So this is happening.

So. This happened last week!

Yes. My photography website is now up & running. This is a HUGE huge step for me. I mean, BIG STEP. With our impending move to Augusta, GA, I decided that I needed to take some time for ME. To figure out what I want to do. To be creative. To do the things I LOVE. The desk job thing? I'm sort of over it. Call it a midlife crisis of sorts (god, I hope I'm not dead by 64!) but I needed to make a change in my life.

This is the first of many.

I am so proud of this site & the work I have done so far. I am far from the greatest photographer in the world, but I LOVE what I do, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to do some more of it. Doing this full time will also give me the opportunity to stay home with Lucas & spend more quality time with him, while also pursuing some other creative aspects that I would like to make more of a permanent fixture in my life.

So if you are in the Augusta, GA area and are looking for a photographer? I'm your girl. If you know someone in that area? Please share my site!

Yay for big life steps!

What's Next?

With an impending move on the horizon. it's safe to say that I have sort of started to freak out.

One of the things that is worrisome to me is my job. My current position isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a dream job of sorts. Honestly, it's the farthest thing from it. But it's money in my pocket, so I will take it. Augusta is sort of a smaller town. Not TINY, but not exactly a large metropolitan area. The job market matches that. The job hunt in our new location has officially begun and I am sad to say, it doesn't look very promising.

One of my issues in my job search is that I don't really know what I want to do. I mean, I DO. I have an education. A masters degree. A "career field" that I am comfortable with and enjoy for the most part. But when I sit down and think about what I want to do, I come up empty.

I know I want a little bit of financial freedom. I like our lifestyle, and while it's not LAVISH by any means, we don't have to pinch pennies thankfully. I don't want to give that up anytime soon. Also, I enjoy working. Yes, being a working mom is tough & has it's challenges, but I still enjoy it. At least, I enjoy it when I am feeling fulfilled creatively & challenged in my day to day duties. But this impending move has me wondering -- what exactly DO I want to do?

As a direct sales consultant for Jamberry, I have started to see things pick up with my business, to the point that within the coming months, there is a very good chance that doing direct sales (hahahaha! Something I never thought I would be doing) will essentially replace my current income. Jamberry has become so easy & with a product that essentially sells itself, it has required very little effort on my part to be successful. Is it a silly concept? Sure! I LOVE the product, but I am making money off of designer nail wraps! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?? It's not something I want to do forever, but for now, it seems to be working. So why not?

But what next? I have always wanted to start my own business, which would allow me to focus on the aspects of public relations that I TRULY love. I have also considered, many times over, to launch into photography full time because I also love what I do when I get to do it. Taking both of those plunges before has been scary. Giving up a guaranteed income to try and do something that might not succeed is extremely terrifying on many, many levels. But with money coming in from the Jamberry thing, the idea of doing BOTH of these things doesn't seem so far off.

I'm still applying for jobs down in Augusta, because working in an office setting is comfortable. It's what I know. Again, that reliance of income is a little less terrifying than branching out on my own. But maybe it's time. Maybe this is the sign that I need to do what I want to do. I have a lot of research to in the coming months, before we take off for this new adventure. Or maybe I don't. Maybe I just DO IT. Throw caution to the wind. Build my websites. Put it out there.

See what happens.

Cue total terror. I just don't know. I know that my fear is deciding this for me. I know my fear of the unknown is keeping me from something that could potentially be very rewarding. I like comfortable. I like planned. I like KNOWING where my next paycheck is going to come from. But the places I am getting my paychecks aren't always the most rewarding. I sort of want both. So I don't know. I have a lot -- a LOT -- of thinking to do.

This could be the greatest, or worst decision I have ever made!

Family Photo*

Although I am making an effort do have more family photos taken of the three of us while we are out & about, the truth is that it doesn't happen very often.

So when we were in Seattle over the holidays, I commissioned one of my best friends, who owns Kayla J Photography, to take some photos for us one morning.

And I am so glad she did.

I have more, & will share them when I finish editing, but I loved this one so wanted to pass it along. Despite hating myself these days, I think these turned out really well. I love my family!

