We are inspired…

I always know I'm home when I wake up and I can't move my feet. When I crawl into bed at night, I like to curl up into a ball, bringing my knees to my chest and pressing my curled up self against the warmth of Jeff's body. Jeff always laughs, murmuring something about "only useful as a heater" then wraps his arm around me and falls into sleep. By the time I've warmed up and begin to stretch back out into my full 5'9" self, Gracie has already taken over the foot of my half of the bed, and she is impossible to move. Its like moving a cuddly, furry anvil that has been nailed to the ground by tiny kitty claws. And somehow, she always seems to get heavier after we've been traveling for a little while. As if she's punishing us for leaving... strange...

This morning, Jeff and I let our bodies wake us up at the glorious hour of 9am. We had been up and at 'em at 5am every morning this past week at PartnerCon, cruising through jam-packed days, and getting to bed in the wee hours of nighttime in New Orleans. As Jeff sizzled some bacon on the stove and I pushed the toaster button down (he doesn't trust me with bacon, and I wouldn't either - unless you like black grease sticks for breakfast), both of us looked at each other with our messy hair and droopy eyes and just grinned. Our bodies went through torture this week, especially since I have this thing for wearing heels all day in cobblestone streets, but our minds and souls came back inspired.

We are inspired by the grungy veins of New Orleans, by the southern smiles that always beam back at you. We are inspired by the old friends we got to see and by the new faces we now call buddies. We are inspired by the people at Pictage, who poured themselves into this week with all of their hearts - and it showed.

But mostly, we are inspired by the stories we heard, from those we met in the hallway and elevators and dinner tables. From those that trekked with us to Cafe Dumonde, and chatted with us late into the night as we happily licked our fingers after a plate of beignets. From those who shared a crawfish po boy with us and then enjoyed a night of jazz and dancing on Bourbon Street. We are inspired by your hearts, your souls, your ambitions, your dreams, and your fears. We are inspired by the fact that you came to PartnerCon to become better at what you do. The very fact that you came tells us that you deeply care about succeeding. And we are inspired by that.

I can't wait until next year...

We've got a lot more coming soon, but here's just a sneak preview of our shoot workshop on Wednesday morning. Zach and Jody rocked it!