Mommy of: 2 girls and a boy – Macyn is the oldest. She is the maker of the rules. She is more organized than I will ever be. Dancing is the key to her heart. She is one step away from taking over the world. Sienna is the middle and she is the rule breaker. She is an aspiring actor and dolphin trainer. We are working on keeping the drama on stage, instead of at home. Wish me the best. Asher is the baby- he doesn’t have rules. He was born in 2013 and hasn’t stopped moving since. He has a colorful vocabulary, thanks to his 2 big sisters. Wrigley – my fur baby. He is often my favorite child in the house because he doesn’t talk back, roll his eyes, or make faces.

Wearer of: pj pants. If I could wear them all day, every day I would. But since that seems to be socially unacceptable, I do change out of pj’s for black leggings and a big sweatshirt. Comfy shoes are a definite- heels went the way of my pre-kid life.

Watcher of: Ellen Degeneres clips on Youtube. I used to watch TV- This is Us, Parenthood, and LOST were some of my favs. Then I started working nights and tv became a thing of the past. So for now I stick with YouTube clips that make me laugh out loud to myself while I edit.

Eater of: Pasta. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. Salads with lots of feta cheese and sesame sticks (making it not really a salad anymore). Warm cookies.

Traveler to: San Diego is one of my favorite places on earth. I also love Italy, Spain, San Francisco, Hawaii, Prague. But really, I just love traveling. I love new adventures. Exploring new places. My bucket list for places to visit is close to endless… South America, Australia, and Mexico are probably the top of the list.

Reader of: I love to get lost in the world of a good book. But since kids and photography take up the majority of my time, my reading is somewhat limited to my Facebook feed. The last book I read was “The Next 5 People You Meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom. I love Glennon and Brene Brown for some inspiration and self growth. I’ve had about 5 other books sitting on my nightstand just waiting to be read for far too long.

Must haves: My fur-baby and my kiddos. They are my must have’s but also my “drive me crazies.” On top of them, I must have my photographs. This sounds cliche, but there’s a reason I became a photographer. I can look at a photograph and within seconds remember where it was taken and what was happening that day. Also must have pj pants (see above), contacts because I’m basically blind, my camera, a good pillow, and people who fill my heart with happiness and laughter (not necessarily in that order).

Early bird/Night owl: Night owl. Hmm, and my kids make me an early bird. So I guess both. Sleep is a thing of the past.

Creator of: images that provoke emotion.

Hater of: biting silverware while eating, slurping soup, wrists (don’t even ask, I have no explanation), unfinished ceramic dishes (the noise they make when silverware scrapes on them is absolutely the worst, isn’t it?!), high heels (see above), spilling bleach on favorite shirts (hypothetically, of course), and mean people.

Lover of: laughter (there is nothing like laughing so hard that you pee in your pants… come on, it’s not just me, is it?!), my friends and family, photographs that elicit emotion, traveling, clean sheets, quiet car rides (a thing of the distant past), Super Mario Bros 3 (I am an expert and can still find the warp zones), chai lattes, excellent donuts (like the fancy ones at DB3 in Evanston- if you haven’t been, go!), people falling (I know it’s a problem, but I really think there are few things that are funnier than a good falling story), psychic mediums (yep, I’m one of those people), a great spin class, brunch (by far the best meal of the day), eating outside (there are 3 months of the year that Chicago is the perfect place to live, and you better believe I take full advantage), sleeping with the windows open on a warm spring day.

Listener of: kids whining and fighting (not by choice, but when you have 3 of them, it’s rather unavoidable), Broadway tunes, hip hop, rap, top 40’s and Baby Shark (again, not by choice, but when you photograph babies all day, every day you can basically sing it in your sleep).