Happy Valentine’s Day, friends. 
I miss Tommy today… but I am truly grateful that I have someone so wonderful to miss. There is a big difference between an empty longing and a warm longing, and I seriously feel blessed that I have a warm longing in my heart for my husband today.
I hope you all are feeling loved and appreciated on this most commercialized day. Here’s a little sneak peek of the first of our two winner’s sessions for the Haiti Fundraiser. Perhaps the love between these two is a little contagious.
Thursday, February 11, 2010 Posted in Personal
Welcome to another edition of Thursday Thirteen!
Shortly after I started Gratituesdays I did one about inspiration and how grateful I was for the amazing sources of inspiration I was able to come across. It was probably one of my most popular blog posts, so I thought I’d give you all an updated glimpse into where I’m finding my inspiration these days.
- decor8 blog - I love every “inspiration board” shared on this lovely blog. Much like a walk through Target, I find it difficult to not allow a visit to this website to help me feel discontent with my life. It is truly a struggle every time I read a new entry! But I love it!
- Spring Inspiration - I found this collaboration blog sometime last week and I LOVE it! Each one of the writer’s brings a unique touch to the site and I am super excited to see where it will go in the months ahead!
- Oh, hello friend - Danny is so sweet, so cute, and so stinkin’ creative. I appreciate her dedication to her blog and all of the hard work she puts into each and every entry. From sharing the work of inspiring artists to simply finding and sharing inspire guides, her website is ALWAYS up to date with new, beautiful eye candy!
- Flickr fav’s - ahhh… check out some of these talented beaut’s: here, here, and here. Flickr is always a great place to discover artists and these are some of my all-time fav photographers I follow on Flickr.
- Unravelling course - Susannah’s Unravelling course has been an awesome experience for me. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been the best student during these past four weeks (hey! she says that’s okay!), but I will say that what I have participated in has helped me learn more about myself as an artist. I highly, highly recommend this course for anyone out there feeling stale, lost in their work, or stuck in a creative block.
- The Savvy Photographer - I met Marsha at Imaging USA last month and it was SO great to finally put a face/name/personality to the person behind the scenes at the Savvy Photographer. She has dedicated a lot of her time to this website and it is such a fun resource for creative ideas and being introduced to the work of other talented photographers.
- Deb Schweldhem - I have fallen in love with Deb’s writing. Her photography, of course, is amazing and inspiring in and of itself, but it is her heart that she shares through her writing that leaves me encouraged and inspired every time I visit her blog. You’ve GOT to check her out.
- Shutter Sisters - This site has been around for a LONG time. It’s kind of the gathering place for all women who love to click their camera shutters. Ideas, inspiration, activities, and beautiful people are bountiful here.
- Lynsey Stone - Birth Photography at its best. To be honest with you, her work has brought me to tears more than once. The emotion in every photo is so strong. Her works inspires me so much. I kind of get speechless when talking about it, actually. Just go see.
- Melissa Jill - Melissa is always sharing wonderful photography business related ideas, tips, and tricks. Even for those who aren’t interested in starting their own business, she shares a lot of tips that even the beginning shooter would find helpful.
- Jose Villa - Jose has a lot of fans and for good reason. This film shooter has a unique style that says “light, gentle, free” to me. And who doesn’t want a bit of a light, gentle, free feeling in their days? Take a few minutes and experience his beautiful work. (Scroll down to see his foggy morning session he just did. Breathtaking!)
- Becky Earl - I was just introduced to Becky Earl’s website and I immediate fell in love with it for a lot of reasons, but one big one stood out: She stopped shooting professionally and decided to turn her camera lens in the direction of her home - putting her family first. I love that. Love it. I admire anyone who sets their priorities and is determined to keep them straight. Not to mention her words and photos are also beautiful. Oh! And she gives photog tips, as well!
- Kelly Ryden - This girl (and her sister) works magic with her hands and I am simply amazed at the portraits she captures of newborn babies. Talk about inspiring!
Those are some of my favorite blogs and artists to visit recently. I love discovering new books, magazines, blogs and artists to follow and would love to hear about some of your favorites!
Though I am thoroughly enjoying the snow on the ground outside, part of me has been thinking thoughts of spring this week. Here’s a photo I snapped last summer that has me a bit excited about the season around the corner:
P.S. Have you entered this week’s Giveaway?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Posted in Personal
This week’s Gratituesday is a simple one. I am simply grateful that I finally have time to chill out.
Since becoming a full time photographer and having Tommy gone for a while, I finally have some spare time on my hands. And I am very, very grateful for it. It felt like I was running full speed ahead for two solid years and I am just now finally able to relax. Not to mention, there’s nothing like a snow day to make you feel like you’ve got all the time in the world to sit around and do nothing. Now… I did a whole lot more than nothing this past weekend. But it was still a no-stress time. There was nowhere special I needed to be. No deadlines for the days. Just me and my coffee and my office task list. And it was lovely. And oh, so rare.
