It's interesting isn't it...

It's interesting isn't it how the two things I remember consciously thinking I would never do--not really because I disliked them, but because I didn't think I could ever really do them well--are the two things that have become a huge part of my life.

I'm not talking about being a mother.  That's something that I've always felt was inevitable.  I couldn't picture myself being pregnant and having children partly because my brother and I were both adopted (it was normal for a baby to just show up at your house one day), and partly because I have a slight fear of children.  Not a big one, but just enough that I was never that girl who babysat or held the baby in the room.  I think I can count on one hand the number of families I've babysat for since I was 12 or 14 years old.  I love my baby and I like her a lot.  But other people's kids?  I need a little time before I really feel comfortable with them.

But that's not what I originally planned on writing about.  I was writing about teaching piano and being a photographer.  Those are two things I never thought I'd ever do.

Once when I was a senior in high school, a friend of mine was a piano teacher.  She told me I should do it too.  "It's a great job and it's easy!" she explained.  "All you have to do is get the beginner books and then basically read what the instructions say and help the students along."  My initial thought was, there is no possible way I could ever do that; playing the piano is easy but teaching?  Plus, my friend had (and still has) a lot more natural talent for music and the piano.  Of course it would be easy for her, but not me.

But then 9 or 10 years passed. Cadence was born and we moved my mom into a facility, effectively our income in half.  I needed another job to fill in the cracks of Derek's income that wouldn't require us to pay for daycare.  Because Derek works two jobs and goes to bed somewhat early, there were really only two options, babysitting other people's children or teaching piano.  And we all know how I feel about babysitting! :)  So teaching piano it was.  I was really unsure about it when I started, but you know what?  It is really easy and I love it! 

The other thing that I thought I'd never do is take good pictures.  When Derek and I got engaged, my awesome roommate/friend took our engagement pictures.  I was thrilled with the finished result and decided then and there that I would never be that good at photography.  I thought, she must have some amazing natural talent (which she totally does) that I could never cultivate in myself.  After all, I didn't have a  creative bone in my body!

Then after a few years, I realized that all of our photos from living Korea while stunning in subject, left a lot to be desired in quality.  That was a sad day for me.  Derek and I had a blast in Sokcho, South Korea and I knew the chances of us returning were slim to none.  I wouldn't get a chance to re-do any of those photos.  Plus, you can't go back to the past!  I never wanted to have so-so photos again!  So I asked for a better camera thinking it was a camera issue (it wasn't really), and got an amazing Nikon for Christmas.

Just a couple of months later, Derek and I found out we were expecting!  I knew I wanted amazing pictures of our baby right from the start so I started practicing.  A few weeks before Cadence was born, I saw a Project 365 on someone's blog, and I was sold!  What better way to record a baby's first year than to take one picture every day for 365 days!  Through that and reading many, MANY blog posts and tutorials, I gained experience and cultivated that photography talent I'd never thought I'd have!  Now I'm hooked on photography!

I can't really imagine my life without either of these two things.  And isn't interesting that both my job as a piano teacher and interest in photography were both inspired by my daughter!