Categories
Photo Sessions Photography

Our Family Photo Shoots: Why Photographers Need to Hire Other Photographers

I’m am one of those moms that got into photography so I could be cheap and take photos of my own kids without having to pay someone else to do it. Sad, but totally true. As I’ve progressed in my business over the last 5 years, however, I’ve learned that even though I technically could take our photos, its so much better to hire it out. A tripod and self-timer could never replace the eye and vision required by the photographer who wields the camera. There’s also the “photographer’s child” syndrome where my kids have modeled for so long they refuse to listen to anything I say. Add to that my love of lifestyle photography (vs. more posed portraits) and I’d have to be a super ninja to work that out on my own.

Thankfully I know some amazing photographers (who are also great friends), and hired them to photograph our family antics over the years. I can’t replace those photos. They are so precious to me, and so much more enjoyable ON my walls and not just on a disk on my computer. Unfortunately, I don’t have room for a 30×40 canvas in the Airstream, but a girl can dream right? I just recently printed a few more 8×10’s and 5×7’s and got them framed and up on the wall and my heart just sings every time I look at them.

Lesson? Even if you are the best photographer in the world, find someone whose work you love and hire them. Then you can just relax and be your true self. Its worth it. I promise.

November 2013 by Kylene Cleaver

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June 2013 by Kara Elmore

IMG_8807IMG_8537IMG_8418Sept 2011 by Kara Elmore

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November 2010 by Jami Edman

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Fall 2009 by Jami Edman

 

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Categories
Finances & Money

How Much Does it Cost to Live in an Airstream? February Summary

How Much Does it Cost to Live in an Airstream Feb 2014

What amazes me about life on the road is how unpredictable it is. One month can be completely different from the last, but that’s what makes it so exciting! At the same time, variety makes budgeting difficult.

I’ll detail a post later on about how I budget in general (because that’s not really Airstream life specific) but just know that these are not ALL of our expenses. Not even close. These are just the ones that are fairly Airstream specific. We still have health insurance, life insurance, entertainment, loans on the Airstream and truck, HSA contributions, children’s savings, mortgage and utilities on the house in Lehi… You get the idea.

But aside from all that, most people want to know what it’ll cost in the Airstream. The biggest differences for us are the camping fees, higher gas spending, higher groceries, laundry, and occasionally the higher eating out (only because we never really ate out before).

This month we spent 1 week at Disneyland in an RV Park, and then another week in San Diego (actually 2 – but we crossed into March). A little bit of courtesy parking, regional park in AZ, and a National Park in CA. So, pretty varied as far as camping fees go. BUT we also drove less. WAY less. So less gas money. It seems we average out between the two most months.

Here are February’s numbers:

Feb 1st: Halfway between Tuscon, AZ and Phoenix, AZ
Feb 31st: San Diego, CA

Total miles driven: 1,301
Total miles towing the Airstream: 687
Average Towing Miles per Week: 172

Camping Fees (State parks, RV campgrounds): $1029.55
# of Nights Courtesy Parked with a friend/free parking: 2
Gas: $321.59
Propane: $55.70 (way less! Hooray for an electric heater!)
Groceries: $612.45 (also includes all paper goods, and Pull Ups)
Laundry: $21.25
Dining Out: $111.81 (does not include eating out at Disneyland – that was budgeted separately)

Here’s our 3 month average for Dec 2013 – Feb 2014:

Average Miles per Month: 1997
Average Towing Miles per Month: 1194
Average Towing Miles per Week: 99.5

Camping Fees: $23.87/night
Gas: $594.22/month
Propane: $79.44/month
Groceries: $662.56/month
Laundry: $18.42/month
Dining Out: $126.07/month

Not too shabby. We originally budgeted about $40/night average, $700 for groceries, and $700 for gas. So, under on all three! This makes me very hopeful we can continue this lifestyle without too much stress. Hooray!

