{Project Survivor} Louise

  Louise is the mother of a teacher in my building, and she comes in and volunteers almost every day.  She is spunky.  She is dedicated.  She is the woman that I aspire to be when I grow up.  In her 80s, she has more zip and energy than most younger people hope to have on a good day.  And Louise is a cancer survivor.
  It's not something that she talks about frequently, but Louise is simply a "get it done" and move on kind of woman.    She doesn't make a big deal of it, but it is a big deal!
  Eleven years ago, after her husband passed away from cancer, Louise decided to go in and get checked.  They found a very early stage form of breast cancer, and due to the fact that they found it so early, they were able to remove it, and she was able to move on cancer free.  Louise shrugs off her experience, and says it was really no big deal.  But it was!  Beating cancer is a HUGE deal!  She is such a strong woman, and the ability to put "cancer survivor'' on a list next to all her other amazing attributes leaves me astounded at the kind of woman she is.

She is a story of hope.  She is a story of life.  She is a story of a survivor!

In honor of Louise, and all who have conquered cancer, donate to the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life! 

Welcome to Julie Bean Photgraphy

  When I first started out doing my phototgraphy, I happened to stumble upon it.  I had bought a nice camera, so maybe I should use it, right?  I never intended or could have foreseen what it would turn into.  When I look back at some of my first photos, I literally cringe.  I wasn't very good  had no clue what I was doing!  I thought that Lightroom (photoshop editing) + DSLR (nice camera) = amazing photography.  Boy, was I wrong!!
  Since then, it has been a constant process of seeking out learning and growing opportunities.  I've taken classes, spent countless hours soaking in others' knowledge and researching on the internet.  (Jessie Murphy and Kate Podjan have been true mentors to me!)  I feel with each new session, I have a deeper knowledge base than in the last.  I never feel, and I won't ever feel, as thought I have it "all figured out," but that's the art.  That's part of the intrigue .  It's knowing that I can continue to grow that brings me back to this art.
  So why this long story, for the reason I am changing my photography name?  Because as much as I am constantly growing and changing, I also have to remember to go back to my roots.
  As long as I can remember, my sister has called me "Julie Bean."  It's who I've always been, and it's who I'll always be.  It's who I am, just as I have always had a creative bug in my soul.  It took me many years to embrace that creativity.  Growing up I didn't always understand it.  I had to realize that just because my creativity didn't look like everybody else s, that it was no less creative.
  I could look around me at what other artists are doing with their photography, and think less of mine because it is different.  I could try to embrace their methods and techniques, but at the end of the day, I realize that I have to be me.  I just have to be Julie Bean.

Welcome to Julie Bean Photography.

 You can check out the new and improved website at juliebeanphotography.com or our facebook page at facebook.com/juliebeanphotography

{Kim and Greg} Engaged!

  Kim has been a friend of mine for the past 8 years.  We've been though hard times, and we've been though some of the best.  We went to Purdue together, and since I've known her, she's always been a breath of fresh air that lightens up my life with her 'lay it all out attitude.  She's genuine, and a truly one of a kind woman I am so blessed to know.
  Years ago, I received a call from Kim.  She had met this amazing man named Greg.  She said, "Greg went to your high school.  Do you know him?"  Since my high school is really big, I get this a lot, but most of the time, I don't know who they are talking about, or at best, the name sounds familiar.  But in this case, it seemed REALLY familiar.  I thought, how odd!  A friend of mine who is from Chicago, and went to Purdue with me, has met a man from my hometown, after college while in Chicago.  When they talk about small world, this was what they were referring to.  Because not only did his name sound familiar, when Greg and I finally met in person, we realized that we hung out at the same friend's house while in high school.  His friend Sarah was my boyfriend's younger sister.  Crazy!!
  So here we are, a few years later, and my husband Ross and I have a great friendship with Greg and Kim.  We have been saying for the last year that we need to get up to Chicago for a weekend with our good pals, but it just never seemed to work out.  Until about 2 months ago.
  I sent Kim a message and I said, "We are coming to see you.  Let us know when."  We put the date on the calendar for this past weekend, and the rest is history.
  We spent this past weekend with Kim and Greg, slumber partying it up in their loft apartment, going out to eat to pizza, sushi, and Thai places.  Staying up too late, and eating too much, walking all over Old Town, where they live, and having one heck of a weekend!  I just can't remember having this much fun in a long time.  We had missed them so, and when we got back together, it was as though time hadn't passed at all.
  While Ross and I were there this weekend, and as we walked all around the great city that is Chicago, I snapped some pictures of Kim and Greg, being their love bird selves all over the city in which they met and fell in love.  I am so blessed to have been able to take their pictures, and to have them as friends.  I wish them so much happiness.  So, so, so very much happiness!!

