant theme throughout my life has been the art of music...
an escape...a release...an expression...to many different places using different colors to paint with...

but I've been thinking about other forms of art...and how people express themselves through it...
I can get chills watching a contemporary dance piece on sytycd...
how they combine movement, lighting & music to simply paint.  it's just beautiful.
or how a singer can weave and color your imagination using notes & melody and movement to paint scenes and new colors and emotions in your mind...
or how a writer can take ordinary letters and words and paint them into vivid colors of red and yellow...beautiful.
or how a graphic designer can combine imagery with typography to evoke such beautiful emotion...

I think I will have a lifelong love affair with art.  
and I don't think I have the gift of words to express it quite right...
tim said last night "words somehow fall short sometimes." 
and it's true...I think that is one of the reasons we need art...to express where words fall short.
and for me...I'm simply copying my Father.
like a kid who colors with crayons...
whether it's painting, drawing, designing, singing, playing, snapping...
I simply love it. :)

and then, I wonder...
what do you "paint" with?

my magazine. :)

every morning...before everyone gets up and it's quiet...
I like to pull up my blog reader and quietly read...did I mention it's quiet? :)
it's like reading my own personal magazine in the morning! :)
and in one of my "magazine" articles this morning...what do I see?
the finished product of one of my design projects!
there is nothing cooler than to see your printed finished product...makes it real :)
love these two pic's of my sister's e-session!  beautiful, dreamy, lovely shoot! :)

dreamin'...

when I think of cars...I tend to think about boys and grit and toughness. :)
this picture made me change my perspective...just a bit. :)

"..like star dust glistening on fairies' wings, little girls dreams are of magical things..."
there are sometimes I wonder what she's dreamin' about...

yes.  she is my sunshine. :)

for more entries please visit:

obsessions.

here's another tid-bit about me (yup.  I did just say tid-bit....tid-bit, tid-bit, tid-bit.)
I like to be artsy sometimes.  I know.  shocker. :)
right now, the type of art I am SO into is typography.
taking ordinary letters and using negative space and then making it oh, so much cooler.

I counted how many fonts I have...and guess how many.
you won't be able to...
1734.  yup.  that's nuts.  and I know it. ;)
but not all fonts are on my "cool" list...
scriptina, comic sans and the king and queen font are on the top of my
"please, will someone banish these forever." list
(I'm sorry if they're your favorites.  I just don't like them anymore.  just my opinion!)
but I just love letters right now.  I know.  I am a spaz.  it's true. :)

here's a glimpse at some of the examples I'm obsessing over right now. :)

"my mom is the best."

in may I had a mother/grandmother/sister/friend contest (I know, that's quite a contest!) :)
I couldn't pick a winner so I had my mom pick...she couldn't pick just one, either...
so we ended up with two winners!

here's the entry from Dawn, (my SIL!) our final winner...

"I am a granddaughter, daughter, daughter-in-law, niece, sister, sister-in-law, wife, and mother. All of these roles have their joys and sorrows, as well as a large amount of emotions tied to them. But none really can compare to the relationship of mother and child.  

 I have always loved, admired, and respected my mom. There were definitely times, especially as a teen, :) that I didn't really "like" my mom, but even in those moments, I always knew she was doing or saying what she thought was best for me. My mom is truly amazing. She is a servant. She is patient, oh, so patient. She is kind. She is faithful and predictable. She cares, even when you think no one does. I have so many memories of my mom serving others in our home and outside of our home. My mom never complained about the "dirty" jobs. She never looked for praise. My mom respected my dad and never complained about him or challenged his authority (at least in front of us kids!). My mom is all of these things and more. What makes my mom even more amazing, is that she raised us kids without her own mom to depend on. My grandmother passed away shortly after I was born. I often wished I could have known my grandmother, but now even more, I wonder how many times my mom would have liked to call her mom and tell her something funny one of us had done, or ask her advice, or have her come over for coffee or to babysit. My mom didn't have that opportunity, and I wish she had. I can't imagine not being able to share my own experiences of motherhood with my mom. She was and is the ultimate example of what I believe God intended moms and wives to be. I have always known all of this, and appreciated it, especially as I became an adult, married, and moved away. But it has taken on new meaning for me this year, when I became a mother myself.

My journey to motherhood has been long and challenging. All things in our lives are obviously "God-things", but I know this journey for me was hand-picked and crafted by our sovereign God. He knew what I needed and when I needed it, although it was not what I wanted. I cannot remember a time when I did not want children of my own. And when I married my wonderful husband, I couldn't wait to start a family. I did not know it would take 9 long years to see that dream come to pass. But God knew. He knew that there was much He needed to accomplish in me during those years before I would have the opportunity to be a mom, and I am thankful for it! 

