Goodbye...and Hello

Hi friends,

Exciting news! I've got a new site, new blog, new name! Well, my name is still Deanna, but you know what I mean. Hahaha, the other day Cash was in the shower and yells out, "Mom! Mom! Mom,mom,mom! DEANNA!!" Apparently he's learned my name. :)

So, this blog closes a chapter of photography for me and I'm starting a new one. I'll probably always keep this blog up but I won't be updating it anymore.

CHECK OUT THE NEW SITE HERE!

xo,
Deanna

Love and Marriage

I got married when I was 20 years old. I met Mat when I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. We met in biology and my first run in with him involved him spitting in a cup because he forgot to bring a liquid to class. Classy stuff. :)

In my mind, we've pretty much grown up together. I love doing life with him. We are constantly learning what it means to have a good marriage and definitely still growing. In this eighth year of marriage, we have grown closer and learned more about each other than we have the previous 7 years. So, I began to think about the top 5 things that we have learned.

Her smirk=the best!

1. Different is not wrong, it's just different. We went to a Love and Respect seminar when we first got married and it set the tone for our marriage. We are still learning this even to this day, but the point is that we're learning. :) We do our best to stay off the crazy cycle: without respect, he reacts without love and without love, she reacts without respect. However, the opposite is also true. Love and respect--it's a powerful thing.

2. I'm usually right, except when I'm wrong. Just ask him. ;) He values my opinion and often asks for my input when he's creating, building and making career decisions. That means the world to me. His opinion matters to me too, but in a different way. I'm not a questioning person. I usually don't ask if what I'm about to do is a good idea, or if there's anything I should tweak. It's in my nature. However, I don't make decisions about things that will affect our family without talking with him first. Not to get his approval per se, but to get his input before making the decision. If he's as comfortable as I am, then I'll make whatever decision is best. In contrast, Mat will ask for my input during his entire thinking process. Either way, I love putting in my opinion input and getting his.

3. Debt is dumb. Just learn this early people! I wish we had known this. When we bought our first car it was the result of a car accident (ahem, another lesson) and the insurance paid out the value of the car. We took the money, applied to it a credit card and then went an bought a brand new car complete with car loan. Does that sound dumb or what? We didn't buy a used car because the interest rate was going to be whopping 6% instead of 2%. So bought and new car and I distinctly remember sitting down and figuring out that the $1500 cash back that we'd get from the new car "special" or choosing to do the "special" 2% interest rater equaled the exact same thing! We were not smart. Credit cards (mine), laptops that died before they got paid off (his) and a brand new car with loan (ours) taught us lessons we plan on sparing our children from. Now we only buy if we have cash and so we don't buy much; when and if we do buy stuff, it's takes time. We are totally okay with that.

4. Having children is no joke. It takes work. Every single day. Arguing/disagreeing in front of them is not an option. If dad says no, so does mom. If we don't agree then we discuss it when the littles aren't paying attention. On the other hand, going on dates and only talking about the children is a no-no. It's really easy to keep them as the main topic of conversation but before they were, we were. :)

5. Marriage should be fun. For a while we were stressed out. Working, working, making it, not making it, working, throw a kid (or two) in the mix, living, scheduling, working some more. We forgot to laugh, enjoy each other, remember that the reason we got married was because we enjoyed being around each other. Learning how to communicate, respecting each other's time and opinions, valuing what the other contributes to the home and family life will ease up even the heaviest of loads. When you love on purpose, laugh because you remember that your spouse really is funny and not take life's journey so seriously (and by seriously I mean in stride, not Neverland), you'll have a lot of fun.

We are farrrr from perfect. We are still working on setting a budget every month (I love budgets, he gets overwhelmed at the details), getting our chores done (I kinda refuse to take out the trash, he leaves his shoes everywhere) and learning how to grow a business and a ministry at the same time (I love photography, he loves youth ministry). I couldn't imagine doing life with anyone else and am so glad that God saw it fit that we should be together. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Cake, Wednesdays and Getting Fired

It's Wednesday and my brain is a mess. I need coffee for my coffee. I haven't slept well the past two nights at all. I blame cake. I haven't had a huge amount of cake in over 5 or 6 months. Even during our birthday month, I think I only had a small slice on each birthday. And then the other night, my father in law turned 60 and well, my sister-in-laws made a three layer cake. And my mother-in-law gave me enough cake for me, my children and any other children that ever wanted to join our family. And.I.ate.the.whole.thing. It was delicious. My body didn't sleep for 2 days. Apparently, sugar detoxing for 3 weeks and then eating that much cake mess you up. I dreamed my husband came home from work at 5:15 am and Mr. Golden Sun was blazing hot and the children were running around with supervision. That was all a matter of seconds after he walked through the door with the children while I was napping. Cake hurts so good.

