Category Archives: Personal

Personal posts by Curtis Wiklund

Here’s a little peek back at some of our personal pictures in 2012. I grabbed some pictures from California, some from New York, our new niece being born, and just home stuff with our families. Thanks Jordie for being my best friend. Can’t wait to become mommy and daddy with you this year.

Jordin and I went to California in May for our three year anniversary, and we’re already brainstorming about when we can go back. We were MADE for the coast. It’s so beautiful and makes me feel so small. When I look out at the ocean, everything I’m stressed about suddenly feels very small and I can breath again. We’re going to take our little man there as soon as we can. I want to take him on a road trip up the coast in the Fall, just starting in LA and going up to wine country, stopping at every view and taking a picture of him against every California coast backdrop there is.

Here is a peek of Spring and Summer 2012:

This is our gallery leading down to our office. Filling this wall with our families is a very sweet reminder every day of how blessed we are.

 

I document our life all the time. Videos, photos, drawings, audio, whatever I have at the moment. I keep hard drives full of fragments of our life, of our friends and our families, somehow imagining how our kids and grandkids will someday be able to see into the past. I get completely sucked into old photos in my grandparents’ homes. Sometimes I wish I could watch full 1080 hd video of my parents in college. Nothing staged. Just video of them with each other and with their friends, just what their life looked like.

Today Jordin and I were eating lunch on our couch in the living room, just talking about our little unborn baby and how much we already love it, and suddenly I became aware of the most beautiful sound that had been going on the whole time. It was like the moment you realized how loud the air conditioning was when it suddenly turned off and became so quiet.

I am obsessed with photos and videos, but I can’t tell you how much I love love LOVE the way audio alone can take you to a place and time. I was planning on just cataloging this piece of audio with our other “life documentaries” on the hard drives, but it felt selfish not to share how beautiful the birds sounded today.

For those who like audio.

[audio:http://www.curtiswiklund.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/the-birds-in-michigan.mp3|titles=the-birds-in-michigan]

(Put your headphones on if you have ’em. It makes it much better. And if this is in your email, you might have to go to my blog to get it to work.)

 

It was an early Tuesday morning, and Jordin and I were taking a car to her parents’ house to do a car swap thing. That night I was flying out to Seattle, and Jordin had recently been experiencing some symptoms that seemed out of the ordinary. So at 6:00am, before we left for her parents’, we found out the best news either of us have ever gotten. We’re pregnant. :) Here’s the announcement we posted on facebook and in All The Drawings of Jordin and Me.

Curtis and Jordin Wiklund Pregnancy Announcement

Immediately we drove to her parents’, told her family, drove to my parents’ and woke them up, drove to starbucks to tell her brother, conference called my sister and brother-in-law, and skyped with my little sister in France to tell her.

That night I flew out to Seattle, praying that nothing tragic would happen to me and result in a terrible story they would make a movie out of.

Fortunately nothing did. I’ll post my Seattle trip next.

  • November 25, 2012 - 2:34 am

    Alexa and Matt » Curtis Wiklund's Blog - […] this whole sequence as soon as I shot it. It actually made me a bit emotional (I blame that on our baby to be). I just loved watching the genuine joy and the laughter that would come every time Alexa and Matt […]ReplyCancel

This is a follow up to the blogpost Our News. If you haven’t read that, start there.

What was supposed to be a climbing trip with old high school friends turned out to be a week spent with one of my best friends Easton, my consistent college roommate until he was replaced as roommate by my wife. When the climbing trip fell through and after having already booked flights, I called him, and it happened to work out that he could take nearly the whole week off with me between some freelance work. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect week.

The time that Jordin and I spent apart did nothing but grow us closer to each other as we dreamed on our own about our new baby to be. Our phone calls were sweet, because I knew that the only other person who would want to talk about our baby as much as me, was her.

Since he stood up in my wedding, Easton and I have made intermittent attempts to spend time with each other; visiting, on the phone (even though neither of us are very good at it), sometimes working together, but nothing is the same as just being together. This trip came by happenstance, and it turned out to be the perfect blessing for me, the perfect week to spend in a beautiful place with a close friend, reflecting on the beautiful news that I received the morning I left.

