In 2010, I made a list of 20 goals I wanted to accomplish, which I succeeded with to a certain degree. And while I’m not a big list person, I found the process helpful in motivating me to do more and allowing me to see what I’d accomplished.

I let myself off the hook for 2011, anticipating that it would be a crazy year of big changes–a move to a new city and expecting a baby being just two of the biggest. But this year I’d like to take up the list/goals thing again. Twenty items seems like a good number–enough to keep me busy but not so much that I can’t accomplish it.

So here it goes, my 20 Things for 2012.

1. Have a baby. Heh, yep, I’m throwing myself a soft ball to start this list out. Most blog readers know by now that I’m expecting a baby (and you’re probably sick of hearing about it), and I’m actually due TODAY. But, alas, I’m still pregnant as ever. So having this baby is a very important goal to me. Of course, it should go without saying that once the baby is here–my priorities in terms of my time will certainly change! And since I don’t know exactly what that will look like, I’m holding off an any other baby-related goals.
2. Shoot fewer weddings and more portraits. Yes, in the past most of my business has been oriented towards weddings, which I do love photographing. But long-term, I’d love for there to be a bit more balance between weddings and portraits. Specifically, my goal is to photograph 10 weddings and 20 portraits this year. I’m really excited to see how this works out.
3. Get back into shape by running. Isn’t this every mother’s goal–to get back to her pre-pregnancy body? In order to accomplish this, I’d like to register and train for a 10k or half-marathon in the fall. The specific race is still to be determined…
4. Visit all the Smithsonian museums at least once.
5. Buy a grill and have a cookout for neighbors and friends this summer.
6. Visit the Chesapeake Bay. Ha, do you see a warm weather theme here? I don’t know why, but I really want to visit this body of water. I guess it’s close by and I see so many things about it–I’d like to see what it’s all about.
7. Reserve one day a week to be “internet free.” This means no facebooking, emailing, forum checking, time wasting, etc. This will probably be one of my hardest goals to accomplish, but it’s something that I think will definitely help me be more creative, more happy, and more tuned into the needs of others. Of course, if I need to look something up for an activity (find a restaurant, for example, I’m going to use the internet…but other than that–it’s hands off).
8. Plant and maintain an herb garden. Now that I have a backyard, I’d like to try my hand at a bit of gardening. Hopefully I can avoid killing everything I plant.
9. Photograph some horses. I love horses. In fact, my photography started with my love of horses. But lately, my life has very little to do with horses. And it may sound silly, but I’d really like to get back into photographing horses on the side. So my plan is to visit some local barns and see if I can do some photography there.
10. Read a book a month. This was a goal I had in 2010 and failed to accomplish, but I’d like to try for it again.
11. Find three things that I can improve in my business to make the photography experience even better for my clients.
12. Host a game night for friends. Again, this was a goal in 2010 that I never realized. Sad, huh? I’m going to make it happen this year…even with a new baby.
13. Learn how to cook an Indian dish. I love Indian food. It’s one of my favorite types of food, but I don’t know how to make any authentic dishes. I’d like to learn!
14. Take on two personal photography projects. One of those will hopefully be my horse goal, but I’d like to spend some time photographing something else just for fun that interests me. TBD…
15. Learn how to salsa dance. This isn’t likely going to happen, but one can dream.
16. Set aside specific times for answering emails and editing.
17. Write a short story. This goal sounds ridiculous, but I enjoy writing. If I never give myself a goal to write something, I’ll probably never get around to it. So, no time like the present!
18. Decorate my home for the holidays. I’ve never really decorated my home for any of the holidays. That’s going to change this year.
19. Mop the kitchen floor…more than once. I needed another soft ball goal. This seemed like a nice one.
20. Create photographs that inspire me and my clients. It goes without saying that this is a goal I have every year, but I really want to create more work that I am truly proud of.

So here’s to 2012 and all the possibilities!

In the meantime, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas (and my sister a happy birthday)!

But, I did promise I’d show photos of the baby nursery, and I finally feel finished with it. So, today I thought I’d share what’s been an on-going project for Jay and me these last couple of months. Before we started it, I knew I didn’t want a “pink, girly” nursery–even though we are expecting a girl. In fact, I agonized over the color choices for several weeks–literally crying and having a breakdown at one moment. I’m blaming that on the hormones. The one thing I did know was that I wanted to incorporate a favorite horse painting into the room. It ended up becoming the inspiration behind the purple color, and with a little help from pinterest and blogs, the rest fell into place.

So here it is, a not-too-girly purple and green nursery with a horses and books theme.

The cute, gray rocking chair is my absolute favorite chair in the whole house. After realizing a lot of standard rockers simply would not fit in the room (or up the stairs!), I found this perfect modern piece from Monte design.

The green dresser/changing table is a DIY project that I’m very proud of Jay for doing. We literally found this old, brown dresser on the side of the road in Pittsburgh a year or so ago and carried it down to our apartment. It sat around in our entryway until we moved here, and then I got the idea to use it as a changing table. With a little elbow grease from Jay–read: sanding, priming, and painting–it matches perfectly with the green accent and is just the right size for the room.

I wanted something to break up the purple in the room, and the wall stenciling idea was a blog find. It actually didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would to paint–just about four hours total. If you’re wondering where I got the stencil, I found it here.

The bookshelves were another blog inspiration. They’re actually IKEA spice racks that I painstakingly spray-painted white. The spray-paint gave a smooth finish, but for time’s sake, I think I would just use paint and a paintbrush if I was doing it again.

Finally, another IKEA find were these hanging soft baskets. I wanted everything to be within hand’s reach for changing the baby, and these fit the bill.

