Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday Riley!

Happy thanksgiving everyone!

We are in double duty here baking both pies and birthday cakes, because as we celebrate thanksgiving, we will be celebrating little man turning two as well! 

That's a little hard to wrap my mind around- two.  It seems like he was just a tiny little thing that couldn't do anything but eat and poop.  Now he's a full blown toddler with the attitude to go with it.

Since his birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, it seemed only fitting to do his 2 year photos as a pumpkin pie smash.  In doing this, I learned that my kiddo absolutely does NOT like pumpkin pie.  Which doesn't seem right, considering it's both my and Robert's favorite part of thanksgiving.  Oh well.

We are off to celebrate so I better wrap this up with this message-  Happy thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful day of food, family, and friends.  That's what we'll be doing!

Dad & Son at the Park | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

I'm going to keep it short and sweet today.  Hubby is finally home, so we took Riley to play at one of my favorite places in Pooler, Tom Triplett Park.  Of course I had to get some pictures.  Aren't they cute together?!

Meg Glamour | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

It's been a few years, but I finally got Meg in front of my camera again.  When I was just starting out as a photographer I shot a photo of her with the sunlight through her hair (above) and it's still one of my favorite shots.  I've tried to re-create it several times, but nobody does it like Meg does, I guess.

I've been wanting to get Meg into my studio for glamour portraits for a couple of reasons.  For one thing, she is not a girly girl.  I see her in her police uniform all the time, but never in a dress.  In fact, you should have seen her face when I showed her the outfits I had in mind for her.  "You want me to wear a dress?!" And makeup? Forgettaboutit. So it was fun to transform her from a southern girl in her flannel (nevermind that she's not actually from the south), to all dressed up with curls and pearls.

The other reason I've been wanting to photograph Meg is because she just does so well in front of the camera!  She think she's awkward, but there's something model-esque about it.  Maybe it's because she's built like a model: tall and lean.

I had a really great time working with this gorgeous girl!  Check out the video below for a look behind the scenes at how it all went down!

Uploaded by Mikaela Joy Photography on 2016-02-04.

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To book your own portrait session, please contact me today!

Erin Glamour Shoot | Mikaela Joy: Savannah GA Glamour Portrait Photographer

I've been inspired to try something a bit different lately.  I've been taking classes and following same really amazing fashion and glamour photographers, and have been dying to do some of that type of work myself. 

The thing that's so great about glamour photography is the complete transformation of the subject- the hair, the makeup, the posing.  This was especially fun with Erin.  Erin is not known for being girly.  She lives in tee-shirts and jeans, and can probably count the number of times she's worn makeup on one hand.  So to glam her up in a sequin dress was a complete change.

And she rocked it.  Seriously, she looked amazing.  Wouldn't you agree?

Ben & Erin | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Family Photographer

By the time that we are done with all our consultations and session, I usually know a lot about my clients and consider them to be friends.  But when the clients are friends before all of that, it's guaranteed that we will have an extra great time.

This is definitely true of Ben and Erin.  I've known these two for years (and have been trying to get them behind my camera for just about as long).   So when Erin contacted me asking about a family photo session I was pretty excited. 

The location was great, the timing was great, we just had one problem.  The shoot was scheduled during a very important football game.  All I can say there is thank god for technology! Ben was able to watch/listen to the game on his cell phone, and I was able to get the shots. Working with the dogs was an extra challenge (albeit a welcome one), but luckily for me these dogs were good posers.

And good kissers too, apparently.

Elliott | Mikaela Joy Savannah Newborn Photographer

I have another fun share today- more baby photos!  Recently I had one month old Elliott in my studio for some late newborn photos.

Generally, you are supposed to do newborn photos within the first two weeks of life, so I was a bit nervous about little Elliott coming in at over a month old.  It turns out, though, that I had absolutely no reason to be.  This little man was a dream to work with.  He fell asleep easily, posed well, and then woke up for a few bright eyed photos at the end.

With his red hair and blue eyes, this little guy is certainly going to be a charmer! I had such a great time working with him and am excited to watch him grow up.  What a sweetheart!

To see the rest of his photos you can visit my website here.

