looking ahead | changes in 2011!

About a month ago, my good friend Ali took some photos of me for my new blog (coming VERY soon!) and after our shoot, I used one of the images as my Facebook profile picture. My sister-in-law did my hair that day, and immediately my wall blew up with comments about how good/different/long my hair looked. Clearly, I need to brush my hair more often! :) And thank goodness for Ali, because I just might be the most awkward subject in front of the camera. Seriously. It's painful.

Though my blog isn't quite ready to launch, I was so happy to get updated photos for the new year. Because, really, this year is going to be amazing. 2011 is shaping up to be a year full of changes, and I'm hoping (and expecting) that they're all going to end up making me a better photographer and a better mom. Here are just a few of the things that I'm excited about...

1. My blog (like I mentioned) and website are both being updated and redesigned, and I couldn't be more excited about where they're going. You'll have to wait for the official launch, but seriously, it's going to be awesome.

2. On January 14th, I turned 30. At first, I kept telling myself that "30 is the new 20", but I've decided that I'd actually rather not go back to being 20. I feel much more confident and comfortable with who I am now. But I might stop proclaiming each new birthday from this point on. :)

2. I'm scheduled to shoot some amazing weddings this year, and I couldn't be more excited about the couples that I'll be photographing, the vendors I'll be working with, and the locations we'll be visiting. It's going to be an incredible year! I can't wait to share the photos.

3. And, perhaps, the BIGGEST and most SURPRISING news... our little family of four is growing by one more! In August, Tim, Maggie, Caleb, and I will welcome one more little baby into our family. This news definitely took me by surprise (because if you've been following this blog for awhile, you know that Caleb won't even be two yet!) but we're getting pretty excited about the new addition to our family, and Maggie is THRILLED! She has several names already picked out... I'm hoping she'll forget them though.

4. And finally... In response to the big change in our family, I've decided that I need to stop shooting portraits for the next year. I will still schedule engagement shoots, and I have several family and baby (and Baby's First Year) sessions already scheduled that I couldn't be more excited about! But I won't be adding any more portrait shoots to my calendar this year. If you're interested in a portrait session, please feel free to email! I'd love to hook you up with one of the many, many amazing portrait photographers that work in our area.

Thank you so much for reading and being excited with me about where this year is going! I anticipate that my kids are going to make a stronger appearance on the blog this year... And mom, since you're one of my most faithful followers, I'm sure you'll be thrilled! :)