puppy breath : OTIS

Who doesn't love a good dose of puppy breath!  Otis is the newest addition to our little growing family.  I know, I know.  Just maybe we were having baby fever early and could not wait to have a something small to love.  He is a pocket beagle and I'm not exactly sure how "pocket" he will be, but either way we are happy to have him.  I picked him up at the airport in a little pet carrier and he had messed EVERYWHERE, so things started off a little shaky for sure, but after a quick trip to see Uncle Lewis at Lincoln Heights Animal Hospital we were in good shape!  The road trip to Uvalde that afternoon was a smooth ride, although it was seriously taking this pup a long while to warm up to things.  I shot these photos literally a few minutes after we arrived home.  Otis has taken shape to our lifestyle and he is the most adorable puppy.  He has such a great personality.  He follows us EVERYWHERE and does not miss a beat.  He runs through the yard like a tornado and cuddles up with us when he's tuckered.  He seems huge now in comparison to these photos.  We love this little guy.  

new YEAR, new ME. {sort of..}

Happy New Year to you all!  This new year brings many wonderful things my way.  Last year we pretty much went out with a bang photographing so many weddings and business could not have been any better.  This year things are changing just a little bit in order to make things better for clients, better for me, better for my husband, better for our sweet baby and better for business.  Enjoy a few photos of me, ME, meeeee!  I am so happy to have some photos of myself to share.  These are NOT intended to be my actual maternity photos, but it sure makes me happy to see my bulging bump documented at this stage.  Currently at 24 weeks/ 6 months I am beginning to really fill out as you can see.  I only hope there is an evident "glow" somewhere on my face.  I feel the glow of happiness inside no doubt, but sometimes I feel a little humpty dumpty on the outside.  :)

Enjoy and read below the photos to learn about updates and much more.. 

BABY:

As many of you know, we are expecting a little baby Light on April 26th.  My birthday is April 23rd and I think this might be the ultimate gift.  We have chosen to leave the sex of our baby a surprise, which is really making things fun.  The guessing games are always interesting to hear.  Right now I think we are having a baby boy, but with these new love handles and with this big bulge, I'm rethinking my decision and considering the thought that it very well could be a girl.  Either way, we are praying and hoping for a healthy baby.  I just had an appointment earlier this week and Baby Light is weighing in at 1.7 ounces and measuring 24 weeks and 2 days, which is perfect.  Things are looking good apparently, so the baby must be enjoying all of the bean and cheese tacos!  

KINCAID:

Have I ever mentioned that I think Kincaid seriously hung the moon?  I just love him more and more each day.  {well, some days may skip a beat, but that's only normal ;}  His Dad skills are going to trump my Mom skills hands down.  He is so great with children and he is so dang funny.  If he is able to keep me happy while blossoming into humpty dumpty, then he truly is a saint.  The highs and lows of pregnancy emotions have charmed our relationship in superior ways.  I love him!     

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION:

I am going to become the most organized person known to man!  {for those of you who know me, this is going to be a fun project.}  Things are beginning to shape up around here already.  I'm organizing everything including old photos, clothes, arts and crafts, fabrics, jewelry, shoes, recipes and office stuff.  With the baby on the way I am basically freaking out about life in general for the moment.  Suddenly the thought of having every little thing in order is hovering over me like never before.  I know things will change drastically and that life will be different in so many ways once our baby arrives, so I guess this is part of the preparation.  Organized I will be!

2011 WEDDINGS:

2010 as stated a number of times on this blog I'm sure, was a beautiful year for the growth of my wedding business.  I went from hoping to schedule 10 as a goal for the entire year, to scheduling 25.  Every client was so perfect and looking back on working with each bride really makes me smile.  I learned so much from everyone about life in general, made many new friends, shed a few tears here and there on any given wedding day and also learned how much I missed my family and my friends while working so hard all year.  All of the hustle and bustle was a challenging and looking back the only thing I wish I could have done differently was to really enjoy all of my brides and weddings more.  With so many though, I was blowing and going like a crazy person feeling like a big mess on gallons of tea.  {I hope no one noticed!}  Surely I played the role gracefully, right?!  I'll let you all be the judge, but I truly do want more time embrace and cherish the moments I get to photograph and be with clients.  So, rather than shooting 3 weddings a month we will be limiting our wedding schedule to only 1- 2 weddings per month depending on the time of year.  This is pure joy to me.  I am SOOOOOO looking forward to shooting this year!  