Monday Photo Dump: Week 14 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

This week my hubby was out in the field (still) so I had a lot of down time.  This meant that I actually got out and did some stuff this weekend, and I think as a result got some fun pictures. 3-29-14: I spent my Saturday evening wandering Savannah and taking pictures of One Love's Paws for a Cause event.  They had dancers performing and, seeing that I minored in dance and have a strong interest in the subject, I really enjoyed photographing it. 3-30-14: Sunday I went with some friends and some dogs out to the beach at Hilton head.  This dog (sassy) had the time of her life chasing water droplets.  I'm pretty sure she can fly! 3-31-14: I got my exercise this week with some tennis. I attempted to use my phone's camera as an experiment to how well it works. Not very well, it turns out. If this had a proper exposure it wouldn't have been half bad though. Does any know any manual camera apps for android? 4-1-14: I've been really enjoying how differently I'm able to grocery shop with my hubby not around.  If I want salami and brie for dinner I can do it, and nobody is here to complain! 4-2-14: I got a remote shutter release for my camera and spent some time messing around with it. I was going for a model-like photo, but I guess I'm better off behind the camera, because I do NOT know how to pose myself.  I accidentally got this shot of myself and Jerry playing though. 4-3-14: Another cell phone pic! This is one of the Petsmart cats being all belly's up and cuddly, which, after my day at work, I really needed. 4-4-14: I bought a new 35mm lens and took it downtown to do some street photography. This was one of the first shots I took with it. I love this lens!

And that's it for this weeks photos.  Next week will kick off with Jerry at the beach and some sharkless shark fishing. Stay tuned!

Monday Photo Dump: Week 12 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

This week has been a bit different than usual for me. It's been all about me time.  My hubby has been in the field since Wednesday which means that my week can be summed up in just a few words- dogs, cats, bubble baths, books, and wine.  And work, but I try to ignore that part. 3-22-14- I met these two cuties at the adoption event with One Love at Tailspin on Saturday.  I was soo close to taking them home.  If I was a single woman, I would have a house full. 3-23-14 Just some pretty flowers because spring has sprung. 3-24-14: Over the weekend I broke my phone (it was my first time ever breaking a phone). But I was able to use it as an excuse to upgrade back to an android.  It was kind of disappointing because I really like the idea of the windows 8 operating system, but it just didn't run well enough. 3-25-14: Saturday was my husband and my anniversary. We've been keeping this charm bracelet since we were dating and the idea was to add a charm every year.  We were a bit behind so he ordered some to catch up.  Each charm represents a year in our marriage except the first two which are for when we were dating, and our wedding. 3-26-14: This was the first day of the field for my hubby. I took  this as an opportunity for my kindle, a glass of wine, and a nice long bubble bath. 3-27-14: I'm excited because the plant that I thought I had killed just sprouted some new leaves. 3-28-14: Jerry and I have been getting a lot of quality time together with the hubster away.  I think he even listens when I have conversations with him (uh oh am I crazy?).  This is his interested face.

So that's it for this week's photos.  Next week will be jumping off with Sassy, the amazing flying dog.  Curious? Check back to find out what I'm talking about.

Monday Photo Dump: Week 12 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Here we are facing another Monday. I'm still sick. In fact today I am call in from work amounts of sick, so I've spent the whole morning on the couch reading Divergent, cuddling with my pets, and feeling all around crappy. But, I'm taking a break from all of that to share this week's photos.

3-15-14: We start off in the heart of Savannah's St. Patty's day celebrations. This holiday is kind of a big deal here, for some odd reason, so the party lasted all weekend long.  We went out on Saturday with some friends and I did some drinking and street photography. I wrote a quick post about it and shared some pictures here.

3-16-14: Sunday I revisited some old music that I used to love as a teenager and realized I've not developed an attachment to music in the same way since then. There is something about hiding out in the orange and yellow bedroom of my teenage years reading Ray Bradbury and listening to A Ghost is Born that in some ways, I'll never beat.

3-17-14: Monday was shopping day 'cause I was in desperate need of a new pair of running/work shoes. I made a first attempt at product photography, which, although it's a bit dark, I think I did pretty decent on (especially since I was working with natural light).

