Oh, Camp Mighty. It’s hard to explain what it is because it is so much more than words can tell, but basically it was a weekend where we brought our Life Lists and focused on accomplishing things. From the website:

The objective is to improve your life until it cannot be further improved…The retreat gives you time to think about what you want, a team to help, and a pool. For floating.

Camp Mighty was a larger version of the Mighty Summit I went to last year, a life-changing event, as it was what started my business in earnest and what helped me realize on a visceral level that living epically is totally possible, even for little old me.

This year’s event brought into focus that I’m in a Good Place right now. My Life List is chugging along; I have successfully created the space for doing Amazing Things. The time is there, the room is there, the fortitude to press onward and accomplish is there. That didn’t come easily, but my 2010 goal of making my lifestyle such that I could Life List as I wanted was accomplished.

And it feels SO GOOD.

“So, Amber,” I asked. “What now?” Because, ok, excellent, but one can’t stop.

The larger conference was broken down into four teams; we met together and were encouraged to share five things with the group that we wanted to accomplish. Here are my picks, and if you can help with any of them, get in touch, please. It would be so nice of you.

• Holi color fight.
• Hike in Hawaii, jump off a cliff, and yell “Geronimo!”
• Officiate a wedding ceremony.
• Fly kites in a group of friends.
• Be in a book club.

They’re all “doing cool stuff” things because that’s where I am right now: I want to have FUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN! Wouldn’t you know: I was seated a few chairs over from two ladies who live in Maui – one of who is building a guest house.

“Hi,” I said. “I’m Amber, and I make an excellent house guest.”

“See you this spring?” she said. “I know a cliff you can jump off of.” (Later that evening we decided capes should also be involved.)

Someone else had “have a professional portrait of myself taken”, and, of course, I had my camera. The only thing cooler than having someone help you with a Life List item is to help someone else yourself. (A lot of people had this on their list, actually, but between timing and the rain, I didn’t get to snap as many faces as I’d have liked.)

Best parts: hugging people who have inspired me. And hugging people I’ve inspired. (So much inspiration!) And rocking out to the TonTons (plus chatting with the singer between sets – she’s adorable). And drinking champagne in the hot tub while chatting with super smart ladies. And the speakers. And dancing my ass off at the space-themed dance party, in my pretty space-themed dress. And soaking up the sun poolside. And road tripping with three hilarious gals from LA to Palm Springs, with a pit stop at In-N-Out (as one does when one is from the east coast and lands in California).

(My dress is from here.) (I totally brought my one-frillion dollar camera into the hot tub. I was careful. The photos were worth it. Don’t judge me.)

I did end up floating in that pool, too, alone on Friday night, with the rain in my face and my body warmed up by the hot tub. It was incredible, and an excellent way to think, by the way, should you have the opportunity.

“What next? What bigger? What more?” I whispered these questions to myself softly, but heard them loudly because my ears and my lungs were both underwater. You want to know what popped into my head?

Adventure. Business bigger.

That’s it.

Everyone who has heard the details of AMP growing the past year is astounded at the trajectory, but I still want more. I decided, as the pool wormed its way into my ear canal, that I will be consciously unafraid of making more money and getting more business. (It is terribly difficult to be consciously unafraid when your stomach is in knots.) I will take on larger, longer weddings, I will stop dragging my feet about offering customers prints and albums. And I will have more adventures, because those are rad, and I deserve them.

You all know me by now; you know I do not believe the “Universe speaks to us” or anything like that, but goddamn if there isn’t an unprecedented inquiry for a 120 person wedding sitting in my inbox as of 9:30 am Tuesday morning.

So I will open myself to adventure and success this year.

Oh man oh man. Here I go.

When I invite someone to take a mirror photo with me, I have a good chance of getting smooched.

Happy weekend!

Click to see it larger.

I was in Connecticut when I snapped this thirty-second exposure of the night sky. It was right next to a campfire, which illuminated the tree.

The photo is a little blurry, of course, because we’re hurdling through space at 1000 mph.

Weee!

Apropos of nothing, here are Rob and Tino in our back garden, enjoying the setting sunlight.

My poor blog has gotten slow! It’s too hot! And, really, I’ve been thinking about only boring things these days: business stuff. It’s hard to picture now, but the sunny weather is going to go away sooner than we’re quite ready for, and with it, a lot of my business; most people want their family photoshoots on warm, sunny days. So I’m dreaming up ways to keep from going stagnant.

You want to hear what I have so far? Because, honestly, it’s all that’s on my mind, and also, that whole “don’t share business ideas with the world because someone might steal them” is overly-paranoid.

Focusing more on maternity and new baby shoots. Because people are constantly getting knocked up and having babies; that’s not seasonal.

