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Priorities

This post started out *planning* to just be a quick heads up to clients where I’m at right now in terms of coffee table book designing, session editing, and for photographers waiting to hear back on open workshop dates how much longer they’ll be waiting for a response. But the answer is *way* more complicated than a simple, “Hey y’all! Alicia (office manager) is going through finals week in college and I was just gone for a week and a half, so it’s going to be until next week for anything to be done work-wise, kthanks!!:)

Because what it boils down to is Rachel Vanoven 1.0 would have sat her butt at the computer and spent hours she didn’t have to edit all the Rise & Shine workshop models images to get them done ASAP. She wouldn’t have waited for Alicia to finish her last week of tough finals and dove in and started answering every email that came in (if you’re wondering, just in the last week, there are probably close to seventy-five unread/un-responded to emails)…not only would this have taken hours away from her kids/husband who she had just spent a week away from, exhausted her already post-workshop/traveling sleep deprived body/mind, but it would have seriously screwed with Alicia’s methods and organization in my email.

Rachel Vanoven 2.0 has made priorities that go something like this:

1. Be a good wife–biggest rule for me. Because if Nick and I are happy with each other, the kids are at peace knowing that mommy and daddy are doing good. So Nick and I make it a *must* to have a weekly date night. With Instagram and Facebook updates, I used to worry that clients will see me out on the town with my husband and be all, “Well she has time to ____________ (see a movie, grab sushi, etc) with her husband but I’ve been waiting on my ___________ (sneak peek, album design, disc, etc.) for a few weeks now!” Now, I have conditioned myself to just enjoy myself with not just Nick, but any friends and family I happen to be with. There will ALWAYS be more work to do. Rarely are photographers completely caught up on everything!

2. Be good to myself — This follows the theme of being a good wife. The reason it comes after wife stuff, though, is because I believe that you have to put your spouse first (within reason) so that may require sacrifice on my part, but Nick does his part as well, so it’s all good. But by being good to myself, I include grabbing brunch with a friend, watching DVR’d Vampire Diaries, and sitting on my back porch and drinking coffee for as long as it takes to wake up. The old Rachel used to *immediately* every morning set her alarm for 6:00 am and go straight to the computer and answer emails that came during the night. Because when you do newborn photography, your clients are typically up at all hours of the night;) This no longer happens anymore–I was *killing* myself with work.

3. Be a good mama — Confession time, for the first two-three years of my career, I was a sucky mom. I’m not fishing for compliments, I don’t want to hear, “Awwwww, Rach—you weren’t a sucky mom at ALL!” because I was. I was awful. I put my clients and becoming successful in front of my kids and I regret it with my whole heart. I went back to work when Josie was SEVEN days old. I stopped chaperoning field trips. I stopped cooking family meals. I rushed through nighttime book readings. I missed nearly three years of my kids’ lives that I can never get back. The wake up call for me came in the form of my oldest daughter’s steadily decline in school. I wasn’t paying attention to her homework. I wasn’t helping her study. I didn’t even know there was a website all the other parents were actively a part of that kept them up to date on class assignments and whatnot. I saw mood swings start, attention-hungry kids acting out so I’d give them the time of day. My sweet boy would want to show me something and I would mindlessly say, “Uh-huh, cool, bud” while not taking my eyes off the family pictures I was editing. His plea? “Mommy! Look with your EYES!”

Something had to be done. I wasn’t being a good wife, mother, and most importantly I had lost who I was as a person. I was making EVERYONE happy except for those closest to me.

My first step was hiring Alicia to handle my email. I know it can be frustrating as a client to wonder why the heck you can’t just talk to RACHEL, but keeping up with my email is a full time job (which boo-hiss Alicia as an awesome photographer herself and about to enter her Senior year of college, will be passing the torch onto a new office manager during the next few weeks!) and I can’t just pop in and pop out and expect Alicia to keep it flowing smoothly. So when she can’t work, my email will come to a standstill. And I’m okay with that (now–old Rachel would have been twitching).

My second step was to cut back on my workload. For 2012, this meant cutting my family sessions down to 15 and only one newborn session per week maximum. I go to the studio Tuesday-Thursday ONLY, and these are the ONLY days I work. From 9am-3pm. Period. Any other work on top of that is minimal and can be done quickly from my phone or home computer, but I don’t keep any work sessions to edit at home now.

