Are you regretting you missed out on a chance to update your family’s photo this year? Do you always feel like you are not ready for a close-up? You hair has not been cut in couple months, your nails are not done, you still have those last few pounds to shed..no, no chances for pictures this year, maybe next year….. So when I came across this article, I felt it was a perfect summary of what is really important. Definitely put everything in perspective.

Spend a quiet moment to read it… is there a perfect time? by deb schwedhelm

a friend posed this question today on her facebook wall: what is holding you back from booking a family photo session?

quite a few women (moms) quickly commented that their weight is holding them back, which made me really sad. and a few posted money, which i understand but i also believe that there’s enough photographers out there to cover everybody’s budget.

this all led me to thinking about the perfect time.

is there ever a perfect time to have photographs taken of your family?

i posted on our wallflower friends blog today about an awesome article i read, which had the overall theme of taking the time to slow down and appreciate life and the everyday beauty that surrounds us. in a swirly kind of way, i feel what i shared there and what i’m sharing here is totally intertwined.

it’s so easy to say –
i’m too fat.
i have too much going on.
we’re too busy.
maybe next year.

but i just want to say STOP IT! we need to take the time to appreciate the value of family photos, if not for ourselves (because we’re too fat or whatever), then for our children. in 20 years, your children are not going to say,

i really love this photo of my family but i wish my mom had waited until she lost some weight.

and i think about steve’s mom, who died when she was 40, only months after being diagnosed with breast cancer. steve was five at the time she passed away. he cherishes every single photo of his mom (not just the ones where she was thin, beautiful and looked perfect).

and kirsten sandstrom, who recently passed away at the age of 37, leaving behind a husband and three young boys. i don’t think for one second that those boys will look at photographs of their mom (who pre-cancer probably wished she could have lost some weight) and see her as anything except the most amazing and beautiful mom there ever was.

NO, THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME.

i hope that this will inspire someone, who might be waiting for that perfect time or to lose a couple of pounds, to book a photographer…today!

and let us all try to slow down, remember what’s important and see and hear the everyday beauty that surrounds us.

Lina Jarmond Photography|Raleigh Newborn Photographer|Raleigh Children Photographer

I’m thankful for my baby girl who is turning NINE today. Happy Birthday miss T.!

I’m thankful for the climate I live in. Being born and raised in the country with snow season starting in October and lasting through April, I am extremely thankful for my flip-flops in November. I do not miss the pain of froze-bitten cheeks and seeing men with frosted mustache

I’m thankful for NBA lock-out – while negotiations aimed at ending the NBA lockout quietly resumed the other day, I am enjoying more time with my husband, no fantasy basketball phone calls and no time in front of TV following his favorite teams and players. (psss, don’t tell him I said this)

I am thankful for getting back in playing tennis. I grew up with tennis. Almost all family vacations were spent watching my dad play in various tennis tournaments. He still plays tennis a few times a week, and I am so proud of him staying active and healthy and ignoring his knees I did not start playing tennis till I was adult, and then an unfortunate accident prevented me from playing it for couple years. Just a few months ago I fully recovered and was able to play again. I missed it so so much! I tried running, joined morning boot camp, did pilates. And while all those forms of physical activity were good to my body and mental state, none of them gave joy and satisfaction as tennis does.

I’m thankful for TiVo. When my husband first mentioned getting it years ago, I thought it was just another “guy thing”. Boy, was I wrong! I don’t have time or desire to adjust my life to TV schedule. And I don’t think it’s realistic to live with no TV in this society. So having control over when to watch and cut time spent in front of TV virtually in half, is a wonderful thing! And by the way, I am looking forward to my busy season winding down so I can watch the latest season of “True Blood” I missed while traveling this summer. Bite me!

I’m thankful for anything Apple. It was very sad to hear about Steve Jobs passing away. My life is all about Apple – iPhone, iMac, MacBookPro, iPad. Even my daughter’s teacher uses iPad at school and a few apps improved her math skills. How could I not be thankful for everything Apple!

I’m thankful, actually, for all the bad things that happened to me. It made me stronger, made me appreciate and value good times and positive outcomes. If I did not know low, how would I know high?

I am thankful for stock market not crashing again. Not yet. As CNBC is always in the background when my husband is working from home, it is scary to know so much about the finance world. It’s so closely related to our daily life – the price of gas and milk and bread, and everyone’s jobs and ability to afford quality photography ultimately leads to my own quality of living.

I’m thankful for my friends. My true friends. Friends I see every day, and friends I see once every few years. But I know if I need to cry or laugh or ask for anything, those people will be here for me. And I am thankful for life’s lessons that helped me to find those true friends I love so dearly.

I am thankful for the kindness of strangers. I love it when someone I don’t know smiles at me or says or does something nice and sweet, just because. They don’t know me, and they don’t have to do that, but putting a smile on your face puts smiles on people around you.

What are you thankful for?

Lina Jarmond Photography|Raleigh Newborn Photographer|Raleigh Children Photographer

“I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.”

“I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feet. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.”

Lina Jarmond Photography|Raleigh Newborn Photographer|Raleigh Children Photographer

With original location being in North Raleigh (at Baileywick Park), Jennifer just opened up Cary location. A few weeks ago she did a late morning class (8am is really late compare to regular 5.30am) at the new location in Cary. I was photographing the exhibition class, and believe it or not – I was jealous I did not get to work out that day! The sun was high, it was hot and humid, but everyone had fun! Here are a few snaps from that day – regular women at different stages of their journey. Nobody posed for pictures, so it’s all real! If you are looking for that kick in the butt, come and hang out with us!

Check out Triangle Boot Camp website and if you decide to join, tell Jennifer I sent you

Lina Jarmond Photography|Raleigh Newborn Photography|Raleigh Children Photography