I work in an office full of men. Did you know that? I'm the only girl in the office. The only one that wears colored pencil skirts, frills sleeves and sandals. I just realized I only own one pair of sandals. Um, and then I handed in my girl card. Anyhow, it's not unusual to get home and 10 minutes later and get a text from my boss that says something like, "DEANNA CHAPA!!!!!! YOU'RE KILLING ME!!!!!" Kid you not. I usually laugh really hard, because I forgot to turn off the air. Again. I can't help it if in my caring nature I want them to stay cool in the office instead of suffering in 95 degree heat. Compassion is going to get me fired. So I put up a sticky note. Then two more notes. Then my co-worker added another note for good measure. Hi, I'm Dory.

I love Animoto videos. Especially when cake keeps you up late at night and its been months since you unloaded your photos from your phone. Cash woke up the other night crying in his sleep. He said he wanted to take a picture. I told him we'd take pictures tomorrow. He cried harder. Then fell back to sleep. Weird child.

Happy Wednesday! Go eat some cake.

Gramming

I love IG. At night I lay in bed an usually catch up on the last 14+ hours of the day through other people's photos. And apparently I have this thing for landscapes because a lot of the people I follow are pure iPhone users and they take the most beautiful landscape photos.

If you ever want to see a funny series, look up the hashtag #onlockedown by Jessica Claire. Funniest mommy thing ever. I laugh out loud every time.

I usually am just documenting my kiddos and moments I don't want to forget. One day I'll upgrade my phone, but for now, I'm just happy to have recorded the moments. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Changes are a Comin'

Since the inception of my photography journey I have always called myself Urban Rose Photography. I've gone through a myriad of looks all while trying to discover my "style" and how I wanted to present myself.

In 2008 my logo looked like this...oh, my word. So homemade and novice. However the girl, she's beautiful. Even still today.

Below I set up a white sheet at church on Easter and then did the best.photoshop.work.ever. ;) Okay, I'm slightly embarrassed that I even posted these, BUT we all start somewhere and it's fun to see how far a person can grow. That little boy in the picture? Just turned 12. 

Around 2009-10 I updated my look. Big change, right? My dog used to be skinny and a snob. Now she's just a snob...and not really mine anymore. *sniff* However, my photoshop skills did get better. :)

Eventually I moved on, developed my style and decided I wanted something more classic and timeless. And this logo was born:

I have loved this logo, icon and look for a couple of years now (except that this rose is huuuuge right here). I think its classic and timeless which is how I wanted to present my brand. Not faddish or super trendy. I made the rose and its still a favorite. However, the name no longer fits. I don't want to be Urban Rose anymore. My style isn't "urban" and is no longer "trendy." I love classic photography. Classic looks. Photos that people will still love 10, 20 and 30 years from now. So I've decided to let go of Urban Rose. Beginning in October I'll be just Deanna Rose. Me. My name. My brand. Still deciding whether or not to keep the rose icon. I still love it.

I'm excited for the change. Excited to just be me. Maybe I'll quit getting phone calls from people who find me online and call me asking if I develop photos and how much film costs. Or whether or not I can take their passport photos. Or how much I charge to do 50 wallets. Change is a good thing and I'm ready.

Happy Monday!

This Guy

This past weekend was Father's Day and I haven't had the chance to sit down and write a brag about this handsome man. Mat has been working two jobs for about...well, actually I think he's been working two jobs almost as long as we've been married. Without complaint, he goes from one job to the other making a living for his family. 

About two and a half years ago he got a job at UPS with the intention of making UPS the career job. At UPS they tell you at your first interviews (at 3am and 4am!!) to not expect to be promoted, get more than a slight raise etc. in the first two years. We discussed it, prayed about it and decided that we would make the sacrifice in order to further his chances at a full time career with UPS. It was almost exactly two years before he was promoted to a part-time supervisor. A supervisor whom they really like. A supervisor who gets things done in such a great way that they will move him to different areas to improve that area because he's pretty no-nonsense about the job. And no, I'm not in denial that they may be moving him "trying to find a perfect fit" because they don't know what to do with him.

Howevvvver, UPS starting pay was barely liveable and so he got a second job at an after-school program before moving onto a cabinet shop where he used to work when he was straight out of high school. The cabinet shop has been a blessing to our family providing him work at a very fair wage. He works hard, up at 3am and down to bed about 9pm on a good night. Goes from one job straight to the other and not one single time does he complain that he hates to work two jobs. He does ask me to rub his back though...every.single.night. And I do...most of time. :)

As soon as he walks in the door from his last job he's down on the floor playing dinosaur with two little boys who are oh-so-happy to see their daddy. And then mom steps in to kill their fun, give dad a break and feed the family some dinner. After that it's bedtime and we start all over in the morning. But not before playing dinosaur one more time.