Halloween*

These past couple of weeks have been bananas, and I have seriously slacked on the blogging front. We have gotten bad news after bad news it seems in the past few weeks, and I sort of hit a wall where I couldn't really deal with it. So I needed to take a break from some things and regroup. I've been avoiding twitter for the most part, and blogging hasn't been a priority as I dealt with some things.

But. I'm working on some posts to get back up an running, to include our seven month update that I completely missed last week, some cloth diapering posts and our experiences with Baby Led Weaning so far. So as of now, we will resume our regularly scheduled programming.

Yesterday was Lucas's first Halloween! Obviously, at seven months old, he doesn't really know what's going on, or why he's wearing the crazy outfit that mama made him wear. But I gotta tell you, I think I had the cutest lion around:

Our Halloween was, for the most part, pretty low key. Lucas did some crafts at the sitters while also getting some costume time in with the other two kiddos. Afterwards, we headed over to another friends house where I strapped him into the carrier and we walked the neighborhood with her and her kids. It was nice and relaxing, and also perfectly cool (weather wise!) I can't wait for the next couple of years, when he really understands the concept of "trick-or-treat" and I get to watch him run all over the place, knocking on doors.

I can't believe how big this guy is getting, and my  heart melted a million times over seeing him dressed up in his adorable costume. I am looking forward to all the memories we are going to create going forward!

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

The Mom Stays in the Picture*

Don't forget about our giveaway with Bravo Tango Tee's! You still have plenty of time to enter! 

Last week, an article started making it's way around the internet, titled "The Mom Stays in the Picture," by Allison Tate. It's a great article that made me tear up a little, discussing the fact that as moms, we should make a better effort to include ourselves in more photos with our kiddos:

"Come take pictures with me, Mommy," he yelled over the music, "in the photo booth!"
I hesitated. I avoid photographic evidence of my existence these days. To be honest, I avoid even mirrors. When I see myself in pictures, it makes me wince. I know I am far from alone; I know that many of my friends also avoid the camera.

It seems logical. We're sporting mama bodies and we're not as young as we used to be. We don't always have time to blow dry our hair, apply make-up, perhaps even bathe (ducking). The kids are so much cuter than we are; better to just take their pictures, we think.

But we really need to make an effort to get in the picture. Our sons need to see how young and beautiful and human their mamas were. Our daughters need to see us vulnerable and open and just being ourselves -- women, mamas, people living lives. Avoiding the camera because we don't like to see our own pictures? How can that be okay?

This has been my struggle lately. Hating the way that I look and not wanting to be in the picture for fear of bursting into tears upon seeing myself. I can shamefully admit that this is the heaviest I have ever been in my life & most days, it makes me really sad. Not to mention that as a full-time working mom there are days where sleep becomes much more important than the way I look, something I am also not proud of, but most moms in general know that 15 extra minutes of sleep makes all the difference in the world.

About a week before I read this article, I had the same internal conversation with myself. That I needed to make more of an effort to document my time with Lucas. It is important, and he needs to be able to look back and see that even though I'm disheveled pretty much all the time, that there is a lot of love there. Reading this article sealed the deal for me.

As a photographer, I am so used to being behind the camera. I need to spend more time in front of it. So I am making the effort, even if it's just a quick shot with the point and click, which I am also making an effort to keep charged & in my purse at all times [because let's face it -- my big ass camera is a pain to carry around every day!]. The photographs in this post make me want to cry. I am ashamed by them and by how much I have let myself go, baby or not. But, I need to put my pride aside from time to time for the sake of my son.

But with that said, I am turning a new leaf. Today I am heading to a local gym to see about a membership. Part of the reason I don't work out more often is because it's effing HARD to find the time. By the time I get off work, pick up the kiddo, get home, get him taken care of, fed, ready for bed, make dinner for M & I, and sit down to breath, it's time for bed. Not to mention the fact that those couple of hours between home and bedtime for Lucas are precious.

But, he needs me around and he needs me healthy. So a couple days a week I am going straight to the gym after work. M has offered to leave work early those days to pick up the kiddo, something that helps me out immensely. The gym is also in close proximity to my office, which means on nights I can't go after work, I can go on my lunch break, and at the very least get on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

Because I do not want to go home at Christmas looking the way that I do. I am hoping, that by Lucas's first birthday I will be at the goal size that I have in mind.

