30 days of gratitude...DAY 10

Day ten...

Friends.

I love my friends.

I love that my friends all meet my needs in different ways.

I have my local friends, my coffee homies, my long distance friends, my friends from back in the day, friends that make me laugh so hard I almost pee my pants, shopping friends, and even a friend who will always be the Lucy to my Ethel.

There are many days I wouldn't have made it through without my friends.

30 days of gratitude...DAY 9

Day nine...

My mom.

We've had a few rough years (when I was a feisty teen and she was...uh...MY age!), but we're close and she's taught me a LOT that I am thankful for.

Independence, self-confidence, and above all...how to shop sales like nobody's business!

In her honor, I'm posting a photo of a coat that I bought yesterday (at a bargain, of course)! Sure, I could have posted a photo of the entire coat, but that wouldn't be as visually interesting as the texture, would it?

30 days of gratitude...DAY 8

Day eight...

The important moments.

I'm so grateful to have been here for all of the special little moments in the lives of my children. First steps, first time without training wheels, loss of first teeth, etc. I know that a lot of people aren't as fortunate as I am and I do not take these moments for granted.

(This is a photo of Oscar that I took last week right after his first tooth fell out.)

30 days of gratitude...DAY 7

Day seven...

My photography community.

I wouldn't be where I am today with my photography business if it weren't for my fellow photography buddies...both online and in real life. There are too many people to list, but I assure you, I have a LOT of people to be thankful for. I will say that one person in particular, though, has been my saving grace. Azure, of Azure Marie Photography, is the one person I communicate with daily about anything and everything photography (and personal life) related. She is a colleague, but also a friend. We have worked together on numerous occasions, shooting weddings and sharing hotel suites for boudoir photo parties. So, thank you to my fellow photographers and, of course, Azure.

Photo below taken by Azure Marie Photography.

That's ME shooting a bride and groom this past summer.

30 days of gratitude...DAY 6

Day six...

Seasons.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I absolutely LOVE autumn.

Love. It.

I love apple cider, halloween, pumpkin patches, cool crisp air, the changing leaves, the fog, etc.

I feel like I wouldn't appreciate fall so much, though, if it weren't for the other seasons. I despise summer, but I love knowing that when it's over that I'll get my fall leaves!

I also enjoy living somewhere that actually has seasons.

30 days of gratitude...DAY 5

Day Five...

Our youngest son, Oscar.

To say that this little boy completed our family is an understatement.

He's the only person in our family who was not born in Oregon.

This little guys was born at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX...yeehaw!

Oscar has a smile that just lights up a room.

He's a people person and LOVES to make people laugh.

We've always called him our teddy bear because he's always been chubby and cuddly, but is just about as sweet as can be. He's nice to other kids and is usually the peace keeper.

He is full of energy, humor, and like all of our kids...handsome as can be!

Although he's "the baby" of the family, he's certainly not a baby anymore.

He's enjoying Kindergarten, can ride a bike without training wheels,

write short sentences, and just lost his first tooth!

30 days of gratitude...DAY 4

Day four...

Our middle son, Karson.

Oh man, if I wrote all the awesome stories we have about this kid, it would turn into a book!

Karson was by far the most difficult baby (ahem, and toddler, preschooler, kindergartener....) I've ever encountered. He is just now, in fact, getting easy to handle.

He was stubborn, angry, moody, and did I mention stubborn?

Luckily for him, he was the easiest child to deliver. Ha!

Karson is hilarious and makes me laugh on a daily basis.

He's also creative, smart, athletic, and artistic.

Oh, and obviously quite handsome!

As a pre-schooler he wore pink rain boots for an entire year because he wanted to and didn't care one bit that kids (not his peers, mind you, but older kids!) made fun of him for it.

He's currently sporting long hair because he likes it and yet again, doesn't seem to be bothered much by those making fun of him (I'm far more bothered by it than he is!).

Out of the blue he decided he wanted to take piano lessons. I was hesitant to sign him, but eventually did. He absolutely LOVES it and I think he might have a future in it!