If you noticed, I said that I was going to do a session with all of my roommates before the end of the year but that didn’t happen. Steph and Brit had theirs but Kel and Em’s sessions are still to come! The sad part is that it’s going to be really hard to do Emily’s since she’s moving to Maryland and just graduated! Ah! It’s so bittersweet. Watching her walk across the stage with her diploma in hand was probably one of most bittersweet moments I have experienced in a long time. I’m so incredibly happy for her but oh how I hate to see her go.

This girl is by far the closest thing I’ve ever had to having an older sister. I love being an older sister but I’ve always wondered what it would be like being the younger one. When I picture in my mind what that older sister figure would look like…it’s em. I just love her! I love her laugh, her smile, her compulsive cleanliness, her heart, her passion to be a momma of many, and her love for the Lord. This girl has spent hours upon hours sitting on my bed or curled up on the couch listening to me whine and cry about whatever the wind was blowing in that day. She’s always been there and she has loved me well since the day I met her.

Needless to say, I’m going to miss her. I’m going to miss her doing the dishes (because she always picked up my slack!:) I’m going to miss hearing her box fan through the wall at night. I’m going to miss our talks about how we are NEVER going to figure out the opposite sex. I’m going to miss her laughing at how I know NOTHING about the kitchen. I’m going to miss finding random pictures of adorable babies and hearing her squeal when she sees them. I’m going to miss my go-to girl, my friend, my sister. I’m going to miss her.

But as hard as it is to watch her go… I am so excited for this new chapter of her life.

Em, I know it’s a little uncertain and everything is one big transition but the Lord has done incredible things through you the last four years and he has even greater things in store for the future. Please know that you have changed lives and you are leaving a beautiful legacy behind. Congratulations and I love you!

She’s didn’t get a session but I got a few cute ones of her and the boy after graduation! I love those two!

Where have I been? No posts, no updates, no nothing.  I’ve been in the beautiful mountains of Goshen, VA on a retreat and it was awesome! I apologize to those of you waiting to see your images and believe me, I’m ready for you to see them too! I’m obviously very behind but I wanted to share with you a little taste of my week! After you see this place you will totally excuse my absence from the blog! It’s gorgeous there! Enjoy!

I have actually had a day or two of relaxing! When I say relaxing, I mean that I didn’t have any sessions that HAD to be edited and blogged, I didn’t have a paper due within 24 hours and I haven’t had a million meetings to attend! However, I have been chugging away at my to-do lists. I have “to-do’s” that get pushed back and pushed back and pushed back because they just aren’t important enough to make the “immediate” list.  One of these “to-do’s” was making new headers for the blog! I found myself playing around with them in Photoshop this morning and I was having so much fun that I totally skipped my Comm Persuasion class! haha Oh, I shouldn’t have admitted that to the Internet because my mother checks the blog on a daily basis!!

Anyway, after making a few headers and starting to design a sample Coffee Table Album I realized just how much I LOVE THIS JOB! And then I realized that this really isn’t a “job” at all! I’m doing what I love!  It’s so much fun for me to take my images and design an album or re-design parts of my website! I’m in the process of ordering new packaging materials and I’m convinced that if I had a never-ending supply of money, I would buy every teal ribbon known to man! I love that stuff. I love this “job”!  Below is a perfect example of why this isn’t a “job” to me at all.  Yes, there is a TON of time and energy involved and I do have moments of stress and frustration. However, I get paid to take pictures of people on one of the happiest days of their lives and I get to celebrate with them!  These pics were taken at Ryan and Michelle’s reception by their INSANE DJ! He was probably the most energetic and involved DJ I’ve seen yet! I usually dance to the Cupid Shuffle at least once during the reception and he decided that I should have a picture of it! haha

Again, this is a perfect visual of why I love what I do! Be sure to check out my Shootsac! I use that thing ALL THE TIME and I LOVE IT!

Today was just another Friday… except that it was 6 years and 6 months for Michael and I!  Michael came home for Easter weekend and I thought it was going to be a normal visit.  We’d go out to dinner, hang out with old friends and then it would be Sunday afternoon and he would hit the road back to N.C..  That was not the case this visit.  You see, Michael LOVES surprises and I LOVE that he LOVES surprises!  I’ve tried several times to surprise him on anniversaries or with gifts and it just doesn’t go well.  He always guesses the surprise or I always end up telling him and it’s blown.  I’ve accepted the fact that “surprises” aren’t my thing and Michael has realized he is rather good at them.  So it wasn’t a surprise when he mentioned that he would like to steal me away from my busy schedule for a couple of hours on Friday.  However, it was a surprise when he walked me into a SPA in CityCenter and told me we were getting an hour long massage! A real massage!

Like I said, I’m spoiled.  I’m constantly amazed at how he loves me and I know I’m a lucky girl. I’m not a lucky girl because of what he plans or what he buys me, I’m lucky because I’m in a relationship with my best friend.  I’m so thankful for him and can only hope to love him 1/2 as well as he loves me.