This is my plan. I do not want to be ashamed of taking photos with my child. My husband. My friends. Ever again.

Photos Featured on The Wise Baby!

Eek! I am so excited that some of my photos have been featured over at The Wise Baby. If you have not checked out this website before and you are a new mom [or a mom to be!] you absolutely should! Lindsey runs an excellent site with lots of great advice and tips for new moms, as well as product reviews. Plus, her site is gorgeous [I'm a sucker for a well-designed blog!]

The photos featured are of a maternity and a newborn session that I did earlier this year. They are some of my favorite photos that I have taken & I am honored that Lindsey has shared them with her readers! Make sure you visit her site!

Baby Elle*

Social media is a wonderful thing. In all honesty, I really do not know what I would do without it. My husband makes fun of me for being on Facebook and Twitter ALL THE TIME, but the fact of the matter is that I have met some really amazing people through both avenues. Women that have helped me through some tough times. Women who turned from virtual friends to real friends. This is strange to some, but I honestly don't know what I would do without these people in my life!

Lauren is one of those women who I met through twitter! It took no time at all to find out that we were pretty close, were seeing the same RE and were both pregnant from the same method. So when Lauren asked me to photograph her sweet baby girl OF COURSE I said yes!

And the results are beautiful! It totally helps that her child is gorgeous and squishy and so very, very cute. Check out this doll!

ajdf;laksjf

Newborn Baby Girl*

Excuse the lack of posts around here lately! My father-in-law is in town visiting us from Portland and will be here for a couple more days. We've been busy trying to entertain, as well as beat the ridiculous heat that we have had down here in North Carolina the past few days. Needless to say, sitting on a couch with a warm laptop has not been very ideal! It's been an interesting few days with the FIL in here. I don't really write on family things too often (aside from myself and the kiddo) so I will leave it at that. But we are trying to be the best hosts possible.

I did, however, get to meet an adorable baby girl yesterday! Just one day old, this sweetie [who still does not have a name -- blame her indecisive mother! I can say that because she's a friend!] looks just like her daddy and is as tiny as can be. I am hoping to showcase more of my photography on here, so I might as well start with this!! I am wanting to wait to do too much before the new site launches, but because that's still two months away [eek! I can't wait!] I can't stop blogging all together!

So meet this beautiful mama and her gorgeous baby! B is a very good friend. Our husbands are in the same unit, but it was our infertility treatments that brought us together and over the past couple of years, she has become an amazing friend of mine. She went through six rounds of IUI before getting pregnant on her own with this baby, two months before her scheduled IVF. Although, her last IUI was cancelled due to overstimulation, so we are convinced she has SO MANY follies that they just kept right on coming, and one got lucky.  I will have more photos to come! [And if you want to follow my facebook page, go here!]

Thanksgiving Weekend*

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and what a great weekend it was. I would like to report that I got tons of crafty things accomplished over my four days off, but sadly ... I cannot say that. I had huge dreams of getting some things done but the fact of the matter is that I remained completely lazy. It was great.

We had some good friends over for Thanksgiving on Thursday which made being so far away from family a little less lonely. I love cooking and usually would have zero problem doing the whole  meal by myself, but this year I was grateful to do it potluck style. Everything turned out great and the company was wonderful! I was exhausted by the end of the night and slept like a rock!

Friday we opted to NOT partake in Black Friday shopping. We slept in, made coffee & cuddled on the couch with the pooches while getting caught up on DVR. Our only outing for the day was to go get our Christmas tree, and we waited until late in the afternoon to avoid any sort of mess out on the roads. Yes, I am that person who puts up my decorations immediately following Thanksgiving! I would put them up earlier if my husband would allow me, but I've been banned to waiting until the day after Thanksgiving. The Christmas season is my favorite time of year & I am so glad that it's finally here!