What did my mom do all those years? She prayed, prayed, and prayed some more. For me, for my husband, and for a little child. She never pressed me for information but was always willing to listen. She was a friend and a cheerleader. Her heart broke for me and yet she was strong. She persevered, and she rejoiced with us when God answered our prayers.
But the moment I looked into my son's eyes, I understood and began to treasure my mom in a totally new way. I now know the unbelievable intensity of the love a mom has for her child. I now feel the responsibility and weight she has felt all these years for me. I now face the same challenges she faced with me 31 years ago...sleepless nights, constant feedings, crazy emotions. And I look at the future knowing that I will continue to experience the joys and trials of raising my son, just as she did with us kids over the years.

And now I know, truly, that my mom is the best."

beautiful entry! 


the prize she won was a mini-session with me.  LOVE him!
from there she got to have her session printed in a swatchbook from
"save-our-stories" in books...an independent publishing consultant for Heritage Makers.

I simply LOVE how it turned out!  perfect size and layout for a "brag book"!
(don't be surprised if you see a stocking stuffer template in emporiium, soon!)  :)

just the way you are... :)

there are two songs that were running through my head during and after this shoot.
forever van morrison's brown eyed girl will be her song.
but one even more so...this song.
because she simply is that...beautiful.  and the funny thing?  she does. not. know. it.
I know! (yes, said like my friend craig fergusen.)
how can she not see it?!  I suppose that's the "girl" in all of us.
we'd rather so quickly believe the lie that says unless you've been botoxed, bleached, or snipped appropriately then you're just not beautiful enough.

in this case.  that is just simply not true.
she will forever be the older sister who has the beautiful esprit clothes.
who taught me how to curl my eyelashes without yanking them out.
the sister who let me borrow the super cool yellow cd-man just so I'd jog with her and not get bored.
the girl with the blue smurf truck blasting "my sharona" on the way to the beach...
who still to this day makes me laugh til' I cry at her wit...

yup, I'm happy to be the little sister when it comes to her.
and she will forever be beautiful to me. :)

yup, the last one was for me...I made her and since I hold the camera, I get to be the bossy sister.
but, it was worth it...yup, yup it was. :)

emporiium.

sooo...it's monday!
and what have I been up to?  what is this latest endeavor of mine?
well, in light of the holiday's coming up and in pursuit of being even more transparent
in my journey as a photographer...meet:
emporiium

what is emporiium?
it's a colaboration of creativity between my sister and I.  :)

emporiium = a shoppe where passion and photography meet.
we both have gone through the lessons and struggles (and are still going through) in bettering ourselves as photographers using whatever resources we can find wherever we can find them. the thought that emporiium could be a "one stop shop" of knowledge, templates, props, camera tips, pose guides, etc. appealed to both of us. thus, the birth of emporiium!  :)

why the two i's in emporiium?
because two "i's" run the shoppe!
both of us are equally passionate about capturing timeless images and priceless knowledge
and then sharing them with you!

our desire for emporiium would be:
for the seasoned photographer trying to increase their sales by offering new templates to their clients;
for the mommy/daddy trying to capture the magic in their child and needing a few tips;
or simply for the hobbyist looking to push their level of skill to the next level.

photography should be about growing...challenging your eye to see new things, to use your camera in a new way. our desire would be for emporiium to help you in your journey!

emporiium is still in it's infancy stage, BUT...
soon we will be offering "how-to" downloads, photographer templates for enhanced printing, posing helps...basically everything we've learned so far in this amazing field of photography!

too early for holiday cards?  haven't even had your photoshoot with either of us yet?
no worries, purchase now and save for your finished product after you view your session's photo's!
and, as a thanks for all of you who faithfully stalk read our current blogs, we're offering free shipping until september 15th, 2010.

want to be first to know what's next for emporiium?
follow us on twitter @emporiium!

appreciate...:)

I saw this on another talented photographer's page and it resonated with me...maybe you too?
*raises glass*
to a beautiful ending of another week of living life... :)

undercover wonderwoman :)

sneak peek of my gorrrrrrrgeous sister!
(I know!  both my sister's are gorgeous, right!?!  reason #8006 why I thought I was adopted growing up!)

mommy extrodinairre...
project manager of a million and four projects...
realistic and witty blogger at http://www.vidarisaamor.blogspot.com/
undercover wonderwoman...
and my beautiful friend... :)
more to come!