meadows family... plus one. {louisville maternity photographer}

Meet the Meadows family.

Shaelyne and I share a love for photography and crafts. Last year we did our first ever photog-swap... where I took a few pictures of her family and she snapped a few of me and Lance. It was such a brilliant idea that we decided to do it again this year. Except this year the Meadows family is growing:) Baby Jovie Meadows was actually born a few weeks ago and lucky me... I'm on my way to their house for a little newborn shoot right now!!

So I thought today would be a good day to finally show you the fun shots we took this past fall before Baby Jovie arrived. Hope you enjoy!!

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Which one is your favorite?? I'll be sure to share the photos from today's newborn shoot soon... promise. I've already heard that little Jovie is a heart-breaker.

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) The men & women that fight for our country. When I was waiting to board my flight to Atlanta this past Sunday, I had the privilege of witnessing a sweet, sweet reunion. A mom and her 3 boys were allowed to wait at the gate for their soldier to return home from Iraq. The look of excited anticipation on their faces was beyond contagious. Almost anyone that passed by the gate paused in hopes of witnessing the reunion. Once the returning soldier stepped off the plane the entire airport erupted in applause, while his 3 boys ran to tackle him with hugs and kisses. It was such a moving moment. I so often forget about the men and women that fight everyday for my freedom... but this was a beautiful reminder... and I am so, so thankful.

2) Grown up coloring books. For Christmas one of my girlfriends sent me this amazing grown-up coloring book that she put together herself just for me. I love it. Brilliant idea if you ask me. Coloring ranks right up with doing puzzles for me... it's a guilty pleasure. It's therapeutic... and the perfect opportunity for me to use my collection of Stampin' Up markers.

3) This birthday girl. Who just happens to be turning the big 3-0 this weekend!! I am so thankful that I'm able to be in the office this week so we can celebrate:) I've already obnoxiously decorated her desk and we're planning lots of cake and presents for the day! Happy birthday Courtney! I love you baldface!

I always love reading all of the Thankful Thursday link ups every week... I had lots of favorites from last week's link ups... especially enjoyed reading Momma of Dos' list, where she reminded me to be thankful for those "slow days."

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

Kate Says Stuff

The Fontenot Four

a nature walk... with my camera

Last Wednesday I spent my lunch break on a little nature walk with a girlfriend of mine. It was fabulous... just what I needed last week. My friend recently got a new camera for Christmas and wanted to get familiar with it. So we set a date to hang out... just the 2 of us... and our cameras. It was so, so great.

I wanted to play with my 60 mm Macro lens, so I set out to take a lot of close-up and detail shots...

I was mainly looking for texture and repeated patterns...

Since it is winter in Louisville, I wasn't expecting to find much color... but I was surprised a couple of times by a few mossy patches and these vibrant berries...

Isn't my friend Shelby just adorable??

I love how having my camera with me forces me to look at things that I would normally pass right by or step on...

I encourage you to take your camera with you on your next walk... I bet you'll be surprised at what you see through the lens...

top 10 :: advantages of traveling for work...

Initially I thought I would do a top 10 list of things I don't like about traveling for work... because, believe me... I can rattle off that list pretty quick. But the truth is, I work for an amazing company that provides me with a tremendous opportunity to be able to work from home the majority of the time. So, the fact is, I have nothing to complain about, and there are some pretty awesome perks to traveling for work... like...

1) I actually watch the news.

...and listen to it. Only when I'm traveling do I actually watch the morning news... or listen to the radio on my short commute. I mean, heck, I actually watched the Republican debate last night.

2) I eat really, really well.

As in a company steak dinner tonight... woop, woop.

3) I get to see some of my favorite co-workers.

Probably my favorite part of traveling to the office is that I get to see 2 of my favorite girls!

4) I have learned how to pack a suitcase in 30 minutes.

Seriously... I am a packing machine.

5) I actually talk to people during the day.

...instead of my cat. This is pretty exciting for someone that spends the majority of their day working alone.

6) I can shamelessly read my favorite gossip magazine on the airplane.

Usually just People Style Watch... or maybe US Weekly if I'm feeling really scandalous...

