I love when bloggers write these kinds of posts because, for one reason or another, I am endlessly fascinated by what creatives carry around with them on a daily basis. After seeing so many over the years I decided that it was time to do one of my own.

Clearly you can tell that I'm a mom. The extra smoosh (pacifier), wipes, bib, hand sanitizer, and the hair accessories for those ouch-the-baby-is-grabbing-my-hair moments.

In the see-through pouch are my must-have items: oil blotting sheets, deodorant, tide-to-go, a travel mirror, lotion, blush, chapstick, red lipstick, vaseline and a comb. Pretty much anything I could need (besides hairspray), I carry in my purse.

And of course I have a little notebook and pens with me, for those ah-ha moments.

If you've even shown what's in your bag I would love to see it, so please leave a link below so that I can check it out!

A while back I came across the article, The 40 hanger closet, while browsing for organization tips. I feel like this random discovery is going to change my life (not to be dramatic...).

Here is the basic run down of the article:

• Most of us have too many clothes
• Most of us don't know how to pare down our closet
• Many of us hang on to clothes we haven't worn in ages, and probably won't wear again any time soon
• Limit your clothes to 40 must-have items, and either put away or get rid of the rest
• Doing so will make you feel like you actually have more to wear

I have been debating a name change for quite a while now. I first created Heraura over 8 years ago and felt like it was time to move up and on to something more fitting to my life nowadays.

Big City Quiet will continue to document my life here in Las Vegas. I hope you will all stick around and enjoy the ride.

1. How I've learned not to hate the taste of cold coffee; and it always goes cold before I get to finish it...
2. That often it's noon before I realize I haven't yet brushed my teeth
3. Under ten minute showers are possible. It just means I may not have time to shave my legs every day...
4. You know all those gorgeous clothes shirts and dresses you own? The sheer ones, or the satin ones that you love, and know you look great in? Yeah, you don't really get to wear those anymore. Unless you want your monthly dry cleaning budget to rise dramatically.
5. Shopping becomes a get-in-and-get-out experience. Unless DJ is sleeping, there's no time for browsing.
6. Dinner is usually consumed in shifts, unless DJ is happy in his swing or in the pack n play; and lets be honest here; 5:30-7:30 is his fussiest time of the day, so one of us usually needs to be holding him during this period.
7. I couldn't possibly get sick of hearing him babble away. Besides his first real laugh that he graced us with this past weekend, it is the sweetest sound to my ears (or maybe when he is fast asleep at night, the lack of sound is the sweetest sound!).
8. It's okay to feel overwhelmed, and more importantly, it's okay to talk to someone about it. Holding in sadness and frustration only compounds the issues.
9. 12 weeks was apparently not too young to begin teething. Oh. My. 

Sometimes when I look at him I think it's impossible that he is only 15 weeks old. The exhaustion, the feeding, the crying, the changing of diapers... it makes things seem... slow. But then I take a picture like this and I think it's impossible that he is already that old.

I have so many beautiful maternity photos to share from three different local friends and photographers (um, yes, my baby boy is 3+ months old and I still haven't gotten around to posting them) and I thought I'd start off with these shots from Gaby J. Seriously? These are beautiful, and shot in film. Love love love.

I live for taking pictures. I suppose that's where it begins and ends for me regarding photography.

I love capturing the every day, forever pausing that moment that my son rolls over for the first time, and freezing those moments... you know the ones. I see beauty and composition everywhere I look. The truth is that it's mostly instinct. Ask me to tell you the mechanics of the photos and I'd stutter out an answer. Ask me what I was feeling when I pressed down on the shutter; well I'll tell you a novel, then.

I shoot with a Canon 5d Mark II that I named Wendy. We've been together for almost two years now and I can't imagine being apart from her. She has captured some of the most wonderful amazing, down to the every day moments of my life and those of my clients. I'm in love.

Recently I have had quite a few people reach out to me wanting to know more about my process, and I'm humbled beyond words to know that I inspire some of you to become better photographers. I can say this: it takes a lot of practice. I practice all the time, every day, in every different lighting conditions you could think of. And I read a lot; digitalphotographyschool.com is a great resource, as well as the ilovephotography.com forums. Here's the truth guys: I'm completely 100% self-taught, and if I can do it, then you all can.

But here's what I can't teach you: photography is in my bones. It's in my blood. My father was rarely without his camera, and his father too. It's engrained in me. It's my passion, and I'm so lucky to call it my job as well.

Picture taking is what I do best. It's what I strive to do best. And it's what continues to define me.

I am a wife, mother, and photographer. Life is great.