This past weekend my friends Tim & Dana had a ‘Gender Reveal’ Party! They are expecting a little BOY in November! This has got to be one of the most exciting things ever, I think I was as nervous as them before cutting the cake! For those of you who don’t know how this works. Dana had her ultrasound done on Friday, without looking at the gender photo – she took that straight to the bakery. The bakery made her a cake filled with BLUE icing. Tim & Dana cut the cake to find out that they were going to have a little boy! You may remember their Bahamas Wedding back in 2010? Anyway, just wanted to share a few photos from the day! We had such a great time with our friends :)

6.12.10! I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since I married my best friend. It seems like yesterday. Thank you God for blessing me with Randy, I am forever grateful to you. We took this photo last year for our 1 year shoot ;)

I’ve enjoyed the nice little break I gave myself this past week. Although, I edited and blogged every day, it’s good to put down the camera every once and in while. I cleaned house, did laundry, lunched with friends, read for hours, went for a few runs and just enjoyed having more time in my day. For so long all I knew how to do was rush rush rush to make sure I got everything done. Slowly, I’m learning to let go of the fast paced lifestyle. I’ve truly enjoyed having some weekend time off lately, too. Life is good!

It’s been a while, huh? :) A lot has been going on lately and I feel like I’ve been going a mile a minute for quite some time now. This weekend I really enjoyed spending quality time with my husband, my family and inlaws. I can’t wait for my upcoming road trip next weekend with my best friends. All the girls are headed to see our friend Amy who lives in Alabama. It should be pretty entertaining – this is our High School group that has been friends for about 14 years! Never a dull moment, that’s for sure!

It’s hard to believe that Randy and I will be married for two years next month, where has the time gone? All I prayed for when we got married was that God would lead me in the right direction with my business – I wanted to dive in full force. And that’s exactly what happened. I shot 5-7 portrait sessions a week and a Wedding every other weekend. It was probably sometime late last year when I realized something had to give. I couldn’t keep up this fast paced life anymore. I am being completely open and honest here… I missed my loved ones. And for what? To feel like a hamster on a circular wheel? Some extra money in my savings account? We have everything we need and you surely can’t take it with you! I will continue to work hard, but not at the expense of my happiness. If any of you have followed my blog for a while – you’ve witnessed first hand the amount of work I was taking in. I run this business 100% on my own – from emails, to wedding appointments, photographing all portrait sessions, editing every single wedding and session, burning CD’s, making client packages, creating online galleries, blogging my favorites from everything I photograph, designing Wedding albums, all album ordering, all mailings, photo orders, website updating, hosting, buying business supplies- the list could go on for miles I feel like. I’m not trying to say how great I am, I just want people to know how hard it is sometimes. There are lots of new-by photographers out there today that only see the glitz and glam. This is a business that requires attention just about 7 days a week. I also don’t go run off to the mall all the time, I come back to my office after every single session and work a 9-5. Most of the time it’s late hours in the evening, too! Since we’ve been married my business has been my baby. It’s like having a child. I tell God thank you every single day for blessing me with this career. I am not complaining because I know this is what I was born to do. Sometimes it just takes time to figure out what works best for you. Over the past 5 years in business – I’ve learned so much about myself.

I thought back on what I had prayed for…. a business that would take off. Well it did and then I realized how greedy it can made me sometimes. When I felt like I needed to take in every little inquiry that came through my email, it surely began to catch up with me. Then I started praying for clarity and for guidance on how to change the things that weren’t making me happy anymore. I wanted to live a life that revolved around love, carrying for people and making the most out of everyday. I didn’t want to come up for air in 10 years and realize I missed the best days of my life. So I slowly started cutting back. Taking in less and less Weddings, saying no to Portrait sessions that were going to put too much stress on my already booked up week. And then it all seemed clear. My stress began to diminish and my calendar didn’t look like a bomb went off anymore.

Thank you God for continuing to bring people into my life to photograph, thank you clients for allowing me to live out my dream. You guys bring me so much happiness :) So I just wanted to fill you all in on my schedule and how things are changing. Starting in June, I will only be booking 4 sessions per week. I will take in 1 extra last minute session per week if my schedule allows for it and I am caught up with work. I am taking a break from booking Weddings to focus on my portrait sessions for a while and enjoy some weekend time. Thank you to all of my past couples who have trusted me with your Weddings. Your special day is forever in my heart –  I am honored to have been able to live and celebrate that moment with you. Now lot’s of my past brides are starting families – so it’s exciting to hear from them again!!

I am looking forward to this summer. More time with my loved ones makes me want to cry because I am so happy. I plan on exercising more, eating healthier, cooking dinner, baking, yoga and just plain out enjoying life. I hope you all will continue to follow my journey. I am much more than a photographer – I can’t wait to have the time to share more of my life with you all over the upcoming months. I hope there’s no hard feelings with the decisions I’m making with my business, this is just where I am in my life right now. I just need a little time for me. Don’t we all sometimes? Just to step back and soak in this beautiful life? God Bless and thanks for continuing to check in to see what’s new. You’ll be hearing more from me soon!

