It’s me, Taylor and get ready for this, it is not so much a blog about photos, but more a real story about my everyday life.

So… my husband I were hosting his family for Thanksgiving at our house. This was the first holiday that we would have the opportunity to host and we were really excited about it. I of course wanted my house to be in perfect condition, so clean and beautifully decorated, so that everyone would ooo and awww, over how awesome it was…etc. So last minute I decided I wanted to replace some of the photos in our house with the new ones that Holli so graciously took of us a few weeks before. I scrambled around to get them edited and with all the things I had going on, I just did not get around to it, until the day before Thanksgiving. That alone should be reason enough to just give up and let it go, but I was persistent. I would have beautiful photos of us on display for all to see. Even though my mother-in-law was already in town, I quickly made an order and sent it to Walgreens to have them print it in an hour and then I could replace the photos. I knew that Walgreens could not print photos at the quality I am use to expecting from our high quality edited images, but I was determined to show off Holli’s incredible work ;), it was definitely all about Holli!!! (Just kidding of course.)

So an hour later when I went to pick up the photos, the lady behind the desk said, “these were taken by a professional photographer, do you have the copyrights to them?” I smiled at her and said, well yes, that is me. I am a professional photographer and that is my boss that took those photos of us. She looked at me, unamused, or impressed I might add. So I scrambled to find a business card or something to prove that I was an employee of Holli B Photography, which by the way would not have done any good, they have to have a copyright contract on file. I did remember that I had some copyright forms in my car, so I asked her if that would work. She was still unimpressed, just doing her job. So I ran out to the car, grabbed a form and then said, “so will it work if I fill it out and then sign it too?” And she said, “I guess it will have to.” To which I totally appreciated her seeing past the completely randomness and unprofessionalism of this whole situation.

So I gave myself permission to print these photos and then asked her if I could look at them before I paid for them. She was fine with it, so in complete excitement, I began looking through the images. But the excitement turned to disgust as I was totally appalled at the quality of the images. So I kindly asked her, “what do I do, if I am not satisfied with the pictures?” (This poor woman, hadn’t she had enough of me?) So she asked me what I was unsatisfied with and I told her that I had edited them to be sharp and rich with color, but they just looked so dull. I went on to try to explain to her, that I knew when I ordered them that they would not be the quality I was use to receiving from our professional labs, but that I didn’t think they would be that different in color and sharpness and I was under a time crunch of course. She was totally over me by this point. I mean seriously, who was I? Totally just walked into her business, took plenty of her time and then dissed her product. She said, “That’s fine, you don’t have to pay for them.” Which is true, in their policy it states, At the Walgreens Photo Center, your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. If you’re ever dissatisfied with your digital prints or merchandise for any reason, we will provide you with a full replacement or a full refund. (Another side note here, we suggest using a professional photo lab to print your professional images. I am almost embarrassed to share this story, as I am ashamed to admit that I was planning to print my professional images at Walgreens, when I caution all clients against doing. Just know that there is a significant difference in quality.)

So I apologized and thanked her more than once and walked away. But the story does not end there, because as I walked the store looking for my family, I just did not feel right about the situation. After praying about it for a minute and really thinking about what I thought would be the right thing to do in this situation, I decided to go back and pay for the photos. I didn’t plan to use them, I didn’t even care if I took them home. I just felt like I had ordered something knowing the quality I would get, but then was not satisfied with the quality. I waited behind her current customer, as I am sure she is thinking… seriously, I thought I was done with you LADY. When it was my turn I told her, that I decided I really wanted to pay for the photos. She replied, “no, you weren’t satisfied with them, so you shouldn’t have to pay.” But I continued to insist and she continued to persist. So I thanked her again, but told her that I really WANTED to pay for them and it would make me feel better. (Again this story is all about me here.) She kinda started to smile a bit, I think she knew she was going to win this time and she wasn’t giving those to me, even if I DID want them! So I asked her what I could do for her, “well can I pay you? or give you a tip?” To which she laughed and said, no just bring me a coke sometime. I said, “sure thing” no problem.

{The Best Part}
As I was about to leave, I just wanted her to know that she was loved by God the Father. So I told her, “Ma’am, I love Jesus and I was just wondering if there is anything I can pray for you about?” She became a bit somber and said I could pray for her granddaughter. Her granddaughter is only 10 weeks old, but has tumors! By this point the lady was tearing up and noticeably sad. I asked if I could pray for her right now, to which she agreed. And I just simply asked the Lord to send his power and heal her granddaughter. When I was finished, I told my new friend at the Walgreens counter that I completely believe the Lord wants to heal her granddaughter. That God is the miracle worker and the creator and he desires to heal her. She was totally touched by the love of the Father. I asked if I could give her a hug. She was a bit reticent, but the customer behind me, who had heard all of this, said, “ya, go give her a hug, she needs one.” So I did.

What a cool God story? It wasn’t about me that day. I sure thought it was and I had every intention of making it out to be, but the Lord had greater plans. So glad we can trust in a God who knows the big picture and who cares about each of us in the little details. Thank you God!

Love you guys!