I’m not sure where exactly I’m going with this, but I’m thinking that if I can share my story, maybe other photographers (or any working parents) can learn from my mistakes. And I’m hoping clients waiting on pictures (mostly models from the Texas workshop, a donated shoot right before I left, and then a newborn shoot less than a week ago—I don’t want you guys to think it’s MONTHS before clients get their pictures!!) can understand why I’m not jumping RIGHT back into full time work after being gone for 9 days.

Would love to hear how other working moms juggle it all…and if anyone else had a wake-up call like I did. How about from the client perspective?

Sara Pederson - You are a wise lady to know your own limits and stick to them. I think every mom/wife is guilty of doing what you confessed to, in our own ways. Take care of your loves.

Lisa Jolley - Wow! Thank you so much for putting this out there! I feel your pain, and needed this wake up call. My son (8) said to me yesterday after I picked him up from school: “Mommy, are you through with those pictures yet. Can we please play something fun?”. Ouch! Priorities need to be set and stuck to. Work during the day, while kids are at school, and be a mommy at night. My “under construction” website can wait; my pictures can wait; my kids are growing and can’t be stopped and shouldn’t have to wait.

Thank you for voicing this! I’m sure this is something that we all struggle with and needed to hear.

Jen Weintraub-Sugar Photography - So perfectly said! I’m right there with you on ALL of this!

Heather Stockett - You know what I like about you, Rachel?..You are able to just put things out there. Just say it like it is.

My 4 year old said to me the other day, “Momma, are you almost done with your puter (computer)? I want you to come play with me.” Reality hit that I should probably spend less time on the computer when he’s home/awake. We also have 1 year old twins so editing time is hard to find. Here’s hoping we can all find balance! :)

Lydia gross - As a new stay at home mom, I am trying to get back into the swing of shooting. Once that is consistent again, I already know that I will use just 2 week days to ext or be in the office and the rest is mommy time with my boys. Shoots are harder to handle I those 2 days because I usually try to shoot at sunset or early morning for families so I am still trying to find that balance. Rachel- you have and will always be an inspiration and this post really makes me love you even more. Thank you for always being so honest and true to your family!

Jessica - Thanks for this Rachel, your post came at the exact right time for me personally. I am glad I am not the only mommy out there that feels horrible for working and not spending as much time as I should with my kids. I work full time, have a two hour commute each day and am a full time student. Luckily its finals week and I am graduating so that will be taken off my plate. I find myself being a sideline parent saying, “oh that’s great hunny” but I am not really paying attention to what they are saying or doing. I go to bed at night feeling horrible that I didn’t get that one extra hug in or listen to just one more silly story.

Now that I am going to be done with school I have this whole new feeling of what am I going to do next. Your post made me think maybe its time I put being a mommy and a wife first. Thank you for this Rachel! I would have never had this kind of realization without reading your true, real and uncut words.

I follow your photography because secretly I really want to do what you do but don’t think I ever really will be able to. But, while following your incredible photography I have gotten a glimpse at a real woman who has a real life behind the facebook page. I think you are a beautiful, funny, and very talented woman. I am glad to see that you are also very real. Sharing your story I am sure will not only impact other women but will hopefully bring a sense of peace to you. And, I am sure you are an absolutely fabulous mom. I once heard that the parents who feel guilty are the greatest parents.

Jessica

Sarah - I have spent the past 4 weeks battling this very topic. I feel like everything is getting about 45%, and I just feel like I need a life coach or something! I have only been in business 1 1/2 yrs, and I did not expect the onslaught I have gotten with work recently. I was not prepared, and I am poorly managing my time and family. The house is a wreck, my kids don’t have enough attention (4 of them!), and I don’t even have my own office! Little do my clients know that the magic happens from an untidy desk in a small area of my bedroom! I look at other photographer’s blogs, ones that are moms, that seem to have it all balanced and together, and I feel like I need to just get to this point where I’m organized! I’m afraid that that point is unrealistic and like you said, you can NEVER get back those moments with your kids. Thank you for reminding us of our priorities. Also do you have advice for running a business along with a family??? Likely the most asked question…

Kaila - tears in my eyes over this post! I am not nearly as busy as you, but pre-Ezra I was driving myself in the ground shooting weddings, sessions, learning, editing, e-mailing, you know! So post Ezra I didn’t work for 7 months hardly at all. I wanted to devote that time to him and now I am back and STRUGGLING! I keep trying to figure out if I should just say all I want it to be a stay at home momma I need to quit or if I can work this out where I can focus to him, Jon, and then have set work times. This post is so helpful, like crazy helpful to me and my heart right now.
Thank you!