If any of you are feeling stressed out and the days all run into each other. Take a step back and pray about it. Ask God for help and begin to make moves in creating a life you truly want for yourself. One that revolves around love, happiness and relationships. When I slow down is when I notice all the beautiful things I was missing out on before. The little moments that sneak up on you and make you realize how good you have it. That’s God talking to ya ;) I have been trying to find the words to write this blog post for months now… it wasn’t until I went to the beach for 5 days last week that I had some time for reflection. To clear my head and make sense of everything. If any of you have free time during the day, start listening to Joyce Meyer Ministry Broadcasts. Joyce is so funny, tells it like it is and really knows how to put things into perspective! Much love to you all!

If you are thinking about booking a session, here is an update on my availability. I am only booking 4 sessions per week. I know there’s a few people who inquired about sessions, but still haven’t gotten back to me. I am unable to reserve your date if you haven’t confirmed yet. Also, if you are interested in newborn sessions – most Mom’s reserve a space asap to insure they get a session, I am no longer accepting last minute newborn shoots.

CLICK HERE to view all updated pricing and portrait session information.

June – 2 spots left

July – 2 spots left

August – 3 spots left

September – 5 spots left

October – 1 spot left

November – booked

December – 5 spots left

**If you are contracted into my ‘Grow With Me’ plan, please don’t panic – I already have your session space reserved on my calendar. **

I am so fortunate to have such wonderful Mom’s in my life. I only hope to one day be HALF the Mom that my Mom and Mother-in-law have been! Even though I don’t say it enough, they mean so much to me! I am truly blessed and I thank God everyday for giving me this life. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky?

This past Thursday, I gathered my 3 Brothers, my Husband Randy, my sister-in-law Jen, and my brother-in-law Dustin! We headed to City Park at 7pm for some family portraits for our Mama’s! My grandmother took us all out to dinner afterwards, which was such a treat!! Although none of of us have children yet, it’s never too late to do something special like this.

Many of you might wonder why people spend so much time, effort and money on pictures. THEY ARE PRICELESS!!! I believe it’s one of the best gifts that you can give. I loved seeing their reactions, it’s the best feeling in the world! I hope one day that my photography allows you to feel this way. Loved, appreciated and celebrated!! Life is short – embrace it!

My Mom said this afternoon….. “JEN! I look at your pictures every day! Finally a shoot of my own children!!” Then…..I melted….

Please enjoy these pictures of my family! For this session, we played PASS THE CAMERA! I set all the camera settings and we just took turns photographing each other :)

Remember this post? Latest news on my cousin Courtney: I am happy to report that the prayers are working as I send out the best update yet.  Courtney’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous to this point.  Courtney is coming home Wednesday.  She is able to walk with a cane, and can climb stairs with the help of a banister. Obviously there is still much work to be done, particularly in her leg, but she has good mobility in her upper extremities.  She will return to outpatient rehab for a couple hours a day.  Currently her rehab focuses on helping her get up off the floor as she cares for Eden. (her youngest of 4 children)

As I continue to pray for my cousin Courtney who lives in Sante Fe, NM, I am reminded of how important it is to have faith. Every single Sunday I attend mass because it’s truly what helps me get through my week. A fellow photographer said the other day…. “My marketing plan: obey God and He will always provide!” Isn’t that the TRUTH? I wanted to jump for joy when I read that. I’ve thought that very same thing a million times over in my head, but was never able to put it into words. It applies to my life and my business. I haven’t advertised in a really long time…. which proves that God hears my prayers and gives me strength for my photography. He keeps me motivated to push forward. Happy clients = happy Jen!

Always remember that God hears you. I am a FIRM believer on God’s timing. Sometimes I can be so impatient with things in life – that is until I realize that I just need to wait my turn. You can’t have it all. I go to bed every night thanking God for the positive things in my life. I’m the first person to go to sleep when I have a REALLY long day of work ahead of me, but I’ve truly been soaking in my free time. Being responsible will always pay off, you just have to remember to have some fun, too :) It’s all about balance and learning to work hard and celebrate life. I’ve been enjoying the crawfish boils, nice weather, home cooked dinners at home with my hubby and time spent with family and friends. I realize in the future months as I decide to cut back on work… this will only lead to a new road ahead. Thank you to the clients who will continue to come back and keep their faith in me!!

In my free time lately, I’ve been listening to Joyce Meyer Ministries. She gives extremely motivating sermons just about every day on her website. When sitting at my desk editing, often times this is what I am listening to. Good, positive, encouraging thoughts! It’s amazing what our minds are capable of soaking in…