The Force Was With Us

So Yesterday was a big day for me. Yes, I know I missed Mental Health Monday but I'll make it up this week. I would have done it yesterday but there were two big events. I started my new job and we had five new additions to our family.

Late last month I was hired on as an Extra Help Office Assistant at the Health and Human Services Association, also known as Social Services. Yesterday was my first day and it was a bit nerve wrecking. I'm always nervous when I start a new job or go into a new situation. It's my anxiety kicking in. Anyway, I had a great day and am getting settled in quickly. Hopefully I will be switched to full time within a few months. Fingers crossed...

At about 6:30 last night Lilly's water broke while I was holding her. I took her into my room and put her in her nest. She ended up not wanting to give birth in there so we set towels out and Lilly settled in between my legs. She wanted all her people around her and would go out into the living room to get my mom and dad. Around 10 She still hadn't given birth so we moved her out into the living room where my mom and I stayed until she decided to pop. After kitten number five we ended up getting some sleep. Mom went back to bed and I stayed in the living room with the cats.

This was the first time I had ever seen any living thing being born. It was an amazing and indescribable experience. I'm so glad that I was able to be there for my Lilly while she was going through her tough time. The kittens are so cute too.

Life Update

So my life has been kind of crazy the past week and a half. After my last post I got a call to get my back surgery process started. When I was about 15 years old I got into a rollover car accident and it caused some permanent damage. I'm just now getting it fixed. I know I'm a bad girl... Anyway... I had my first testing session on Thursday the 16th. I don't remember much of it to be honest. I remember being rolled into the room on a bed and having my back numbed. Other than that I remember one particularly painful poke when they hit a nerve. The next thing I knew I was in recovery and being allowed to leave.

The day after, though I was still in pain, I had my physical for the county job that I applied for about a month ago. It took nearly 3 hours to get a 5 minute physical done. By the time I was done with it my back hurt so bad... At least it was done.

Today I got three separate calls. The first one was from HR offering me an extra help job with the county. The second was setting up my pre-employment meeting to get my paperwork filled out. And the third was from my new supervisor! I'm so excited! This is a huge opportunity for me. I can't wait to start and prove myself.

Thank you to everyone for putting up with my lack of creativity and posting while I'm going through these transitions. Thank you all for reading my posts. You are all awesome. Let me know what you guys would want to read.

What It's Like Working At a Portrait Studio

We all know that every job is hard in it's own way and they all have their perks too. Being a photographer at a chain studio is no different. JCPenny Photography is one of the last chain photography studios. The only reason is because we are affiliated with Lifetouch Photography. We also have a loyal base of customers that visit us often. That's awesome! We wouldn't be in business if it weren't for them but there are some "guests" that just irritate me.

Being associated with Lifetouch Photography means we get our pictures from the most well known photography business in the United States. They do school pictures and sports pictures as well so it provides a bit of security, On the other hand when people hear we are a branch of them they are surprised because most of the school photographers don't do that good of a job. Most school pictures are only one or two shots and then the child is scooted off. Most people don't appreciate that, especially when their kid ends up looking high or like Frankenstein's Monster.

Our loyal customers are awesome!Some come in bi weekly. Some monthly and some, come every few months. However often they come they are the the main source of our revenue and we love them! Their kids are usually great in the camera room. They know our procedures, packages, prices, and how things work in general.

 HOWEVER there are those few customers that you see their name on the schedule and you want to bang your head against the wall. I'm talking about the ones that come in expecting you to choose the backgrounds on the spot, do 5 different outfit changes, have every picture be perfect, be in the camera room for an hour even though you have a waiting room full of people, then take 3 hours on the computer going over every single detail  of every single picture before buying $10 worth of pictures. UGH There is nothing more irritating than that. In 10 years you won't care if you can't see the whole shoe in the picture. You'll care if you can see how cute your kid's smile is.

For the people who don't come in often you are still cool. We love getting to know new people and helping you make new memories. We just ask you don't act surprised that your kid doesn't respond the same to us taking pictures with big bright flashing lights in a hot camera room as at home with an iPhone. If it's a baby's first time in a studio they are likely to be scared at first. It will take a while for them to warm up to the experience. Just relax. We know what we're doing.

Oh and when we're selling you pictures we're going to try to get you a good deal. We aren't going to try to cheat you out of money or trick you. We will explain things to you and try to help you. Okay? So quit being so suspicious! DANG! While you're at it, KEEP YOUR KIDS UNDER CONTROL!!! Our waiting room is not a place for them to run around, or scream, or mess around with our equipment, or touch whatever they want to! They can do that at home but we are not babysitters. We do not get paid to watch your screaming, trouble making brats. If there is no need to complain about us don't do it... You will not get free things because you complain. Our manager is not stupid and neither is the district manager. Grow up!

Even though there are drawbacks there are a lot of things to love about my job. I get to see cute kids and babies on a daily basis. I get to help families make memories that will last beyond their lifetimes. I get paid to be an artist. What could be better than that? I get to release my creative nature AT WORK! That's a dream come true for me. I like the people that I work with. We usually have a good time when we are together. We talk, laugh, joke, share and generally have fun with what we do. Being a photographer is amazing in general especially for a person like me. I think this is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now.

Yesterday's Adventure

So yesterday started out normal. Get up, take a shower, get dressed, go to work... Sounds almost boring right? Well once I got to work things started getting busy as usual until a big family came in for pictures. I was assigned to make the sale. As I was going through the pictures I came across a picture of all the women (and girls) of the family. I commented on how beautiful they all looked and they informed me that it was a four generation picture. I immediately had to hold back tears. My mom has been wanting one of those pictures for years and now it will be impossible since my grandmother died in January. My great grandmother is still alive but the picture would be incomplete. I wish I could have gotten this done for my mom.  I managed to keep my composure and get through the sale with a smile, however forced it was.

After my shift was over I remembered that I needed to get my pre-admit done for my surgery on Monday. I rushed to the hospital and sat there for about 45 minutes waiting for the person to get my information. I thought I was going to be late for my second job of the day but luckily they called me in and it took about a half hour.

My second job was babysitting for a couple who are divorcing. Not only were the children upset from that but two of them were sick with the fever. They were very cranky and fussy the whole night. I was there for 6 and a half hours. So in total I worked for 9 and a half hours and I couldn't be more proud of myself. My body isn't happy and is really really sore but it was so worth it.

Working Girl

So I don't know how many of you know but I am currently working at JC Penny Photography Studio. I'm having a blast! Today was my first day of no training and I did great!

The day started slowly but I made a few appointments, worked in the photography room with my manager, answered some calls, and did the usual office stuff. It wasn't until about noon that I got a chance to rally shine though. A guest came in for a session with her dog and I ended up getting her to make a sale. I sat her down at the computer and did the enhancements (with some distractions mind you). She was a little over the limit on beer and she ended up spending more than she expected. I ended up making a nearly $300 sale! Needless to say I think I will love this job.