Quick! Quick! Someone pinch me. Am I dreaming? NOPE! Those are my images IN PRINT! Woohoo! OK, give me a moment to regain my professional composure… Alright, I’m ready to behave like an adult. I just can’t help it. I’m so excited to share this news with all of you! In January 2009 I laid out a set of goals that I wanted to achieve this year, and I am so thankful that the Lord chose to bring this goal to life. Both of these images are from Kevin and Christine’s wedding that I shot in June of this year. Thanks to Christine for providing the scans!

This year has been such an incredible adventure! I graduated from college, photographed weddings in Mexico, Canada and all over the Southeast, I was published for the first time (pictures coming soon), and I got to work with some of the most AMAZING clients the wedding world has ever seen. I feel so blessed to have such a great job, and I’m so thankful to all of my clients for helping me live my dream.

Speaking of living the dream, my 2009 wedding season has come to a close, and the next wedding I’ll have pictures to post from will be MINE! I’m getting married in March, and my 2010 season doesn’t start until April, so you’ll be seeing a lot of personal posts here for the next few months. I’m excited to spend this time finding new inspiration for my business, connecting with new clients, and OF COURSE starting a new life with my beloved soon-to-be husband. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for the future! Until then, here are a few of my favorite photos from the last year.

Christmas day had come and gone, and I found myself where I often ended up at bed time: snuggled with a blanket on my best friend’s futon. Patti and I were like sisters, and I spent about half of my life at her house when I was in high school and early college. I had celebrated Christmas with my real family that morning, and Robert had joined me in celebrating with Patti’s family that night. He had left a little while earlier, and Patti and I were getting ready for bed when I received a phone call. It was Robert asking me to come outside. But it’s dark, and it’s cold, I thought to myself. Why would I want to go outside. “Just come out here,” he said, so I jumped off the futon and raced downstairs to meet him at the door.

After we spent a few minutes chatting about nothing in particular, he told me that he was so thankful that I was a part of his life, and that he had really enjoyed the four months that we had spent together. I tried to focus on the rest of his words, but my mind was going all over the place. I’ve never really been comfortable with receiving compliments or being romantic, so my I’m-more-sour-than-sweet gene kicked in and I blurted out, “Am I going to get a Christmas kiss or what?” He smiled at me in a way that only a man who loves a crazy woman can smile and said, “Yeah, you are.” I stood up on my tip toes, and Robert and I shared our first kiss.

We often look back on the moment and laugh, because it is such an “us” moment. Robert was trying to be sweet while I was busy trying to kill the butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach, because romance just made me feel awkward and uncomfortable. It took me a long time to get used to the idea that romance could be a beautiful part of our love relationship. Years later, I still have times when I ruin sweet moments and say the wrong things, but that’s just part of who I am. Luckily, I am loved by a man who doesn’t mind that I’m a little awkward and a little crazy. In fact, he loves these things about me, because they make me who I am. We are best friends. Buddies. Two peas in a pod. I am his beautiful sweetheart, and he is my love. I shared my last first kiss with him, and I look forward to sharing many more as we grow together for a lifetime.

Robert, Merry Christmas. Thank you for making me the happiest bride-to-be EVER

Featured photos by Anne Almasy, my fabulous wedding photographer!