OFFICE:

The word "OFFICE" has not exactly been what I would call my workspace this year.  I've been set up in a rent house and you all just might bust out laughing if you saw how I had my computers set up.  Laugh no more though, I will soon be in the most permanent office imaginable with filing cabinets and all!  I will share a photo of my office in progress from start to finish later this month, which will most definitely make you laugh!  Let me just leave you with the word PINK for now.. 

HOME:

"HOME" is another word that I've been dying to encounter for such a long time.  Kincaid and I have a house project on our hands that we are making our "HOME".  We are in the beginning stages of the project, but we are hopeful to be in our house by the time the baby arrives, which is late April.  Wish us luck!  I am anxious to share before and after photos with you.  My office will be in our home and the thought of being there permanently and building our life there together is just lovely.  Which speaking of finally creating a home, I like to blame not actually having a permanent home on my terrible, unorganized, crazy person ways!  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

URTH STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY: rainRAINrainRAINrain

I'm buying some time this week thanks to the lovely rain.  Downloading, editing, burning dvd's, updating client info, tutorials on my system, chatting with brides and cozying up with a good cup of blueberry tea and my computer.  These shoes were such a find this past weekend.  Had to share them with you and they suit the rainy weather perfectly.  I'm in love with them.  I'm sure I'll wear them to shreds like every other pair of flats.  I get hooked on one pair at a time. 

URTH STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY: afraid of heights

I have been working diligently behind the scenes for the past month in efforts to really gather all of my ducks and line them up perfectly in a row.  I have implemented a new program into my workflow that is super rad for all of my clients.  It makes my life much more simple.  It makes your life a joy when working with me.  It makes emails and keeping up with each client much less overwhelming.  I feel as though this past month has been the calm before the storm for me.  I have been reflecting on previous work, critiquing, improving, designing things, learning new things and creating a world of pure greatness for myself before October hits and before the Bridal Extravaganza surfaces on Sunday.  I have two new products that I'll be revealing at the show.  Beautiful things my friends.  Upon sifting through images of a wedding that I shot late August I found this photo and had to post it.  I have the biggest fear of heights imaginable.  I have a complex about walking up and down stairs for the reason that I fear I will fall through the gap in each step, which is impossible.  Heights make me nervous and panic.  So, for some strange reason I voluntarily jumped on board when Jeni & Gabe planned to fly away in a helicopter and zoom around a bit before their reception.  Oh, barf.  No doors.  My face says it all.  I'll never forget going to Fiesta Texas with Balke and Nathan.  We got on the ride that shoots you directly up into the air and then the floor falls out from under you and drops you completely.  Horrible.  If only I could remember what it was that Balke kept repeating over and over.. it was funny whatever it was.  My commitment to my bride & grooms.. ;)

URTH STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY

I have been rockin' steady to the same beat for a while now, so upon approaching a nice and eventful Christmas season and Wedding splurge, I knew that LOVEAFFAIR was the perfect fit for me.  I booked on impulse a week before the workshop, so I had very little time to think about all of the little things that I truly desired to learn and achieve.  I bought a new, pristine and empty notebook before the trip and created a hefty list of all the things that I wanted to cover in Atlanta.  (I'm nitorious for having a gigantic list at workshops.)  Like every profession, it seems as though there are photographers on every corner these days, so not only is it an enormous compliment when a client chooses me as their photographer, but it is also an investment on their part.  I am an artist at heart, so naturally my non-business savvy skills needed a tune-up.  Everything is squared away folks!

The process of changing many little details and creating a bigger and better experience for my clients has begun.  A few things will be tweaked and a few things will start from ground-up.  I will be implementing everything as smoothly and quickly as possible, so be please be patient and enjoy the ride with me.  All of these things may or may not be noticed by viewing my website, but it's all part of the experience my friends.  With Christmas rapidly approaching and Weddings booking, my life and business will be fresh and ready to enjoy everything with all of you.  I hope you enjoy what is to come.