I take my Christmas decorating very seriously, and with M getting ready to head to the field for the next two weeks, I foresee some extra shopping to get some new decorations in my future this week! Much to the husband's dismay. Growing up, our house always looked so amazing. My mom was incredibly crafty and made the most beautiful decorations for our home. And there were a lot of them ... but in a very, very classy way. I want my home to look like that, and while I am far from it, I hope to get a little closer every year. But even just having the tree up & decorated with the few decorations that we do have up makes it feel just a little more cozy around here. There is nothing like the warm glow of Christmas lights to light up a room!

The rest of the weekend has been a hodge podge of "stuff." Saturday was full of photo shoots & movies with friends, to which I came home and went straight to bed. Today was spent getting some more things done around the house, but also getting some last minute relaxing in. This work week is going to be rough after coming off a two and a half day work week, followed by a long weekend. I hope it goes quick. And as always, we had our trust lab, Daisy, to help us out with everything [and Cooper in the background].

Pregnancy-wise, all is going well. We hit 25 weeks on Friday and can't believe that we're only 15 weeks away [give or take!] from meeting our little one. This weekend was definitely a weekend to be grateful and give thanks for the blessing we have in our life, and we did so as often as could. My hips and my shoulders are starting to hurt more at night from sleeping on my sides, but I've found that taking some tylenol right before bed alleviates that just a little and keeps me from tossing and turning every house [which also makes the husband happy]. The hormones have also come rushing in this week, making me insecure and weepy. I'm hoping that I can get them in check, because wanting to cry for no apparent reason is starting to get really old. I'm also slightly starting to freak out about what's to come, but I'll save that for another pot.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the extra time off, if working is your thing [which unfortunately it is for me!]. And most importantly, I hope everyone got to spend it with friends and/or family and made sure to count all the blessing that you have in your life.

Now bring on Christmas!

The Nursery Begins*

This past weekend, M & I tackled what will eventually become the nursery. It was a big undertaking. A project that we knew was going to take a whole weekend to even just begin & something we had been putting off. But with the weeks flying by, I was getting antsy and wanting to get started with the big stuff, so I could focus on the little stuff.

The room that will become our nursery has functioned as our guest bedroom for the four years we've lived in this house. It was always known that it would eventually become the nursery, but over time, as we struggled with getting pregnant, it really just sort of collected junk. We never went in there. It ONLY ever got organized if we had a guest coming in [a rare occasion]. It went unloved. In order to get that room cleared out, we had to clear out our office. We only have three bedrooms in our small, 1200 sf home, so there's only so much space. The office was now becoming the office/guest bedroom & was another room that had been neglected.

So Saturday was spent organizing. It was very happy day when Saturday afternoon, we had gotten furniture moved to it's respective places and the now nursery was completely empty! That poor room had not been empty since the day we moved in! :)

Then Sunday came the fun! We had decided on a color weeks ago and bought a gallon of paint for when the day came:



I am so in love with this color and have so many plans for the nursery. The route we are taking is a little non-traditional, but because we are not finding out the sex of the baby, I wanted to do something fun. And I just couldn't bear to go the yellow/green route. I'll post some teasers here and there, but I want to do a big reveal in a couple of months! But essentially, we are going with this color & a lot of bright colors as accents. It will be gorgeous!

My husband was such a trooper over the course of the weekend. Saturday was a lot of work, and then we spent all day Sunday painting the first and second coat. There wasn't a lot of relaxation time. Once we finished the painting, we decided to tackle the one piece of furniture that we owned because we figured ... why not?! We had already done so much! A couple of months back, I had been selected for an Operation Homefront baby shower. It was nomination only [I have amazing friends! I had no idea until I was actually selected!] and we walked away with some really great baby items, including a beautiful bassinet, a crib mattress & plenty of other goodies. It was amazing.

Isn't my sweetie adorable? He was SUCH a trooper! And I love him for dealing with my urgent need to get things done this past weekend. He's in for more as my nesting instinct increases, but I'm so glad we got so many big things done while we could. He's a champ & I love him for it!

And, just for shits & giggles, meet our lovable pooch, Cooper. He's not the brightest crayon in the box, but his adorableness makes up for it. He's a treeing walker coonhound that we rescued as a puppy last year after my beagle died, and he makes us laugh every single day. He's adorable & one of three pooches in our household. Always exciting here!