Scarves, and belts, and jewelry, oh my!

  As you can guess from the title, this blog is all about the fact that I'm OBSESSED with belts and scarves (and a little bit with jewelry) but being a married woman, and a woman with half possession of a moderate sized closet at that, I sometimes find that there just isn't space for it all!
  My first idea was to put two 3m hooks on the wall - then hang a hanger on them with all my scarves on one, and all my jewelry hung from the other.  The idea was pretty good not the greatest - all my jewelry got caught in up in each other, and got tangled up in one hot, knotted mess.  Then there were the scarves.  I hung them over the hanger, but I have so. darn. many. scarves that I couldn't see them all at once when they were all draped over each other.  The hangers on the 3m hooks hat to go!
  So one day, I was walking around our local Dollar Tree (LOVE that store!) and I saw this "shower caddy."  I had not once ounce of intention as using it as a shower caddy.  A light bulb popped on in my head, and I got the brilliant idea to use the "shower caddy" as my jewelry caddy.  So not only is it keeping all my jewelry neatly displayed (and preventing tangle!) but it only cost a BUCK.  ONE buck!  Double win!

So the ideas didn't stop rolling there.  I did say scarves, and belts, and jewelry, didn't I?  I checked my wallet for ONE more dollar, and I bought another "shower caddy."  This time, it would be my scarf and belt caddy.

 

On the side with all the "slots"  I put one scarf through each slot.  You can see each scarf -- and I have A LOT of scarves -- has a special spot!   I then draped all my belts over the top rung on the backside of the caddy.  When I want to look for scarves I face the scarves out, and when I want to look for a belt, I just flip it around to the backside of the caddy!

In the closet, I hang the shower caddies on 3m hooks, and they fit perfectly!  So for a whopping 2 dollars in caddies, and 3 bucks in 3m hooks, I have TONS of storage, and free up a lot of space for other things!  This idea was too easy and cheap not to share!  

Happy organizing! (and happy belts, scarves and jewelry!)

{Carters and Burns} its baby time!

  Ross and I are in a small group with people from our church.  We talk about our faith, and we "do life" together.  Over the past year and a half, they have grown to be good friends of ours.  So, when I get calls and text messages about doing fun baby announcement pictures, I get stoked.  Not only is it a fun occasion to take pictures, but it is with such good friends that we couldn't be more excited for.  I joke around and say "we're going to see how it all works out for them" but I just know it will be fun to hold them, and photograph them, and buy them cute things.
   Mallory (and Tyler) gave me a call right before New Years itching to spill the beans with a picture or two.  I couldn't have been more excited that they held out for a couple days for my husband and I to get back into town so I could take them.  They are a fun couple, and we wanted their announcement picture to show that.  We found this old abandoned barn near their house (that I had been dying to take pictures by - and so had Tyler) and we headed out there.  Sure the thing had "no tresspassing" on the side of it, but it looked as though it was probably written on there in the 1950s.  We didn't get caught, and we got some great pictures.  I cannot wait to snap more of them and little Burns in the future!

  Funny little story about how I found out about Jen and Aaron's bundle of joy... Jen, Mallory and I have conversations every once in a while about babies, and other girl things in general, so I wouldn't have been shocked to find out that they were trying, but when I met up with Jen for dinner this past week I started to get the feeling that it was a bit more than that.  She was sitting there telling me about how she had just gone through her closet, and had gotten rid of half of her clothes.  Now that wasn't so odd, but the fact of when I asked "well now you get to go buy new clothes, right?"  and she said no, was the more fishy thing.  I said "are you pregnant??"  She just looked at me with a cute grin.  She can keep a secret just about as good as I can.  Without saying a word, I knew that she and her husband would be bringing a little Carter into the world..... and I couldn't be more excited for them.

  I love both of these couples, and I'm so excited to find out what they are having.  Even though Ross and I aren't there yet, it sure is fun to buy little baby things (I know I've said it before, but it is so so fun!), to hold them, and to pass them off when their diapers get stinky.  So excited to take a little part in sharing their joy - Congrats Mallory and Tyler, Jen and Aaron!!

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