Okay….so secondly, I am completely and utterly overwhelmed with gratefulness at all of the emails, fb messages and text messages that I’ve gotten since making my announcement that I will no longer be doing family/child sessions.  You all sure know how to make a girl feel loved.   It was not an easy decision for me to make.  It’s actually a decision that I have been mulling over for quite some time.   You can read more about that whole process HERE.    It’s not that I don’t love, love, love meeting and hanging with all of my fab family clients… I so do.  I have met some of the most amazing people through my work.  I’ve gotten to reconnect with high school friends that I haven’t seen in nearly 20 years and meet their awesome kiddos.  I have had brand new clients turn into some of my very dearest, closest friends.   It just doesn’t get any better than that.   It’s heartbreaking for me to give that up.  But I heard a quote the other day that sort of sums it up for me.  ”God does everything in seasons.  This season was just shorter than you thought it would be.”  Wow. So true and so relevant for me.  When I started this business…it was with the intention of being able to do what I love while also being able to focus on my family more.  Over the past year or so, I have found myself to be so busy and so consumed with the business and work and editing that I have lost sight of why I started it in the first place.   Believe me, I’m not complaning.  I know how unbelievably blessed I have been since starting all of this.  More than I deserve!   But in order to continue to put my family first in my life, I have to take a step back.  I have to really focus on the aspects of my business that I can give 100% to without feeling like I am taking away too much time from the things and people that matter most to me.

So all of that being said…..I will most definitely be doing one weekend of family/child mini sessions in the Spring. {May) And also one in the Fall{late October}.  These will essentially be the only times during the year that I will be doing these types of sessions.  The rest of my time will be divided between seniors/couples/maternity/boudoir/weddings.   Info on Spring mini sessions will be available soon:)

Again, I can’t thank all of you enough for continuing to support me in this crazy journey.  I am muddling my way through…learning as I go.  I don’t pretend to be a great business person{or a great blogger for that matter:}…far from it actually.  My hope is to continue riding this amazing wave of blessings for as long as God allows and to not make too many ginormous mistakes as I go:)  Looking forward to an amazing 2012:)

So here goes…In case you wake up tomorrow and I have moved on from this amazing, crazy, emotion-filled life…Here is what I want to be known:

My angels-There is nothing that can keep me from loving you…nothing.  Not even the bonds of this Earth.  My love for you knows no end…it is infinite and I will spend my eternity making sure that you can feel my loving arms around you…even from Heaven.

Chris-12 years ago..you saved me.  Mostly from myself.  You are the only person on the planet that knows me inside and out.  Thank you for your constant devotion to your family and for loving me when I could barely love myself. Thank you for teaching me patience and for showing me how strong I can truly be.

Mom-You are the most amazing person on the planet. Period. Hands down. No contest.  You are the strongest person I know.

Dad-I love you more than you know.  And my heart hurts for you and everything that you are going through/have been through/will still go through.  It’s all worth it.  All of the hurt, the pain, the loss, the love…it’s all worth it.  I have faith in you.  Probably more than you have in yourself.

Ape-Thank you for giving me the most beautiful niece and nephew in the world.  Please make sure you remind them daily how fabulous their Aunt Sheila was.  And how much I adored them.

Mom and Dad..I really did look at the Christmas receipts that year that we were living on Chester.  Yep,  I did.  And Craig blackmailed me for a month because he caught me doing it.  I still have the diary entry that I wrote sitting on those basement stairs proclaiming my life was over because you guys were going to KILL me if you found out.  Well..it’s out. And man…that’s a load off.

Tiff-We had a pact!!!!!!!!!  And I know, I know..I broke it.  But know that I am so proud of you.  For going to Dallas on your own, for being an amazing mom, for making the most out of what this life has given you.  So now….Once a year{at least} I am going to need you to have a pity party….You will need:  A quarter pounder meal with a diet coke, a copy of Dumb and Dumber, Swingers and a DVD of old Seinfeld and King of Queens episodes.   Once a year, that’s all I ask.   {or more if it makes you feel better}  And if a bird ever hits your windshield while you are having a moment of silence for me…..Know that that is me.  {serious}

Tara-Thanks for being my monkey.  Always. That says it all.  And promise me you will take Aubrey to WOF conferences when she gets old enough.

Rachel-I would soooo leave all my camera gear to you….but dangit if you aren’t a Canon girl!  Ryan….It’s all yours. Make me proud.

And speaking of Ryan and of course Sara…..I hope there are cul de sacs in Heaven…and if there are…I’ll save you a spot.   I love you both more than you know….

Everyone else- Don’t waste your time being unhappy.  Please.  Do what you love, even if it means you’re poor.  Be fulfilled, love so much that it hurts, be sweet to each other, CARE about each other, SERVE other people….it will be the most fulfilling thing you have ever done.  Live the best life that you can.  It can all be gone in one instant…what will your legacy be?