7) I have become a master at airport security.

I can go through security with 2 laptops, a giant camera bag, and my ziplock bag of travel-size liquids like nobody's business.

8) I actually read books.

...like full chapters at a time. I just started The Happiness Project on this trip... so far, so good.

9) I know the Atlanta airport like the back of my hand.

I'm pretty sure I could walk from the terminal... to the baggage claim... then to the car rental station... all with my eyes closed.

10) Oh yeah... I get a lot of work done.

I get face-time at the office... with my boss and co-workers... which is always a good thing when you typically work from home.

Linking this up to Oh Amanda.

little cat's holding down the fort...

I'm in Atlanta this week... a full week at the office... doing audit work... fun times, I know.

Even though I am in Atlanta all week, there is still a lot to be done at the house. Lance and I talked and decided it would be best to let Little Cat share in the responsibilities while I'm gone. Since Little Cat's recent promotion, we figured he was up for the job. There is a lot to be done while I'm gone... but I think he'll manage...

...he'll be reviewing a few documents...

...running some budget numbers...

...paying some bills...

...doing a few loads of laundry...

...sending some wires to the bank...

...making a few shipments...

...taking a few water breaks...

It's a tough job... but I think he's up for it....

double trouble {louisville children's photographer}

Meet Jocelyn and Gabbie.

They might just be the cutest little things in the whole wide world. Well, I guess I am a little partial... since they are my nieces and all. But, I mean, just look at at them... cutest things ever, right?

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Cutest things ever, right? Which one is your favorite??

accountant by day...

There's one thing I don't talk about a whole lot on this blog... my day-job.

Mainly because I'm an accountant... and let's be honest... there aren't many people out there dying to read about general ledgers and payables and receivables. And the last time I checked, accounting blogs aren't exactly winning the popularity polls in the blogosphere.

But yes. I am an accountant. An accountant by day... and a photographer/scrapbooker by night (well, and weekends). Somehow both sides of my brain have learned how to work peacefully together. The left side of my brain works hard during the day... crunching numbers and analyzing spreadsheets... while the right side of my brain takes over at night... cutting scraps of paper and editing photos.

It works for me. There is this super weird side of me that enjoys the spreadsheets and numbers (I guess that's just the making of a true accountant). I am thankful that I pushed through and finished my accounting degree and MBA all those years ago, even on the many days I felt like quitting. And I am so, so thankful for my job. My current job has provided me with experiences and training that I never imagined possible at a "desk job."

So, there you have it... that's my 9 to 5 (well, actually it's 8 to 5)... I can be found working on reconciliations and balance sheets... at least when I'm not daydreaming of my next craft project;)

thankful thursday {link up}

{link up your own Thankful Thursday post below}

This Thursday I'm thankful for...

1) Photography lunch date. Yesterday on my lunch break I met up with a friend for a photography date. We basically just hung out at the park for an hour and played with our cameras until our fingers were numb from the cold. It was awesome. I played around with my 60mm macro lens and got some really neat nature shots that I hope to share eventually.

2) Project Life. Anyone even kinda-sorta involved in the scrapbooking community has probably heard about Project Life. Big time scrapbookers and paper-crafters all over are jumping on the Project Life bandwagon this year. And who can blame them... it basically allows you to make scrapbooking as easy or involved as you want. I'm not entirely sure what this project will look like for me, but I would love to incorporate this memory-keeping method into my life. I'll let you know more later... but until then, if you're interested in learning more about Project Life, go here. {image}

3) Creative date nights. Lance and I are learning to get creative in the ways that we spend time with one another... partly because of our schedules and partly because of our pocketbooks. We are learning that time together on the car ride home from community group can be just as valuable as a dinner date. Or a date night at the seminary school library can be pretty awesome too. It's all about what we make of it. If you're wanting some awesome (but affordable) date night ideas you should really check out the Friday Night Date Night blog... Mackenzie has tons of brilliant ideas.

I loved reading all of the Thankful Thursday link ups from last week... this one especially made me smile... I mean, who isn't thankful for hotdogs?? :)

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button on the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

Kate Says Stuff

The Fontenot Four

why i blog

Today I'm celebrating 2 years of blogging. I started this blog not entirely sure if I could or would maintain it... but here I am. 2 years and 530 posts later... I'm still here.

