I feel like so many of you have been on this photography journey with me, from the early days when I edited everything way too brightly or changed my logo 50,000 times (okay only like five, but still...), and some of you were there when my business went from Abrea Garwood Photography to Abrea Crackel Photography. Was that really just last year? Anyways, I thought I should introduce you all to my wonderful husband Jimmy, the person whose last name recently became mine. :)
1. Jimmy is an accountant, and I thank God for that! Before he stepped in and helped me actually think like a business, my prices margins were off a little, and my paperwork was a bit messy. I would sit down every quarter and try to figure out how much I had made, how much I had spent, pouring over lots of receipts and invoices for hours. And then Jimmy came along and introduced me to Excel, and now my profit and expenses are catalogued and categorized much better, my paperwork is much neater, and my tax accountants are probably much happier with the spreadsheets they can refer to at the end of the year. I'm convinced Jimmy's business mind saved my business, and I didn't even think it was in trouble before him. (For all you other creatives, I strongly suggest using a program such as Excel to help you stay organized, and meeting with an accountant to understand what you need to do to run your business legally. So worth it.)
2. Jimmy is the cook, I clean. Before Jimmy I ate a lot of (possibly burnt) grilled cheeses and simple salads, but now we have delicious dishes like Avocado or Pumpkin Alfredo and Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. And he is always finding new recipes to try, tweaking them to make them his own. This year we have been on a quest to eat healthier so I have had to stop asking him to make Pear Rosemary Scones and Heath Bar Cookies, but on occasion I just can't help it and he'll make them for me. Seriously, I will gladly clean the kitchen as long as he is cooking! :)
3. Jimmy is creative-- more and more so by the day! For all of you who say you are not artistic, I would tell you that practice makes perfect, even when creativity is concerned. Just like Jimmy taught me to be better with numbers and data, I am teaching him more about photography with every wedding we shoot together. And lately he has needed less and less help from me, which makes me so proud! Even at this last wedding, he was coming up with poses and ideas for detail shots as if he had been doing this for years. I'm amazed at how he quickly he has learned camera settings, lighting, and composition!
4. Jimmy loves coffee... Maybe more than I do? I don't know if he was quite as taken with coffee before we started dating, but now we obsess over it together. We honeymooned in Seattle so we had plenty of amazing coffee there, and anytime we are in Nashville we have to stop at Crema to grab a Cuban and a scone (a Cuban is a drink they make there, not a person or a cigar ha!). We may not look like hipsters but we sure do love their coffee! When we are home we love freshly ground coffee each morning, and if we are feeling fancy we'll make it with our French Press or Moka Pot. I'm pretty sure he has his eye on a legit espresso machine, but we haven't gone that far yet. ;)
5. And last but not least, Jimmy loves the TN Vols. You can catch him singing Rocky Top at all times of the year, but even more so during football season. He requested that we have at least a little orange in our wedding, and of course, his groom's cake was in the shape of a Tennessee "T". I didn't know anything about football before we started dating but now I love watching games with him and having him explain things to me when I don't know what is going on. You can find us on game day, each in our Vols shirts, me sitting cozy on the couch and him pacing the floor, stressed out and apologizing every time he yells at the TV. :)
So there is a little intro to my husband Jimmy! I hope you all can meet him someday, he's pretty fantastic.