3-18-14: On Tuesday Sam took in this absolutely adorable foster puppy who we both got instantly attached to (for me, all it took were some puppy kisses).

3-19-14: Wednesday I decided to revisit my writing after coming to the realization that I never write anymore, so I busted out this old tattered journal.

3-20-14: More writing on Thursday, but this time in the form of poetry.  Inspiration hits at such random times for me (I wrote most of this in my head while counting jewelry at work), but it's such a great feeling when it happens.

3-21-14: Friday I did an impromptu photo shoot with Sam, her jeep, and the setting sun. I'm so excited with how this shot turned out!

That's it for this week.  Next week's photo dump will be kicked off with the cutest puppies in the world, so stay tuned!

SJ at Sunrise | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Last Saturday I got up bright and early to meet up with SJ, a gorgeous local model, to do some portraits at sunrise. Let me just say that it pains me to get up early on the weekends.  I wake up at 3:30 five days a week, so I really appreciate my Saturday sleep ins.  Even if that's only until 7:00.

But waking up early to work with SJ was definitely worth it.  We found a field and a lake to shoot at with golden morning light and steam rolling off of the lake.  Beautiful.

SJ was a fabulous model, and we spent equal parts of our time laughing and shooting.  What I love most about SJ is her sense of adventure. Some models might think it's weird when I ask them to climb a tree, for instance, but not her.  She just wanted to know which tree.

This was a quick little shoot due to the limited time frame that the lighting allowed, but it was a lot of fun.  I can't wait to work with SJ again.

If you want to see the whole shoot you can find it at my website here.

Monday Photo Dump Week #10 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for another Weekly Photo Dump! This week was rainy and awful, but the weekend was gorgeous. I spent the weekend outside (yet didn't bring my camera, what was I thinking?) and then spent the rest of the week playing with dogs and eating (hey, my two favorite things.

So without further ado:

3-1-14: Okay so technically this was taken the night before, but since I had to work early Saturday morning, and this is what we were doing the night before, I think this gives you a good idea of how my Saturday felt- sleep deprived.

3-2-14: Sunday was also spent outside, somehow without my camera. Although I wasn't able to get any pictures of my adventures, my hubby did let me take this quick portrait of him and my dobe, Jerry.  I can't believe how big that dog has gotten!

3-3-14: My Monday consisted of work and then hours spent at the car dealership while they figured out that they needed to replace my transmission.  This is how I felt about things.

3-4-14: And then came the rain.  A five minute storm flooded my yard, and then we were stuck in the cold, wet, gross weather for the rest of the week.

3-5-14: I used to be totally scared of raw chicken. It freaked me out. But this chicken is about to be delicious!

3-6-14: Thursday I decided to embrace the rain and play with my friend Sam's dog Sassy.  She was not phased by the nasty weather. She just wanted to play!

3-7-14: I spent Friday playing with the dogs too.  Magnum was so kind as to pose for me.  He looks so dignified here!

After my missed photo opportunities this weekend I decided to take my camera with me more places, and I am much happier with this week's photos because of it.  Sticking to this idea, I already have some great photos for next week including a day at the shooting range.  I'm excited to bring some new life into this project and see where we can go with it.  Stay tuned!

Chad and Erika | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Last week, some good friends of mine Chad and Erika invited me into their home to do a lifestyle photoshoot of them.  Erika is expecting, but not showing yet, so this will be some of their last photos as just the two of them (plus dogs).  We really focused on the two of them in their natural surroundings, and I love the way this shoot turned out.

These two were a blast to work with, but I already knew that.  Chad and Erika are always great to hang out with. But watching the interactions between these two was even better.

Chad is straight up goofy and constantly making faces or striking a Captain Morgan pose for the camera, despite Erika trying her hardest to get him to be serious.  We were starting to think he may not be capable.

We weren't sure what the photos would look like in the end, but as I look at the results all I can see is love between this little family.  Look at Chad's face in that ultrasound shot. He is absolutely beaming! And he has good reason. What a gorgeous family!

I'm so excited to come back and do this shoot again, but next time the family will be just a bit bigger.

