When we started out the session, Shannon loved looking at some of the inspiration photos that I had printed to get ideas.  Then, as we walked outside to the Rose Garden area, she stopped and posed on the railing in the sweetest way.  It turned out to be one of my favorite photos – ever!  Thanks Shannon for inspiring me!

Shannon’s mom, Nancy, won this photo package as one of the one’s I donated to her school in the Fall.  I am so glad that she did, and so blessed to have met Shannon at this most special time in her life.  Congratulations on your First Holy Communion Shannon!

Some history on my submission: Last month, my husband and I were going through a period where we just missed each other.  He was working crazy long hours at work, I was busy busy busy with Spring Sessions and we looked at each other one day and said “We have to get away!”  So he researched some places and planned a beautiful day trip for us to head to head up to Dupont State Forest.  Side Note:  This is where they filmed some of “The Hunger Games” movie!  The trip was wonderful, and much needed.  Just us and nature!  We finally hiked to an area where we could lie on the rocks, with a waterfall above us and one below.  And just as I got cozy in his arms – it started to RAIN.  Out of nowhere!  It was so unexpected, and so much fun!  We hiked a little farther up to the covered bridge area, had the picnic we brought and watched it rain.  Being stuck in the rain, in the middle of nowhere with the love of my life is now one of my favorite memories!

This is a photo I took while looking down from the bridge.  I loved watching the patterns of the raindrops on the water below.  Technical Details:  f4.8, 1/125 second.  I edited it a bit in Lightroom using Split Toning, adding some highlights and shadowing.

Being the style maven that she is, Jamie brought the MOST adorable bow for Whitney to wear during the photo shoot.  Unfortunately, Miss Whitney doesn’t have a penchant for the large bows mom likes to put in her hair – but she graciously allowed it to stay on for a few shots.  Thanks Whitney

Jamie’s husband, Alan, couldn’t have been more excited to be missing March Madness basketball for this photo-session.  I kid.  But, being the kind and generous photographer that I am – I got him home by halftime (I hope).  And, the photos go to show – even a guy who is missing sports CAN enjoy a photo shoot with CMT Photography.

Thanks Jamie, Alan and Whitney for choosing me to photograph your sweet family!  Cheers!

At 9 months, Elsie has such a vibrant and curious personality already!  She loved exploring the park, hanging out with her big sister Rylee, crawling around and especially trying to eat the leaves.  We found out that the best way to make her laugh is when her mom told her “No!”  Uh-oh, that is great for photos but could spell trouble in her teenage years. 

Caine especially wanted to get a photo of Elsie on his shoulder’s, since he loved the one I snapped at the maternity session with his daughter Rylee.  Love these father-daughter moments!  Thank you Shelley and Caine for allowing me to capture these memories for your family!

Johanna found out about me through her good friend Ashlyn over at Cole Baby Tutus .  I adore Ashlyn’s tutus and she has worked with me on giveaways in the past.  Let me say a big THANK YOU to Ashlyn.  Not only do I love referrals, but it was such an honor and a blessing to meet & photograph this sweet couple!

Johanna & Cale are so in LOVE and excited to become parents that they were both glowing with happiness.  I loved the idea they had to incorporate some of their team gear (go Pirates!) into some of the photos.  I mean, they were so cute together that it had my husband, who helped out with the session, going home with the idea that he was ready to have a baby (me, not quite yet)!   Cale & Johanna – wishing you a wonderful delivery and lifetime of blessings with your new addition!  I can’t wait to find out if it’s a boy or a girl!

My 2011 Resolutions…

1.  Volunteer more, doing something I love, and with the same organization(s).  Ronald McDonald House & Nursing Home, possibly host a game night at each. ~ Grade:  C+ ~ Uggg.  This is one that I REALLY wish I had done more with.  I did choose 2 causes, RMH of Charlotte & Bright Blessings.  I did hold a Spring Portrait Session with Proceeds to benefit RMH, and made up a Birthday Blessings classroom set for Bright Blessings, as well as dedicated my Birthday month to giving back/random acts of kindness.  But, I still really want to volunteer at a Nursing Home and do a craft night/game night.  Note to Self:  Re-Add this to 2012 Resolutions.

2.  Grow my portrait photography business.  Explore some creative marketing ideas.  Dedicate myself to learning, growing and bringing the best possible services and products to my clients. ~ A ~ I can ALWAYS see room for growth in this area!  Always learning & growing for sure.  Some of highlights this year:  Repeat clients.  LOVE seeing the same families!  Corporate Business growth – Carolina’s Healthcare Systems and Real Estate, as well as Headshots helped to grow my business.  Photography Conference in Raleigh.  New/Better Packaging for Photo CD’s towards the end of the year.  Room for Growth:  Network more in SE Charlotte/Ballantyne area.  Grow Senior Photo business.  Blog More!