Here’s Seattle. Easton lives on the Puget Sound. Most of these are where he lives. Rough life, huh?

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  • September 16, 2012 - 11:42 pm

    Our News » Curtis Wiklund's Blog - […] nothing did. I’ll post my Seattle trip […]ReplyCancel

I don’t know what it is about plants that makes me giddy, but the idea of having my own that I water and grow makes my heart very happy.  It could be their freshness, the life that you can watch growing right before your eyes.  Although it makes me feel like an absolutely terrible person when I’ve forgotten to water a plant and its dry crumbly leaves are evidence to the fact that it’s too late to save it.

Plants to me are life giving.  I love nature, huge open fields, mountains and wilderness, but there is something so special about the plants that I pick and choose to grow and nurture; herbs, succulents, annuals, perennials, even trees.  They are a small but powerful reminder to me of how incredible Earth is.  And I get to have the pleasure of growing a piece of that earth in my home and right outside my front door.  I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in a different state with a different climate, but after each trip or vacation, when the plane lands in Michigan, I am filled with a sense of peace and contentment.  I am home.  There are things I could definitely go without – mosquitos and gray winters to name just a few.  But I still love my Michigan and its seasonal changes that bring exquisite unique beauty.

I didn’t intend to go off on how much I love living here… I don’t think I even really realized it until I just wrote the last couple of sentences :)  Just kinda how I process.  For our office, Becca and I potted a variety of plants to sit on shelves and hang from the walls.  It was a nice little break from all of the emails, culling, sorting, and editing.  Some of our favorites were the terrariums we put together :)  Simple, fresh, and green.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

-Jordin

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  • July 15, 2013 - 1:21 am

    Home » Curtis Wiklund's Blog - […] I just enjoyed re-reading a post from Jordin from a while back about her love of plants. It’s here. […]ReplyCancel

Every Friday night at 5:15ish, Curtis and I wrap up whatever work stuff we are doing, grab a camera, jump in the car, and head to my parents house for dinner.   These have become precious evenings for us, sharing meals with my family, all siblings working hard to make it a priority to be there each week.  And along with all of the memories that we have stored in our minds of these Friday nights, we also have thousands of pictures :)  These are my two youngest siblings.  They bring more joy and laughter to our family than we could have ever anticipated or imagined and keep us entertained for hours as they play, dance, sing, wrestle, and chase each other around the house.  To say that they are a blessing doesn’t even begin to describe how precious they are to our family, watching them grow, and having the honor and privilege to love them with all of our hearts and to be loved by them.  Their very lives are a miracle and gift from God and when I look into these beautiful faces everything that I “think” is important fades away and I am lost in the innocence and sweetness of their laughter, smiles, and immense joy that never ends. -Jordin

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Hello!  Jordin here instead of Curtis :) For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Curtis’s wife a.k.a. the girl in the drawings. It’s not often that I make a blog post, but today is a very special day for us at CWP.  For quite some time now, Curtis and I have been looking for someone to act as our administrator and project manager, someone to keep us on track and organized (because our creative minds tend to wander) who loves our business and can take really good care of our clients.  Well, we found her and I am SUPER excited to officially introduce and welcome Becca Kallen to our team at Curtis Wiklund Photography!  It not only makes me giddy that we have found someone who is absolutely killer at this job (seriously, in the three weeks she’s now been with us, she’s changed our lives), but Becca has been a close friend for a long long time and is someone that I have personally loved and admired for many years as an extraordinary young woman, and I feel truly blessed that we not only get the opportunity to work with her each day, but that so many of you will have the opportunity to meet and interact with her as well.