We rounded out the shoot by letting Chad play with their gorgeous husky, Cyan.  She was very playful and wouldn't sit still, but I like the action shots anyway.  Look at those eyes!

I loved this photo shoot, and am excited to try more of these indoor lifestyle shoots. This just a little peak into the shoot, but you can find the rest on my website, here.

Monday Photo Dump: Week 9 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Phew! It's been a crazy week. I got stuck working two night shifts next week with not a whole lot of break between that and my day shift.  I may have worked less hours, but I am still recovering from the lack of sleep. I don't do well without sleep.

And then yesterday, when I was supposed to be posting last week's photos, I spent three and a half hours at the car dealership for them to tell me that I wouldn't have my car for a week while they replace the transmission.  At least it's warranty work.

Anyway, this is going somewhere, I promise. Basically I'm giving you all my excuses for why I'm a) a day late, and b) using cell phone pictures this week.

I had originally planned to do every picture for my 365 with my DLSR, but quite frankly that wasn't doable this week.  My week happened at work, and I can't exactly carry my DSLR around at Sam's and stop work to shoot some pictures. So, although the quality makes me cringe, I'm using some cell phone pictures.

Whew, I'm a bit long winded today, aren't I? Let's get to the pictures.

   1-22-14: Before all the craziness, I spent my Saturday afternoon at an adoption event at Tails Spin in Pooler hanging out with this cool guy and a few other sweet adoptables.  Fulton (the guy in the picture) is a complete lover, and he was posing for pictures left and right.  He also licked my lens at one point.  Nothing like a little dog slobber to make your pictures sharp, huh?

1-23-14: Sunday I went over to some friends' house to do a lifestyle photo shoot with them. I've wanted to do this silhouette shot for some time, I just hadn't found the right subjects and situation. I love the way this turned out.

1-24-14: Yes, it's supposed to be upside down.  My hubby convinced me to go for a jog with him Monday.  Let me just say, I don't jog. I was so sore/tired/defeated by the end of this jog that I pretty much collapsed on the floor afterwards. Once I recovered, I decided to do some yoga for my poor, poor muscles.  Jerry seemed to think it was a game and was running around all over the place, so I took this shot: my view from downward facing dog.

1-25-14: Que the night shift.  This was my "rockin' the night shift" selfie for instagram that I took on the first night when I was consuming way too much caffeine and driving a forklift around 'cause I was bored.

1-26-14: After work I thought I'd go home and crash.  I curled up on the couch and Jerry joined me.  I was exhausted! But I was so amped up on caffeine still that I couldn't sleep. And Jerry's nose was constantly in my face, so that didn't help much.  I ended up watching I Love Lucy all day instead.

1-27-14: My last nightshift was dragging on by the end.  I was still full of caffeine and spent most of the night jamming out to The Fratelli's, but as the last hour came I was losing steam.  I tried to entertain myself by doodling one a post-it note.

1-28-14: This was my recovery day, also spent on the couch watching I Love Lucy (I've decided I'm in love with Ricky Ricardo). This time Gizmo kept me company.

Like I said, it's was a crazy week. This one is off to a rough start, but I'm hoping for smooth sailing from here on out.  We will see. Until then I've got some serious house cleaning to do, so that's all for today!

It's a good day to be a Doberman | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

It's starting to feel like Summer here in Pooler, and I am SO ready.  I love the winter, but this one's been all the cold with none of the benefits (i.e. snow). I'm a northern girl and I would kill to hit the ski hill, but since that's not an option I will take a wake board out on the water instead, no doubt about it.

But since it's not quite Summer yet, I'll have to settle for soaking up the sunshine and running around the backyard with my favorite dog.

It's a good day to be a doberman!

Monday Photo Dump: Week 7 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

I know I was a bit absent this weekend, but I wasn't able to do my shelter work this week (and may not for a while) so there was no weekly adoptable post to share.  I also spent Saturday celebrating my hubby's birthday which is Tuesday, so I decided to take the weekend off. That said, I'm a little behind on this whole blog thing.  Instead of my usual planning ahead, I have been rushing through in the past half hour or so to edit these weekly photos.

Anyway, let's get right to it, huh?

