1st Quarter Report Card
March Madness has me thinking in quarters, and in the interest of my teacher-brain, here is my first quarter-of-the-year report on my 2012 goals...
Photography
1. Educate myself more on photography. READ, READ and READ some more. (Also get a working knowledge of Photoshop going.)
-currently digesting 'The Photographer's Eye' my Michael Freeman. I'm reading through gifted books before purchasing any new material...
-Books in the cue: The Sandy Puc` Guide to Children's Portrait Photography; The Art of Children's Portrait Photography by Tamara Lackey; Your Baby in Pictures by Me Ra Koh
-Photoshop will be in the third quarter curriculum (aka Summer).
2. Create 2011 Portfolio album
-this beauty has already been on display when we did Upwards Sports photos for our church--it gave parents something to thumb through while waiting for their child to be done. Yay for free PR!
3. Have new Thank You postcards printed.
4. Drop business cards more often (use them up!)
5. Find 3 new places to shoot.
-iKonix studio in East Village 2.25.12
6. Look into a website or blogsite option.
-currently investigating and letting the idea marinate...
Health & Personal
7. Continue to commit scripture to memory.
8. Keep exercising 3 times a week.
-Mondays=kickboxing video
-Wednesdays=back/shoulder exercises with band
-Fridays=walk Ella, take her to the dog park for a walk or rowing machine at home.
I've been able to stay true to this since October 2011 with very few exceptions. I love seeing the difference in my arms and how much easier yard work has become! I shoveled the drive way to clear it of snow a few weeks back and it was a cake walk (shhhh! don't tell Gerard!)
9. FLOSS
-stink!
10. Stand up straight!
-work in progress
11. GREET GERARD AT THE DOOR WHEN HE COMES HOME. (Be a better cheerleader-even if that means going out and buying a pleated skirt and pom-poms.)
-work in progress
12. Grow what Gerard will eat in the garden (squash, potatoes, peppers and tomatoes??)
-not planting time yet, but I have seeds for sunflowers, cucumbers, squash, a variety of flowers and will get the peppers & tomatoes from our youth group's fundraiser. Potatoes will come from Fareway when they go on sale.
13. Keep adding dairy back into my diet (bread with milk in it, recipies with butter in them are next!)
-this will happen over the summer months when I don't have to be at work. :)
Home
14. Sell office furniture via Craigs List or Facebook. Now that Gerard's done with his master's, we don't need 2 desks and 2 desk chairs. One for the both of us is plenty. (++$$)
15. Purge unnecessary items. If it's not beautiful, I don't love it, nor have used it in the past 2 years, it's outta here! (Goodwill will get to know me well this year. I've already made 2 trips!) (FREE)
16. Move more trellis to raspberry bush (it's steadily taking over it's little corner of the yard!) (FREE, we already have the trellis from our deck demolition 2 summers ago.)
17. For our home this year, the name of the game is STORAGE. In the garage, in the basement, in the shed, in our closets. Organized, clean and logical.
18. White trim upstairs (door jams and windows) (relatively FREE, we already have a gallon of white paint that will take us pretty far in the project and other brushes etc...)
19. Paint/seal deck
20. New doors for our upstairs rooms-they're beat up and spakled with paint from when this was a foreclosure...
-last weekend, we investigated ReStore with Habitat for Humanity and found where we'd find our doors for much less with a little elbow grease, we might make this idea pan out.
21. Landscape north side of house very, very simply with low, low maintenance plants.
22. Redecorate basement desk area to be more conducive to productive work. After seeing THIS, I got really inspired! And most rearranging/fixing will be FREE! I will post my plan in the coming weeks.
In the past I've tried to make seeing professional grade concerts and going to farmer's markets goals and it's never happened to the degree I'd like. So this year, I just want to get out of the house and take advantage of what Des Moines has to offer more often.
-we've actually made it to a Drake Wind Symphony concert already. These ears are very happy!
-looks like we'll be going to Valley Junction Farmer's Markets most Thursday evenings because our church has a booth there for this summer. :)
DESIRES
1. photograph 4 weddings
-if things go as planned on the calender today, we'll knock this one outta the park! Praise the Lord! :)
2. increase income after expenses by 10%.
3. photograph 4 new families
-Laura's brood 4.1.12
4. photograph 2 seniors as a result of my advertising in the Norwalk Music Booster concert programs.
