Hello! 10 Things About Andi Willis, Your Personal Photo Organizer

The essential nature of my job as a photo organizer is very, very personal. When I organize and scan a client’s precious family photos, they are often letting me into the most intimate moments of their lives.

Often this includes random shots of husbands napping in their undies, children running around in the sprinklers in their birthday suits, and other unmentionable things I can’t unsee no matter how much I try, in addition to holidays, birthdays, and other life celebrations.

So…I think it is only fitting that I share some more personal things about myself with you. None are exceptionally earth-shattering (No underwear-clad husbands or unmentionable scenes here, my friends. You are welcome!), but all will give you a little glimpse into the life and mind behind Good Life Photo Solutions – me, Andi Tormohlen Willis.

Let’s get started!

I Started Early

My love of organizing started long ago.  When I was young, I remember admiring the to-do lists, and packing lists my mother and grandmother made. Even today, I love a good hand-written list. As a teenager, I enjoyed reorganizing my mom’s pantry. It gave me such a profound sense of joy to toss the stale food and rearrange everything to make it more accessible. That explains a lot, doesn’t it?

Tea, Please

I drink green tea, not coffee. I love the smell of freshly ground coffee, but that’s it.  In high school, college, and into my early adult years, my morning caffeinated beverage of choice was Diet Coke (still a favorite). When I was in my early 30s, my parents switched from coffee to green tea, and I thought I’d try it too because I knew I was drinking too much soda. I’ve never looked back. My daily cuppa is Tazo’s Zen Green Tea – two cups every morning, even when it is too hot for a hot beverage.

Precious Pets

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a pet.  There have been quite a few over the years

• Hamster – Fluffy
• Golden Retrievers – Rusty, Gidget, Moe, Mary
• Cocker Spaniel – MacArthur
• St. Bernard – Christopher
• Lab Mix – Joie
• Cats – Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mama Cat, Claude, Bones, Domino, Minnie, Nellie, Socks
• Goat – Percy, who didn’t last long because he kept head-butting my mom
• Bunny – Ivy
• Fish – They never last long enough to name. We are a family of unintentional fish killers.

Family First

It’s probably no surprise that I am my generation’s family historian and archivist. Nor is it surprising that I became a photo organizer when I started organizing and cataloging my own family’s history at an early age. Some of my favorite items with which I’ve been entrusted are a set of love letters from my great-great-aunt Agnes Ridenour and her soon-to-be husband George, who had been her employer as she worked as the family’s nanny until his first wife passed away. No matter how it started, there was a deep and long-lasting love. Sigh.

Famous Flight

When I was about eight years old, I flew on a commercial flight with Elizabeth Taylor and her then-husband John Warner, the then-senator from Virginia. I was flying by myself from my grandparents’ home in Illinois back home to Virginia. I had no idea who they were, but I do remember the crowd and the cameras as I got off the plane. I believe they stayed aboard until everyone else deplaned, so I probably walked right past Cleopatra.  Swoon!

Library Love

I love a library. As a child, I spent many hours in our small town’s library with my grandparents where they volunteered. The library itself was a beautiful old house, and I loved wandering from room to room. I loved the process of stamping books with the return date and the idea of everything having its own home on the shelf (hello, Organizer here!).

For many years, I worked as a volunteer and a substitute teacher in the library (they call them media centers now) of my children’s elementary school. I love putting order to the chaos and reading fun stories to the kids. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of my favorite pastimes is reading.

Beach or Bust

My favorite place to get away from it all is the beach. I can spend all day on the beach if I have a chair, an umbrella, and a good book or two. I don’t need to touch the water or go for a walk.  I don’t nap.  I simply sit, read, watch the waves, and chill out.  My family has been doing a beach week since I was five years old. I’m quite a bit older than five now, but it’s still my favorite week of the year.

Dinner and a Movie

My favorite movies include The Shawshank Redemption, Pretty in Pink (Hello! The main character is named Andie. I wanted to be her so badly!), and Princess Bride. I can quote most of the movies and know most of the music.

Some of my favorite foods include a good meatloaf, creamy risotto, a pepperoni and mushroom pizza from Three Guys Restaurant in Franklin, VA (IYKYK), and Hubs peanuts (best when kept in the freezer and eaten cold, IMHO).

World (and Not-So-World) Traveler

Traveling is an obsession for me, and I am fortunate that I have already been able to visit many fantastic places in the world. So far internationally, I’ve been to Costa Rica, England, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Canada, and the tiny landlocked nation of Andorra.

In recent years I’ve been doing more and more traveling in the US, and I am continually amazed by the diversity and beauty of our country. I have visited Utah, Colorado, Virginia, Iowa, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Kansas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Florida, where I am continually blown away by the wide variety of landscapes, animals, and plants.  One of the items on my Life List is to travel around the country in an RV with my husband and experience all the wonderful places America has to offer.

You Want Me to Do What?!

I have an intense fear of heights and very enclosed spaces. However, I have fought that fear to visit some very incredible places like the top of the Duomo and Campanile in Florence, St. Peters Cathedral in Rome, the St. Louis Arch, and the CNN Tower in Toronto. Fighting the utterly irrational fear is worth it for those views!

Thanks for reading…I’m delighted to meet you.

If you’d like to get to know me a bit more, check out this video.

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