Written by I can’t say I really have much to complain about when it comes to my career. Being a freelance writer and photographer was always my dream, and though I had lofty dreams of writing bestsellers and booking photo shoots with celebrity clients, there was a part of me who never really thought it was possible. I mean, really, who gets to do what they really love for a living?
Now, I won’t go so far as to say that I’m really making a “living” just yet (and I have yet to brag about booking any big celebrity clients). Let’s face it, if we were depending on my salary alone to support us right now, we’d likely be living in our minivan instead of our beautiful house. But I guess it’s par for the course when you open your own business and build a client base from the ground up. It’s painstaking, and slow going, and it makes you question yourself and your decisions on a daily basis.
But, I’ve never been one to give up easily. And my calendar is beginning to fill up as all of our hard work begins to pay off.
The most difficult part, though, is trying to balance my family life with my work life–and I say that to you as I sit here at 2:00 am in the quiet house, trying to keep my eyes from crossing as I painstakingly process photos and prepare for tomorrow’s interview and photo shoot. It’s quite the juggling act, being a Work At Home Mom with a 2-year-old, a dog, deadlines to meet, meals to prepare, and chores to do. And I’ll be the first to admit that the chores are usually the first to be pushed aside. Vacuuming? What’s that? And mopping? Who needs to mop when you’ve got a hound dog in the house who has an uncanny ability to inhale crumbs before they even have a chance to hit the floor?
I’m guessing eventually things will even out, and I will find some sort of reasonable routine that will allow me to stay busy and meet deadlines without neglecting my husband and child in the process. As for now, we’re making it work.
Luckily, Cadence is a pretty easygoing girl. She’s gone through a couple of Momma’s Girl phases where she wanted nothing to do with anyone else but me, but overall, she’s a pretty happy-go-lucky kid. And usually, as long as I stay in sight, she’s even content to come along on assignments when necessary. Mostly, I try to be as professional as possible when I’m working, but there have been a handful of times when Cadence has ridden shotgun and joined her Momma at work. Here are a few of my favorite outtakes from shoots where Cadence has come along for the ride.
She had a blast playing with her cousin Korbin at the family photo shoot…
Though Korbin wasn’t too sure about getting any kisses from Cadence.
Then she rode along for the tail end of Katie’s junior prom shoot, and kept busy playing with rocks and dirt in the yard…
And snuggling with her Godmother Tammy to drink a bottle…
Then she had so much fun spending the day with us at Katie’s senior photo shoot. With all the rain that morning, it was hard to keep her out of the mud puddles…
But she forgot all about them as soon as Katie broke out the bubbles…
And she thought the little chair that Katie made was just her size…
Of course she came along for her Aunt Kassie’s engagement photo shoot, and had fun walking up and down the railroad tracks with her Nonna, Poppa and Aunt Jen…
This year, she was perfectly content to hang out, eating popcorn and playing for Katie’s senior prom shoot…
And she even managed to solicit a few swings from Tammy and Katie…
A quick photo op with her Godmother…
And another quick shot with Momma and Katie…
And of course she traveled to Colorado for her Aunt Whitney’s prom shoot, and loved drawing on Pawpoo and Granny’s patio with sidewalk chalk (and smearing it all over her face)…
And then wrapped up the day with a good long swing with her Uncle Collin…
All in all, I’d say those were great days at work! And I’m glad that my favorite girl got to spend them with me! 🙂
Lori Romano 