Amy Wenzel Photography

Facebook welcomes the fogeys

I’m short on words tonight because I’m hurrying around trying to get ready for a short vacation in Savannah. David and I are taking some time off to relax and see the city together. I think it’s been about two weeks since I took my last deep breath, so I can’t wait to get on that plane, poke my bony knees into the seat of the person in front of me and finish reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. If any of my clients need to get in touch with me I will be periodically checking email and will be back at my desk on on Monday September 29.

These photos are from a recent senior session. Hands down, my seniors this year have been off the charts amazing girls! Inside and out! I can say with all sincerity that I have been so impressed by them. They are smart, talented, creative, beautiful, studious, mature and sweet. Even though this particular senior implied I was too old for Facebook (Just kidding, T. I totally love ya!) I’ll be blogging more of my seniors soon. Someone recently asked me if I haven’t been blogging because I haven’t been shooting. The truth is I don’t have enough hours in a day and I have neglected to share alot of great photos, but this blog train is a-rolling and I am ON IT!

A little thing called the wedding fuzzies

Every time I go to a wedding I find myself reaching over for David’s hand during the ceremony. I can’t help but remember 3 years ago and our own tear filled ceremony and the promise that we made to stick it out together for life. I love my husband dearly. He is my best friend and seriously the most talented and loving guy. Yes, sometimes we don’t get along. Yes, sometimes we don’t make enough time for eachother. And yes, I hate folding his socks (mostly because I have a sock phobia). But the truth is that I look forward to our life together and I know without a shadow of a doubt that we were meant to be. (I get a freebie to gush about him on the internet because I didn’t post anything on our anniversary this year). =)

Our adorable friends Billy and Anya got married this weekend and we had so much fun being there to support them. Well, it was also fun sitting around a table with the rest of our friends chatting the night away, egging each other to be the first to go make a fool of themselves on the dance floor and then watching our friend Brie do her fabulous hideous dancing just to frighten innocent people. Gosh I wish I had a photo of that. I tried to get video but I was too slow on the draw. It’s also nice to have a chance to dress up for a change and break away from my usual working attire of pajamas and a cup of coffee. Well, I’m not actually wearing the cup of coffee but I might as well be since it is permanantly attached to my hand.

Here are a couple of photos…one of me and david, and one of me with lovely Anya. She was about the cutest little bride I ever did see. Anya is not only a dear friend, but she also helps me out with the business. Congratulations you guys! We love you!!!!

My cat ate the internet

Last week my internet was down for a few days. It always happens to me at the worst times. I had deadlines up the wazoo, an inbox full of emails, print orders to upload, online stuff I needed to purchase. Can anyone relate when I say that just when you think your day couldn’t get any worse, you sit down at your computer and bam. No internet. At that point it’s just a downward spiral into lunacy, but I’ll spare you the gory details! Let’s just say I should program 1-800-Comcast into my favorite contacts. I labored on the phone with them, pleading with no avail to get a sooner appointment. I tried everything from sounding ultra professional to completely desperate and nigh to tears. Speaking of which, why are these companies reinforcing that hysteria reaps rewards? You practically have to hyperventilate and fake a nervous breakdown to get your internet fixed in a timely manner.

I finally secured an appointment for the next day, but when he came to fix it, it quit working again after he left. (Kindly enter a knot the size of a volleyball in my stomach). Fearing it would be another day or two before someone could come back, I placed a frantic phone call and they got the technician to come back once again to fix it. Everything looked good this time, but shortly after he left my service went out again. I was beginning to think the cable box was alive with a mind of its own and that it hated me. And believe me, I hated it right back. I placed a call for the technician to come back again (At this point he had given me his private cell number, because I was obviously a person with internet issues) but while I was on the phone with him my service miraculously reappeared. By the next day it was still working fine and I can’t tell you how relieved I was after being without service for 3 days to finally be able to do the things I needed to do to run my business during one of my busiest weeks!

On saturday I was still playing catch up, and happily working away when my cat came into my office, went over to the comcast box and decided to bite the power cord in half. IN HALF. What is he, JAWS?!?? I saw the box die, the pretty row of lights fizzle and go out. And that’s when I went numb. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t yell. I couldn’t do anything besides stare blankly into the void of my internetless life and gaze without feeling at the heartless shark with his lifeless beady black eyes. He was on my black list for a good 48 hours after that stunt. I was really beginning to fear the Comcast guy would think I had a crush on him with the number of times I’ve had to call him this week. Especially since I had to call today with what sounded like a “my dog ate my homework” excuse to have him come over again. Which really made me stop to consider those poor kids whose dogs really did eat their homework. Although I think I still have them beat with “My cat ate the internet.”

Some time away

We went on vacation. Twice. To say that it was needed is an understatment. We both have such crazy schedules that having time together is something we usually have to plan in advance, and getting away for a solid week is proving to be impossible. So we took two separate weekened camping trips to get away from it all and just BE together. This is my favorite kind of vacation. No plans, no sightseeing, no nuthin. Just nature, a sun tan, our Landrover filled with food and a tent, and my lover in the seat next to me.

Our second trip was over Labor Day weekend. All of the campsights were booked full and we didn’t have a reservation, so we just got in the car and started driving! If worst came to worst we would sleep in the car and have an adventure. We headed north to the upper peninsula and luckily we did end up finding a campsight at around midnight. Pitching the tent in the dark doesn’t bother me. I’m all about the camping. =) I’ve attempted to explain to david that I just live for these weekends away. It helps me to get in touch with a deep part of myself that feels utterly lost otherwise in the hectic chaos of life. Sometimes I feel like I am incapable of slowing down unless I’m whisked away to the middle of nowhere. Even then I sleep with my iPhone next my sleeping bag so I can check my email first thing when I wake up. (thats a whole nother addiction that could be addressed in a blog post. And seriously, campgrounds should find a way to block all cell phone service. Do us all a favor).

We spent the weekend laying on the beach and swimming in the ice cold, crystal clear waters of Lake Michigan. We visited all the cheesy tourist traps, ate at the local dives, rode bikes around Mackinac Island, and even walked the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day. It was a 5 mile walk in our flip flops, much to the dismay of many elderly folks who took the trouble to stop and question us about our shoe selection. Besides my shins feeling a little funky, it wasn’t nearly the nearly lame, blister-ridden experience I was anticipating, and I’m proud of this flip flop accomplishment.

And after we had spent a wonderful weekend of togetherness enjoying our stress free existence, I could feel the familiar dread sneaking up on me, a subtle reminder the eutopia was about to end. Just like when I was a kid having to leave to go home from vacation, the discomfort started with a knot in my chest, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and an intense sadness that felt like a kick in the face. On the afternoon we had to pack up and leave I felt mad. Temper tantrum mad. And then just sad again. Defeated. Because the real world always calls you back to your responsibilities and you can’t live in dream world forever, even when you want to. As we left the beach and drove away in the car, I stared out the window at the glistening water. The lake was too pretty, the sun was too sparkly, the sadness was too much. And then, oh crap, the tears came trickling down. I felt like a buffoon, crying about having to leave vacation just like when I was 10. My Grandma said it best when she said to me this summer, “Amy, you are just a big kid who is never going to grow up. You’ll always be young at heart.” And it’s true, I will probably still sob about having to leave my vacation when I am 50 years old. I’ve never been good with goodbyes of any kind.