2015. That's the last time I posted here. It's 2019. That's four years. Whoe.

There are so many reasons why I stopped; but also, why I didn't delete this place on the web. First and foremost I really loved the content I created here. Albeit, four years old, it still gives me warm and fuzzies. I stopped because blogging was getting to be too...monetized. There were too many rules  There were too many rules I wanted to follow. I wanted to be a profitable blogger. I wanted my photography to hold up to the amazing photographers I drooled over. I wanted to have a picture perfect life and share it with everyone. But, somewhere along all of those wants I fell flat and I wasn't actually any of those things. My desire for perfection actually turned into me not sharing ANYTHING.

Now, that's not completely true. Because I have shared a significant amount of my life on instagram. (@jennymcolomb & @spilllove) but that too, like blogging, has stopped being fun and feels like more like pressure. Pressure to show off business projects and my perfect family. But, I remember the days when blogging was just my online journal and instagram was my outlet to share life from my perspective, which was often over-exposed filters and grunge overlays.

Now, I'd like to resurrect this blog. For what? For me. To share some projects I've been working on and some thoughts I have been kicking around in my head. Maybe I'll even share how my stress and anxiety has been striping me from some of my joy. Because I really believe I am not alone in my struggle with anxiety. I miss creating just to create. Blog entries, photographs, home projects. I miss sharing in a way that brings me joy and doesn't feel like pressure. Whatever that means, maybe I'll find it again.

Today, I will end this post with our family picture from our Christmas card by Jessica Drum English. Because, besides a few dozen logos, branded projects, websites, and images, I've been collaborating with my husband, David, to create this little family of ours! And that by far and away is my best work!

Naomi's Two Month Update

Momma Update 

A lot of things make more sense to me these days. Spending the majority of my twenties as a non-mom there were a lot of assumptions (I'm embarrassed to admit) that I made. Well, I'm here after eight weeks of motherhood to share my realizations:

1. I will never judge a mother's body ever again.

My post-baby body, although much improved from the first day after giving birth, is still very different than my pre-pregnant body. Things just change. Albeit, I ate everything I wanted when I was pregnant (I blame it on the King Cake, I ate so.much king cake), I didn't exactly become Jessica Simpson, but this body is different. I thought my body was a rubber band and it would just bounce right back to what it was before. Yeah, no...

To every single mom who is rocking a MILF-bod. You go girl! You're my hero and inspiration!

Hey sweet girl,

I've been thinking a lot about you and me. Us. Mom and daughter. I've been thinking a lot about what kind of mom I hope to be. I made a list, it's a list of little moments, memories, little traditions that I hope to share with you. It's incomplete and a little bit random. But, it's worth sharing.

Six years, five months, and 29 days ago I started my first full time job as an Administrative Assistance for an engineering firm I'd worked for on and off again through high school and college. I hadn't landed the perfect marketing job just yet, this job was a temporary place to land until I found something better. Two days after starting the job, I stood in the doorway of a work colleague and told her, "if I'm still here in a year... have me fired."

I wasn't an Admin Assistant for long, six month later I was asked to join the Sales and Marketing team and the rest is a long story about who I am today.

A lot happened over the last six and a half years - a lot both personally and professionally - and a lot of that is to be contributed to the job I was never suppose to keep for longer than a summer.  But, today, Tuesday, November 25, 2014, I will be turning to the next chapter in my life. With joy, hope, fear, and appreciation of where I started and what lays ahead of me.

These moments in life tend to make me reflect on all of the small parts of life that have placed me here. The moments I didn't realize were significant that turned out to be life altering or just moments that I will always keep in my memory.

Moments and memories like these:

• My first real desk on the eighth floor, where I met my husband and one of my best friends. 
• Spending many after-hours, getting to know David before I ever imaged we'd create a family together. 
• Moving offices four, five, six times...so many I can't count. 
• The year I spent supervising a handful of ladies and understanding the struggles and joys of being a supervisor. 
• Traveling for work. The excitement that was involved with my first business trip to the daunting aggravation that became regular, full flight trips to Houston. 
• Office girl chats and how finding a real friend in the office is one of life's little blessings. 
• Nights of volleyball followed by drinks at The Bulldog before we all started families and got too busy to collect pint glasses on Wednesday nights. 
• Spending so much time in Microsoft Office I had dreams about formatting documents. 
• Learning that all organizations have a little dis-function, but that's also the beauty of being human and working with different personality. It's what's in people's heart that really counts. 
• Working with vendors, colleagues, designers, and business owners who have all left a significant impression on who I am and who I want to be. 
• Coming to realize that when no one has an answer, you can find the answer for yourself. 

Six and a half years, the longest I have ever done anything - to date. Though job roles and responsibilities have changed this place has been the most permanent piece of my adult life. It is with hope and fear I close this chapter of my life. I will say a little prayer and take a leap of faith, as long as God has a hand in this, I know I'm on the right track.