At my funeral….please play The Dance by Garth Brooks. And if Kent Humphrey is available to sing it…even better.  I know my mom will want “It is well” but talk her out of it.  Please LORD talk her out of it.

Think of me when you hear someone cackling loudly in public, when you hear someone say “that’s what she said”, when you do the running man, when you lean too far back in your chair and have to grab for the table to keep from falling and say OHHH shiiizzzznit, when you hear Kenny Chesney singing “Old Blue Chair”, when you step foot on the sand in Hilton Head, when you find yourself losing your temper and saying ”YA KNOW WHAT??!” when you eat egg whites and avocados, when you tell an inapproriate joke and no one laughs, when you pretend like you’re talking on your cell phone in awkward situations and then it rings when it’s up to your ear, when you hear someone say “You’re so money and you don’t even know it!!!!” when someone makes you sit through a documentary on the Vietnam War, but most importantly…remember me when you look at the faces of my 3 angels.  And remind them that their momma was in love with them and that every.single.thing. that I did, I did for them.

So now that i have sufficiently depressed everyone reading this……Make the most out of today..It’s all we’re promised.

xoxo

Okay..so on to my girl.  Little Momma.    We’re big on nicknames around here.  My dad always had tons of nicknames for the 4 of us growing up and I’m no different.   On any given day she is, Aubs, Dings, Auberdinger, Little Momma, Dingers, Meanie Cat, Meanie Katherine.

Five years old today. Fastest 5 years of my life.  I still remember leaving the house at 5:30 in the morning to go to the hospital, still not knowing whether this amazing life inside of me was going to be a boy or a girl.  I will never forget the moment she arrived in this world and her daddy saying in a choked up voice ‘It’s a girl” with tears filling up his eyes.  I remember the head full of black hair as soft as little feathers and her tiny little smooshed in face.  I remember her big brother meeting her for the first time.  Such amazing memories.

She is by far the funniest kid I know.  She is absolutely fearless.  She will talk to anyone about anything and isn’t afraid to say EXACTLY what is on her mind.  She does not know the meaning of the word tact.  She is loud, slightly crazy, outspoken, STRONG-WILLED and has been known to throw a temper tantrum or two.   She isn’t big into toys..she would rather have purses and shoes(dear God help me). She loves to dance and sing and adores iCarly, Hannah Montana and Victorious.  She loves one on one time with her mommy and daddy and still talks about her ride in the limo on her daddy/daughter date night.  She is the definition of sassiness and attitude.  She is responsible for 99.9% of the gray hairs on my head.  And I wouldn’t have her any other way.  

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Most of you know that I have been scouting out some studio space..okay not so much studio space as much as an office space/client meeting area. A place where I can go to edit uninterruped, do in-person ordering sessions  and possibly hold a few indoor shoots in the winter months.  And thankfully I have two of the most amazing photographer friends that are possibly going to be sharing the space as well.  I honestly can’t tell you how great it feels to be taking this next step and I have been praying daily that this is the right move for all of us.

Also…my goal is to focus mainly on weddings/engagement/senior/boudoir/trash the dress and occasional maternity/newborn shoots.  (Newborn shoots will all take place in the studio)   I will be offering 4 weeks out of the year (2 weeks in the spring/2 weeks in the fall) that will be set aside for child/family sessions.  These most likely will be the ONLY times during the year that I will be booking these types of sessions.  I will announce those weeks the closer that we get to the end of the year. It’s important that if you are planning on booking a child/family session next year that you book early..these sessions will fill up quickly and time slots will be limited.

Whew!!!  Decisions, decisions!  I like soul searching and all but to be completely honest, I’m a bit whooped from all of the decisions that  I have had to make over these last few weeks!  And if you know me…you know I fear change.  FEAR it.  But yet there is a certain part of me that also gets a little bit of an adrenaline rush from it….Kind of like how I hate roller coasters but I HAVE to ride them because I almost like the fear.  Twisted.  I know.   Apparently there is still a bit of that rebellious 17 year old in me that hopped a greyhound bus to move 1000 miles away from home because as much as I FEARED change and risk…….I feared NOT changing and taking the risk even more.

So here is to leaping fearlessly(yep…thats my new motto..and my friends are already sick of hearing it because I say it like 14356 times a day now:) And here is to change and risk….because I’m long overdue for an adrenaline rush:)

So….my dear friends, family and past clients…..thanks again for every single bit of support….every referral, every comment on my blog, every “like” on my facebook posts, every encouraging email, every unexpected facebook message just to tell me that you actually READ my blog and that you believe in me.  Thank you.  From the bottom of my very grateful heart.

I will have wedding pricing, 2012 portrait pricing and and other fun 2012 info up on the blog asap:) Yep…it’s only August…but I’m a planner people! You know this!!!

And because blog posts are no fun without a picture…and because its just purty:)

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