Happy Friday everyone!

I love supporting small businesses. After all, I’m one myself. Small businesses are the backbone of America and employ millions of people. But what I value most about small businesses is the level of customer service I generally receive and their commitment to outstanding products. This is true for a Pittsburgh company who specializes in hand-crafted, high-quality bags: Moop.

You see, I’d been looking for a “non-diaper bag” bag for a while now, anticipating the arrival of Baby Schwarz. Although I’m thrilled at the prospect of becoming a mom, I just don’t want to lug around a bag that well, looks like a diaper bag. I figured that whatever bag I got, it would need to hold both baby stuff and all my junk (read: things like lip gloss, a million kleenexes, old receipts, and a giant water bottle). Having heard about Moop bags from some Pittsburgh photographers, I decided to see if they had anything suitable for diaper bag purposes.

And that’s where great customer service comes in. I called Moop and was able to speak with a real human being who kindly explained the differences between their bags and which ones might work best for me. I ended up deciding on the Porter bag, and placed my order on Wednesday. Today I received my new bag! Talk about fast service!

The Porter has plenty of room for all my stuff I anticipate hauling around: diaper changer, bottles, extra clothes, books, toys, you name it. I’ve got easy access to everything with snap closures, and I have the option to sling the bag across my body or carry it on my shoulder. And the best part about it all? It’s machine washable.

So if you’re looking for a new laptop bag, messenger bag, shopping tote, carry-everything bag, check out Moop. And if you live in Pittsburgh, you can pick up your bag in person!

Here are a few photos of my new bag (with a little preview of the nursery–more to come on that).

This morning was one of those days, and I shared the stillness with a friend (and Astin of course!) as we walked around the National Arboretum. I love the fact that although I live in a big city, there’s still places like this where I can enjoy nature’s raw beauty. And while I love sunshine and blue sky days, it’s nice to embrace something a little more mysterious every now and then.

During the wedding season (spring, summer, and fall), I’m usually glued to my computer Monday through Friday, editing photos, emailing, and preparing for the next wedding. Of course, I also get distracted by Facebook, forums, and Pinterest, all of which tend to give me a sense of being connected without actually talking to anyone face-to-face. Sometimes I need to step away from it all.

That’s what I did yesterday. Since Jay had the day off (federal holiday–good ol’ Columbus), we decided to turn Monday into a Saturday. We slept in. I made these pancakes (which I found on Pinterest), and we took Astin for a walk in the National Arboretum. In the evening, we had dinner with new friends and neighbors. The computer stayed dark and silent–turned off and disconnected.

It felt really good. We had real conversations, not status updates. And then, as some ironic confirmation that the internet shouldn’t be my main source of connection, the electricity went out. That was OK. Emails could wait. Editing, too.

Sometimes we need to disconnect to connect.

Technically the MLK Jr. memorial isn’t opening until this weekend (when they’ll have a big ceremony), but there was a soft opening this week where you could come and get a sneak peek. I have to say, I think it’s really well done–simple yet bold. The next time you come to DC, check it out.

Our view of the Jefferson memorial as we walked to the new MLK Jr. memorial.

There were a lot of people doing this.

And this.

For good reason.

After having photographed so many weddings since ours, I have a long list of things I would have done differently for our wedding, “If only I’d known…” But one thing is for certain. I wouldn’t change who I walked down the aisle to meet. And that’s the best thing. I can live with “regrets” about details. I still married the right man.

Here’s a shot of Jay helping me (and the bride) at last week’s wedding. He looks good with a bouquet. I love you dear!

And here’s a Polaroid a friend took at our wedding and sent to me after I blogged about not having any good exit photos. This is one of my favorites from the day!

If you’ve never heard of Cheverly, don’t feel bad. It’s my personal opinion that Cheverly is one of the DC area’s best kept secrets. Located just 10 minutes from the city (15-20 minutes from Capitol Hill), Cheverly boasts a quiet neighborhood with its own parks, pool, and tennis courts, as well as its own metro stop. There will be none of this crazy hour and half commuting for Jay, who will be working in the heart of DC. We’re really excited to be living here, though I already miss friends back in Pittsburgh.

So what does this mean for me and Birchtree Photography? Well, I still plan on photographing weddings and portraits, but instead of being based in Pittsburgh, I’ll be here in DC. Of course, I’m always willing to travel, so if you’re getting married in Pittsburgh and love my work, be sure to still contact me.

In the meantime, Jay and I are finding the joys of home ownership include lots of trips to Lowe’s and Ikea. While most of the house is in pretty good shape, we are completely redoing the kitchen. Basically, the previous owners took the kitchen with them (it was a foreclosure), which means we get to put in a brand new one. Right now, we have a fridge in the living room and are dining on microwave cuisine. But it’s just for a season, so we don’t mind too much. (Astin’s not so sure about it all, though).

Since no post is complete without some photos, here are a few from the last week. Note to anyone who is planning on moving: don’t move on the hottest day of the year, especially if you have lots of steps.

Last look at our old Pittsburgh apartment. I’m sure that hutch is long gone.

Jay’s parents kindly drove from Texas (with more of our stuff) and helped us moved in and work on projects last week. We were so thankful for their help!

The tile guys started working on the kitchen this morning. Although it doesn’t look like it, a lot has already been done to this space. We knocked out a wall between the kitchen and dining room to open the area up. I’ll be sure to post before and after photos when it’s completely finished.

And finally, a nice view of the front, complete with a blue sky background. A big thanks to everyone who helped us move last week. We couldn’t have done it without you!