Moving in the cold…

Well, I finally had to empty out the extra 1200 sq ft storefront that we used for storage during construction. We kept all of our left over construction materials in that space, as well as extra tables, bar stools, chairs, and all sorts of extraneous things. Essentially, a 1000 sq ft area was full of stuff…
I had a 30 yard dumpster delivered on Thursday, and had planned to start working on the space Friday. Instead, I went to the YMCA with Tracy and the kids (our new Friday night routine). I played racquetball, worked out a little, ran a mile on the track, swam with the kids, swam laps (side stroke, free style, and back stroke), and then swam with the kids some more. Saturday was the nicest day yet… It was in the mid-70’s, and set new records for warm temps. I was not able to work on the storage space, though. I got to the shop with the kids at 9:00am and helped Tracy for awhile. I then set up for a photo shoot and completed a portrait session for a family. I then worked in the shop while Tracy ran to Sam’s Club, and then closed the shop. We left from Nemo’s and went straight to church, then home Saturday night.
Everybody was talking about snow starting at about midnight. I went out at 7:30 to get Dunkin Donuts for the kids (Sunday tradition) and there was no snow in sight. When I left for the shop at 8:30, it was blowing 40 mph and snowing sideways so hard that I couldn’t see very far. I spent from 9:00am to almost 6:00pm throwing construction debris into a 30 yard dumpster. I took leftover materials (wood flooring, slate flooring, paint, slate tile sealer, base molding, door trim, stainless steel sinks, light fixtures, chairs, tables, etc, etc to our house and put them in storage in the shed. There were other items that I took to the wood shop, and picked up remodeling debris to take back to the dumpster. It was a horrible day to be outside moving things. Oh well, it is done now…

I really enjoyed doing the photo shoot on Saturday. I got some really great shots (I’ll post some when I have a chance to do some edits). Two more customers noticed my equipment set up in the studio and are interested in sessions. One couple is having a baby in a month and wants to do photos of their baby every six to eight weeks during the first year. Their wedding anniversary is next week, so I told them I would do a free anniversary and maternity session if they book the year’s worth of baby photos! Done deal… They are coming in Saturday.

I want to build a solid portfolio for the studio and start marketing. I decided that I would rather build my portfolio with hand selected subjects rather than just going through my archives and finding the best photos. I have seen people out and about that were extremely photogenic. I’m going to get some cards made up offering a free photo session and a free 8x10 print to give out to people like that. As a result, I will build a portfolio with models of my choosing. My hope is that they will take their free 8x10 and order some additional prints, but that is not necessary. Getting a solid portfolio together is most important.

There are internal rumors that Intel is going to keep Fab23 here in Colorado Springs open via a joint venture with another Flash semiconductor company. As a result, they officially extended my contract to the end of Q2 (June 30, 2008), with rumors that I will be extended until the end of the year. This scenario would be very difficult to continue for that long, but I’ll see what happens. I prayed for a solution for our finances, and God just keeps providing. I’m not sure we can handle this demanding schedule as a family for that long, though. It is nice to know the opportunity is there, but this is going to take some thought and discussion…

Today I am going to Nemo’s after work and completing payroll, along with a few other admin tasks. I need to be there through close in case Megan needs help. She is pretty sharp, and she did the closing training Saturday, so I don’t expect her to have any problems.

Take care,
JD