I am enjoying reading all of the ways you find time to relax and what you consider relaxing activities. In fact, I think I would like to take the day off and try a few of them. Well, okay, I would if I didn’t have a giant to-do list sitting in front of me.
So… yes… this week’s gratituesday is simple. I am so very grateful that I have time now. Time to relax. Time to chill out. Time to just be.
So, I am going out of order for my giveaways. But I can’t help it, I really wanted to do this one this week. I think it was the combination of being snowed in and the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday. In either case, I wanted to offer a little luxury to my blog readers TODAY. So!! I am sooo excited to announce this week’s prize!
This week’s giveaway is a lovely Spa Kit. It includes:
- A lotion, body wash, bath salt and scrubby set.
- A spa music CD. (Mmm I wish I could keep this one for myself.)
- A pair of soft, plush slippers.
- A Luxe candle.
- And the kicker! A $50 gift card to the spa of your choice.
Mmmmmm I ADORE trips to the spa and I am super excited to give one of my lucky readers a trip as well!
To enter this week’s giveaway simply leave a comment telling me what your definition of relaxation is. Coffee and a book? A day at the spa? Movie and popcorn with your BFF? Fill me in!
You can also gain other entries simply by sharing about this contest on Facebook, Twitter or your blog. For every time you post about the contest, come back and leave an additional comment letting me know! Each comment counts as one entry. You have until midnight of Tuesday, February 16th to enter as many times as you would like.
Good luck!! I will be announcing the winner of this contest on Wednesday, February 17th.
Saturday, February 6, 2010 Posted in Personal
Snow! The truth is, I love it.
The last big snow I remember disrupting our lives so much was the “Blizzard of ‘96.” And that was a long, long time ago. I always say I absolutely love living in Virginia because we get it all: snowy winters, green springs, too-hot summers, beautiful fall colors, the beach, the mountains, the valleys, the country and the city. It’s all here in our wonderful commonwealth. Except… lately we’ve been missing out on some snow. Lately, as in, a lot of years have passed since there was enough snow for me to build a snowman with and enjoy it for more than one day.
Well I am not sure if you got the memo - but we aren’t missing snow anymore!! :) I don’t know if I attribute my love for the snow to snowy traditions and excitement that I grew up with - or the cozyness of a snow day in the middle of adult life. Probably both. Gosh… it makes me giddy. So, this is what, the third snow of the year? The first snow I got caught in and was no where near a camera to capture it. The second snow, I was in FL far, far away from it. But this one? Oh I got it this time.
I’ve spent most of my time yesterday and today cozied up in my home, hot drink in hand, with snow falling outside of my window onto the white landscape. Romantic, isn’t it? Today I finally went out and played with my camera. I pulled out my new film and dusted off my film camera and only had the guts to take about 5 frames. Hah. Ah there’s something about film that seems so permanent… and scary! And delayed - now I have to wait until I finish the roll (at this rate it could be a year before that happens) and have it developed to see those shots! Of course, I also had my DSLR with me that kept me plenty entertained while I was out there. Here are some of my favorite captures from today.
It’s days like today that I wish I lived on a farm with a long, dirt road surrounded by trees. 
What did you do during your snow day today?
Oh it’s a fabulous (fri)day to announce the winner of the giveaway!
Congratulations, Emily G.!
Emily is such an advocate of my blog - she comments on every post and does everything she can to gain extra entries in giveaways (lots of tweets and FB posts :)). I am so glad she finally won something!
Stay tuned… I’m announcing another giveaway on Monday and I am pretty excited about this one!
Thursday, February 4, 2010 Posted in Personal
Welcome to another weekly addition to my blog. Thursday Thirteen is simply a hodge-podge list of things. Things I love, things I don’t. Things that excite me, things I think may be exciting for you, too. Since Tommy has been gone I have not been able to get my daily quota of conversation and I think my poor friends are getting the brunt of it while on our coffee dates. I have been a rambling MACHINE lately… it’s kind of embarrassing! Luckily they totally understand. (Ahhh that’s what friends are for!) So it is my hope that Thursday Thirteen will help lessen the load for my sweet, patient girlfriends. Hah.
So, without further ado… things I love:
- NOT being snowed in. Can I get an amen?!
- My JUICER. I am so in love with this thing. (Although it’s not the easiest appliance to clean, which may or may not prevent me from using it 10x a day.) Stay tuned for some of my favorite juicing recipes. I have come a long way since trying a juice fast 3 years ago and having to hold my nose while I put down each drink.
- Being able to make my own office hours. In the past seven days I have turned three different guest bedrooms into my personal office space. Having the flexibilty to do so is SUCH a blessing.
- Booking my flight to visit Tommy in March!!
- Getting my hopes up about Tommy being home earlier than expected. (You didn’t hear that from me.)
- The Right Brain Business Plan. This thing is so fun… and I think most (creative) small business owners could use a little fun during their number-crunching hours.