21 Weeks*

Well, I broke down and finally took a picture. I'm starting to feel like I actually look pregnant these days instead feeling like I'm rocking a bad ass beer belly. [This photo also made me realize how incredibly drab our guest bathroom is. Time to get some decorations up in there!]

I've been really bad about taking photos during the pregnancy, if anything just for our own personal record. Mostly because I just haven't *looked* pregnant. But I know that somewhere down the road, I'm going to want these photos, if only, again, just for our personal record.

And then I took a huge leap today and also posted this to facebook. I instantly felt guilty and made sure via my good friend Lauren that I was not, in fact, being one of those people. The ones that are incredibly obnoxious and annoying because they post every single thing about their pregnancy [and subsequently, everything about their child] on facebook. But what it comes down to is that we are on the downhill slide with this pregnancy. I know that we still have a very long way to go. 19 weeks in fact. And so many things can happen in those 19 weeks. I see it too often in this community. But, we've made it past a lot of hurdles, and for the first time I am actually feeling more excited than apprehensive.

It's a nice feeling to have. There has been so much fear with this pregnancy, especially early on. But feeling movement, and having my husband feel that movement for the first time last night, it changes things. And while I still definitely worry about what every little thing means I'm finding that I'm able to talk myself down much easier and am realizing that as of right now, things are ok.

And, Lauren assures me that I am, indeed, not annoying about the things I chose to post. In fact, I made her PROMISE ME, that if I ever got that way either during this pregnancy or post-baby, she had to tell me. No hard feelings. But she could shake me and say STOP. I'm holding her to that! But here in this blog, sorry. This is my free space. :)

The funny thing about that picture, though, is that it's so deceiving. Baby Boho is definitely sitting WAY lower than where the actual bump appears. So for now, the bump is really just for show. IT'S A VANITY BUMP! I have a feeling that as things fill out more, it will be much more representative of where the kid is actually sitting, but for now, it's tucked down deep in my uterus.

And I will say that Old Navy yoga pants are pretty much the best thing ever at this point. It absolutely doesn't help that they are currently having a sale and their workout stuff is uber cheap right now. But I stocked up and I can't wait to get into those puppies when I get home from work at night. If I could get away with going to work in yoga pants and a t-shirt EVERY SINGLE DAY, I would. Because it's that comfortable.

So the plan this weekend is still to move half of my house around and get the nursery started. Years ago, when we first moved into this house and first started trying, we kept that room pretty empty because we hoped that one day it would become the baby sanctuary. Over time, when that didn't happen, it started to collect a lot of junk. So now we have to go through it all and get rid of most of it. It should be a productive weekend. Fingers crossed.

Happy Friday all!

Delivery Room Bliss*

Hello friends! I know it's been a couple of weeks. I was off gallivanting in Seattle with family & friends for a while, and taking a much needed break from life. I have so many photos to share about my trip to Seattle, and a lengthy post to go with it, but instead of bombarding you with information overload, we'll just take it one day at a time :)

While I was home, I had the amazing honor to be in the delivery room with my best friend of almost twenty years, as she gave birth to her first child. Kim & I have known each other since we were in the sixth grade. We played soccer on the same team, even though we went to different schools. Our sophmore year, we were inseparable, and drove our parents and families crazy by our obsession of No Doubt and Empire Records. To this day, we can still recite the ENTIRE movie, line by line. [This may be due to the fact that we would watch it two or three times in a row, EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND.] In college, we spent our summers working together at the marina, chasing boys, drinking way more than we should have, and expanding our obsession for good music and living the ultimate bohemian lifestyle. Even though we went to college on opposite sides of the state, she remained my closest ally, and somebody that knew me better than anybody else. We never did anything without the other person, and we continued to drive our families crazy by our attached at the hip mentality. It was funny & borderline annoying to some that we could complete thoughts & sentences without even realizing that we were doing so. And even though I have moved farther and farther away from Seattle over the years, she remains one of the closest people in my life. She is my sister. My friend. My family.