Anna - Rachel,
This is awesome advice for any mama/wife who works. i hope you don’t mind that i will be stealing your priorities in the hopes that I can find a balance in my life.

Alyssa Chew - Wonderful! As a working mother outside the home (and hobbiest photographer) I too needed your wise words. I think as mothers we naturally try to juggle so many different things, but I love how you have set forth just the three top priorities and are reorganizing the others. Thank you again!

Liza - This is a reality check for me. I now know I AM being a horrible mom. I have a 15 month old who came to my computer last night while I was editing, and grabbed & threw the mouse, then reached up for a hug! If that isnt a cry for attention.. I dont know what is. Putting limits on our work is a must! We simply just can not do it all!!! I am a wife, and mother to three. =) I work full time mon – fri, and weekends I am usually shooting/editing. I cannot say I can give up shooting, but definetly need to put a limit to what I do, and give my family the love and attention that they need and deserve. Thanks for posting! <3

Chelsea Lietz - I caught a hint of this from your comments in Dallas. And it hit too close to home, so I tried to ignore it.
But I am so glad you wrote this, I was in danger of going down the same path. I’m going to promise myself most of the same things… putting my husband, my kids, and myself first. thanks for sharing. I know you weren’t fishing for compliments, but just being aware of all this means you are doing an awesome job! And the shots of Josie are magical.

Melissa R - Thank you for this. That’s all. :)

Nikki Mulkern - Rachel,
Thank you so much for this post. This could not have come at a better time for me.
Last year in June (the 5th) my Mom passed away from a brain tumour at the age of 57. From the day she found out she had the tumour to the day she died, I spent every single minute I could with her, which I will treasure and will never regret. About a month after that, I got asked to do a family session and I thought it would be a great distraction for me, as I didn’t want to deal with the loss of my Mom.
This would be my official first year of work, as I kept having a baby just when I was going to start,lol. Anyway I booked way, way to many jobs last year and sat at my computer editing for 16 hours a day, taking breaks to take care of my 2 boys ( but not myself).
When I finished all the editing, I was told to take a break from photography not just by friends and family but from Dr.’s because I was working just to much and not taking care of myself…. than it hit me….. my youngest son turn 1 in Nov. of last year, from the time he was 5 months old until he was over one, I missed it…. I was with my mom and than just went straight to working thinking that was the best way for me to cope with my mom’s death that I pretty much missed his first year of life and I feel horrible about it. I found myself saying the same thing to my oldest ( 3 1/2 year old ) “that’s great buddy!” while editing away and he started to act out to get my attention too.
I am glad to hear that I am not the only Mommy that has gone or is going through this. I vowed that this year, I wouldn’t book as much and I would put my family first.
Sorry this was so long,lol. Thank you again for sharing =)

Lisa - Rachel, thank you so much for sharing this. I clicked on you today for some inspiration, and I got exactly what I needed, just not in the way I thought.

My two year old told me to put my computer away the other night. Because I was half parenting, half editing, and doing neither at the 100% that both deserve. I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said “play in mommy’s bathroom and put on makeup.” And that is exactly what we did. And I didn’t even bring out the camera, because I am sure there are times when she is tired of being my favorite subject to shoot. Now I can’t say I don’t have a great idea of a shoot in my head now, but for that moment in time, it was only about my beautiful daughter, not how I could get a cute portfolio shot.

Thank you, Rachel. You inspire me, and I feel better knowing that it isn’t just that I am “new” that achieving balance is so difficult.

On a side note, I am totally wishing I were attending your Florida workshop this summer! It is going to be awesome, I am sure. I can’t afford it this year, and there is some gear that must be priority, but I am definitely saving for a future workshop!

Kelsea - Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing.

THANK YOU.

xo

Christina Slater - Gave me goosebumps, so very well put! Thank you for this post!