Here's to the next chapter...

Arriving home each evening it getting a little bit darker in the house with every passing day. I turn on the lights so I can see my way to the kitchen and I feel a rush of happiness. We've lived in our house for over two years already, but it's taken a bit of time to collect the memories and pieces that truly make it feel like home. It's finally coming together and it feels like...Success.

On a Wednesday in late July I had a terrible headache, I'd spent the day in Baton Rouge and arrived home exhausted with a pounding head. Nonetheless, something told me I shouldn't throw back a pain killer before checking...

So, there the test was, I watched as the result appeared in the little window and it looked negative... I went grab a glass of water, changed into comfy clothes and walked back about 5 minutes later to throw the pregnancy test away...

Stopped, squinted, held the test up to the light, shook it, "is there a second line?"

"No! I just want there to be a second line."

"I feel like the more I look at it the more there may be a second line..."

I threw that test away. It wasn't definitive enough.

David had worked way too late and was on his computer when I arrived home from a work meeting later that evening. I just kind of mentioned the whole situation to him, but his only real reply was , "well it probably wasn't a line." Which was David's way of saying, "Bae, don't get your hopes up."

The "un-positive test" gave us a day to realize just how much our lives may be changing soon. The following night we had dinner plans with his parents to celebrate his birthday. His parents were running a little late to the restaurant which gave us the opportunity to discuss stopping at the drug store on the way home for another test.

I limited myself to only one glass of wine that night.

When we got home I took test two. I waited to look for the whole three minutes before looking at the results -- as the instructions say to do. There's a second line this time, for sure. It was reallllly light, but it was a second line. I showed David the test. and read the instructions aloud, "the second line may appear lighter, but it is still a positive test result."

That night, I said it out loud, "I think we're gonna have a baby."

We decided I would take another test in two days just to make sure. The following morning he kissed my belly before he kissed me good morning... And that's how we found out about our upcoming baby.

We are excited, obviously. I just never expected to be as scared and worried as I feel like I am. I have this little life growing inside of me. I'm building a human. A human that I feel we already love more than anything else in this entire world. I can't wait to meet this kid. But, it's a scary process too. There are so many things that can happen between now and week 38 - all completely out of my control. March 20th can't get here soon enough. Every single affirmation of a healthy baby gets me through my days. Countdowns until the next doctor's appointment, morning sickness, food aversions, they are all little welcomed-inconveniences that remind me the little growing human is okay in there -- it's just part of the building a human process, I suppose.

Please, please keep us in your prayers. Have your babies say a prayer for our growing baby. We are so grateful God has blessed us with an opportunity to be parents.

Here's the first picture of our little "peanut." I think he looks a little like David already. :)

Meet Baby Benjamin Louis Billeaud or #babybenjibilleaud. He is the first baby boy born into my sister Ashley's family.

He met the world on a rainy Friday afternoon at 3:05 on the twenty-seventh of June. He weighed eight pounds, eleven ounces and measured twenty-one inched long. He's been a blessing to our entire family - our second nephew - and growing like a weed already.

His adorable knitted outfits were made custom by his momma, Ashley - girl's got some talent. I keep telling her she needs an Etsy shop...

I'm pretty sure that yesterday was Monday, so you can imagine my surprise when it's already Friday. This week flew right by. Unfortunately blogging was not high enough on the priority list to get more than two post this week (moral fail).  I continue to tell myself that I don't need to write entire stories in my posts, sometimes just a line of thought and a picture is enough.  Because what I love about blogging most of all is the memories that they induce.

Which brings me to my recent love for Timehop. Have you downloaded the app? It has to be one of my favorite things to look at in the morning -- it never seizes to amaze me how much of my life has been publicly time capsuled. And I love it.

Take for example my timehop back to last year, which is awkwardly like my insta post from last week. (I kind of love it!)

One Year Ago. 

Last Week. 

I remember the ting of embarrassment I use to feel having to admit I was from such a huge immediate family, "I'm the third of seven children." Today, it is what I am most grateful for. Family is a blessing, the creation of an institution that can only be brought to life by a man and wife (a dad and mom) teaming together to make a house and home, to make individual live's into a loving family.

But, that's neither or nor there...

Today's Sunday Currently comes to you for a beautiful sunny beach resort in Pensacola, Florida.

wishing Summer days would least forever. These long, hot days of summer are absolutely my favorite stretch of each year. We've enjoyed warm days full of laughter with extended family at a beach report this last week. There is truly nothing like it.

hoping that we get a chance to see some of my favorites over the next few days. wearing swimsuits every day for the last 4 days. (Blog post idea: a compare and contrast of one-piece vs. bikinis, they really both have their perks)

loving family dinners and vacation game nights (even though I will never be very good at Taboo and David will always be awesome at it - how does he always end up on the other team.)

photo editing: family pictures & newborns, with any luck you'll see at least one photo session post later this week)

grateful for family, of all kinds. Moms and dads and aunts and a uncles and grandmas and mimis and pawpaws and brothers and sisters and cousins - the whole lots.