When she asked me to be in the delivery room with her when it came time to push, I was completely honored. Having a baby is such a personal experience. Not to mention the fact that anybody that's in that room is going to see *ahem* everything. Luckily, Kim & I are very comfortable around each other, but it definitely took our friendship to a new level. Being in the delivery room with her was both terrifying & exciting at the same time. I had more than one moment where I thought to myself I CANNOT DO THIS IN SIX MONTHS. Kim was a trooper. She was so amazing, and everything that she did made me so proud of her. The miracle of life is just that ... a miracle. But it's rough. And definitely not pretty. And all I could think of WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?

But at the same time, it was beautiful. With the first glimpse of the head, all I do was cry and tell her how amazing she was doing, that her baby was almost here. When i say she was a champ, I mean that ... she pushed through four contractions and out he came. It was amazing. The room was instantly filled with joy, & her sister and I just hugged each other while trying to stay out of the way of the nurses. He was tiny, & beautiful, & absolutely perfect. [I should mention that the photo above was taken just moments after baby was born. It is my favorite, and it makes me tear up every time I look at it.]

Seeing Kim & her amazingly supportive husband afterwards ... holding baby Sully & seeing how happy they were ... crying with her family in the waiting room as I got to show them the first pictures of their new grandson/nephew/cousin ... it was worth it. All of her laboring. All of her pain. All of her struggles to get that baby out and welcome to him to the world ... worth it.

There was so much love, and so much happiness floating around in the hours afterwards. And holding that little man in my arms two days later, it was amazing.

So while I know that watching her do her thing brought a whole new level of terror into this pregnancy, I know that it will all be worth it in the end. That having our child will be worth every ounce of pain and suffering that I go through in just six short months.

I love you Kimmie! Thank you for being an amazing friend. And welcome to the world, Sully. Your mamma & I cannot WAIT for you and Baby W to be the best of friends!

Photo Project -- 4 & 5/52*

Slowly but surely, I am getting caught up on this! Here are two more photos from this past week!

I caught our adorable kitty taking a nap on our new patio chairs the other day. Luckily she let me get pretty close with the camera. She looks so cute and sweet when she sleeps! Unfortunately she's the devil cat. 

We had our first tulip of the year make an appearance today! I LOVE tulips, and we planted a ton last year. These ones are my favorite because of their beautiful color!

Photo Project -- 2 & 3/52*

Ok, so I'm a slacker and started this awesome photo project back in February and then never followed through.

So, now I'm playing catch up. Luckily, I'm only a few weeks behind, and weeks are easier to catch up on than days! So I will make sure that by the end of the week, I am completely caught up!

Promise!

But for now, here are photos #2 & #3 in the 52 Week Photo Project!

The Bradford Pear trees in our front yard are blooming like crazy. Spring has definitely sprung at our house. Unfortunately, these trees stink to high heaven & when the pollen starts floating away, it always manages to coat my car [and everybody else's] a lovely shade of yellow. It's gross.

However, they do look pretty!

This little gem below was a birthday gift from my Dad in January. He bought me it's larger, meaner brother for Christmas & I use them both all the time. These things have pretty much gotten rid of any reason to use a regular pot or pan.

I seriously cook EVERYTHING in these.

They are my new best friends.



Only a few more photos to go! :)

Hope*

I have so much to write about this past weekend & photos galore to share ... and I promise, I'm working on getting that up [hopefully later tonight!]

But, I found this at Target today, and I thought it was so perfect for my situation & for everyone else who is TTC. It was the last one [on sale! whoop!] so I snagged it, and will wear it proudly.

Celebrating & A New Toy*

It is currently 5:35. And I am home from work.

In my sweats, with a glass of wine.

This. Never. Happens.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I got home from work this early. My job is somewhat demanding, and I definitely put in more than the normal 40 hours a week. Some days I don't mind, some days its incredibly daunting. But this week they showed their appreciation and rewarded me with a nice, larger than expected raise.

I know money is one of those taboo topics that you aren't supposed to talk about. But damnit, I'm proud of the fact! I work my ass off for my company, and although it definitely has it's down moments [doesn't every job?], I generally LOVE what I do. I strongly dislike some individuals that have influence over me, but I love every other aspect of what I do, and what my company stands for.