Rachel Gierich - Rachel,

Thank you so much for this. I am a full-time school psychologist who has started this photography business. I fine myself picking the kids up from school/sitter and immediately going home to the computer to answer emails, edit sessions, and schedule sessions. My poor children have found it to be part of the routine now. They have been playing in the backyard as I work away. Then I cook, bathe, put them to bed and hop right on the computer until 12 and get up go to work (mind you the full time job is EXTREMELY stressful). Cycling.Cycling.Cycling. I had a wakeup call this weekend I booked 4 sessions this past weekend. I traveled and left my family for the whole weekend. I started to think WHY??? I love photography, love the clients, love the work, but I love my family! I need to make a change! FAST. I have multiple sessions booked for several weekends, but I have to change. HELP! HA HA! I have to make a change. Thanks for the inspiration!

Love you!

maggie - I’m speechless! All I can say is… what a wake up call for me! You just told my story with my kids! Sad but true. as of now. It stops here for me! (tears in my eyes) I just bought your eworkbook and couldn’t wait to go through it all tonight but it will have to wait until tomorrow while my Daughter is in school because tonight i am taking her to a movie and out to dinner and I will apologize to her for telling her so many times WAIT! MOMMY IS WORKING! not on her time any more. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this Rachel ♥ God Bless

Maggie Collins Photography

Rachel Kaminky - This made me cry!! I’ve missed out on the kids’ lives for the last year and I have a lot of guilt from it. When my husband got a job offer 800 MILES away from our hometown, we decided to move and start a new life. I’m able to be a stay at home mom and that’s what made us move. I am going to start up on my photography again but the sacrifice you need to make in order to be as successful as you is a HUGE sacrifice! I want to stay home with the babies until the are in school full time and reading this post just made that decision more clear for me. I have been super antsy to get back out and shoot but something keeps holding me back! I don’t want things to get as bad as they were before with my work load. So, thank you!! I’m so glad you have found your balance. Congrats to YOU!

Nelly - Thank you SO much for this post! I’m glad you are taking time for yourself and your family. I’ve always said wife & mom are my priorities. Sometimes this profession can get to you and I start feeling like I should be doing more, taking on more, like I’m not dedicated enough. But I know my kids are only little once. I can take pictures anytime. I don’t want to miss them growing up. So I’ve made myself learn to say no, a lot. I will never regret that. I’ve also made a point to take a lot more photos of my own kids. Just anytime photos, because I don’t want to be so caught up in making memories for others and miss out on my own. It’s nice to see that others are doing the same. :)

Denise - My daughters grades have started slipping too… I think I’ve been in denial that I am the reason why, but your story hits home in an uncomfortable way… The truth does hurt doesn’t it.

Thankfully, it’s just happened and I’ve only done the photography thing for about 8 months now, but now I need to adjust my priorities as well. Editing can wait till she goes to bed. Thank you for the painful reminder that needed to happen :)

Rachael - FANtastic post. Can relate 100%. I shared it on my Facebook & I appreciate your honesty & openness.

Jodi Lee - Wow, I can so relate, as can a lot of other photographer/Moms I’m sure. It’s nice to know we’re not alone. I got tired of being a “sucky” Mom too, so I have cut back. Not sure what clients and fellow photogs think of that, but my kids love me for it (three boys) and that is truly all that matters. When they are grown and gone I know I won’t say “geeze, I wish I had spent more time building my business while they were young”….I will say “man, am I ever glad I put them first”. I will leave you with a quote my Grandmother always said “the work will wait while you show your child the rainbow, the rainbow won’t wait while you do the work”.

Kelly R - Hmmmm. I so resonate with this post. Though not a photographer (props), I find it very difficult to strike a balance between my workload and my family. Because I do what I love and I love what I do, it’s all too easy for me to spend any free moment “working.” And how does this manifest itself? Ive convinced myself that coffee is an appropriate replacement for sleep, my toddler is raised by the television more days than I would like to admit in addition to the days where, in the middle of our bedtime routine, I realize that I have spent absolutely no time with him… and the list goes on and on…. I find myself at the cusp of Kelly 1.0 and Kelly 2.0.

Thanks again for this. Your honest is refreshing. :)

Holly - Good to hear you’re setting healthy boundaries for your family and marriage. I often find myself envious of other photographers that don’t have children b/c they’re able to dedicate so much time to the craft. I always feel something is missing. Ultimately, photography’s just a job and my family is my life, though. I’ve made an attempt to be on the computer only during their naptimes and put it away when my husband gets home and we have the evening together. I also don’t have internet or instagram or anything on my phone b/c I want to be present fully when I am with them. While internet has certainly improved our lives in many ways, I can’t help but think the generation before us was much more productive and present in their homes!

