August 24-30
New Goal: Blog each day so I can actually remember what the hell I was doing.
monday.
I redid my nails. Thank you very much.
They are now red and absolutely beautiful.
We also went to the movies today —
Ruth’s first movie! Paw Patrol for the win.
She made it through the whole thing
AND we only had to get up once to pee. Score.
Also — Paw Patrol knows what’s up with
putting that Backstreet Boy single in that movie.
Good news: we only walked out of there spending $108.
One hundred and eight dollars.
Summer really needs to be over.
TUESDAY.
Goal Update: Epic fail. Here I am writing on Sunday.
The kids went to Camp Bebe + Murph.
My mother-in-law has a lake house in Canandaigua,
and when the kids go there, they basically run the place.
Henry somehow convinced them that they needed to try out
THREE different playgrounds. Okay - I lied. It was two but bring on the dramatics.
Ruth requested Tom Wahl’s. Or maybe it was Bebe. Who cares.
There were stomp rockets. Bubbles.
Probably 47 snacks. And absolutely no one told these children no.
Completely spoiled rotten.
As they should be at Camp Bebe + Murph.
Thank y'all for giving me a Hilary day.
WEDNESDAY.
Okay, this was fun.
So apparently I have FOUR preschools lined up for school pictures this fall.
Who, me?!
Naturally, I decided I needed a trial run before showing up
with a camera and pretending I know exactly what I’m doing.
So I called in the troops.
Neighbors. Friends. Random children.
Anyone willing to stand in my driveway for approximately
two minutes while I tested backdrops, timing,
workflow and whether or not I can photograph
a small army of preschoolers without completely losing my mind.
And you know what?
I think we might actually be onto something here.
insert a few cute school picture guinea pigs below.
Thursday.
Oh look! Another flag football practice.
But this time — add an ice cream truck.
Ruth made new friends because, of course she did.
She was also just Ruth being Ruth,
which is really its own full-time activity.
We waited in a WAY too long line for
some incredibly mediocre ice cream.
Henry cried because the SpongeBob ice cream that
HE ABSOLUTELY HAD TO HAVE turned out to be… not good.
Honestly, devastating.
It was a great night.
Friday.
Maria’s called.
And when Maria’s calls, I answer.
That beef, bean + cheese burrito has my heart.
That’s it. That’s Friday.
saturday.
Okay. This one was really cool.
I was asked to photograph Dinner Under the Stars,
the first big fundraising event for The Wait With You Foundation.
The foundation supports families going through high-risk
pregnancies and extended hospital stays — providing comfort kits,
resources and little pieces of normalcy during a time that can feel anything but normal.
And their first big fundraiser was at Kettle Ridge Farm,
under the stars, with this whole community of
people showing up to support what they’re building.
And somehow, they asked me to photograph it.
Me?!
Little ol’ Hilary with a camera?!
I’ve lived here for… honestly, I don’t even know how long anymore,
and apparently I am now more popular than my husband.
I would call that a win.
But seriously — being asked to donate my photography
and be a tiny part of their first big event was really freaking cool.
Memorable. Exciting. And one of those little moments
where I looked around and thought, how did I get here?
What a night. What a cause. What a foundation.
Very, very grateful I got to be there.
Also - shout out to Hillary at Whimsy Hill Florals for rocking it with the arrangements. TALENT.
Hey! Look! It's me! At the Garden House! And my new nails! Who dis???
SUNDAY.
Garden House round 1 out of 4.
I've spent the last few days as a self-appointed meteorologist.
Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
Check radar. Check another radar.
Look dramatically at the sky.
AND WE DID IT.
Take that, Rochester weather.
And a giant thank you to Heather, owner of The Garden House, for always being so lovely and wonderful to work with. 🤍
1 down. 3 to go.