We took her on a little photo shoot last week and have posted our favorite pictures below.  Curtis and I had the best time picking these out and were smiling the whole time because these really are a very sweet representation of who Becca is (those who know her personally will know what I’m talking about :).  She’s one of the kindest and most encouraging people I know, always affirming the people around her of the strengths that she sees in them. And it means the world to those people because this girl has A TON going for her. To sum it up in one sentence, she’s an incredibly intelligent architecture major that loves design, drawing, singing, and dance, and is gifted in each one (I know, not fair :).  But aside from her obvious talents she’s an incredible listener and loyal friend, with a contagious laugh that Curtis and I have enjoyed each day.  Becca, we really could not be more excited to have you on the team and thank you already for the way you’ve jumped into this position.  You are knocking it out of the park.
Hope you all enjoy these. You’ll be hearing again from me soon :)  -Jordin

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In honor of Valentine’s Day, I have compiled all of the drawings of Jordin and me from my drawings365 blog. A lot of people have told me that their favorite part of my drawing blog is/are the pictures of Jordin and me together, and even though the archive of ALL the drawings is neat, there are a lot of pictures to sort through for those who just want to see the ones of us. Even though I also have a special fondness for every one of the other characters on my blog, I too love looking through the ones of the two of us. There are a lot of memories in them. Last night, Jordin and I sat in bed, scrolling through this post, smiling and remembering all of the sub-texts, the highs and lows that have shaped and strengthened our marriage over the last year. I still haven’t decided whether to continue the daily drawing blog after March 3rd, when my 365 days are completed, but I have really loved making and sharing these personal little memories, and I know there will be many moments I am bummed that it’s over. On the other hand, I am really looking forward to going to sleep with my wife. As a procrastinator at heart, the last year has been for me a matter of getting in bed with Jordin, snuggling, beginning to drift off, then getting back up with my sketchbook and camera phone to begin drawing. I’m looking forward to the first night in 365 days I get in bed… and go to sleep.

Enough rambling… here is a year’s glance at all of the drawings of me and Jordin. (You can click on the pictures, sometimes multiple times, to make them bigger or zoom in) 

Jordie, I love you with everything in me. Happy Valentine’s Day.

The Drawings of Curtis and Jordin

EDIT: I will continue to update this post with the most recent drawings of the two of us. Soon to be… the three of us :)

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If you are interested in the published “coffee table book” of these sketches, you can subscribe to the right to receive an email when the book is released, or you can follow along on instagram or facebook, because I’ll likely make the announcement there too!

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Curtis and Jordin Wiklund

Jan 2nd, 2014 – Born to swim.

Jan 1st, 2014 – Happy New Year!

What should I draw?

Us.

Cute Hand Drawn Pregnancy Announement

August 26th, 2012 – We’re pregnant. :) I have a feeling more drawings will be coming.

Drawings like Pascal Campion

July 9th, 2012 – Tonight, my wife and I had a long list of things to get done. Instead, we sat on the couch, she read to me, I played guitar for a while, and then I drew a picture… in fact the first drawing on here since finishing the 365 project! In my opinion, these were all better alternatives than “the list”. And I like to let my feet float up in the air while lying on the couch. Don’t know why. Sometimes I do it with my hands too.

February 13th, 2012 – My Valentine.

January 24th, 2012 – The way home, staying awake.

January 30th, 2012 – Some place I’d like to be.

January 20th, 2012 – Sleepover with my best friend.

January 18th, 2012 – Evening in Venice, someday.

January 15th, 2012 – New reading light works well as an interrogation light.

January 5th, 2012 – nighttime routine.

December 31st, 2011 – Happy New Year from those who know how to party to the countdown in an empty theater!

December 25th, 2011 – Merry Christmas!

December 22nd, 2011 – Christmas service premier was tonight, wife and I performed as Eminem and Katy Perry. We go to a fun church. kensingtonchristmas.com

December 19th, 2011 – I love her so much!

December 13th, 2011 – Our Christmas tree.

December 8th, 2011 – There’s a light at the end of the tunnel! (Ours is Dec. 25th)

December 4th, 2011 – Home is safe.

November 23rd, 2011 – Leaving for Florida! (Drawn on my iPad)

November 18th, 2011 – Lil’ sis is home!

November 17th, 2011 – For some reason, my wife and I don’t get to play music much together. I’m hoping maybe for the Thanksgiving eve service? She’s asleep, otherwise I’d just ask her. :)

November 7th, 2011 – Budgeting.

October 28th, 2011 – Driving to Cedar Point with a bus full of highschoolers. We should’ve gotten more sleep last night. (Drew this on my phone with a nifty little free app, Sketchbook Express)

October 17th, 2011 – Cider Mill.

