So where was I?

So yeah… what else is going on in my life besides the launch of my new class? (CZ Design Side Note: thank you SO much for the response to the class. It’s exciting for me to see so many of you pumped and confident that you can create beautiful pages without too much fuss. Further, when you sign up you support my small business and I am genuinely grateful for that.)

(Sorry. I had to work in a plug for the class but that’s only because the intro price ends next Tuesday. Ah, the life of a self-pimping small business woman…)

Someone recently asked me, “How do you get such good selfies?” and the answer is two-fold: for a long time, I just used my iPhone and an app called Key Cam. The reason this app is so cool? You can set it to trigger a photo just by clapping. That’s right. Clap on, and a photo is taken. It’s how I’ve taken numerous family selfies over the years. But recently I discovered a little bluetooth remote shutter from This Alaska Life and I’ve found it to be far less annoying than clapping loudly. I’ve been keeping it in my purse because you never know when you might want to get a great selfie or group shot, am I right? I took this shot with it and that’s a lot of folks to get in the frame. Note: yes, I did blur a few faces out for teen privacy.

But the other thing that helps get a good selfie? A tripod. (I have an older version of this one.) If you have one, by all means, try it out. One thing I also swear by is my Joby GripTight mount. This thing is highly coveted by me and my teen-aged son. In fact he steals it from my office weekly. You pop that thing on your tripod and put your phone in its grip, grab your Bluetooth remote and boom, all you need to do is smile. Or just look busy. An indispensable tool for the modern age.

Other than that, summer is winding down. My sweet college girl is gearing up for her junior year (what the hell?), and will also be going on a week long vacation to California with her boyfriend and his family next week. I realize I don’t share as many stories about the grown up children (presently, we have one of those), but I will say this: I’m extremely proud of her. She works full time as a nanny during the summer to pay for a chunk of her tuition in the fall. When I was 20, I did not take on any financial responsibility for my college education. Part of it was the time I went to school (1984–1989—yes, I was on the five-year plan), part of it was I attended a public university which was at that time about $5K annually, and the other part was that my parents were able to afford it. That’s another thing I’m grateful for and should thank them for more often. Dan was paying off his student loans for the first 7 years of our relationship.

So Aidan, keep up the amazing work. Oh, how I will miss your presence come September. In a world were stuff is changing daily, that’s one constant I know.

And speaking of juniors…

Cole is now 17. Because of his late summer birthday all those years ago and me thinking, “Um, he’s WAY too little to start preschool,” he’ll be a junior this fall. We’re gearing up for a huge weekend of Ultimate, the National Youth Club Championships up in glorious Blaine, Minnesota. And yes, I will be renting a big-assed lens. Fun fact: a year ago, my beloved Hyundai Santa Fe was rear ended on Day 1 of the YCC tourney and that is how Stevie came to live with us. This year I will be watching very closely in my rear-view mirror. I still have four more years of payments on Stevie before I can even think of getting rear ended again.

Last but not least, summer is winding down for Dan, too. He’s gearing up for his first year as a 5th grade teacher. It’s a very exciting and unknown time, really. But you know what is kind of cool? Having him around in the summer because dude gets shit done!

He  has re-stained our deck (which was in desperate need!), and he is now getting lights up and helping me turn our space into a magical gathering location. (Don’t worry about that bending pole. It’s going to be straightened out soon!) We also are getting a new wooden table that will slide right into place in just a few weeks. We may have a small city yard, but we’re working to make the most of it.

And that’s it. A lot of change. A lot of life. A lot of Olympics. That’s what’s up in my little corner of St. Paul.

Thanks for reading.

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