3.  Continue to travel with John, if possible once a month – even if it is just a day trip to the mountains.  Hopefully a trip to Greece.  Exploring feeds the soul! ~ A ~ We didn’t make it out of the US (boooo!), so there is defintely room for improvement!  We did go to Florida in the Spring (Miami/WPB/Orlando), tried a Swamp Boat ride, HHI in the summer, and Orlando for a week at Christmas.  Plus other randoms to a baseball game in Atlanta, a Photography conference in Raleigh, West Virginia several times, basketball games… nothing I LOVE more than having fun & traveling with John!  Room for Improvement:  Try at least 2 new places a year (this year had a lot of familiars, but still FUN!).

4.  Host a monthly or every-other-month Game Night.  Foster new and old friendships. ~ D- ~ Boooo!  We have had a few game nights with a few different couples, but nothing like the ultra-planned out, themed events I was thinking of on January 1st!  Not sure if I will Re-List this one in 2012, may be better to play it by ear!

5.  Learn something new, as often as possible. Take a cake decorating class, photography workshop, try yoga (again), learn the tango…  ”Unless you try to do something beyond what you have mastered, you will never grow.” ~ C.R. Lawton. ~ A ~ I learned to sew this year by taking sewing lessons in someone’s home.  And bought a sewing machine!  12 months after writing this, I actually have a sewing room!  With fabric!    And I am still a beginner, so I still have a lot to learn with this hobby.  I made pillow cases, aprons, a tote bag, an iTouch case… I also went to a Photography workshop in Raleigh, where I had a lot to learn.  John taught me how to do “approach” shots in golf.  This month I took a cake pop decorating class (such fun!) and am signed up for Wilton Cake Decorating classes next month!  Joined Pinterest, which is like a craft class times a million.  I’ll have to spend the rest of this week thinking of things I want to learn for next year!

6. Keep records… journal!  *Try project 365, taking a picture a day for a year.  If that doesn’t work out, settle for Project 52 – a picture a week for a year! ~ D ~ I have exactly 2 entries in my “journal,” including the 1st one on New Years Day!  And I LOVE how I knew myself well enough to give myself an OUT on the Project 365… ahh, it was fun for the 1st month or so though.  I did, however, start videoing more when I got my husband his iPhone, AND have a “Memory Board” where I keep ticket stubs, room keys, photos, etc.  Baby steps!

7.  Choose happiness. ~ I can’t “grade” myself on this one, as it is always evolving.  I did have a rough patch when my mom was having some health issues, but I tried to turn a negative into a positive by bringing her to stay with us for awhile.  This will ALWAYS be on my list, as I think it is a very good goal to have in life! 

 There they are!  Overall, I would call making the list a success!  It helped me to evaluate my priorities, as well as see what area may never be a priority (record keeping!  Blah!).  Excited to make up the list for 2012!  Happy Resolution-Making, everyone! What’s on your list for 2012?

 But here is what I wanted to blog about RIGHT AWAY (before I get as behind as I am on my summer blogging!).  September is my birthday month, and with the inspiration from a friend who is also celebrating a September Birthday – I have decided to dedicate the entire month to committing Random Acts of Kindness/Giving Back!  It has been such a joy to step out of focusing on the fact that my birthday is coming up (once I hit 25, I stopped counting!) and instead focus on small things I can do to make the world, and my community, and my home life  a better place! 

So here is a recap of the first week:

Day 1:  I was at Hobby Lobby buying fabric for my weekly sewing class.  Unfortunately, the line was about 6 people deep and there was only one fabric cutter available.  After waiting about 15 minutes and still being 3rd in line, an older lady came up and she had 2 of her very rambunctious grandchildren with her.  So, even though I was running late for class – I decided to let her go in front of me in line   She was VERY grateful and we ended up chatting a little bit while we were waiting.  Sometimes the smaller things add up, and I hope that we were able to lighten the “mood” for the others in line who were getting quite impatient while waiting.  I also wrote a thank-you card to my sewing teacher, who is just so sweet and patient and has instilled a love of sewing in me in just the few months I have been going! 

Day 2:  This was a rough day for me.  Just “one of those” days, as they say, where I was given more stress than I thought I could handle.  To top it off, I left my car windows down and a torrential downpour came through soaking my car.  I was stuck inside for the evening due to the storm, so I had to get “creative” with my give.  I found out about a Target program where you can“Enchant Your Little Loved One with a Surprise Call from a Disney …  I knew my 8-Year Old niece, who lives in Florida, would get a BIG KICK out of this.  So I signed her up!  Even better, the call relays a message, such as “you are doing a great job,” and I know she has some struggles in school – so hopefully the call will lift her up (I scheduled it for this weekend!). 