October 16th, 2011 – Getting messy with charcoal. Did a lot of laughing today.

September 28th, 2011 – Cold season.

September 16th, 2011 – Mmmm, wearing layers.

September 10th, 2011 – My wife asks me this every once in a while. I like thinking about it. What would your 6-yr-old self say if he could see you today?

September 6th, 2011 – It’s a very busy time of year for us. (Painted on my iPad)

September 3rd, 2011 – Out cold.

August 31st, 2011 – I wonder what my younger self would have thought if someone told me the girl on my tee-ball team would be my wife.

August 30th, 2011 – Sometimes I don’t feel like drawing at all.

August 28th, 2011 – We watched “Mao’s Last Dancer” tonight. Feeling inspired, I’m pretty sure this is what we looked like before bed.

August 27th, 2011 – Tag in the park.

August 23rd, 2011 – I don’t want summer to end.

August 19th, 2011 – Kissing on the beach.

August 16th, 2011 – In the last 48 hrs of our vacation, my wife read over 900 pages of her new favorite series. I pretend to read too, but every few sentences seems to spark a new idea and I begin thinking or daydreaming, and 48 hrs later, I’ve read a total of 12 pages from my 120 pg book.

August 11th, 2011 – I am a night owl. My wife is not. I’ve been trying to change, but then I started this drawing blog.

August 8th 2011 – Our first kiss.

August 2nd, 2011 – Budgeting.

July 24th, 2011 – Sister-in-law trying to explain the ending of Harry Potter 7 pt 2. (Drawn on my iPad)

July 20th, 2011 – I still learn something new about my wife every day. She is a professional painter.

July 17th, 2011 – Post-shower, pre-hairspray.

July 4th, 2011 – Hard night.

June 30th, 2011 – Memorizing Psalm 91.

June 25th, 2011 – New phones… with data! We are amazed. In fact this very post was done in bed from my phone. Did my drawing, took a picture with the awesome built in camera, and sent it to the blog! Woohoo

June 20th, 2011 – Back-scratching as a sedative.

June 18th, 2011 – Drawing in bed.

June 15th, 2011 – Snowboard goggles and onions.

June 12th, 2011 – Sometimes I think my wife thinks I look like Mr. Darcy.

June 10th, 2011 – The Proposal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUmzrZ4w4f4

June 9th, 2011 – Sometimes one phone call can totally change your plans! (The University of Michigan called me today to offer a full ride and a paid staff position to get my masters. I am shocked and ecstatic. I love school and I love learning. I am going back to school!)

June 6th, 2011 – My wife keeps me company when I need to pull a late nighter. (Drawn on my iPad)

June 3rd, 2011 – There is one mosquito in the house. Even though I don’t know where he is, he knows exactly where I am.

May 19th, 2011 – Sisters.

May 17th, 2011 – My wife watched the season finale of Castle today. Those who watch it understand.

May 15th, 2011 – Happy Anniversary love of my life!

May 14th, 2011 – Will you still love me when I look like this?

May 12th, 2011 – my sleepy girl.

May 8th, 2011 – To the greatest mom ever!

May 1st, 2011 – Taking care of Kobi. (Painted on my iPad)

April 24th, 2011 – dumb fight.

April 19th, 2011 – our trip home from IKEA.

April 14th, 2011 – mmm, my perfect birthday.

April 13th, 2011 – a perfect birthday. I think I’ll finish and paint this one tomorrow.

April 12th, 2011 – almost my birthday!

March 26th, 2011 – daydreaming on the roof.

March 22nd, 2011 – a sad lunch.

March 14th, 2011 – my new favorite hobby of my wife’s.

Thank you for sharing in these little memories of ours. I can’t wait to print these and all the other drawings into a coffee-table book. Many have asked for a copy, so I will try to figure out how to make it available on Amazon. I don’t know anything about publishing, but I think that would be so cool if people could have these drawings in a book! Anyone with publishing expertise? Feel free to contact me. You can find me on facebook. Facebook is also where I will post information about the book, so “Like” the page to stay up to date! Couple more weeks of drawing! www.Drawings365.com