Kimberly - Thank you so very much Rachel for this post! It is without question that this hit home for me! I definitely need to re-arrange my priorities! Thank you for the reminder and for being so amazingly authentic!

Kelsie Aman - Like all the other moms that commented, thank you for being brave and speaking it out loud…I am just starting out as a photographer and trying to find that balance, with summer just around the corner I know the challenge is going to become even bigger as my soon to be 4yr old will not be in Day Care due to budget restraints….I have also been asked to help out during the busy season at the local design shop to get them thru their crazy busy election season…It will be a juggle, but thanks to your post I know I can take more than time to get people their photos up for selection…when I was doing Virtual Tours for the Real Estate market (prior my youngest child), we had a 3 day turn around due to the nature of the business…It is a hard habit to break.
Blessings Kelsie

Tiffany - I read your blog post and I commend you not only for being honest first, with your self and family, but your clients as well. I know you feel that you were absent for 3 years, but I am happy you had your ephipany now before your kids are grown and out of the house. If I was one of your clients I would respect you more for making your family a priority. If my photographer takes long I only look at is as she is taking the time to make every client’s order perfect. Good Luck and enjoy your time with your children. P.S. My wake up call was when my husband sat me down and told me it upset him that I was being short with our 18 month old because I was more concerned about getting my work done.

Alexis - I’m a mom of 2 (4 year old and 7 month old) and stepmom of 2 more (2 year old and 16 year old). I am in grad school full time and work. My husband is also in grad school and works. Life has been INSANE. We have tried our best to keep things in order and we have managed this way for 4 years now, but we’ve finally gotten to the breaking point. So I shortened my work hours and he went part time to school. So now we have time to spend with our family, but we’re broke. And without electricity or a house, we aren’t really doing what’s best for our family either. So now I’m stuck between the two. I’m sorry if you’ve read this far and were hoping that I had found the path over the rainbow to the pot of gold, but I haven’t figured it out yet. If anyone does, let me know.

Mandy Rose - Rachel, I seriously felt like I got punched in the stomach when I read the part about being a sucky mom. Every single word you said are thoughts I had about myself and ways I acted with my own children. I finally realized it myself like one month ago and am trying to get back the past 9 months of my life, my husband’s life and my children’s life. I myself, have gained weight, beome extremely unhealthy and given up on being my cute self anymore lol. I’m glad you wrote this and I can see that I wasn’t doing something completely wrong. I was trying to further myself as a photographer, but in the meantime I forgot what was most important. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has gone through this. Thanks for your thoughts, makes me feel more normal!

Andrea - Rachel, your work is amazing and your family is beautiful! It is very hard to find balance in all the “parts” of life, something I think everyone has had to deal with one time or another….glad to hear you are finding balance in you life! Our kids can unknowingly say things to really hit home and make us think about how we lead our life. A few days ago I happily said to my daughter…”wanna go to the park today?” her response in a disapointed voice “is it for pictures mommy?” Really she thinks we only go to the park to take photos (of her or others) ugh…definatly a wake up and spend time with your kid moment for me:)

Sherri M. - Rachel, I could have wrote this blog post myself! For the last year, I’ve been that sucky mom! My 3 yr old would tell me “look mom…..no with your eyes!” while I was editing and I would just turn my head towards her but not my eyes. I put my family on the back burner and I lost who I really was! My husband works a very demanding job that was taking him out of the state every week for 5 months and he goes to school full time. It got to the point where I couldn’t keep up with the housework, the school runs, dinner, and some days SHOWERING because I was so caught up in editing! I put on weight, started fighting insomnia, and felt like an angry walking zombie every single day! I realized it was soooooo unfair to my family! So I made a really tough decision this year and I decided to take the year off. To shoot for myself and most of all to capture beautiful pictures of MY 3 girls! Do you know I don’t have 1 single pic of my girls on my wall???? I’m ashamed to admit that, but I don’t! I suck at finding balance so for now it’s just best to put my family first because in the blink of an eye my girls going to be grown…… and then I will have the rest of my life to work on my photography!

Karin - Thank you for sharing this……make me feel better and now work on getting my priorities organized….like right now!

