I can safely say, without exaggeration, that yesterday was the most overwhelming, emotional day of my life. But, you’ll have to keep reading to hear more about that.
First of all, you may have noticed some changes around here! On the cusp of a new year, I’m so excited to launch the new branding of Laura Ivanova Photography! My previous brand started out of necessity. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but I didn’t put a lot of thought into it, or the type of client I wish to work with. It didn’t express my business or my style of photography. As my business grows and grows I’ve put a lot more thought into the concept of a brand and the desire to work with inspiring clients who greatly value the art of photography. I love the romance, beauty, and emotional aspects of a wedding and I wanted a brand that reflects that. I hired an amazing designer, Aurora of Red Organic, who turned my mumble jumble of wants and needs into a cohesive and beautiful brand. Aurora worked so hard and really delved deep to understand my business. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough. Although the web brand is (mostly) complete, we are still working on printed collateral and beautiful letterpress which just makes my heart sing! Yay! The entire process has been a labor of love, which started months and months ago.
My masterful plan included launching my new brand on December 9, which is my birthday! Birthdays are the mark of a new year, personally, and I thought it would be a great day to launch the new look of my business. I worked on the new website for weeks and weeks and was getting excited to reveal everything to the world.
However, last Wednesday, I received a call that my 89 year old grandpa had caught pneumonia. Grandpa’s condition was poor and he wasn’t expected to live more than a couple days. This news was devastating and of course, I put business on hold to spend time with Grandpa and my family. I feel so fortunate that I was able to spend so much time with him. The rest of the family came from all over the country to say goodbye. All week Grandpa was so strong, and he held out longer than expected. We all did everything we could to spend as much time as we could with Grandpa.
But yesterday, mother nature had other plans. I woke up to a snowstorm and uncertainty about whether I not I should make the trek to visit my grandpa 70 miles away. My Grandma insisted I shouldn’t drive. I vacillated back and forth on what to do. Grandpa was constantly surprising us with his strength and had really good days over the past week, but the what ifs starting running through my head. I distracted myself by checking my email and was alerted of a feature on Style Me Pretty (new post coming soon!). I browsed the internet and was greeted with a slew of birthday wishes and comments on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog. Countless friends called and texted me to wish me a happy birthday. Each and every comment and wish made me smile.
Mid morning, I couldn’t take sit still any longer and I decided to brave the roads, which turned out to be not all that bad. As I was driving to see my Grandpa, I was only 15 minutes away when I got the call. My grandpa had passed away. It was unfortunate that I missed him yesterday, but I know I didn’t need to be there in the final moment for my grandpa to know how much he meant to me, and our entire family. I am truly blessed- to have had such a wonderful grandpa, with my family, my friends, my clients, my clients turned friends, and my business. The world lost a great man yesterday, but as one of my friends stated, my grandpa lived a rich life- filled with a loving family.
I don’t typically share a lot of deeply personal information on my business blog, but I want my clients to know why emails and phone call responses have taken longer and why things will continue to be slower than usual until final arrangements are made with my family. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful people in my life for all the comments, messages and wishes yesterday. On a dark day all of your comments really, truly lifted my spirits and made me smile. It’s funny how the little things can really make a difference. I wish to stop more and appreciate the little things EVERYDAY, not just on a day like yesterday. So thanks everyone!
I’ll leave you with a screen shot of my new website! Please be sure to check it out! I’ve added a brand new senior site and the wedding site now includes feature galleries with some amazing 2009 weddings, and lots of other fun stuff. I know my grandpa would’ve been proud, even though he never once visited a webpage!
by Laura
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