Jackets again

How did I not post this in my last post!? There has been another jacket design, but this time it isn't for me. It seems as my two closest frat brothers and myself are in fierce competition with who's going to have the hottest design and after seeing the design today, I believe I went from first place to dead last :) Now I have to get my creative juices flowing and come up with something that will top this design.

Getting it Together

It's been about three weeks since I have been a bachelor again and it's a daily battle for me. There were a few things I thought about that would help me to repair my life and those contained only a couple of key elements. Spiritual, mental, and physical well being. I figured if I can get these elements in order, then I have a chance at enjoying life again. I want to thank all those, again, who have kept me in their thoughts since this ordeal began and I wish you all the very best life has to offer.
My spiritual health began with me attending church and what a difference those words made. When the minister spoke those words, it was as if he was really talking to me, and I could understand it and take that into practice to help me get over this hump. Things really WILL be OK :)
My mental health is a combination of me reading and keeping myself informed about different events as they apply to me and trying to remain focused on you- my faithful and patient clients.
My physical health began with me joining a gym! Keep in mind that I have never lifted a weight(seriously) in my life! On my very first day, my trainer pushed me just to see where I was and today he pushed me to get me even further. I have very specific goals in getting this training and that is to improve my overall health(not that I'm sick or anything) and to increase strength and endurance. It has been quite a challenge for me especially since most of the guys that are members at the gym have been doing it for quite some time now and they make everything look so easy! I have given myself a specific weight training goal and a time frame in which to achieve this goal so stay tuned...
Here's day 2 at the gym with my frat brother and client.

Holy Cow!

In the business of photography, I am always meeting interesting people and interesting places. This shoot turned out to be exactly that; not typical! I just love it!! On my journey down a lonely stretch of highway, it seemed as if I would never make it to my destination because it just seemed like around every bend, there was another to replace it. Along the way, I realized how different country living is compared to living in the city with all the acres of land and homes stretched several city blocks apart. I was definitely not in "Kansas" anymore ;)
When I arrived at my destination, the happy couple seemed pretty excited to get started so we wasted no time getting to the location they had chosen. This location only put the exclamation behind, what I had already considered to be country, with acres and acres of land, a lake and cows and bulls roaming free. I was closer to cows and bulls than I had been at the zoo! You don't really appreciate the sheer size of one of these animals unless you're three feet away from them and you realize just how HUGE they are. One of these animals is easily larger than a standard sedan and can compete with any of the larger SUV's. We drove in and around cow dung to get to the exact location that was chosen, but it was well worth it because I was treated with an area that was beautiful as anyone could imagine. The waters were calm and the sun seemed to shine just a bit brighter where we were. The cows and bulls sent on their daily duties as we weren't even there and that was an awsome enough site to see in itself!
Here are just a few of the results from this great experience.

Family

I, for one, would definitely consider myself a loner and self reliant and dependant person by nature. Like many, I left home to attend college at 18 and never returned to my "mother's den." On this trip to New Orleans, I was actually overwhelmed by the support and love I have from my family and when I reflect on it, that love is greatly missed. No more are the days that I go weeks without calling home just to see how things are going with my mother and siblings. Family can be one of the greatest support systems anyone could ever have if they just stop for a minute to see. I would encourage any of you out there who are consumed with the daily hassles of life not to get so devoured by career, home, and family, that you can't appreciate family. Mom cooked gumbo just for me. There was one of my favorite desserts waiting as well and all this to say, It's going to be OK.


I also spoke of friends earlier. Well the clients that I work with are just as important to me than anything and in this case, they proved to be just like family. Take a look at the gesture of this beautiful flower that was given to me today. It means a great deal because someone took time out to say, "hey, it's going to be OK and we care about how you're doing".

Trying to cope

I would say that I had a surprise for a day on today. The wonderful people I had the opportunity to work with, really showed a genuine concern for my welfare. Keep in mind, that for one client, I had never even met before and the other, I had only met on one occasion, several months ago! Wow is all I can say to that.

Joy's mother Mary was full of kind words and words of encouragement as if we had known each other for years and for these words, I must publicly say, 'Thank You'. Thank you all for trying to keep me afloat since I cannot keep myself above water, even with a fully functioning life raft!

Here's a peek into wonderful people and why it is that I continue to do what I do.

Disappointments

You know, in the field of creating happy memories for many couples, one would think that I should have the perfect relationship. It took me a lot of time to decide to include this entry on my blog, but this is, afterall, an opportunity for you to know me for who I am.
Kimberly and I have been together for 9 years and I would say that as far as I knew, we had at least 8 great years until we moved to Jackson. We separated on this past Friday, to my disappointment and dismay. I realize that no one is perfect by any means and having a strong relationship means that both individuals MUST work at the relationship or it simply won't work. There has to be open lines of communication and absolutely no room for pride.
After begging and pleading and further committing to work on our failed relationship, there were no words I could say to help change her mind. We had failed the relationship and honestly, we failed each other.
I miss her each day that goes by and constantly wish things were different, but the fact remained, it was over.
I will try my hardest not to let this major event in my life come between my duties to you and others, but I will ask for all your thoughts and prayers as I try to make it in life as a single guy again.