On the way to Kauai
It's been a rough week. Lucas and I have been arguing like crazy about stupid crap. I feel like he doesn't hear anything I say, and he feels like I am attacking him. It's crazy and getting old. Hopefully, since I will be quitting Hawaiian soon, we can work on our communication a little more.
The decision to leave Hawaiian came to me all of a sudden a couple weeks ago. I never thought I would come to this conclusion, but it seems like the most logical idea. Luke and I have successful businesses that are suffering from us having to work around my Hawaiian schedule. We have a baby on the way, which will require most of my attention for the next year. And if we both bring our businesses to their full potentials, we could afford to fly to Hawaii whenever we wanted. Seriously - I never even have TIME to fly between my photo business and working at Hawaiian. What's the point?! In addition, many of the trips we want to take (and are priorities) won't be benefited by working at Hawaiian. For example, Disneyland, Ashland, Vegas, etc.
The final straw came when Fran announced new shift bids just three months after the last bid. I have been on MTW - off for weekends - which has been essential to running my business and spending quality time with my family. So the stress of not knowing how much my schedule would change and affect my current situation... That stress was almost crippling! I was already trying to figure out how I was going to make things work during an October with five weddings (one of which requires me to be in Kauai for a week)! How would I juggle Hawaiian's changes too?! When the idea to quit came to me, it was SO refreshing. I texted Luke right away with my idea, and he told me he would support me in whatever I wanted to do. He said that he loved having the benefits, but that the trips are still extremely expensive and unnecessary. I agreed, and the idea of being home full-time again lifted a HUGE weight off my shoulders. I could be domestic! I could take the girls to school! I could plan dinners and take extended weekends and anything else Hawaiian kept me from doing in the past. When we found out that I was able to keep my MTW schedule, Luke was so sold on my original idea of quitting that there was no way I could take it back. He wanted and needed me at home, and that's what I was gonna do.
So that's the plan. As far as my October goes, the second trimester energy spurt is in full force and I feel fantastic. I still try to sleep as much as possible (and often average 8 or 9 hours per night), but I don't require a nap every single day. I'm not dragging on a regular basis like before. I'm also not wondering how I am going to keep up with my photography workload because (except for blogging) I am ahead of the game. Woot! Go me! I plan to save most of my blogging for my slow winter months anyway. This past weekend I shot back-to-back weddings with Jessica - Saturday was Lincoln and Sunday was Tahoe. It was insanely crazy, but I did SO well and kept up perfectly. Now, I may not have kept up if it was a Calvina wedding - that girl runs me ragged. :-) But I was certainly proud of myself and all I can feel is the need to accomplish more. And with more of my second shooters hiring ME to second next year, there will be so many chances to fill in that position. It's a nice change from being primary.
So, as I head to Kauai to shoot wedding #4 of the month, I am looking forward to some Trizza time, some shopping, and maybe some decent pampering. I plan to get some work done too - I packed the laptop so I could work on a wedding and an album. Tonight I am alone, but tomorrow I photograph Stacey and Shawn's welcome bbq and Thursday Luke and Calvina will be flying in to meet me. It's unfortunate that I can't drink during the year that I have so many amazing trips, but I plan to have some good eats anyway. :-)
The decision to leave Hawaiian came to me all of a sudden a couple weeks ago. I never thought I would come to this conclusion, but it seems like the most logical idea. Luke and I have successful businesses that are suffering from us having to work around my Hawaiian schedule. We have a baby on the way, which will require most of my attention for the next year. And if we both bring our businesses to their full potentials, we could afford to fly to Hawaii whenever we wanted. Seriously - I never even have TIME to fly between my photo business and working at Hawaiian. What's the point?! In addition, many of the trips we want to take (and are priorities) won't be benefited by working at Hawaiian. For example, Disneyland, Ashland, Vegas, etc.
The final straw came when Fran announced new shift bids just three months after the last bid. I have been on MTW - off for weekends - which has been essential to running my business and spending quality time with my family. So the stress of not knowing how much my schedule would change and affect my current situation... That stress was almost crippling! I was already trying to figure out how I was going to make things work during an October with five weddings (one of which requires me to be in Kauai for a week)! How would I juggle Hawaiian's changes too?! When the idea to quit came to me, it was SO refreshing. I texted Luke right away with my idea, and he told me he would support me in whatever I wanted to do. He said that he loved having the benefits, but that the trips are still extremely expensive and unnecessary. I agreed, and the idea of being home full-time again lifted a HUGE weight off my shoulders. I could be domestic! I could take the girls to school! I could plan dinners and take extended weekends and anything else Hawaiian kept me from doing in the past. When we found out that I was able to keep my MTW schedule, Luke was so sold on my original idea of quitting that there was no way I could take it back. He wanted and needed me at home, and that's what I was gonna do.
So that's the plan. As far as my October goes, the second trimester energy spurt is in full force and I feel fantastic. I still try to sleep as much as possible (and often average 8 or 9 hours per night), but I don't require a nap every single day. I'm not dragging on a regular basis like before. I'm also not wondering how I am going to keep up with my photography workload because (except for blogging) I am ahead of the game. Woot! Go me! I plan to save most of my blogging for my slow winter months anyway. This past weekend I shot back-to-back weddings with Jessica - Saturday was Lincoln and Sunday was Tahoe. It was insanely crazy, but I did SO well and kept up perfectly. Now, I may not have kept up if it was a Calvina wedding - that girl runs me ragged. :-) But I was certainly proud of myself and all I can feel is the need to accomplish more. And with more of my second shooters hiring ME to second next year, there will be so many chances to fill in that position. It's a nice change from being primary.
So, as I head to Kauai to shoot wedding #4 of the month, I am looking forward to some Trizza time, some shopping, and maybe some decent pampering. I plan to get some work done too - I packed the laptop so I could work on a wedding and an album. Tonight I am alone, but tomorrow I photograph Stacey and Shawn's welcome bbq and Thursday Luke and Calvina will be flying in to meet me. It's unfortunate that I can't drink during the year that I have so many amazing trips, but I plan to have some good eats anyway. :-)