Who is the person behind Southern Roots?  Oh boy!  Here's my chance to tell you FIVE EXCITING THINGS ABOUT ME! 

Much like everyone else, I love a good glimpse into someone's life.  It's why we watch reality TV, right?  So when considering what to blog about this week, I decided to tell you a little about me - the curly red headed lady behind the camera.  Hello, I'm Jennifer Plumlee.

1) I AM AN ACCOUNTANT BY TRADE.  Wow - now THERE's some excitement right?  Who doesn't love crunching numbers to maximize potential returns on investments or creating income statements?  Ok, ok - maybe just me.  My kids tell me this is truly what makes a nerd.  Thanks kids.  'Preciate that.  I've been told, over the years, that I'm not your "normal" accountant.  I am also a jokester who also loves to sing and who doesn't fit "the mold".  I'll take that unicorn status.

2)  I AM A MOMMA.  This, my friends, is my biggest accomplishment.  Mitch and I have two kids (plus one adorable furry one - Scarlett - that barks a lot when she doesn't get her way).  Hope is 22 and Logan is 16.  They are precious (as any good Southern momma would say).  Especially when they DON'T want to get their pictures done.  Let's face it.  Photographer children see WAY too much of the camera, so their little faces just melt when I gleefully say "let's go and take pictures - yesssss!".  Poor babies.  They like gas money, so they amuse me.  Bribery?  Maybe.  Scarlett doesn't mind it though.  In fact, she sits and stares painfully close while I edit sessions.

3)  I AM A COFFEE LOVER.  Starbucks may want to buy stock in me - their BFF - in return for the number of times I've sat in a long line to get that heavenly white mocha.  I am also the first in line when pumpkin spice latte season hits or white peppermint mocha time rolls around.  I am also a master at convincing people not to go to "too much trouble" when asking what to get me for a birthday present.  Spare yourself the trip to the store and just get me a gift card.  I promise - I won't judge.  Mostly because I can add it to my Starbucks points and perpetuate my habit. 

4)  WE ARE A SPORTS FAMILY.  We have been one for YEARS.  Friday Night Football is our main focus these days.  But over the span of Hope and Logan's childhood, it has also included baseball, basketball, and softball.  I'm a loud cheerer.  I can't help it.  I'm competitive by nature, love the game, and rooting my babies on.  Logan, however, doesn't really appreciate the waves from the stands these days (unlike when he was five).  So, I've tried to tone those down - per his request - and can only wave when no one is looking.  Even then, it can be only slight movements - as to not draw attention.  I can actually see him try to stealthily look sideways up into the stands to spot his momma.  I like to tell myself it's because he needs me and wants to see where I'm sitting (50 yard line of course!).  Mitch says "no comment" when I tell him my thoughts on it.  All jokes aside, I'm super proud of my kiddos.  We love being on the go and will travel anywhere to watch them.  After all, we are TEAM PLUMLEE baby!

5)  I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY.  This one is a given right?  My early photography days were spent photographing my kids at sporting events.  I would get so frustrated that things were blurry, too dark in that gym to get good pictures, or too far down the field to capture with my tiny pink point and shoot camera (ah, the early years).  And admittedly, I was a little jealous of those traveling photographers that drove up with their giant cameras taking the best action shots of your kids that you'd ever seen in your life and then convincing us that they would burn them in some trash incinerator if we didn't buy them all.  Good news, Mitch.  I just spent $350 to spare every image of the baby from the trash.  You're welcome.  I became determined to learn all I could to get those shots myself because that traveling photographer only showed up occasionally (thank goodness, HA!) and took their photo voodoo powers with them.  And as many sports as my kids were involved in, I had plenty of time to perfect my craft.  I also managed to convince Mitch to let me upgrade my camera after many pleas to not miss the shots in the "baby's games that we would never get to do over".  Over the years, this then morphed into people asking me to take pictures of their families.  And now, I have the blessing of sharing my craft with clients.   

I absolutely love photography.  I especially love meeting new people, making them laugh, and making their experience with me an easy and relaxed one.  I'm a mom, so I get just how important pictures are to fellow moms.  And, I know just how important it is to spend your dollars wisely and not on someone that makes it feel like you're not a priority or that they're too busy to make you feel like they're taking time to do it right.  I also really love the technical side of it - taking hours and hours of coursework to hone my craft and learning the latest editing techniques.  I think this is where my "nerd" gene is most useful. 

Every once in a great while, I wish I was a go-zillionaire who lived in the tropics.  But, then reality sets in.  I love our little story.  I also love taking pictures to help others write their story.   How can I help you write your story?