2-8-14: This was a Saturday workday, cranking out blog posts and working on business cards, among other things.  A photo of my keyboard seemed fitting, since I spent so much time with it.

2-9-14: I followed that up with a Sunday of rest, and a lot of playing with my goofy doberman. He's got crazy eyes!

2-10-14: Let me just warn you right now that this week was all about the food photography.  Judging by the pictures I must have spent this week just eating. Sounds like the perfect week!

2-11-14: As I pulled into the driveway from work, I did this.  Now I get to replace this $300 tire, because I was too lazy to move a jack that was in my way.  I'm a smart cookie! Needless to say, I was a bit angry for the rest of the evening.

2-12-14: Thank goodness I was able to turn that flat-tire attitude around with a day with Sam. She took me to the Asian market where I tried this Basil Seed Drink.  It looks creepy as hell, but it is seriously delicious.

2-13-14: Speaking of weird foods, what better choice is there than celery root?  This stuff looks evil, but it's tasty, I promise.

2-14-14: Ah Valentines day, the day of every year where my lovely hubby buys a little potted rose, and every year I kill it.  Plants and I don't get along. But this year he got it right with some already dead roses (and very pretty ones at that!) along with chocolates just in time to satiate an extreme chocolate craving, shopping, and some lunch at Bonefish Grill. Yup, he definitely got it right!

So there you have it, another week of photos.  I must say, this has been going much better than I originally thought when I planned this 365 project. I thought I'd really struggle, and while I do have some rough days where I have a hard time caring, I've for the most part been really enjoying this project (and all this oh-so-photographable food!)

Valentine Mini Sessions! | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Looking for a last minute gift for Valentines Day? Why not a mini photo session for you and your honey with Mikaela Joy Photography? This offer is only good until February 14th so don't miss it- book today!

Friday Photo Dump: Week #5 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

  Ok, so I know I'm a day late.  I had to work today (I normally have weekends off) and it completely threw my week off.  I crawled into bed last night and my last thought was, 'oh crap, it's Friday isn't it? I didn't post my photos!' And then I went to sleep, because I had to be up at 330 this morning, and therefore it didn't seem that important.  So here I am posting last week's photos a day late. Enough excuses.

This week's theme was cold, and despite the fact that my fingers were numb for the majority of the time I spent at work, I didn't really have a lot of cold to take pictures of.  See in Georgia, even though it may be freezing outside, it'll still probably look like swimsuit weather (and then the next day it probably will be swimsuit weather, as a matter of fact).  So let's just say that I struggled with this week a bit.

But even if they weren't what I was envisioning, I still think I came up with some pretty interesting photos.  Let's see what you think!

1-25-14: After meeting with some potential clients about a Wedding, I spent my morning wandering around Savannah (there's a post to come with photos of that whole adventure).  Every time I am downtown I try to take a photo of the fountain, and I never actually like the photos I take. But this time there were icicles on the statues and the light was hitting them just right and-- well you can see it for yourself.

1-25-14: What better way to warm up on a cold day than... ice cream?  What can I say, I just love the stuff.

1-27-14: The nice thing about this winter being a little cold is that I got to bust out all my old winter clothes.  It's even been scarf weather lately!

1-28-14: I'll confess, I was a bit uninspired this day with the whole cold thing.

1-29-14: Ok so Wednesday was kind of a big deal.  This was the day of the big southern storm that everybody was all freaked out about.  It even had a name- Winter Storm Leon.  Sounds pretty intense, right?  The forecast predicted in snow in Savannah which hasn't happened in basically forever and I was very excited.  Well what I woke up to that morning was rain.  We got some sleet and some serious ice build up, and half of my coworkers called in to work due to ice and closed bridges, but I didn't get any snow. It was very disappointing.  I did get these wicked icicles hanging off the back of my trashcan though.  Maybe that counts for something?

1-30-14: After that storm craziness, I just needed a cold beer. Or cider. Close enough.

1-40-14: Which leads me to Friday: more rain.  This started as a picture of water droplets on my car but I started messing around with it and it became something abstract, yet pretty cool in my opinion.

So there you have it: my week of cold photos.