Doing more studio shoots with people. This one is tough – I have a setup with a backdrop for headshots – one person – and fancy umbrella lights are being shipped to my house now (yay!) but I’m brainstorming ways to get an entire group in my setup. It involves rearranging the office, which I think will make Rob get woozy. (Sorry, hon!)

More retail shoots. As much as I love working with people, doing retail shoots in-studio is really exciting for me.

Building traditional freelance contacts and booking jobs. I have dreams of working with publications like Real Simple and Martha Stewart one day, as well as smaller indie magazines like Rue, Sweet Paul, and Kinfolk (have you seen this one yet? It’s new, and DREAMY!)

So, there it is – this is what has been rattling around in my brain these days. What are YOU thinking about?

Matty soaking up twilight.

Rob heading to a party, demonstrating how win friends.

Mildly illegal games on the 11th floor roof.

Me on Independence Day, wearing appropriate colors.

Asparagus dog.

Killer sunsets. (This photo is totally un-retouched; it’s actually that pretty.)

Fireworks on the fourth of July.

A local bar offers deep-fried brussels sprouts. They are amazing.

Waffles with strawberry butter.

Pitchers of cheap beer.

Party lights. (If you click on this photo, you can see it at full size and make it your desktop background. That’s what I did.)

Rob asked me to cut a foot or so off of his hair before his big road trip to Austin. We now have essentially the same haircut, which serves to dredge us even further into being “that couple”. You may barf.

He did it to bring attention to the concept of sacrificing for others. His Chevy-sponsored trek down to South by Southwest is raising money for Adopt-a-Classroom, an organization that helps teachers pay for school supplies (on average, a public school teacher in America will spend $1200 of his or her own money on supplies each year).

We’re sending his hair to a different charity, Locks of Love, an organization you’ve probably heard of that accepts hair from donors to make wigs for children who have lost their hair to chemotherapy.

Sweet, right? (Plus, how CUTE is he?!)

Well, I did it. And you guys were right… Brussels sprouts are really good!

First I washed them in our trusty one-armed colander. Rob and I can’t quite bring ourselves to replace it.

Then I cut off the tough-looking bottoms, where they attached to the stalk, and halved them. This made some of the outer leaves fall off. I saved them.

The bunched up layers of leaves made excellent olive oil holders.

In addition to the olive oil, I tossed them with salt and paprika, because I always roast things with salt and paprika, and I figured a good way to ease into trying a new veggie is to prepare them in a familiar way.

I dumped them in a pan…

…and roasted them at 450 until they looked like this. I don’t really know how long. It was about one episode of People’s Court with the commercials fast-forwarded through.

I ended up eating the whole pan for lunch on Friday, which put me in the lamest and stupidest of lame and stupid food comas.

The leaves that I’d thrown in ended up super flavorful and delicious.

I now have a new vegetable to add to dinners. Next I’ll try them in butter and brown sugar and then I’ll sautee them with garlic to see how that works, too.

Thank you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I love that we have a holiday specifically about love. It doesn’t have to be all romantic love either – I got Matty, Leeloo and Tino chewy bones for presents. (As creatures who are literally “warm and fuzzy”, they epitomize the holiday.)

Do you have any romantic plans? Rob is making me dinner, I am planning dessert, and we are all going to go on a family walk to the dog park. Not super romantic, but I’m pretty excited!

Photo from Macaron Parlour, a local macaron patisserie.

Emily wins the award for cutest look of disgust.

Matt probably wins “Most Dramatic”.

Patrice – fourth photo included to show how unbelievably unkind my husband is.

This is also my sex face.  You’re welcome.

Topher and Rob are playing it cool.

Here is proof I saw the oh-so-phallic Washington Monument.

Here is proof I saw the White House. Bam! I’m a “real American” now.  Just after I snapped this, Shasha and Malia came out and played on the front lawn with Bo.  This was exciting.

Here is proof my husband is cute, and also a hipster with those glasses.  They are Warby Parker, like mine, and now we sort of look alike which is a little bit creepy.

Here is even more proof my husband is a hipster.  He bought that sweater for $2 from some guy selling them from a table on the street.  It’s a “Van Heusen for her”, and I’m pretty sure this was in my mother’s closet in the mid-90′s, and that she wore it to often prayer meeting.

We ended up sleeping over an extra night last minute because we were exhausted when we got back.  Everyone went to bed around 11, but we woke up at four, and were wide awake.

“We could just drive home now…” Rob said.  So we did.  Around 6:30 we stopped at a rest stop in Maryland and went exploring.  We found this gigantic Big Boy shoved in a corner.

Rob insisted I pose with him, too, even though it was 6:30 in the morning and I hadn’t finished my coffee yet.  I gave him my best bershorn face.

Here is proof we watched the sun rise.

Here is proof that everywhere else is friendlier than New York.