He's such a good man. I stand back and observe, amazed at the work God has done in his life. And then I reminisce about the times when we were 16 and 17 and we would walk to McDonald's on First St. and sit there for 3 hours, just talking. 

Happy {late} Father's Day Chapa. You make our lives so good. We love and appreciate you more than we could ever express and these two little boys got a great dad in you! xo

Greyson | Six Months Gilroy Children Photography

This little guy is 6 months old already! Time flies when you're having fun.

Currently:

*Has two teeth *Likes to scream to get your attention...and it works *Pretty much sleeps through the night

*ADORES his older brother *Loves his toes *Has taken to solids and prefers to chew on food than drink milk *Is usually not so serious *Has the most unruly hair (we've got gel and hairspray on his head in these photos, otherwise he would look homeless, no matter how nice his outfit is) *Is referred to as Little Bubba T-Rex, Chubbas and Chunk

Instagram: October

A little bit of our October mornings and musings

Follow me on Instagram: urbanrosephoto

*ETA: I recently had to make my account private because I was getting spammed, so please send a request to follow. Hate that I had to do that and hopefully I'll be able to change that in the next month or so.*

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
1. He's the best when he's asleep, I could just sit there and watch him 2. He's obsessed with his tie and microphone. Only after he has both of those is he ready for "choorch." 3. Sick kiddos get to spend more time in mommy's bed 4. He is such a smiler and he's just starting to laugh/screech 5. Horrible, no good, very bad day (remember that book?) 6. An in between moment 7. A reminder to remember when church sermons were interrupted by feeding sessions 8. Grey laying on Cash's arm laying on his daddy's arm--cropped daddy out because he's definitely not as cute as the boys in the morning 9. Amusing myself waiting for a session to start. Had spent the weekend with sick boys (see the horrible dark circles?)

Happy Thursday! Happy November!!

P.S. Going to be blogging about getting natural expression from your kiddos next week, stay tuned! :)

Pumpkin Patch

I'm so sorry I haven't been blogging or keeping up here--I do have sessions to blog just haven't gotten around to them, but I have some fresh sessions coming up soon! Life's been a tiny bit crazy around here since Grey came along. I finally had the courage to venture out with the kiddos...okay, not total courage because I take someone with me every time I go out because I'm way too wimpy to handle both kids on my own--besides, Cash loves his aunties! ;) And they are the best.aunts.in.the.world!

Just a peek at our day! The happy parts of it anyway...ha! :)

My sister. Getting some photos for her blog.

He's totally been digging hats and ties lately. His shirt got ruined as soon as we got there because his mother acted all newbie-ish and bought him a slushy first thing. 

The top picture is from last year and the bottom one is this year.

Happy Sunday!

Instagram

1. I got really obsessed with black and white pictures in square format. 2. Really obsessed 3. My husband packed the diaper bag that morning. 4. I have this canvas. Yep. That's as far as I got in the process. 5. My love bug. He's a month old now. 6. He woke up happy! For this first time in WEEKS! 7. Helping my mom with a project. 8. My and the Boogerhead.

Why Hello Grey!

Boogerhead at 22 Months

He currently:

*Loves his microphone (give him a mic and he will preach, sing and perform his heart out)

*Loves all things horses

*Will hear any train in the distance, gasp and cry out "hooo-hoooo"

*Adores Buzz Lightyear

*Will tell you the animal sounds for the doggy, horsey, kitty, monkey, elephant, cow, duck, lion, bird, piggy, fish, frog, bear and I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting

*Can listen to his Aunt "Niss" sing all day

*Is learning to play by himself

*Prefers a shower over a bath

*Is happier naked than dressed

*Starts every.single.sentence. with Mama. Which he will repeat until you answer, "Yes, Cash."

*Amazes us every day.

*Kills me at night when he wants me to lay down next to his bed. He doesn't know my stomach no longer fits in the space by his bed or that my sciatic nerve hates me in the position.

Overwhelmed...and happy

This kid. He overwhelms us. And makes us so very happy.

Holding on Tighter

It was a morbid dream. Involving floods, being trapped at a campsite, seeing tons of kids not having a clue about what the flood of waters meant...and losing my little boy. In my dream rescuers came and they rejoiced when they saw I was alone because it was easy to save a single person. When I told them I wasn't alone but had lost my baby, they laughed at me and said I was just trying to play on their sympathies so I could get out faster. My world spun and it made no sense. No knowing what else to do I held my little boy for them to see. They quit laughing and I woke up.

