I’ve realized since I’ve been married and changed my last name to Gee that if you’ve never met me, you don’t know how to pronounce Gee. Is it with a “J” sound, or with a throaty “Guh” sound?
It’s pronounced Gee with a “guh” sound. Like Geese. If it’s plural it’s Geeze. “There are the Gee’s (Geeze)!”
And here’s my flock of Gee’s.
My sweet family knows that every year we get our family pictures taken. By me. Well, this might be the last year I stick the camera on the tripod, set the timer and run. It might have been the epic new shoes I was wearing that made me not enjoy it so much this year, I don’t know. But I’m asking one of my 105 photographer friends to take them next year instead! HAHA!
I love these guys. <3
I like to think I got my right brain from my Grandpa. He found out later in his life that he could paint. He painted beautiful canvases that lined the hallway in his home.
As a teenager, sometimes I would take a moment to look at them. I was always drawn to this one. I would stand in front of it for a long time, each time, and picture myself there. On that beach.
Later, after he passed away and my Grandma was moving out of the home they had lived in for decades, everyone got together to choose the paintings they wanted to hang in their homes. I knew I wanted this one. The beautiful earth tones. The fact that it would perfectly match my home decor. The idea that I could go to the beach whenever I wanted. But it wasn’t one of the paintings that was chosen to be given away. The order of oldest to youngest put me at grandkid number 7 of 11. All my older siblings and cousins picked the paintings that were presented to them. But when it got to me I asked about it. Why is it still hanging in the hall? That was the one I wanted. After a few minutes of thinking and talking it out, my Grandma graciously gave it to me. It was one of her favorites too. I didn’t know that, and felt an immediate closer connection to her.
Now, approximately 15 years later, she is suffering from dementia and getting ready to move into a rest home. I’m so grateful to her for making the decision to give the painting to me. I’m not very sentimental about temporal things. But I will cherish this for as long as I’m on the earth. It still hangs in my home. And I still love to escape to the beach whenever I can.
As a Mom of 5 kids, getting a pedicure is difficult and painful. Difficult meaning, finding the time. And painful meaning, why are you rubbing in that one spot on my leg over and over and over? I almost said something. ALMOST.
But, last week I was able to find the time to use the pedicure gift certificate I had been given 6 months prior. It was only good for 10 more days before it expired and I knew I needed to just do it. Pedicures for me, are not very relaxing. BUT, they do let me just sit there and think. Think about whatever. Which is so nice. And makes it so worth it. Sometimes being a Mom and wife, I feel like I don’t get to have very many of my own thoughts.
This day, I was thinking about my photography business. I was thinking about how I’m going to change the way I do things soon. And thinking about how much work it’s going to take to get me there. Offering prints, canvases, and keepsakes along with digital files and pricing it all, and getting it all ready. It has been a lot of work. But I’m almost done and it’ll be worth it. I know it will. As long as one thing happens. I don’t quit. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And I’m going. And being tough. And for who? Me. Me and my awesome family.
One other thing that I thought was bizzare. They had the TV on at the salon and I don’t even know what was on because I was so lost in my thoughts. But suddenly it busted me out of my thoughts when I heard two guys talking. I had to google it later to find out what it was from. It was from the movie Boyhood. And it must have been edited somehow because there was some swearing in it that I didn’t hear. But it went like this (edited):
Mr. Turlington: Who do you wanna be, Mason? What do you wanna do?
Mason: I wanna take pictures. Make art.
Mr. Turlington: Anybody can take pictures, Mason. Art, that’s special. What can you bring to it that nobody else can?
It just reiterated what I already know. I need to have something that makes me different. Some things I can bring to it that nobody else can. I can tell you what I’m going to bring to it. A great experience! An experience that’ll knock your socks off. Experiences that include not only a great photography session but desserts and slideshow presentations after that session that’ll help you decide where to put your new art on your walls.
Am I nervous? Heck yeah! But we, as humans, don’t get stronger unless we push ourselves. And push that fear and nervousness aside. Here’s to a great 2015!