Day 3:  This was the first Saturday of College Football, which is the Holy Grail for my husband!  I can’t even begin to explain what a big sports fan he is – he even has an internet radio show dedicated to talking about Sports!  I dedicated the day to him, and us as a couple!  I recorded College Game Day in the am since he would miss it at work.  I put the air mattress in the living room so we could just cuddle up and watch football all-day and all-night.  I watched any and every game he wanted to – and ordered a pizza and wings to arrive just as he was getting home from his morning gig at the radio station.  We definitely had a great day and may have lost our voices a little from yelling at the tv! 

Day 4:  On day 4, Sunday 9/4 I hit the Labor Day sales as my “give” for the day.  American Eagle had a 40% Off sale, so I bought my husband a new outfit for fall as a surprise - jeans, t-shirt and button-down shirt.  I “gifted” myself with 2 pairs of pants from the sale as well.  I am actually very bad about buying things for myself (do any of you other givers have this problem?) so these are the first new pants I have bought myself in about 2 years!  Then, I bought my mom (who some of you know has been going through a very rough few months) a few things for Fall to bring to her next time I go to WV for a visit.  My husband also gave ME a gift: – he detailed the inside of my car, shampooed it and vacuumed it out to try and get the smell out from the rainy-day incident!  Love him!

Day 5:  {Labor Day!} This was another chill day for my husband & I.  I find that as we get older and busier, the amount of quality time we have together has dwindled slightly.  Luckily, we are both dedicated to make any & all time we have together count.  We both had Labor Day off and spent the day hanging out inside.  There was a lot of rain in the forecast from Tropical Storm Lee, so we left the air mattress inside the living room and hung out all day – playing video games, cards, reading, talking and watching movies.  I must admit that I didn’t do a thought-out give today, but my “give” was more of giving my complete time and attention to my love!  I didn’t even turn on the computer – now that is an accomplishment!  I know we both felt closer, fresher and more ready to face the week – so that is a bonus.

Day 6:  Tuesday 9/6:  I gave the gift of a NAP to a new mom! 

Day 7:  Wed. 9/7:  Being there for a friend!  I got a message from a friend that she was going through a rough patch.  My “give” for the day was to give her a call in the evening when I had plenty of uninterrupted time and just be there as a listening ear and encourager.  The phone call lasted almost 2 hours, and I think (hope!) she was feeling better at the end!  Little does she know, I also got her an encouraging card and a little cross (see tomorrow’s give!) to try and brighten her spirits through the miles!

Day 8:  9/8 ~ Reaching out to those who need encouragement was my goal on Thursday!  My husband and I headed to the annual Greek Festival in Charlotte, where I have bought “prayer knot bracelets” in the past.  These bracelets are made in a monestary in Greece and prayed over, and my husband and I get one every year (and when his dad visits from Greece, he brings us some too!).  I went to the festival with the mindset of getting some for a few friends who are going through rough patches, but they didn’t have any this year (due to a strike in Greece postal service!).  Instead, I picked up 3 little crosses and will be mailing them to 3 people who I think could use a boost of encouragement and love!  Shhh – they have no idea

Moving Forward:

One thing that I am doing photography-related as a give this month is donating $10.00 from EVERY session booked in September to The Alzheimer’s Association in honor of my father, who passed away from complications of the disease 2 years ago.   Use the Conact Me tab to book your Fall or Holiday session today! 

I am also really looking forward to Tuesday, when I am meeting up with my friend Wendy to assemble “Birthday Blessing” packages for an organization called “Bright Blessings” in Charlotte.  “Bright Blessings (formerly Birthday Blessings)  is a volunteer-led 501(c)3 non-profit organization bringing joy and support to homeless children by lifting spirits, boosting confidence, broadening horizons and supporting critical needs.”  We are going to fill a classroom pack with treat bags and birthday supplies so that a homeless child can celebrate their birthday at school. 

I am taking suggestions for the rest of the month   I would love to hear your ideas, or things you have given or received that have meant the most to you!  I will be posting photos after Tuesdays “Birthday Blessings” get-together!

This weekend I was lucky enough to be visiting WV coinciding my Cousin’s big prom night (ok, so I planned it!  Can you blame me?).  It was so fun to watch her get ready and to re-live some of my own prom memories!  And rain on a big day is always good luck, right? Thanks Courtney for letting me hang out and take some prom pictures for you.  Hope you & Jonathan had a FABULOUS time!