Laying in the dark, I told Mat my dream and I began to cry. I cried because I didn't think I could ever deal with such a loss and don't even want to think about it. I cried because breathing softly in my arms was my little boy asleep with no cares in the world. I cried because I was so grateful to hold him tightly.

Ever since my dream I've held him tighter. Cuddled him longer. Cherished his laugh. Delighted in the new tricks his dad has taught him. Taken the time to listen to his chatter and conversations. I love my baby boy. I love looking through photos of him, seeing how much he's grown and praying God's protection over him.

I hope you're loving your babies today!

Happy Wednesday!

Friday, ahem, Saturday Randomness

We ate, slept and laid around watching movies and doing absolutely nothing. For the first time in over a year and it was so incredibly relaxing. We surrendered our child Saturday morning to my amazing sister for the rest of the weekend and spent the rest of the entire time with no schedule. We got massages, well actually Mat got a massage and I got something that made me more tense because the pressure was so weak. Its probably mostly my fault though, I was too scared to interrupt the silence to tell the woman MORE PRESSURE! Poor Mat has had to compensate since then with my constant please-rub-my-shoulders-because-she-did-such-an-awful-job request. I'm wondering how much longer I can play out that excuse...

Yesterday Mat came home from work (he works a very early morning shift for a delivery company) with flowers and chocolates. I'm sure I looked totally frazzled chasing around a one year old who thinks diaper changing is a game, but it totally  made my morning! Until I came home and found Mat had dug into the chocolate he bought me. Dude! I may or may not have hid the rest. Especially because I've been eating sweets like crazy trying to abstain from anything fatty before our family shoot this weekend.

Which I still need to shop for. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I've started to stress out about this. To all my clients, I now feel for you. I mean I've done this before but that was before I got on Pinterest and saw all the yummy clothing goodness and options. Makes me feel so....momish. Seriously, I can be wearing something that I think is cute only to find out that I look like I'm wearing Lee brand mom jeans (like the ones in the Saturday Nigh Live commercial) with a tucked in polo. Ugh. I want to look like a mom who doesn't have a pile of laundry, dishes at the end of every night and who dries her Egyptian cotton sheets in the Febreeze scented wind.

Happy Friday all--if you need me, I'll be getting my eyebrows waxed dreaming of Febreeze scented sheets and perfect massages.

Taking a Risk

Taking risks scares the bajeebus out of me. If I send an email to someone I don't know very well proposing something new I will check it every five minutes, if I sent a photo I wait for it to show up on Facebook AND wait for people to comment. I, unapologetically, thrive on praise. It's part of my nature and both my mom and husband know it. I hate to feel like I might have failed and the anticipation of KNOWING that I even might have failed in even the smallest ways gives me a little anxiety and makes me eat. lol. So if I gain ten pounds today...you'll need no explaining. Oh, and all this stress could be for something minor.

I'm not writing this because I want a pat on the back, a hug that its okay or praise for what I do. I genuinely wanted to share this. Because once I get anxiety I have a chat will myself (and very often out loud) and tell myself that I'm not going to succeed EVERY TIME. But every time I put myself out there I'm one step closer to living my dreams and I've learned one more way NOT to do something. It's okay to fail. It's okay mess up. As long as every time you mess you keep going. John Maxwell calls it failing forward.

I'm going to learn to embrace failure. Failure is just one step closer to the life that I dream about.

Happy Wednesday <3

P.S. If you're not my friend on Facebook or Twitter come join me! If you love Pinterest you can follow me there too!

He's One!

He walked, got his first haircut and turned a year old all on the same day.

And I didn't cry. My mom did though.

I just love my little boogerhead. He has been so much fun and I can't believe that he's a year old. I know it's SO cliche but time really does fly. Except at 3:00 in the morning. It is unbelievable how much time slows down at that hour when there are deafening screams echoing through the house. But he's getting better. I hope. Or we may have an adoption happening very soon...

We shot these at a park around the corner from my parent's house. I love, love, love them. The light was golden and beautiful. I practiced a new sun flare technique and love the results. There's no photos of me and Cash because...well...let's just say Mat isn't a photographer. ;) We're working on it. Family photos happen next month so hopefully we'll have some of me and boogerface soon.

Happy birthday Cashy-Cash! Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back again.

xoxo

I Interrupt This Week...

...to bring you this adorable little fellow.

Who interrupts my week. Quite often.



I'm trying out some new blog storyboard layouts that I got from Brand Sushi. I think I like them lots. :)

Happy almost Wednesday!