5. decide whether I want to invest in a 70-200 2.8 or a 35mm 1.8. Both? Neither? Is what I have currently doing the job I want to do?
--marinating...
Photography
1. Educate myself more on photography. READ, READ and READ some more. (Also get a working knowledge of Photoshop going.)
-currently digesting 'The Photographer's Eye' my Michael Freeman. I'm reading through gifted books before purchasing any new material...
-Books in the cue: The Sandy Puc` Guide to Children's Portrait Photography; The Art of Children's Portrait Photography by Tamara Lackey; Your Baby in Pictures by Me Ra Koh
-Photoshop will be in the third quarter curriculum (aka Summer).
-this beauty has already been on display when we did Upwards Sports photos for our church--it gave parents something to thumb through while waiting for their child to be done. Yay for free PR!
4. Drop business cards more often (use them up!)
5. Find 3 new places to shoot.
-iKonix studio in East Village 2.25.12
6. Look into a website or blogsite option.
-currently investigating and letting the idea marinate...
Health & Personal
7. Continue to commit scripture to memory.
8. Keep exercising 3 times a week.
-Mondays=kickboxing video
-Wednesdays=back/shoulder exercises with band
-Fridays=walk Ella, take her to the dog park for a walk or rowing machine at home.
I've been able to stay true to this since October 2011 with very few exceptions. I love seeing the difference in my arms and how much easier yard work has become! I shoveled the drive way to clear it of snow a few weeks back and it was a cake walk (shhhh! don't tell Gerard!)
9. FLOSS
-stink!
10. Stand up straight!
-work in progress
11. GREET GERARD AT THE DOOR WHEN HE COMES HOME. (Be a better cheerleader-even if that means going out and buying a pleated skirt and pom-poms.)
-work in progress
12. Grow what Gerard will eat in the garden (squash, potatoes, peppers and tomatoes??)
-not planting time yet, but I have seeds for sunflowers, cucumbers, squash, a variety of flowers and will get the peppers & tomatoes from our youth group's fundraiser. Potatoes will come from Fareway when they go on sale.
13. Keep adding dairy back into my diet (bread with milk in it, recipies with butter in them are next!)
-this will happen over the summer months when I don't have to be at work. :)
Home
14. Sell office furniture via Craigs List or Facebook. Now that Gerard's done with his master's, we don't need 2 desks and 2 desk chairs. One for the both of us is plenty. (++$$)
15. Purge unnecessary items. If it's not beautiful, I don't love it, nor have used it in the past 2 years, it's outta here! (Goodwill will get to know me well this year. I've already made 2 trips!) (FREE)
16. Move more trellis to raspberry bush (it's steadily taking over it's little corner of the yard!) (FREE, we already have the trellis from our deck demolition 2 summers ago.)
17. For our home this year, the name of the game is STORAGE. In the garage, in the basement, in the shed, in our closets. Organized, clean and logical.
18. White trim upstairs (door jams and windows) (relatively FREE, we already have a gallon of white paint that will take us pretty far in the project and other brushes etc...)
19. Paint/seal deck
20. New doors for our upstairs rooms-they're beat up and spakled with paint from when this was a foreclosure...
-last weekend, we investigated ReStore with Habitat for Humanity and found where we'd find our doors for much less with a little elbow grease, we might make this idea pan out.
21. Landscape north side of house very, very simply with low, low maintenance plants.
22. Redecorate basement desk area to be more conducive to productive work. After seeing THIS, I got really inspired! And most rearranging/fixing will be FREE! I will post my plan in the coming weeks.
In the past I've tried to make seeing professional grade concerts and going to farmer's markets goals and it's never happened to the degree I'd like. So this year, I just want to get out of the house and take advantage of what Des Moines has to offer more often.
-we've actually made it to a Drake Wind Symphony concert already. These ears are very happy!
-looks like we'll be going to Valley Junction Farmer's Markets most Thursday evenings because our church has a booth there for this summer. :)
DESIRES
1. photograph 4 weddings
-if things go as planned on the calender today, we'll knock this one outta the park! Praise the Lord! :)
2. increase income after expenses by 10%.
3. photograph 4 new families
-Laura's brood 4.1.12
4. photograph 2 seniors as a result of my advertising in the Norwalk Music Booster concert programs.
5. decide whether I want to invest in a 70-200 2.8 or a 35mm 1.8. Both? Neither? Is what I have currently doing the job I want to do?
--marinating...