Why Do I Need to Sign a Waiver?

Oh. My. Lord. I cannot even explain how yesterday's pumpkin patch visit went with words that would do it justice. I should have known what kind of day it was going to be when the first thing they had us do was sign a waiver. Red flag Jenny! Red flag!! But I missed it. I'll fast forward through 2 hours of field activities and get to the part where Emery wanted to join a hay-ride tour at the very last minute. Ever the good mom, I threw my stroller to the side, grabbed the baby and the diaper bag and hopped on board with the help of my Mother-In-Law. As we started the ride I was thinking "I love fall! I love Oregon! I love pumpkins! I love corn! Wait.....why are we stopping at the corn??" I'll tell you why. Because I missed the part of the speech where they explained that you have to find the pumpkin patch through the corn maze. Thank you for that special treat Dayton, Oregon! I can't recap the whole thing because my soul is still recovering. So instead, I'll take you back to a more peaceful time - last weekend.

I'm so thankful it was beautiful because we had our annual Christmas card pictures taken! My dear friend Shannon is just starting her photography business so naturally I chose her to capture an image of the Schultz family that whisks away any notion that our life is anything less than Pottery Barn perfect. While planning for the big day (Hmmmm....traditional jeans and white shirts or do we get crazy with navy blue?!?) Shannon asked me if there was any place in particular I wanted the photos taken. "Of course there is Shannon! There's just one problem. It requires trespassing." My idealistic location is a little run down barn that I pass on the way to my house almost every day. A million times I have thought about having pictures taken there and finally a golden opportunity had presented itself!

When we arrived, Shannon was put under strict instructions to "Make it look like it came with the frame!" It was my own little way of welcoming her into the world of small business where the expectations are high and your customers know where you live if something doesn't turn out just right. As you can imagine the whole time she was clicking away I was beyond paranoid that an angry land owner was going to appear screaming, "This is private property!! Get out of here you matching white shirt & denim wearing hoodlums!" I'm kind of disappointed that it never happened because I had been preparing a speech for it all week. It went a little something like this:

"Hey Mr. XYZ Old Barn Owner, Do you even know who I am? I am Jenny from the widely read (by immediate family) blog "Jenny Can't Cook!" And if you do not stop this madness immediately, I will tell everyone including my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, "Amber", and cousin Becky that you are the meanest person alive! And considering the fact that there exists a split second in my past where I was wearing an OSU cheerleading uniform on U of O's campus, I can tell you that they will NOT take those words lightly coming from me! Do you really want to mess with that kind of press power? I didn't think so."

Alas, in an uneventful hour, Shannon was able to get the pictures we needed and Duck fans rightfully retained the title of "the meanest people alive." A great burden has been lifted off my shoulders and we can now joyously celebrate our Savior's birth the way the good Lord intended; by spending $90 on postage so that everyone can be reminded of what we look like. Here is a sneak preview of our little photo session:

I call this- "When you ask a 3 year old to smile"



My handsome husband
(who does not hate the Canby School District but does hate House Hunters)

If you have a second you should check out Shannon's new business!
Addi & Co Photography Blog
or
Addi & Co Photography on Facebook

Pretty sweet setup, huh? Almost like she has a friend who is a graphic designer. Welcome to small business Shannon! Don't give out your home phone number :)