Let me start by saying everyone’s images are fine.  A little delayed, but fine.

Busy season.  Crunch time.  Living on caffeine.  Lot and lots of caffeine as a result of very little sleep.  I worked until 3 am and woke up just a few hours later to start all over again.  I sat at my computer this morning, sending a few invoices, following up on a few things and I leaned over to click the “print” button to print a recipe so I could head out to the grocery store with the kids first thing this am.  We have no food, nothing, I HAD to go today, rain or shine.  But I missed the print button and spilled an entire venti latte into the keyboard of my laptop.  And my external drive containing my backups.  With lots of  sessions on it that have been proofed but not shipped.  Panic.  So much work.  Even with the RAW files, it would mean reworking every single session, and there are a lot of them.  Total panic.  I flipped my laptop over and coffee came pouring out of it.  Total anxiety.  I called Jason in tears….I called Applecare in tears and they told me to rush it to the Genius Bar at the Domain asap.  I threw the kids in the car and headed that way.  I just felt sick.  And when it was finally my turn at the Genius Bar….I got the standard answer….$1350 and they have to send it off for any liquid damage, turnaround 7-10 days.  A guy two stools down just got that same answer and left.  Not me.  I cried.  And pleaded and begged and cried some more.  The genius said “please don’t cry…..” but I couldn’t help it.  It was real and I’m tired and working so hard and throwing every ounce of creativity and love into what I do and being a mom and a wife and no sleep, giving everything in my life a tiny little piece of me and being pulled in different directions and it all just came pouring out right there….exhaustion.  And he took mercy on my pitiful self.  He whispered “I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise anything….” and he picked up my soaking wet, sticky, metal hunk of livelihood and took it to the back.  20 minutes later, everything was saved.  SAVED.  Well, the work, the proofed images and cards and announcements and templates and everything…..except my laptop.  But the files and info, they got off before it fried.  I literally wanted to jump over the bar and kiss the Genius.  I didn’t, cause that would be weird.  But I wanted to.  They can transfer it all for me!  So I spent all of our Christmas money on a new computer so that I can work, have income, do what I need to do.  And that’s ok, we’ll make it work, we always do.  Jason and I have been having a hard time.  Marriage is difficult.  It’s hard.  It’s work and not always easy.  I feel like sometimes God just likes to make sure I’m paying attention to the things that MATTER…really paying attention, because I’m probably not.  I get overwhelmed with being a mom and a business owner and I don’t put him first the way that I should.  And I’m thankful for a God that reminds me to pay attention when I need to the most. Even if it’s in the form a latte.

On our way out of the Apple store, two doors down at the Domain, Taryn spots a Starbucks and asks for a little happy….nope, I’m done with Starbucks I say.  But she pleads, she’s starving, we were in the Apple store foooooorever.  True….the ride home will be long if they are hungry…..so we go in.  I buy the kids a hot chocolate and a treat and we head outside to sit by the big bonfire pit.  Only it starts to sprinke, so we head to the car.  Halfway there, the sky opens and it starts to POUR.  Fabulous….cherry on top of my totally craptastic day.  We get in the car and I drop Teagan’s hot chocolate and spill it all over the seat of my car.  I *almost* had to laugh….really?!?!?!  Not 5 seconds later, Taryn starts to scream in the backseat….are you ready for this?…..she dropped her Starbucks cup and it splattered all over the backseat, floorboard, her lets, everything.

Awesome.

Just awesome.

Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?  And you only thought Starbucks was expensive.  Today, it cost me just under $2K.  Yes, I feel like a total idiot.  And a clutz.  And thankful for a genius.  And a husband who hugged me in spite of it all.  And apologetic to my clients because all their orders will be delayed by at least 2 days.  I hope to have my new computer with all the data transferred late tonight or tomorrow, but it will take some time to get things running smoothly again.  I will have limited access to the internet via my iphone until then as well as email.  Clients you should have each received a phone call or voicemail from me today explaining the situation and the status of your particular order.  You WILL have your files in time for the holidays, digital downloads will be sent as necessary.  Thanks for your patience.