I still don't have a theme for this week, so if you have any last minute suggestions please leave a comment below. Otherwise, I may just make it a freebie week.  We'll see.

Chia Seeds (What do you do with that?)

Alright everybody, after some grocery store inspiration last night (Thank you publix cashier), I have come up with a new segment for the blog called, "What do you do with that?"

Let me explain.

Almost every trip to the grocery store I buy something that most Americans would consider to be weird. Maybe I watch too many cooking shows, but for some reason, where most people would give it a glance and walk by, I find celery root, rutabagas, or parsnips in the grocery store and I see them as an interesting challenge.  I often fill my fridge with foods that I have no idea how to cook or eat.

Every time I get in line with these items, the cashier will ask the same question about at least one of them, "What do you do with that?"  I always have the same response: "I'm about to find out."

So this segment will chronicle my experience in figuring out how to cook my unusual food purchases.  I grocery shop twice a month, so you can expect these posts about that often.  So, shall we give it a go?

This week's item is: Chia Seeds

My first step in any unknown food endeavor is to check the internet.  In this world a person can teach themselves just about anything with a little youtube and pinterest.  I am sure to take full advantage of that.

Well according to Pinterest there is approximately a million things you can do with chia seeds. Case in point:

After a lot of browsing I did discover a few interesting things about the little guys.

• They are super healthy.  They are high in protein (great for all you vegetarians out there) and, according to a pinterest user called mygreenworld, they are high in antioxidants, useful for weight loss, good for the heart and brain, and much more. (http://www.pinterest.com/mygreenworld)
• They are also very useful in cooking.  A blogger who goes by Wellness Mama says she uses them as a gluten free substitute for just about everything.  She even uses them as an egg substitute in some recipes (seeds instead of eggs, really? This is where I get a bit skeptical).  She also says that they make a great thickening agent in many recipes, which is something I'd be very interested to try since my cooking usually involves a lot of flour. (http://wellnessmama.com/4981/10-uses-for-chia-seeds/)
• They actually taste very good!  This one I didn't learn with research so much as trial and error.  I happened to be making a tortellini salad last night, and since the Chia Seed bag said they were good with salads, I thought I'd give it a go, so I threw a tablespoon in.  They added a slightly sweet and nutty flavor which went perfectly with my haphazard recipe.  Doesn't it look good?

Does anyone else have any great ideas for how to use Chia Seeds? Let me know in the comments!

And if you are interested in seeing some of the recipes that I use in my cooking (well adapt into my own, anyway) you can follow me on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/mikaelajoyphoto/

Friday Photo Dump Week #2 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

My first full week of my photo a day project is complete and I'm here to share the results.  Want to see?

 

January 4th, 2014: A close up shot of the Christmas decorations that I just can't bring myself to take down (more out of laziness than the fact that they are pretty, although they are.)

January 5th, 2014: This morning started out with some canadian bacon that my dad cured and my husband cooked (delicious!)

January 6th, 2014: After having company at my house for almost a month during the holidays, I needed a few days of me time.  So after work I got lost in a good book.  In case you are wondering, the book is Enduring Love by Ian McEwan and it is quite good.

January 7th, 2014: Just another lazy day with my pets and my books.

January 8th, 2014: It's been surprisingly cold for Georgia this week, and the weather inspired me to start a knitting project.  I picked this gorgeous yarn, but the problem is that the yarn is very thin.  I might be done with this scarf by summer, just when I don't need it anymore.

January 9th, 2014: With the house to myself this day, I consulted my Julia Child cookbook and made a huge mess of the kitchen, leaving not much time for anything else.  I did happen to snap this shot of Blitz being cute though.  He does it every once in a while.

January 10th, 2014: I wanted to play around with Bokeh today and using it as the subject of a photo, rather than a background.  Technically that just means I took a blurry picture, but hey I think it looks cool. I took this using the Christmas lights since I still haven't taken down our tree.  I should probably get on that before it dies, huh?

This week was a pretty slow one, but it is exactly what I needed.  I spent some time in solitude, just relaxing and working on my own projects.  It may have left me with photos of food, books, and cats, but that's not a life that I'll complain about.  I could pull of crazy cat lady/librarian any day.