My Better Homes And Gardens Photo Shoot

 Part 2 of my story.......

(You can read Part 1 HERE)

*Thank you all for the support! I loved reading all the sweet comments yesterday. They made my day. I don't know why I was nervous to tell you all :)

 The next day the photographer and stylist came back to the house around 9 am for the shoot. When they came I was using my juicer to make homemade lemonade for lunch later. My 4 year old was sitting on the counter helping me peel the lemons. I had my hair curled but not fixed. I was in my PJs and no make up. Hey, they had seen me at my worst already so this was an improvement :) Plus the lemons covered up the old fridge funk. Laura, the stylist, ironed the wardrobe she brought for me as I worked on the lemons. Don't worry. I educated her on Downey Wrinkle Release. We chatted too while we waited for the photographer to set up all the cameras and other equipment. Then my husband took the two youngest and headed out to my mom's for the day. I got changed into one of the many cute outfits Laura had brought and finished getting ready. Then we got started.

 Laura Hull ( the stylist) and Edmund Barr (the photographer). Two of the coolest people EVER! I can't begin to tell you how much fun we had. I was so nervous before they came that they were going to be stuffy and business like. Snobby, uppity, etc. But they were unbelievably AWESOME. Edmund has got to be the cutest dad. He lit up every time he talked about his kids. He is ridiculously talented and managed to make me look pretty good in the shots. And Laura and I could be twins separated at birth. I stopped counting all the times one of us would say "Me too!". We have a lot in common. You know how when you meet someone and you gel right away? That was how it was for my husband and I with these guys.

 Okay, back to the shoot:

I forgot to mention that along with the 49 million things I was trying to do to get ready for all of this that I also had to find a wood ladder and paint it white. The art director at BHG thought a white ladder would be good for me to stand on so I was closer to the ceiling that they wanted to make the star of the room. Oh that ladder. That is a post for another day.
It has been a long time since I have had so much fun!!! As a stay at home mom my life is faaaaaaaar from glamorous. I mean, it couldn't get farther from it. And so it had been a long time since I felt cute. A loooooong time since I had a whole day to focus on me. There were no kids. I had adults to talk to. It was nice. And I didn't cry once. Up until that point whenever I thought about it I would tear up or full on sob. I was so excited and happy. I did a pretty good job of separating the shoot from the magazine, if that makes sense. I did pretty good until Edmund would say things like "Smile pretty cause 22 million people will read this." I had to tell him to stop because then it became real and that is when it was overwhelming.
We laughed a lot. I learned that if I tilt my head to the right it looks like "Come hither.." and if I tilt my head to the left it is sweet and innocent. Thanks Edmund! Now I now how to flirt with my husband :)
After we were done with one pose we would gather around the computer to look at them. They had professional things to say  like talking about "hard lines and soft lines". My contributions were things like "I like that one cause it has less crotch." (I was sitting cross legged on the bed) I am sure they thought I was a goof.
It was not at all how I had imagined it would be. I know this was their everyday. They have done this for a long time. But it is probably the only time for me. It was amazing and memorable.

After the shoot I had prepared a (late) lunch for them. I figured it was the least I could do after they were at my house most of the day. I was surprised to learn that this was the FIRST time someone had fed them. Isn't that nuts? I had called my husband when we were wrapping things up and had him come back home. We all sat around the table to eat and visited for over an hour. I think it is sad when you meet fun new people that you know you will probably never see again.

I don't want to be famous. I don't care if people like my bedroom. I care that something I decided I wanted at age ten was able to come true. It gave me the courage to try for other dreams I have. And I hope that you do too. Just go for it! Just ask. You never know. It may just happen. The worst thing that can happen is that someone tells you "no". Then you keep trying until you get a "yes". 
Thank you for reading my 2 part novel. Thank you for letting me share something special. I took shots of the shoot but I am saving them for another day :)