Categories
California Daily Life

Staying in the City is Messing with My Brain

IMG_5307-EditIts been a really hard week. We’ve been in a city at an RV Park, its been raining, and we’ve been desperately trying to convince Cara she wants to be potty trained. All three have just really drained me in ways I didn’t expect. This week has also made me feel…normal. Which is weird, I realize, as I am lying in my bed in my kitchen. Going to the library, playing at the park, going to the museum because it is raining outside, sending my kids out the door to play with the 11 year old in the RV two sites down, sitting outside in a chair reading a book all are fairly normal-ish activities. We’ve been in a city, doing city things. And for some reason, that’s really confused my brain. And my emotional stability.

Add to that the emotional stress of watching Cara mentally struggle with her body, knowing she wants to, yet hearing her convince herself that “it’s okay. I’ll have more fun if I’m stuck inside and can’t go out to play”.  It breaks my heart. I feel like the meanest mom ever. So we are done. We are going to give her a choice tomorrow (pull-ups or to keep trying – 1 guess as to which one she’ll pick) and then be done. We gave it a good solid week of trying and she just doesn’t seem to be making the mental leap and I can’t torture her any longer. I’m ready to go play with ALL my kids.

I love San Diego – we’ve seen some beautiful sites, repaired and strengthened friendships and family ties, and taken some down time. We are going to keep busy this week with some fun outings and then head out to more secluded areas. Two weeks in the same spot in the same city is plenty for us – it is time to wander again.

Categories
This Week on Instagram

This Week on Instagram: February 22-28, 2014

San Diego is beautiful! Although staying in an RV Park is definitely not our first choice, we are close to the city and all it has to offer. However, between finishing off potty training Cara and the torrential downpour the last few days, I feel like we haven’t been able to see much. Yet. But then I look back at where we have been this week and I suppose we are doing all right. Highlights include an Organ Recital at Balboa Park, BYU Ballet, earning a Jr. Ranger Badge at Cabrillo National Monument, visiting the San Diego LDS temple, the downtown library, and the Science Museum. We have another week here to cram in everything we haven’t been able to do yet. We are excited for a busy, dry week!

This Week on Instagram Feb 22-28 2014

Categories
Giveaways

Reader Appreciation & Giveaway!

Saguaro National Park Arizona

All right! We have officially been on the road in the Airstream for 3 months and 15 days. We left Utah for our house swap in Virginia 7 months and 15 days ago. INSANE. Wow. Time flies. We LOVE that you come and read our blog, but now we need some input. When we envisioned Currently Wandering, we wanted more than just a travel log. I have these memories of sitting in my grandparents living room while watching slide after slide of vacation photos and trying to stay awake. Although the places we visit are (for the most part) exciting and worthwhile, we definitely didn’t want that to be the complete focus of our writing.

We pow-wowed and came up with a few categories we could write about and hopefully provide useful and entertaining information: Homeschool, Photography, Our LDS Faith, Airstream Life (things we can’t live without, daily life, upgrades, travel schedules, recipes, money, etc.), and Adventure Reports (places we’ve been, what we liked, what we didn’t, campgrounds).

That leads us to where YOU come in. While we write for ourselves, for memory, and for our family, we also want to HELP you. ENTERTAIN you. INSPIRE you to get out and wander however that works for you in your life. We want to create and help sustain a community of those that are inspired to go and chase their dreams to explore the wonderful world around us. So, what would you like us to write more about? What are your favorite posts? What do you look forward to reading? Do we need more photos? Less photos? Is there something we shouldn’t write about? What are we missing?

Here is how this works: Leave a comment on this post before 8pm PST on Thursday, March 6th with your favorite topics/posts or other ideas to write about and we will pick a random commentator to win our prize!

51-Mo1fUoGL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-v3-big,TopRight,0,-55_SX278_SY278_PIkin4,BottomRight,1,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_Our giveaway will be copy (physical or kindle) of 360 Degrees Longitude, One Family’s Journey Around the World. 

Before we left for Virginia, a friend loaned us this book and we both read and loved it. It’s an entertaining read, and was part of our inspiration as we set off on our adventures.

Once again so grateful for everyone’s comments, support, and interest. It helps us become more engaged, and our writing become more enjoyable.