Yesterday the cleaning ladies came again, which made me deliriously happy. I love that there are two of them. They're in and out so fast that I don't have time to feel guilty that someone's scrubbing my toilet. It helps supress my psychotic urges of wanting to make them a turkey dinner or buy them a pedicure. That was my high point. The rest of the day was a treadmill...lots of running around, while getting nowhere. Plus a few fires that are still burning, but that's life right? There are always fires burning somewhere. I think a lot of unhappiness comes from thinking we can ever extinguish them ALL. Problems are like the Chucky Cheese game where another irritating bear pops his head up right as you've batted the last one down.

SO. This morning. New day. I was up at the crack for an early morning shoot with one of my FAVORITE clients-turned-friends. She is such a very cool lady. And today she re-introduced me to Boerne. In the past I'd been to Boerne, only when we had out of town visitors. The trip always seemed full of effort and endless. I guess kids do that to you. Because this morning's trip was fun! The only thing I had to load into the car was my coffee and camera. No one screaming in the back seat. Even the radio was on my side. FIRST song into the car was Going The Distance by Cake...churning, and burning, they yearn for the cup. Then the Chili Peppers, Can't Stop...Go write your message on the pavement, Choose not the life of imitation... (you have to sing these out in your head). THEN Stone Temple Pilots...and it just went on like that. Thirty minutes seemed like ten and before I knew it I'm in the cutest town to experience a coffee high in. I totally heart Boerne now. And if you don't, you will after you see this picture. If you don't love a town that breaks for ducks, I'm pretty sure your soul is rotten.

There's a photo tip up at the new blog. Stop by and say hello! 

I'm sitting here editing photos which can be a tiny-bit mind numbing...(yes, photography is also work). Thank goodness for my boyfriend, Conan O'Brien. And also my blog to distract me when I just have to get away from photoshop for 2 minutes. Plus, I just had to show you my Junemas Tree. I put it up for the party, and it's never coming down. Because lights aren't just for Christmas baby. We are equal opportunity!

AND. It's been a while since I've done a Photo Of The Month. This photo is single-handedly bringing it back. I'll post more from this shoot in a few days. For now, this has to be one of my all-time favorites. 

Alright, back to Conan and photoshop.

Remember Katy from the 80s party? If not, here's another photo of her, with DD and Stacy. I have to brag about her for a minute because last night she was on Access Hollywood. Here's the video if you want to check her out. Go girl! You are a great inspiration! 

This week the kids started swim lessons. And since I was also busy choking back tears, all you get is a blurry photo to look at. It's so hard to resist the urge to rescue your children when they're scared. And as I sat there for a half an hour, it occurred to me that it really was just the beginning. Not just of learning how to swim, but more importantly of learning how to push through fear. I thought about how fear and beginnings almost always come together. You can go your whole life running away. But learning how to push through it is crucial to being happy. So I've been just watching her saying, "You're okay sweetie, I promise." as "Mr. Talu" tries to get her to blow bubbles. As a sidenote, Mr. Talu has a huge fraternity (not tattoo) BRAND on his left arm. So I'm sure he's crazy (which makes me like him more). But he is also the KINDEST teacher. He spends his mornings with HYSTERICALLY FRANTIC children PIERCING his eardrums, with the BLOODY MURDER HOWLS OF TORTURE. Yet his voice never raises above a reassuring whisper. Which brings me to my next point...Wow, I think I've been getting a lot out of this :0) ...I realized that learning to swim (as with many things) has so little to do with skill, as much as it has to do with Letting Go. Relaxing. Trusting. Here Emily is, terrified, but the reality is that she is TOTALLY safe. I can relate, because sometimes I forget that too.

If you want to check out all the other BEGINNINGS, be sure to visit Tracey's site. You have to especially see her interpretation today. She has somehow managed to make a photograph look like an oil painting, and it is BEAUTIFUL!

Shoot, I have one more thing to mention (while we're on the topic of beginnings and all). I've been the worst procrastinator about my blog at WOAI. I know this is such a great opportunity. And I have to thank "CyberBob" for that. He's been telling me (and he's right) that I'm thinking too much about it and I just need to jump in and BEGIN. So, I will. But my question has been about how to make that blog different from this one. So, I'm asking for your help. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OVER THERE? So far, I'm thinking makeup and beauty tips. Other photographers and artist interviews? Photo tips? What else? Help me finally BEGIN that project PLEASE!