Hey Reader,
Well, it's been good to be back! I'm coming to you live from BGP HQ, the *home* office. And it feels so good! After a summer under the pines, I’m feeling recharged and so ready for this fall season! 💪🏻📸
I have my coffee to the right of me, a fresh agenda page flipped open to the left, and Q3 & Q4 goals lined up!! (Not to mention, SO MANY amazing sessions already scheduled!!)
BUTTT … before we all collectively hurtle toward pumpkin spice 🍂☕️ everything and the annual 'where did summer go?' existential crisis, I did that thing I do. You know—made a list.
(Shocking revelation: the perpetual list-maker... made a list.)
This one's equal parts morning-walk brain dump, end of summer reflections, and ‘huh, I guess I did learn something between coffee breaks on the porch & emails’.
Here's what this summer taught me (whether I wanted the education or not):
1. The #1 Pizza Party Rule
For Father’s Day, my dad finally got that Ooni pizza oven he’s been talking about for years now. After a fair warning from friends,“You will burn A LOT of pizzas at first.” We did our research. Every video, every blog, every guide said the same thing: “Stay calm and confident” … when adding your toppings, when handling your dough, when turning it in the oven.
It’s become a running joke for everything around here… when handling a crying nephew, when sending that text, while playing pickleball … stay calm and confident.
I’m back-pocketing that learning from our pizza parties.
2. Just shhh… no talking. No moving. No thinking. Just enjoy.
Escaping to the back porch away from my phone and laptop, I found myself enjoying the opportunity to just be…no rush, just enjoy. I would watch the wind blow the pines and the chipmunks stuff their cheeks. No moving… no thoughts allowed, just quiet and still. Even a moment of it and I feel renewed… remembering that this fall, when the days get shorter and the to-dos get longer.
3. Don’t force the cute boots on
When trying on cowgirl boots in Franklin, TN … if it’s too hard to get your left boot on, don’t force it (at least not over and over). No matter how cute the boot, it will leave a scar.
⬆️ And that's why I now I have the cute, friendly brown boots ... not the beautiful, (but mean) white boots
4. “We are unoptimized humans designed for love, not productivity.”
I read that from Kate Bowler’s blessing (Read it HERE.) And I can’t shake it out of my head. Especially, with all the AI and faster ways to work and get more done in a shorter time frame… such a good reminder.
5. Shuffle board is not all about strength.
Practicing for my 80’s, and I might have finally found my sport. I may have been on the winning team 3 days in a row (and we didn’t just win by a little!). The trick? It’s not all about strength. I should have guessed that since I’m pretty sure the game was invented by grandmas. 👵🏻
6. Sourdough should be framed.
After deeming this the summer of sourdough, we spent hours studying and gave our best attempt at baking our own loaf … our first few loaves landed somewhere between Pintrest fail (#NailedIt!) and edible with a gooey center.
I have a new found appreciation and admiration for anyone who gives away a beautiful loaf of sourdough. Loaves like that should be framed, not cut open and buttered.
I’m happy to report … My sister-in-law texted the other day and said we have graduated to the intermediate sourdough bakers bracket. 🎓🥖🥹
Our new favorite? Cinnamon & sugar mini loaves 🤤 ⤴
Bonus round:
7. The Magic in Minis
A family friend invited us to Club 33 at Disneyland… a members only fancy-pants restaurant, hidden in New Orleans square. They have a strict dress code and rules … and if you don’t respect them, they will give your member-friend the bootski out of their top-secret club. BUT SO FUN!
We traded our jeans and tennies for dresses and heels and planned to, of course, stop by the castle for a couple photos before our reservation.
But well, we got a rocky start… slow uber driver, long walk in heels, the park was PACKED and all our wonderful buffer time was used up. And trying to get a good photo of all of us at the castle was crazy.
I had found the perfect light and saw the composition… but getting the crowds to break long enough so someone wouldn’t walk in front of the picture was just not going to happen and we had to get moving. Now normally, that’s when families get a little tense, snappy, and short (not ours, but other families 😉) I know because as a family photographer, I’ve seen it happen a million times.
There happened to be a disney photographer walking by, I asked if he wouldn’t mind snapping a photo for us with our iphone. In a moment, I could tell this wasn’t just someone taught how to use the camera and go… he was the real deal and whipped out his big camera. He saw the light and composition too and went crazy over it.
Stand here … pose like this, laugh in, do this…
“This is SO GOOD!!” “The light is AMAZING!” “Wow! I love this!” 🤩🏰
…. The crowds started moving around him. (and even lining up for photos too!) We were belly laughing at the silly things he was having us do.
My sister nudged me … “This is you at your sessions when you get going.” Such a treat to get to experience what it feels like on the other side of the camera. 🥰
In a matter of minutes, we were back on schedule, had TONS of amazing photos, and left laughing!
My takeaway: I have the power to change an entire family's mood and give them a lasting memory all in a matter of a 20 minute session at my family mini sessions… What an honor that is!
Your turn: what did you learn this summer? Hit reply and share the wealth—I'm genuinely curious, and my inbox could use more real talk and fewer marketing-ish emails.
Here's to lessons learned, wisdom earned, and the beautiful mess of figuring it out as we go!
Warmly,