So I'm celebrating. Because fat raises are worth celebrating!!!

Part of my reward to myself was a nice, brand new fancy camera! I love photography so much, and enjoy all of the sessions I do. But my little Canon Rebel just wasn't holding up anymore. I love that camera, and will more than likely keep it around. When I was pregnant, my parents gave it to me as a Christmas gift. It's tradition in our family to give your children a new camera when they are expecting. Unfortunately, mine has yet to see our children, so I feel like I need to keep it around so I can at least use it once for the purpose in which it was intended.

However, for all the rest of my photography goodness, I bought this baby and this lens. It will be here tomorrow and I can't. freaking. wait.

This camera will definitely get some use, and will be put to the the test. Because I have total instant gratification issues, I paid for overnight shipping [I mean, after all of that, what's an extra $25??]. Did I say I can't wait??

Which, speaking of photography, TOTAL FAIL on my part on the whole Project 52 thing. Seriously. I have all these photos that I've taken, but I have yet to actually sit down and edit them. I swear, this weekend, I will catch up.

I promise.

Where Did The Week Go?

Holy eff, where did this week go?

Not that I am complaining. I am wicked excited that it is Friday.

I have two photoshoots scheduled this weekend, both of which involve children. So, I'm looking for some quick and easy props to take with me. I haven't ever used props before in photos, but I think this weekend is a good time to start playing with them.

Plus, this brings me a little bit closer to buying my new camera. After this weekend, I'll be about half way there for what I need cost-wise. I'm hoping to get a couple more sessions scheduled in the coming weeks so that by mid-March I have that baby in my hands!

I'm on the lookout for some props to use. I haven't ever really used props in my photos, but am thinking that they need to become a part of my photography life. When they are used right, they can be a wonderful addition to any photos that are taken. I definitely think there is a cheesiness factor if they aren't used right, so it's all about finding the right thing. I may do a few experiments this weekend and see what works.

Of course, that requires a trip to some craft stores tonight. Bummer.

I just realized I didn't post this weeks 52 project photo. I'm a slacker!! I actually have a photo in mind but have not had two seconds this week to edit it to my liking. I'll get it up and then be back on track on Monday [since I know I will have a ton of adorable photos to share!]

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Photo Project -- 1/52*

I'm a big fan of photography, which is not a huge shocker, and have spent the last couple of years developing my skills. I've been very lucky that I have built a pretty good following and client base, and love sharing the work that I do with friends & family.

A while back, i tried to do one of those 365 photo projects, and made it a good three months into it. Then, it fizzled. A photo a day is tough! But, I enjoyed doing it, and it made me think more about what I was taking a picture of, instead of just photo after photo. I'm not sure that I can do the 365 project again, but I'm thinking I'll do a 52 project :)

One photo a week, for an entire year.

There are plenty of people out there who do this, so I may just follow along! Not as huge of a commitment, either :) What can I say ... I'm lazy.

So, this is my first official weekly photo post! I think I can handle this one! I did a boudoir shoot this weekend (for a very lucky & unknowing husband!) and we had a blast. I wish I could show more photos, but out of respect, obviously I won't. However, this one is safe, and I think beautiful. Plus ... I love the shoes!

back to reality*

Whew!

What a week.

The hubs & I have been in the Pacific Northwest the past week visiting friends & family in both Seattle & Portland. It was a great time, and I have so much to share, but unfortunately, the 500 emails I have at work are keeping me a little busy right now! So, hopefully this weekend I will have a longer update and a LOT of photos to share with everyone.

I did want to mention that Marshall & I had our photos taken while we were out there. We haven't had any pictures taken together [professionally, that is!] since our wedding three years ago! TOO LONG! A very, very good friend of mine, Kayla Bosma, was kind enough to snap some pictures of us out near her studio. If you are in the Seattle area, I highly recommend her services. She is a fabulous photographer, & the person that actually inspired me to pick up my camera and do more.

These are a couple of my absolute favorites from the session. I can't wait to go through them and pick out some more.

Until later ... hope everyone is well!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm dreaming of the day when I get to go back.