The Blogosphere is a funny place. You can feel strangely connected to people you've never met... or you can feel incredibly disconnected to real people. Blogging can leave you feeling completely inspired... or extremely discouraged. Blogging can help you relate to others... or leave you feeling like everyone has it together except you.

I desire to use blogging as a positive tool in my life... and the day it starts to feel like a chore or something I need to maintain to keep up with everyone else, is the day I will stop blogging. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely times I struggle with my motivations for blogging (which could probably be an entirely different post on it's own), but at the end of the day, blogging has taught me so much... and stretched me in more ways than I thought possible... for example...

1) Blogging makes me to step out of my comfort zone.

I have done things over the past couple of years that I probably would have never done otherwise if it weren't for blogging. I have gone on trips... slept in a tent... painted some furniture... expanded my photography skills... many due to the fact that I had already promised to blog about such-and-such.

2) Blogging holds me accountable.

This one goes hand-in-hand with item #1. Blogging makes me follow-through. If I say I'm going to blog about something, I usually do... instant accountability. Blogging forces me to put my thoughts and goals on "paper" ...instantly turning the simple ideas in my head into real action items.

3) Blogging makes me write.

I've never considered myself a writer... or even really liked writing. But jotting down a little post 4-5 times a week has helped me to enjoy writing. And I like that.

4) Blogging challenges me to step away from the computer.

Ummm, but don't you need to be on the computer to blog?? Well, yes. But if you don't step away from the computer and actually go out and LIVE your life, then you don't really have much to blog about, now do you??

5) Blogging has introduced me to new friends.

I have "met" several amazing women in the blogosphere... some that share my love for crafting... some that teach me about home design... some that challenge me creatively... and some that encourage me in my walk with the Lord. As strange as it may sound, I often feel as though I truly know some of these women, and genuinely hope I get to meet some of them eventually.

6) Blogging helps me appreciate real-life (in-the-flesh) friends.

While #5 is very much true, blogging has made me appreciate and value the real-life friendships I have. Interaction with real-in-the-flesh human beings cannot be replaced.

7) Blogging encourages me to finish my DIY projects.

I mean, who wants to read a blog post about an almost finished scrapbook or a half-painted table?? If I'm going to blog about it, then I need to finish it. This is a big deal for me. I am queen of half-finished crap.

8) Blogging allows me to relate.

For me this has been evident through some of my Dear Diary posts. I have been completely overwhelmed by the amount of "me too" comments and emails that I received when I was brave enough to share my fears and struggles honestly. This is probably my favorite part of blogging... how the Lord can use your words to greatly encourage someone on the other side of the world... making it feel a little less lonely out there.

9) Blogging encourages me to capture the little things.

I mean, I take pictures of food people! Since I have started blogging, I've noticed I'm much more likely to pick up my camera or my pen to help me capture those little things in life... Whether it's a picture of my favorite boots... a top 10 list of things I miss from the 80's... or a weekly thankful post... blogging forces me to remember the little things.

10) Blogging is a source of inspiration and encouragement.

The blogging world constantly inspires me and encourages me. Sometimes challenging me to do something different and sometimes just encouraging me to be where I am. To me, that is what this blogging stuff is all about.

What about you? Why do you blog?

Linking this up to Oh Amanda.

tactfully late christmas cards

January cards. Our version of holiday greeting cards.

I love them. They're like that last trickle of holiday goodness... Kind of like getting a birthday card a month late from Grandma... except our January cards don't have money in them... sorry.

I think this is about the 6th year we've sent out January cards... it's become quite a tradition for us. I'd really like to round up all of the January cards from year's past and put them all together... (hmmm, that would be a good project idea...)

We print a ridiculous amount... and every year I talk about cutting our list down... but then I think, "You know what? This is the one form of communication I have with some of these people for an entire year... forget it... I'm just going to send them all..."

And they're hitting mailboxes around the nation as we speak... be expecting your tactfully late Christmas card soon!!