Storytelling through Photography

The Beautiful Wedding of Josh Repovsch & Nicole Logan

Location: Riu Negril Resort in Jamaica

Family & friends traveled from afar to enjoy...

... sun, sand AND...

... swimming!

Yours truly was asked to photograph the special event. Enjoy!

Cheers to the new Mr. & Mrs. Repovsch!

May you enjoy living happily ever after.

Purposeful Shifts

A post of the letter from the Jessie Marie Studio Spring 2011 Newsletter sent on June 7, 2011.

 “All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages”
 

- William Shakespeare

For the second time the Scheunemann family is making a Purposeful Shift in their life. Some of you may remember Purposeful Shift #1: Project 2007. We quit our perfectly good jobs in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and drove to Alaska & back. After a job search, we landed in Champaign, Illinois and I began my career as a graphic designer at Horizon Hobby.

Purposeful Shift #2: The Scheunemann Switch
Since the day after our daughter, Cadence, was born in January 2009, Jarrod has been working on his masters in Park & Recreation Management at the University of Illinois. His flexible schedule allowed him to be home with Cadence most of the week. However, as of June 1st Jarrod was hired on full-time as the Community Services & Education Coordinator for the Office of Recreation and Park Resources at the University of Illinois. And I have left Horizon Hobby to focus solely on Jessie Marie Studio & Cadence Rose. All three of us are excited for the upcoming transition.

These kinds of Purposeful Shifts don’t happen overnight. In both cases we had a vision that formed into a tactile plan that we reviewed often. Teamwork & daily sacrifice were needed to keep us moving toward the future goal. And let me tell you, when a Purposeful Shift occurs it tastes so sweet because of all the hard work that was put into it.

Do you have a Purposeful Shift you would like to make in your life? What small step could you take today to make it happen?

Here's to transition!
Jessie Marie 

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Finding Balance

A post of the letter from the Jessie Marie Studio Winter 2011 Newsletter sent on February 17, 2011.

“Life is like riding a bicycle to keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

There are seasons of life where moving forward is the best course of action. A busy season at work, a new baby in the house or surviving a Midwestern winter. Jessie Marie Studio just exited its annual busy season.

For the past four years I've worked with the Denver Transportation Club to create a printed program, & other marketing collateral for their annual conference, Operation Stimulus. This project coincides with the holidays and Cadence’s birthday. Because of this timing, a magical balancing act has to take place. I don’t bathe in pixie dust nightly. Instead I made a plan, called on support & saw an end.

Make a Plan: Is there a relationship or project in need of your attention & energy? Recognizing where your focus needs to be makes it much easier to prioritize your time.

From previous years I knew the energy Operation Stimulus was going to take. I mentally prepared for the late nights, anticipated project challenges & stocked up on tea.

Call on Support: Do you know someone who will check up on you? Contact them. Tell them about that relationship or project. Talk to them weekly, better yet daily, to keep yourself accountable.

Jarrod is the reason projects like this one always end successfully. He didn’t only support me by checking in, he also did all the laundry, cooking AND dishes!

The End: Locate an end date when there will be time to celebrate. Or at least come up for air.

The end of my busy season is marked by Fat Camp. This year a girlfriend shared this great idea: Mini-celebrations. While working on her Spanish dissertation she feels the end will never come. To feel like she is finishing something she has a mini-celebration whenever she finishes food from her kitchen. A bag of chips emptied. Clapping & cheering! Last piece of spinach salad down the hatch. Hooting & hollering!

Balance is a tricky thing. Even with the best plan, the most dedicated supporters & the celebration of a lifetime planned, things can go array. You can try to take control of life by force. Or, may I suggest, take off the training wheels & enjoy the ride.

Here’s to finishing a mug of hot chocolate!
Jessie Marie 

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Restructuring Habits

A post of the letter from the Jessie Marie Studio Fall 2010 Newsletter sent on November 9, 2010

 

"Because how we spend our days is, of course,
how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

 

Pull out your checkbook. Take a look at the transactions from the last three months. Do you see well thought out purchases or unnecessary ones? Now, pull out your calendar. Look at how you have been spending your time. Have you been filling it with family & friends, working late or working out?

Your spending habits of money & time can either help or hinder you from achieving your dreams. Say you want to run a marathon. You can’t just show up on race day. You would die. Okay, not die, but those 26.2 miles would suck. You need to register for the event, buy a good pair of shoes & schedule time to train. In other words, you will need to restructure your current habits.

Reach. Reach. Kick. Kick. With the help of a floating device Cadence can swim. This feat was made possible by restructuring our family’s habits six months ago. We paid for the lessons, bought new swimsuits, and committed to heading to the swimming pool once or twice a week. Not only has Cadence gained beginning swimming skills, we have built relationships with other parents & their little swimmers. And now, Thursday night swimming lessons are a weekly habit.

I challenge you to restructure a habit or two over the next three months. You will probably not squeal with glee like Cadence does when she enters the pool when you first start. We adults are adverse to change & all. But, by the next time you hear from me that new habit will be a sign of you making your dreams come true.

Happy Dream Making!
Jessie Marie

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