- Reorganizing and redecorating my office. Now that my business branding has been decided on and will be announced soon, I’m redecorating my office to match. It’s a good thing I LOVE the style, eh?
- Soft lighting. I finally got some nice lamps here in my office and it has made the biggest difference in this room.
- Tivo! After being gone for over a week I came home to lots of new shows ready to be watched at my convenience. So fun!
- Neighbors that plow your driveway for you. Our neighbor across the street plows my driveway every time it snows and he mows our lawn in the summer. True story. I can’t decide if he loves us that much or if he can’t stand to look at our unkempt lawn. Not sure (okay, I’m sure it’s the latter). Either way, he’s the best neighbor ever!
- One on one time with some of my favorite little people in the world. My sister has four kids and all at once, they can be a handful. It is easy to forget all the little things I love about each and every one of them. But when we get 1 on 1 time, it all comes rushing back. So refreshing!
- Pretty folders. Silly, but true. I love my pretty file folders with all my client information in them. Makes it not seem so… administrative and boring-like.
- Twitter! Ahh I am obsessed with Twitter lately. Are you following me? Do it! And then I will follow you!
Okay that was fun! If anything, it just made me think super positively about my life and now I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. You should try making a list of things you love as well. Or better yet, leave a comment and tell me what you love!
And because no post is complete without a photo, here’s one last thing I love: a happy pup enjoying her kong.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 Posted in Personal
As any small business owner can attest, starting your own business swallows all of your possible spare time. For the past two years or so my schedule has been filled more and more with photography-related things (events, meetings, time spent editing) and less and less other things (fun-filled Friday nights, gym time, coffee dates). The biggest area of my life that has been effected has been my social life. I tried my best to keep my priorities straight and unfortunately that resulted in my social life slowly, but surely, dwindling down to the occasional monthly outing and/or family-focused dinner dates.
Luckily, a couple of big things have happened the past few months that have resulted in more hours in my days. The first big thing was me leaving my steady 40hr/week job to pursue photography full time. Suddenly I had 40 extra hours a week to work into my lifestyle. That’s HUGE! The second big thing was Tommy leaving at the beginning of this month. Well, there goes 2-4hrs/night that were once dedicated to him (and shall return to him when he is back this time next year). Suddenly I’ve got 56 extra hours a week to distribute as I wish. (Wow, that’s the first time I’ve added those hours up - and that’s a-crazy-lot!)
Well, I’ve started scheduling gym time into my days, and lots of travel plans are in the works. But the most exciting thing is the time I have been able to give back to my patient and understanding girlfriends. I have been having the best time catching up with my friends over coffee/tea/smoothies and it has been refreshing and borderline therapuetic for me these past few weeks (I hope for them as well). I am blessed to report that they do still want to spend time with me even after weeks (or even sometimes months) have passed that we have not been able to get together.
This week, I am super grateful for these coffee dates and the wonderful people that I can share them with. Absolutely nothing can replace solid, soulful conversation with a very dear friend. I always leave this special time with a skip in my step and a happy, full heart. I have truly missed the experience and I hope I am able to make it more of a priority in my life in the future.
Who would you invite on a coffee date? Tell me over here and be entered to win in this week’s giveaway! I hope this week’s contest winner will be able to use the Coffee gift set to help nurture relationships in his/her life as well.
I am so excited to be launching this campaign to gear up for the announcement of the new and improved Love & Laughter Photography! To help kick-off all the excitement I wanted to open with a giveaway! (Seriously, who doesn’t love a giveaway?) I will be announcing a new giveaway every Monday for the entire month of February - so stay tuned for what is coming up. 
This week’s giveaway is a lovely little coffee set. It includes:
- An authentic Starbucks mug
- One pound of delicious Starbucks coffee beans
- A $10 gift card to Starbucks to share with a friend
To enter this week’s giveaway simply leave a comment telling me who you would take with you for a coffee date and why. Your best friend? Your mom? Your professor that you need to bribe into giving you a better grade? Fill me in!
You can also gain other entries simply by sharing about this contest on Facebook and Twitter. For every time you post about the contest, come back and leave an additional comment letting me know! Each comment counts as one entry.
I am excited to get to know a little more about my clients this month and I plan to share a little more about me and my goals for Love & Laughter Photography as well.
Here we go!!
You guys!!! Are INCREDIBLE!! I am so, so excited about the money you raised for Haiti! Together you brought in over $750 for the people of Haiti!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is SO not the last time I will do something like this.
Okay, so time to announce the winner! What I did was give one entry for every $10 increment donated by you. That means, if you donated $50 then you were entered in this drawing five times. I put each name into a spreadsheet and numbered them from 1 to 77. Then I went to random.org and requested a random number:
#44 is Mollie Manis!! Yayy Mollie!
Thank you ALL, again, SO MUCH for Helping Haiti! It just made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside as your entries came in during this past week. Again, this is not the last time I will do something like this.
Okay. Stay tuned later today for another Giveaway announcement! There’s so much to come in these coming weeks.
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