Linking up with Siddathornton's, The Sunday Currently.

Church, grocery shopping, and a lunch date with David does count as productivity, even those I feel like I've done nothing today. My list of things to do today is long ... photo editing, website proposals, exercise (run & yoga), cleaning and cooking.  But, as a promise to myself, I've decided to add writing a blog post to my list of priorities today. It'll be short and sweet (right?!)

So, in hopes to make this short and sweet, here's the condensed version of This Sunday Currently:

wishing today drags so that each action item listed above can be accomplished stress-free so that Monday morning can feel fresh and manageable. 

hoping Monday and Tuesday are stress-free,  accomplished and productive days at work as I plan to be 'off the grid' Wednesday thru Friday of next week.  There's always a balance of excitement and stress that is associated with going "off the grid."  

wearing a new black, cotton, $12 maxi skirt from Target. I've clearly been missing out on this whole maxi-skirt trend for over three years now... I will be purchasing more.  

loving our new living room layout. David's birthday present was a leather recliner. We rearranged the room when we added the new piece of furniture by facing our two sofas towards each other with our coffee table between them and the recliner at the head of the room facing the TV. It's what I've always envisioned our living room to look like and I'm so happy it is finally coming together. (see picture above)

photographing whatever my heart desired during my time "off the grid."

grateful to have wonderful sisters who are always there for support, love and laughter.  

Linking up with Siddathornton's, The Sunday Currently. 

There are places hidden down winding backroad of Louisiana that will give any true Louisianaian pride down into their soul when they stumble upon them.  These treasures are one of the main reasons why I love being a Louisiana Photographer so much. With every new client, there seems to be a new Louisiana-wonder that I'm introduced to. The photo session I'm sharing with you today proves this to be as true as ever...

Mike and Erin have a Cory and Topanga love story, first loves, together since high school.  When he looks at her you can always see the love in his eyes and her face lights up every time their eyes meet -- even to this day.  The love and fondness resonates from the two of them into their beautiful family of three, making capturing their love and family a simple joy! It is just one of the reasons I was so excited when Erin asked me to be the photographer for their family pictures.

David and I drove out to Sorrento, Louisiana (near Gonzalas) one Sunday evening to meet Mike, Erin, and Malcolm (how cute is their son's name?) at "The Coffee House" for a early Summer photo session. The Coffee House, part of The Cajun Village, is a collection of small stores and restaurant stops deep in plantation-country, Louisiana. Or, a photographers dream of eclectic back porches, old cajun-built structures, and a beignet shop.  After a bit of wondering around the grounds, a beignet (or six) and photo-capturing each moment, we all took a break from the late-afternoon heat to head to dinner at The Cabin Restaurant  and waited for a summer shower to pass. We enjoyed a glass of chardonnay (for the girls), a beer-brew (for the guys) and a little bit of cajun-grub.  And at twighlight-hour, with our bellies' full, we snapped a few more of (what I believe are) the best pictures of the day.

These two young-parents of handsome (future-heart-breaker), Malcolm, are two beautiful examples of what parenthood is all about. They understand that it's balance of life, unconditional love, and an life-long adventure that makes a family. They are truly a beautiful couple, wonderful parents, a heart-warming family -- they are truly an inspiration.

Here is a preview from the the day, hope you enjoy! :)

Mike, Erin, and Malcolm, your family is beautiful inside and out. We are blessed to have you as friends (ahem, family).  Erin, you've always been such loving supporter of Spill Love and this creative venture, thank you for your support and the opportunity to be your photographer! :)

Way back in May, before I started blogging again, we made a family trip to San Francisco with David's amazing family.   It was a jammed packed trip, complete with Ghirardelli Chocolate, a tour of Alcatraz, walking the Golden Gate Bridge, a day trip to Napa and Sonoma, a tour of China town, a view of the city from Twin Peaks, a driving tour of Silicon Valley...what else did we do?  I know I'm leaving out important cliff notes.

One of our tour guides said it best, "Everyone has two favorite cities, their home town and San Francisco."

To Mr. Dave and Mrs. Pauline, thank you again for such an amazing trip. It really was a "treat."

It's one of the most beautiful 360 degree views you'll ever see, but impossible to truly capture with a camera. Isn't it weird how that works sometimes? Nonetheless, tonight's quick post is a few of my favorite scenic shots from the trip. Hope you enjoy them! :) I need to pick one to have printed for the house, any favorites?