In less than 24 hours I will be here:

Ok, this is actually somewhere in Australia, but I will be with the photographer and I’m guessing there will be some horses involved. It is Texas after all.  Yeee Haw!

Many many months ago, some late night facebook browsing landed me on one of my favorite photographers page.  She posted that she would be coming to the US soon for some workshops and TEXAS was listed as one of her stops. I was shocked. Even more shocked when I saw that it was in Round Top, one of my favorite small towns to drive through between here and Houston.

Oh a whim I tried to pre-register thinking there would be no chance of getting in. I was pleasantly surprised to get a reply, and one big paypal payment later I was signed up!

Now, some of you are already thinking what I then started thinking.  Umm no I’m not a professional photographer.  I am barely skilled enough to be called an intermediate photographer. I am only one f-stop away from being a big baby beginner.  It scares the shiz out of me.

So do spiders.

But that is not going to stop me.

As I’ve started browsing the sites/blogs of the other women who will be there I’ve had a wide range of emotions. I go from awe to WTH was I thinking. I thought I was going to have a lot of free time to improve between registration and September. Little did I know that Funemployment and the summer job from hell were looming in front of me.  All this on top of the fact that I now have a different job than the one I did when I registered and the pressure is overwhelming.

Then I remind myself to keep my mouth shut, listen, take notes furiously to avoid eye contact, smile and nod a lot, and if all else fails use big words that you do know. This is how I got by in Costa Rica for months without knowing much Spanish after all.

I had to post a picture of myself and explain why I chose it.  I am not in that cute baby fat phase right now.  I’m in that, I was super sad and ate way too much frozen custard in the Freddy’s parking lot every other day phase. I also decided to dye my hair and who knew it would go Katy Perry  instead of Mandy Moore like I’d hoped. lol

I chose this photo from our quick trip to Austin yesterday because

1. I love Austin and I wish I was there every day.

2. I have a classic Daliene smirk/I’m about to laugh at you face  and

3. It makes me laugh and laughter is good for you

I even photoshopped the back-to-school acne off my face!

I am definitely not prepared, but I am beyond excited and interested.  I have no idea what it is going to be like (other than HOT) and that I’m supposed to bring boots because the poison ivy is bad. I am bringing my goat milkin rain boots. Yep I milked a goat once.

I really wanted to submit this one as my self-portrait, but I didn’t know if it was appropriate.

SO wish me luck as I load up the farm truck and head to Round Top, TX for 3 days of sweatin and shootin one of the greatest children photographers ever Barb Uil aka Jinky Art.  Visit her site and you’ll see why I’m hooked.