Let's just say weekends have been good lately. It's no lie, and this weekend is no different. I write this from Lincoln, NE where I'm hanging out with my best friend, her husband and son before I photograph there lovely little family tomorrow morning (Saturday).

This face is becoming familiar on my blog! The wind and cold was brutal last night, but Jake was an excellent sport! It seems that I always like the results when he's the subject. Sadly, before we could get too many shots, the sun was going down and taking the temperature with it. I'm so happy with how these turned out!

This is late, so it's going to cover two weeks, but its late for a good reason. I got to do a family shoot this past Sunday and it was too good not to include in this update. Outside of that, last week I got some hard lessons in self-care, as well as a chance to learn about being a small business owner at the Small Business Success Summit. Last week was a tough week, but good things came from it. The big takeaway from all of this is that being an entrepreneur requires being willing to work on yourself and trust the process.

It's the beginning of a new week and I'm a little bit glad. Last week was the busiest week I've had in a long time between new clients and places to go. Depression crept up this weekend so I didn't really get the chance to relax, but I'm really grateful for all I got to do last week. The highlights were, going to a fundraiser for the first time, and taking the first step towards my dream of working in the outdoor industry. It's been busy, but sooooooo good! Anyway, I know this is a few days late since I try to make this a Friday thing, but I really wanted to include my Saturday adventures, so hooray! You get two Cairns this week.

See? I'm getting better at this. This is the second week in a row! Crazy, right? This week has been really exciting for me, but it hasn't been without its share of bad news. On Tuesday I found out that a colleague and fellow Des Moines creative was involved in a serious motorcycle crash. On happier notes, I've signed two new projects, went to the library, and have been indulging more into this little crush on architecture I can't seem to shake.

Like I said. I'm bad at this, so it's been a few weeks. I've been up to some good stuff, like naming this weekly series, trying my hand at architecture photography, meeting with new people, and having some adventures in copywriting (because when you proofread for an engineer, it's usually an adventure of sorts). Let's get started, shall we?

Have you noticed how bad I am at updating the blog?

Me, too. I decided that I'm going to make a stronger effort into at least posting a weekly blog, even if it's just weekly updates with what I'm up to. Authenticity and a willingness to be vulnerable and transparent in my work is a core of my company and I've decided that part of that needs to be connecting with my audience on a more regular basis.

Last week I had the opportunity to photograph a dear friend of mine! Kurt is an engineer and an entrepreneur. His business is bringing his clients dreams to market at Tallawah Works right here in Des Moines. In this session, I wanted to capture Kurt's stubborn grit and determination, both as a person and an entrepreneur. Kurt was a great sport getting into some dirt in his suit and nice shoes!

Most of the time, I'm confident and secure in my appearance. I feel just as awesome in sweats and an old sweatshirt as I do a fancy red dress. Other times, I just don't like the way I look. Maybe my skin looks dingy, I have some blemishes or maybe it's a bad hair day. In some form or fashion, I don't feel like showing myself to the world as I am, so I fix myself up with all the bells and whistles. I bust out the Spanx, the hair spray, and all my makeup. When all is said and done, I still feel awesome about myself, but I wasn't keen on showing myself to the world as I am, because I don't want the world to see me as something I'm not.