Lissa - I am so happy to see that there are other mom photographers out there that are going through the EXACT same thing I went through a few months ago. My husband and I nearly fell apart, I felt like I was the worst wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. I had no time for anyone (even myself) except clients. You are extremely talented, and your business is much larger than mine is so I can just imagine how busy you must be! Good for you for taking this initiative in setting priorities. You will see in a few months how much of a change your life will be, enjoy your family – they do grow up much too quickly :(
Best wishes for you and your family!

stephanie - My two year old often says “mommy, close your ‘puter and come play”. Now I really, really try to stick to my “edit while the kids are sleeping” rule :) Even if it means getting up at 530am with the hubs when he leaves for work.

kelsey - Rachel-thank you for this! I pulled it up earlier…and am just sitting down to read it and it is exactly what I needed. I have been sick to my stomach watching Colin grow! 7 months have passed SOOO fast!!! When I had Hallie…I had one “job” all day, every day…snap a picture on my phone and send it to everyone who was away from her each day. I was in HEAVEN!!! I LOVE photography and feel truly blessed that people are allowing me to call it my job…but I am beyond struggling to find balance. I feel that I put so much time into doing photography things instead of spending the quality time I know my kids need. You are right when you said it is never *done*! I need to plan out days to work on editing sessions…and NOT feel bad if I am not blogging/FB posting the rest of the week. THANK YOU for your candid thoughts! It was EXACTLY what I needed tonight!

Pamela - Yes, I completely understand everything you wrote! Love your honesty.

Here’s a post I blogged a little bit ago where I explain to my readers my quest for slowing down life: http://pamelasusan.typepad.com/pamela_susanup_close_pers/2012/02/my-quest-for-slowing-down-time.html

It was a big step for me but sooooo worth it. I feel like I found my life again!

Texas » Rachel Vanoven Photography - [...] of my work schedule meaning more traveling, and my newfound priorities, I’ve decided that whenever I travel I’ll be bringing one of the kids (or the husband) [...]

Jennifer Reid (JAM Photographie) - thank you for sharing this… you have really put things into perspective for me :)

Bridgette Davis {BDphotography} - touche. i’ll stop editing pics and go to my girls’ field day now, because all the reasons i had this morning not to go, are really just an excuse that i would have kicked my own butt for pre-photography biz. thanks for the wake up. you will never regret putting your family first…and neither will i.

Jennifer - Rachel… wow. Thank you so much for posting this. As I’ve battled my own guilty emotions about losing time with my own family. They’re the ones that believe in me the most, want the best for me, yet I give the least amount of my undivided attention. I’m just starting out and already I’ve let it consume me. I am hoping to remain committed and focused on my family first and foremost and then comes the business side. Thank you again! Blessings to you!

Cortney Steed - I want to thank you for posting this….I have only done this for 2 years and inside I am going crazy…trying to juggle all of this….with my husband and 4 children and then meeting the needs of my love for photography….I have been battling this and not sure how to make it simple….so thank you for your honesty….I admire your work and it is good to hear you have to say no sometimes to good things…so your family doesn’t’ suffer….

cortney

Kim - Thank you for posting this.

Nowdays EVERYONE with a camera thinks they can be a photographer not realizing how much WORK it really takes! As a pro photographer of over 10 years I see the trend of Mom’s with young ones at home giving everything but the kitchen sink away for pennies. They don’t take the time to figure out how much this new business is costing them in TIME as well as money! Quit trying to undercut the other guy and get paid for the work you do and you will find you are working less and getting paid the same in the long run!

Britneye Ladner - This made me cry like a baby. I’ve so done the “uh-huh cool bud” thing before. My poor baby. Thank you for being brave enough to post this and give me a kick in the butt when i needed it.

2012 Superlatives – Part One » Rachel Vanoven Photography - [...] – cutting back on work and spending more quality time with my kids. I blogged about it here, and it’s something I am extremely passionate about. You simply cannot get these years back [...]

Melissa VanLeeuwen - Thanks for this Rachel! It is my goal in 2013 to be “present” with my family. I cried when I ready you missed 3 years of your kids loves, this is ME. I have done the same and it’s about time I tap back in and take care of my family:) xox

2012 superlatives – part two » Rachel Vanoven Photography - [...] viral blog, my “Priorities” post, about my life changing decision to reevaluate how I was spending my time with work and [...]

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